acanthusleaf (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
acanthusleaf) wrote2009-11-01 09:04 pm
acanthusleaf) wrote2009-11-01 09:04 pm
Weekend of Win!
Went to Friday Night Waltz and had a good time. Learned some 4-count Charleston. Two weeks ago they played the Mos Eisley Cantina Band song and I figured out it was a Charleston, but I didn't know how to do much with it. I know more now! Also read the rest of Jay Lake's Mainspring.
Saturday, I had both a productive day and a good time. Worked on cleaning and reorganizing the studio, dug out an old project and had a couple of new ideas on how to move it forward, installed a nice brass door latch, bought batteries and reinstalled all of Mom's smoke detectors, etc. Later in the day, went over to WFC in downtown SJ to do Barcon. Saw![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
janni and lnhammer, shelly_rae, and got Mainspring signed. Larry made me an origami griffin. Yay! annmpriceand hrj and I went out for dinner, and I covet the app that HRJ has on her iPhone that calculates how to split the bill at restaurants. There was a big party for Edgar Allen Poe's 200th birthday, with a giant balloon-shaped cake in shades of gray. I was too full to eat any cake, but we ran into Linda Levy and her friend from Australia at that party. There was another party up there promoting the release of Soulless, a new steampunk novel by Gail Carriger, whom I had met at FNW a few weeks ago. Cucumber sandwiches and other delicacies were adorable, but still with the too full. Cute outfits, and I ran into another woman I had met at SteamPowered a year ago. Lovely evening!
Sunday was even better! I got up early and changed the clocks, puttered about in the studio for a while, and was just considering picking up Escapement when Ann called up and we arranged to meet back downtown. She and HRJ and I chatted outside a pastry shop in the lovely sunshine untilklwilliams got back from her lunch excursion, then we all trooped across the street to the Tech Museum and went to the Star Trek exhibit. It was really good, but those of us who had seen the Star Trek Experience in Vegas had to readjust expectations. There were lots of props and costumes, both original and reproduction. They recreated the bridge of TOS Enterprise, and we got our photos taken in the captain's chair. Further on in the exhibit, the four of us also got a photo taken in the Transporter Room. Klwilliams will be scanning these and soon they will appear in an LJ post near you. Excellent geek-out opportunity. Also, they have the new Star Trek movie in IMAX for only $8, so I will be going back to see that.
After a wee snackie at the pastry place, we all went back in to the Fairmont lobby bar, which was again hopping with WFC attendees. Hung out some more with Janni and Lnhammer and this author named Lee something-or-other who Ann knows and has written 54 novels. Shelly_Rae came through again and dragged me off to meet some more of her friends. I was wearing a charm bracelet of all the new steampunk charms and my various rings with airship earrings and a pennyfarthing necklace. I have finally mastered the art of remembering to put on the jewelry before I leave the house. :-) Good thing, too, because Klwilliams and Shelly_Rae told everyone they should check out the jewelry, so they did. That was gratifying, but even more so was selling the sphere ring right off my finger to the woman who owns Dark Carnival Books in Berkeley! One of my teenage meccas! Amazing. Great conversations with smart, interesting people. I have got to go to these things more often. Handed out a bunch more cards, too.
As the con was winding down, K, H, A, K's british houseguests,kateelliott, and I all went to dinner near K's house. More yummy food and great conversation. Kateelliott's children are all grown up, and this makes me feel old. :-) The last time I saw her twin boys, they were toddlers, and now they are old enough to drink. I drove her back to the hotel, and we got to catch up on each others' lives a bit from 20 years' absence. Our friendship had been rather strained by my general lack of maturity when I was 19 and 20, and I got the chance to apologize to her for that. In succeeding years I realized how poorly I had behaved and was glad to get the chance to say so. She took this well, and we parted warmly. I'm delighted to heal this breach, because she is another smart, interesting woman that I respect.
I managed to both goof off completely and make money all in the same weekend. Solid Win!
Saturday, I had both a productive day and a good time. Worked on cleaning and reorganizing the studio, dug out an old project and had a couple of new ideas on how to move it forward, installed a nice brass door latch, bought batteries and reinstalled all of Mom's smoke detectors, etc. Later in the day, went over to WFC in downtown SJ to do Barcon. Saw
janni and lnhammer, shelly_rae, and got Mainspring signed. Larry made me an origami griffin. Yay! annmpriceand hrj and I went out for dinner, and I covet the app that HRJ has on her iPhone that calculates how to split the bill at restaurants. There was a big party for Edgar Allen Poe's 200th birthday, with a giant balloon-shaped cake in shades of gray. I was too full to eat any cake, but we ran into Linda Levy and her friend from Australia at that party. There was another party up there promoting the release of Soulless, a new steampunk novel by Gail Carriger, whom I had met at FNW a few weeks ago. Cucumber sandwiches and other delicacies were adorable, but still with the too full. Cute outfits, and I ran into another woman I had met at SteamPowered a year ago. Lovely evening!Sunday was even better! I got up early and changed the clocks, puttered about in the studio for a while, and was just considering picking up Escapement when Ann called up and we arranged to meet back downtown. She and HRJ and I chatted outside a pastry shop in the lovely sunshine until
klwilliams got back from her lunch excursion, then we all trooped across the street to the Tech Museum and went to the Star Trek exhibit. It was really good, but those of us who had seen the Star Trek Experience in Vegas had to readjust expectations. There were lots of props and costumes, both original and reproduction. They recreated the bridge of TOS Enterprise, and we got our photos taken in the captain's chair. Further on in the exhibit, the four of us also got a photo taken in the Transporter Room. Klwilliams will be scanning these and soon they will appear in an LJ post near you. Excellent geek-out opportunity. Also, they have the new Star Trek movie in IMAX for only $8, so I will be going back to see that. After a wee snackie at the pastry place, we all went back in to the Fairmont lobby bar, which was again hopping with WFC attendees. Hung out some more with Janni and Lnhammer and this author named Lee something-or-other who Ann knows and has written 54 novels. Shelly_Rae came through again and dragged me off to meet some more of her friends. I was wearing a charm bracelet of all the new steampunk charms and my various rings with airship earrings and a pennyfarthing necklace. I have finally mastered the art of remembering to put on the jewelry before I leave the house. :-) Good thing, too, because Klwilliams and Shelly_Rae told everyone they should check out the jewelry, so they did. That was gratifying, but even more so was selling the sphere ring right off my finger to the woman who owns Dark Carnival Books in Berkeley! One of my teenage meccas! Amazing. Great conversations with smart, interesting people. I have got to go to these things more often. Handed out a bunch more cards, too.
As the con was winding down, K, H, A, K's british houseguests,
kateelliott, and I all went to dinner near K's house. More yummy food and great conversation. Kateelliott's children are all grown up, and this makes me feel old. :-) The last time I saw her twin boys, they were toddlers, and now they are old enough to drink. I drove her back to the hotel, and we got to catch up on each others' lives a bit from 20 years' absence. Our friendship had been rather strained by my general lack of maturity when I was 19 and 20, and I got the chance to apologize to her for that. In succeeding years I realized how poorly I had behaved and was glad to get the chance to say so. She took this well, and we parted warmly. I'm delighted to heal this breach, because she is another smart, interesting woman that I respect. I managed to both goof off completely and make money all in the same weekend. Solid Win!