WisCon ho!
I'm getting on a plane to WisCon in about 7 hours.
Somehow I'm not as excited about it as I was a month ago; there are various things that I'm a little tense about.
But I suspect that I'll have a great time once I'm there.
Quick aside to anyone who has an attending membership but isn't attending: I'm not sure whether it's too late for this, but it might still be worth dropping a note to the concom to let them know your membership's available. I gather that a bunch of people who wanted to come couldn't come due to the memberships selling out; it's possible that it may not be too late to recycle a few memberships at the door, not sure.
A few notes about my plans and such:
If any of you (who I know) want my cell phone number and don't have it, please drop me a note in email and I'll send it to you. My cell phone doesn't get great reception in the Concourse, but it'll still probably be the best way to reach me during the weekend.
I expect to also have email access at various times, but of course I won't be online as much as I am during non-convention times. I may be on AIM when I'm online, but don't count on that. I was thinking of suggesting group note-taking using SubEthaEdit again, but once again I didn't organize anything early enough to make it happen, and anyway, based on past experience I'm guessing that most attendees won't have their laptops with them during panels. Maybe during WorldCon we can try it out? Or maybe I should just give up on that idea; it's probably cooler in concept than it would be in practice.
This year, I'm specifically planning ahead of time to mostly avoid parties and other loud places. I like the socializing, but I don't like the noise; I know some of y'all love sitting in the back of the karaoke room and trying to have conversations over the music and party sounds, but I too often end up frustrated and annoyed. I'm going to aim for more small-group socializing in quiet places (like my room). Unfortunately, it gets hard to find people when they're doing that kind of thing, so again, feel free to call my cell phone. I'll turn it off when I go to sleep, so you don't have to worry about waking me. If I don't answer, leave a message, in case it's just a case of bad reception.
I will probably be even more interested than usual at this WisCon in hugs and back rubs, so don't be shy. If you sit down in front of me and my hands are free, and give any indication of interest, chances are good that I will rub your back. I keep saying this, but almost nobody ever takes me up on it; perhaps this time will be different.
Things I'll definitely be attending:
- Panel: "Pushing the Envelope," Sunday 1:00-2:15 pm, Wisconsin room. Me, Aaron Lichtov, Elizabeth Bear, Joan Haran, and Melissa Scott, talking about how to "clamor for more radical thinking/imagining about sex and gender in SF/F." I suspect this will be a lot of fun.
- Strange Horizons Tea Party, Sunday afternoon, room 629; scheduled for 2:30 to 5:15 pm, but that includes setup and teardown time.
I will probably also attend the Fancy Dress Party, Sunday 8:30 pm on, room 607. I probably won't stay long, but I'll probably stop by. I hadn't realized that it's a carnival theme, though; I was going to wear my suit. I have a cool feather mask, but it may be too fragile to travel or to wear, and I can't wear my glasses with it. I have a cloak, but it's not very festive. I have a black-and-white fool/jester outfit, but I'm not sure it fits me any more. Hmm. I'd better make some decisions about this in the next couple hours.
There are other things I'll almost certainly be at for at least part of the time--Tiptree auction, banquet, etc--but it's gotten late and I'm not going to continue this entry. Looking forward to seeing many of you at the con; sad to not get to see the rest of you there.
Technorati tag: wiscon.
