Back from WFC

Back from the World Fantasy Convention in Madison. I had a great time--met lots of interesting people, caught up with old friends, met e-friends in person, hung out with folks who share my passions, had too much to eat, drink, and too many late nights. In short, it was a perfect weekend.

I described WFC to someone as a tribal gathering, but it's more than that. It's part corporate board meeting where we hear the state of the business, part family reunion where we see people we haven't seen for years, or finally get to meet that new cousin/in-law we've all been hearing about, and part college reunion where you catch up with the class of 2002 and see how everyone is doing.

( More WFC details here )

Returned home, and found that my house was ( Infested by lizards )

On the road again

Logging in from the road--I spent 8 hours at my house, of which 6 were sleeping. Now on a business trip for the day job. I left behind a lizard infested house, and can only hope they aren't breeding in my absence.

A few addendums to my earlier WFC coverage. First, I forgot to thank my fellow panelists for "A Maze Demands A Minotaur", Carol Berg, David D. Levine, Michael Shea, and Walter Jon Williams, who were lively, opinionated (in the best way) and demonstrated enthusiasm for both monsters and architecture.

Second, my one regret is that I didn't make it to the local Irish bar, which I hear is quite good. Hard to believe I visited a city and didn't make it to the Irish bar, although I did dine out on more exotic fare, including two Nepalese/Himalayan restaurants. But if I ever make it out to Wiscon, I know where I'm heading first.

Finally, in the weird things column, normally I'm as psychic as a brick, but when I was walking around Madison on Thursday morning, I had the feeling that there was someone of power buried on the grounds of the state capitol building. I don't get those types of feelings, and since this was 11AM on a bright, sunny day, it seemed doubly odd. Saturday night, during the monster panel, I threw out the question of what types of creatures would live in Madison to the panelists, and then mentioned my own impression of what was under the state capitol. A member of the audience then raised her hand to inform me of the local belief that the state capitol was built on the site of a Native American burial mound. Creepy!