Potlatch IIII am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of the joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. Sunday, February 27, 2000 Note: I added a bit to yesterday's entry -- an incident that I'd forgotten to mention. I was up early again this morning, letting Jack and H--- sleep in, so Jack could get caught up on his sleep debt. He said later, "You let me fall asleep on top of the bed spread! Why didn't you tell me to get under the covers?" But I'd figured that he was the best judge of whether he was warm or cold. It was a quiet morning in hospitality. I made an ice run first thing. We found a note from Jane -- she hadn't gone to bed until five in the morning, so we didn't expect to see her anytime soon. I think a lot of other con members were sleeping late, too! Jane did wake up in time for me to get down to the banquet brunch at eleven. We had a good group at our table. It's amusing to me that people get very concerned about their food whenever they are in a controlled situation -- on a trip or at a meeting or workshop. They want to line up right away, and heaven forfend if something should run out, although none of these people are in danger of starving. Jack was satisfied with the food, since he got enough hot sauce for his eggs. I got the chance to visit the dealers room for the first time during the con. Jessica Amanda Salmonson was selling -- I got a book written by her (The Disfavored Hero -- Tomoe Gozen) and a book edited by her (Twilight and Other Supernatural Romances, stories by Marjorie Bowen). She threw in a book of her own short stories with a great title: John Collier and Fredric Brown Went Quarreling Through My Head.
The auction is one of the most fun events of the weekend. It benefits Clarion West, the science fiction writers workshop, so I can justify paying the big bucks. The auctioneers get the crowd revved up and laughing. I bought a beaded epaulette thing that Vonda made, and a six-volume set of Dorothy Dunnett books. Jack was outbid on the viking helmet, which he wanted for Vikingcon. The weekend was winding down. The toy room breakdown took a long time. People were so happy with the k'nex constructions -- we could have a whole convention just about toys. Jack just couldn't get a break during the evening. He locked his keys in the van, so he couldn't get H--- to the bus station when he wanted to. He was playing with a spinning top in the consuite, and spilled coffee in his crotch! (Thank heaven it wasn't super hot.) He shouted a blue streak for the next minute. We grabbed a quick snack for dinner, then went to the bus station. The bus was full! So he had to drive H--- down to Olympia, then back all the way to Bellingham.
The weekend was exhausting, but fun! There were lots of folks that I didn't have a chance to talk to at all. But next year I'll have more of a chance to socialize, when we are all together in the Bay area. Jack was very cheerful, helpful, and cooperative, and didn't bitch about my work commitments. H--- only said she was bored every hour or so, not constantly. She told us that Freddie had been teasing her ("That t-shirt looks great on you", when Freddie designed and printed the t-shirt), but I think she liked it.
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