tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60349443701610323192024-03-05T10:40:54.821-05:00The Knotted ThicketWeredeer, liches, and fairies vs. unicorns. All in a day's work.K.C. Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12467201304235217944noreply@blogger.comBlogger1049125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034944370161032319.post-28046983312922447382022-05-29T17:56:00.002-04:002022-05-29T17:56:13.541-04:00Convention packing list time!<p>Conventions are gearing up again and since I'll be at ConCarolinas next weekend (June 3-5, 2022), I'm thinking about what to bring with me. Things have changed since 2020, to say the least, so here's my convention bag packing list (not a full packing list--you pack for a convention hotel stay basically like any other trip). Unlike some lists out there, it's not too complicated and won't weigh you down.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr-J3LqSZe0h7dx-wsTgrrET_sDR6ShE7sK2jaee9veCsUFSmiraHP9TGGZOezK1qpONq-BFLRUDIyrcmqrV090cS6ZjyTvGwEPke_-wu2MYm_AZykStkRzL03aN0E8JPlrDjQbN5RYHv2j9n2nJVE4j0SGh1jmZQbvZIL2HZLwOZo5BWnJ2xAgBLzgw/s600/bag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr-J3LqSZe0h7dx-wsTgrrET_sDR6ShE7sK2jaee9veCsUFSmiraHP9TGGZOezK1qpONq-BFLRUDIyrcmqrV090cS6ZjyTvGwEPke_-wu2MYm_AZykStkRzL03aN0E8JPlrDjQbN5RYHv2j9n2nJVE4j0SGh1jmZQbvZIL2HZLwOZo5BWnJ2xAgBLzgw/s320/bag.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />First, your bag. I'm still carrying my ThinkGeek Bag of Holding, despite its drawbacks (primarily that the shoulder strap is too long and the part that's supposed to pad your shoulder never stays in place). A lot of people like those mini backpacks and that should be fine depending on how much you bring with you. If you bring a full-sized backpack, be careful you don't hit people with it. Also, a full-sized backpack makes it tempting to overpack. The last thing you want at a convention is aching shoulders or back.<p></p><p><b>In your con bag you should bring:</b></p><p>Phone charger cables, battery bank.</p><p>Spare lanyard for your badge.</p><p>Proof of Covid-19 vaccination status.</p><p>The best masks you can afford/find, at least one per day of the convention (preferably two per day so you can change it out if you get too sweaty or grubby).</p><p>Hand sanitizer/hand wipes.</p><p>Small notebook/journal and something to write with.</p><p>Business cards--even if you don't have an actual business, these are cheap to have printed and it's a nice way to give your contact info to a new friend.</p><p>Handheld fan (a lifesaver at Dragon Con in particular).</p><p>Water bottle! Stay hydrated! Keep it refilled.</p><p>Healthy snacks, including bananas, apples, trail mix, power bars. These aren't a substitute for meals but they'll keep you going until you have time to grab real food.</p><p>Cash, hidden securely in an inside (preferably zippable) pocket.</p><p>A small packet of tissues, mostly in case you didn't notice the bathroom stall was out of paper until it was too late.</p><p>A small first aid kit--see below.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoXW6ZdG6DA7jUWJloNrpV8nfPNsG6YbVoucwYhwqBb7h1rHfQHIYKoAgmHppGkTmoNLK5CyEhQqbBkTkxGEFIm3inC1ThdcXAXnA99Wtr260ZlczLgskJBCp8lcU43N9CqYnXXmVkkQ0oJ4A1qQquLmHvfc088Ji7ZC5YWEsw2v0Q_TAv5pOFZQSd0w/s494/inside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoXW6ZdG6DA7jUWJloNrpV8nfPNsG6YbVoucwYhwqBb7h1rHfQHIYKoAgmHppGkTmoNLK5CyEhQqbBkTkxGEFIm3inC1ThdcXAXnA99Wtr260ZlczLgskJBCp8lcU43N9CqYnXXmVkkQ0oJ4A1qQquLmHvfc088Ji7ZC5YWEsw2v0Q_TAv5pOFZQSd0w/s320/inside.jpg" width="291" /></a></div><br /><p><b>Your first aid kit needs the following items:</b></p><p>Any medications you need.</p><p>Over-the-counter painkillers.</p><p>Emergen-C or other multivitamin drink mix, but make sure it contains electrolytes. If you're feeling run-down, hungover, headachey, or overheated, mix a packet into your water bottle and take frequent sips (don't chug it). This will help and works much better than plain water for dehydration.</p><p>Bandages of various kinds.</p><p>Contact solution, rewetting drops, contact holders, spare contacts, your glasses as a backup. I wear daily contacts now, but when I wore the monthly kind I would have to take them out and clean them at least once a day during Dragon Con, because otherwise my eyes felt awful and would get all gross and gummy by the time I went back to my hotel at 2am.</p><p>Treatment for blisters/blister preventative. Dr. Scholl's sells a not-cheap-but-worth-it package of individually wrapped blister bandages and I highly recommend bringing the whole thing with you. If you feel <i>even slightly</i> that you're getting a blister, slap one of these on. It can make the difference between a good day and a thoroughly miserable one. It's also good to carry these for friends and be generous about giving them out.</p><p>Chapstick.</p><p>Body Glide or something similar if you're wearing shorts or a skirt. After a little while of running around and sweating, you can quickly develop painful heat rash where your thighs rub together. This has happened to me and it was utter misery.</p><p>Menstrual products, just in case. Maybe throw some condoms in there too.</p><p>Have fun! Be safe! Stay hydrated!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwbRXNFGhNZlfwD-VcE-8oxxQ7Q4n2tsxKI9wvE-TyZLcmwk3w876zI0MFGKm9Zds2Po-1COtGbPRGg1iHIjhUSgDRkdyLLhJALjWS4n7_KJhPBvPzFTrqRKw1D4_AjB6-0mb-HsbpVxkJQDvB4CYgg-59oDK2IEHYaSgoBL-whyG89hURHVEZ3HLs9w/s600/front%20pocket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwbRXNFGhNZlfwD-VcE-8oxxQ7Q4n2tsxKI9wvE-TyZLcmwk3w876zI0MFGKm9Zds2Po-1COtGbPRGg1iHIjhUSgDRkdyLLhJALjWS4n7_KJhPBvPzFTrqRKw1D4_AjB6-0mb-HsbpVxkJQDvB4CYgg-59oDK2IEHYaSgoBL-whyG89hURHVEZ3HLs9w/s320/front%20pocket.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>K.C. Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12467201304235217944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034944370161032319.post-48432989534910389202020-05-21T13:15:00.000-04:002020-05-21T13:15:11.029-04:00The Dig SiteI've seen other people post pictures of dig sites of various kinds and I wanted to make one too. I didn't have a lot of space to work with but I did what I could.<br />
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Villager update: I cannot get anyone to leave.<br />
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<br />K.C. Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12467201304235217944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034944370161032319.post-26357685945187935092020-05-16T22:11:00.000-04:002020-05-21T13:12:43.322-04:00Building a Kick-Butt Animal Crossing StageForget KK Slider. I want Ghost to play my island.<br />
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I'm still tinkering with this but I think it's looking pretty good.<br />
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Update: I think I'm finished. Also, I couldn't get the Ghost logo to look right but I did a pretty good King Diamond logo so that's what I'm going with.<br />
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Older pictures:<br />
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Previous versions and various details as I worked on it:<br />
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<br />K.C. Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12467201304235217944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034944370161032319.post-34697715884120911742020-05-08T11:56:00.002-04:002020-05-08T11:57:19.446-04:00Rain Daisy IslandForget about selling stuff I find in the back of a drawer. There's a pandemic raging. I've been at home for almost two months now, doing my part to keep the 'rona from spreading. I signed up for wifi, which I dropped a bit over three years ago to save money and keep myself from sitting at the computer all evening when I got home from work. Then I bought a Switch Lite and one game. Guess which one.<br />
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This is an Animal Crossing account now.<br />
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I'm working on getting my island a five-star rating, which means decorating all over the place. Here are some of the areas I've been developing:<br />
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My own basement, which I have turned into a hip little coffee house called The Wasp Head. Karaoke on Fridays, poetry slams every other Monday. Curlos and that other ugly sheep whose name I can't remember aren't invited.<br />
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The small open-air Turtle Cafe. Croissants and coffee available all day, wine in the evenings. No sheep allowed.<br />
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The Turtle Cafe is named after the nearby snapping turtle habitat. Come on in and pet the friendly tortles!</div>
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And finally (for now), my secret campsite. No one but me is allowed in. Here I can get away from the stupid villagers I'm trying to make leave.</div>
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All my plans for this year are being canceled one by one and thousands of people are dying, so I will live in this sunny happy game world where the worst thing that can happen is a scorpion sting.K.C. Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12467201304235217944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034944370161032319.post-57728609121824760762020-02-03T15:20:00.002-05:002020-02-03T15:23:05.508-05:00Stuff for saleOh, you thought I forgot? I sort of did, but not forever. Also, I got my numbers mixed up <a href="https://kcshaw.blogspot.com/2020/01/yet-more-junk-for-sale.html">last time</a> so I have to go back and fill in the gap.<br />
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Item #21 - A tiny key. I don't know what this goes to. It says Life Gear and I'm pretty sure it's a key that unlocks something that's not terribly secure. One side is more worn than the other.<br />
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Item #22 - A lot of micro-USB phone cords. I think there are five or six of these. Guess who just upgraded her phone! Sold as a lot only.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLBMEf6MgRx39E3Xapc5u2hM2A1XcsM65EStgQ7504dqKGdKSN1k2Rqm_8LNGSm4bwfXNqykAgmWd6HQi_Q6hrqaZaWGURDof3Wh1aDxKZTNwO3Qd8Q9t5K_uBZkThsQ0LeitimIazwmC/s1600/phone+cords.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="306" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLBMEf6MgRx39E3Xapc5u2hM2A1XcsM65EStgQ7504dqKGdKSN1k2Rqm_8LNGSm4bwfXNqykAgmWd6HQi_Q6hrqaZaWGURDof3Wh1aDxKZTNwO3Qd8Q9t5K_uBZkThsQ0LeitimIazwmC/s320/phone+cords.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>
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Item #23 - Metal Church pin. I bought this in approximately 1989, which makes it vintage and me old. I have never been a hardcore Metal Church fan but they're okay. Space on my conbag is at a premium, though, and I have too many pins. Chapstick for scale.<br />
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I'll add more in a day or two - watch this space! Or not, whatever.<br />
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<br />K.C. Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12467201304235217944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034944370161032319.post-64182084783498771782020-01-08T14:21:00.001-05:002020-01-08T14:21:39.398-05:00Yet more junk for saleOh, you thought I'd lose interest this soon? No way. Check <a href="http://kcshaw.blogspot.com/2020/01/way-better-than-ebay.html">here</a> and <a href="http://kcshaw.blogspot.com/2020/01/more-junk-for-sale.html">here</a> for previous items and how to make an offer.<br />
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Item #31 - <b>small empty box</b>. This box may be antique or it may just be cheap tat from the 80s. I should probably mention that my grandmother was an antique dealer, which is why I have so much weird stuff in my house that I don't know where it came from. This feels like lacquered cardboard or something similar. There is a sticker on the bottom that says "Made in Kashmir INDIA" and the lid comes off to show it's empty. (pencil for scale)<br />
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Item #32 - <b>outrageously expensive tape</b>. I bought this roll of decorative tape at Target along with a whole bunch of other school supplies. It was in a big bin with no price label, but when I got home and checked the receipt I noticed I had spent FOUR DOLLARS for this stupid tape. Never used. Get it way cheaper than four f*%$# dollars. Decorated with bicycles. (pencil for scale)</div>
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Item #33 - <b>rice press for adult</b>s. Another bento box purchase that I have only used once. It works just fine to press rice into a shape, but it also works just fine to smush the rice into a shape with wet hands and my hands are easier to wash. Imported from Japan.</div>
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Item #34 - <b>rice press for children</b>. Ditto above, although I can't smush rice into a teddy bear shape with my hands. But you know what? I don't want to. I put these back in the package but it has been opened, although I don't know that I actually used any of these. Imported from Japan at enormous expense.</div>
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Item #35 - <b>plastic shot glasses</b>. I bought these because they're pretty. I don't do shots.</div>
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Item #36 - <b>mystery yarn thing with bag</b>. I don't know what this is. Some kind of craft project. There are three different colors of ugly yarn and some sticks with holes in them. Comes in a leather bag that would work well as the biggest dice bag ever. I forgot to put in a pencil for scale but the bag would hold a small grapefruit probably.</div>
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Item #37 - <b>plastic crow glass</b>. Bought at Target one Halloween, used maybe once. I'll wash it for you.</div>
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Item #38 - <b>Royal Doulton china</b>. Set for 8, as long as one of the 8 doesn't want a salad.</div>
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Item #39 - <b>too many bookmarks</b>. I have way too many bookmarks. Receive the ones pictured and probably some more. Sold as a lot only. Hint: one of those bookmarks is for a book I wrote.</div>
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Item #40 - <b>cards</b>. I got both of these decks in different Kickstarters. Offer for one or both. The steampunk deck is unopened, still in plastic; I think there's a second deck I have opened somewhere. Let me know if you want it and I'll take a look around for it. The other deck is a Professor Elemental-themed game called Pairs that looks like a whole lot of fun, but I've never played it because I have no friends.</div>
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K.C. Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12467201304235217944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034944370161032319.post-59621000375695911012020-01-07T13:38:00.000-05:002020-01-07T13:38:44.093-05:00More junk for saleOh yeah, I was going to add more. See <a href="https://kcshaw.blogspot.com/2020/01/way-better-than-ebay.html">yesterday's post</a> for what I'm doing and how to make an offer.<br />
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Here we go.<br />
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Item #11 - <b>various food picks</b>. I got into bento boxes a few years ago and ordered all kinds of stuff I thought I'd need to keep my interest up, but it turns out that just having a cute lunchbox to cram leftovers in is all I need. Some of these picks have never even been opened; most have never been used. You can offer on one pick, several picks, one pack, more than one pack, or the whole damn thing. They're all imported from Japan except the ones from Target, but I no longer remember which is which.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37kCnP8f2dMEtd-H94m7oL6OPS6Lx8SzSmqYzeyprIyYXjSiAaEXF3_Z6Y0Lr_pUt6C7NniP1ohJ_Bn35QqeVbsJYWaI5_OcGcf4RYnzsDocs4FqF9BuQhd7qS4xKZe4-EERrcj3cL7wP/s1600/foodpicks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37kCnP8f2dMEtd-H94m7oL6OPS6Lx8SzSmqYzeyprIyYXjSiAaEXF3_Z6Y0Lr_pUt6C7NniP1ohJ_Bn35QqeVbsJYWaI5_OcGcf4RYnzsDocs4FqF9BuQhd7qS4xKZe4-EERrcj3cL7wP/s320/foodpicks.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Item #12 - <b>boiled egg skull mold</b>. Used once. It sort of works but is a lot of effort for a boiled egg, although I admit it is a bit of a novelty to eat a salted boiled egg skull. Comes with directions that sort of make sense. Imported from Japan.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmeo1XjayOSoKTZ9Y8p_WjmFOuD486kM4pKbE9uYG4VqEV3gdnmkCLKL6qPPnFlEsi-h-P01ywcFYU6b7YbRCIfDOly1X97lCT5Oh-8GXrF4JQPpRu3-s2t1TClYLaamk56FbhoynLUVge/s1600/eggskull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmeo1XjayOSoKTZ9Y8p_WjmFOuD486kM4pKbE9uYG4VqEV3gdnmkCLKL6qPPnFlEsi-h-P01ywcFYU6b7YbRCIfDOly1X97lCT5Oh-8GXrF4JQPpRu3-s2t1TClYLaamk56FbhoynLUVge/s320/eggskull.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Item #13 - <b>tire gauge</b>. I don't know if this is for a bike tire or a car tire. Probably a car tire, but I'm afraid if I try it out on my car tire I will somehow deflate it and will have to call a tow truck. Buyer beware.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzmAg_aCX5qggJ59jxWOP0Iq9pt9O9IFxP-b2yCiWdlSp3PDN2GJzhy45OxucVQLK1-qgwUNz4bCJSQAAhAcy0fz5RXtKRgOuHiWiK9KftjDzKoU_cgKGCyJINUTWDPRsGiL3wqG5ytNTb/s1600/tiregauge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzmAg_aCX5qggJ59jxWOP0Iq9pt9O9IFxP-b2yCiWdlSp3PDN2GJzhy45OxucVQLK1-qgwUNz4bCJSQAAhAcy0fz5RXtKRgOuHiWiK9KftjDzKoU_cgKGCyJINUTWDPRsGiL3wqG5ytNTb/s320/tiregauge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Item #14 - <b>A probably perfectly good camera with 8GB memory card</b>. I bought this in 2012 for a trip to Alaska. It hasn't been used since as far as I remember. The memory card probably still has pictures of Alaska on it. There's a shallow scratch on the back but it looks okay other than that. I took the batteries out at some point. It is not a great camera but it's not terrible.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfpuJ6Fmuk2ag7ar0pmYkGLDRyUKkeIZ52xOmc_K6jj2ifOn0-b_uk-q4gLCKWALrx0NrVcif-zctzeI_T4F2jQvlV4iaeaHffQl4KgkqRYlgON0TgD1Z6OMlpfhJfToEHaO9xbq1HlIAm/s1600/camera2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfpuJ6Fmuk2ag7ar0pmYkGLDRyUKkeIZ52xOmc_K6jj2ifOn0-b_uk-q4gLCKWALrx0NrVcif-zctzeI_T4F2jQvlV4iaeaHffQl4KgkqRYlgON0TgD1Z6OMlpfhJfToEHaO9xbq1HlIAm/s320/camera2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidlz0kFxAdmZMDMeW-0wI4yaSg7KOwJvQCNPnatiw4Ckch9DpGMoKMTe-HfpOsJd5XCkAFRtfcncEkTKHX_Ku-Uwz1KyF2sIOTLwVm3x8diI1V7EsKh36yqUeKhsA315mFgPTM8R4AsOso/s1600/camera3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidlz0kFxAdmZMDMeW-0wI4yaSg7KOwJvQCNPnatiw4Ckch9DpGMoKMTe-HfpOsJd5XCkAFRtfcncEkTKHX_Ku-Uwz1KyF2sIOTLwVm3x8diI1V7EsKh36yqUeKhsA315mFgPTM8R4AsOso/s320/camera3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3mXycBTUn8Pa1PuXEQidjBEXLss4l0Ys6Fe3U6njilntAoYCOka1w5xD0VK4JpsOiT9ol5DID3AGwAm8SkuMx83LNvVXUX3XrJ9DtVjU1r6hd-MM_6QwQa6h6oqNcyewMtBs_ZRm5KmwO/s1600/camera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3mXycBTUn8Pa1PuXEQidjBEXLss4l0Ys6Fe3U6njilntAoYCOka1w5xD0VK4JpsOiT9ol5DID3AGwAm8SkuMx83LNvVXUX3XrJ9DtVjU1r6hd-MM_6QwQa6h6oqNcyewMtBs_ZRm5KmwO/s320/camera.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Item #15 - <b>multitool with case</b>. This is in great shape because I have used it exactly zero times. When I took it out of its case to take pictures, I cut myself. It contains many tools and blades, all of them sharp and/or pinchy. Please take it away from me before I hurt myself again.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjORbI5xiL4SeX11KPWTC4ImgGOmTf_psrxrjJd_3PpguS3B1g8DDe1sYeYARWSJAV7lfE4M7NLbr18sk9RPrqpolJIp3XCGBv82o-zd1CM_vkyQcbPqtIqwmb9736A_hIGTWXsu_H9rR/s1600/multitool1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjORbI5xiL4SeX11KPWTC4ImgGOmTf_psrxrjJd_3PpguS3B1g8DDe1sYeYARWSJAV7lfE4M7NLbr18sk9RPrqpolJIp3XCGBv82o-zd1CM_vkyQcbPqtIqwmb9736A_hIGTWXsu_H9rR/s320/multitool1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqQ8gJaZRx1aZvFVBlGrjzGB9AtUYTKeI35M6BW2tdt-bfSG7OGlpvvdlulID_ygB77dLhn0rIpuiyyC9fVA_kUYCxU5uV5c4H7ZFhETGVp38rNmTfJW3je5eo_ZIArRqtxUVCqVhAV45/s1600/multitool2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqQ8gJaZRx1aZvFVBlGrjzGB9AtUYTKeI35M6BW2tdt-bfSG7OGlpvvdlulID_ygB77dLhn0rIpuiyyC9fVA_kUYCxU5uV5c4H7ZFhETGVp38rNmTfJW3je5eo_ZIArRqtxUVCqVhAV45/s320/multitool2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Item #16 - <b>small fake Swiss Army knife</b>. This is not actually a Swiss Army knife but it wants you to think it is. It contains everything you need to survive in the wilderness: a small blade, a metal emory board for filing your fingernails or digging crud out of your pipe, a tiny pair of scissors to cut down a mighty oak for firewood, a pair of tweezers, and a plastic toothpick.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfQiMuXc5qIDAUhGbqS932b4vCfOds18bHel_i4B-HFBDNQ6zpBybPXDM0GkJ4Uz7Ar2MVB68WsuRwRCbCoB-uAuKF25bEDo-aqncNbYvq3nljR4cxsnB01Oi3ELFJmlxf2bkMS8mC8aky/s1600/smallknife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfQiMuXc5qIDAUhGbqS932b4vCfOds18bHel_i4B-HFBDNQ6zpBybPXDM0GkJ4Uz7Ar2MVB68WsuRwRCbCoB-uAuKF25bEDo-aqncNbYvq3nljR4cxsnB01Oi3ELFJmlxf2bkMS8mC8aky/s320/smallknife.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Item #17 - <b>So You Want to Show Draft Horses booklet</b>. Did you ever want to show draft horses? I did. I bought this with actual money once, knowing in my heart of hearts that I would never own a horse, much less a magnificent show-quality draft horse. My failure could be your pathway to success.<br />
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Item #18 - <b>Grooming Your Horse booklet</b>. See above, with the exception that instead of paying cash money for this booklet I paid $1.50 in trade credit at a used book store. I still don't have a horse.</div>
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Item #19 - <b>some food cups</b>. More bento box stuff. Again, some are imported from Japan, some are from Target. Some are actually silicone cupcake liners. They all work to hold food. Offer for one, several, or all.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO_wyCimrOD3FYhlqi-UaJgDSWbyRbhbXu_ndMoGPVfEAwGd7YT5e8Yx-3lBjRnIVue4v6dKU1dfzUqC_oYl4A2zuphzEIBAfKMjFqDg7eHbPWHkr0NekoLJPoY1Tf94-0bEFqIOneBUDN/s1600/foodcups.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO_wyCimrOD3FYhlqi-UaJgDSWbyRbhbXu_ndMoGPVfEAwGd7YT5e8Yx-3lBjRnIVue4v6dKU1dfzUqC_oYl4A2zuphzEIBAfKMjFqDg7eHbPWHkr0NekoLJPoY1Tf94-0bEFqIOneBUDN/s320/foodcups.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Item #20 - <b>Cement (Oklahoma) Garden Club yearbook, 1967</b>. I do actually know why I have this, a thing that was produced before I was born in a state I have never visited. My great-grandmother lived in Cement, OK and my mom had fond memories of a city named CEMENT. Whether this was my great-grandmother's or just something my mom found in an antique shop, I don't know.<br />
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More tomorrow if I remember to take some pictures.</div>
K.C. Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12467201304235217944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034944370161032319.post-38336221924159601752020-01-06T10:43:00.001-05:002020-01-07T13:47:57.563-05:00Way better than ebayWell hello.<br />
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I haven't posted in a long time. But here I am, using my old blog as a clearinghouse to get rid of stuff. I'm decluttering, and here are some things I want to get rid of. The best way to own these is to make an offer by emailing me at kcshaw123 @ pandagmail without the panda or the spaces. This is a panda free zone.<br />
