Worldcon and mold
What a title combination. I wish that my week in Montreal could have ended on a much better note than coming home to mold in my appartment, but there it is! I sometimes wonder that being almost (2days left) 25, working fulltime and being fairly frugal I still can't afford a decent appartment. Dust and Ashes. Ah Well.
World con was a Very Interesting Experience. so many, many different things to pick from to write about. I was able to see my former best, now second best, living author up close and in person. Most of my heroes are dead and moldering in the ground somewhere. After a bunch of tearfull moments next to gravestones it's nice to be able to gush over a living author. only that in the weeks before worldcon, I discovered another brilliant man, china mieville, who subplanted Neil Gaiman in my favorites list. Mostly because Gaiman spins stories that are endlessly entertaining, but he never finishes a book! oh, there's an end in which the caracters all bow out, and they are complete novels, but there is no closure. I always get this picture of Neil sitting at a desk, writting and getting nearly done. All the important bits (or the fun bits) are tied up and over with. he's just tidying up at this point, and then suddenly, the doorbells rings and it's a long time no see friend, "Neil! how's it going!" "It's going really well, I'm just finishing up this book for tomorrows deadline" "bugger it, I have this great bottle of port, and a fascinating new art show I wanted to take you too. guess I'll ask someone else" " no.. wait. it's mostly done. I mean, practically speaking, it's done. I, oh for the love of pete, I'll finish it up when we get back" and of course, we know how the story ends. or doesnt't. pet peeve, folks, tiny rant. moving on.
Worldcon... discovered Cory Doctorow. The man's a genius. of course I love anyone who can talk extempora on copyright idiocy for 45 minutes. I love anyone with relevant information and resources. He's one of my favorite people (can't say author, havn't read his stuff, but I did listen to his 45 minute lecture on the history of storing and transmitting data)
My favorite people at the con were the writers. didn't much care for the fans. (excepting the lovely ladies I went with of course)
I am determined to 1) get my PhD and 2) become an expert on something.
so I can have conversations with people about things. It was a sad moment when I realized that I was more versed on the ins and outs of the music department at nyack than on ideas and thoughts that shaped writing. I had to grasp deep in to the recesses of my dark memory to remember why I liked art. Peon of corporate america. that's me.
I'm not writting any concrete facts, I realize that. well, the con started on thursday, we arrived wednesday night. Thursday morning we set up L.'s art and wandered a bit. the three of us split up for the panels the first day and a half. then I realized that I was very much missing human company, and I darn't talk to the people next to me at the cons, because they ran the gamut of every weird and wonderfull, wacky and scary preconceived notion I had. I think next year at Lunacon I will feel more comfortable in approaching people.
My Fantasy/Science Fiction tastes are quite litterary, mirroring the real world, which is oposed to allot of people there who were following battlestar galactica, dr who and other t.v shows. It also differs from comic genres. boy was I glas when I learned of the term Graphic Novel. It really is a necessary term, distinguishing them from different modes of comics.
Anyways, back to facts.
each day we got up, took the metro to the Con attended panels, munched on L's homemade snack bags (sorry, L, for not being more North American in my tasts) meeting for a late lunch and then back to more panels. Evenings we tried to get out and see a bit of the city, which worked once. we ended up in a bar called Yer' Mad. which was a great place! they played a muppet song over the PA system while we were there. can't be too bad. Downed my first guiness. I've sipped, but never finished before. (which leads me to ponder if there is a feminine version of "puts hair on your chest". There should be)
Saturday was the masquarade which was to quote l. "trey Fun" She looked quite regal in her sealy court getup, and the wing mechanism (months of planning, and many hilarious moments for me. such as calling her while she's heating up plastic in a closed environment. "can you get high of of plastic?" "why?" "I've been in my room with it all day and I'm feeling silly") received a round of applause as they went up
All the entries were mindblowingly good. and funny. My favorite was a "public service announcement for the makers of videogames" a stereotypical female video caracter walks out after appearing to escape from a battle and launches into a monologe about the complete freedom from realities tethers that gaming designers (read: men) enjoy when it comes to costume. Cupping the tiny round tin brassiere, she angrily intoned, "this is NOT armour" other points were that if they were going to give her a cape, she would like to be able to cover some point of her body with it, and that 6 inch heels are never, never, ever a good idea for fighting in.
