So that was Eastercon. And I enjoyed it.

I had thought that I wasn't going to be able to make it due to life, the universe, and everything but the Eastercon fairy godmother waved her magic wand and said “You shall go to the con!” and so it came to pass.

I flew down on the Friday with cuddles_batcave, with whom I was sharing a room. We were staying at the Premier Inn, which was a short walk along Bath Road from the Radisson Non-Euclidean, and which would seem to be the one which was used in the Lenny Henry advert for Premier Inns.

The hotel lift appeared to have been influenced by the geometry of the Radisson as, on our way to breakfast on the ground floor, it announced our arrival on the 13th floor – in a building with only 3 floors!

By the time we arrived some people had been working on set-up since Thursday and wouldn't finish until the Tuesday – so a full 5 day working week for them with no weekend to recover, unlike most people's working weeks. Their work was most appreciated as it was a very good con. Did they actually take the time to enjoy the con themselves? I kept seeing them buzzing around, wallyphones in the ear, looking very busy. I know that I do enjoy keeping busy at a con, something I would like to do more often but haven't had much opportunity to do of late, so perhaps they were enjoying it as well.

(BTW 31 years of con-going! Oh my gods!)

There was a lot on the programme and a lot of faces, old and new, to talk to. I gophered, did my stint on the satellite_2 desk, attended programme items, drank real ale, wandered around, chatted, and generally had a good time. I'd like to say a big thanks to the people (and there were many) who came up to me to ask me how I was doing. It really gave me a boost.

I nearly ended up being recruited for the Christian Easter service as I wandered along to the real ale bar with Christine and Michael who were going to the planning meeting. Someone seemed to think I had volunteered to do something but how they managed to think that of someone wearing a pentagram, a mjollnir, and a badge saying "My god can beat up your god!" I don't know. I wasn't exactly being Stealth Pagan.

I've signed up for LX, and I plan to do so for Odyssey as well. In the meantime there's a few other things to do as well – such as the Battle of Largs. If I hadn't gone to Eastercon, I could have gone to Pictavia in Angus with the Vikings but as the reports say sub zero temperatures, blizzards, frozen fire buckets, PA 20 feet from the battle ground & 3 out of 4 tents felled by the weather!! I think I got the better deal! I've had a look at the photos – taken in a blizzard it would appear.

Tonight I am heading out to the 2nd meeting of the Glasgow Southside Science Fiction Society. Should be fun.


PS. FAO cuddles_batcave I think the con with John Brunner as GOH that we couldn't remember the name of was Faircon 81.