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I don't care how much I sell these for. All I ask is that your offer covers postage, or you can pick them up from me if you're going to be in the East Tennessee area. If you want to come over to my house and point at things and ask if I'd sell them, I'll do that too. Most things will not be for sale but you might be surprised.<br />
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I'll leave them up until they sell or until I get tired of doing this and throw everything away. I'll also be adding stuff from time to time.<br />
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Item #1 - <b>two signed Magic cards in a case</b>. These are signed by the artists. Back in the mid-90s, we had to mail the cards to the artist for a signature, who would sign and mail them back. These cards are in good shape because they've been in a protective case in the back of a drawer for 20 years. Alas my youth.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbMrP3pUVoPDFJa_r39s3ZfCtwldoeMNAO7n-nuiGpd3wcBLn34iQaGYlDbLZoJSivYruZ2Dant1WTUPt1NFyKG2rANP__bRzCqi4yEw9wOAfHnhIIw928ioNFNGJLBiF5_NlOOt6N5Gjh/s1600/signed+cards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbMrP3pUVoPDFJa_r39s3ZfCtwldoeMNAO7n-nuiGpd3wcBLn34iQaGYlDbLZoJSivYruZ2Dant1WTUPt1NFyKG2rANP__bRzCqi4yEw9wOAfHnhIIw928ioNFNGJLBiF5_NlOOt6N5Gjh/s320/signed+cards.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Item #2 - <b>a deck of Vampire cards</b>. These have also been in a drawer in a protective case. Some of the cards have the original Jyhad backs. If you want to know if there's a particular card, let me know and I'll look, but be aware that if you ask I will look up the value. Safer to just offer for the whole deck. These cards are in good shape because no one but me liked this game.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-YR5mDvK3-5awzGg5nsxCEvK2nHN75tLTJ8kRE_IVmj0VeOf6XZp2jsBIYPc2q16q0nSOSSandey-jknuV6JIAJOFAVzSrgAFo-zTH-0Y6cG8Vz8X_ZVQP3Jb-inbqEd00-OvAINnNB21/s1600/vampire+cards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-YR5mDvK3-5awzGg5nsxCEvK2nHN75tLTJ8kRE_IVmj0VeOf6XZp2jsBIYPc2q16q0nSOSSandey-jknuV6JIAJOFAVzSrgAFo-zTH-0Y6cG8Vz8X_ZVQP3Jb-inbqEd00-OvAINnNB21/s320/vampire+cards.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Item #3 - <b>small travel soap holder</b>. I bought this for a trip and decided it was too big. It holds a bar of soap that's square and about half the size of a regular soap. No one owns soap this size. Latches with a satisfying click. (scissors for scale)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSMymVZFhNQcaBI_vK6biIP2ktjeBv9ifQZQoZc2oaGSFBSd87F0zUbDBzpNosjjFOSOUnoYS15axuKkSB8ImyOjDfIOvV9ThlMNsYdRMFfi6IjsXzPTYE26zZmyDfXCImAsKfAX9JIxOR/s1600/soap1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSMymVZFhNQcaBI_vK6biIP2ktjeBv9ifQZQoZc2oaGSFBSd87F0zUbDBzpNosjjFOSOUnoYS15axuKkSB8ImyOjDfIOvV9ThlMNsYdRMFfi6IjsXzPTYE26zZmyDfXCImAsKfAX9JIxOR/s320/soap1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO66BCUU3HXiCPAm1ofiDySySweGo4qLtvcj7nFSdAZ-zlUKeYvQutrKQj6QJhwHuuoA5xFQfArXwSLzUk6LQBvsiCH57-ttPFyZvAMyjaPwhDnTPqBhoaqnHJLR6OKChsDLB4z1cXekHL/s1600/soap2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO66BCUU3HXiCPAm1ofiDySySweGo4qLtvcj7nFSdAZ-zlUKeYvQutrKQj6QJhwHuuoA5xFQfArXwSLzUk6LQBvsiCH57-ttPFyZvAMyjaPwhDnTPqBhoaqnHJLR6OKChsDLB4z1cXekHL/s320/soap2.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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Item #4 - <b>the baby</b>. Found this in a piece of king cake and I'm supposed to put it in the next king cake I make for someone else to find. I will never make a king cake. It looks like there's still some icing on the baby but I can wash it off if you want. (pencil for scale)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKTw-F_L43RAvpnD89BSGbLZhg_QzAZHXeU9SZXG01_ieq8t422MD3OqLicA1vwXQhyphenhyphenmaOByXTXJ-3KayyriX7AylUHQ9M7MFUIOb0kqzx5VxfxNAgOR3p4i7SQC8pRUuk-ChT1_IHa3T3/s1600/thebaby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKTw-F_L43RAvpnD89BSGbLZhg_QzAZHXeU9SZXG01_ieq8t422MD3OqLicA1vwXQhyphenhyphenmaOByXTXJ-3KayyriX7AylUHQ9M7MFUIOb0kqzx5VxfxNAgOR3p4i7SQC8pRUuk-ChT1_IHa3T3/s1600/thebaby.jpg" /></a></div>
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Item #5 - <b>A postcard from Dayton Ohio sent in January 1944</b>. I do now know why I own this. The text reads in faint pencil: "Jan. 1, 23 1944 Dearest cousin Suppose you be surprise at this card Show you I haven't forgot ha How you doying kid I'm feeling fine working every night write again soon Love, Lydia B." sic sic sic everything. It's addressed to Miss Susie Ann Boles, Sparta, Tennessee and has a 1 cent stamp. It's postmarked 1-26-44 from Dayton, Ohio. This is the most boring postcard ever sent. I do not know who Lydia B. or Susie Ann Boles are. I have never been to Dayton or to Sparta.<br />
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Item #6 - <b>Hello Kitty sunglasses</b>. I bought these after I had to get my eyes dilated and had no sunglasses in the car. Worn once or twice. I no longer wear contacts so I don't need them now. Look stylish!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrN_HENDKIEZ-2ORVgU8V0APbDedx6KzX_VUItIX0V8_6IFCSh3XMzgaH5NqID0aWKySeTF_SLqraq0iqllctcS0GPhQMNdTILOnZOuoYqHRwclHoTPH8kyHXzGHNOHdf_VRcg0smBBI3r/s1600/sunglasses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrN_HENDKIEZ-2ORVgU8V0APbDedx6KzX_VUItIX0V8_6IFCSh3XMzgaH5NqID0aWKySeTF_SLqraq0iqllctcS0GPhQMNdTILOnZOuoYqHRwclHoTPH8kyHXzGHNOHdf_VRcg0smBBI3r/s320/sunglasses.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Item #7 - <b>Toothpicks in a Halloween bag</b>. I have enough toothpicks to last me the rest of my life, so here are some extra toothpicks that I put into a plastic ziploc bag with Halloween bats printed on one side. There is one (1) hole in the back of the bag now because a toothpick poked through. There may eventually be more holes. Please make a generous offer for this exciting piece of modern art. I can sign it if you like.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizyownBF2bucUE4X2IFvL_G57REJKVoa8KJKlc_1lZBUurH05xwGyCR6JT81Hx8uPqxpP8083iMW90hMEaP8byZqYugMbpeAtQyZ4ZIzGKbaX-V8W9kYd6kgh9p0nnz_lI1KlJgziBRO8D/s1600/toothpicks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizyownBF2bucUE4X2IFvL_G57REJKVoa8KJKlc_1lZBUurH05xwGyCR6JT81Hx8uPqxpP8083iMW90hMEaP8byZqYugMbpeAtQyZ4ZIzGKbaX-V8W9kYd6kgh9p0nnz_lI1KlJgziBRO8D/s320/toothpicks.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Item #8 - <b>mystery item that folds</b>. I don't know what this is. I thought it was a knife blade protector of some kind but it has a piece that opens up. It doesn't make any sense but it works and that's the important thing. NOTE: I have been informed that this is probably a bag clip, in which case I may decide to keep it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnrOxeqgPRUwR4WUh4dvBXtIv9uskhxviATYAvRPDPH-Zoq_j-6R7hFyhK4kKL_yMGD-kI3yNqMh3BU4-y43zTG-Va-SVLB6SxccNuoMPgdRHiwIn3XLf-SdcNVbSw8OR3EmEQaHeKdWms/s1600/mystery1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnrOxeqgPRUwR4WUh4dvBXtIv9uskhxviATYAvRPDPH-Zoq_j-6R7hFyhK4kKL_yMGD-kI3yNqMh3BU4-y43zTG-Va-SVLB6SxccNuoMPgdRHiwIn3XLf-SdcNVbSw8OR3EmEQaHeKdWms/s1600/mystery1.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ps_wOS1qhHmFt1RNYJQKi7xs6kshoFsK9pgisK4E1ZO90YroVge9puCAoqnEJe73Y-PV0SewoL7XJpS5gPrGcCbgeM5-DVi_EBj7XE0_K5PPmDYi6fUH5OBQM2XnFEC8Qqyp-3QyzrGX/s1600/mystery2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ps_wOS1qhHmFt1RNYJQKi7xs6kshoFsK9pgisK4E1ZO90YroVge9puCAoqnEJe73Y-PV0SewoL7XJpS5gPrGcCbgeM5-DVi_EBj7XE0_K5PPmDYi6fUH5OBQM2XnFEC8Qqyp-3QyzrGX/s1600/mystery2.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfg2qMzlNSrZmziMn_INVI0FLYIfObC1wZrRJF_aQh-M5HGdcLVWY9AOHrwQNd_EjGKkaq6mrhNzCMrCDiFu7TXy8mdp3eqTrMRipdLM1paZgGSZpzI0DYEGXHQ-00tJQnjbv7vcMHfSyf/s1600/mystery3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfg2qMzlNSrZmziMn_INVI0FLYIfObC1wZrRJF_aQh-M5HGdcLVWY9AOHrwQNd_EjGKkaq6mrhNzCMrCDiFu7TXy8mdp3eqTrMRipdLM1paZgGSZpzI0DYEGXHQ-00tJQnjbv7vcMHfSyf/s1600/mystery3.jpg" /></a></div>
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Item #9 - <b>two small plastic fish</b>. Why do I have junk like this? Fish are not actually kissing but maybe? (pencil for scale)</div>
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Item #10 - <b>metal shelf pegs</b>. These are metal and heavier than they look. Package has never been opened. I can measure them for you if you want. None of my bookshelves are missing shelves or lacking shelf pegs.</div>
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More coming on another day and in another post. Stay tuned.K.C. Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12467201304235217944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034944370161032319.post-13481144314059677842018-09-06T15:36:00.000-04:002018-09-06T15:36:09.814-04:00DragonCon 2018!I see I have not updated my blog in an entire year. Well, welcome to my annual DragonCon wrap-up post for 2018!<br />
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For those of you who are interested, my fun fantasy novel <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Skytown-K-C-Shaw/dp/1910462055">Skytown</a></i> is now available as an ebook as well as paperback, and you might also like my family-friendly science-based podcast <a href="http://strangeanimalspodcast.com/">Strange Animals Podcast</a>.<br />
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Usual warning: this will be long. I'll try not to make it too boring.<br />
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I arrived in Atlanta fairly late on Thursday night, too late to do anything except get my badge and try to get cash out of an ATM. I forgot my PIN (you know, the same number I've had for years) and by the time I remembered it, I'd been locked out of my account.<br />
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Fortunately, I had my credit card with me because other than my debit card, I had exactly one dollar in cash.<br />
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This year I stayed in a downtown hotel, a Budgetel Inn that's only a ten-minute walk from the Marriott but which has free parking and rates no higher than the Smyrna Red Roof Inn I've stayed at the last few years. It wasn't exactly a five-star hotel, but it was clean and it's not like I spent much time there anyway.<br />
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I got a decent night's sleep and was at the convention really early on Friday morning. I found the Secret Food Court and ate breakfast at Dunkin Donuts, then kicked around for a while feeling good about life, before heading to my first panel of the weekend.<br />
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Above: Atlanta early Friday morning</div>
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This year I was scheduled for my very first DragonCon panel on the podcasting track. It wasn't until Sunday, but I wanted to start off the con in that track so went to their kickoff panel. It was fun and interesting, and I introduced myself to the track director and dropped some stickers on the freebie table. I also grabbed a free lanyard advertising some company I'd never heard of, because the lanyard I'd brought had an orange background like the DragonCon volunteers and I didn't want anyone to confuse me with someone who knew what they were doing.<br />
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Next I went to a Welcome to Night Vale panel with Cecil Baldwin, Symphony Sanders, Hal Lublin, and Mark Gagliardi. It was a really funny panel that I thoroughly enjoyed even though the room was huge and I was too far back to get decent pictures.<br />
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Above: Symphony Sanders building an eight-tier castle out of water cups</div>
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After that I went to the YA in SPAAAAAACE panel, which was also interesting and funny, then headed out to a puppetry track panel, The Puppetry of MST3K. While I was waiting in line, I texted my friend Kevin of <a href="http://flopcast.net/">The Flopcast</a> to see if we could figure out a time to meet later that day. We texted back and forth a few times, and then Kevin mentioned he was in line to see The Puppetry of MST3K.<br />
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I looked around. Kevin stood not ten feet away from me, but neither of us had noticed the other.<br />
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The room wasn't too full so we were able to get seats together. The panel was great, and Joel Hodgson was naturally very witty and interesting. He had Crow and Tom Servo bots with him and a couple of the people working with the new iteration of MST3K joined him too, one of whom Kevin knows. Kevin knows <i>everyone</i>.<br />
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It was 4pm after that panel let out and I hadn't even had lunch yet, so I said goodbye to Kevin and went to the Secret Food Court again to get a burger, fries, and a gigantic Coke because I was so thirsty. It wasn't an especially hot day but it was humid and I was sweating like crazy.<br />
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After I ate, I headed to the Sheraton for a panel at 5:30. But as I waited to get in, I remembered that I had gone to a panel very like that one the year before, or maybe 2016, and had left early because it wasn't as interesting to me as I'd hoped. I checked the schedule and decided to head to the Marriott and attend an American Sci-Fi Classics track panel about movies released in 1968. I mostly just went to have somewhere to go, but it was really funny and interesting. It was presented by the people who do <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiQgUHJh80Lu_XGr33eMLmA">Retroblasting</a>, so they're worth checking out.<br />
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After that, same room but two decades later, I attended the Geek Year 1988 panel, which was also good and I had even seen a few of the movies they mentioned. And after that, it was back to the Sheraton, still sweating, for a panel about pirates in popular culture.<br />
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Above: Sideshow Bob Ross. Sorry the lighting is so bad.</div>
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I was tired after that, and because I'd been playing Pokemon Go, not only did my phone need charging, my phone charger also needed charging. I walked back to my hotel room and plugged both in, ate some trail mix, and lay down to rest for a bit and finish reading a murder mystery I was almost done with.<br />
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The book took longer to finish than I expected, and since I'd turned off my phone so it would charge faster, I didn't realize how late it was. I'd been planning to attend a late panel at 11:30 in the Westin, but when I turned my phone back on it was already 11:25.<br />
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I hurried, and made it to the Westin at about 11:45. But it turned out that the panel was not for me, so I left after only a few minutes and walked back to the Marriott to look at costumes and wait for the <a href="http://www.voltaire.net/">Aurelio Voltaire</a> concert to start. I was parched but had no cash, and couldn't find anywhere open where I could get a cold drink with my card.<br />
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It took a long, long time--like seriously, at least twenty minutes--to get everyone into the ballroom who had been waiting in line. Usually I'm in line too but this year I'd planned to skip Voltaire. I'm glad I didn't, though. Even though I couldn't get as close to the stage as I wanted, I had fun and the show was great as always.<br />
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I headed back to my hotel afterwards. Since it was after 1am I'd brought a pair of drumsticks in my bag as a makeshift weapon, just in case. I never did have even a momentary problem the whole weekend, though, and after Friday night I didn't bother to bring the sticks.<br />
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I got to talking to a guy also walking back to the same hotel from the convention. I should have known when he told me I was "braver than most ladies" for walking alone that I was dealing with an asshole, but I like to assume the best about people. I told him I had a pair of drumsticks in my bag, and that the area seemed perfectly safe anyway. He agreed, then said that he hoped Atlanta didn't elect any liberals to the city council since things would go downhill fast then. I snapped, "Well, I'm a liberal," and he doubled down, insisting that violence in big cities was due to liberal policies.<br />
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You know, there was a time about two years ago that I would have just changed the subject. But NOT. FUCKING. ANYMORE. I'd just come from a concert where Voltaire had stressed acceptance and tolerance, and this rando was the opposite of everything me and millions like me find important.<br />
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So I shut him down hard. I told him, "I don't know about those cities, and I'm pretty sure you don't either. I'm from Knoxville and our crime rate is low, and we have a liberal mayor." I can't remember what all else I said, but he finally gave up--or maybe I was coming across as angry enough that he remembered I had those sticks in my bag. He was the one who changed the subject.<br />
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Fortunately, that was the only negative all weekend, and it didn't leave me with a bad feeling because I'd stood up to the guy instead of simmering in silence. Also, my cousin Molly texted me the next day that Atlanta does have a liberal city council--is, in fact, famous for it. So there, ignorant asshole guy.<br />
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I got about four hours of sleep and sprang up the next morning to greet day two of DragonCon!<br />
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I was pretty bleary and it took me a while to get breakfast. I don't like Starbucks so I went to the food court attached to the MARTA station to find a less crowded and more appealing coffee shop. Kevin told me later that the Secret Food Court was actually open on Saturday this year, and I wish I'd known.<br />
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I took my coffee and food to the Hilton to catch part of the Saturday morning cartoons being shown in the Brit Track room. I thought it would be packed, but when I came in, there were only about a dozen people scattered around the room, sipping coffee and watching the tail-end of Wallace and Gromit in stony silence.<br />
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I stayed long enough to watch one episode of the new Thunderbirds Are Go, but left when a second one started (even though it was the far superior original). I was worried that if I waited too long, I wouldn't be able to get to the Marriott for a 10am panel about Schoolhouse Rock, because the skybridges and roads are closed during the parade.<br />
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The Schoolhouse Rock panel was great! The first half was a panel discussion, including Kevin, and the second half we watched some of the shows and sang along. Kevin had come in costume, cosplaying Cloris Leachman in the 80s-era VHS release of Schoolhouse Rock, which was hilarious! It was even more hilarious when I realized how extremely hungover he was.<br />
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I still didn't get a chance to catch up with Kevin, though, because we both had to leave for our next panels. I went back to the Hilton for another podcasting track panel, this one about audio editing. I got some good tips from it, too.<br />
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After that I got lunch, sort of. I grabbed a chicken salad sandwich at CVS along with some snacks. It was horrible. Seriously, it was SO horrible. In fact, I've been blaming the pizza I had later that day on my upset stomach the next morning, but I wonder if the chicken salad was the culprit.<br />
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Anyway, once I'd choked down the sandwich I headed to the Westin for the goth music/goth scene panel I always attend. This year it was called "Goth A.D. 2018." There's a Starbucks in the Westin and I decided to get a vanilla <b>bean</b> frappuccino as a special treat after my disgusting lunch. Only I ordered the wrong thing. I ordered a venti vanilla frappuccino, and ended up with a gigantic coffee and caramel thing that cost me $6 and tasted nasty. I don't like coffee much. I drank it anyway, or half of it. My food choices on Saturday were not good ones.<br />
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The goth panel was awesome, as always. Immediately after that I headed to the Marriott to another American Sci-Fi Classics panel, the roll-a-panel for 1978 and 1998 movies and TV shows. Kevin was on that one too (<i>everyone</i> is on the roll-a-panel panels). I don't think I'd seen any of the shows it covered, but it was funny and that's all I care about.<br />
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After that I went back to the hotel long enough to take my contacts out, although I regretted taking the hour off when I checked the DragonCon schedule and realized I was missing like three panels I'd have liked to attend. But I was back at the Marriott in time for a Star Wars panel speculating about Episode IX. It was really interesting! If I have a fandom at all, it's Star Wars, although I'm only interested in the movies, not the extended universe stuff.<br />
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If you want to listen to the panel, the <a href="https://skytalkers.com/2018/09/05/live-from-dragon-con-2018-episode-ix-speculation-panel/">Skytalkers podcast</a> recorded it and it's available for download.<br />
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After being so thirsty the night before, I had come prepared Saturday night. I had one of those good water bottles that actually keeps things cold, and not only had I been pounding water all day, after the Star Wars panel I found a place selling beer singles that also took cards. The choice wasn't good, so I ended up with a Heinekin. I got a slice of shitty con pizza to go with it and tried to figure out how to transfer the beer to my water bottle without spilling it all over myself or dropping my pizza.<br />
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I decided to attend whatever panel was going on in the American Sci-Fi Classics room. As it happens, it was a panel about V, which I do remember watching--at least the first episodes--but have no clear memory of the show itself. But the panel was lively, the audience engaged, I laughed a lot, and I was able to complete the transfer of beer from (tall) can to water bottle. It just fit, too.<br />
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I'd texted Kevin earlier to see if he was going to see the Doubleclicks that evening, and he said sure, if I was going. After the V panel I had an hour or so to kill, so I wandered around for a while, sipping my shitty beer and getting pleasantly tipsy because I cannot hold my liquor, and ended up at the Hyatt concourse where bands play all day and night. I watched part of <a href="http://iscintilla.com/">I:Scintilla</a>'s set before I left to get in line for the Doubleclicks.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2vh7cjVHnIC-UIk5muQwoZ3jF2g47lXE1CI_pVK6BA4cMhRqXLCq6h8DDmOmbmA1a072qUIyZmvIw1OjTmzZunD29Lv0koxc-pWH5tKQ0DYS506FUCSRhBeZ8YtEPhXFNDaIhNSDElQ2l/s1600/Marriott.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="562" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2vh7cjVHnIC-UIk5muQwoZ3jF2g47lXE1CI_pVK6BA4cMhRqXLCq6h8DDmOmbmA1a072qUIyZmvIw1OjTmzZunD29Lv0koxc-pWH5tKQ0DYS506FUCSRhBeZ8YtEPhXFNDaIhNSDElQ2l/s320/Marriott.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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A guy in the Marriott dressed as the Marriott</div>
