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Jiggety-jig
Sep. 6th, 2004 06:03 pmNo King's Cross for me, but here's the Cliff Noted version of Worldcon:
Thursday-- arrive, wait and wait and wait and wait some more to check in. Hook up with PEOPLE and hang out in the Marriott bar (and end up eating dinner there).
PEOPLE look different than I thought. Especially Leah, who is much much taller, and Bear[Bad username or site: katallen</a></span>, who has the loveliest hair, and <span class= @ livejournal.com], whose eyes and skin are much lighter in color than I thought they would be, and Jenni[Bad username or site: retrobabble</a></span>, who looks 16 but ....well, isn't. And Hannah, whose hair is darker than I thought it might be, and Jaime, who is beautiful enough that I wonder why men aren't falling all over her. <span class= @ livejournal.com] is as I expected. Well, and Mris and Timprov, too, but if they had changed substantially in the week and a half since last I saw them, I would be startled.
PEOPLE are also fun to talk to, and the first night is spent in chatter. No imbibing. I think I met Bear's agent that night. I know I cornered George RR Martin and made him sign an autograph for my husband. Obnoxious, but I knew I would not make it to his signing.
Friday is full of ... stuff. As palinade and I are on the Mommy Schedule that involves getting up early-early-early, we get coffee and then join up with the Zoo for breakfast. Hit the dealer's room around 10 and bought the Liaden Compendium (the first three books) and looked around for Elise's stuff but could not find her. I then acquired 2 Elder Gods for the Roo, because 1 Elder God is not sufficient for enacting Titanic Battles.
Hung out with Jaime and Kelly and then went to the DAW what's new presentation, missed the Interstitial Arts presentation (by the time I got there, it had been underway for half an hour), met up with the Zoo again for sushi as a late lunch, took a nap, saw... part of the Del Rey presentation and then RAN to Elise's presentation of 'Making Stories With Necklaces' and watched the beginning of _Dark Elves go to a Worldcon_. Trotted back to her table in her company and Bear's company, and had an accident.
Well, all right, not really an ACCIDENT. You see, I was looking at all the pretty shinies, and I admired Sleepy Dragons (which admired me back, but did not want to come home with me), and Ghost Auction (which was friendly, but fell madly in love with Amanda, not me), petted Wyatt's Cat and then encountered...
...Drinking with Drowned Sailors. I touched it. It wrapped itself around my fingers. I touched it again, and it crawled up into my hands. I put it on, just to look, and I was lost. Lost. LOST. I emptied my wallet that night, for that necklace.
It was a very demanding necklace, too. Is still, I should say-- the story to go with it is eating my head.
That night, I think I ended up with the Zoo, hanging out in the Sheraton bar. I think. After slow service at the Cheesecake factory.
(The only way I can differentiate the bars was that the Sheraton had surly waitresses, and higher prices, and lousy food. The Marriott had bigger rooms, lower prices, REALLY super waitresses, but an obnoxious bar band.)
Saturday I went to breakfast with the Zoo after working on the story for a little bit, hit the 'New from Roc/Ace' presentation, saw the _Sweat & Blisters_ panel, skipped the Del Rey presentation in favor of lunch, took a nap, went late to the Warner Aspect panel but got some free books anyway, and missed the Eos panel, but not Bear's reading. I also made it to John Scalzi's reading.
And I told Rosemary Kirsten that she should read her own book, it was so good, blah blah blah. I don't have an excuse for not looking at her con badge first. I really don't. I um... should have?
And at 3 that day, the Mris and the Timprov took me to the dealer's room and bought me a boooooook.
I think that once again we ended up in the Sheraton bar, and I had a pina colada (Kelly is trouble) and staggered upstairs early to sleep it off. I clearly remember fangirling all over Ellen Kushner earlier, and telling Jenni that some book "...ish crap, I tell you. Crap!"
There was a party in the sff.net suite, and I kept bumping into people in the elevators, and the Klingon playing guitar in the corner of one of the rooms just... freaked me out a bit.
Sunday was the day I got to stare at Lois Bujold's chest, after the _Age Along with Me_ panel with older characters. Elise's necklace for her is AMAZING. Beautiful. And the awards are just... they look like they're organic, like they grew in it.
