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dcI must admit I was in two minds about going to Eastercon. Originally I had thought it would work out nicely: move to new flat in late December/early January, get it sorted out then recover in time for Orbital. Didn't exactly turn out like that, and I ended up moving only a few weeks before the con, to find the workmen had inexplicably ripped out the flooring. Getting the flat sorted out was going to be much more demanding. Not much time to recover from the move, and the thought that maybe it would be better to spend my energy on the flat rather than going to the con did occur to me.
I am so glad I decided to let the flat wait and go to the con. Best Eastercon ever. I had been concerned about my physical condition, given I had nothing like recovered from the move, but I was counting on getting a bounce from the con (which usually happens). I really did, too: I seemed to be pumped full of adrenaline the whole weekend. Only at one point on the Friday did I get seriously wobbly, and I realised that despite regularly taking fluid throughout the day I had been a bit dehydrated (I had underestimated the effect of the air conditioning). There were some brain symptoms, the odd intermittent problem with handling language, for example, and at times I felt I might be getting conjunctivitis (the aircon again?), but the con bounce pretty much kept me going beautifully.
I have heard that there were about 1300 fans at Orbital, but it never seemed over-crowded because of the amount of programme running at any given time. The hotel did have its peculiarities which made life interesting (I had to open one of the programme rooms on the Sunday morning, I think, and I got lost on the way through taking one wrong turning: the signs about being in a maze of twisty passages, all alike, were spot on).
I spent some time in Ops, got to some programme items, met a lot of friends (old and new), got to the Scandinavian, Canadian and USSG parties. On the Sunday night I decided, bugger the ME, I'm enjoying myself, and stayed up until the bar shut. (04:00, if you are wondering.) I was grabbed at about 2am in the Atrium (supply your own Frankie Howerd-isms) to answer a question of Doctor Who trivia. It's fun being in an environment where that sort of thing is normal. (I also liked breakfast time conversations which included comments on things like one's favourite Japanese dictionary.)
There were some medical problems at the con: one chap collapsed in the corridor near Ops (at least that was handy) on Friday: now he hadn't been keeping up his fluid and food intake. Of course, Gopher Mum had to be taken to hospital. (Never expected to be collared by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
the_magician and taken with multiclassgeek into a cupboard and asked to check him out... fortunately for him, I didn't have to do more than ask a couple of questions to tell he needed to be seen by someone sharpish.) I hope he is recovering smoothly; what a bugger he had to miss the rest of the con. It was also a bugger emmzzi and judip were laid up for so much of the time with lurgis.
From what I saw of him, Neil Gaiman was a superb guest of honour, entertaining and friendly and apparently enjoying himself. I am not going to forget any time soon his description of the novel (
The most amusing incident for me, though, was the moment in a corridor when some of us were queuing for a programme item. In the course of conversation, one fan I had been chatting to mentioned she was bi and poly.
Best thing of the con? Mitch Benn, without a doubt. My muscles were still aching from laughing the following weekend. On the Tuesday after the con I was in a café in Bloomsbury when I had to stifle laughter because a bloke took his small child into the toilet. All I could hear was Mitch's voice:
I had decided that, all things considered, I couldn't really justify staying on in the hotel for the Monday night (a pity, that), but I did stick around until 11:30 then splurged on a taxi to the tube station (I couldn't face lugging my bags on and off buses at both ends of the journey: my muscles were really complaining by that time; also, there was no information in the con pack to help you figure out how to get out of the hotel...). It was the first time I had been outside for more than five minutes since the Thursday. On the train to South Ken. I had the company of another fan, which made the time pass very quickly. After a bit of a rest and a mooch around in London the next day, I headed home on the Wednesday, thinking I would take about a week to rest then get stuck into the flat.
I hadn't planned on a further wee excursion last week to stay with friends: that came a little out of the blue (great fun, though). Anyway, back in Glasgow now, in a flat which is still miles from being a home (except the kitchen, which is OK, and at least I have a fairly comfortable seat). Once I have recovered a bit, I shall start tackling that.
And I still haven't been hit by the post-con blues. (OK, the ME is bad. Haven't had this much pain in ages. But it will pass.)
On the Tuesday I pottered around Bloomsbury a bit, and we saw this book in a window of
Be grateful I did not take a picture of Attack of the Knob-heads.
No, I am not kidding.
I am so glad I decided to let the flat wait and go to the con. Best Eastercon ever. I had been concerned about my physical condition, given I had nothing like recovered from the move, but I was counting on getting a bounce from the con (which usually happens). I really did, too: I seemed to be pumped full of adrenaline the whole weekend. Only at one point on the Friday did I get seriously wobbly, and I realised that despite regularly taking fluid throughout the day I had been a bit dehydrated (I had underestimated the effect of the air conditioning). There were some brain symptoms, the odd intermittent problem with handling language, for example, and at times I felt I might be getting conjunctivitis (the aircon again?), but the con bounce pretty much kept me going beautifully.
I have heard that there were about 1300 fans at Orbital, but it never seemed over-crowded because of the amount of programme running at any given time. The hotel did have its peculiarities which made life interesting (I had to open one of the programme rooms on the Sunday morning, I think, and I got lost on the way through taking one wrong turning: the signs about being in a maze of twisty passages, all alike, were spot on).
