Putting the Blue in Bluestocking/ Azkatraz Recap, Day 1
Well, I was warned about post-con depression by those who have done these things before. I just didn't quite anticipate how hard it would hit.
I've unpacked most everything, started the laundry for the clothes that I took, hung up my Rowena dress, cleaned up my garden and started to go through my photos (including a few of me ~winces~), but I just feel so... empty. Drained. Bored. Discontented. Crabby. Mostly, I feel lonely and sad. (I know, I know, some cheese for the whine, right? I have no right to complain about anything or be ungrateful and wangsty after being privileged to enjoy such a wonderful con, but I'm just working through the yuck, okay? It won't last.)
I should have expected it, because after spending all those days having great conversations without having to worry about censoring myself or having to pretend to normality, being constantly surrounded by warm, wonderful, funny people who think the way I do, coming back home to an empty house and plain old real life was bound to be a little bit of a disappointment. That's just the way it is. The cats are lovely, loving boys, and they snuggle like anything, but their conversational skills leave something to be desired. ;-)
Still, the contrast makes me appreciate the time I had meeting with everybody all the more; my biggest regret is that I didn't get to talk to some of you (Dicky, Ari, Annie) nearly as much as I would have liked, and I hope you all know that I didn't mean to be quiet or a conversational dud. I hope I didn't disappoint anybody. I'm just... not entirely used to this much socialization, so it takes me some time to process it all, and I'm not exactly the biggest personality around, you know? In any case, I had a terrific time, and it was a true, pure delight to discover that all the people I've met online are just as beautiful and brilliant--in fact, even more so--in real life. I miss you all, and I'm already counting down the the days until Infinitus!
~squishes flist and new friends~
Okay, now that I've got that silliness out, I'm going to try to start my Azkatraz recounting. I'm bound to miss things in here, because I didn't take any notes or diary entries, but I'll relate what I can from memory. Pictures will come along later, after I fiddle with them and organize them better. I apologize in advance if any of you find this boring, but I know that last year I enjoyed reading the detailed recap posts from Terminus and Portus, so if you feel the same way, please feel free to dive in. Anyway.
Without further ado,
Thursday was my traveling day, so I was up at 5 AM, after having gone to bed at 1:30 AM. Still, I needed the time to get ready, finish packing and do some last minute flailing. Dad was a dear and volunteered to drive me to the airport. We left early, because we had to take the long way to the airport (the usual route was closed by virtue of an enormous gas tanker explosion/bridge collapse mere twelve hours prior), and I arrived by 7 AM, thinking that I would have plenty of time to check in and make it to my 9:15 flight.
I thought wrong.
First of all, Delta? I understand that you've rolled Northwest Airlines under your corporate umbrella, but you might want to consider, you know, noting that fact on some of your signage somewhere. People who bought tickets for Northwest and who are holding itineraries and boarding passes reading "Northwest" are LOOKING FOR A COUNTER THAT SAYS "NORTHWEST." They won't automatically assume that they should be lining up at the Delta counter, and indeed, the huge crowd of befuddled customers suggests that this was a source of confusion.
The other problem was that there were easily 150 people in line, waiting to check in/check bags on Northwest. By the time I'd checked my suitcase and made it to the security line, it was 8:20. By the time I'd actually made it through security, I realized that I was going to have to book ass down the terminal (because of course my gate was at the far end) to avoid being left behind! (Side note: friends, those moving sidewalk thingies at the airport are clearly labeled "stand" and "walk." DO NOT STAND ON THE WALKING SIDE. Just don't do it. There are safer activities to pursue, like trying to dance ballet in the face of oncoming traffic. Take a look at where you're going and what your standing/walking preferences are, and choose your space accordingly. Otherwise, somebody is going to run you down and hit you with his or her laptop sleeve until you get out of the way, okay? YOU'RE MAKING PEOPLE MISS THEIR FLIGHTS.)
Ahem. Not that I'm holding a grudge or anything. ~whistles~
Anyway, I did obviously make it to the gate in the nick of time, although I was nearly the last person seated. ~whew~ The plane ride itself was unremarkable, except for the fact that I was seated between a young, pumpkin-colored woman who needs to learn to say no to sunless tanner and seems to think that shoes are optional, and a man who spent almost the entire flight (including takeoff) trying to sleep face down on his tray table and who apparently had feasted on copious amounts of beans and cabbage and Limburger cheese the previous night. (Yes, that does mean what you think it means. :-P I was thisclose to opening my bag and dabbing some BPAL underneath my nose, Silence of the Lambs-style.)