Dropped by the Baen presentation at noon, ate lunch, saw the Bantam/Spectra presentation and embarrassed bear, stuck around for the Tor presentation and then went for seafood with the Zoo.
Somewhere during this time, I think I fangirled on Delia, acquired a pair of earrings for the Haiku Challenge (which I missed by having to leave early), found a pendant called Bufo's Dream (which also wants its story told), got my necklace admired by many many people, including a woman I thought might be SM Stirling's wife (Jan Stirling?), Jo Walton (I think), and Ellen Kushner. Embarrassed the hell out of Leah Bobet by pimping her book to an agent, got to meet Toby and Jay Lake, had Bear cop a feel (whoot!), and met some of Jenni's rather cool friends.
And a book I'd been killing myself looking for (_Orphanage_, by Buettner) got handed to me by the author himself in advance reader's copy.
I also got to meet Peg Leg Mer and her friend Julie, both of whom have livejournals, and a host of other new and very cool people.
One of the things I should say about Worldcon was that I was expecting it to be a lot more ...regimented. Instead, I relaxed, enjoyed, went to a few panels, ignored others, picked up some free books (because the thing I need most in my life is more books), went to the room and cried when I missed my kid, went to bed when I wanted to, talked when I wanted and hung out in the corner watching eveyrone when I didn't. Very... organic flow to it. People came and went, and it was all good. The only thing that bugs me a little was the 'I'll catch you laters' that never really happened. For a schedule oriented person like me, that was a little unsettling.
Saturday morning I got up early, caught the early shuttle, met Laura Resnick and gabbed with her all the way to the airport about agents and editors and books and journalism school and Athens, Ohio. Read _Belarus_ while waiting for my plane, and _Orphanage_, too, and came home to a check in the mail and my contributor's copy of _Invitations_, by Sam's Dot Press and 24 abalone picks, which will make playing Fred the Red Guitar somewhat easier.
Roo and Mike are due in a little later tonight; I can't wait to see them. It's been fun, but it's also been ...lonely, I think isn't quite the right word. Let me settle for saying that I miss my Roo.
I'm sure once I have him back, I'll miss my *Zoo* more.
Thursday-- arrive, wait and wait and wait and wait some more to check in. Hook up with PEOPLE and hang out in the Marriott bar (and end up eating dinner there).
PEOPLE look different than I thought. Especially Leah, who is much much taller, and Bear[Bad username or site: katallen</a></span>, who has the loveliest hair, and <span class= @ livejournal.com], whose eyes and skin are much lighter in color than I thought they would be, and Jenni[Bad username or site: retrobabble</a></span>, who looks 16 but ....well, isn't. And Hannah, whose hair is darker than I thought it might be, and Jaime, who is beautiful enough that I wonder why men aren't falling all over her. <span class= @ livejournal.com] is as I expected. Well, and Mris and Timprov, too, but if they had changed substantially in the week and a half since last I saw them, I would be startled.
PEOPLE are also fun to talk to, and the first night is spent in chatter. No imbibing. I think I met Bear's agent that night. I know I cornered George RR Martin and made him sign an autograph for my husband. Obnoxious, but I knew I would not make it to his signing.
Friday is full of ... stuff. As palinade and I are on the Mommy Schedule that involves getting up early-early-early, we get coffee and then join up with the Zoo for breakfast. Hit the dealer's room around 10 and bought the Liaden Compendium (the first three books) and looked around for Elise's stuff but could not find her. I then acquired 2 Elder Gods for the Roo, because 1 Elder God is not sufficient for enacting Titanic Battles.
Hung out with Jaime and Kelly and then went to the DAW what's new presentation, missed the Interstitial Arts presentation (by the time I got there, it had been underway for half an hour), met up with the Zoo again for sushi as a late lunch, took a nap, saw... part of the Del Rey presentation and then RAN to Elise's presentation of 'Making Stories With Necklaces' and watched the beginning of _Dark Elves go to a Worldcon_. Trotted back to her table in her company and Bear's company, and had an accident.
Well, all right, not really an ACCIDENT. You see, I was looking at all the pretty shinies, and I admired Sleepy Dragons (which admired me back, but did not want to come home with me), and Ghost Auction (which was friendly, but fell madly in love with Amanda, not me), petted Wyatt's Cat and then encountered...
