Last day of work, and then Foolscap/Potlatch Day 1
Yesterday was both my last day at Microsoft and my first day at Foolscap/Potlatch. I wrote a little bit of reflection about work on Thursday night, but before I get into the convention report, I want to write a little more about the last day of work.
I spent a good portion of the morning finishing up writing transition documentation. As it happened, I didn't have a lot to write up, mainly because I had wrapped up almost every single project I've been working on. Only two weren't complete, and both were at the kind of break point that actually makes sense in the rhythm of business, so documentation was easy. (One of the projects had to be at least partially documented in French; that was entertaining. Thank goodness for years of French class and for Google Translate!) After that, all that was left was for me to meet briefly with my agency representative, say goodbye to the team, and then to gather up my belongings and go. My boss, my grandboss, and my great-grandboss all insisted on giving me a hug and telling me that I'd be missed. My grandboss wants to have lunch with me next week--which I'm going to make happen by hook or by crook because besides being cool, the guy is a natural networker and a good connection to have. None of this really hit me, though, until I took my mug into the kitchen to wash it out, and then into the mailing room to wrap it in bubble wrap for the transition to home. I stood over the sink, washing this mug I've used every day for nearly a year, and got a little misty-eyed. I've never been a home user of Microsoft products, but the company has provided me a livelihood for a decade all together. It was clearly the turning of a page. Anyway, I wrapped up the mug, took my picture off the wall, left my calendar for a coworker, and left the building for the last time.
And then I was off to Redmond Town Center for Foolscap/Potlatch. I have said for years that when I go to a convention, I can't walk ten steps into the hotel without seeing someone I know. That was true yesterday. Ten steps in, who do I see but PRS, an East Coast friend whom I had no idea would be attending. I was delighted to see her. We set up dinner, and then went our separate ways.
I attended readings by Vonda McIntyre and Mark Ferrari. Vonda read three short pieces of fiction, one of which was published in Nature, a bleak, dystopian future piece about a post-natural world. The second was a story about the future of pet cloning that was both funny and true. The third was a partial, the first thousand words of a new story about extreme body modification that had a sense of humor about it amidst the macabre descriptions. Mark read a chapter from his new novel. I've heard other bits from this book. Someone needs to buy and publish this thing now. Between the two readings, I had drinks with Vonda, Eileen Gunn, John Berry, Folly Blaine, and a couple of other people. A group of us--PRS and her friend Dawn, davidlevine, kateyule, calendula_witch, and markferrari--went to dinner at a very new restaurant in Redmond called Hugo's, where the menu is organic, gluten-free, whole foods, and all delicious. I had the chicken marsala--very flavorful. PRS had the mac-and-cheese, which had a tinge of smoky mesquite to it that was fascinating. Other folks reported that the pork scallopini was delicious. Must go back again . . . whenever it is that I'm in Redmond again.
We returned to the hotel for the annual chocolate social, where I got to meet and chat with Nancy Pearl. She remembered me from our meeting when she interviewed papersky at the University Bookstore. We all attended the briefest of brief opening ceremonies, and then adjourned to the evening's panel. It was me, Nancy, Tom Whitmore, and davidlevine discussing "Where Lieth the Line Between Science Fiction and Fantasy?" The conversation was wide-ranging and quite dynamic. Whitmore's perspective is always fascinating; he's got an encyclopedic knowledge of the genre and its history, and was both erudite and entertaining on the subject. He and David bounced off of each other about history, and David talked about what such lines meant to him from a writer's perspective. Nancy talked about what such differences meant to recommending books to readers. I talked about my experience as a college student taking a class on same, and about the question from a business perspective a bit. I think it was a well-balanced discussion and people did seem to enjoy it. I certainly did.
At that point it was 10 PM and I had to hit the road. I'm not staying at the hotel and, with its impeccable timing, the city of Seattle has chosen this weekend to close one of the two main bridges between Seattle and the Eastside for the weekend at 11 PM, so I wanted to travel before that happened. The bridge is now closed for the duration, which means I'll be commuting the Long Way to the convention today and tomorrow. It was that, or spend more than $200 on lodging at a time when I'm ever-so-briefly between jobs and just returned from a trip. The gas and energy for commuting are cheaper than a hotel room so driving is my solution for the weekend. As for sleep, well, I'll sleep when I'm dead.
Other brief notes:
--The Freddie Baer Potlatch T-shirt is gorgeous this year. I wasn't a fan of last year's design, but this year? Oh yeah.
--I may be reading poetry tonight as part of Eileen Gunn's poetry program at the convention. Guess I oughtta print out some stuff to take with me.
