I'm at WorldCon!!!!! I'm at WorldCon!!!!!!!!!

Woo hoo! Happiness alert. Actually, supreme happiness alert! hee hee

Ok here's the trip report so far:

Day 1:
Leave LAX via gate 1 and get a message from the fates--

Those are some of the hall art pieces on the tunnel that leads to gate 1. See, fate called me to WorldCon.

Arrive at Denver Intl Airport which is really nicely arranged. It seems to be very efficient too -- when I got to baggage pickup my suitcase was just sliding out onto the roundabout. I mean you can't ask for better timing than that, right?

Check in to my one-night hotel on the fringe. I was too late to get a room for the first night in one of the con's 7 hotels so I made do. It was an adequate place and the bed was really comfy, but I am happy to be up near the convention center now -- no pealing bathtub paint, no broken coffee maker (I hope-- I haven't tried it in the new hotel), no broken elevators, no non-functional internet, etc. [Oh, and when I went to fill out the comment card in the room, it was already filled out -- by a guest who stayed there 6 weeks ago. lol]

Headed to the convention center to meet up by the Big Blue Bear --


(Ain't he cool?????)
-- anyway at Blue's feet I met up the person whose "spare" membership I was buying. I'm soooo lucky! She'd already registered and sussed out where the transfers line was. It was a blissfully short 2 people--- a real godsend since regular preregistration pickup was INSANE. I should have taken a picture but then you would never come to WorldCon. If I had to go through those lines at my first con I'm not sure there would have been a second one. We went from registration to the dealer's room where I picked up 4 books from Glen Cook (He's a bookstore and a writer and I try to buy my books from him when I can so he has plenty of backing for his writing.)

Aren't they pretty? They're so decorative. And fun too!

I also checked out some of our sporting activity options:


We get up to some funky stuff at cons. lol

My programs for Day 1 were Programmable Matter with Wil McCarthy; 2008 the Year in Science Fiction (David Hartwell, Jonathan Strahan, Charles Brown, and Gary Wolfe); Age and Wisdom (older characters in SF) (Elizabeth Moon, Larry Niven, Lois McMaster Bujold, Margaret Bonham, and Robert Silverberg). I got a nice collection of cool books to check out and a number of chuckles.

Here are the folks from the Age and Wisdom panel:

from left to right: Lois McMaster Bujold, Elizabeth Moon, Margaret Bonham, Robert Silverberg, and Larry Niven

Quotes of Day 1:
"It's a mentor's job to ment." Robert Silverberg

"My life is just a big blob. It never turned the corner into plot." Elizabeth Moon

"It's really a great background for a writer to have made lots and lots of stupid mistakes." Elizabeth Moon

Stitching of Day 1 --

Yes, she's all DONE but the beads!!!!! Yahooooo

In case one memo from Fate (ie. the art at LAX) weren't enough, check out the light fixtures here at the Denver Convention Center--

Come on -- those are definitely UFOs!


DAY 2:
Up extra early to evac to my new digs at the Crowne Plaza. lol My buddy Elaine who conferences frequently in Denver was right, the bathroom sink is weird and not so very functional.

Yes, that is the entire counter space for the room, and, yes, the sink is set back a full foot from the edge of the counter.

Day 2 seems to have been a reading day for me -- I went to readings by Carrie Vaughn

She's quite funny and very nice -- now I need to go get the rest of her books. dang, more book shopping. What a bummer!

And by Stephen Baxter

He read us a wonderful story that I simply have to go find!

And by George R.R. Martin

Who did a marathon hour and a half of reading from a story that's not coming out until 2010. Talk about a tease!

I finished up the day's panels at the DAW Books forthcoming books slideshow. Cool stuff is coming our way!

I also went to a singing by Glen Cook -- happy happy. And picked up some more books --

That pic doesn't include any of the gift books I bought so if you wee something there you like, it's not for you! lol

I finished up day 2 at the Chesley Awards -- well, the Chesley nominations this year. Seems they've had problems this year and weren't ready for their membership to vote in time so we ha a slideshow and presentations on the nominees and then a great reception at the art show with all sorts of delectable goodies. I shared cookies with one artist who does the most amazing pictures. She paints and her husband custom builds these tremendous frames. Absolutely mind-blowing frames. If I had space and $3000 to spare one of them would come home with me. It'll make someone very happy somewhere.

That puts me back at my hotel at 11pm, crashing my computer trying to get office stuff done, and now visiting with ya'll since the work thing just keeps killing my poor computer. Dang, I'm tired!

Day 2 stitching:

This will get a charm of some sort in the center.


That's an in process piece -- I still have one row of "frame" to go and I need to figure out what I want to put at the bottom.... I'm leaning to "Christmas 2008."

By the way, this is the stitching I brought --

Hey, I'm a mood stitcher! I have to have options!!!!! At least several options! lol

I'm going to bed. Maybe I'm sleepier at higher altitudes?

Chris, if you're reading this, can you email me at yahoo about the dates of Pals? When I looked before I left there were two sets of dates on the page. Bless you!