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pegkerrAll right, so maybe I will do a con report.
Friday was spent getting ready, and I was rather crabby with all the arrangements before we got to the hotel. In an effort to try to "save money," so that we didn't have to go out to eat for any meal except dinners, I went to the grocery store and spent too much money on food to take in a cooler. That was nice actually, to have healthy snack available at all times. Unfortunately, it didn't entirely stop me from grazing on unhealthy snacks. I also got stuff for the girls' Easter baskets. We dyed eggs before leaving, too, and tucked 1/2 dozen of them in the cooler (this is faintly ridiculous, really; I am the only person in the house who will eat hard-boiled eggs).
Got to the con, checked into the room. I browsed the dealer's room, said hello to old friends there. I hadn't intended to buy anything, really I didn't, but I immediately found a very bright and colorful sarong that was the exact shade of red of the blouse I was wearing. The woman selling them showed me a cool way to tie it under my wrists to make it into a casual jacket wrap. Sold. I got lots of compliments. I took the girls to DQ Grill and Chill, where I had an awful salad (not going there again) and then we went to opening ceremonies. Rob had said he'd meet us there but didn't show up. This was the frustration of this first night: Friday nights are supposed to be my child-free night, but Rob was elusive and didn't call the phone I was carrying. I stopped briefly at the Ask Dr. Mike, but the girls were restless, and so we flitted away and cruised the consuite. Finally I took the girls up to the room and left them there shortly before 9:00. Went to Laurie Winter's reading and heard and enjoyed an hour of The Music of Lizzy Whisper. Can't quite remember who I talked with Friday night. Oh: Laurie Winter, a dear friend, was one. We discussed the changes in her life in the last year. Eventually went to bed at 2:00 a.m. and found Rob in the room, he'd arrived there at about 9:15 p.m. and just stayed with the girls, working on some legal papers on the laptop.
Saturday morning: got up and worked out in the hotel's workout room (how virtuous), had breakfast. Put on my long velvet green top, stopped in the dealers room and found a stunning green velvet shawl that matched exactly and bought it. More compliments. I felt as though I looked pretty good this weekend. Went to the kids lit panel that Fiona was on, then had two panels in a row: Created Worlds in Young Adult Literature (a very good moderator and lots of experts on the panel and in the audience). I talked a bit about Harry Potter, and chimed in with some other suggestions, but didn't have quite as much to contribute as some others. An interesting discussion. Went from there immediately to Did Tolkien Harm Fantasy? (i.e., because of him and his immense gravitational pull, is fantasy too nostalgic, too pastoral?) Again, some really expert panelists. No real Tolkien detractors, which made the discussion rather one-sided, but we found enough to say to fill the hour.
Then I had some conversations: Elanor Arnason, who I discovered works a mere five blocks away from me (we will set up some lunch writing dates), Mary Monica Pulver (Monica Ferris) (I gave her your note,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
aome, and she was really touched), Ruth Berman, and Lois McMaster Bujold, who was wearing the stunning sculptural necklace that elisem made for her to show off all her award pins: consider that she had nine hugo nomination pins on it alone, and you get an idea of the effect. Nebula nominations, World Fantasy nomination, Sapphire Award--wow. Impressive and really lovely.
Flitted around for the afternoon. Had dinner at TGIFridays with the family. Went to the LIveJournal party. I got a name tag with my LJ handle which I will wear at cons for ever after. Thanks,mplscorwin! There were dozens of LJers at ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
minicon40. I changed to my black velvet jacket and wore the long rhinestone star earrings (lost the backing off one, so most of the evening I wore just one earring, but the effect was fun and funky). Went to the Lady Poetesses from Hell panel. Had a panel again at 9:00, on improving your writing process. I felt my participation wasn't particularly sparkling with this one. I was feeling the effects of my cold. The audience was rather subdued, too. Cruised parties Saturday evening: S.N. Arly and Steve's cheesecake party, the Tor party, the Con Suite. Found Laurie Winter late in the evening: she's been at the Folk Underground dance, which somehow I'd missed in my rounds. Wish I'd gotten to hear some of the Fabulous Lorraine. We went back to the Tor party, where Steve Brust hit on us.