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It was a while before Kevin was able to join me, but I had fun talking to a couple of people in line near me. One couple was from Knoxville too and asked me where I'd had my tattoos done. I couldn't remember, because I was drunk. (It's <a href="http://www.vividbodyart.com/">Vivid Tattoo</a>, incidentally.) Another woman in line had a teeny tiny rubber duckie that someone had given her. I wanted one of the teeny rubber duckies SO BAD, but I never got one.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLrai_WfYBrHca2NbROpXYSfzv0F3AyQOO1Bbcz55h0_9liSK732RTILGby3O1-34C5qDwLxqsgtt16RikRmvFt0b2JTqvxvMRVgi_XNH50o_MteofA8L48Muah3fDXKVHafY6470l3KBA/s1600/Kevin+and+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLrai_WfYBrHca2NbROpXYSfzv0F3AyQOO1Bbcz55h0_9liSK732RTILGby3O1-34C5qDwLxqsgtt16RikRmvFt0b2JTqvxvMRVgi_XNH50o_MteofA8L48Muah3fDXKVHafY6470l3KBA/s320/Kevin+and+me.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Above: Kevin and me. I am not entirely sober. Photo taken by the girl with the tiny duckie</div>
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Kevin finally joined me, which gave us time to actually talk and catch up until the line started moving. The Doubleclicks were playing in one of the big ballrooms this year, which hold thousands of people. They had a full light show and everything, and they were clearly delighted. They were both wearing shiny outfits that they said were new just for the show. They played a great set, including a cover of "In the Middle" that as you recall made me cry last time I heard them play it at DragonCon. But I'm in a much better place now than then, and I didn't cry.<br />
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I might have teared up a little bit.<br />
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It was a great show, not too crowded, relaxed and fun. Kevin and I were literally right up against the stage. I wanted to tell Aubrey I loved her earrings, because we were actually close enough that I'd hardly have to raise my voice, but I didn't. But I did totally love her earrings.<br />
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I headed back to the hotel after the concert, and got about five hours of sleep. I'd wanted to attend one of the new diversity track panels at 8:30, but I overslept and didn't get to the convention until after it had started, and then I decided to get breakfast first. So my first panel of day three was part of the Silk Road track, a presentation called Bento 101.<br />
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READERS, IT CHANGED MY LIFE<br />
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Seriously, I've been bringing my lunch ever since in a cheap $3 bento box, and I'm eating so much more healthily and enjoying it so much! I'd been eating out way too often because I was sick of sandwiches and chips, but now I throw some rice in the cooker when I get home from work (with chicken broth instead of water, and some baby carrots), and pack it in my bento box the next morning along with veggies and fruit. I've also ordered a bunch of cute and useful things to make my bento fancier--rice presses and a hardboiled egg mold shaped like a skull, and food picks and little food cups. But I don't actually need any of it to eat well.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZaCCXV5w-XugH5A37sFf4hgzKWP5U_CjCgnw7rcAOt-fJX3NuoVMxYQldW_jUalJk8cHCC7EBytDnlDRGSqpdqR-CbZzI5yssw4LjHobdsouibbnQPfbPasHwTu-tNjyCVy6NbLrwy64l/s1600/bento+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="562" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZaCCXV5w-XugH5A37sFf4hgzKWP5U_CjCgnw7rcAOt-fJX3NuoVMxYQldW_jUalJk8cHCC7EBytDnlDRGSqpdqR-CbZzI5yssw4LjHobdsouibbnQPfbPasHwTu-tNjyCVy6NbLrwy64l/s200/bento+2.jpg" width="149" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOTeuEYuD1r-SXU6qW6kJHovDVLnyLvEXLWzUnFPMkUxJPuxMtI3CLcAiHvjhPcswFhOa0pX5EMxWqgxNtI-LIhU7rOkl31GKp1HCHLiOc4hdgBg8JatjElOvx6ktipRCXFUpqzbX_yCa6/s1600/bento.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="750" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOTeuEYuD1r-SXU6qW6kJHovDVLnyLvEXLWzUnFPMkUxJPuxMtI3CLcAiHvjhPcswFhOa0pX5EMxWqgxNtI-LIhU7rOkl31GKp1HCHLiOc4hdgBg8JatjElOvx6ktipRCXFUpqzbX_yCa6/s200/bento.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLK0BZ0Hx5ke5ztfGWlbaSBWGJF2bLZq_4WiWbckmpuFTTA036HILUPdV2-_mVYxoz8nZmrdDkXMVudakoFlOeuHnYlz-xsllneg_6pVFgMknM_xAOSlASpcmM-SFt_IidLcYjZnYd9TR2/s1600/egg+sheet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="562" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLK0BZ0Hx5ke5ztfGWlbaSBWGJF2bLZq_4WiWbckmpuFTTA036HILUPdV2-_mVYxoz8nZmrdDkXMVudakoFlOeuHnYlz-xsllneg_6pVFgMknM_xAOSlASpcmM-SFt_IidLcYjZnYd9TR2/s200/egg+sheet.jpg" width="149" /></a></div>
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Anyway, okay, back to DragonCon. (Hey, you know what else goes well in bento? Microwave a sweet potato for about 8 minutes, then when it's cool, cut it up and pack it in your bento box. So good.) After the bento presentation I went to the skeptics track room. I used to spend a lot more time there, but in the last few years it seems like they've been doing less fun stuff and more naval-gazing. This was a panel about Skeptoid, a podcast I used to listen regularly, and I thought it would be fun to see what was going on. It turned out to be about listener feedback, not only recorded live for a future episode, but they wanted volunteers to read listener letters. And I volunteered.<br />
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I went second, so didn't have much time to prepare--plus my letter was long and barely more than gibberish--so I don't think I did a very good job reading it. But I had fun. After that I had an hour free before the next panel I wanted to attend, so I went to a Subway and got a boring but filling lunch. I took it back to the Hyatt to see what band was playing.<br />
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It turned out to be <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LandLochd/">Landloch'd</a>, and they were fantastic! I'd only planned to stay a few minutes, but I couldn't tear myself away. When their set was over I bought two CDs and wish now that I'd gotten one of them signed, but I was in a hurry to get to my next panel and didn't think of it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMt1TVa09ROug_jzQ5hpTV6RVlZjYhxZwv8qSZp3JVcWp6G5CQM_SpD7IRREp8TThMWeJ71mvYj_TSQkz2t5PlzYPuFkmz72iocOhp9f9ycgE3uYHqZs1ynq0DGjUEtFK28ycabMnPkaEu/s1600/Landlochd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="750" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMt1TVa09ROug_jzQ5hpTV6RVlZjYhxZwv8qSZp3JVcWp6G5CQM_SpD7IRREp8TThMWeJ71mvYj_TSQkz2t5PlzYPuFkmz72iocOhp9f9ycgE3uYHqZs1ynq0DGjUEtFK28ycabMnPkaEu/s320/Landlochd.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Above: Landloch'd</div>
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The next panel was "Workshop - Kickstarting Your Album." I don't have an album but I do write YA about musicians, so I figured it would be useful. Laser of the Doubleclicks was on the panel along with all four members of the <a href="https://misbehavinmaidens.com/">Misbehavin' Maidens</a>. I took notes, and I was writing so fast it felt like I was back in college taking notes for a final. There was just so much good information! Laser said they're writing a book about the topic too, so if you're interested, keep an eye out for that.<br />
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And after that...it was time for my own panel. I bolted from the Hyatt and made it to the Hilton in eight minutes flat--seven if you count the extra minute I spent trying to find a bathroom that didn't have a line out the door. I gave up finally and went to the panel room. Kevin was already there as my cheering section, and he introduced me to the moderator, Mike Faber of the <a href="https://esopodcast.com/">ESO Network</a>. Kevin's podcast is part of the ESO Network, and anyway we've already established that Kevin knows everyone. Kevin also knows Jay and Steve Novella of the <a href="https://www.theskepticsguide.org/">Skeptics Guide to the Universe</a>, who were also on the panel, along with two women I didn't get a chance to talk to. Their names were Tiffany of the <a href="http://northbynorthquest.com/">North by North Quest</a> gaming podcast and Lauren, whose podcast name I didn't catch. I feel bad about that--it's a true crime podcast, that's all I know.<br />
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The room filled up quickly. At one minute until four, I got a text from my aunt asking if I wanted to come over for dinner. I texted back to remind her that I was in Atlanta and my panel was starting in one minute. She wrote back wishing me good luck, and then it was time to start.<br />
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Public speaking doesn't bother me and I knew there was nothing I'd be asked on the panel that I couldn't answer comfortably--I mean, it's not like it was an oral exam or something--but I was still a bit nervous. When I poured myself a glass of water and raised it to drink, I realized my hand was shaking.<br />
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But the panel went well. Mike did a good job keeping things moving but relaxed, the audience asked intelligent questions, and I don't <i>think</i> I said or did anything too boneheaded. I made everyone laugh a couple of times.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTW17oPxkuhDdANszt1zTv5USzRK1MB_mWp7CWVAj4efk6ArRao4Gb78S9_iYM364eJqtzH1Zujoxgr6o-l3rALOyJlbJhFzM5tkc9AF_Tb6MPtCrQ5FQioioOd-nmzVDzF2Q40-wUb_oh/s1600/panellarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1600" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTW17oPxkuhDdANszt1zTv5USzRK1MB_mWp7CWVAj4efk6ArRao4Gb78S9_iYM364eJqtzH1Zujoxgr6o-l3rALOyJlbJhFzM5tkc9AF_Tb6MPtCrQ5FQioioOd-nmzVDzF2Q40-wUb_oh/s320/panellarge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Above from L to R: Jay Novella, Lauren, Tiffany, Mike Faber, me (Kate Shaw), and Steve Novella. Kevin took this photo, which is why it's so much better than the others.</div>
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The hour flew by. Then it was over and I had survived. I thanked Mike, talked to Kevin for a few minutes, and wrote my name and podcast on the banner behind the table. Then I headed for the next panel.<br />
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This one was about the Victorian Music Scene, part of the alternate history track. I enjoyed it, although I was also distracted by all the texts and tweets I'd received wishing me well and asking how the panel had gone. Also, Molly and I were meeting to eat after the panel and I was STARVING now that I wasn't nervous.<br />
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We decided to go to a Mexican place called the Bone Garden, which sounded amazing! I took MARTA to the Arts Center stop and met Molly, and from there we drove to the restaurant. But it took me a while to get to the MARTA station, plus the train was late, and it was Sunday evening. By the time we reached the restaurant, it had already closed.<br />
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We went to another Mexican place not too far away. It took a while to get seated, but it was really good and worth the wait. I told Molly ALL ABOUT BENTO while we waited. Then we ordered margaritas and I got tipsy, of course. Apparently most people don't get tipsy from one drink? I don't know, seems weird.<br />
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It was late when Molly dropped me back off at the convention, because in addition to taking a long time to get a table, after we ate we wanted to get ice cream but the only place open literally had a line out the door and down the sidewalk. We ended up at a gas station where we bought Klondike bars.<br />
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I wandered around for a while, looking at costumes, and ended up in the Hyatt Concourse again to see who was playing. It was <a href="http://www.crystalbrightandsilverhands.com/">Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands</a>, not really my favorite kind of music but I stayed because the drummer was amazing! I have to write up two concerts for my drum class this semester, so I'm definitely including this one.<br />
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Above: that blur is the drummer for Crystal Bright</div>
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I really wanted to stay up and go to the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mayhayleysgrave/">Mayhayley's Grave</a> concert at midnight. I'd seen them play in the concourse briefly--long enough to know they'd put on a great show--but I just couldn't stay awake. I left around 11:30, walked back to my hotel, and fell into bed.<br />
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When I woke, it was Monday morning, last day of DragonCon. I packed the car up, then walked to the Hilton and got breakfast at the little overpriced cafe. Then I took my caffeinated blood to the blood drive and donated. It was still early so I didn't have to wait at all. The nurse said I filled my blood bag in only eight minutes, which as you'll recall is the same amount of time it takes to walk from the Hyatt to the Hilton on Sunday afternoon during DragonCon.<br />
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There were only two panels I wanted to attend that morning, but I had to check out of my hotel first. I assumed I'd need to move my car after I checked out, but I asked if it was possible to leave my car in the parking lot for a few more hours before I left Atlanta. The lady at the desk said sure, which just made my day and saved me $20 too.<br />
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I attended my last podcasting track panel, Writing for Audio Dramas, which was interesting. Then I went back to the American Sci-Fi Classics track for one last panel, Classic Sci-Fi Court. They did this last year too and it was incredibly funny, so I was glad to see it again with different movies. Kevin was on the panel this year too. It was really funny, a great ending to my DragonCon.<br />
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Above: Judge Joe Crow presiding</div>
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Before I left, Kevin and I took a quick turn through the walk of fame to see who was still there. We saw some of the people from Sesame Street and Lou Ferrigno of The Incredible Hulk TV show, and some other folks. Then Kevin and I hugged and said goodbye, and I left DragonCon until next year.<br />
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I gave my dollar to a homeless man, if you were wondering.<br />
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I've already bought my membership to DragonCon 2019. See you next year!K.C. Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12467201304235217944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034944370161032319.post-17372755755767917792017-09-05T15:20:00.000-04:002017-09-05T15:20:45.719-04:00Yoho it's DRAGONCON TIME!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Usual warning: This will be long. And probably pretty
boring, although it's not like I'm forcing you to read it at gunpoint.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This year I was able to take Thursday and Friday off, and left
for Atlanta on Wednesday after work. I got to my hotel in Smyrna around 7:30pm.
I didn't try to go into Atlanta that night, just relaxed and walked to Target
to buy snacks and an umbrella. I ended up with crackers, cheese slices, and a
pair of gray socks with black bats on them. I forgot the umbrella, which was a
shame as you will soon see.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I was too excited about DragonCon to sleep well, and when my
alarm woke me at 6:30 on Thursday morning, I already felt like I was three days
into con weekend and feeling ragged. But I perked up quickly when I remembered
I was up early to go birdwatching with my friend Kevin!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Kevin is cohost of the fun podcast <a href="http://flopcast.net/">The Flopcast</a>, which I highly recommend. We've known each other
probably close to 25 years at this point but the only time we see each other is
at DragonCon. Last year Kevin mentioned being kind of interested in birds, so I invited him to go birding
with me before DragonCon started this year. I drove into Atlanta
to pick him up, and while I was waiting for him to come down, I stopped by
registration to see when it would open. To my surprise, it was already up and
running, and it only took a few minutes to get my badge!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Kevin and I grabbed a quick breakfast at the coffee shop in
the Sheraton, then jumped in my car and headed to the Chattahoochee River. It's
not far from where I was staying--in fact, two years ago I tried to find it to
do some birding but the directions I had just sent me into a subdivision. This
year I had better directions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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By then, of course, it was pouring rain. Kevin had brought
an umbrella but I didn't have one, remember. We sat in the car for a few
minutes until the rain slacked up a little, then jumped out to see some birds!<o:p></o:p></div>
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It didn't go so well. We saw some Canada geese right off,
which made me hopeful that we might also see some cormorants or grebes or maybe
some ducks at least, but nope, just Canada geese. Then nothing for a long time
while the rain increased and the only pair of shoes I'd brought to Atlanta got
wetter and wetter. The light wasn't good so the few small birds I spotted were
just silhouettes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We kept going, and then, miraculously, we spotted an osprey!
It flapped wetly across the river and landed in the top of a tree. While Kevin
watched it through my spare binoculars, I tried to ID the swallows skimming
over the river's surface. When one landed in a dead tree not twenty feet away,
I saw it was a Northern rough-winged swallow. I was so pleased that I'm afraid
I pestered Kevin to stop looking at the majestic bird of prey and instead feast
his eyes on the tiny bird sitting on a twig and looking not unlike every other
swallow species in the world except to the trained eye.<o:p></o:p></div>
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At that point it started thundering, the rain increased to a
deluge, and we decided we'd better turn back. I was so wet by then that there
was no point in trying to keep partially under Kevin's umbrella, so I just
walked and got wetter and wetter. Luckily I keep a towel in my car, and in fact
discovered, when we got back to the parking lot, that I had a second towel in
the back too for Kevin to use. Also luckily, my hotel was really closeby,
because I needed to change.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Kevin waited in the car while I ran up and changed into dry
clothes--all but my shoes, which were sodden. I threw my wet clothes into the
tub to dry. Then we drove back into Atlanta for DragonCon!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Official programming didn't start until Friday, but there
were some things going on Thursday afternoon. Kevin left to help run the newbie
walking tours, and I got some lunch, belatedly bought an umbrella at CVS, and
wandered around looking at costumes. As the afternoon progressed the hotels got
more and more crowded--nothing like the weekend, of course, but lots of people
nevertheless. I tried to find a pair of flip-flops to buy, but the only ones I
could find were hideous, cheaply made, and $10. I refused to spend that much on
ugly flip-flops so I just walked around in wet and stinky shoes. Eventually
they dried out, although they smell like a zombie died in them. I need new
running shoes anyway.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I didn't realize immediately that I was doing my own walking
tour of the convention area until I was nearly to the AmericasMart 2 building
even though I knew the dealer's hall wouldn't open until the next morning. I
never go to the dealer's hall anyway. What I was doing, subconsciously, was
getting myself oriented. It worked, too. I only got turned around once the
whole weekend, and that was early on Sunday morning when I was running on only
a few hours of sleep and hadn't had coffee yet. But I'm getting ahead of
myself.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Later that evening I met Kevin, his wife Felicity, his
sister Christine, and two friends of theirs for dinner at a Mexican restaurant,
where I ordered goat. It was good, and I was able to mark it off my bucket list
as a food I wanted to try.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It was fairly late when we left the restaurant, and after
some more walking around I decided reluctantly that I was too tired to stay up
for the Ego Likeness show at 10:30pm. I went back to the hotel room instead and
got less sleep than I needed but more sleep than the night before.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I've written over 1,000 words and DragonCon hasn't even
officially started!<o:p></o:p></div>
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I woke on Friday headachey and tired. I should mention that
I'm still getting over the con crud I picked up at WorldCon in Finland a few
weeks before. It was a mild cold, but it settled in my chest and chest colds
are so hard to get rid of. I skipped the 8:30am panel I'd been thinking of
attending and got breakfast instead, coffee and an egg mcmuffin type thing at
Dunkin Donuts. And a cruller.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The first panel I attended was "Dollars & Sense: The
Business of YA," which was interesting and made me feel I was using my
DragonCon time wisely. After that I rushed to get to the "How to Fight Like a
Woman" panel/swordfighting demonstration. Every year I try to get to a
swordfighting demonstration and every year the room fills up before I can reach
it, but this year I made it in! It. Was. AWESOME! If I was half my age and didn't
already have 500 hobbies, I'd want to take it up.</div>
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After that I attended a panel about the pop culture of 1987,
which was a lot of fun, then a Skeptics Track panel called "Weird Mysteries:
Applying Science to the Paranormal." That turned out to be a presentation by
Ben Radford, whose presentations I've enjoyed at DragonCon before. This one was
good too.<o:p></o:p></div>
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By the time it was over, it was 3:30 pm. I'd grabbed a piece
of pizza earlier (Papa John’s, made in a big truck behind the Marriott and
carried to various kiosks throughout the con; still $6 a slice!), but I was
hungry again so got a bottle of that Naked drink that's orange and made partly
of carrots. I love that stuff. Then I found a bathroom that was reasonably uncrowded and put my
contacts in, brushed my hair, and basically made myself presentable, because
after that I went to the "Goth: Heart of Darkness" panel. In past years this
has been called something like "State of the Goth Music Scene" or some such. It
had a slightly different focus this year, but it was still goth musicians,
including <a href="http://www.voltaire.net/">Aurelio Voltaire</a>, Rogue of the <a href="http://www.thecruxshadows.com/">Cruxshadows</a>, and members of a few
other bands, and moderated by DJ Ichabod of the <a href="https://www.mixcloud.com/OutovtheCoffin/">Out ov the Coffin podcast</a>, whose voice I love. I honestly don't
care who's on the panel or the precise topics they cover, it's just great to
listen to people discuss music I enjoy.</div>
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After that I went to an 80s cartoon singalong, where they
played the opening credits to a ton of cartoons, many of which I'd never even
heard of--but they did have Star Blazers, which made me happy. The presenter
commented on a lot of them and she was <i>really</i>
funny--I think her name was Renee, but I'm bad with names so I could be wrong.
