Got to Baycon at about 9:30 only running a wee bit late. Not really, I was planning on being there between 9 and 9:30. Did not find the art show until 10 - turns out we have yet another Escher site. The map on the Baycon site says the art show is in ballroom D, and that they are in the convention center. Ballroom D in the convention center is the size of New Jersey. Ballroom A, which on the map is half the dealer's room, is the size of Montana, and was set up for tonight's Mission College graduation.
Turns out the con is in the hotel, which has strategically arranged and labeled its rooms identically to the convention center's, and to add to the confusion, you go through a portal which is labeled "convention center" to get to the hotel's con rooms.
Once I found it, life was good. I was greeted by the art show mavin, and introduced to an energetic, knowledgeable woman spring-loaded into a very small package, whose name I did not catch but will later. She helped set me up with tape and hanger hooks, showed me how to brute force them into the pegboard, and after the half hour it took for me to hang the photos and put up the bid sheets and ID labels, she checked my list against the actual photos and bid sheets, had me make one minor correction (removing the direct sale price from
iamradar's photo, so there's no maximum bid), and had me sign the sheet. Mavin gave me an Artist ribbon. I'm Artist #10, the first section by the left-hand wall. An excellent location.
From there I went to the lobby to read, and met up with
johnnyeponymous who needed his ribbons refilled, so I gave him my three. Registration was not scheduled to open till noon, which meant 12:30. So I went to the dealer's room instead since it was supposed to open at noon.It wasn't. So, back to the reg line.
kproche passed by, so I have him the light tan makeup I'd promised
iamradar, since I was planning on being gone before she arrived. After reg I grabbed a hot dog at the impromptu junk food stand, and ate it outdoors behind the sushi bar.
Finished reading Sheri Tepper's The Fresco, a book which
mastersantiago might find interesting, as it discusses the difference between believing in a deity and believing in the Scriptures, especially in the face of the Scriptures contradicting what we see around us in nature.
Found the room where the opening ceremonies were to take place at 2, and parked myself in the front row. Played with the VR settings on my lens, and will see tomorrow when I slurp them into the PC if what the user's manual said was true or not. They started at 2:09 "Right on time" according to con director Michael Siladi, tongue in cheek. It was short and sweet, just a quick intro of and hello from the three GoHs - writer, fan, and artist, and the toastmaster. The latter shows a lot of promise. I'm not familiar with the writer, but that's my fault, I tend to read a narrow set of authors.
Went to a panel which said it was about fear of technology, but turned out to be on how to attract new readers. The sign outside the door was in 2400 time, and started at 1600 instead of 1400. So I went a door or two away and found the Inventing future gadgets panel, and found myself falling asleep. It wasn't boring at all, but the brown cast of the room and its lights, coupled with an inefficient air conditioning system lulled me.
Went downstairs just in time to meet
farmount as she was checking in. Chatted with friends of hers who were in the lounge, since they called me over. I don't think I ever knew their names, but friends of Nightshade, so it was a fun chat. I guess I'm old-fashioned, it still surprises me to be introduced to "my girlfriend, and her husband". Though I suppose I can think of at least four sets of those I know.
At about 4 I found the car and drove here to the Starbucks I hide in when I'm done with work but too early to show up at the theater. It's about 5 now, and they are playing My Way, Frank Sinatra version (I also like Elvis' but nothing beats Richard Nixon singing that song). It's also the song which landed me my first role in a musical. And I performed it at my cousin's wedding reception in Brighton a couple of years ago. I may burst out in song, and blame it on the mocha.
I may head up to the theater early, or I may exchange the laptop for Black Like Me, the next book on my reading list. We have our usual 8 o'clock curtain tonight. Call is at 6:30, but I don't get into costume/makeup till 7:30.
- Where::Montague/Mission College Starbucks
- Deep Feelings::
bored - Musika::Something Stupid - Frank & Nancy
- Deep Feelings::
mischievous
I tend to rotate which of my FL I read regularly, it depends on how busy I am at work and what else I'm doing in my free time - so don't take offense if I add you but don't seem to be reading your postings. If there is something you need me to see on your pages, please post a link in a reply on my LJ at random.
- Where::Home
- Deep Feelings::
weird - Musika::It's A Small World After All - 10,000 Screaming Monkeys on Acid
It's easy to tell who the Dancers are in a musical. They are the ones out in the back parking lot between every number, working and working and working until they have each nuance of each step so ingrained it is instinct. And the Costumers are the ones who are pinning and sewing and building not only today's costume, but also the ones for the next several shows. And at the cast parties, the Dancers are out on the driveway comparing steps, and practicing for the next audition, the next show. At the cons, the Costumers are looking at the nuances of each other's stitchery, describing the next con's costumes - maybe the next several. And pretty often, the costumers are out on the dance floor as well.
I'm awed by both groups. I have neither the focus nor the drive nor the artistic talent to see a costume in a movie or TV show or in a comic, understand how it would look on me, then design and build it. And my dancing is strictly a "best effort" kind of a thing.
- Deep Feelings::
contemplative - Musika::Gotta Dance - Fred Astaire
I'll be listening to Tres Gique in the concert room at 8, depending on how long it takes to prep may be open as early as 9. Call the room or my cell 650-248-6368 to check. Or just drop in and schmooze while I set up.
- Deep Feelings::
productive
- Deep Feelings::
exhausted
This means I'll have to find a block of time Saturday and Sunday nights to have the room open.
- Deep Feelings::
happy
- Deep Feelings::
chipper
Racked my brain, which actually did manage to stretch on demand. And remembered that I had been in line after BayCon 2005 for a 2006 membership, but the line was long, and after half an hour of not making much progress towards the cashier, I thought what a dull con it had been, no GOHs I was interested in, mostly dull panels (except for the costuming ones), filk concerts were mostly boring rehashes of the same people and groups doing the same numbers, or not doing filk at all but abusing the concerts to plug their latest non-filk CD. I also did not get to spend much time with people I only get to see at con, and except for
So I ditched the line, and never bought a 2006 membership.
I was set on not going to BayCon 2006 until I saw an announcement that Pournelle and Niven were the GOHs. That's a WorldCon class lineup, and I was definitely going if I could.
But there was still job foo, Thailand plans (and when I returned I was jazzed about the idea that I might be moving there permanently), and Mom's heart surgery (which kept getting put off until it was finally scheduled for two days before the Con).
Bottom line: I did owe them the full fare, after all.
- Deep Feelings::
embarrassed - Musika::Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime

