Just back from Michigan, and 1300 posts behind in Natter and Bitches. Sigh.
It was a lovely weekend and my cunning plan of driving to MI the day before the huge blizzard, and leaving the day after, seems to have worked like a charm. Clear roads and uneventful driving all the way home.
So. I saw Aimee and Joe and Emeline and Emily and vw and P-C and beathen and although the world turned into a huge snowdrift around us (trapping Emily and vw in MI), I had a wonderful time. The Miracleborns' local friends, many of whom are named Steve or Jen or Mike, were very gracious and friendly to invisible internet foreigners, very Buffista-like in their hospitality.
The Con (ConFusion XXXI) was fun too. It appealed to me because the GoHs (Emma Bull, Will Shetterly and Steven Brust) are three of my favourite f/sf writers. The con staff did a terrific job putting on a very friendly and fannish con. I had seen info about the con weeks ago, and had thought about it but decided not to go because I didn't know anyone else who was going. And then Joe and Aimee decided to make the con a stop in their Show Off Emeline to Michigan tour. I love it when a plan comes together.
Things I learned this weekend:
1. Emeline is adorable. I say this not only because I'm concerned that Aimee would hurt me if I didn't, but also because it is true.
2. Emily and P-C can be provoked into long DNA component discussions by envelope-licking scenes in Sandra Bullock movies.
3. The board name of beathen rhymes with heathen. Duh. Why my brain persisted in scanning it BEETH-en (not like any word) instead of Bee-THEN (a clever bit of wordplay) I'll never know. My brain disappoints me sometimes.
4. Calling a Trotskyist a Trotskyite is like calling a Trekker a Trekkie, except one is a left-wing political thinker, and one is ... not.
5. When a blizzard is shutting down traffic for the entire midwest and heading for the eastern seaboard, the hotel restaurant is likely to be overburdened. However, food tastes better (eventually) when you are ravenously hungry and it is free.
6. Fans continue to make unfortunate choices regarding spandex and cross-dressing, but attempting to burn out one's own visual receptors is still part of the fun.
7. If you decide to bring a lot of books to a con and tote them around in hopes of getting your favourite writers to sign them, they will be overscheduled and unavailable. If you cleverly bring a minimum number of books along to lighten your load, the writers will be friendly and approachable and have lots of time for chatting and signing.
Anyway, great F2Fing, fun con, really convenient monster blizzard (for me, sorry Emily and vw. The power had even been out at home, but was restored before I got here), and a lovely time.