I think she said she was a co-director of the animation track.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It was 8pm by then. At 9pm <a href="https://www.glankglankglank.com/">GLANK!</a> was playing. I wasn't sure
I wanted to go, but I thought it would be interesting and I might be able to
use it for a paper for my drum class this semester.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Well, I'm now a GLANK! fan. They're a percussion group
something like Stomp or Blue Man Group. Members are anonymous, dressed in
cleanroom suits, and play a mixture of traditional and found percussion
instruments. They also have a couple of other instruments--I saw an upright
bass and a guitar, but it's all subtle and mostly just all about the hitting
things with sticks. The crowd wasn't as big as I'd expected and not really hot at first.
I was having a blast the whole time, but things really heated up when they
started audience participation. They passed out shakers to those of us in the
front of the dance floor, and later did some fun and somewhat complicated
clapping (that kept people from clapping on 1 and 3--seriously, people, don't
clap on 1 and 3. Just don't. Please.).<o:p></o:p></div>
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They had a short intermission partway through their set
where members of the group came down to take selfies with audience members. I
don't usually participate in that kind of thing because I hate taking selfies,
but one member joined me and I didn't want to be a jerk so I got a picture of
us. And I was having a lot of fun, so it's actually great to have a picture of
me and a member of the band even though I look like I'm possessed by demons.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The show finished at eleven. I was thirsty and sweaty from
dancing and hungry again, so I grabbed another piece of pizza and a beer. I
needed a beer because I was going to see THE STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now obviously they didn't <i>really</i> lock the doors and make people pay to get out. But that was
the vibe. DragonCon matched donations up to $100,000 this year for the Georgia
Special Olympics, and tracks were also collecting money for Hurricane Harvey
relief. So there was a panel member sitting outside the room with a donation
bucket, and as people left they could donate if they liked, and they got a card and/or a button.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I lasted 45 minutes. I've seen the holiday special before
and didn't feel the need to see the whole thing again. Besides, beer makes me
sleepy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJVZRH46YeJLIio497BQ6GCy0a4RzBACesgLE5-WZOL-K9O4pDeANZC2FyUkk2f5vZ1ov523kSFGkfWcSagNDcjW4i2s0Q4CE-Pyb92ZBV55POCuTE7MboekWa4clN5-FJzg0ToaHv1Ff/s1600/IMG_20170904_200527412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJVZRH46YeJLIio497BQ6GCy0a4RzBACesgLE5-WZOL-K9O4pDeANZC2FyUkk2f5vZ1ov523kSFGkfWcSagNDcjW4i2s0Q4CE-Pyb92ZBV55POCuTE7MboekWa4clN5-FJzg0ToaHv1Ff/s320/IMG_20170904_200527412.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Next day was Saturday, and I set my alarm for 6:30 am again
to make sure I was at the convention well before the parade traffic. I started
the day at an 8:30 am panel, "Classic Sci-Fi Court," where panelists make a
case that a particular bad movie is not as bad as it's said to be. Kevin was on
that panel and defended Howard the Duck, a terrible, terrible movie. The panel
was a lot of fun and a good way to start the day. Immediately after that one
was a roll-a-panel in the same room. Kevin was on the panel of that one too--he
was on eleven panels in all, in fact. The roll-a-panel has a big 20-sided die and every face is a
different movie released in a specific year, in this case either 1982 or 1992.
Someone from the audience rolls the die, and panelists have two minutes to
discuss the movie. It's really fun.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_9R98iSua42FHd1svF2Nh3BNmqUuWVaNGTuKpf-80f7ONQ36nRH9SyVzFVrRb1oNLFBBkGWCpWBhsagetwADk_nURG7Q4T-0zCm0hpIg6VhGEWUXtBqnjBykWQ4H8wrfdRb4Vwufysez/s1600/IMG_20170902_091221556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_9R98iSua42FHd1svF2Nh3BNmqUuWVaNGTuKpf-80f7ONQ36nRH9SyVzFVrRb1oNLFBBkGWCpWBhsagetwADk_nURG7Q4T-0zCm0hpIg6VhGEWUXtBqnjBykWQ4H8wrfdRb4Vwufysez/s320/IMG_20170902_091221556.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Above: the Classic Sci-Fi Court, with Kevin (standing in the green shirt) begging us to not be too harsh on Howard the Duck</div>
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<br /></div>
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After that I went to the Bill Corbett Show, a panel where
Bill Corbett has some hilarious guests and basically just makes everyone laugh
until they're sick. His guests were Cecil Baldwin of Welcome to Night Vale,
comedian Joseph Scrimshaw, and voice actor and comedian Hal Lublin. It was
incredibly good, and sweet too. That was something I noticed over and over this
whole weekend, in fact: various panelists and presenters mentioning either
obliquely or outright that we're going through a hard time right now in our
country and the world, and it's okay to seek
comfort in the things we love.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There were other panels I wanted to attend after that, but I
was starving. I wandered around trying to figure out what I could eat
besides pizza, and ran into Kevin. We ended up getting pizza together after
all, but as Kevin pointed out, even bad pizza is pretty good. After he left for
his next panel, I got a vanilla frappuccino at Starbucks (the only drink at
Starbucks worth having) and wandered around for a while, looking at costumes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO1TIbdGuvy7kttFSzSPLueekj4fCzD7SoBtPbKRcddKth01PQt6ZAKe4S1g7MpF4CuPWD5Qqe4xVzrt0O-p_ATkmin0TmGRGiuBxyNXJ-5pfGzTo0zFaY7u3TMzpUAgFUpvHaiXlofJM7/s1600/IMG_20170902_124508018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO1TIbdGuvy7kttFSzSPLueekj4fCzD7SoBtPbKRcddKth01PQt6ZAKe4S1g7MpF4CuPWD5Qqe4xVzrt0O-p_ATkmin0TmGRGiuBxyNXJ-5pfGzTo0zFaY7u3TMzpUAgFUpvHaiXlofJM7/s320/IMG_20170902_124508018.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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Then I remembered I really wanted to get a GLANK! shirt, so
I went to the Marriott where all the bands have their merch tables. Sometimes
it can be hard to catch someone at a particular table, since band members want
to go around and have fun too, not just sit at their table all day, plus of
course they usually have multiple performances. But I was lucky and a woman
with her sparkly hair in two ponytails was at the table. And the first thing
she said was, "Hey, you were at our show last night! I danced with you!" It
turns out she was the performer who'd approached me at intermission for a
selfie, and she was really awesome! We talked for a few minutes and I told her
how much I'd enjoyed the show and that I'd been telling everyone about it. She
asked if I was coming to their next performance that evening and I said I'd
try. I bought a shirt (I’m wearing it now, in fact) and she gave me a sticker
and a pin.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After that I went to the Animation track again for the
Schoolhouse Rock singalong. Basically they just put the DVD of Schoolhouse Rock
shorts on shuffle and everyone sang along. When "I’m Just a Bill" started, a
cosplayer dressed in a Bill costume showed up and joined us, dancing along with
the song. It was epic. And it's eerie how I know so many of those shorts
word-perfect.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOg_PZx3Bc9Pw-ZOCN7A5A4W7IRoGFW8D8T42NTlpD71JGhyTmP0WPzJo0SFZgRTJBrTZxEfuXSmfVDQbt-5tF37z-nfHXPEmdEhDmD0zUySAV5guu1VaSqKx9hSKJB6wQGNCh-9PD53cK/s1600/IMG_20170902_163730427_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOg_PZx3Bc9Pw-ZOCN7A5A4W7IRoGFW8D8T42NTlpD71JGhyTmP0WPzJo0SFZgRTJBrTZxEfuXSmfVDQbt-5tF37z-nfHXPEmdEhDmD0zUySAV5guu1VaSqKx9hSKJB6wQGNCh-9PD53cK/s320/IMG_20170902_163730427_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I got more pizza and did more wandering around. I wish now I'd
gone to see The Pyrate Queen play at seven, but I missed my opportunity. I
joined Kevin and Felicity in line for the big Gonzaroo Comedy and Music show at
eight. We were in line quite a while and talked with the people around us,
which was fun. I shared out some of my fun-sized Hershey bars and one of the
other guys had some Hot Tamales cinnamon candy he shared too. We were close to the front of the
line and got really good seats, and I forgot to take any pictures.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhePgyjlOrOHriGRoePwg96Bwz7l3X7heJtbuZURMI6qLGtiHO5ldLyCC_jRObMhUs_j7Kh54PG14DgXpjpoFTIhRdl3cEdQE9z9lmofNZraIfaSzXdxHnqDm4FwqHCdyzp-hatmPKQz2B/s1600/IMG_20170902_173135225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhePgyjlOrOHriGRoePwg96Bwz7l3X7heJtbuZURMI6qLGtiHO5ldLyCC_jRObMhUs_j7Kh54PG14DgXpjpoFTIhRdl3cEdQE9z9lmofNZraIfaSzXdxHnqDm4FwqHCdyzp-hatmPKQz2B/s320/IMG_20170902_173135225.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
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After Gonzaroo ended, it was ten till eleven and almost time
for the Voltaire concert. I was glad it was at eleven this year instead of
midnight. I skated in right before it started and wormed my way as close to the
stage as I could.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He started his set with the same breakup song from his new
album that he started last year's set with. I hate that song. Fucking. Hate.
It. I even remember thinking that if he kept playing slow sad songs I'd leave
early. But after that he played "Vampire Club" and "Brains" and basically put
on a high-octane, incredibly fun show--probably the best show I've ever seen
out of the six or seven times I've seen him live.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfucVHA2UX_gXm_Gsb65G-rMrM6jdGwhuxr3_ZG_jEra54Uld991rzrK8v2tjmyO7Ui0kqk1vvCKrXgD1xn1jInZMVbLrOVc_GGxvnTZbhfy2TjmCt6SqA0bv1dPATIt0iLuLTv_4fl9z/s1600/IMG_20170902_230427083.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfucVHA2UX_gXm_Gsb65G-rMrM6jdGwhuxr3_ZG_jEra54Uld991rzrK8v2tjmyO7Ui0kqk1vvCKrXgD1xn1jInZMVbLrOVc_GGxvnTZbhfy2TjmCt6SqA0bv1dPATIt0iLuLTv_4fl9z/s320/IMG_20170902_230427083.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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Above: the only picture I took at the show, very blurrrrry</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I didn't stay after that, just headed back to the hotel, but
I had to shave my legs and bring my journal up to date and find my phone that I'd
somehow dropped into my pile of dirty clothes, so it was after two before I
actually got to bed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Oh, and remember those wet clothes in the bathtub from
Thursday morning? They still weren't dry. Not only that, I'd managed (don’t
ask) to drop a sock in the toilet so I had to wash it and its mate, and
they weren't dry yet either. That left me short two pairs of socks, and I'd
only brought three. Fortunately I had the new pair I'd bought at Target.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The towels in my car weren't dry either, and they were
starting to stink of mildew. In fact, Saturday afternoon out of desperation I'd
spread the towels on the roof of my car while it was in the parking garage. I
figured if someone stole them, they weren't exactly my good towels. That helped
a lot--they were mostly dry by the time I'd returned to the car after midnight--but
the car still smelled sour.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I got a decent night's sleep and woke up feeling a
whole lot better than I had for the last two mornings. In fact, I think I
turned a corner that night in my cold (although as I type this I'm coughing my
head off so who knows). I made it to the Sunday morning 10am Reel Crime panel
with Bill Corbett, Frank Conniff, and Trace Beaulieu but only by skipping
coffee. It was worth it, though.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I grabbed Starbucks and raced to the next panel I had on my
schedule, which I thought was going to be about movie musicals. But when I got there, just after it started because for some
reason I got turned around and couldn't find the room, it turned out to be about
musical theater. As I wrote in my journal later, "Opera or GTFO." I don’t care about musical theater. I left and sat down against a wall, grimly
choking down as much of the shitty Starbucks coffee as I could stand, along
with some aspirin for the headache I'd developed while trying to find the right
room.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
While I waited for the caffeine and aspirin to work its
magic, I scrolled through the DragonCon schedule app to see what else was going
on that might interest me. I decided to head to a panel called "DIY Musician:
Touring with The Pyrate Queen," which I thought might be useful when I write
the sequel to my newly completed YA (it's called Kick Drum and it's about a
high school girl who plays drums in a band, and my agent doesn't even have it
yet so don't ask when it'll be published). Well, I wish I hadn't missed the
first half of the panel because it was awesome! There weren't very many people
in the audience so the panel had a low-key conversational tone. Sometimes those
are the best panels of all. That's when I regretted not going to see
<a href="https://thepyratequeen.bandcamp.com/">the Pyrate Queen</a> play the previous evening, because their only other set was at
1pm that afternoon, the same time as the "Famous Unsolved Codes" panel that I
was <i>not</i> going to miss.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I hit the bathroom after the touring panel, and ran into the
same GLANK! musician I'd talked to yesterday. She recognized me and asked
if I'd made it to their 8pm show the night before. I said, "No, I really wanted to but
my friends wanted me to go to the Gonzaroo show instead," and tried hard to
imply that they had dragged me to Gonzaroo against my will. She looked
disappointed but thanked me for my support. I felt like I'd kicked a puppy. I
asked if they had another performance and she said no, but that at 1pm they had a session where they were going
to talk about the instruments they used. I said I'd try to go to that one,
knowing I was lying through my teeth because again, that was when the "Famous
Unsolved Codes" panel was.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I will admit, I considered skipping it to see the GLANK!
instruments up close. I wanted to ask how they got their bass drum sound,
because I hadn't seen anything on the stage that looked like a bass drum. But I
<i>really</i> didn't want to miss Elonka
Dunin's unsolved codes panel! I enjoy her presentations every year.<o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
<br />
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Well. I enjoyed it this year too. But it was the same
presentation that she gave either last year or maybe the year before. I
remembered it and while I don't really regret seeing it again, I should have
been more flexible in my schedule.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh63hylTNrbCPcVJm5FflQs0ZTr6eV-c2u87MG91eRIvZLwbBIHGw64gTb6IACvANzr3OZQ8OcllXcoq7zQasj3cUlhi3-8BZwqPE2sfQgjD4-e7sD8IaJjP0cQRJxPWvFAQ8HYr5HYFxeq/s1600/IMG_20170903_135959990.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh63hylTNrbCPcVJm5FflQs0ZTr6eV-c2u87MG91eRIvZLwbBIHGw64gTb6IACvANzr3OZQ8OcllXcoq7zQasj3cUlhi3-8BZwqPE2sfQgjD4-e7sD8IaJjP0cQRJxPWvFAQ8HYr5HYFxeq/s320/IMG_20170903_135959990.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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By the time it was over, I was starving and frantic for
something that wasn't terrible pizza. I decided to walk down to the
Waffle House past the Sheraton. But evidently everyone else at DragonCon had
the same idea. When I got there, it was packed to the walls. I waited a few
minutes, but the thought of a pile of greasy food just didn't appeal to me
anyway, so I went next door to the nearly empty Subway.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The clerk at Subway seemed really intrigued by DragonCon. He
asked me how long it was going on and kept pausing to watch cosplayers walk by.
I got my food and sat down, appreciating the quietof the almost empty room.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While I was eating, a guy in an amazing costume walked past the windows. I don't
know what it was from, and I didn't get a picture, but it was one of the big
elaborate ones--probably eight feet tall including the wings. I saw him later posing
in the Hilton. A guy stopped him for a picture, and then the cosplayer shuffled
on, slowly because he probably couldn't see very well through the headpiece.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Subway clerk suddenly appeared out of the Employees Only
door near me, phone in hand. He rushed to the main door, but stood there
staring wistfully after the cosplayer, who had passed the restaurant and was
making his way down the sidewalk. The clerk had obviously been dying for a
picture but wasn't fast enough. I told him if he wanted to go catch the guy I'd
be happy to tell anyone who came in for a sub that he'd be back in just a
minute, but he shook his head sadly and went back behind the counter.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I sat there eating the last crumbs out of my chip bag and thinking
sad thoughts about people who have to work on Sundays and feeling bad about
letting the GLANK! lady down too. That's how I knew I was overly stressed. <o:p></o:p>My cousin Molly was out of town this weekend so she wasn't around to whisk me away from the madness of DragonCon for an hour or two, and suddenly I realized how overwhelmed I'd been. Mostly I'm used to DragonCon these days, especially now that I can find my way around without getting lost, but it was good to have a quiet moment to myself for a short time.</div>
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I took my time heading back to the convention, but I was
still back by 4pm. I went to the "Creating Animated Films" panel, which I'd
hoped would give basic techniques about various types of animation styles--that's
what the panel description sounded like--but which turned out to be about how
to become an animator. The answer to that was basically: know lots of people in
the business and be easy to work with. I always wanted to be an animator, but I'll stick with writing, where at least there are official
channels you can go through to break in.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Next I went to a fun panel about murder ballads, both
traditional and contemporary. The panel members were the bands <a href="https://americanmurdersong.com/">American MurderSong</a> and <a href="http://valentinewolfe.com/">Valentine Wolfe</a>, both of which sound awesome and I plan to pick up
some of their music along with the Pyrate Queen's. Then I went to a panel about
joining a podcast network--my own podcast, <a href="http://strangeanimalspodcast.com/">StrangeAnimals Podcast</a>, is getting popular enough that I've been approached
already by one network and turned them down politely, but I did want to hear
what the panelists had to say about the pros and cons of networks vs staying
indie, and so forth. Unfortunately, like the animation panel, the actual panel
didn't really resemble its description, so I left after half an hour and
wandered around for a while. With more pizza.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDp-epy-cyKPg3FLPg6w2QdJoLtdPts2GylYSsI93wZeCZEkZm6XL0AyuL9nVltDdzhbuv6HS5WtRT5BYHA-wfdMny24xxMKiNyPDbQpDuZcwsBD9ZB3CLeYHmf8tr2bNt6q2yRpl3waJF/s1600/IMG_20170903_203130612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDp-epy-cyKPg3FLPg6w2QdJoLtdPts2GylYSsI93wZeCZEkZm6XL0AyuL9nVltDdzhbuv6HS5WtRT5BYHA-wfdMny24xxMKiNyPDbQpDuZcwsBD9ZB3CLeYHmf8tr2bNt6q2yRpl3waJF/s320/IMG_20170903_203130612.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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Eventually I ended up in the Hyatt Concourse, where <a href="http://www.crystalbrightandsilverhands.com/">Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands</a> was playing. The music isn't really my type but
it was good and I stayed for the rest of their set. Then I stuck around for
Bella Morte, who were playing afterwards. I was hoping they'd have a full band
with drums, but they just did an acoustic set. I have seen bands play the
concourse with full drum kits, but not in the last couple of years. I don't
know if that's a new rule (too loud?) or if it's just coincidence. Either way,
I was tired and decided to head back to the hotel instead of sticking around
for American Murder Song's set at midnight. My wet clothes were still wet,
and the socks were smelling pretty rank.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJRsaA8h1K0L9_XY_ngsyYbyKVZyepz3LbGQt9JkLp1CtUHAoKjZpU7W9Pwh9WYtgK3xa3RAGBPytohB8D3i5Sbp2fL40c0lRAJ9OCL0TIg1PJR-Ej__lyGQy6R9vlspKX7VPO3iRIhWh/s1600/IMG_20170903_203852510_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJRsaA8h1K0L9_XY_ngsyYbyKVZyepz3LbGQt9JkLp1CtUHAoKjZpU7W9Pwh9WYtgK3xa3RAGBPytohB8D3i5Sbp2fL40c0lRAJ9OCL0TIg1PJR-Ej__lyGQy6R9vlspKX7VPO3iRIhWh/s320/IMG_20170903_203852510_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Above: one member of Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands, and some random people. There was a post in the way, okay? And mostly I was just interested in how he was playing a hi-hat and electronic bass drum along with that guitar.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
In the past, I’ve never attended any of the Monday
programming at DragonCon. I always just check out of my hotel and head home.
