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May. 27th, 2013 02:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lenora_roseSo. I've been pretty busy with social things, as I mentioned in the last post, such as it was. I really don't think there's a lot of point to summing up *all* of the various events and stuff, though Colin's come in costume birthday party was fun, and not the only fun. But, it's happened, it's done, and I'd forget something important. So. A couple of the biggest highlights.
- Joseph had his baptism, or as I described it, his formal introduction to God. he was squirmy as expected, but the baptism went well. his brand new godmother (These days they usually say sponsor, but I prefer the older term) ended up taking him to the nursery for the end, so I could go back and finish singing with the choir, since that day also happened to be the last day the choir was going to sing until September.
My mother-in-law was naturally there for the baptism and the week surrounding it (including an extra part day thanks to airline flight argh).
- Keycon.
Which started with fire and flood. Well, fire alarm. I never did get the whole situation and what was related to what sorted out.
Colin and I were just going for Saturday, with mom babysitting JoJo. So we headed out, and as we're turning onto the street where we can see the hotel, it's clear there are fire trucks right outside it. They start to leave as we get within half a block.
We run into a friend outside, headed somewhere else, who confirms that there was a fire alarm, but as far as people can tell, not fire. Still, the elevators are not working. The lobby is full of con-goers.
The hotel confirms it will probably be another hour before the elevators start again, even though the fire department is gone.
For me, this is an extra problem. I signed up for a blue-pencil session (writer thingy on which more later) that was to start at 1:10, and I'm supposed to be there 10 minutes in advance if possible. There's not really leeway, though I hope there might be with the elevator situation.
Soon enough, they offer an alternative for those who are mobile enough to manage it; they can let people into the elevator into the parking garagem, which goes up to the 8th floor, and there are service stairs from there to the con floors (11 through 13, which have a nice central stairway linking them as well. Suites are on 15 and via a different staircase, IIRC, though maybe it's the same service one.)
So Colin and I climb to 11, find that this year registration is on 12 (I'd have sworn it was always on 11 before this year.) So, up one more. I get the form filled out, but hand it to Colin telling him I'll have to see if I can find my blue pencil thingy, and roam down to 11, only to discover I'm supposed to be on 13.
Oh, did I mention that within a block of our house, my ankle went out on me on the walk? One moment I was walking beside Colin, the next I was on the ground. it was feelign kinda tender, but this happens to me a lot, and I've rarely had more than a temporary twinge off it. I was still feeling it a bit.
Anyhow, while I'm on 11 briefly (again) I do note a sign on a rough barrier saying something like "Due to Cthulhu and R'lyeh rising in suite Ambassador B, all panels have been moved -" I don't really pay more attention that at the time.
Anyhow, I get to the right place, and find out I'm two minutes from when my session begins, and they're willing to let me in without my badge. So I relax.
The blue pencil sessions, of which I had two, are essentially 10 minutes (timed) wherein one of the pros at the con goes over the first 2-3 pages of one of one's works. My first, with Ann Aguirre, went quite well. She liked more than she didn't, and she had some useful things to say besides. Not quite as well as my friendcrowdog66 did with Robert J Sawyer, who told her her opening pages were publishable quality as is, but satisfying.
So I get out, and discover the gentleman running things did see my husband, but mistakenly told him I wouldn't be out until 2:00, not 1:20, so Colin has vanished. (Colin apparently instead had an encounter with GoH Richard Hatch, who also had no idea where he was going or supposed to be. Colin assured hatch that he, at least, should have people who could tell him.)
I found my husband in short order, and my brother getting his own badge for the day, then likewise a friend who could tell us a bit about what was happening on floor 11.
Apparently, during one panel, one of the visitors noticed a small drip down the wall. Which increased speed. Then turned into a steady trickle. Then became a four foot wide pour, at which point the suite was abandoned.
A pipe in the fire sprinkler system had broken. This also affected a corner of the room the masquerade and dance are supposed to be in -- at the time they didn't know if it would be manageable (as it turned out to be) or would require they figure out an alternative, which would likely be darn near impossible. I'm sure the hotel has some serious work to do after the fact, but they did get the big hall useable for the convention at least.
So yeah, fire alarms and flood. Since the elevators still weren't working and I did have a second blue pencil in an hour, we opted to wander the art show, then the dealer's room. I had to duck out again for my second blue pencil (about the same level of positivity in the work discussed, but I wasn't sure it was as useful). After which I had just barely sat down to what was supposed to be Steven Barnes' general chat panel (he being the guest about whom I was most interested in), and which was one of the things displaced from Ambassador B, in this case into the middle of the 12th floor lobby space, when lo who should appear in the background but![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sun_in_her_hair, along with Billy-baby. (bighairyviking rejoined them not too long after.)
Priorities is priorities. I had to go and see the mom and baby (Adorable! All of four weeks old!) and catch up and admire the baby and catch up some more.... I never did get back to that panel. Or any other. Because when Colin found me again, he expressed some interest in going up to the 15th floor to see the suites.
We spent some time in the Dandy Lion, the filkers' suite, greeting and catching up, and setting aside the mandolin there. Then we checked a few of the others, caught up with other friends... I made another dip down to the art show and put bids one some piece, and by then it was getting towards a good time to go for supper, and Jeff had found me again. So. Off to dinner, which dragged enough that we missed most of the masquerade.
After which it was mostly more catching up with people and more filking. We did go to see the "radio play" style reading session, which was an entertaining space story in which everyone died. Colin went home at midnight, but I lingered.
The rest was singing. I started feeling the dangerous "You're dumber and poorer spoken and a worse singer than everyone else in the room, and why are you humiliating yourself pretending you belong in this company" thing around one, but fought it until I slunk home at 2 AM.
I went the next night for the dead dog, after Joseph was in bed - Colin had already expressed that I could go, since at that point "minding Joseph" meant being in the house and nothing more, and he could sleep.
So. I went, i sang better, I had more fun than the late night before. And I got home at a not totally insane time this time.
OH, and some of my bookmarks for The Illusion of Steel did disappear, though not as many as I'd hoped. It would have been better to have them set up on Friday night when most people register. (And one was picked up by a friend of mine rather fortuitously - since it was the one that had been clipped to my badge and fallen off) I doubt it was worthwhile for self-promo, but at least I tried.
- Joseph had his baptism, or as I described it, his formal introduction to God. he was squirmy as expected, but the baptism went well. his brand new godmother (These days they usually say sponsor, but I prefer the older term) ended up taking him to the nursery for the end, so I could go back and finish singing with the choir, since that day also happened to be the last day the choir was going to sing until September.
My mother-in-law was naturally there for the baptism and the week surrounding it (including an extra part day thanks to airline flight argh).
- Keycon.
Which started with fire and flood. Well, fire alarm. I never did get the whole situation and what was related to what sorted out.
Colin and I were just going for Saturday, with mom babysitting JoJo. So we headed out, and as we're turning onto the street where we can see the hotel, it's clear there are fire trucks right outside it. They start to leave as we get within half a block.
We run into a friend outside, headed somewhere else, who confirms that there was a fire alarm, but as far as people can tell, not fire. Still, the elevators are not working. The lobby is full of con-goers.
The hotel confirms it will probably be another hour before the elevators start again, even though the fire department is gone.
For me, this is an extra problem. I signed up for a blue-pencil session (writer thingy on which more later) that was to start at 1:10, and I'm supposed to be there 10 minutes in advance if possible. There's not really leeway, though I hope there might be with the elevator situation.
Soon enough, they offer an alternative for those who are mobile enough to manage it; they can let people into the elevator into the parking garagem, which goes up to the 8th floor, and there are service stairs from there to the con floors (11 through 13, which have a nice central stairway linking them as well. Suites are on 15 and via a different staircase, IIRC, though maybe it's the same service one.)
So Colin and I climb to 11, find that this year registration is on 12 (I'd have sworn it was always on 11 before this year.) So, up one more. I get the form filled out, but hand it to Colin telling him I'll have to see if I can find my blue pencil thingy, and roam down to 11, only to discover I'm supposed to be on 13.