Sunday I was moving a little slower, and even more bothered by my cold. The girls hunted for Easter eggs in the room and gobbled chocolate eggs. Went to the Schools of Magic panel at 11:00, much to the girls' disgust, who would have preferred to have gone swimming. I had a reading at noon. About five or six people showed up, and they seemed to like what I read. Just flitted, more or less, until closing ceremonies. Rob and I had a long talk by the pool afterwards with C.J. Mills (Carla). We ate pizza thatmplscorwin ordered, and then at 7:30 Rob took the girls home, since it was a school day the next day. I stayed chatting with people until 11:00. Had a great long talk with dreamshark about her kids, her job(s), the future of Minicon and mnstf, the idea of a mnstf retirement home. Others (minnehaha B, mgs) were included in that conversation. Then shifted over and chatted, in a more desultory way, with pameladean, carbonel and lydy and watched, hypnotized, as lydy painstakingly detangled pink silk embroidery floss. I mean, for hours. The music started up, which was why we were chatting less. It was lovely, and I wanted to stay very badly, but Rob was due his turn, so I came home, wishing, as usual, that Minicon could last longer, but knowing that I have to face the real world again eventually.
Cross-posted tominicon40
Friday was spent getting ready, and I was rather crabby with all the arrangements before we got to the hotel. In an effort to try to "save money," so that we didn't have to go out to eat for any meal except dinners, I went to the grocery store and spent too much money on food to take in a cooler. That was nice actually, to have healthy snack available at all times. Unfortunately, it didn't entirely stop me from grazing on unhealthy snacks. I also got stuff for the girls' Easter baskets. We dyed eggs before leaving, too, and tucked 1/2 dozen of them in the cooler (this is faintly ridiculous, really; I am the only person in the house who will eat hard-boiled eggs).
Got to the con, checked into the room. I browsed the dealer's room, said hello to old friends there. I hadn't intended to buy anything, really I didn't, but I immediately found a very bright and colorful sarong that was the exact shade of red of the blouse I was wearing. The woman selling them showed me a cool way to tie it under my wrists to make it into a casual jacket wrap. Sold. I got lots of compliments. I took the girls to DQ Grill and Chill, where I had an awful salad (not going there again) and then we went to opening ceremonies. Rob had said he'd meet us there but didn't show up. This was the frustration of this first night: Friday nights are supposed to be my child-free night, but Rob was elusive and didn't call the phone I was carrying. I stopped briefly at the Ask Dr. Mike, but the girls were restless, and so we flitted away and cruised the consuite. Finally I took the girls up to the room and left them there shortly before 9:00. Went to Laurie Winter's reading and heard and enjoyed an hour of The Music of Lizzy Whisper. Can't quite remember who I talked with Friday night. Oh: Laurie Winter, a dear friend, was one. We discussed the changes in her life in the last year. Eventually went to bed at 2:00 a.m. and found Rob in the room, he'd arrived there at about 9:15 p.m. and just stayed with the girls, working on some legal papers on the laptop.
Saturday morning: got up and worked out in the hotel's workout room (how virtuous), had breakfast. Put on my long velvet green top, stopped in the dealers room and found a stunning green velvet shawl that matched exactly and bought it. More compliments. I felt as though I looked pretty good this weekend. Went to the kids lit panel that Fiona was on, then had two panels in a row: Created Worlds in Young Adult Literature (a very good moderator and lots of experts on the panel and in the audience). I talked a bit about Harry Potter, and chimed in with some other suggestions, but didn't have quite as much to contribute as some others. An interesting discussion. Went from there immediately to Did Tolkien Harm Fantasy? (i.e., because of him and his immense gravitational pull, is fantasy too nostalgic, too pastoral?) Again, some really expert panelists. No real Tolkien detractors, which made the discussion rather one-sided, but we found enough to say to fill the hour.