But there were three panels I really wanted to see on Monday morning. Because I'd
left so early on Sunday night, I actually felt remarkably well rested the next
morning. I got to the convention way early, before 7:30am, and got coffee and
pastries at Caribou Coffee, which is one million times better than Starbucks
although that's not hard. I took my breakfast to the Marriott since the 8:30
panel I wanted to attend was there, and found a band merch table that didn't
have any stuff at it. I sat there to eat my breakfast and watch sleepy-looking people wandering by.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The hotel staff were cleaning wearily. Considering that some
82,000 people were anticipated at DragonCon this year, the hotel staff do an
amazing job keeping the con hotels clean. Saturday night in particular is a
flat-out riot, and I barely notice when I step over puddles of vomit or
passed-out partiers late Saturday night. In the mornings, the hotels are
carpeted with a thin layer of glitter, feathers, sequins, and other bits
of costume.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiygMWe2NZ0et_4fAwBwBstM7n7cDtIzRoMx4f_zKgWAubs6jYvW4Nw44gsGWcYgmYS8cm4HNY46iNbHoEhxhsNo1vgBP0O4Oq8zvIxMQb8JncWcOuIDfBBwTSDdtQgIW4QMQ8f43JfwQH2/s1600/IMG_20170904_085752247_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiygMWe2NZ0et_4fAwBwBstM7n7cDtIzRoMx4f_zKgWAubs6jYvW4Nw44gsGWcYgmYS8cm4HNY46iNbHoEhxhsNo1vgBP0O4Oq8zvIxMQb8JncWcOuIDfBBwTSDdtQgIW4QMQ8f43JfwQH2/s320/IMG_20170904_085752247_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Kevin was on the 8:30 am panel, "Superhero-versary: Batgirl,
Spider-Man, Hulk, Thor, & More." It was low-key because everyone was sleepy
(except me), but a lot of fun. After that I rushed to the Hyatt for a "Future
of Fantasy" panel. I was especially eager for this one because I'm starting a
new writing project soon and want to choose something that will sell. It's
always helpful to get an idea of what publishing trends editors and agents are
seeing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Unfortunately, since it was Monday morning, there had been
some shakeups on the panel and only one panelist was actually a part of the
publishing field, an agent. I actually know her name but she probably doesn't want to be connected with this panel so I'll leave her anonymous. The other panelists were the
moderator, an old guy who was a writer although I didn't catch his name and
couldn't even see him because of where I was sitting more or less behind a
post, and another guy who I don't even know who he was--someone connected with
the fantasy lit track in some way, but not a publisher or anything. I guess he
was just there to help make up the numbers? Anyway, the panel started well,
with the agent giving a lot of really solid advice on what is selling right now
and what is not.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Basically, steampunk is out no matter how good it is because
it just doesn't sell so acquisitions won't buy it no matter how hard an editor
fights for it. Urban fantasy is hot again, although I don't know if she meant
actual urban fantasy or paranormal romance. Grimdark epic fantasy is flying high because of Game of Thrones. YA dystopian has morphed into
something closer to modern cautionary tales. Retellings of any kind are easy to sell to acquisitions because they understand what they are.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So that first half of the panel was great. But then...I don't remember how exactly it happened, but the old writer guy suddenly launched a rant about
the NYT book reviews. He had already
shown he was totally out of touch with current trends because he kept talking
about the 80s, when I guess he was still relevant in publishing. Now he started
ranting about how <i>White Dragon</i> had
only made the NYT book reviews list because McCaffrey was a woman and it was
all unfair and he was hard done by whine whine bitch, on and on. I zoned out
for a while and when I tuned it again he was still at it, although he'd
switched to ranting about publishers who gave away or sold at a deep discount
the first book in a series, which he didn’t think would work even though two
seconds before he'd said it had helped George RR Martin.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The moderator didn't say anything. I know it's not always
easy to be a moderator, but a simple, "Let's get back on topic. So and so, what
do you think about such and such?" would have derailed the rant. But no, it
just went on and on. Then the old guy said publishers were no longer putting "Hugo Award Winner" on covers because it didn't help sell books and sometimes
hurt sales, because the Hugo awards were out of touch and no one went to
Worldcon anyway, and that was why "we" started the Dragon Awards. (You know,
the ones where every single winner this year was white and all but one winner
was a man.) To my utter shock, the other guy on the panel <i>agreed</i> with this and said this year's Hugo slate was totally out of
touch.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The only person I could really see on the panel was the
agent, because of the post and other people in my way. It may be my
imagination, but from her expression she wished she was anywhere else besides
in that room. She didn't say anything. The moderator didn't say anything. I
raised my hand because I had <i>a lot</i> to
say, but I was behind the post and I guess no one saw my hand.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I should have left right then. But there were only five
minutes left in the panel. The old guy got one last jab in after someone asked
whether standalone novels were selling. He said, "No," flatly. At this the
agent said that that was not the case in middle grade and young adult, where
standalone novels were selling well, and then thank goodness the time was up.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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If anyone knows who that old guy was on the panel, please
let me know. I'd like to avoid every single project that he's connected with even tangentially in
the future. I wouldn't buy a bottle of water from him if I was dying in the
desert. What a fucking asshole.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Anyway, that enraged me, but fortunately it wasn't my last
panel of DragonCon. I went back to the Marriott for another roll-a-panel, this
one about 1977 and 1997 movies. Kevin was on that panel too. In stark contrast
to the fantasy panel, everyone was happy, inclusive, intelligent, and funny. It
wasn't long before I was back in a great mood even though I'd only seen two of
the 20 movies listed on the die. At the end of the panel they auctioned off the
dice for charity and got $20 for one and $30 for the other, which was awesome.
I threw all my remaining dollars and change into the bucket too.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
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Then I said goodbye to Kevin and left the convention.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p>I didn't use the umbrella I bought once all weekend. </o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The minute I got
home--I mean that literally; it was the very first thing I did after I walked
in--I threw all my clothes in the washer and started laundry. Now my socks
smell nice and I have two fresh clean towels to put in my car for next time I
get rained on. And my shoes are demoted to yardwork shoes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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If you get one message out of this superlong post, it's that you should support GLANK! They are awesome. Oh, and if you’ve
read this far you clearly like something about my writing, so go check out my
new book! Its called <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Skytown-K-C-Shaw/dp/1910462055">Skytown</a><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>and it’s available from Fox Spirit
Books.</div>
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See you next year, DragonCon.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
K.C. Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12467201304235217944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034944370161032319.post-52841124415192289802017-08-30T14:36:00.000-04:002017-08-30T14:36:30.433-04:00DragonCon bound, how to find CheapSleep Helsinki, and Skytown giveaway!I'm heading out for DragonCon, directly from work--only two hours from now! I'm still not fully recovered from WorldCon in Finland but I'll survive a few more days of mayhem.<br />
<br />
Oh, I have a <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/251793-skytown">Goodreads giveaway</a> going for my new book, Skytown! It's open to anyone in the U.S. and Canada.<br />
<br />
One of the things I've wanted to do since my trip to Helsinki was put a note in for future CheapSleep Helsinki guests so they can find the hostel more easily. As of my stay in August 2017, take the #7 tram (not bus--trams are the ones that ride on tracks) from either the downtown train station or the Pasila/Bolle station. The tram will get you to the Hattulantie stop and then you just walk around the nearest corner (cross the road, cross the road again to get catty-corner from where the tram lets you out--there's a sign for a jazz bar and the crossing is one of the ones that make noise). When you're across, turn right and walk about half a block. There are signs. You'll need to press the buzzer and wait for someone to answer. Someone is on staff all day and night so if you don't get an answer, keep trying. Everyone in Helsinki speaks English so don't worry that you won't be understood. Reception is on the fourth floor. There are lifts. Staff are very nice but very overworked, so be patient!K.C. Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12467201304235217944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034944370161032319.post-59710817978929788342017-08-22T08:57:00.001-04:002017-08-22T08:57:04.263-04:00Skytown!My book <a href="http://www.foxspirit.co.uk/release-day-skytown/">Skytown</a> is available now from Fox Spirit Books!<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUtbntj9Cp0AohUwwgSbygDiqw3DaFyzI7sTMd0KqS4mimTQLfTDdZjsn1yLM0RKXGtmmwXSsOqbc3Y0JTpufNwkbGUAm0dU9JlKoN08AOJxUVQ66YBIhyphenhyphenLCXFHcIQvF51YubYl7bR-wqc/s1600/SkytownCoverFinal200pg-768x572.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="768" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUtbntj9Cp0AohUwwgSbygDiqw3DaFyzI7sTMd0KqS4mimTQLfTDdZjsn1yLM0RKXGtmmwXSsOqbc3Y0JTpufNwkbGUAm0dU9JlKoN08AOJxUVQ66YBIhyphenhyphenLCXFHcIQvF51YubYl7bR-wqc/s320/SkytownCoverFinal200pg-768x572.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
It was actually released a day before WorldCon75 in Helsinki, Finland. I was in Finland that whole week and the next, so only now can I really appreciate having a new book out! It looks amazing with that cover by <a href="http://jennyhaines.tumblr.com/">Jenny Haines</a>, and it's available in paperback from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Skytown-K-C-Shaw/dp/1910462055">Amazon</a> (and <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Skytown-K-C-Shaw/dp/1910462055/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1502128978&sr=8-1&keywords=skytown&linkCode=sl1&tag=foxspiboo-21&linkId=eca1cf7962a80c74f699c7c142694ca5">Amazon UK</a>).<br />
<br />
WorldCon and Finland were amazing and I got to meet so many good friends from Twitter! Now I'm doing my best to catch up on my sleep (and shake the con crud) in time for DragonCon in Atlanta a week and a half from now.<br />
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K.C. Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12467201304235217944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034944370161032319.post-17220064283254398222017-07-27T12:29:00.000-04:002017-07-27T12:30:45.776-04:00My new book and a friend's new book!My fun steampunk fantasy adventure novel, <i>Skytown</i>, which stars Jo and Lizzy (from various short stories I've written about them) is releasing on August 8! It's published by <a href="http://www.foxspirit.co.uk/">Fox Spirit Books</a>. I'll be in Finland for Worldcon 75 when it releases, but as soon as I get home I'll update here with a link!<br />
<br />
Here's the cover, made by the awesome <a href="http://jennyhaines.tumblr.com/">Jenny Haines</a>:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha4tg_BGs_4KmSEv7H-NlubdSrvTkoUnYbLcHFf1HgiqpMgQd04dF0JrUS7M9A78GOC_0yaY1dZvjLfnA9TQJ4ePUsoesQYk27ilX2nShDwy6ipdNJQpFrvTrTGCDtu3Y5CyRXBG-CkP4W/s1600/SkytownCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1048" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha4tg_BGs_4KmSEv7H-NlubdSrvTkoUnYbLcHFf1HgiqpMgQd04dF0JrUS7M9A78GOC_0yaY1dZvjLfnA9TQJ4ePUsoesQYk27ilX2nShDwy6ipdNJQpFrvTrTGCDtu3Y5CyRXBG-CkP4W/s320/SkytownCover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
While you're waiting for <i>Skytown</i>'s release, you can buy and read J.B. Rockwell's incredible SF novel, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35495081-hecate"><i>Hecate</i></a>! It's a prequel to her equally amazing <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29006650-serengeti"><i>Serengeti</i></a> and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33157912-dark-and-stars"><i>Dark and Stars</i></a>, all available from Severed Press. And look at that fantastic cover!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiufnrsMvhR3yqXIRHWsWdhk7A0a1d2zqDnjSqvoJXmUpLN2MfbjKjiI3WukeCh15DNRLg_yJ9fLA3xqKkQ5HbK16Pd1db98UwO-YTmyF3RLTe8i7FMjd-homx9btRdZOichXil3_AbcIue/s1600/hecate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="297" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiufnrsMvhR3yqXIRHWsWdhk7A0a1d2zqDnjSqvoJXmUpLN2MfbjKjiI3WukeCh15DNRLg_yJ9fLA3xqKkQ5HbK16Pd1db98UwO-YTmyF3RLTe8i7FMjd-homx9btRdZOichXil3_AbcIue/s320/hecate.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />K.C. Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12467201304235217944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034944370161032319.post-18545851093936793082017-07-19T08:29:00.001-04:002017-07-19T08:29:41.582-04:00Podcast and Schedule!I've pretty much fallen off the wall when it comes to blogs--either reading others', or updating my own. But here's a quick update on what I've been up to.<br />
<br />
In February I started a podcast called <a href="http://strangeanimalspodcast.com/">Strange Animals Podcast</a>, which is a lot of fun and updates weekly. It's available pretty much everywhere, and if you can't find it on your preferred listening app let me know so I can take care of that.<br />
<br />
My schedule for the rest of the summer is going to be extremely busy, in a good way! I'll have the full details up on the podcast site (see link above), but basically I'll be at WorldCon 75 in Helsinki, Finland in August, then at DragonCon in Atlanta as usual over Labor Day weekend! I definitely want to say hi and meet up with you so let me know if you're going to be at either con so we can get together!<br />
<br />
I also have a book coming out very soon from Fox Spirit Books. It's called Skytown and is a full-length Lizzy and Jo story, which means lots of excitement and action, and lots of picnics. I'll post when it's available!K.C. Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12467201304235217944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034944370161032319.post-55581680942926516892017-03-08T16:07:00.000-05:002017-03-08T16:07:50.475-05:00CrowdfundingOccasionally I contribute to a Kickstarter or Indiegogo or something of the sort--not that often because I'm not rich, but often enough that I'm all too familiar with the aftermath.<br />
<br />
Here's how it usually goes. You get excited about a project, look the rewards over, think about how much money you can spend, and contribute. Then you wait. Sometimes the project doesn't get funded and you're secretly relieved that you're not out that $10 or $20 or whatever.<br />
<br />
If the project does get funded, you then get 10,000 emails about it in the next six weeks. Then silence. Then one day, if you're lucky, your thing shows up. You've forgotten about it by then. You wonder why you ever gave money for such a stupid gimcracky thing.<br />
<br />
Actually, I've gotten a lot of awesome stuff from Kickstarters. But not always. Here, I'll break it down.<br />
<br />
If you contribute to...<br />
<br />
An album: It will be 4-6 months late but when it arrives it's been signed in silver gel ink by all the band members. You listen to it a couple of times. One or two of the tracks are really good.<br />
<br />
A podcast: Your stickers will arrive on time and your laptop will no longer look so bare.<br />
<br />
A TV show: The show will be picked up by Netflix. A year after you contributed you'll receive an email with a code to watch a special behind-the-scenes/making-of special, which you will never watch. You will also never watch the actual show because you don't have Netflix. For some reason you feel cheated.<br />
<br />
A movie: Every six months you'll get an email saying the DVDs/Bluerays are shipping. They never ship.<br />
<br />
A tabletop game: It's 6-12 months late but it arrives. You never play it but the artwork is really pretty.<br />
<br />
A computer game: It's 1-2 years late but you finally get the Steam code. You play it once. It's okay.<br />
<br />
A book: It's a year late but it when it arrives it's an attractive addition to your "to be read" shelf, where it will stay forever.<br />
<br />
A practical item: After a flurry of emails about production issues, it arrives 6-8 months late. You wonder why you thought you needed it. You put it in a drawer.<br />
<br />
An art item: After a flurry of emails about the artist's life issues, it arrives 6-8 months late. It's not as pretty as the picture online made it look. You put it on a shelf and forget about it until you need a last-minute birthday present for someone you don't know very well.<br />
<br />
A comic: It's six months late and you read it in five minutes. It's okay.<br />
<br />
A band's tour: The band never comes anywhere near where you live but the t-shirt looks good on you.<br />
<br />
A performance art project: Six people contribute to the project, which is run by a friend of yours. They cancel it before it ends. You commiserate with them but are secretly glad.K.C. Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12467201304235217944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034944370161032319.post-38493894338666511102016-09-05T18:43:00.002-04:002016-09-05T20:32:54.675-04:00DragonCon 2016 (Still Alive)It's Monday afternoon, Labor Day, and I've been home from DragonCon 2016 long enough to do a huge load of laundry, eat a bowl of salad about the same size as the laundry load, and listen to Jonathan Coulton's "Still Alive" 605 times. Here's this year's DragonCon report! As always, it will be long but not, I hope, too boring. If it helps, imagine me typing this up while listening to "Still Alive" on repeat, because I am.<br />
<br />
I wanted to drive to Atlanta on Thursday the way I did last year, but my work schedule prevented it. I decided to leave before dawn on Friday in an attempt to arrive in time to catch a 10am panel about Rifftrax hosted by Bill Corbett. I set my alarm for 5am and went to bed at 10pm on Thursday night. At about 1am I managed to get to sleep. Thank you, brain. Thanks very much.<br />
<br />
So I staggered out of bed at 5am and managed to get out of the house by six. From my house to downtown Atlanta takes almost four hours if traffic isn't bad, so I knew I wouldn't be able to park, check in, and make it to the panel in time. I didn't stress about it, just sang along to the playlist I'd thrown together the night before. The farther south I drove, the cloudier and cooler it became as I drove into the remnants of Hurricane Hermone.<br />
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Traffic was light and I might have gone a tiny bit above the speed limit occasionally. I made it to Atlanta by nine-thirty, parked in the same parking garage I've been using for years, and hurried to the Sheraton to check in. I'd heard from people checking in on Thursday that the line moved fast, but was extremely long--the tail was outside for at least part of the afternoon. But it was still early enough when I arrived that there was almost no line. Within five minutes I had my badge and was galloping toward the Marriott to make the panel. It had already started when I arrived, but I only missed a few minutes.<br />
<br />
It was hilarious and fun, a great start to DragonCon. After that I went downstairs to catch a panel about Star Wars ("Post-Force Awakens Scandals & Cliffhangers"), which was also fun although I see I am in the minority when it comes to Team Rey Kenobi. After that I had some time to kill before a panel at 2:30pm, so I headed for the Hyatt to watch the end of Galaxy Quest.<br />
<br />
At this point I should mention that I'd been carrying around four bananas since I arrived. I'd brought them for snacks and imagined they'd last me the whole weekend, but I misjudged their ripeness and realized I couldn't leave them another day without them becoming inedible even by my standards. They were small bananas and not well-connected at the top (much like me) so I was carrying them on my hand like a waiter with a tray.<br />
<br />
On my way to the Sheraton to check in, I'd heard someone yell, "Banana!" I turned around ready to offer him one, but he was waving a banana at me and grinning. We laughed and yelled banana at each other for a few minutes.<br />
<br />
I was among my people.<br />
<br />
I managed to give one banana away and a few hours later I ate another in desperation, but that left two and they were getting pretty black. They were fine inside but they sure didn't look very good.<br />
<br />
I wanted to attend the goth music panel at 2:30, but I didn't want to attend while carrying two overripe bananas. It just felt weird, you know? But at the same time I couldn't make myself throw out two perfectly good bananas, and I also couldn't make myself eat them. So I texted my friend Kevin to let him know I'd arrived and asked if he wanted a banana.<br />
<br />
He texted me back to say sure, he was a bit hungry and a banana would hit the spot.<br />
<br />
He was in a puppetry panel, so after Galaxy Quest ended I headed over that way and caught him when the panel let out. He was with a friend I didn't know and we were all in a hurry to go to our next panels, but I was able to say hi to Kevin and give him and his friend the last two bananas.<br />
<br />
From Twitter:<br />
<i>I saw Kevin very briefly and made him take the bananas, and he actually thanked me which just goes to show how nice he is.</i><br />
<br />
Finally unencumbered, I hurried to the Westin for "The Goth Panel: Don't Bury Us--We're Not Dead!" This year the guests were Voltaire, Rogue from Cruxshadows, and two members of I:Scintilla. I didn't get a picture--for some reason I didn't get any pictures on Friday until late--and I have regrets. The panel is a bit freeform but basically the guests talk about what new projects they're working on and answer a lot of audience questions. This year the topics meandered from a discussion of Rogue's hair to what it means to be a goth and to the goth scene in general. It was interesting and fun, and I was lucky enough to snag one of the free CDs the moderator (DJ Ichabod--his <a href="http://outovthecoffin.blogspot.com/">Out ov the Coffin podcast</a> is really good) puts together to showcase new goth music.<br />
<br />
After that I had to leave the con long enough to check into my hotel. That meant getting my car out of the parking garage, of course, which was when I discovered the garage prices had gone up and the main exit was card-only. I'd made a special freaking trip to the ATM to make sure I had a lot of parking money, so now I get to make a trip to the bank this week to put the cash back.<br />
<br />
It was four by the time I reached my hotel and checked in. I was starving and considered sitting down to eat somewhere near the hotel instead of getting into rush hour traffic. I decided finally to just head back to the convention since it was going to be hours before traffic thinned and it was only just building. Besides, there was a panel about cryptozoology I wanted to attend at 5:30. I didn't think I'd make it in time but it was worth trying.<br />
<br />
Well, I made it despite the traffic. I have no idea how I kept lucking out this weekend, but I didn't have any trouble navigating my way through the traffic whether it was by car or on foot. I only missed one panel all weekend because it was full.<br />
<br />
The best thing I can say about the cryptozoology panel is that it was nice and dark inside, which was restful for my eyes. They mostly talked about Bigfoot, with a fervor that people generally reserve for religion. After that I went in search of food and ended up in the Marriott--my favorite DragonCon hotel, and yes, I realize that sounds weird--with a piece of overpriced pizza (it's gone up to $6 per slice) and Coke. I found a relatively quiet corner and sat down against the wall to eat and decide what panel to attend next.<br />
<br />
It was Friday evening by then and the convention was in full swing. Something good has changed with the internet coverage in downtown Atlanta, though, because for most of the weekend and in most places I actually had connection. The DragonCon app also worked really well this year. I grabbed a paper schedule just in case but never needed it once. I ate my pizza and watched people walk by in costume and thought I might just take the next hour off and do nothing in particular.<br />
<br />
Then I realized I was right by the rooms used by the American Sci-Fi and Fantasy Media and related American Sci-Fi Classics tracks. Kevin is involved with both and I thought he might even be in the room to see the next panel, "Hero TV Crossovers: Fun? Fantastic? Forced?"<br />
<br />
When I went in, there Kevin was on the panel! I hadn't seen any of the shows they discussed but as always in that track, the panelists are funny and knowledgeable, the moderator good, and I enjoyed listening to them. I got to talk to Kevin for a few minutes afterwards, then left for my next panel.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">That's Kevin in the last chair on the right. Actually, this is a picture of a panel from Saturday.</span></div>
<br />
From Twitter:<br />