Oh, did I mention that within a block of our house, my ankle went out on me on the walk? One moment I was walking beside Colin, the next I was on the ground. it was feelign kinda tender, but this happens to me a lot, and I've rarely had more than a temporary twinge off it. I was still feeling it a bit.
Anyhow, while I'm on 11 briefly (again) I do note a sign on a rough barrier saying something like "Due to Cthulhu and R'lyeh rising in suite Ambassador B, all panels have been moved -" I don't really pay more attention that at the time.
Anyhow, I get to the right place, and find out I'm two minutes from when my session begins, and they're willing to let me in without my badge. So I relax.
The blue pencil sessions, of which I had two, are essentially 10 minutes (timed) wherein one of the pros at the con goes over the first 2-3 pages of one of one's works. My first, with Ann Aguirre, went quite well. She liked more than she didn't, and she had some useful things to say besides. Not quite as well as my friend
crowdog66 did with Robert J Sawyer, who told her her opening pages were publishable quality as is, but satisfying.So I get out, and discover the gentleman running things did see my husband, but mistakenly told him I wouldn't be out until 2:00, not 1:20, so Colin has vanished. (Colin apparently instead had an encounter with GoH Richard Hatch, who also had no idea where he was going or supposed to be. Colin assured hatch that he, at least, should have people who could tell him.)
I found my husband in short order, and my brother getting his own badge for the day, then likewise a friend who could tell us a bit about what was happening on floor 11.
Apparently, during one panel, one of the visitors noticed a small drip down the wall. Which increased speed. Then turned into a steady trickle. Then became a four foot wide pour, at which point the suite was abandoned.
A pipe in the fire sprinkler system had broken. This also affected a corner of the room the masquerade and dance are supposed to be in -- at the time they didn't know if it would be manageable (as it turned out to be) or would require they figure out an alternative, which would likely be darn near impossible. I'm sure the hotel has some serious work to do after the fact, but they did get the big hall useable for the convention at least.
So yeah, fire alarms and flood. Since the elevators still weren't working and I did have a second blue pencil in an hour, we opted to wander the art show, then the dealer's room. I had to duck out again for my second blue pencil (about the same level of positivity in the work discussed, but I wasn't sure it was as useful). After which I had just barely sat down to what was supposed to be Steven Barnes' general chat panel (he being the guest about whom I was most interested in), and which was one of the things displaced from Ambassador B, in this case into the middle of the 12th floor lobby space, when lo who should appear in the background but
sun_in_her_hair, along with Billy-baby. (bighairyviking rejoined them not too long after.) Priorities is priorities. I had to go and see the mom and baby (Adorable! All of four weeks old!) and catch up and admire the baby and catch up some more.... I never did get back to that panel. Or any other. Because when Colin found me again, he expressed some interest in going up to the 15th floor to see the suites.
We spent some time in the Dandy Lion, the filkers' suite, greeting and catching up, and setting aside the mandolin there. Then we checked a few of the others, caught up with other friends... I made another dip down to the art show and put bids one some piece, and by then it was getting towards a good time to go for supper, and Jeff had found me again. So. Off to dinner, which dragged enough that we missed most of the masquerade.
After which it was mostly more catching up with people and more filking. We did go to see the "radio play" style reading session, which was an entertaining space story in which everyone died. Colin went home at midnight, but I lingered.
The rest was singing. I started feeling the dangerous "You're dumber and poorer spoken and a worse singer than everyone else in the room, and why are you humiliating yourself pretending you belong in this company" thing around one, but fought it until I slunk home at 2 AM.
I went the next night for the dead dog, after Joseph was in bed - Colin had already expressed that I could go, since at that point "minding Joseph" meant being in the house and nothing more, and he could sleep.
So. I went, i sang better, I had more fun than the late night before. And I got home at a not totally insane time this time.
OH, and some of my bookmarks for The Illusion of Steel did disappear, though not as many as I'd hoped. It would have been better to have them set up on Friday night when most people register. (And one was picked up by a friend of mine rather fortuitously - since it was the one that had been clipped to my badge and fallen off) I doubt it was worthwhile for self-promo, but at least I tried.
