On The Funway

I've spent the last two days sleeping, eating sushi, soaking in a jacuzzi tub, hanging out with friends, and sleeping some more. Friday I plan to head for Toad Woods, where there is no sushi, no jacuzzi, and friends only at the end of the net connection. I expect I'll be sleeping even more once I get there.

On the personal front, I had the best Worldcon I've had in this millennium.

A few days before heading to Montreal, I wrote:

"I won't be doing my usual all parties all the time routine in Montreal, and I'll step back from the
heavy lifting I usually do without thinking. (It's been a long, long summer on that front.)

"I need to pace myself considerably more than anyone who has ever seen me at a Worldcon has reason or evidence to think possible, including myself."

I failed miserably on pacing, though I was good about backing away from most of the heavy lifting. On Sunday, I messed up on the lifting then spent 36-48 hours lifting nothing over 3-4 pounds and not bending over after my body made it clear that there are still weak spots inside.

Even though I did push myself way harder than was reasonable, the mix of parties hosted, parties attended, good conversations, hanging out with friends, time out of the hotel, real meals eaten, program, and lending a helping hand to the Consuite and other parties was superb.

More later. It's time to sleep now.

The car stayed completely packed until I at last pulled up in front of the Delta tonight, then suddenly it was empty. That's what happens when 10-12 fans are waiting in the lobby to help you unload. A bellhop or two saw the mob and jumped in to help. I think there were only two bellcarts, but there might have been three. Plus various additional bits.

The border crossing was easy-peasy. I got the "Why do you have so much stuff in your car?" question rather than the traditional alcohol or firearms/weapons questions. A minute or two of conversation and I was on my way.

The cops were out en force on the Northway (87). Doing 72 wasn't a problem. Another fan going 80 or a bit faster got nailed.

I'm in the Delta. The first Reno party starts in 17.5 hours, in conference room 532. Whee!

So, here it is, mere hours until I hope to be on the road...and a mere two days after I'd first hoped to set out for Montreal.

There was this magazine that needed laying out, you see, and these four newsletters that were just approved to go to print.....

Yes, life as usual and then some. Laundry is done, the stuff to go in the car is mostly assembled or piled high in visual proximity of the door. Sleep is next, well, after those newsletters go to print. Unless I run into a problem that requires thinking. If so, I'll sleep first, then finish up the files and upload them to the printer in Minnesota.

So what did I do? I read a piece of email, learning an interesting fact about a person I'll meet this weekend, and...

Yup. I had an idea. In the course of putting that idea together, I ran across a tiny, little prezzie I picked up years ago for a friend I'll see Thursday, so wrapped that up.

In short, I did what I've done in the hours before going to a convention for, oh, decades now. I had fun, putting together something totally unplanned, unexpected. A little bit of Geri magic, or Geri weirdness, or thoughtfulness, or something like that. It's that thing I do that I then forget and somebody writes years later about receiving a little ribbon flower when I was a GoH at their first convention, and how welcome it made them feel...it's like all those lovely prezzies large and small that I've been on the receiving end of at convention after convention. It's small. Very small. If I've read it right, it will a lovely, unexpected point of fannish connection. If not, well, it was this weird, thoughtful thing I had the joy of doing.

The real win -- in terms of my own realities and needs du jour -- is that it took 20 minutes instead of 3-4 hours like these impulse ideas usually do.

I could still put another week or so to good use. But I've slept 8-9 hours for most of the nights this past week even if I have now been up since Sunday afternoon. I will sleep before driving, and I'll send those newsletters to print, too.

It's Worldcon. I can tell. The real joy of it, personally, is that I am happy. Happy, and ever so grateful for the many kindnesses -- the ever-so-generous fannish gift economy -- that is making the trip possible in the first place.

See you on the Funway....