Thursday, September 02, 2004
That Other Convention
Speaking of conventions, Worldcon, the World Science Fiction Convention, starts today in Boston. When the bid to host Wordcon is won by MCFI, to be held in Boston, it’s called Noreascon. This is the fourth Noreascon. From what I understand, Noreascons tend to be about the best Worldcons.
Anyway, it’s in my back yard, I know many people involved, and I bought a membership back when they were “cheap.” As opposed to $200 at the door, for the whole weekend. They have lower, one day rates, and Deb will probably join me there Saturday.
I should be more excited. I don’t know what’s into me. Normally I’d have been there today and told the clients page me if there was an emergency, e-mail or call my cell if there was something not quite page-worthy. I’d be attending the whole thing, possibly even volunteering. It’s my first Worldcon, and Deb’s first SF convention of any kind. If she ends up not going, Arisia will be her first; I have memberships to that for both of us.
My current plan is to go Saturday, unless I bug out early and go part of Friday too. Today I am obligated to visit a client, which I will leave to do soon. Tomorrow I have promised to work on a computer that has gone insane since XP service pack 2 was installed. I may go Sunday and/or Monday as well, but Deb will probably go on Saturday or Sunday only.
I think part of my problem is my current tendency toward “eeewww, people“ moods. Add that to my “ick, I have to go to Boston for it” tendencies, especially since I have never been to that particular location, and you have a recipe for aversion. I also hate the idea of not driving, but taking the T, which I couldn’t do if I did go on a weekday, as the T is too slow to leave for a client emergency (something unlikely at best on a weekend). I also hate not having a room in one of the main hotels, or any hotel, for the event. It just isn’t the same. However, I can’t afford that, and didn’t plan the many months in advance it would have required.
For all that, I know when I actually get there I’ll have fun. What I need to do is sit down at length going through the program items to see what I would like to attend, beside the art show, my favorite thing, and the dealers. I started that the other day and only got through the first couple hours of this afternoon, but already saw not only panels I’d like, but conflicting panels I’d like in the same time slot. I hate it when that happens.
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
Convention
Wow. I saw part of Zell Miller’s speech and was blown away by it. Wonder how many states that tipped over to the valid choice.
Then I saw Cheney, who did a good job. A very Cheney job, as I would expect. He’s quite funny in a low key sort of way.
The audience seems more… normal, as Deb put it, than the DNC audience.
I feel like the DNC was a sleepwalk, a farce, a pretense, by comparison even to what little I have seen of the RNC. It’s alive. It has a grasp on reality and necessity.
Just a few observations. Others more interested, suited and attentive are covering the convention far better than I ever could.
Gathering Pictures, Part 3
My sister, holding Julia, our newest grandniece…
My sister’s older son, Dan, my second oldest nephew…
My oldest nephew, Julia’s father…
Mice: The End?
I don’t think I finished off the mouse tale, which seems to be at an end. Previous posts more to less recent 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 if you’ve missed the saga.
The big fat mouse I nabbed in the glue and spring trap combo was apparently the lone remaining one. No more have appeared, either in the kitchen while they still could, or in any of the seven traps I have in the cellar.
Their life will be harder, should any more enter the cellar. The clearest entry to the area behind our stove has been stuffed with steel wool. In one spot I added duct tape over that.
I also figured out how they got into the silverware drawer, and that they stopped going there long ago because it’s a tight squeeze they outgrew. The entry into the drawer has been stuffed with steel wool too. We can use the drawer again!
That should be the end of that. I hope.
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Gathering Pictures, Part 2
In general, these pictures will be 400 pixels wide, clickable to open an 800 pixel wide version, and if available may have a link below for the large file size, full version.
My grandmother turned 88 this year. The pictures are in her yard…
My grandfather would have just turned 98 and this would no doubt have been a birthday party for him too, were he still here and kicking. I tried a completely new thing I’d never thought of before, snapping digital pictures of pictures.
This one is part of a collage of photos on the wall in my grandmother’s living room, and did not come out too well. Still posting it anyway. It shows my grandfather in his favorite state, holding a baby. I always regretted not being able to meet someone good early enough that he could have met any of my kids. I was spoiled, having all my grandparents around so much of my life, and having a chance to know my great-grandmother, who was one of the inspirations for Sadie’s name.
Breaking from older generations briefly, here is another picture of a picture, showing that it wasn’t such a crazy thing to attempt. These are my cousin Billy’s kids.
Here’s one of my mother…
My aunt, my mother’s sister, the youngest in the family. Young enough that I can remember when she babysat for us in her teens, and when she got married…
That’s enough for one post. Carry on. Back to the blogs that are covering the convention.