Still, we arrived on time, and the scenery that I could see outside my window was gorgeous, from the big blue expanse of Lake Michigan to the fascinating, unforgiving ripple of the Sierra Nevadas. How often do I get to watch nearly the entire country pass by outside the window? I'd failed to appreciate how close SFO is to the bay, but coming in for a landing was both stunning and a touch nerve-wracking. ("Um, wow, that is all water down there. I sure hope the pilot knows what he's doing.") SFO was pleasant enough and pretty easy to navigate, I got my bags without incident, I made it to the BART, bought my ticket and settled in for the ride to the Parc55.
This was when I had my first of many pleasant surprises and fortuitous meetings on the trip, when I discovered that I was sharing a BART car with none other than the lovely amanuensis1! YAY! She is fabulous. We made the short walk to the hotel, and while waiting to check in I was also introduced to bethbethbeth and femmequixotic. :D
Checking in was sort of a pain--the hotel didn't want to recognize my name on the reservation, and anyway, our room wasn't ready yet--but there were other check-in irregularities, so I can't complain too much. (amanuensis1 was apparently given a room that already had people in it. O.o) The upshot was that I had to leave my bags with the concierge and skulk around the hotel until the arrival of somebody I knew or recognized. Luckily, pokeystar and the lovely tonksinger showed up and graciously let me hang out in their room and nibble on Pokey's most excellent cookies. (Mmmm, rosemary-pine nut cookies FTW!)
We hung out until it was time for the SS/HG meetup. We made our way to The Thirsty Bear, but it quickly became apparent from the size of the crowd that we were going to have to move someplace else in order to accommodate all the shippers! Dinner was moved to Chevy's, where the service was meh but the guacamole was good, and I got to meet all sorts of wonderful friends, some of them from the flist and some of them not (but soon to be so). I sat with somigliana, pern_dragon, themoreyouclean, elise_wanderer, amydmartin, juniperus (who, by the way, defaced her Dark Mark in a most amusing way)... and, of course, machshefa, who was glomped mightily the instant I saw her on the street, trying to unload her suitcases from Amy's car. Squeeeeeee! The first of my set of The Best Roomies EVA had arrived!
As we were attempting to order food, Annie and Dicky made their arrival (Squeeeeee again!), along with ordinary_magic and anonymous_plume. (Squeeeee yet again!) There was much fangirling, some eating and drinking, and a lot of introductions. I ate the first non-cookie food I had had in 15 hours. I count myself delighted that I got to meet droxy as herself, along with the awesome Mr. Droxy, pythia_delphi, corianderpie, sabrebabe and others. (I apologize right now for missing some names. I'm so sorry!)
Back at the hotel, we were finally able to check in and make it up to our room, which was very, very nice. Almost too nice, honestly, because the minute I sat down on that cushy bed (I swear, the pillows were stuffed with Magic Feathers) I could feel how tired I really was. I almost didn't think I'd be able to make it to the midnight showing of HBP still to come, but a micro nap took the edge off, and we made our way to the Metreon in costume, hoping that mundungus42 would arrive in time to join us. I wasn't in full costume like the flock of Death Eaters around me, but Machshefa let me borrow her gorgeous red cloak so that I, too, could billow mysteriously through the streets of San Francisco. :D ~loves Machshefa~
Luckily, mundungus42 did arrive in time, suitcase in tow, and much glompage and squeeeeing was heard in the land! My second of my set of The Best Roomies EVA had made it, and we were going to see HBP together, with a crowd of true fans! How awesome is that? There were a lot of great costumes, including a decent Snape, a very good Lupin, and a spectacular Hooch. While there, I also met piperkirby, and pythia_delphi won a random drawing for IMAX tickets.
I won't do a review of the movie here, but I will say that I enjoyed it more than I anticipated, and I thought that the humor, in particular, worked very well. I thought the ending ran out of gas a bit, and I had other complaints, but of the adaptations so far, this is one of the best, IMHO. (This may be damning with faint praise.) I do wonder if half of their effects budget went towards making Alan Rickman look considerably younger and thinner, and therefore more Snape-ish than he has been in the past.
Not much to report after that. We made it back to the hotel, sorted out to our rooms, got mundungus42 settled in the room comfortably (for which favor much thanks, annietalbot!) and collapsed into bed, exhausted but filled with fangirly happiness. Despite the fact that it was something like 3 AM, which meant that I had been up for more than 24 hours straight, we couldn't stop talking and giggling and having way, way too much fun to fall asleep.
