Or something like that.
I'm still fairly dead tired, but let's see if I can come up with a reasonable facsimile of a SoonerCon report:
We left earlier than usual Friday in order to get up to hang my stuff early for the Art Show. Hanging my stuff took forever, as they had a last-minute change in display hardware. I have never had to make my own S-hooks out of links of chain before. But then, I'm still a relative newcomer to this world, so it may be standard practice at some shows.
First panel was at 5. The pirates panel. Tim Powers is a pretty amazing guy. I had no idea that he'd written the book that Disney used as a base for the new "Pirates" movie. I will go buy a copy for the TBR pile. Linda Donahue is also a treasure trove (if you'll pardon the pun) of pirate info.
We had opening ceremonies, hung out at the Yard Dog show for a bit, went to a beer and wine tasting (yum!) and headed off to bed. I ended up sleeping in two plush chairs facing each other. Why? Well, the hotel web site had given the distinct impression that the room had a sleeper bed, so we didn't take our air mattress. Also, I'd had an asthma attack on the way up and was still not breathing well. I needed to sleep sitting up. Breathing is a good thing.
I made it to the Steampunk, Victoriana and Egyptology panel. Dragged my a$$ in, but at least I had something to say. Tim Powers was on that panel, too. Also Mel. White, an anthropologist who also knows a heck of a lot about archaeology, paleontology, and Egyptology. A very interesting panel, and I think the audience got a lot out of it.
After a quick lunch we had the radio show casing and rehearsal.Then the performance that evening. (You can find the show
here.) As usual, we had a great cast.
The less said about dinner, the better. Two hours for crappy food. No. Then the FenCon party. Loads of fun. I got back to the room about 2:30 and crashed on the chairs again. The pollen was terrible up there. Not the fault of the con or the hotel, obviously.
Sunday morning was the Koffee Klatch. Lots of fun. Then the Steampunk, Victorians, and Edwardians panel. Bev Hale is a fantastic moderator. Again, I thought the audience got a lot out of it. I could have used her mad mod skills for the Writing Careers in the Post-Paper Era panel.
I'm going to work up a couple of blog posts with more resources for the two main topics (Victorian/Edwardian/Steampunk and writing) so folks who were there will have a list of links and other things they can check out. First, I need to spend a little more time recovering.
We had a great time, and I heard the convention was a success. It sure seemed like it. I hope to see you all next year!