Orycon II

The weather beaten trail wound ahead into the dust racked climes of the baren land which dominates large portions of the Norgolian empire.
-- Beginning of "Eye of Argon" by Jim Theis

Saturday, November 14, 1998
One year ago: Western Swing

We got going Saturday morning in time to get the free breakfast that came with the room. A bargain like this fits with Jack's Scots heritage, according to him. Various con folks were having breakfast at the same time. I went back upstairs to get my jacket when the conversation turned to the evils of Microsoft.

Jack and I had scanned the programming schedule the night before, and he'd signed up for several writing-related panels and workshops. I wanted to try and hook up with some other journalers, so I called and left messages various places. I did attend several panel discussions. I was especially impressed with the ones that my Vanguard buddy Marcia G---- was on: Ethics of Biotech, and Plagues to Watch For. She is a scientist with the Seattle Public Health department, so she knows what she is talking about.

I really enjoyed the GOH interview where Geri Sullivan (a Minneapolis fan) interviewed Dave Langford, famous British fan and author. This was mostly a chance to feed Dave straight lines so he could tell stories.

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Jack and I took a nap before dinner, which we had arranged to eat with Portland journaller Vicki Jean Beauchamp. Since she knew the best places to go, we went with her suggestion of "Lemongrass," a Thai restaurant in a building that used to be a private home. We had a bit of a wait in the foyer. Jack gave Vicki the button from the Wizard of Oz that his daughter had felt too grown-up to wear last week. I played with a rubber dinosaur.

The food was great! Jack was sweating, working his way through the extremely hot food he had wanted. We followed VJ's recommendations for the rest of the meal (soup, fried tofu for starters). VJ and I were in stitches when Jack kept saying that he wished there was more chicken in his dish; he wasn't fond of the bamboo shoots that were the main vegetable component. Of course, when it got a laugh, he repeated the bit.

We went for ice cream at a Ben and Jerry's for dessert, since Jack had the room for it! Coffee ice cream with Heath bar crunch was great! We studied the bulletin board notices posted by the alternative neighbors, and stood in front of the door, and got in the way generally.

I was glad we had decided to eat in a relaxed manner, rather than get back for early evening programming. I was just in time for "Whose Line Is It, Anyway?" which is one of my very favorite things at the convention. This is the same thing that I was emcee for at the last Potlatch. Mark Bourne, David Levine, Edward Martin, and Anthony Pryor-Brown were the panelists. They were great, but I missed Ellen Kleges. Some female energy on the panel would have been no bad thing.

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It was midnight when I met up with Jack again. I obviously didn't describe "Whose Line" well enough to him, since I couldn't convince him to attend it! He hung out in the fan lounge and hospitality area instead. When I arrived, the "Eye of Argon" party was just starting in a suite up the hall. This is a con tradition. "Eye of Argon" is a very bad piece of fiction with origins lost in the mists of time. It's been made into a drinking game; participants have to try to read a page without laughing, while other players are making smart remarks. If the reader cracks, he must take a drink.

I didn't feel like staying for all of this, but I did enjoy it in small doses. So I left Jack there, and checked back with him on a periodic basis, in between checking email, and hanging out in the fan lounge.

Back in the fan lounge, Ulrika was wearing what she described as a "red dress to die for," which had quite an impact on the crowd. The fabric was beautiful, red with a purple irridescence to it. Lucy was hosting a party in honor of ElderMOO, the online world she (with others) has created.