<i>Made it to the next panel just in time. The room's now full.</i><br />
<i>It's a panel about Victorian spiritualism, part of the alt history track.</i><br />
<i>No seats so I'm standing in the back and having regrets about this situation.</i> <br />
<br />
After fifteen minutes I decided the panel wasn't engaging me, so I ducked out so someone else could come in (that's usually how it works when a room is full). I ended up in the Hyatt in time for the latter half of Escape the Clouds' concourse performance. I didn't know much about the band except that it was steampunk and I really liked the name. It turned out to be a guy singing songs that reminded me a little of sea shanties.<br />
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From my Twitter:<br />
<i>It's one guy with backing tracks and what sounds like a bass but so tiny.</i><br />
<br />
(I found out the next day that he was playing a baritone ukulele.) <br />
<br />
The last panel I wanted to attend that evening was about Creepypasta. It turned out to be really interesting and enjoyably creepy, appropriately. It ended at eleven, which gave me an hour before the Voltaire concert. Earlier that afternoon in the goth music panel, Voltaire had accidentally said "Matrium" instead of "Marriott Atrium," and not only did I find that funny, it actually made it easy for me to remember where he was playing (and I caught myself calling it the Matrium the rest of the weekend, so apparently this is a thing now. Take note).<br />
<br />
Lines for all the big Marriott performances and panels started outside this year, not inside, which actually worked very well. It left more room for people to move around inside--always a problem, especially on Friday and Saturday evenings--and frankly I'd rather line up outside at night. There's always a lot going on outside.<br />
<br />
From Twitter:<br />
<i>In line for Voltaire. I'm outside but it's a gorgeous night, breezy and cool.</i> <br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Voltaire! Not a very good picture but the only one that wasn't hopelessly blurry</span></div>
<br />
The Voltaire concert was awesome as always. I saw him in Knoxville a few months ago but he'd changed his set around for this performance. It was also fun listening to the people in line around me while we waited to get in--there were some <i>hardcore</i> Voltaire fans discussing his music. I really wanted to stay for The Cog Is Dead afterwards, but I just didn't have the energy. I drove back to my hotel and fell into bed for five hours.<br />
<br />
Bright and early on Saturday morning, mostly so I'd avoid the parade traffic, I arrived for the 8:30am roll-a-panel about 1970s movies. Kevin was on that panel with about a dozen other people. It was hugely fun, and followed by the sequel to last year's Permissible Mullets panel, "Fantastic Mullets of Classic Sci-Fi." Kevin joined me in the audience for that one.<br />
<br />
I ducked out about ten minutes early because my cousin Molly was on her way to pick me up for lunch and I didn't want to miss her. When I went upstairs in the Marriott to go out the side door, a full-sized brass band was playing <i>inside</i> the hotel (which gives you an idea of how huge these hotel lobbies are). People were dancing and I badly wanted to join them, but I also wanted to see Molly so I left the hotel and dodged through traffic to leap into her car while she waited at a red light. Seriously. (It was Molly's idea anyway--she called to let me know she didn't think she could get over into the right lane so I should just run into traffic and meet her. We are related.)<br />
<br />
She whisked me away from the convention madness to the same restaurant we went to a couple of years ago. I still don't remember what it's called, but the food was amazing. Molly suggested I order something big so I'd have leftovers I could eat later, so I ordered half a chicken and then proceeded to eat the whole damn thing. I didn't have leftovers after all but I also wasn't hungry for a long long time.<br />
<br />
It was great to catch up with Molly and decompress a little, although for whatever reason this year I didn't feel as frenetic as I usually do during DragonCon. Maybe I'm getting used to it. It definitely helps that I finally seem to have figured out how to find my way from one place to another without getting lost or turned around. I rarely had to consult my map this year. It only took six DragonCons to learn where everything is.<br />
<br />
Molly dropped me back off at the convention in time for the swordfighting demonstration, but like last year the room filled up way too fast and I didn't get in. I went to the Doubleclicks concourse show instead. I like the Doubleclicks and have their most recent album, but when I listen to their music at home I can only take a few songs before I have to switch to something heavier for a while. <br />
<br />
They put on a fun live show, though. About halfway through their set, they played their cover of Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle." I always liked the original and I like their cover, so I was happy they played it and sang along. Then suddenly I realized I was about to cry. It came out of nowhere. It's been a stressful year for me for various reasons and everything lately has seemed harder than it should be. A sweet little song reassuring me that everything would be okay just hit me hard. I had to leave.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">The Doubleclicks made me cry</span></div>
<br />
I walked around the convention for a while until I felt better, then headed to the Hyatt again for a panel about Hammer horror movies. I'm not a horror movie buff and couldn't tell you if I've ever actually seen a Hammer horror in my life, but the panel was interesting.<br />
<br />
From Twitter:<br />
<i>At a panel about Hammer horror movies. The Saturday DragonCon crowds are building. Internet connection is increasingly shaky.</i><br />
<br />
After that I didn't know what to do with myself so wandered over to the Hilton to the skeptic track for a panel on "Writing, Creativity, and Skepticism." It was a lot more interesting than I'd expected and I was glad I'd gone.<br />
<br />
From Twitter:<br />
<i>I'm glad I wasn't driving this bus.</i><br />
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<br />
After that was the only panel I <i>had</i> to attend that day, an alt history panel called "The Musical Multiverse." I would have gone to see it anyway, but the singer for The Cog Is Dead was on it.<br />
<br />
Boring explanation time: I'm taking drum lessons again (third semester) and part of the class is writing up concerts. I missed The Cog Is Dead's big show Saturday morning at 1:30am but knew I'd catch their concourse show on Sunday, but I thought it would be interesting to include some information about the band from the panel. (And I just realized I should be writing that paper instead of this blog post.)<br />
<br />
Anyway, in addition to John Sprocket of The Cog Is Dead, Unwoman was on the panel, along with a guy from the Positronic Cats, two guys from Wasted Wine, and the moderator was the guy from Escape the Clouds. That's how I knew he plays the baritone ukulele--he mentioned it.<br />
<br />
The panel was interesting. I did notice John Sprocket looked like he wasn't feeling too good, and next day he actually said during their show that he was coming down with con crud, but he was a lot more articulate than I'd have been in his position. I was impressed with all the speakers and immediately put Wasted Wine and Positronic Cats on my schedule to see, but I never did manage to make their shows. I'll have to look up their music online instead.<br />
<br />
It was nearly seven by then and I was finally getting hungry again, so I got a piece of pizza and a Coke and settled down against a wall to eat and people-watch. Incidentally, there are very few places to sit during DragonCon unless you're at a panel. If you want to sit and eat, you find a free bit of wall and make sure to keep your feet tucked in so people coming by don't trip over you.<br />
<br />
Kevin texted me while I was eating and asked if I was going to the Gonzaroo show at eight. I had other stuff on my schedule but I hadn't had much time to talk to Kevin so far and anyway it looked like Gonzaroo was going to be extra good this year, so I said sure. Kevin said he was in line and I could join him as long as I brought him a bottle of water. I did, because that was a good deal and anyway I already owed him for taking that banana off my hands on Friday.<br />
<br />
The Gonzaroo special is a variety comedy show that lasts several hours. This year it was hosted by Trace Beaulieu and Frank Conniff in their MST3K personas! They're extremely funny comedians themselves, and the guest list was amazing. Kevin and I got fantastic seats too. While we were waiting for the show to start, we took selfies together, and a woman came up and asked if she could take our picture. I was a little surprised since we weren't dressed up or anything, but we said sure. She had a big camera and pressed the bar on the side several times. I wondered if she was an official photographer just grabbing pictures of random con-goers, but then a Polaroid photo spat out the front and she handed it to us. So that was utterly cool. Kevin has the picture and said he'd post it in the <a href="http://www.flopcast.net/">Flopcast</a> show notes for his DragonCon wrap-up podcast in a week or two.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Me and Kevin, not a polaroid. The woman behind us is having way too much fun.</span></div>
<br />
The show was excellent, of course. At times I was laughing so hard I could barely breathe. In addition to comedians, there were a lot of musical guests: the Doubleclicks (they didn't make me cry this time), Molly Lewis, Paul and Storm, and Jonathan Coulton.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Molly Lewis accompanied by Paul and Storm and comedian Joseph Scrimshaw</span></div>
<br />
Jonathan Coulton played "Still Alive," among other songs. I've never played Halo but I know all about it from friends who do. The song is seriously catchy.<br />
<br />
After Gonzaroo Kevin and I met his wife Felicity and we went to the Here Come the Mummies concert! The Mummies played for a high-octane superfunky ninety minutes, including an encore--DragonCon doesn't <i>do</i> encores so they must have cleared it ahead of time. Their show started at midnight, and by the time I got back to the hotel at past two, my fitbit thingy said I had nine thousand steps for the day. Those were dance steps.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Here Come the Mummies!</span></div>
<br />
I slept a little over four hours, then raced back to the con in time for the 8:30 am roll-a-panel (companion to Saturday's roll-a-panel), only to discover that the panel actually started at 10am. There wasn't much else going on so early and I hadn't had breakfast yet, so I walked a few blocks and found a Waffle House.<br />
<br />
I had eggs, ham, grits, toast, and as much of a waffle drenched with syrup as I could stuff down, plus coffee and ice water. I think it may have been the first time I ever actually ate at Waffle House for breakfast.<br />
<br />
From Twitter:<br />
<i>Got to DragonCon with an hour to kill before my first panel, so I found a Waffle House to start the day right with ten thousand calories.</i><br />
<i>The Mummies concert last night was amazing! I feel like someone beat me up.</i><br />
<i>Now I just want to go back to bed.</i><br />
<i>Checking out behind a Jawa.</i> <br />
<br />
The roll-a-panel was fun again--Saturday's covered the 70s, Sunday's was more about the 80s with some 90s shows and movies thrown in. The moderator has a big 20-sided die (like, a foot across made of cardboard) and audience members roll it. Whatever movie or TV show comes up, the panel talks about for a while. It's a lot of fun. Kevin was on that panel too.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Kevin's the guy in the middle between the lady in pink and the guy with his mouth open wide.</span></div>
<br />
From Twitter:<br />
<i>The con's starting to wake up.</i><br />
<br />
Next up I went to a workshop about recording your music on a budget. I'm not very interested in doing recording myself, but I'm writing a YA about a girl in a band and I thought I'd better get some grounding on how recording works because it's going to come up soon in the book. I learned a lot from the panel, and over the weekend I also quizzed Molly and Kevin about topics I needed to know for the book.<br />
<br />
From Twitter:<br />
<i>Now I'm at a sound recording and mixing workshop, primarily as research for my WIP. IRS take note.</i><br />
<i>Next a panel about unsolved codes!</i><br />
<br />
The unsolved codes panel was one I was particularly eager to see, since it was presented by Elonka Dunin. She gave a presentation last year on the Beale Ciphers and I really loved it. This one was just as good--so good, in fact, that I now have her name memorized when we all know how bad I am at names. Most of the names I've listed here I've had to look up, but not hers.<br />
<br />
After that I finally got to see <a href="http://www.johnmondelliproductions.com/thecogisdead/home.html">The Cog Is Dead</a> play. I got a good seat on the floor up front too. They had someone filling in for their usual bass player and their singer, of course, was the one getting sick and losing his voice, but they still sounded great. They put on a fun show. Unwoman joined them on cello for a few songs too.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4TyalI-1VHwzLTYppmuUJGX0a-WhiltaewOi7AFfkkUrF0qXC4svFKHoglb8t_cnuqkmhKUtf8lQ-EhQC6lTOpPDplwpWIGKK39f7i5TYo6D9Eg9sPPUoWlgjeAtWl0Jg7jxVmqhyphenhyphenihg5/s1600/CogIsDeadDC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4TyalI-1VHwzLTYppmuUJGX0a-WhiltaewOi7AFfkkUrF0qXC4svFKHoglb8t_cnuqkmhKUtf8lQ-EhQC6lTOpPDplwpWIGKK39f7i5TYo6D9Eg9sPPUoWlgjeAtWl0Jg7jxVmqhyphenhyphenihg5/s320/CogIsDeadDC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">John Sprocket and Renate Goodwin of The Cog Is Dead. Sorry, substitute bass player, all the pictures I got of you were blurry.</span><br />
<br />
I'd brought my copy of their latest CD, Carnival of Clockwork, and after their show I asked their drummer to sign it. I told her she'd inspired me to start drum lessons, which is absolutely true--there were a lot of reasons I finally took up drumming after wanting to learn since I was in my early 20s, but starting lessons was an important step and seeing a girl drummer at DragonCon two years ago was a real inspiration. She was gracious about the whole thing and I hope I didn't babble.<br />
<br />
My last day at DragonCon was racing along. There was only one more panel I really wanted to attend, "Sounds from Beyond!" It was part of the Skeptic track and hosted by Brian Dunning, who runs the <a href="https://skeptoid.com/">Skeptoid</a> podcast, so I knew there'd be a lot of solid science behind it and not just some guy telling me that Bigfoot was real. I worried that the room would fill up and I wouldn't get a good seat, so I decided not to see Jig to a Milestone play and instead went to get in line. Well, I got pizza first.<br />
<br />
While I was sitting there eating my pizza and admiring an amazing Totoro, someone's costume nearby started playing "Still Alive." I love costumes that have sound effects or play music. This one, though, combined with me hearing the same song the night before, burrowed into my brain and took over.<br />
<br />
From Twitter:<br />
<i>Someone's Halo costume had that song playing and now it's stuck in my head FOREVER.</i><br />
<i>I don't know many of the words. Pretty much only, "just keep on trying till you run out of cake" but that may be wrong.</i><br />
<i>Anyway, that's what the inside of my head sounds like right now, that line over and over.</i> <br />
<br />
I stood in line for Sounds from Beyond! for an hour. Because of where I was standing, I had a really good view of people passing by in the Hilton. I think I enjoyed that hour as much as if I'd gone to a panel or something. I also got a lot of good pictures, so here are a few from then and earlier.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8lOnbRs4KyMr5juFsGgV2XK8pfuSkukhDafFtNIaKNPNa05D8nDZ_T8R5kgn3FMyvz4ttS3ltcZ1_5ZmTk4bMnCvAxZcnfy3KtI5JkfhDPhtvzCDDgRMOLN5pPkcKuOussZe-ySUmd9q-/s1600/DCdancing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8lOnbRs4KyMr5juFsGgV2XK8pfuSkukhDafFtNIaKNPNa05D8nDZ_T8R5kgn3FMyvz4ttS3ltcZ1_5ZmTk4bMnCvAxZcnfy3KtI5JkfhDPhtvzCDDgRMOLN5pPkcKuOussZe-ySUmd9q-/s320/DCdancing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Dancing!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This Totoro was near me while I was eating my pizza. It was awesome to watch little kids run up to hug him. There's a guy in the costume and would make Totoro bounce up and down slightly. Also his ears wiggled.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">THIS LOOKS JUST LIKE MY SKYRIM CHARACTER sorry it's blurry, I was overcome with emotion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Saw this Batman on my way to the Hilton. He was awesome.</span></div>
<br />
I smiled at a guy dressed as the Mad Hatter, in a brilliant costume, and he gave me a little bracelet with a teapot charm! Also while I was waiting, a Spiderman stopped to wait for some friends and took the opportunity to stretch his legs against a post that sort of stuck out from the wall. On the other side of the post, maybe twenty feet away, sat a little girl in a stroller with her parents sitting next to her. The Spiderman stuck his head around the post to look for his friends and the little girl squealed with excitement. He noticed and for the next five minutes played long-distance peekaboo with her. She was utterly delighted and I honestly think it was the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life.<br />
<br />
From Twitter:<br />
<br />
<i>So just keep on trying till you run out of cake</i><br />
<i>So just keep on trying till you run out of cake </i><br />
<i>Just keep on trying till you run out of </i><br />
<br />
Since I was first in line, naturally I got a great seat for the panel. It was just as good as I'd hoped, covering everything from the bloop recording to backmasking. I got one of the free Skeptoid stickers afterwards, too.<br />
<br />
I:Scintilla was playing at midnight, but while I like them, I didn't want to stay up that late when I was already drooping. I had a couple of hours before the last event I wanted to attend, a showing of MST3K shorts and bloopers, so I just wandered around for a while.<br />
<br />
From my Twitter:<br />
<i>Walking around DragonCon now playing Pokemon, looking at costumes, and humming that Halo song. Bow down to Queen Geek.</i><br />
<br />
Kevin texted to ask me if I wanted to join him and Felicity for supper, so I met up with them and we tried to find a place to eat that wasn't packed. We ran into some friends of Kevin's who were going to walk down to the Mellow Mushroom, so we joined them. It was a few blocks away and unfortunately when we got there the place was full with a half-hour wait time. Kevin and Felicity wanted to see Kirby Krackle play at 8:30 and I wanted to see the MST3K thing, so we decided just to walk back. It was a lovely evening and we didn't hurry, just meandered along through relatively quiet streets and talked. We said our goodbyes when we reached the Hyatt and went to our separate things.<br />
<br />
I got in line for the MST3K presentation and actually got a seat pretty close to the front once they opened the doors. Unfortunately, the room had low ceilings so the movie screen couldn't be raised enough so that people in the rear of the (very large) room could see it. Even my good seat was marred by a guy's head exactly in the wrong place so he inadvertently blocked my entire view. I stayed until ten even so, because I knew so much of the material already that I didn't really need to see it, but when they stopped to do a costume contest, I decided to take off.<br />
<br />
There were still plenty of things to do. I even had some of them on my schedule. But I was so tired I couldn't think straight. I decided to head back to the hotel despite it being so early.<br />
<br />
I was in bed by eleven and slept until past seven. Then I packed up, checked out of the hotel, and hit the road home. When I got home, thankfully there were no mockingbirds in my house like <a href="http://kcshaw.blogspot.com/2015/09/dragoncon-2015.html">last year</a>. I downloaded "Still Alive" immediately.<br />
<br />
Maybe next year things will be better for me financially and I can actually stay in a hotel downtown, because having to drive twenty minutes to get to my hotel makes it hard to stay up as late as I'd like--plus I spent $90 on parking this year and that's just ridiculous.<br />
<br />
So that's it for DragonCon 2016. But don't worry, the year will fly by and it'll be DragonCon again before we know it, except we'll all be a year older!<br />
<br />
Oh, and my Bag of Holding is EXCELLENT. 11/10 would buy again <br />
<br />
"Still Alive" has restarted for the 900th time.<br />
<i>This was a triumph</i><br />
<i>I'm making a note here</i><br />
<i>Huge success</i>K.C. Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12467201304235217944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034944370161032319.post-90589347901627284572016-08-24T20:50:00.000-04:002016-08-24T20:50:07.749-04:00The week before the week before DragonCon 2016!This morning I opened the DragonCon app and discovered it had updated and the full schedule is available! Now I'm in excitement overdrive because as of this writing, we only have NINE days until DragonCon 2016!<br />
<br />
Last year I <a href="http://kcshaw.blogspot.com/2015/08/pre-dragoncon-plans.html">posted some hopefully useful information</a> about what to bring/do to make your DragonCon experience low-stress. One of the things I mentioned was that I had yet to find a con bag I really liked.<br />
<br />
I also mentioned in my <a href="http://kcshaw.blogspot.com/2015/09/dragoncon-2015.html">DragonCon 2015 wrap-up post</a> that I had ordered a <a href="http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/1a1d/">Bag of Holding</a> from ThinkGeek for next year. I'd hoped to get to another convention or two this year but I've been busy and broke, a bad combination, so I haven't had a chance to try the bag out in a true convention setting. But I think it's going to work very well.<br />
<br />
A few days ago I made a list of everything I needed to carry with me during DragonCon. To help you make your own decisions about what to bring, here's my list (and I'll probably end up adding some stuff):<br />
<br />
phone and charger and cord<br />
Thermos<br />
wallet/keys/hotel key card<br />
toiletries bag (including aspirin for headaches and moleskin for blisters)<br />
contact solution and eyedrops<br />
handheld fan and handkerchief (to mop my sweaty face so I don't have to use my shirt)<br />
snacks and wet wipes<br />
paper schedule and hand-drawn map of convention area<br />
hand lotion<br />
notebook and pens<br />
<br />
I put as much of the stuff as I could into my Bag of Holding--and not only did it all fit, I have tons of room left!<br />
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(Note the little pocket exactly the right size for my awesome phone charger! I love that thing. I wish I'd had one last year.) (Also note that that notebook is not full-sized, which makes the bag look bigger than it really is.)<br /><br />
Not shown: the velcro-backed badges I've ordered for the bag's front panel (intended for badges). I ordered three from etsy and haven't received them yet, but hopefully I'll get them before DragonCon and everyone will know I am Team Valor, have B+ blood type, and really like Totoro.K.C. Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12467201304235217944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034944370161032319.post-68370649944194519172016-05-02T21:15:00.002-04:002016-05-02T21:15:52.825-04:00Drums and drumsJust over two years ago I posted about learning to play drums. I'd wanted to learn since I was in my early 20s but never knew how to start. I played French horn in the school band, not exactly the kind of background most drummers have.<br />
<br />
So I put it off and put it off, and finally decided it was time. I bought a cheap drum kit online, managed to sort of put it together, and started teaching myself how to play. I had a couple of used "learn drums!" books and the internet.<br />
<br />
So how's it going now that two years have passed?<br />
<br />
At first it went great. I had fun making noise and learning how to play really simple grooves. I worked hard to coordinate both arms and both legs together. I felt like I was starting to get it.<br />
<br />
Then that first rush of excitement cooled. I started to wonder if I was learning bad habits by teaching myself out of books. I didn't feel like I was progressing very fast after those first few weeks. I knew I needed to concentrate on the rudiments but I didn't really understand how to do a lot of them. Advice online was sometimes conflicting, often confusing.<br />
<br />
After a couple of months my practice sessions tapered off. My shiny black drum kit (in the living room, so I couldn't use the couch) got dusty. When I did practice, I ran up against the same walls again and again. I thought about taking lessons, but those are expensive and I wasn't even sure where to find a teacher.<br />
<br />
Then I remembered I work at a college. With a music department. And employees can take a free class every semester.<br />
<br />
So last fall I started taking lessons, one half-hour lesson every week. My teacher started me on the very basics. He showed me how to hold the sticks properly (I was mostly right, although I had indeed developed some bad habits). He taught me the rudiments I needed to practice to develop stick control. By the end of that first semester I was back to playing simple grooves on the drum kit, only this time I was making progress every single week. That's not to say it's easy--I'm no born drummer; I have to work hard to improve--but I enjoy it.<br />
<br />
