random thoughts on WFC 2007, somewhat delayed

*I had 8 clients and one step-client in attendance. That sure makes for a busy schedule.

*The Zombies Need Brains Party, hosted in part by pbray and mizkit was fun and I got one of the lizard keychains too. Also, went to the Orbit party at TizNow, wherein swag was had and a proper Old Fashioned was consumed. Stopped by the Aussie party as well, largely for the privilege of having Garth Nix pour me a glass of wine and hearing him apologize profusely because it was actually from New Zealand.

*Hal Duncan taught me how to pronounce a number of Scotch labels. My accent is apparently terrible. (He also had a brilliant reading on Friday afternoon — I love when he does poetry.)

*And many thanks to icedrake for saving some of the new cheese from Meadow Creek to try (since, due to scheduling conflicts, I had to miss the cheese tasting hosted by jaylake). And to his better half katfeete for being such delightful and entertaining company.

*As has been reported elsewhere, jaylake and kenscholes conspired to persuade the entire bar to sing Happy Birthday to me. I was torn between crawling under the table and polite acknowledgement. Instead, I chose, quite out of character, to climb up on my chair and blow kisses. Though it was not my actual birthday until later in the week, I was celebrating that weekend by pinning people with birthday candle stickers.

*Restaurants: The Wine Bar with jaylake, lasirenadolce, kenscholes, and mcurry: lovely place, attentive service, the cheese samplers were fun and the duck ravioli tasty. The Inn at Saratoga with mizkit and chefted (now confirmed as a real live person): sounded promising, but the food was utterly disappointing — over-salted in some cases, my shrimp in the cioppino was overcooked, etc. etc. I’ve decided I owe them a replacement dinner. But chefted and I at least had fun dissing the food. Also stops at Ravenous (yummy crepes), Lime, (where I tried the jicama salad since I’d never had jicama before), Mare (that waiter got extra points), Chez Sophie (nicely done crab cakes), and Scallions (delightful, if molten, baked fontina).

*Bookses! : As mentioned, above, there was swag at the Orbit party and I obtained some books there as well as things in the goodie bag upon arrival (one of my own clients books was in that bag!). I also bought a book at The Lyrical Ballad and a few more in the dealers room. So the following get added to my reading pile….

Devices and Desires by K.J. Parker
The Electric Church by Jeff Somers
Black Ships by Jo Graham
A Winter Wish by H.P. Lovecraft
Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman
Nova Swing by M. John Harrison
The Secret History of Moscow by Ekaterina Sedia
The River Knows Its Own by Jay Lake
Carmen Dog by Carol Emshwiller
The Guin Saga by Kaoru Kurimoto
Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier
Things that Never Were by Matthew Rossi
Wizardry and Wild Romance by Michael Moorcock

….but they will have to wait because I’m just about to finish off Brian Francis Slattery’s Spaceman Blues and then more submissions are on deck.