First things first though. Ok, so you're a meetings/convention hotel and you are scheduled to host 2500-ish people for the Thanksgiving weekend. Why would you choose that weekend to have the stone entry paths that lead to your front doors and that cross your main driveways resealed? Now 2500 people can't enter through the main driveways and only have one entry door available. Hmmm. Planning not your forte? And also before I actually get in the door... I'm being dropped off by my family who is headed to the airport and back to their own parts of the country. Since I'm not valeting a car I get no porter assistance for the large suitcase, three large and heavy tote bags, the computer case, and the purse.
One last hotel thing. Just one, I promise. This wa the first and only modern hotel I've ever stayed at where: 1) you get off the elevator in the middle of your floor with rooms to infinity in either direction (lugging 2 sherpa's loads because you weren't valeting a car) and there are no signs tellign you which rooms are in which direction. Yup, I picked wrong the first time. 2) there is no sign/map *anywhere* on the floor or in my room that tells me where the ice machine is. When I mentioned that last bit on checkout I was told that the door to it is made to look like all the other rooms and if I'd just walked most of the way down the other side of my floor I'd have found it just fine. I think not.
Oh one more thing. Let me show you the least-restful hotel room floor in the Western world:
Tell me how that's a calming influence? No wonder they upgraded all their bedding and added chenille throws the the room... they had to counteract the carpet.
This year's GoH was William Tenn/Philip Klass. He was quite darling. I must say I did like his comments when He recieved the Forry Award -- after all these years "it's about damn time I won one!" and "Don't tell Forry you gave me this." lol
As for the panels I attended:
My personal winner for best visual/coolest tech/ok-I'm-a-geek-whatcha-want-to-make-of-it panel: the Rebirth of the Griffith Observatory.
My winner for most notes taken: the 2007 Hugos panel -- very useful! At least a couple books hit my shopping list because of it and I have it firmly in my brain to check in a week or so to see if the online nomination forms are up. The books that made the shopping list: Novik's His Majesty's Dragon and Stross' Glasshouse. I also have made an effort to locate the sampler chapter of Lynch's Lies of Loch Lamora that was handed out at WorldCon and to read my copy of the WorldCon book, Space Cadets. For best related book, the Phillips book, James Tiptree, Jr.... remains on my radar.
Best everyone having fun panel: Doctor Who
Best audience interest panel: the Eaton Collection {If you haven't heard their presentation, you should catch it sometime. Also, they *will* treat you with respect. They don't snort at genre fiction or genre ephemera. They *like* scif and are proud of it. And, they won't sell it in a garage sale like your grandson/niece/first cousin would if you left them your collection. They'll let you visit too!
Coolest new innovation: The Stitch and *itch Room! Too cool -- THANKS!
Aside from the winning panels, I went to other panels (we won't mention those); I chatted with my friend John and his mom and congratulated him on getting the turkey sandwich boxed lunch again this year {good show, Marion-- you make him so happy every year with that lunch bag!}; I went to the masquerade -- nice year in masquerade land---how many liver snacks do you need to convince a dog to wear a full-body turkey costume???; chatted with Juli from the Eaton and books and general collecting [She just got a new light sabre which she's most fond of. If you need a dose of perky, Juli's your woman!!!!! She does the shopping for the Eaton -- ain't that the coolest job in the world!?!]; I bought books-- mostly as gifts [See, I showed some restraint! What did I get? I can't really say because they might be for you. ;-) ] and I stitched.
At the Con I got one ornie stitched, a BS poinsettia wreath like this one only the flowers are red overdye:
I also made more headway on the M Designs Sampler until I was stymied trying to figure out what to add -- I have a whole extra row's worth of space on the fabric and I just can't give up on it!
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