I just finished my second semester of lessons. I'm getting better and better. A few friends, all of us terrible but enthusiastic musicians, have started a band called Rocket Pony and one day we might actually manage to get together to actually play. I don't have lessons over the summer, although hopefully I'll be able to continue in the fall, but I practice every single day. And I've traded my crappy cheap drum kit for a used Ludwig Accent kit with Sabian cymbals. I love it like crazy. It's purple.K.C. Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12467201304235217944noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034944370161032319.post-92108576820711214432016-03-28T20:17:00.002-04:002016-12-03T12:28:43.393-05:00PodcastsI've been listening to a few podcasts regularly for a couple of years, but in the last few months I've suddenly really gotten into them. One podcast mentions another, that one leads me to a third, and so on until I have an awful lot of podcasts I like and can't keep them all straight.<br />
<br />
So I'll make a list.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flopcast.net/">The Flopcast</a><br />
This is a fun and funny weekly podcast with a focus on geek culture.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.welcometonightvale.com/">Welcome to Night Vale</a><br />
The only fictional podcast I listen to. It's just as good as everyone claims. I recommend you start at episode one.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.theskepticsguide.org/">The Skeptics Guide to the Universe</a><br />
A weekly podcast. The focus is mostly on science and skepticism, with some geek culture references.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://skeptoid.com/">Skeptoid</a><br />
Short, interesting episodes looking scientifically at pseudoscientific or folkloric beliefs.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://monstertalk.skeptic.com/">MonsterTalk</a><br />
A fun podcast about monsters--folkloric, historical, fictional, and so forth.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.astonishinglegends.com/">Astonishing Legends</a><br />
This one ranges from ghost stories to historical mysteries--I especially recommend the <a href="https://audioboom.com/boos/3521730-the-laughing-indian">Laughing Indian</a> for the former, the two-part investigation of <a href="https://audioboom.com/boos/3521742-amelia-earhart-vanishes-part-1">Amelia Earhart's disappearance</a> for the latter.<br />
<br />
(From Astonishing Legends I discovered <a href="http://darkmyths.org/">Dark Myths</a>, which is a collective of a bunch of great podcasts. I'm still sampling them, but some of my favorites are below.)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.lorepodcast.com/episodes/">Lore</a><br />
Wonderfully creepy, thoughtful episodes with a focus on historical legends.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.strangematterspodcast.com/">Strange Matters</a><br />
A podcast of wide-ranging interests, from monsters and ghosts to serial killers and mysterious deaths. An interesting mix.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.nighttimepodcast.com/episodes">Night Time podcast</a><br />
Creepy and interesting episodes about strange events, from mysterious disappearances to Canadian folklore.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://singingbonespodcast.com/">Singing Bones</a><br />
About fairy tales and other folk stories, with a focus on real-world connections.<br />
<a href="http://thepodcastofdoom.libsyn.com/"><br /></a>
<a href="http://thepodcastofdoom.libsyn.com/">The Podcast of Doom</a><br />
Most of these episodes I find too depressing to listen to, but I have a ghoulish love of accounts of fires and other similar disasters and these are good.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.thevanishedpodcast.com/">The Vanished</a><br />
Accounts of people who went missing under suspicious circumstances in the modern era.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/casefile-true-crime-podcast">Casefile True Crime</a><br />
Solved and unsolved crimes in the modern era, particularly those in Australia.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://thisiscriminal.com/">Criminal</a><br />
A look at both serious crimes and quirky ones, historical and modern, with a focus more on the after-effects than on the crimes themselves.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://thegenerationwhypodcast.com/">Generation Why</a><br />
Another true crime podcast, largely unsolved murders but with a good variety of other topics and interviews too.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://thinkingsidewayspodcast.com/">Thinking Sideways</a><br />
Unsolved mysteries, primarily crimes like murder and disappearances but wide-ranging in content.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://ourfakehistory.com/">Our Fake History</a><br />
Well-researched, in-depth episodes examining historical events. Often funny and I love the host's voice.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/archyfantasies/">Archaeological Fantasies</a><br />
Excellent episodes where professional archaeologists dig (ha) into pseudo-history claims to find their sources and discover why they continue to be believed.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.unexplainedpodcast.com/episodes">Unexplained</a><br />
Strange events, both historical and modern. Atmospheric and nicely different.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.expandedperspectives.com/">Expanded Perspectives</a><br />
A long-running podcast covering unexplained things. Maybe a bit on the credulous side of skeptical but a lot of fun too.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-340711944">Movie Sign with the Mads</a><br />
Witty movie reviews with Frank Conniff and Trace Beaulieu from MST3K, plus someone named Carolina Hidalgo who I don't know but I like her.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://outovthecoffin.blogspot.com/">Out ov the Coffin</a><br />
A monthly podcast featuring dark music, from goth and postpunk to death metal and everything in between. I find a lot of great new music here.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://ite.sonney.com/">Alchemist in the Evening</a><br />
Another dark music podcast, this one leaning more toward metal. It's sadly defunct now (hasn't been updated since last summer) but I keep checking back just in case....<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.moderndrummer.com/site/category/modern-drummer-multimedia/podcasts/mike-and-mike-podcast/">Modern Drummer Mike and Mike podcast</a><br />
Excellent weekly podcast talking about various aspects of drumming. Lowkey but intelligent discussion between the two hosts.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://mattdudleydrumming.com/behindthekitpodcast/">Behind the Kit</a><br />
I almost forgot this one! These are interviews with various drummers.<br />
<br />
(Expect this post to be updated frequently as I find new podcasts. I mostly just need a way to keep them all straight.)K.C. Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12467201304235217944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034944370161032319.post-35654044703433599132016-03-23T17:36:00.000-04:002016-03-23T17:36:35.699-04:00Mini-interview with SF author Simon Rutter!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.simonrutter.net/">SIMON RUTTER</a> is an Englishman who has largely wasted his
life in a series of increasingly pointless middle management jobs in large
corporations. This has, however, allowed him to see the world at someone else's
expense and he has lived in the United States, the Middle East, Continental
Europe and the Antipodes. He tweets and maintains a blog with the grim sense of
duty and sclerotic rhythm of a rheumatic gravedigger because, apparently, one
has to. He is a vegan, politically active on animal welfare issues and a
competitive cyclist. He attacks literature and life with a savage joie de
vivre. His strongest literary influences are Waugh, Orwell, Vidal, Lessing,
LeGuin and Gibson.</div>
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<br /></div>
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WITHOUT A CITY WALL is his fourth novel but the first to be
submitted for publication. You didn’t miss anything with the first three.</div>
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<b>KNOTTED THICKET</b>: What are some of your favorite books? Do you reread old favorites<br />
or are you always working on your to-read pile?</div>
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<b>SIMON RUTTER</b>: I find the fiction that most resonates with me is strongly
character driven and, usually, with some element of transformation or
redemption for the protagonist. The novels I that regularly re-read tend to be
those that had a huge impact on my when I was young. I regularly revisit books
by Waugh, Greene and Orwell. In particular I greatly admire the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sword of Honour</i> trilogy, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Our Man in Havana</i> <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Keep the Aspidistra Flying</i>.</div>
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One science fiction book that had a revelatory effect on me
when I first read it was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Neuromancer</i>
by William Gibson. I bought the first edition paperback in the winter of 1985
and read it while waiting for a train in King's Cross station. Today King's
Cross is a pristine and glassy temple to consumerism with a Harry Potter
gimmick but in 1984 it was a soot smeared, dimly lit cavern of junkies and
prostitutes and therefore provided the perfect context in which to read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Neuromancer</i>. With the wisdom that inevitably
accrues to the aged I now see that Gibson somewhat co-opted <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Neuromancer's</i> heady blend of brand
fetishism and nihilism from Ian Fleming but it is still a brilliant and
genuinely groundbreaking book that I love.<br />
<br /><b>KT</b>: How much research do you do when writing science fiction?</div>
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<b>SR</b>: I do almost no active research. If I see or read something
that will make a compelling theme or plot element I make a note of it for later
use. One of the joys of being a science fiction author is that we get to strike
the shackles of the mundane. I do take great pains to make sure that the
science elements in the books are at least plausible and consistent within the bounds
of my amateur knowledge.</div>
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<br /></div>
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A malcontent in my writing group, let's call him John, once
challenged one of my stories for not correctly observing the effects of special
relativity on near lightspeed travel. So I said to him, “OK, there's a device
on the ship called The John Box which suppresses the effects of special
relativity. Are you any happier now?” <br />
<br />
<b>KT</b>: You've got a <a href="http://www.simonrutter.net/2016/01/books-id-like-to-read-but-dont-want-to.html">fun list on your blog</a> of SF books you want to read but not
write. How do you decide which ideas you want to develop
into a book?</div>
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<b>SR</b>: For me it always starts with the characters. I usually blend
characteristics from people I know and grotesquely exaggerate them for dramatic
effect. Lucy in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Without a City Wall</i>
is based on someone with whom I used to work. I thought she was an interesting
individual and began to ponder the character's actions and reactions on a
broader dramatic stage.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Also, if executed to a high standard, writing a novel is a
vast amount of work; literally thousands of hours. Therefore I have to be
rabidly enthusiastic about the themes and ideas in order to take it on. I
usually have two or three book concepts in rough outline form and then select
one as my next project. A quick glimpse at my notebook reveals that I currently
have four ideas in outline form.<br />
<br />
<b>KT</b>: What are some of your (non-writing-related) hobbies?</div>
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<b>SR</b>: I love linguistics and languages. In the past I've studied
Russian and German but at the moment I am studying French and preparing for the
Diplôme d'études en langue française B2 exam in November. I'm saving Arabic for
my seventies.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I'm also a very keen cyclist and enjoy every aspect of it
apart from the inevitable crashes.</div>
K.C. Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12467201304235217944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034944370161032319.post-24169296453502952142016-03-16T19:26:00.004-04:002016-03-16T19:26:43.828-04:00Book recommendation!I haven't been blogging much lately but I want to change that. To kick things off, here's a book recommendation!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.jenniferbrockwell.com/">J.B. Rockwell</a> is a member of my writing group and an all-around awesome person. Her science fiction book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Serengeti-J-B-Rockwell-ebook/dp/B01BG8OHXU/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1454593245&sr=1-4&keywords=j.b.+rockwell">SERENGETI</a> was just released a few weeks ago by Severed Press. I've read it and it's fantastic!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5k9xcpbQ92vmviHAsFJHBRAZ3qWzqxbeSOkqFgdqmv8BbXVA7b9R3xEc_dRtqXI1mfAuZoc8m1tx9_zUoIrqEKXrKteNGrzR6sCzODPVtUa-GNGxhFH_GDVnOH_32AfupSyBPY8recvcY/s1600/Serengeti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5k9xcpbQ92vmviHAsFJHBRAZ3qWzqxbeSOkqFgdqmv8BbXVA7b9R3xEc_dRtqXI1mfAuZoc8m1tx9_zUoIrqEKXrKteNGrzR6sCzODPVtUa-GNGxhFH_GDVnOH_32AfupSyBPY8recvcY/s320/Serengeti.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
The main character is the AI of a warship, Serengeti. When she's damaged in a battle and left adrift in uncharted space, she has to figure out how to save her cryogenically frozen human crew with only the aid of a few small robots.<br />
<br />
The plot is fantastic, the characters warm and real, and it's a very different kind of story. I would have loved it even if I didn't know the author. The book is available as a Kindle ebook and trade paperback, and will be released as an audiobook in late April.<br />
<br />K.C. Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12467201304235217944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034944370161032319.post-77774109103865097902015-11-21T17:10:00.000-05:002015-11-21T17:10:00.183-05:00Sweet potatoesI have this sweet potato recipe that I use all the time. It's so much better than the kind with marshmallows on top. A friend suggested I post it so here it is.<br />
<br />
Sweet Potato Casserole<br />
<br />
3 c cooked mashed sweet potatoes (about three 15 oz cans)<br />
1 c sugar<br />
1/4 c milk<br />
2 eggs, well beaten<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
2 tsp vanilla<br />
1/2 tsp cinnamon<br />
1/2 tsp allspice<br />
<br />
Mix and pour in well-buttered casserole dish. Mix topping in a small bowl and spread on top of sweet potato mixture (it's thick so I spoon it on).<br />
<br />
Topping:<br />
1/2 c melted butter<br />
1 c brown sugar<br />
1/2 c flour<br />
1 c chopped pecans<br />
<br />
Bake at 350oF for about 30 minutes. EAT IT ALL YOURSELF WITH A GIANT SPOON.K.C. Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12467201304235217944noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034944370161032319.post-62614909820089060852015-09-07T21:51:00.000-04:002016-08-24T20:22:53.989-04:00DragonCon 2015I'm home! As always, this will be really long. Like, super stupid long.<br />
<br />
This year I went down to Atlanta earlier than ever before, on Thursday instead of Friday. This was partly because there were too many events on Friday that I didn't want to miss, partly because my hotel (in Smyrna, GA) is close to a birdwatching hotspot and I thought I could spend a few quiet hours birding along the Chattahoochee River at Chochran Shoals before plunging into the madness of DragonCon. But when I reached the end of my directions to Cochran Shoals, I was in the middle of a gated subdivision with nowhere to park and no access trail in sight. Probably for the best, in retrospect, because it was storming.<br />
<br />
I got some lunch instead and checked in to my hotel. Then I headed into Atlanta.<br />
<br />
I only expected a few people to be hanging around the con area. There's not much official programming on Thursday. But not only were thousands of people already there, a surprising number were already in their cosplay outfits. I guess if you spend a whole year making your costume, you wear it as much as possible.<br />
<br />
For some reason I never got my postcard this year and had printed out my receipt instead. There was no delay to get my badge, though--just a few minutes including standing in line--and then I was free to wander around<br />
<br />
In November I'm coming to Atlanta again to see King Diamond play at The Tabernacle, so I decided to find the place to see what my parking options will be (since I'll be coming directly from work and will be hard pressed to get there in time even without having to worry about parking). It wasn't hard to find and it's a handsome place. I've been a King Diamond fan for 25 years but have never seen him play live, so I'm excited for the show for sure.<br />
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<br />
My friend Kevin, cohost of <a href="http://www.flopcast.net/">The Flopcast</a>, a fantastic and hilarious weekly geeky podcast, texted me while I was on my way back to the con hotels. We met for lunch at Hsu's and had a great time catching up. DragonCon is the only time I get to see Kevin since he lives way up north in the Boston area, so it was great to have a few hours to relax and talk without either of us needing to rush off somewhere. The food was excellent too. Unfortunately I sucked down four glasses of unsweet tea first and then for some reason was not able to finish my walnut shrimp, which in retrospect is a tiny sliver of agony because those shrimps were damn good.<br />
<br />
We went to my first DragonCon event after that, a Geek Music Singalong. The room was unexpectedly full, and of course everyone was in a great mood. DragonCon was starting and we were all among our people, about to sing along with theme songs from cartoons and stuff like that! It was a lot of fun but neither of us stayed for the whole thing. After about an hour we both ducked out, since he had something else to go to and I wanted to get back to the hotel and grab as much sleep as possible to shore me up for the weekend.<br />
<br />
When I got back to my hotel, I discovered I'd left my toiletries at home. That wasn't a big deal since there's a Target within walking distance of the hotel, but it meant my fresh set of contacts was at home and I had to make do with last month's for the whole weekend. My poor eyeballs.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From my Twitter:<br />
Hypothetical question. Let's say you go out to eat and get delicious shrimp, but you drink four glasses of iced tea so you can't finish it.<br />
So you get a box and put it in your car for 3 hours, then take it to your hotel room without a fridge. The room is sort of air conditioned.<br />
Can you eat that shrimp for breakfast without dying? Asking for a friend.<br />
<br />
(Responses all indicated that I would be a complete moron to eat that shrimp so I didn't, and I will regret it forever.)</blockquote>
<br />
I got about seven hours of sleep and was up early to get to the convention. The first panel I attended was about Rifftrax. Kevin went to that one too, as did a friend of his whose name I caught as Christian but may be wrong about. If so, apologies to not-Christian and I am so sorry I got your name wrong. I am terrible at names. Anyway, this is a picture of us. Kevin's in the middle, I'm the girl one, and that third guy is maybe named Christian. (I should add that he's an awesome guy whatever his name is and I got to talk to him at a few other panels, so probably I should have been more careful with his name.) [Kevin tells me that I was right about his name! Hi, Christian, I was just kidding that I was wrong about your name, ha ha ha!]<br />
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<br />
The panel was fantastic and a great start to the day, but immediately after the three of us went our separate ways I had a problem. The DragonCon app seized up and refused to do anything, froze my phone so that I had to reboot, and when I uninstalled it out of desperation I couldn't reinstall it because I didn't have good enough internet access for a download. My schedule was in there! I went to the Sheraton to get a paper schedule but they were out.<br />
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Above: Bill Corbett and two people whose names I should remember but don't. Me and names, not a thing.<br />
<br />
For a while I wandered around not knowing what to do with myself. I texted Kevin finally and asked him where the skeptic track was located since I couldn't remember. That's my go-to track when I don't have anything else I want to do in any given timeslot. I headed that way and actually found a paper schedule in the skeptic track room! I guess it was a miracle. So things were looking up, and looked up even more once I realized the reason I couldn't see very well was that my contacts were in the wrong eyes. I fixed it and lo! another miracle!<br />
<br />
I found a burger place to eat and got a table to myself, since it was still fairly early. While I ate I went through the schedule and wrote down the panels I wanted to go to. Unfortunately I'd missed one I really wanted to attend, but after I ate I went to one about 80s animated movies and that was fun. When the Last Unicorn trailer played I actually got chills, so when I'm done writing this ridiculously long post I'm going to watch the movie. Clearly it's been too long.<br />
<br />
After the animated movies panel, I attended one about the Beale Papers, an unsolved code from the 19th century that's supposed to lead to hidden gold and silver in Virginia. It was a fascinating, well-researched panel and even though it seems likely it's a hoax, I still enjoyed learning about it. I also wrote down a lot of books the presenter (Elonka Dunin, and I had to look that up because you know I didn't remember it) recommended.<br />
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Above: I think I get a picture of this Captain Morgan every year. I love him. (That is not me in the picture. I would never wear a costume that covers the tats on my legs.)<br />
<br />
<br />
I went to an event after that that was supposed to be funny, but it wasn't meshing with me and I slipped out and just wandered around looking at stuff and people. I bought an Abney Park t-shirt since it was a design I didn't have.<br />
<br />
A note about t-shirts. I like buying t-shirts when I see a live show. It's a great souvenir, gives a little extra cash to a band I like, and I always need something to wear. I only brought two shirts with me to DragonCon since I knew I was buying more, and I ended up with three new ones. The Abney Park shirt was most expensive at $30, the Here Come the Mummies shirt most comfortable (lighter cotton) and slightly better price at $25, and the Voltaire shirt was a bargain at only $15. I love all three, not just because I love the performers but because the designs are awesome.<br />
<br />
Kevin and I texted back and forth a bit and I ended up joining him for the "Heckle-along" of the movie Starcrash. Basically the hosts show a terrible movie, riff along a la MST3K, and invite the audience to shout out comments too. It's chaotic and <i>freaking hysterical</i>. Starcrash was a particularly good choice.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From my Twitter:<br />
I saw a viewing of Starcrash with Kevin. It's a hot mess of a 70s Star Wars ripoff, awesome in its cheesiness.<br />
Afterwards I won a DVD of the movie! I remember screaming and jumping up and down and Kevin hugged me and everyone went awwww.<br />
Most people only react that way when they win money.</blockquote>
<br />
I grabbed a piece of pizza and a Coke after that and got in line to see Voltaire at midnight. I was so close to the front of the line that when they let us into the ballroom, I had time to buy a shirt from the merch table and still get a spot really close to the stage.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From my Twitter (while in line):<br />
The kid next to me won't stop talking to me and I accidentally told him I watch the show he's into and now I'm living a lie.<br />
Omg just realized what this girl near me is dressed as and it's so incredibly specific I feel like an uber nerd.<br />
Looks like the line has probably grown enough that it's outside by now. Enjoy the humidity, suckers.<br />
Guy in front of me pointed out that we're in line for two hours to see Voltaire play for one hour. I told him it's like Disneyworld.<br />
Dancing Stormtroopers will never not be funny.</blockquote>
<br />
The show was great as always, and as a fun addition Voltaire had the band This Way to the Egress back him during most of the set. The crowd was full of energy and I danced so hard my hair was wet with sweat. When the show was over I reeled outside into the breezy evening and realized with great joy that I still had the full weekend of DragonCon ahead of me.<br />
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<br />
I slept three and a half hours--I could have slept longer but I wanted to beat the parade traffic. I parked downtown at about 8:30am, my bag full of stuff I would need before I returned to my hotel at about 3am.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From my notes:<br />
It's not that I'm carrying too much stuff, it's that I'm carrying it in the wrong bag. It all sinks to the bottom of the bag and it's lumpy and hard to find anything. Next year I will for sure get a Bag of Holding [<a href="http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/1a1d/">this</a>, and I just ordered myself one]. Kevin told me about them. He says ThinkGeek sells them and they're designed for con-going. I've seen quite a few around and they look trim and useful.</blockquote>
<br />
One of the first things I did was stop by CVS to buy moleskin for a blister on my heel. Then I got iced tea at Starbucks (nasty tea but better than coffee) and made my way to the first panel of the day, Permissible Mullets of Classic SF and Fantasy.<br />