And that was when I knew that this was going to be the best five day stretch I've seen in a long time. :-)
More recapping later, when I'll talk about cosplay, meetups, fic readings, a visit to an excellent brewpub and an overpriced martini that was nonetheless worth every penny. *g*
I've unpacked most everything, started the laundry for the clothes that I took, hung up my Rowena dress, cleaned up my garden and started to go through my photos (including a few of me ~winces~), but I just feel so... empty. Drained. Bored. Discontented. Crabby. Mostly, I feel lonely and sad. (I know, I know, some cheese for the whine, right? I have no right to complain about anything or be ungrateful and wangsty after being privileged to enjoy such a wonderful con, but I'm just working through the yuck, okay? It won't last.)
I should have expected it, because after spending all those days having great conversations without having to worry about censoring myself or having to pretend to normality, being constantly surrounded by warm, wonderful, funny people who think the way I do, coming back home to an empty house and plain old real life was bound to be a little bit of a disappointment. That's just the way it is. The cats are lovely, loving boys, and they snuggle like anything, but their conversational skills leave something to be desired. ;-)
Still, the contrast makes me appreciate the time I had meeting with everybody all the more; my biggest regret is that I didn't get to talk to some of you (Dicky, Ari, Annie) nearly as much as I would have liked, and I hope you all know that I didn't mean to be quiet or a conversational dud. I hope I didn't disappoint anybody. I'm just... not entirely used to this much socialization, so it takes me some time to process it all, and I'm not exactly the biggest personality around, you know? In any case, I had a terrific time, and it was a true, pure delight to discover that all the people I've met online are just as beautiful and brilliant--in fact, even more so--in real life. I miss you all, and I'm already counting down the the days until Infinitus!
~squishes flist and new friends~
Okay, now that I've got that silliness out, I'm going to try to start my Azkatraz recounting. I'm bound to miss things in here, because I didn't take any notes or diary entries, but I'll relate what I can from memory. Pictures will come along later, after I fiddle with them and organize them better. I apologize in advance if any of you find this boring, but I know that last year I enjoyed reading the detailed recap posts from Terminus and Portus, so if you feel the same way, please feel free to dive in. Anyway.
Without further ado,
Thursday was my traveling day, so I was up at 5 AM, after having gone to bed at 1:30 AM. Still, I needed the time to get ready, finish packing and do some last minute flailing. Dad was a dear and volunteered to drive me to the airport. We left early, because we had to take the long way to the airport (the usual route was closed by virtue of an enormous gas tanker explosion/bridge collapse mere twelve hours prior), and I arrived by 7 AM, thinking that I would have plenty of time to check in and make it to my 9:15 flight.
I thought wrong.
First of all, Delta? I understand that you've rolled Northwest Airlines under your corporate umbrella, but you might want to consider, you know, noting that fact on some of your signage somewhere. People who bought tickets for Northwest and who are holding itineraries and boarding passes reading "Northwest" are LOOKING FOR A COUNTER THAT SAYS "NORTHWEST." They won't automatically assume that they should be lining up at the Delta counter, and indeed, the huge crowd of befuddled customers suggests that this was a source of confusion.
The other problem was that there were easily 150 people in line, waiting to check in/check bags on Northwest. By the time I'd checked my suitcase and made it to the security line, it was 8:20. By the time I'd actually made it through security, I realized that I was going to have to book ass down the terminal (because of course my gate was at the far end) to avoid being left behind! (Side note: friends, those moving sidewalk thingies at the airport are clearly labeled "stand" and "walk." DO NOT STAND ON THE WALKING SIDE. Just don't do it. There are safer activities to pursue, like trying to dance ballet in the face of oncoming traffic. Take a look at where you're going and what your standing/walking preferences are, and choose your space accordingly. Otherwise, somebody is going to run you down and hit you with his or her laptop sleeve until you get out of the way, okay? YOU'RE MAKING PEOPLE MISS THEIR FLIGHTS.)
Ahem. Not that I'm holding a grudge or anything. ~whistles~
Anyway, I did obviously make it to the gate in the nick of time, although I was nearly the last person seated. ~whew~ The plane ride itself was unremarkable, except for the fact that I was seated between a young, pumpkin-colored woman who needs to learn to say no to sunless tanner and seems to think that shoes are optional, and a man who spent almost the entire flight (including takeoff) trying to sleep face down on his tray table and who apparently had feasted on copious amounts of beans and cabbage and Limburger cheese the previous night. (Yes, that does mean what you think it means. :-P I was thisclose to opening my bag and dabbing some BPAL underneath my nose, Silence of the Lambs-style.)
