Saturday
Saturday morning I was up early hoping to use the wireless access at the hostel, but still failing ;-(. Then suddenly after 15 minutes trying all started working! Others are frying breakfast and I'm starting to feel peckish!
So I walked to the convention centre stopping at Tim Hortons where I had the same breakfast as previously, but with bacon not sausage. Discovered eggspectations where the Friends of Liad are meeting on Sunday morning.
I sat a read for a bit first thing then went to a discussion of Alternative Power, real world not SF. As I was leaving I discovered I hadn't got my bag! Deja vu from last year. I hurried back to where I'd been reading, and it was still there!
There was then a presentation of Tor's new hard and trade covers, though it took a while for a projector to appear. I then disappeared o eggspectations for lunch. I had an omelette with mushrooms and shallots, with fried potatoes, with a side order of melon and pineapple, and peanut butter and strawberry jam on toast with a cup of coffee, all for 12.40$ The service for delivery of food was OK but it took forever to get the bill!
I got back to the convention centre and caught the last half hour of the SRM Publishing panel. I was then going to go to the Neil Gaimen reading, but as I passed by it was standing room only so went to the dealers room (met Dave W on the escalator and had a quick chat)
Found a spot in the exhibition hall where the free wifi worked and updated my notes. At 15:20 I trekked to the far end of the convention centre, passing James, Cat and Marna and getting a hug from the latter. Arrived at the CSA presentation on Mars, to find there was a problem connecting the Apple laptop to the projector. A solution was found, but it took a while. When everything worked (mostly) it was an interesting history and projection into the future.
This was followed by Aunts in Space a discussion on the minority of stories with space going Aunts, and a growing trend in older protagonists, and supporting characters. Write what you know being the mantra for all authors, and there is a growing number of older female authors ;-) Where the definition of older is left to the reader.
I then went looking for food and got an ice cream cookie bar to tide me over while I queued at Tim Hortons hoping for soup but it had all gone, so I had to make do with a raisin bagle and a yogurt and berries cup.
Did a bit of reading before Panel in the Pool which discussed the likelihood of aquatic intelligence, especially that of dolphins and octopi.
And then it was time for the Masquerade, over twenty entries and a packed auditorium. There were many excellent costumes and a few groneworthy ones. It finished 15 minutes earlier than programmed and so I went to the roof to see if I could see the firework display that started at 22:00 to the east of the con. Since it was chilly, and the fireworks were in the direction of the hostel I decided to return, and possibly watch from there. Stopping for donuts and coffee at the Tim Hortons I discovered the door key code had changed and I needed to get the new one from reception. The fireworks weren't visible either.
So I walked to the convention centre stopping at Tim Hortons where I had the same breakfast as previously, but with bacon not sausage. Discovered eggspectations where the Friends of Liad are meeting on Sunday morning.
I sat a read for a bit first thing then went to a discussion of Alternative Power, real world not SF. As I was leaving I discovered I hadn't got my bag! Deja vu from last year. I hurried back to where I'd been reading, and it was still there!
There was then a presentation of Tor's new hard and trade covers, though it took a while for a projector to appear. I then disappeared o eggspectations for lunch. I had an omelette with mushrooms and shallots, with fried potatoes, with a side order of melon and pineapple, and peanut butter and strawberry jam on toast with a cup of coffee, all for 12.40$ The service for delivery of food was OK but it took forever to get the bill!
I got back to the convention centre and caught the last half hour of the SRM Publishing panel. I was then going to go to the Neil Gaimen reading, but as I passed by it was standing room only so went to the dealers room (met Dave W on the escalator and had a quick chat)
Found a spot in the exhibition hall where the free wifi worked and updated my notes. At 15:20 I trekked to the far end of the convention centre, passing James, Cat and Marna and getting a hug from the latter. Arrived at the CSA presentation on Mars, to find there was a problem connecting the Apple laptop to the projector. A solution was found, but it took a while. When everything worked (mostly) it was an interesting history and projection into the future.
This was followed by Aunts in Space a discussion on the minority of stories with space going Aunts, and a growing trend in older protagonists, and supporting characters. Write what you know being the mantra for all authors, and there is a growing number of older female authors ;-) Where the definition of older is left to the reader.
I then went looking for food and got an ice cream cookie bar to tide me over while I queued at Tim Hortons hoping for soup but it had all gone, so I had to make do with a raisin bagle and a yogurt and berries cup.
Did a bit of reading before Panel in the Pool which discussed the likelihood of aquatic intelligence, especially that of dolphins and octopi.
And then it was time for the Masquerade, over twenty entries and a packed auditorium. There were many excellent costumes and a few groneworthy ones. It finished 15 minutes earlier than programmed and so I went to the roof to see if I could see the firework display that started at 22:00 to the east of the con. Since it was chilly, and the fireworks were in the direction of the hostel I decided to return, and possibly watch from there. Stopping for donuts and coffee at the Tim Hortons I discovered the door key code had changed and I needed to get the new one from reception. The fireworks weren't visible either.