<br />
Yes, mullets. There was a powerpoint.<br />
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<br />
The panel was absolutely hilarious. I hope they do it again next year--the panelists discussed a mullet sequel next year early on Saturday morning for the people who don't want to attend the parade.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From my Twitter:<br />
I go to the fun panels. Thinking is for losers.</blockquote>
<br />
The parade is sort of out of control, I think. It takes far longer than its allotted time, and police block off not only Peachtree Street but the only alternate route to cross Peachtree underneath through the MARTA station. I really wanted to see the airship races again this year, but I literally could not find my way across the street. It was frustrating.<br />
<br />
My cousin Molly swooped in and saved the day by whisking me out of the crowds via MARTA to lunch. We went to midtown where the sidewalks were almost empty on a Saturday and restaurants were only modestly busy. We got a quiet booth in Front Page News, a southern/Louisiana style restaurant (although they did not have beignets). Molly ordered chicken and biscuits and I did too because it's always a good idea to copy someone with excellent taste in food. We also split an order of fried green tomatoes. Everything was fantastic and it was fun to talk with Molly and decompress, although our server was aggressively hipster and called us "m'dear" even though I at least was old enough to be the little squirt's mom, and Molly was old enough to have babysat him.<br />
<br />
I drank way too much unsweet tea and couldn't finish my second biscuit, but I'd learned my lesson. I got a box for the biscuit and carried it with me for the next seven hours. If I didn't set it down, technically it hadn't been that long since I picked it up because what kind of idiot carries around a chicken biscuit for seven hours? I ate it in line that evening and it was wonderful and I did not get sick. So there.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From my Twitter:<br />
I've been carrying this little box with a leftover chicken biscuit in it my whole life.</blockquote>
<br />
I went to the Year in Goth panel that afternoon. It's part of the horror track and I don't read/watch horror, but I love goth music and listen to a lot of it. (I recommend <a href="http://www.nightbreedradio.com/?x=101&y=18">Nightbreed Radio</a>, incidentally.) I really enjoyed the panel and snagged a free compilation CD afterwards that the moderator had put together to share some lesser-known bands. (I listened to it on the way home today and will definitely be hunting down more music by some of the bands.) [And the CD was put together by Ichabod, who has a goth music podcast called <a href="http://outovthecoffin.blogspot.com/">Out ov the Coffin</a>, and I will be listening to all the back episodes over the next few weeks!] After that I went to a YA panel where I failed to win a door prize but wrote down a lot of great book recommendations.<br />
<br />
That evening I met Kevin again and a friend of his whose name I think is Marietta but I am bad at names (see above) [Kevin tells me I am wrong and her name is actually Marianna; Marietta is a town north of Atlanta--but a pretty name for a girl nevertheless], and we went to a comedy show where the Doubleclicks, Paul and Storm, Molly Lewis, and a bunchton of other people performed. It was incredibly fun and lasted a couple of hours. I'd heard a few Doubleclicks songs online and kind of liked them, but now I think I'm going to have to get their new album.<br />
<br />
The funk band Here Come the Mummies was playing at midnight. I only discovered the Mummies this spring and was instantly a rabid fan, so when DragonCon announced they'd be playing this year I screamed so hard some letters fell off the screen. Kevin said he'd come with me for a few songs, but he had something else to attend first so I got in line to make sure I got a spot way up close to the stage.<br />
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<br />
Oh my god. That concert. It was incredible. The crowd went batshit crazy from the first moment. I went batshit crazy. I am wearing my HCTMummies shirt right now and never want to take it off. Kevin went batshit crazy in his quiet way--I think he nodded to the beat a few times.<br />
<br />
To go slightly off-topic here, this semester I'm taking drum lessons at the college where I work, because I am a shitty drummer and would like to be less shitty. One of the things I have to do is attend three concerts and write papers about them discussing the percussion. Here Come the Mummies was of course a pick because look at this shot of the stage before the show started.<br />
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<br />
Drums and more drums and more drums. And during the show, the band used various non-drum items as percussion instruments, such as a length of heavy chain dropped on a tin tray. It wasn't just innovative, it was an incredible addition to the music and the spectacle. But, well, my drum instructor is not much older than that hipster restaurant server and when he told me I could review rock concerts as well as classical and jazz, an expression of real pain crossed his face. And I am going to have to describe this percussion...instrument without making him blush or faint.<br />
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<br />
Best. Concert. Ever.<br />
<br />
Ordinarily I call it a day after the midnight concert, but not this year. Not on Saturday night. Because at 1:30 am Rasputina was playing and I wanted to see them. Kevin did too, so we met up after the Mummies finished. But there was a delay and Rasputina didn't get onstage until 2am, and by then the Mummies-induced euphoria was wearing off and I was slowing down. Like, a lot. We only stayed for a few songs and then I had to stagger back to my car and drive the 20 minutes or so back to my hotel. (I have a 50 minute commute to work so 20 minutes feels like nothing, incidentally.)<br />
<br />
Next year I will definitely stay up to see the Cruxshadows play at 1:30am. No, really I will. Every year I say I will but I don't, but next year I will, just watch.<br />
<br />
Maybe.<br />
<br />
I slept four and a half hours and made it back to the convention in time to get in line to see James Randi at 10am. Back when I was an undergraduate he spoke at my college and I was so impressed I can remember it clearly, unlike most of the things I did at college. I wasn't going to miss hearing him again after a quarter century.<br />
<br />
Randi's talk was amazing. He's 87 years old but by gum he is still sharp and articulate, with lots of fun anecdotes. Afterwards I spent some time hunting for coffee that wasn't Starbucks, without luck, but fortunately at some point I realized it was lunchtime and I could skip straight to pizza and Coke. Which I did. I got in line to see the Reel Crime panel and settled down to eat and look at my phone. Because Twitter is how I talk to my friends.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From my Twitter:<br />
I've been eating since I got in line. Pizza, half a banana, a few animal crackers, and now I'm digging scattered peanut M&Ms out of my bag.<br />
I stood up partly to stretch my legs, but mostly to brush the crumbs from my skirt.</blockquote>
<br />
The Reel Crime panel was hilarious and fun, with Frank Conniff, Trace Beaulieu, and Bill Corbett, all formerly of MST3K. When it was over, I was pretty much thinking I was the best panel-chooser ever and skipped off to see a panel in the paranormal track.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWqgkOueHFjUd_5Hus7_UYfDcOHPcIUf1qzs4mSMf0jbCRcgQKHf9k1DwhlEpFIg5ICICCV16BQnfdqQ9g_zi7ZIfgJE1rKp19YKtnR5cs8gJ5z7bR74Dvd2vSDah-uKBvv77KsvAFDOWk/s1600/reelcrime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWqgkOueHFjUd_5Hus7_UYfDcOHPcIUf1qzs4mSMf0jbCRcgQKHf9k1DwhlEpFIg5ICICCV16BQnfdqQ9g_zi7ZIfgJE1rKp19YKtnR5cs8gJ5z7bR74Dvd2vSDah-uKBvv77KsvAFDOWk/s320/reelcrime.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
It's probably a good thing the tweets I wrote about it didn't go through. They were pretty cruel. I won't say anything more about the panel except that I slipped out early and wandered around trying to decide what to do next. It was mid-afternoon by then and I was worn out.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From my Twitter:<br />
I don't know what I want to dooooo. Sick of the crowds.</blockquote>
<br />
I ended up at the Bringing Steampunk to the Screen panel. I'm not a bit interested in making movies but the room was nicely air conditioned, the seats comfortable, and I could plug my phone in. I listened politely at first, then slowly got drawn into the topic. I like steampunk a lot and have written a couple of steampunk books (not yet available) and a lot of stories (some available <a href="http://lizzyandjo.com/">here</a>), but nothing lately. But as I listened to the panelists discuss ways to portray steampunk onscreen, how to find extras, how to decide on props and fabrics for clothes, how to slant your portrayed world to address issues you find important like inclusiveness and agency, etc., for the first time in a year I got excited about my writing.<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Also that last guy on the right was nice to look at, just sayin.</span><br />
<br />
My good mood restored, and my phone charged, I got another piece of pizza and another Coke and headed over to see the Magic vs. Mayhem magic show. Unfortunately, it wasn't in a very big ballroom and the line had already been capped when I got there. I finished my pizza and went upstairs to get in line for the Q&A session afterwards instead. Kevin joined me after a while, and while we were waiting a guy I used to work with stopped by and we talked for a few minutes. It was actually a pleasant way to spend an hour, just standing around looking at costumes of people passing us, talking idly, and waiting to see a panel with three professional magicians, including James Randi again. Kevin had missed Randi's talk that morning since he was on a panel at the same time.<br />
<br />
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<br />
The Q&A was excellent, and afterwards Kevin and I went to the panel "Geek Years 1985 and 1990: Years of Almost-Good Sequels." Kevin was on that panel too so I sat with possibly-named-Christian. The discussion was funny and relaxed, with lots of audience participation.<br />
<br />
After that Kevin and I said our goodbyes, since he had a thing to go to and I was getting in one last line. I feel lucky that our schedules overlapped so much this year and we were able to spend some time talking. I know two members of my writing group were at DragonCon and I never did get together with either of them.<br />
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The Flying Spaghetti Monster blessed us with her appearance.<br />
<br />
My last line was for Abney Park, and I got in it early. I love Abney Park and I was so afraid the ballroom would fill up and I wouldn't get in--not likely on a Sunday night, but I wasn't taking any chances. Before I got in line, though, I went to the parking garage to dump some stuff in my car. While I was there something happened that I've been debating about even mentioning here since it didn't have anything to do with the convention and I wasn't directly involved, and it's not a satisfying story. I'll just copy my tweets about it (changing a few word choices here and there to clarify).<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From my Twitter:<br />
Here is a bad thing that happened. It will take several tweets to tell and has an inconclusive ending. Real life is not like books.<br />
After my last panel I stopped by my car to drop off some stuff. While I was in the parking garage I heard a man roaring all angry and<br />
a woman screamed. So I ran to see what was going on and if I could help the woman. I heard car doors and more screams and yelling.<br />
I never saw the people but I saw them drive off, the woman driving and still screaming, the man roaring and slamming the car door, which he<br />
had broken so it was actually bashing the side of the car. Slam slam slam. Three cosplayers were nearby and saw better than me. They were<br />
dressed as I think Gaiman characters, those French clowns with big weapons?* Two girls and a guy. One of the girls had a baseball bat and the<br />
guy took it and said "I'm going after them," and I said "I'll go with you" (because I am a fucking badass and was so hopped up on adrenaline you<br />
would not believe). But we couldn't get close enough to get a picture of their license plate and they got away. The girls called 911 but the<br />
cops and security couldn't find them either. And I feel awful that I'm going to be dancing to Abney Park in 90 minutes and I couldn't help.<br />
So that is the bad thing that happened and I wish I had run faster, I wish I had gotten a picture of the license plate, I wish I was a superhero.</blockquote>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Harley Quinn, and now you know I'm neither a DC fan nor a Gaiman fan</span><br />
<br />
Several friends on Twitter reassured me that the cops would definitely be able to trace the car from both the parking garage's security camera pictures of the license, and the parking pass they had to have used to get out of the garage without going through the cash exit (I ran up and told the lady in the cash booth, who also called security while the girls were calling 911).<br />
<br />
That episode made me feel awfully pensive although I tried hard to rekindle my excitement about seeing Abney Park. Knowing that this was my last DragonCon activity made me sad, too, although I was exhausted and also kept thinking about all the things I needed to do when I got home.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From my Twitter:<br />
Tons of people in amazing costumes. Constant movement, unbelievable noise. It's chaotic and amazing and overwhelming and surreal.<br />
And I love it and will miss it but it takes me a long time to recover once I'm at home and life returns to its quiet pattern.</blockquote>
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A view of the main party floor in the Marriott while I was in line for Abney Park. Elves in the front, party in the back. <strike>I am so sorry.</strike><br />
<br />
Abney Park put on a great show, and I danced and sang along and wished it would never end. Except for the part where a really annoying woman elbowed me in the boob when she bashed past me to get in front of me and take up half my dancing space. I'm not one of those people who carve out a ten-foot radius of floor because I dance big, but I'm also not going to stand there and twitch slightly to the beat. I've come a long way since that first concert two DragonCons ago where I was embarrassed to dance at all. Now I love it, I look forward to it, and no too-skinny woman with sharp elbows and big hair is going to take that away from me. Even if she does have gorgeous tats. I moved over and got closer to a small woman in a big Groot costume, who had a lot of space around her because her Groot antlers/branches looked dangerous, but she was actually really careful about them so I had room to dance with Groot and no one got in my space.<br />
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<br />
Everything has to end finally, even amazing Abney Park concerts. Even DragonCon. I drove back to my hotel and fell into bed for five and a half hours, then packed the car, checked out, and drove home.<br />
<br />
Practically the first thing I found when I got home was a mockingbird in my house. I recognized him as the undersized, scruffy male that's been hanging around my yard. I don't think he ever found a mate and I've felt sorry for him all summer. He let me catch him and when I took him outside and let him go, he flew off into the trees. I discovered that the kitchen window wasn't shut all the way from the top, but I still don't know <i>why</i> the bird came in. I hope he's okay. Half the reason it's taken me so many damn hours to write this stupid overlong blog post is that I've been cleaning all the things spattered with bird poop. Also, I have a cat. He was in the house with the mockingbird. Nobody died. WHAT IS HAPPENING<br />
<br />
So that's that. That was DragonCon. It was a wonderful, weird, amazing, exciting, frustrating, chaotic, fun, geeky experience--as always. I've already bought my ticket for next year.<br />
<br />
If you want to find me on Twitter, FSM help you, I'm <a href="https://twitter.com/kc_shaw">@kc_shaw</a>. You can see my books <a href="http://kcshaw.net/novels.html">here</a> and hopefully buy some. Come see me at DragonCon next year!<br />
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Taken in the hotel room this morning. I was not wearing pants.<br />
<br />
<br />K.C. Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12467201304235217944noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034944370161032319.post-68612533282917348992015-08-26T10:21:00.000-04:002015-08-26T10:21:20.801-04:00Pre-DragonCon PlansDragonCon is in less than two weeks! I've had a really busy summer and the last two weekends I've been out of town, so it snuck up on me. This is my fifth DragonCon so I've got some suggestions for folks who are going for the first (or second) time.<br />
<br />
<b>Self-care stuff</b>:<br />
If you wear contacts and you plan to be at the convention early to late, make sure to bring contact solution and eyedrops. Around late
afternoon my eyes are feeling gummy; by midnight they're positively gross. I take my contacts out when they first start to bother me, clean
them, and use hydrating eyedrops before putting my contacts back in. Then I'm fine until I get back to the hotel.<br />
<br />
Bring a refillable water bottle. There are
icewater stations all over the place. You're going to be sweating a lot
and you may not be eating regular meals, so drinking as much water as
you can hold will keep you from getting con crud later and will help
keep your energy up.<br />
<br />
Bring snacks, the healthier the
better. Fresh fruit (and handwipes for after), fruit leathers, trail
mix, granola bars, nuts, chocolate-covered raisins, peanut M&Ms. If
you're driving in rather than flying, bring a loaf of bread and a jar of
peanut butter, and put a sandwich in your bag for emergencies. The food
court and restaurants are overrun all weekend, and you may be tempted
to skip meals to save time. Having good snacks with you will keep you
from getting grouchy and miserable.<br />
<br />
If you're a full-on introvert like me, you're going to need some downtime to recharge. Schedule that! I try to get away from the con for an hour or so Saturday afternoon and again Sunday afternoon. I get a meal somewhere that's not mobbed with con-goers, maybe get together with a friend for a conversation. Then I'm ready to plunge back in to the excitement.<br />
<br />
Dress for the weather, which will be hot and muggy. There
may be an occasional quick thunderstorm in the afternoons. The air conditioning is
good in the hotels, but there's also a lot of body heat from so many
people, so if you run hot anyway make sure to wear cool clothes. If you
wear a skirt and you've got healthy-sized legs, wear biking shorts
underneath or use that cream that bikers use to stop chafing. Last year I
wore a cute short skirt and within a few hours I had the worst case of
heat rash ever on my thighs where they were rubbing together as I walked
and sweated.<br />
<br />
Similarly, bring a fan. For many events you may have to line up for a long time, and some lines are so long you'll end up standing outside in the heat. Everyone will envy you your fan. Especially if it's a black lace fan like mine that looks really awesome. <br />
<br />
<b>Phone stuff</b>:<br />
Bring your phone charger. If you have a spare
phone battery bring it too. You're going to want to take lots of pictures so right now is a great time to go through your old photos and delete a bunch to make space. You might also want to upgrade your memory card.<br />
<br />
Connectivity will frequently be poor, but if you go just a few blocks away from the con hotels, you can pick up wifi from restaurants without much trouble.<br />
<br />
To maximize your battery life, before you leave for DragonCon delete any apps that you know suck your battery. You can load them back on your phone when you get home. During panels and other events, put your phone on airplane mode. Get to panels early so you can grab an outlet and charge your phone during the event.<br />
<br />
There's a DragonCon app you can download for your phone. Not only
will it help you keep track of your schedule, it contains a good map of
downtown to help you navigate between the hotels. I get turned around
easily so I'm always checking the map. Having the app also gives you something to play with for the week or so before DragonCon starts.<br />
<br />
<b>Keep It Low-Stress</b>: <br />
DragonCon is big. It's huge. It's held in five big downtown Atlanta hotels so you'll definitely be doing a lot of walking. Panels are scheduled with half an hour in between, but if you have mobility issues or if you get caught in post-parade traffic (DragonCon holds a full parade on Saturday morning that a lot of locals attend), it can take far longer to get where you want to be. If you're running late for an event, don't stress. Just slip in quietly once you get there and grab the first seat you see. If there's a particular event you REALLY want to attend, especially if it's a popular one, get there way early so you can get in line. Events can fill up fast depending on where they're held.<br /><br />
Bring cash. Wear it in a money belt or zip it into a secure (not easily accessible) pocket of your bag. There are pickpockets among the 70,000 or so people crushed into DragonCon's five hotels. ATMs will run out of money and have long lines anyway, so don't rely on them.<br />
<br />
You'll need a bag to carry your phone, charger, snacks, water bottle, camera if you bring one, contact solution, fan, etc. Every year I bring a different bag because I have yet to find one that's perfect. It shouldn't be too big or you'll be thumping everyone with it. It shouldn't be too small or you won't have room to hold the T-shirt and books you impulse-bought. It should have a long enough strap that you can get into it while it's hanging off your shoulder. You should like it because it's going to be your close friend for the entire weekend.<br />
<br />The first two years I attended DragonCon, I had no idea there were major concerts at midnight every night. The ballrooms are huge and hold some 5,000 people, but for especially popular acts, or if you want to get close to the stage, you'll want to get in line at least at hour early. This is where you'll be really glad you kept your phone charged all day. There are usually chairs set up at the back of the ballrooms, but you can't really see the stage from there and anyway, hey, you should be dancing!<br />
<br />
I drive to Atlanta and save a lot of money by staying in a hotel about twenty minutes away from downtown. That means parking. There are lots of 24-hour parking garages so you don't have to worry about moving your car if you're sticking around for concerts or other late-night events. Generally expect to pay $20 or $30 for a full day's parking--most of the cash I bring goes for parking, but it's still cheaper than staying at a con hotel. Once you park, <i>take a picture of the parking garage</i>, and a picture of the nearest intersection's street signs. That way you can actually find your car fifteen hours later.<br />
<br />
If you find you're not having fun for some reason, go somewhere else or do something else. Get some food, take a nap, find a friend, destress in whatever way you prefer. You don't have to actually be doing something every second of every day. Some people come to DragonCon just to people-watch, because the costumes are spectacular; some people want to sit at a bar and catch up with friends; some people stick to one particular track's events and don't branch out, while others jump from track event to track event as something takes their fancy. Don't be afraid to ditch your plans and just chill, if that's what you want to do.<br />
<br />
Have fun!K.C. Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12467201304235217944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034944370161032319.post-25915512518868393062015-06-26T22:44:00.001-04:002015-06-26T22:53:23.706-04:00Deviled eggs<span class="posttext">Okay, so, I put this recipe together for a thing and it occurs to me that maybe other people might like to know how to make perfect deviled eggs too. So here's my recipe. Trala!</span><br />
<br />
<span class="posttext">Deviled Eggs</span><br />
<br />
<span class="posttext">Eggs<br />
Mayonnaise<br />
Yellow mustard (don't get fancy with the good mustard--you want your egg filling to be as yellow as sunshine!)<br />
Paprika for garnish<br />
<br />
Hard boil as many eggs as you like. Take care not to overcook
the eggs or the yolks will get that greenish color that's so
unappetizing (although you can still eat them, of course). I recommend
using room temperature eggs; put them in plenty of water to cover, bring
the water to a rolling boil for a minute or two, then remove pot from
the heat, cover the pot, and let the eggs sit for ten minutes. Then
carefully spoon the eggs into a bowl of ice water and let them
sit for about five or ten minutes while they cool. They should be nicely
hardboiled and you can handle them without burning your fingers.<br />
<br />
Peel the eggs, then cut them in half lengthwise and carefully scoop the yolks into a
bowl. Using the edge of a spoon, chop the yolks into crumbs as fine as
you can make them without driving yourself up the wall with boredom.
Don't mash them!<br />
<br />
Add a big dollop of mayonnaise and a little squirt of mustard. Use less
than you think you will need, stir it all together gently, and take a
tiny taste. If the filling tastes too mayonnaisey, add a tiny bit more
mustard, and vice versa. Don't obsess over this, though, or you'll end
up with too much mayo and mustard and not enough yolk.<br />
<br />
Spoon the filling generously into the egg whites. Top with a little paprika for color and a little extra bite.</span>K.C. Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12467201304235217944noreply@blogger.com0