Rollercoaster Sort of Weekend

Jun 25, 2012 10:16

Travel to and from the convention was mostly good, if rather a long trip. Alas, every construction zone I encountered had issues: i.e. multi-mile long traffic snarls resulting from way too impatient people getting into multi-car pileups requiring several tow trucks at least one state trooper and a fire truck. Folks, when you enter a construction zone, the rule is SLOW DOWN, NOT SPEED UP TO GET OUT OF IT QUICKER!

Luckily, I was using the Prius, so I actually increased the average mpg while moving at a mere 10 mph. Hey, I had to get *some* positive benefit from it....

And when I was in the home stretch (the segment of the Interstate that runs between my office and my house), I got caught in a really nasty downpour. The kind that means you will float across the micro-lagoons caused by the storm drains not being able to keep up with the runoff. Surprisingly, it didn't bother me much, other than the fact it was right at the end of my trip. If it had happened at or near the start, I'd be a lot more fatigued by the driving.

And the "Stoopid Drivurs Syndrome" continued well into this morning. I counted no less than 5 accidents / trooper-induced stops along my commute this morning, one of them being a multi-car incident at what I've come to think of as the place the building of the Interstate desecrated a burial mound.

Continuing the Theme of Rollercoasters

On my way home, I stopped at Spencer Shops (the NC Transportation Museum). I like stopping by every few years to see the progress they've made on the exhibits. I was not disappointed. there was even more to see than the last time I stopped by, and in spite of the 99 degrees F high humidity conditions I was almost bouncing along as I left. In an odd bit of serendipity, I met a couple who were docents for the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento--they were on this coast attending some sort of rollercoaster enthusiasts event (probably at Carowinds). They wanted to know what the flags on the front of the steam locomotives meant--and I looked like a likely "expert" to ask. Heh. Luckily, I did know, and was able to answer some questions about the locomotive they were looking at. Thank goodness for all that research. :)

Moving Backwards Through the Weekend

Hah! I'm apparently reminiscing in reverse order. I couldn't help but feel guilty about being away for the weekend while Ignatius was getting used to having his insulin shots, and then he got rather sick Saturday--sick enough to require a trip to the emergency animal clinic. There wouldn't have been much I could do even if I had been home, but the situation put a lot on my mind while I was trying to enjoy the last major parts of the convention that I wanted to attend. The Writers' Network auction was fairly entertaining in spite of getting the dreaded I'm taking the cat to the emergency room phone call in the middle of it.

The Girl Genius Radio Plays got my mind off of things and the folks recruited to play the various parts did a fantastic job. Phil, Kaja, and Cheyenne are delightful folks. I'm kicking myself for not taking the opportunity to see them in person before now. Following that was a sort of decompression/pre-mortem review with the convention staff. I didn't think I had done all that much (beyond simply offering support) but I got asked to go anyway. Depending on how things go, I may consider taking on a staff role next year. A bit difficult thanks to the distance involved, but, it isn't as if I have no experience in long distance scheduling.... :)

I enjoyed all the panels I attended, even if some of them were a bit déjà vu considering the topics and the panelists, but you never know if they've come up with something new since the last time. I had only one slight disappointment, and it was because almost the entire panel was taken up by presentation materials from a comics enthusiast rather than getting to talk with the artists who were there. I did have one issue, and that was everything was about American comics and authors rather than things folks from other countries have produced. Steam Detectives (it's been translated), Adéle Blanc-Sec (not likely to be translated), etc. He did admit there is a large Italian "comics scene", but since he can't read Italian there wasn't much he could say about it. Fair enough. Most of the folks there probably weren't bi-lingual either, so I let it go.

The intro to TechShop was fascinating. ealdthryth told me about TechShop, but getting to see the presentation and ask questions was great. I think I should have made a detour to Greensboro to check it out, but I wasn't willing to make more than the two stops I already had planned.

All the books I brought with me to be inscribed were duly inscribed, and I picked up a few more things from two of the online artists present--when you put your work out on the web for free, it is nice to receive some income from it. Of course, there are a number of people who seem to be able to make that business model work....

Somewhere along the way, I met the Number One Fan of Fandom. No, not a fan of any particular genre of fandom, but a fan of fandom itself. A.K.A.: "Con Boy". I sometimes worry that most fans are perceived the same way that I was perceiving him. I admit it is a little creepy to have encountered the rare species of Metafan--at the very least it was...awkward?

I'll more or less stop there because a previous entry talks about the dinner and filkertom "phoning in" his performance. I have to admit, as a convention anecdote, it is great to have been present to witness that phrase literally come true. Chuckle.

The Denouement

Jumping forward in time (how appropriate for this Contemporal-oriented entry), my euphoria from meeting some of my favorite artists, meeting some new-to-me artists, getting an infusion of creative enthusiasm from other "makers", and then getting to stop at one of my favorite railroad museums almost evaporated entirely thanks to having to crawl under the house to replace the water filter, repair the HVAC system, and then report yet another pinhole water leak to the warranty company.

A while back we dealt with a hole in the HVAC system by reapplying its tape and propping up a sagging duct. Last night we discovered it had sagged again and a lot of the "return air" was blowing into the crawlspace instead of back into the house. This is a mixed blessing, because there was a huge amount of condensation dripping out of the corner of the fan housing--if the system had been properly sealed (and we asked for the HVAC repair guys to deal with it on one call, but they wouldn't do it), we probably wouldn't have the condensation. Now that there is water, there may be mold. With the act of sealing the blowout, do we then create a mold and mildew problem for ourselves?

On top of that, ealdthryth wants to redo the crawlspace (grading, re-covering the space with plastic to get the moisture to roll downhill, etc. Honestly, I hate being in the crawlspace. It is very difficult for me to work down there because of my height and the length of my limbs. It isn't quite claustrophobia, but it is as good a name as any. And it was HOT, humid, and late in the day following a long drive.

Yeah, I was a less than happy camper. As I have said before, my life must have balance in some fashion. This was it for the weekend.

EDIT: Home warranty folks dispatched a plumber and he got here mid-afternoon. The leak has been repaired! Whoo!

We Missed You Fu

Apparently, Ignatius only likes to sleep on the bed if both ealdthryth and myself are home. Or, more accurately, if *I* am home. ealdthryth reports that Ignatius came to give her a goodnight bunt, but left for some other comfy spot while I was away. Last night, he stayed at the foot of the bed.

Josie apparently missed me, and as soon as I sat down on the couch, she made an effort to ensure I stayed there. Occupy Lap! AElfgifu didn't snub me either, and later in the evening, she curled up next to me for a little snooze on the couch.

I missed my kitties! It seems they missed me, too. Well, except for maybe Kiera--who merely looked startled that I was in the house. Sigh.... There's that "balance" for ya'.

happy, trains, books, traffic, cats, whine, travel, house, foglio

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