Getting to the airport to catch my plane to the Arisia science fiction convention in Boston was like Murphy's Law on Crack.
I had set my alarm for 9am, so, naturally, my dad (who kindly agreed to give me a ride to the airport) woke me up at 8:30. Now, you may not think that half an hour is a big deal, but my body, which had only had about four hours of sleep, would beg to differ. And, my body begging is not a sight most people want to be confronted with at any hour of the day!
Now, I'm not superstitious or anything, but it seems suspicious that the first major snowfall of the year occurred on this Friday the 13th. Traffic on the highway was ugly and caused the trip to the airport to take longer than it ordinarily would have. Of course, because I had been woken early, we left early, so I actually arrived at the airport only a few minutes later than planned.
Nayman's Corollary to Murphy's Law: Misfortunes sometimes have a way of cancelling each other out.
I assumed, because there was no lineup at the desk at Section G, that I would have no trouble getting through. Man plans, god busts a gut. Apparently, my travel agent misspelled my name on the tickets; I would have to go to the Air Canada ticket booth (Section A) to get the ticket reissued in my actual name. Naturally, there was a long lineup there.
When I finally got to the counter, I was told that the window to allow me to get through the airport would close in five minutes, but that it would take longer than that to reprocess my ticket. I wouldn't be able to get on the plane. Thinking fast, I plaintively cried: "But, I have to get on that plane!" The woman behind the counter was unimpressed by this clever riposte. Thinking more slowly, I pointed out that the plane had been delayed for 15 minutes (it eventually arrived from Boston more than an hour late, and we left an hour after that); surely, this would extend the window long enough for her to process the ticket?
Nayman's Corollary to Murphy's Law was two for two.
Travelling Hopefully 2: It's In The Bag
On the way out of the house, I forgot my black bag. This meant that I did not have: 600 American dollars (but, okay, that's why god created credit cards); the folder with my panel notes (okay, that's why god created...ad libbing); the pad on which I take notes for future writing (umm...that's why...somebody created...err, airport book shops?); all of the flight and hotel information (you can't travel to the US without naming a destination, so I stayed at the Holiday Inn...sshhh...), and; extra batteries for my camera (that's why god created not taking any more pictures).
As people who know me know, I rarely leave my house without my bag. Walking around Arisia without it made me feel naked. Naked, and strangely lopsided.
One More Reason To Admire Him
Unlike most science fiction conventions, Arisia lasts four days. Somebody explained that it extended into Monday because that was Martin Luther King Day, a civic holiday. Wow. You learn something new every day. I did not realize that Dr. King was a science fiction fan.
Steampunk Meets Modern Parenting
QUOTE OF THE CON: "Didn't I tell you that if you wore a corset, you would get attention?"
Arisia In Pictures
Boston: a warm and welcoming town...
Who says science fiction is having trouble attracting young fans?
Yeah, yeah, sometimes hotel staff will give less than perfect service. Still, don't be so dramatic - most people will just leave without a tip!
Was this not the perfect hotel in which to hold a science fiction convention?
Run for your lives! It's a...a...a cake? Really?. That's right. The suppression of Rebel Forces never tasted so good!
Why does this costume make me think of I Mother Earth?
Yes, yes, I'm photographing you while you're photographing me. How postmodern! It would all be a bit of a yawn if the digital camera hadn't been housed in such a charming case.
I was as surprised as anybody to find that, in the course of Arisia, I had somehow turned into a cyborg!
HAL 900 is the coolest thing since battery powered powdered wigs!
Okay, NOW it's a party!
Say what you will about the hotel bar, but they clearly understand their customers! (Although, they probably should have used Marvin from the TV series rather than the film...)
Okay, no, wait, NOW it's a party. (That previous picture may actually have been a Dalek. My apologies for the confusion.) In fact, this is the launch party for the SF&F anthology UnCONventional, in which I had a story, and the whole reason I went to Arisia in the first place.
Eating a piece of a cake with a reproduction of the cover of a book to which you have contributed is like eating one of your children, except children never tasted so good!. (This caption may have been influenced by the fact that I was moderating a panel called "Are There Any Taboos Left in Science Fiction?" while I was eating my slab of the cake...)
You'd Be Surprised How Open About Their Emotions People Can Get In Elevators
SECOND BEST QUOTE OF THE CON: "I must admit that I stayed up later than someone making good choices would allow."
And, I Wouldn't Have Had It Any Other Way!
That was Arisia. I came. I read. I ate clam chowder. It was clammy. And, chowdery.