...Drinking with Drowned Sailors. I touched it. It wrapped itself around my fingers. I touched it again, and it crawled up into my hands. I put it on, just to look, and I was lost. Lost. LOST. I emptied my wallet that night, for that necklace.
It was a very demanding necklace, too. Is still, I should say-- the story to go with it is eating my head.
That night, I think I ended up with the Zoo, hanging out in the Sheraton bar. I think. After slow service at the Cheesecake factory.
(The only way I can differentiate the bars was that the Sheraton had surly waitresses, and higher prices, and lousy food. The Marriott had bigger rooms, lower prices, REALLY super waitresses, but an obnoxious bar band.)
Saturday I went to breakfast with the Zoo after working on the story for a little bit, hit the 'New from Roc/Ace' presentation, saw the _Sweat & Blisters_ panel, skipped the Del Rey presentation in favor of lunch, took a nap, went late to the Warner Aspect panel but got some free books anyway, and missed the Eos panel, but not Bear's reading. I also made it to John Scalzi's reading.
And I told Rosemary Kirsten that she should read her own book, it was so good, blah blah blah. I don't have an excuse for not looking at her con badge first. I really don't. I um... should have?
And at 3 that day, the Mris and the Timprov took me to the dealer's room and bought me a boooooook.
I think that once again we ended up in the Sheraton bar, and I had a pina colada (Kelly is trouble) and staggered upstairs early to sleep it off. I clearly remember fangirling all over Ellen Kushner earlier, and telling Jenni that some book "...ish crap, I tell you. Crap!"
There was a party in the sff.net suite, and I kept bumping into people in the elevators, and the Klingon playing guitar in the corner of one of the rooms just... freaked me out a bit.
Sunday was the day I got to stare at Lois Bujold's chest, after the _Age Along with Me_ panel with older characters. Elise's necklace for her is AMAZING. Beautiful. And the awards are just... they look like they're organic, like they grew in it.
Dropped by the Baen presentation at noon, ate lunch, saw the Bantam/Spectra presentation and embarrassed bear, stuck around for the Tor presentation and then went for seafood with the Zoo.
Somewhere during this time, I think I fangirled on Delia, acquired a pair of earrings for the Haiku Challenge (which I missed by having to leave early), found a pendant called Bufo's Dream (which also wants its story told), got my necklace admired by many many people, including a woman I thought might be SM Stirling's wife (Jan Stirling?), Jo Walton (I think), and Ellen Kushner. Embarrassed the hell out of Leah Bobet by pimping her book to an agent, got to meet Toby and Jay Lake, had Bear cop a feel (whoot!), and met some of Jenni's rather cool friends.
And a book I'd been killing myself looking for (_Orphanage_, by Buettner) got handed to me by the author himself in advance reader's copy.
I also got to meet Peg Leg Mer and her friend Julie, both of whom have livejournals, and a host of other new and very cool people.
One of the things I should say about Worldcon was that I was expecting it to be a lot more ...regimented. Instead, I relaxed, enjoyed, went to a few panels, ignored others, picked up some free books (because the thing I need most in my life is more books), went to the room and cried when I missed my kid, went to bed when I wanted to, talked when I wanted and hung out in the corner watching eveyrone when I didn't. Very... organic flow to it. People came and went, and it was all good. The only thing that bugs me a little was the 'I'll catch you laters' that never really happened. For a schedule oriented person like me, that was a little unsettling.
Saturday morning I got up early, caught the early shuttle, met Laura Resnick and gabbed with her all the way to the airport about agents and editors and books and journalism school and Athens, Ohio. Read _Belarus_ while waiting for my plane, and _Orphanage_, too, and came home to a check in the mail and my contributor's copy of _Invitations_, by Sam's Dot Press and 24 abalone picks, which will make playing Fred the Red Guitar somewhat easier.
Roo and Mike are due in a little later tonight; I can't wait to see them. It's been fun, but it's also been ...lonely, I think isn't quite the right word. Let me settle for saying that I miss my Roo.
I'm sure once I have him back, I'll miss my *Zoo* more.
