I’ve always loved this corridor at O’Hare.
It’s pretty empty at 00:30 AM, the only folks there were the ones getting off of our plane.
Our plane arrived early, our luggage didn’t get lost, and we got to the hotel with only one little “adventure.”
It’s good to be back. I don’t think I’ve been here in over twenty years.
Filed under Photography, Travel
During their vacation, many folks to a “cleanse,” where they retreat from the stress of work and home life and social media, eat healthy food, drink pure fluids, get some exercise, do some yoga, get a massage, and so on.
I’m not one of those folks.
It occurs to me that I do the opposite, more of a “pollute!” Normally I try to eat well, get some exercise, watch my weight, manage stress, but when I go on vacation, all of those rules are gone. It’s time to eat all of that crap that I normally don’t allow myself to have!
Burgers & fries yesterday for lunch, pizza last night. Getting on a plane, there’s always a big bag of M&Ms and some chocolate bars to help suffer through those long, long, four-hour flights. A pound of chocolate an hour for every hour in the air – isn’t that the rule? There’s some FAA regulation about that, I’m sure.
Plus, once we get to the hotel and I’m not driving anywhere for DAYS, it’s time to have a margarita or three! I won’t drink if I’m going to be driving or flying, but if everything is either in the big hotel and convention center or I’m going someplace by cab or subway, then why do I have to worry about being 100% sober or 0% hungover?
Next week I can carefully check the scales when I get home and see how much damage I’ve done and begin the grim task of moving that counterweight back to the left a few pounds. In the meantime, IT’S TIME TO GET TOXIC, BABY!!
Filed under Silly Shit, Travel
It’s been quite the day. I think I may have blown a brain circuit or two.
Let’s keep this simple. What was I doing fifteen years ago?
Traveling to a NASFIC in the Saint Louis region with the family apparently. (Side note, while I was also working full time plus and also going to Pepperdine to get my MBA and starting my flying lessons, I apparently also took six trips around the country, went to three airshows, two science fiction conventions, and three or four baseball games. Where did I get the time and/or energy?!) But rather than going with the stock photo of the Gateway Arch and Old Courthouse in downtown Saint Louis, I like this one of that same area broken up and fractured in the reflections of an office building.
Filed under Photography, Travel
Chicon 8, the 80th World Science Fiction Convention, will be held in Chicago on September 1-5, 2022.
For the first time in a bunch of years, it looks like we’ll be there, barring some kind of (waves hands and does hopeless Kermit flail indicating everything) catastrophe.
My first science fiction convention was Iguanacon II in Phoenix in 1978. My first trip out of North America was Seacon ’79 in Brighton, England. My honeymoon with Janet (my first wife) was a cross-country road trip to Noreascon Two in Boston in 1980.
We went to Denvention Two in Denver in 1981, Chicon IV in Chicago in 1982, and ConStellation in Baltimore in 1983.
In 1984 we were touch and go at LA Con II here in Los Angeles. I was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Fanzine but Janet was about 8 1/2 months pregnant, so we could have been forced to bail at a moment’s notice. I did not win the Hugo and our son arrived two weeks after the convention.
After attending seven years in a row things got spottier. We didn’t get to Australia in 1985, Brighton in 1987, or The Hague in 1990.
Even for the domestic conventions, we only got to about a third of them. But we were also taking all of the kids – they got brought up in fannish culture. Noreascon 3 in Boston. ConFrancisco in San Francisco. LACon III in Los Angeles. Chicon 2000. ConJose in San Jose. Torcon 3 in Toronto. LACon IV. Denvention 3. Anticipation in Montreal.
Over the past dozen or so years it seems that a lot of Worldcons have been overseas, and with my career and CAF time commitments causing quite the pinch to my available time, we didn’t get to Australia, Helsinki, London, Dublin, or Wellington. Of course, we didn’t get to Chicago, Kansas City, San Antonio, Reno, or Spokane either. Hell, we didn’t even get to San Jose.
Recently, of course, there’s been COVID. So while we really, REALLY had plans to get to Washington, DC last year, that ultimately didn’t happen.
I had forgotten that the last one we actually got to was in 2009, Anticipation in Montreal. It’s been thirteen years. Time flies when you’re… Never mind.
Next year Worldcon is in Chengdu, China. As much as I enjoyed my one trip to China, I don’t realistically see us getting to Chengdu Worldcon 81st. For the 2024 Worldcon there’s only one bid, Glasgow, Scotland, so I’m guessing they’ll win the vote. We might actually give that a shot, it sounds like a great trip. 2025’s only bid so far is Seattle, where 2026 has bids from Los Angeles and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
In summary, while the future looks good for at least a couple of domestic bids coming up and at least one realistic overseast trip, this year’s Worldcon in Chicago is where we’re focused. I think we’re going.
