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.

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....

1) The Anticipation housing bureau went live & public today -- room reservations are now being accepted and several early reports indicate they're fairly easy to make online. There's also a toll-free number people can call to make reservations over the phone and an address for doing it by mail.

English links:

Chart of hotels & prices, with link to online reservations
Map showing hotel locations in relation to the convention center

As with all of the Anticipation webpages, you can easily toggle back and forth between the English and French versions of each page. Or you can go straight to the French hotel rates page.

2) Reno in 2011 submitted our bid filing last night. Whoohoo! It's just one of many steps in bidding for a Worldcon, but it's a telling one and we're glad to know the filing is safely in the hands of Glenn Glazer, Anticipation's Site Selection administrator a comfortable 8 days before the filing deadline of February 7th.

We're the first of the three bids Glenn is expecting to receive filings from -- Seattle and Raleigh will no doubt be filing their paperwork for the 2011 Worldcon and 2010 NASFiC within the coming week. I'm not so sure about npulsifer and his Barrow Point, Alaska 2011 bid, though. It's been awhile since I've heard anything about it, and it hasn't made it onto the bidders list that hazelchaz maintains, even as the hoax it set out to be. The Chernobyl bid page seems to have vanished, but Worldcon Lichtenstein is still there. None of the bids will know for sure everyone else who will be on the ballot until February 7th has passed.

Back in 1994, Ross Pavlac wrote an excellent overview of things to think about when voting for a Worldcon bid. The 2-part article first ran in Voyager, the ConAdian newszine, so the 1997 site selection vote is the one mentioned most. It's now 15 years later, but much of what Ross wrote is as true today as it was then. Recommended.

I had big fun running Reno in 2011 bid parties at Denvention 3 and hope to write several things about them and the rest of my adventures in Denver in the days ahead. Past experience suggests that's overly likely to remain in the mountainous range of Good Intentions, especially when I consider everything else that's on my plate right now.

But I did at least get a post about the mermaid cake up on the Reno in 2011 LJ community. Complete with a picture, so if you're reading this and wondering "what mermaid cake?" you can click on through and see for yourself.

Tasting required that you be there. Sorry about that. But if you're ever in downtown Denver, head southwest on Champa Street, a half-block off the 16th Street Mall, and select the treat of your choosing at the Mermaids Bakery and Pie House. From what I can tell, it's all delicious.

Stopping for protein.

Then it's finish packing, drive to Cambridge, deliver Ig® Nobel podium sign, posters, and handbills to Improbable Research.

After I say "hi" to Milo the Moon Dog, it's over to the NESFA Clubhouse for tonight's MCFI meeting.

Many more LJ user name links would follow if I kept writing, but if I keep writing, I'll never get driving.

It's Worldcon. I'm going, and I'm doing many of the things I do best. Some of them are even good things….

See you on the Funway!

And I'll miss all of you I don't see there. tnh, I still have the banner you started at MagiCon 16 years ago: -"People who should be here who aren't."- And the Izzard, too.

Coming Soon to a Convention Near You Rennie, the official Reno in 2011 carpetbag created by Brad Foster made his/her/its debut on Memorial Day weekend as TR Renner and Mark Herrup launched the first of many (many!) Reno in 2011 bid parties.

Are you heading to ConRunner, Midwestcon, or ApolloCon this weekend? Reno in 2011 agents will be in England, Ohio, and Texas, listening, talking, and partying with fans. They'll gladly take your money, too. :-)

Look for our UK Agent, Steve Cooper, at ConRunner in Wolverhampton. It's the first non-US convention we'll be at, but it's far from the last! The vote is in Montréal, after all....

On Saturday night, Jim Mann, Laurie Mann, and Ben Yalow are hosting a Reno party at Midwestcon in Cincinnati. Look for flyers announcing the room number, or just ask -- last year, three different people I didn't know each told me where the Montréal and Australia parties were. Nice!

ApolloCon Fan GoH Anne KG Murphy is representing Reno in Houston-- we'll likely post a special report about our activities there sometime on Saturday. Maybe even with a picture or three....

If you're like me and spending the weekend at home, wishing you were at any or all of the above, please take a minute and swing by the Reno in 2011 website for a quick convention fix. We've updated it with links to pictures and mini-reports from Balticon, BayCon, ConQuesT, Marcon, WisCon, and Fourth Street Fantasy Convention. There are a few other new things, too -- where we'll be next, an updated supporter list, agents' names, and such. As always, we'll gladly take your money on the website, too.

Seriously -- many, many thanks for the active, positive support we've received this past month, the first month of the bid. The Reno in 2011 Worldcon bid already has over 160 Supporters, Friends, and Really Close Friends. Your contributions make the parties and other fun surprises possible. I'm looking forward to helping us all have a mountainous good time in Denver.

See you on the Funway!

Many thanks to all who posted congratulations here and on other forums I saw today! (Well, yesterday, but it's not tomorrow until I sleep and get up again, so today.) I knew there was considerable goodwill for Science-Fiction Five-Yearly in fandom, but seeing it all in electrons and hearing it on the phone throughout the day? That was great!

I kept being reminded of everyone else we need to thank. Our contributors. Oh, yes, our contributors! The former guest editor-publishers who helped keep SFFY going all those lustrums. NESFA, for letting us use Mr. G and covering our printing expenses to boot! Everyone who helped with the collation. debgeisler and benveniste for providing a home away from home for ye weary faneds, and Deb, for the extra color laser printer on the doorstep.

Bill Burns for hosting SFFY at eFanzines. FANAC for the SFFY archive there, and jcbemis for her work making SFFY available in linked text documents.

Et cetera.

For tonight, it's a blanket thanks. SFFY contributor kip_w will be here for lunch in a rapidly-diminishing few hours. Kip, malibrarian, and the effervescent Sarah. The chicken salad is ready, but I won't be if I don't go to sleep oh, now.

What a wonderful day! Is it any wonder I don't want it to end?

...and, wow, SFFY won!

2007 Hugo Award The Hugo rocket, Ultraman, and a sfnal Mount Fuji adorn this year's Hugo trophy. I'm not sure if it will fit on my mantle, but it will look good wherever it goes!

Here's the list of Hugo winners. And links to the full nominations and voting detail.

I went to sleep knowing I was going to be pleased with the results in the fanzine category no matter which fanzine won. That was a really good place to be mentally and emotionally. I woke to learn that I now have a rocket and Ultraman! What more could a girl want?

Well, to be able to call LeeH and share the news with her, of course. She'd be utterly gobsmacked. And pleased. Like I am, on both counts.

Whee!

Much admiration to Challenger, PLOKTA, Banana Wings, and The Drink Tank. Unlike SFFY, which has seen the last of its days now that LeeH's gone, all of them have published again this year, and, are likely to be nominated again in the future. Best of luck to all of you!

Many congratulations to the other Hugo winners, especially pnh! Best Editor, Long Form! Whoohoo! I understand Patrick was the only Hugo winner who was present at the awards ceremony. Naomi Novik was there to accept her Campbell Award, but all of the other Hugos were picked up by designated acceptors. My thanks to Edie Stern and benyalow for picking up Science-Fiction Five-Yearly's!

Correction: Down in the comments, pnh reports, "I wasn't the only Hugo winner present. Steven Moffat, author of the (entirely deserving!) Doctor Who episode "The Girl in the Fireplace," was on hand as well."

Another correction: In his photos of the Hugo ceremony, Chris O'Shea identified Ian McDonald as also being present to accept his award for "The Djinn's Wife," Best Novelette.