Still, we arrived on time, and the scenery that I could see outside my window was gorgeous, from the big blue expanse of Lake Michigan to the fascinating, unforgiving ripple of the Sierra Nevadas. How often do I get to watch nearly the entire country pass by outside the window? I'd failed to appreciate how close SFO is to the bay, but coming in for a landing was both stunning and a touch nerve-wracking. ("Um, wow, that is all water down there. I sure hope the pilot knows what he's doing.") SFO was pleasant enough and pretty easy to navigate, I got my bags without incident, I made it to the BART, bought my ticket and settled in for the ride to the Parc55.
This was when I had my first of many pleasant surprises and fortuitous meetings on the trip, when I discovered that I was sharing a BART car with none other than the lovely amanuensis1! YAY! She is fabulous. We made the short walk to the hotel, and while waiting to check in I was also introduced to bethbethbeth and femmequixotic. :D
Checking in was sort of a pain--the hotel didn't want to recognize my name on the reservation, and anyway, our room wasn't ready yet--but there were other check-in irregularities, so I can't complain too much. (amanuensis1 was apparently given a room that already had people in it. O.o) The upshot was that I had to leave my bags with the concierge and skulk around the hotel until the arrival of somebody I knew or recognized. Luckily, pokeystar and the lovely tonksinger showed up and graciously let me hang out in their room and nibble on Pokey's most excellent cookies. (Mmmm, rosemary-pine nut cookies FTW!)
We hung out until it was time for the SS/HG meetup. We made our way to The Thirsty Bear, but it quickly became apparent from the size of the crowd that we were going to have to move someplace else in order to accommodate all the shippers! Dinner was moved to Chevy's, where the service was meh but the guacamole was good, and I got to meet all sorts of wonderful friends, some of them from the flist and some of them not (but soon to be so). I sat with somigliana, pern_dragon, themoreyouclean, elise_wanderer, amydmartin, juniperus (who, by the way, defaced her Dark Mark in a most amusing way)... and, of course, machshefa, who was glomped mightily the instant I saw her on the street, trying to unload her suitcases from Amy's car. Squeeeeeee! The first of my set of The Best Roomies EVA had arrived!
As we were attempting to order food, Annie and Dicky made their arrival (Squeeeeee again!), along with ordinary_magic and anonymous_plume. (Squeeeee yet again!) There was much fangirling, some eating and drinking, and a lot of introductions. I ate the first non-cookie food I had had in 15 hours. I count myself delighted that I got to meet droxy as herself, along with the awesome Mr. Droxy, pythia_delphi, corianderpie, sabrebabe and others. (I apologize right now for missing some names. I'm so sorry!)
Back at the hotel, we were finally able to check in and make it up to our room, which was very, very nice. Almost too nice, honestly, because the minute I sat down on that cushy bed (I swear, the pillows were stuffed with Magic Feathers) I could feel how tired I really was. I almost didn't think I'd be able to make it to the midnight showing of HBP still to come, but a micro nap took the edge off, and we made our way to the Metreon in costume, hoping that mundungus42 would arrive in time to join us. I wasn't in full costume like the flock of Death Eaters around me, but Machshefa let me borrow her gorgeous red cloak so that I, too, could billow mysteriously through the streets of San Francisco. :D ~loves Machshefa~
Luckily, mundungus42 did arrive in time, suitcase in tow, and much glompage and squeeeeing was heard in the land! My second of my set of The Best Roomies EVA had made it, and we were going to see HBP together, with a crowd of true fans! How awesome is that? There were a lot of great costumes, including a decent Snape, a very good Lupin, and a spectacular Hooch. While there, I also met piperkirby, and pythia_delphi won a random drawing for IMAX tickets.
I won't do a review of the movie here, but I will say that I enjoyed it more than I anticipated, and I thought that the humor, in particular, worked very well. I thought the ending ran out of gas a bit, and I had other complaints, but of the adaptations so far, this is one of the best, IMHO. (This may be damning with faint praise.) I do wonder if half of their effects budget went towards making Alan Rickman look considerably younger and thinner, and therefore more Snape-ish than he has been in the past.
Not much to report after that. We made it back to the hotel, sorted out to our rooms, got mundungus42 settled in the room comfortably (for which favor much thanks, annietalbot!) and collapsed into bed, exhausted but filled with fangirly happiness. Despite the fact that it was something like 3 AM, which meant that I had been up for more than 24 hours straight, we couldn't stop talking and giggling and having way, way too much fun to fall asleep.
And that was when I knew that this was going to be the best five day stretch I've seen in a long time. :-)
More recapping later, when I'll talk about cosplay, meetups, fic readings, a visit to an excellent brewpub and an overpriced martini that was nonetheless worth every penny. *g*