A Fine and Pleasant Misery: Dragon Con 09

[valarltd]

My initial thought today is that I will NOT do this con next year. Besides the enormous expense, the car trouble and the general unpleasantness waiting for me at home are more than enough to convince me that maybe out-of-town conventions are more trouble than they are worth.

Of course, ask me again in November when I'm flush with Ellora's Cavemen money...

I got in on Thursday, after picking up Joy and her Michael (SCA/pagan friends of mine and Bun) We had a good trip down.
We got parked, and the line to get our badges stretched out the door of the Sheraton, down the block, around the corner, around the NEXT corner and half way up the far side of the block. Once inside, there was a ginormous ballroom roped off with barriers in a zig-zag. I have no idea how many people were in it. I had my nose in my reader to keep from panicking. Closed spaces and too many people are bad for me.
I was on line about three hours. I finished one book and got well into the next. The line moved very rapidly.

Then I found reannon and her flunky extradordinaire in the lobby. We were on the 27th floor. Accessible only via glass elevator. FAST glass elevator...uh yeah. I had a rough weekend.

We got the booth set up and Friday morning, I staffed wiuth the delightful folks at Kerlak, many of whom are also active in the local pagan
community. I signed a LOT of copies of Dragons Composed.

Friday evening, the lovely saraphina_marie allowed me to escort her to the Time Travelers' Ball.




Saturday, I was on the Almost High Noon panel. So I dressed for it. This is about the only dressing I did all weekend.
The discussion, which included Cherie Priest, was fascinating. We talked about why the wild west, the mythologization of the west, the allure of steampunk and how it fits, the idea of accessible technology vs. the oxygen school of design and the images of indigenous peoples in the mythology, reality and current fiction.

I went to Kiernan Kelly, Kayelle Allen and Ally Blue's Same sex panel. It's an experience to have panelists squee over you.


Sunday, more booth work. I participated in the attempt to break the Guinness Record for the Thriller Dance. The dance itself is not yet on YouTube, but you can see some rehersals and cheering.

I watched the masquerade from the hotel room and reannon hauls all of us out the Flash party on the 70th floor of the Westin. I had something blue and much too alcoholic.

Monday, more booth and then mad packing and the Journey From Hell that ended in what may be a voided car warrenty, and an Angel with no sleep waiting for the satellite guy.

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[valarltd.livejournal.com]

They did pick up some. I'm low on TORQUED TALES again.

I was the only one of our group who had to stand in the general line. We had 3 guests and 2 guests of guests. And me.

Elizabeth Donald reannon is the Literary Underworld's fearless leader. She's wanting us to get our own place next year instead of sharecropping. Let's see where things go in the next couple weeks (she just got home today).