--Zeke's chosen form of destruction last night was to disrupt my sleep every two hours or so. What a delight it is to have a kitten. ::sigh::
I spent a good portion of the morning finishing up writing transition documentation. As it happened, I didn't have a lot to write up, mainly because I had wrapped up almost every single project I've been working on. Only two weren't complete, and both were at the kind of break point that actually makes sense in the rhythm of business, so documentation was easy. (One of the projects had to be at least partially documented in French; that was entertaining. Thank goodness for years of French class and for Google Translate!) After that, all that was left was for me to meet briefly with my agency representative, say goodbye to the team, and then to gather up my belongings and go. My boss, my grandboss, and my great-grandboss all insisted on giving me a hug and telling me that I'd be missed. My grandboss wants to have lunch with me next week--which I'm going to make happen by hook or by crook because besides being cool, the guy is a natural networker and a good connection to have. None of this really hit me, though, until I took my mug into the kitchen to wash it out, and then into the mailing room to wrap it in bubble wrap for the transition to home. I stood over the sink, washing this mug I've used every day for nearly a year, and got a little misty-eyed. I've never been a home user of Microsoft products, but the company has provided me a livelihood for a decade all together. It was clearly the turning of a page. Anyway, I wrapped up the mug, took my picture off the wall, left my calendar for a coworker, and left the building for the last time.
And then I was off to Redmond Town Center for Foolscap/Potlatch. I have said for years that when I go to a convention, I can't walk ten steps into the hotel without seeing someone I know. That was true yesterday. Ten steps in, who do I see but PRS, an East Coast friend whom I had no idea would be attending. I was delighted to see her. We set up dinner, and then went our separate ways.
I attended readings by Vonda McIntyre and Mark Ferrari. Vonda read three short pieces of fiction, one of which was published in Nature, a bleak, dystopian future piece about a post-natural world. The second was a story about the future of pet cloning that was both funny and true. The third was a partial, the first thousand words of a new story about extreme body modification that had a sense of humor about it amidst the macabre descriptions. Mark read a chapter from his new novel. I've heard other bits from this book. Someone needs to buy and publish this thing now. Between the two readings, I had drinks with Vonda, Eileen Gunn, John Berry, Folly Blaine, and a couple of other people. A group of us--PRS and her friend Dawn, davidlevine, kateyule, calendula_witch, and markferrari--went to dinner at a very new restaurant in Redmond called Hugo's, where the menu is organic, gluten-free, whole foods, and all delicious. I had the chicken marsala--very flavorful. PRS had the mac-and-cheese, which had a tinge of smoky mesquite to it that was fascinating. Other folks reported that the pork scallopini was delicious. Must go back again . . . whenever it is that I'm in Redmond again.
We returned to the hotel for the annual chocolate social, where I got to meet and chat with Nancy Pearl. She remembered me from our meeting when she interviewed papersky at the University Bookstore. We all attended the briefest of brief opening ceremonies, and then adjourned to the evening's panel. It was me, Nancy, Tom Whitmore, and davidlevine discussing "Where Lieth the Line Between Science Fiction and Fantasy?" The conversation was wide-ranging and quite dynamic. Whitmore's perspective is always fascinating; he's got an encyclopedic knowledge of the genre and its history, and was both erudite and entertaining on the subject. He and David bounced off of each other about history, and David talked about what such lines meant to him from a writer's perspective. Nancy talked about what such differences meant to recommending books to readers. I talked about my experience as a college student taking a class on same, and about the question from a business perspective a bit. I think it was a well-balanced discussion and people did seem to enjoy it. I certainly did.
At that point it was 10 PM and I had to hit the road. I'm not staying at the hotel and, with its impeccable timing, the city of Seattle has chosen this weekend to close one of the two main bridges between Seattle and the Eastside for the weekend at 11 PM, so I wanted to travel before that happened. The bridge is now closed for the duration, which means I'll be commuting the Long Way to the convention today and tomorrow. It was that, or spend more than $200 on lodging at a time when I'm ever-so-briefly between jobs and just returned from a trip. The gas and energy for commuting are cheaper than a hotel room so driving is my solution for the weekend. As for sleep, well, I'll sleep when I'm dead.
Other brief notes:
--The Freddie Baer Potlatch T-shirt is gorgeous this year. I wasn't a fan of last year's design, but this year? Oh yeah.
--I may be reading poetry tonight as part of Eileen Gunn's poetry program at the convention. Guess I oughtta print out some stuff to take with me.
--Zeke's chosen form of destruction last night was to disrupt my sleep every two hours or so. What a delight it is to have a kitten. ::sigh::