I spent some time in Ops, got to some programme items, met a lot of friends (old and new), got to the Scandinavian, Canadian and USSG parties. On the Sunday night I decided, bugger the ME, I'm enjoying myself, and stayed up until the bar shut. (04:00, if you are wondering.) I was grabbed at about 2am in the Atrium (supply your own Frankie Howerd-isms) to answer a question of Doctor Who trivia. It's fun being in an environment where that sort of thing is normal. (I also liked breakfast time conversations which included comments on things like one's favourite Japanese dictionary.)
There were some medical problems at the con: one chap collapsed in the corridor near Ops (at least that was handy) on Friday: now he hadn't been keeping up his fluid and food intake. Of course, Gopher Mum had to be taken to hospital. (Never expected to be collared by
the_magician and taken with multiclassgeek into a cupboard and asked to check him out... fortunately for him, I didn't have to do more than ask a couple of questions to tell he needed to be seen by someone sharpish.) I hope he is recovering smoothly; what a bugger he had to miss the rest of the con. It was also a bugger emmzzi and judip were laid up for so much of the time with lurgis.From what I saw of him, Neil Gaiman was a superb guest of honour, entertaining and friendly and apparently enjoying himself. I am not going to forget any time soon his description of the novel (
You must get it!) Space Train, about a train which gets into orbit: he said is was good for aspiring writers to read, because they could look at it and say,
This got published.Tanith Lee was delightful, after a fairly trivial bit of help I gave her early in the con she always said hi when she saw me. Charlie Stross was Charlie Stross: enormously entertaining, mind-expanding (I overheard someone at dinner one night saying some of what he said was very amusing but
a bit over my head), and on a lot of programme items. I didn't see much of China Miéville for some reason, though I did walk into one item just as he was saying
ontology is opposed to epistemology(see, the Lovecraft panel wasn't all about tentacles).
The most amusing incident for me, though, was the moment in a corridor when some of us were queuing for a programme item. In the course of conversation, one fan I had been chatting to mentioned she was bi and poly.
Oh, me too!She was surprised because, she said, she had only met two other poly people at the con. I assured her I was pretty sure there were more than that, and then another fan said,
Well, actually, I'm poly too.
And me,said another.
Me too.Then:
There's five of us down here!(This was why a poly meet-up suddenly appeared in the programme on Monday afternoon, if anyone was wondering.)
Best thing of the con? Mitch Benn, without a doubt. My muscles were still aching from laughing the following weekend. On the Tuesday after the con I was in a café in Bloomsbury when I had to stifle laughter because a bloke took his small child into the toilet. All I could hear was Mitch's voice:
No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to DIE!
I had decided that, all things considered, I couldn't really justify staying on in the hotel for the Monday night (a pity, that), but I did stick around until 11:30 then splurged on a taxi to the tube station (I couldn't face lugging my bags on and off buses at both ends of the journey: my muscles were really complaining by that time; also, there was no information in the con pack to help you figure out how to get out of the hotel...). It was the first time I had been outside for more than five minutes since the Thursday. On the train to South Ken. I had the company of another fan, which made the time pass very quickly. After a bit of a rest and a mooch around in London the next day, I headed home on the Wednesday, thinking I would take about a week to rest then get stuck into the flat.
I hadn't planned on a further wee excursion last week to stay with friends: that came a little out of the blue (great fun, though). Anyway, back in Glasgow now, in a flat which is still miles from being a home (except the kitchen, which is OK, and at least I have a fairly comfortable seat). Once I have recovered a bit, I shall start tackling that.
And I still haven't been hit by the post-con blues. (OK, the ME is bad. Haven't had this much pain in ages. But it will pass.)
On the Tuesday I pottered around Bloomsbury a bit, and we saw this book in a window of
bizarre books:
Be grateful I did not take a picture of Attack of the Knob-heads.
No, I am not kidding.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-09 04:10 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-09 04:13 pm (UTC)I never object to making my expertise available when it is necessary. Any time.
I seriously have never enjoyed a con more. So glad I made it!
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-09 05:30 pm (UTC)And the available expertise, of course!
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-11 12:43 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-10 01:21 am (UTC)Thus, I would like to wholeheartedly offer a million-billion-zillion thanks.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-11 12:44 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-09 06:56 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-11 12:40 pm (UTC)She really was determined I would stop moving and rest for a bit, wasn't she?
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-09 08:07 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-11 12:39 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-09 08:52 pm (UTC)I'm certainly glad you dragged yourself there, and equally glad that I nabbed you for a chat on Thursday night or whenever that was.
Off to write
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-10 03:32 am (UTC)You better had, now; I always get people promising to RPS me, but it never happens.
Just so long as we're clear that the Medical Issues had presented themselves BEFORE entering the closet, not As A Result Of Events Within...
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-10 12:37 pm (UTC);-p
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-10 03:58 pm (UTC)Why don't you let that wonderfully crack-fuelled mind of yours run wild, and see what you come up with? ;)
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-11 12:38 pm (UTC)You don't really think my poor skills with words are up to describing the wonderfulness that is you? *innocent smile*
Aha!
Date: 2008-04-10 12:36 pm (UTC)Hello!
Re: Aha!
Date: 2008-04-11 12:34 pm (UTC)I had been rying to figure out the easiest way to track down someone on LJ when all I knew was their name was Liam.
Hello!