Short skirts as well are equally pointless. There were a number of other good skits.
Sunday night was the hugo awards, at which I learned allot more names of authors I wanted to read.
more later
World con was a Very Interesting Experience. so many, many different things to pick from to write about. I was able to see my former best, now second best, living author up close and in person. Most of my heroes are dead and moldering in the ground somewhere. After a bunch of tearfull moments next to gravestones it's nice to be able to gush over a living author. only that in the weeks before worldcon, I discovered another brilliant man, china mieville, who subplanted Neil Gaiman in my favorites list. Mostly because Gaiman spins stories that are endlessly entertaining, but he never finishes a book! oh, there's an end in which the caracters all bow out, and they are complete novels, but there is no closure. I always get this picture of Neil sitting at a desk, writting and getting nearly done. All the important bits (or the fun bits) are tied up and over with. he's just tidying up at this point, and then suddenly, the doorbells rings and it's a long time no see friend, "Neil! how's it going!" "It's going really well, I'm just finishing up this book for tomorrows deadline" "bugger it, I have this great bottle of port, and a fascinating new art show I wanted to take you too. guess I'll ask someone else" " no.. wait. it's mostly done. I mean, practically speaking, it's done. I, oh for the love of pete, I'll finish it up when we get back" and of course, we know how the story ends. or doesnt't. pet peeve, folks, tiny rant. moving on.
Worldcon... discovered Cory Doctorow. The man's a genius. of course I love anyone who can talk extempora on copyright idiocy for 45 minutes. I love anyone with relevant information and resources. He's one of my favorite people (can't say author, havn't read his stuff, but I did listen to his 45 minute lecture on the history of storing and transmitting data)
My favorite people at the con were the writers. didn't much care for the fans. (excepting the lovely ladies I went with of course)
I am determined to 1) get my PhD and 2) become an expert on something.
so I can have conversations with people about things. It was a sad moment when I realized that I was more versed on the ins and outs of the music department at nyack than on ideas and thoughts that shaped writing. I had to grasp deep in to the recesses of my dark memory to remember why I liked art. Peon of corporate america. that's me.
I'm not writting any concrete facts, I realize that. well, the con started on thursday, we arrived wednesday night. Thursday morning we set up L.'s art and wandered a bit. the three of us split up for the panels the first day and a half. then I realized that I was very much missing human company, and I darn't talk to the people next to me at the cons, because they ran the gamut of every weird and wonderfull, wacky and scary preconceived notion I had. I think next year at Lunacon I will feel more comfortable in approaching people.
My Fantasy/Science Fiction tastes are quite litterary, mirroring the real world, which is oposed to allot of people there who were following battlestar galactica, dr who and other t.v shows. It also differs from comic genres. boy was I glas when I learned of the term Graphic Novel. It really is a necessary term, distinguishing them from different modes of comics.
Anyways, back to facts.
each day we got up, took the metro to the Con attended panels, munched on L's homemade snack bags (sorry, L, for not being more North American in my tasts) meeting for a late lunch and then back to more panels. Evenings we tried to get out and see a bit of the city, which worked once. we ended up in a bar called Yer' Mad. which was a great place! they played a muppet song over the PA system while we were there. can't be too bad. Downed my first guiness. I've sipped, but never finished before. (which leads me to ponder if there is a feminine version of "puts hair on your chest". There should be)
Saturday was the masquarade which was to quote l. "trey Fun" She looked quite regal in her sealy court getup, and the wing mechanism (months of planning, and many hilarious moments for me. such as calling her while she's heating up plastic in a closed environment. "can you get high of of plastic?" "why?" "I've been in my room with it all day and I'm feeling silly") received a round of applause as they went up
All the entries were mindblowingly good. and funny. My favorite was a "public service announcement for the makers of videogames" a stereotypical female video caracter walks out after appearing to escape from a battle and launches into a monologe about the complete freedom from realities tethers that gaming designers (read: men) enjoy when it comes to costume. Cupping the tiny round tin brassiere, she angrily intoned, "this is NOT armour" other points were that if they were going to give her a cape, she would like to be able to cover some point of her body with it, and that 6 inch heels are never, never, ever a good idea for fighting in.
Short skirts as well are equally pointless. There were a number of other good skits.
Sunday night was the hugo awards, at which I learned allot more names of authors I wanted to read.
more later
posted by Gwen at
7:17 AM
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