We have memberships, hotel reservations, and now plane reservations. Everything’s refundable if the world collapses (again) but we’re hopeful. Over Memorial Day weekend we went to Baycon up in San Mateo and it, while much smaller in size that in previous years (“Thanks, COVID!” ) was still enjoyable. I have no idea how big Chicon 8 will be compared to what I’m used to as a Worldcon, but I’m hoping for a fun convention and also some good sightseeing around Chicago. Maybe a Cubs game at Wrigley.
It’s about time to catch a break and get a little bit back to normal, if we can.
Okay, maybe not entirely random…
Yesterday’s spectacular first image from JWST and today’s additional images and spectra and data of course had me thinking about my 2015 NASA Social in which I got to be one of the first to see the Hubble Space Telescope 25th Anniversary image as well as visit NASA Goddard where JWST was being assembled.
To see my full posts and pictures of that trip, either enter “NASA Social For Hubble25” in the search box at the upper right, or use the “Archives” box in the lower right to go to April 2015.
It was a fantastic trip!
Filed under Astronomy, Photography, Space, Travel
To find that after almost five weeks of watering the lawn at about 25% rations (twice a week instead of four times a week, for 8 minutes instead of 15), the lawn is turning brittle and brown quite nicely.
Good thing that it’s been in the 90’s and low 100’s and dry as a bone, too!
If it were my house I might be making changes in the landscaping, but it’s not. I’m sure the owner isn’t particularly happy, but thems are the rules and they seem to be enforcing it. I’m not planning on getting fined.
Now we just need to wait a couple of days and see if our somewhat obsessive wearing of masks and keeping as distant as possible from others at Baycon was effective. There are already reports of four COVID cases, but not necessarily in areas or panels we attended.
We’ll see. Whether or not we come out of his clean will have a lot to do in the final decision of whether or not to go to Chicago in September for Worldcon.
Fingers crossed…
Filed under Fandom, Health, Photography, Travel
We’re out of town, and I wasn’t thrilled by the idea of going to hunt for a local fireworks display, not knowing the areas, neighborhoods, parking, and so on. But there’s a third floor balcony on the hotel, looking out over the freeway toward the bay, so I figured there was a chance that some of the local communities might have displays that we could see. A few other folks from the remnants of the con thought the same, and we weren’t disappointed.
It might have been from a couple miles away, but it still beat what we’ve had for the last couple of years. I’ll take it!
Filed under Fandom, Fireworks, Photography, Travel
Baycon is much smaller this year than it has been in past years. I don’t have any official numbers, but I would be surprised if there are 30% of the normal, pre-COVID attendees.
Ah, COVID! There’s a big chunk of the problem. No Baycon in 2020 or 2021, and this year we’re on a different holiday weekend than normal. No wonder.
But I’m having a great time anyway. Good panels every day. Masquerade tonight. Some filk concerts. Got to meet and chat with the artist Guest of Honor. And so on.
And I can wander the convention space looking for odd or interesting things to take pictures of!
What’s not to love?
Filed under Fandom, Photography, Travel
On only the second trip in three years, at a con for the first time in three years, comfort and convenience are key. I knew that my usual routines for healthy eating might have to take a sabbatical for a couple of days. But the first day and a half was just BRUTAL on my dietary control.
So today I wanted to do better. Let’s start with a healthier breakfast. Forget about the hotel breakfast buffet, which not only cost $40 but also seduced me into eating enough food to feed a small battalion. Today, let’s go to that great little mom & pop family place a couple blocks down for just an omelette…
Holy guacamole, Batman!
I couldn’t do it, couldn’t finish. Even with that whole “Catholic, family of eight kids, clean your plate at all costs, starving children in China” condition from birth, I was going to explode and/or die if I had tried.
But it cost less than half of what that hotel buffet did, so, winner winner!!
Filed under Fandom, Photography, Travel
First science fiction convention in three years!
Well, this isn’t at the con, it’s where we had dinner. But it’s very photogenic.
Filed under Fandom, Photography, Travel
 | berich56 on Wispy With A Chance Of Straigh… |
 | Jemima Pett on War Board Review |
 | momdude on Above Average Sunset & Cre… |
 | Frederic Paulussen on Above Average Sunset & Cre… |
| Jemima Pett on Proof Of Life – Febrary… |
 | karen bear on iPhone 17 Moonrise |
 | Praveen Yadav on Evolution Of Some Weird C… |
| Jemima Pett on Why Is There Brain Freeze… |
We Love The Stars Too Fondly 