Reality sinks in
Got back from Escapade last night and since I pretty much got off the plane, my lungs have felt as if they're full of fluid. I have never come back from a con with con crud -- I've certainly brought it with me when I went to one, but I've never come home with it, and I still don't know if that's what's wrong or not. I am starting to feel like I have a fever, though, so maybe it is some weird kind of cold that's in my lungs first, which has never really happened before. It makes me nervous, what with my propensity for severe bronchitis.
I did more at the con than I expected to, but still not as much as I used to do, now that I'm apparently no longer part of the vid show. It's weird not to be enslaved to Saturday night setup. When we got in, Tina and I decided to go hiking in a canyon I read about in a recent book I copyedited about California waterfalls, and while the fall was quite tiny and unimpressive, the hike was lovely and a great way to see part of the Pacific Coast we haven't had a chance to before. This is something we do every year -- see a part of the LA area we've never been to, and each year it's different and unexpected and fun. Honestly, for this reason alone, it's worth going to the con, to be warm and surrounded by palm trees and see things you've never seen before.
There were some fun panels I sat in on, and I heard that my Yuletide Justified story was pimped in the Justified panel, which made me feel redonkulously happy. The Prison Break vid I posted a bit ago seemed to be well-received, and that made me feel pretty good, which was nice since I haven't had a lot of that in my life lately.
Best part of the con was that I got to meet
ixchel55 in person, and she even said the Prison Break vid intrigued her enough to want to check it out -- that was the thing I most hoped for, that someone would be interested in possibly giving it a try, so yay, and that it was someone I adore, even better. This is why I always want to encourage people to go to cons -- meeting fellow fans, not having to explain yourself to people but just to be who you are in a friendly place, to hang out and watch and read and talk about the things you love most...it's worth every penny, especially when it's a break from a stressful life. And when it's California in February, well, bonus.
We had one day of bad weather, but the rest were nice (if a little chilly). I went for many walks along the beach, went shopping on Main Street, and petted a lot of dogs. Good times. Sunday night I had a little Oscar party in my room, which is always a nice way to unwind after a con. The worst part of the whole weekend actually turned out to be the drive to the airport on Thursday -- it had snowed quite a bit here the night before, and all the hilly streets here were covered in ice. I was utterly terrified the entire drive in, figuring the Shuttle Express van was going to crash horribly on the ice (me to driver as he starts up a hill by my house so steep I don't even walk up it when there isn't ice on it: "Do you have studded tires?" Driver, blithely: "No. But I've been out for three hours and haven't had any trouble so far." Me, interior monologue: OMG we're gonna die we're gonna die we're gonna die.)
I was sadder than usual leaving this year. The whole Sunday afternoon I was trying not to cry -- somewhat unsuccessfully at times. When I got home, I went to Shuttle Express for my van ride home (thankfully ice-free this time), and the driver took my suitcases and started walking past the vans, past the cars, waaay over to the other side of their area, and opened a door of a limo. I was all, "Whaaaaa?" but he put my stuff in the back, and the other couple going to my area did the same thing, and we laughed and laughed about it. The driver never did tell me why we got a limo for the price of a van, but it was my first real limo ride (longer than five minutes), and a lot more comfy than a van.
The kitties were only mildly interested in my being home, Olive mostly so she could get outside after five days of being trapped in the house with Blues. I think this is why I need a dog -- to actually appreciate me if I go away.
I did more at the con than I expected to, but still not as much as I used to do, now that I'm apparently no longer part of the vid show. It's weird not to be enslaved to Saturday night setup. When we got in, Tina and I decided to go hiking in a canyon I read about in a recent book I copyedited about California waterfalls, and while the fall was quite tiny and unimpressive, the hike was lovely and a great way to see part of the Pacific Coast we haven't had a chance to before. This is something we do every year -- see a part of the LA area we've never been to, and each year it's different and unexpected and fun. Honestly, for this reason alone, it's worth going to the con, to be warm and surrounded by palm trees and see things you've never seen before.
There were some fun panels I sat in on, and I heard that my Yuletide Justified story was pimped in the Justified panel, which made me feel redonkulously happy. The Prison Break vid I posted a bit ago seemed to be well-received, and that made me feel pretty good, which was nice since I haven't had a lot of that in my life lately.
Best part of the con was that I got to meet
ixchel55 in person, and she even said the Prison Break vid intrigued her enough to want to check it out -- that was the thing I most hoped for, that someone would be interested in possibly giving it a try, so yay, and that it was someone I adore, even better. This is why I always want to encourage people to go to cons -- meeting fellow fans, not having to explain yourself to people but just to be who you are in a friendly place, to hang out and watch and read and talk about the things you love most...it's worth every penny, especially when it's a break from a stressful life. And when it's California in February, well, bonus.
We had one day of bad weather, but the rest were nice (if a little chilly). I went for many walks along the beach, went shopping on Main Street, and petted a lot of dogs. Good times. Sunday night I had a little Oscar party in my room, which is always a nice way to unwind after a con. The worst part of the whole weekend actually turned out to be the drive to the airport on Thursday -- it had snowed quite a bit here the night before, and all the hilly streets here were covered in ice. I was utterly terrified the entire drive in, figuring the Shuttle Express van was going to crash horribly on the ice (me to driver as he starts up a hill by my house so steep I don't even walk up it when there isn't ice on it: "Do you have studded tires?" Driver, blithely: "No. But I've been out for three hours and haven't had any trouble so far." Me, interior monologue: OMG we're gonna die we're gonna die we're gonna die.)
I was sadder than usual leaving this year. The whole Sunday afternoon I was trying not to cry -- somewhat unsuccessfully at times. When I got home, I went to Shuttle Express for my van ride home (thankfully ice-free this time), and the driver took my suitcases and started walking past the vans, past the cars, waaay over to the other side of their area, and opened a door of a limo. I was all, "Whaaaaa?" but he put my stuff in the back, and the other couple going to my area did the same thing, and we laughed and laughed about it. The driver never did tell me why we got a limo for the price of a van, but it was my first real limo ride (longer than five minutes), and a lot more comfy than a van.
The kitties were only mildly interested in my being home, Olive mostly so she could get outside after five days of being trapped in the house with Blues. I think this is why I need a dog -- to actually appreciate me if I go away.