Then I had some conversations: Elanor Arnason, who I discovered works a mere five blocks away from me (we will set up some lunch writing dates), Mary Monica Pulver (Monica Ferris) (I gave her your note,
aome, and she was really touched), Ruth Berman, and Lois McMaster Bujold, who was wearing the stunning sculptural necklace that elisem made for her to show off all her award pins: consider that she had nine hugo nomination pins on it alone, and you get an idea of the effect. Nebula nominations, World Fantasy nomination, Sapphire Award--wow. Impressive and really lovely.Flitted around for the afternoon. Had dinner at TGIFridays with the family. Went to the LIveJournal party. I got a name tag with my LJ handle which I will wear at cons for ever after. Thanks,
mplscorwin! There were dozens of LJers at minicon40. I changed to my black velvet jacket and wore the long rhinestone star earrings (lost the backing off one, so most of the evening I wore just one earring, but the effect was fun and funky). Went to the Lady Poetesses from Hell panel. Had a panel again at 9:00, on improving your writing process. I felt my participation wasn't particularly sparkling with this one. I was feeling the effects of my cold. The audience was rather subdued, too. Cruised parties Saturday evening: S.N. Arly and Steve's cheesecake party, the Tor party, the Con Suite. Found Laurie Winter late in the evening: she's been at the Folk Underground dance, which somehow I'd missed in my rounds. Wish I'd gotten to hear some of the Fabulous Lorraine. We went back to the Tor party, where Steve Brust hit on us.Sunday I was moving a little slower, and even more bothered by my cold. The girls hunted for Easter eggs in the room and gobbled chocolate eggs. Went to the Schools of Magic panel at 11:00, much to the girls' disgust, who would have preferred to have gone swimming. I had a reading at noon. About five or six people showed up, and they seemed to like what I read. Just flitted, more or less, until closing ceremonies. Rob and I had a long talk by the pool afterwards with C.J. Mills (Carla). We ate pizza that
mplscorwin ordered, and then at 7:30 Rob took the girls home, since it was a school day the next day. I stayed chatting with people until 11:00. Had a great long talk with dreamshark about her kids, her job(s), the future of Minicon and mnstf, the idea of a mnstf retirement home. Others (minnehaha B, mgs) were included in that conversation. Then shifted over and chatted, in a more desultory way, with pameladean, carbonel and lydy and watched, hypnotized, as lydy painstakingly detangled pink silk embroidery floss. I mean, for hours. The music started up, which was why we were chatting less. It was lovely, and I wanted to stay very badly, but Rob was due his turn, so I came home, wishing, as usual, that Minicon could last longer, but knowing that I have to face the real world again eventually. Cross-posted to
minicon40
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2005-03-28 04:39 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-03-28 04:47 pm (UTC)A MnSTf retirement home is a wonderful idea! I would be interested in starting to organize it now, so that in 20 years, when I need one, it will be there for me. I don't want to end up with a bunch of strangers who I have nothing in common with.
Mnstf retirement home....
Date: 2005-03-28 05:00 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-03-28 05:44 pm (UTC)I think it's really neat that Fiona was on a panel, herself. What a wonderful world you're making them part of. :)
(no subject)
Date: 2005-03-28 06:43 pm (UTC)I think the only time I saw you for more than a second in passing was at the LJ party, and then your back was to me so I can only say you looked fine from that angle.
Re: Mnstf retirement home....
Date: 2005-03-28 06:49 pm (UTC)Seriously, I'd be willing to be on such a committee if, and only if, it was well focused, and had a term limit. One year, yes, the rest of my life or until I burn out, no.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-03-29 01:57 am (UTC)