Packing for Westercon
Jul. 2nd, 2013 09:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kevin_standleeAfter work today I finalized the question packages for our two Match Game SF shows at Westercon, printed the commercials, and otherwise got the show's paperwork ready to go. Lisa repacked all of the prize and supply boxes and staged the tech gear and sundry other things in the living room. The big challenge will be fitting everything into the minivan.
A band of thunderstorms moved through the area today, dropping very little rain on Fernley but lots of wind. For the second time in two days, I got emergency storm warning messages on my mobile phones. This time I heard the alert sounder, which is similar to the Emergency Alert System. And about that time visibility dropped outside and winds picked up considerably. We felt bad for the BNSF train crew switching cars across the street. The poor conductor out there throwing switches needed a pair of goggles such as were worn in the days of coal-fired locomotives. At one point when we went out to see if Amtrak was coming, a big burst of wind pelted us with sand, and we retreated to the house.
Very little rain fell on Fernley. Too much rain fell on the Sierra Nevada fifty miles to the west of us, and a mudslide covered Interstate 80 with three feet of mud in an area larger than a football field just west of the California state line, according to reports. As I write this post, CalTrans has managed to open one lane eastbound but no westbound lanes yet. If they haven't opened the freeway by the time we have to leave tomorrow for Sacramento, we'll have to go the long way via South Lake Tahoe, which is inconvenient for where we actually have to be near Cal Expo and requires a roundabout trip.
After the sandstorm abated somewhat, I moved the van around to the garage and we removed the rear seat to make room for all of our gear. We may do some packing tonight if the wind dies down, because it's almost cool outside, even if it is dark. Otherwise, we'll have to wait until tomorrow morning. Due to the heat that is expected to return tomorrow, we really want to do as much outside moving around during the relatively cool dark hours as we can.
Aside from packing the van, I think we're about ready to go. I felt a whole lot better after the question packages were completed, as that's one of the worst parts of show production for me. We have enough questions to play a projected four games for each show, plus a potential for a few extra questions if we're under-running. Most of the questions are new, but there are a few mixed in or rewritten from past shows, particularly in the tie-breakers. But it has been almost two years since our last show, and many of the panelists are new to the Match Game SF stage, so I think it should all work out.
A band of thunderstorms moved through the area today, dropping very little rain on Fernley but lots of wind. For the second time in two days, I got emergency storm warning messages on my mobile phones. This time I heard the alert sounder, which is similar to the Emergency Alert System. And about that time visibility dropped outside and winds picked up considerably. We felt bad for the BNSF train crew switching cars across the street. The poor conductor out there throwing switches needed a pair of goggles such as were worn in the days of coal-fired locomotives. At one point when we went out to see if Amtrak was coming, a big burst of wind pelted us with sand, and we retreated to the house.
Very little rain fell on Fernley. Too much rain fell on the Sierra Nevada fifty miles to the west of us, and a mudslide covered Interstate 80 with three feet of mud in an area larger than a football field just west of the California state line, according to reports. As I write this post, CalTrans has managed to open one lane eastbound but no westbound lanes yet. If they haven't opened the freeway by the time we have to leave tomorrow for Sacramento, we'll have to go the long way via South Lake Tahoe, which is inconvenient for where we actually have to be near Cal Expo and requires a roundabout trip.
After the sandstorm abated somewhat, I moved the van around to the garage and we removed the rear seat to make room for all of our gear. We may do some packing tonight if the wind dies down, because it's almost cool outside, even if it is dark. Otherwise, we'll have to wait until tomorrow morning. Due to the heat that is expected to return tomorrow, we really want to do as much outside moving around during the relatively cool dark hours as we can.
Aside from packing the van, I think we're about ready to go. I felt a whole lot better after the question packages were completed, as that's one of the worst parts of show production for me. We have enough questions to play a projected four games for each show, plus a potential for a few extra questions if we're under-running. Most of the questions are new, but there are a few mixed in or rewritten from past shows, particularly in the tie-breakers. But it has been almost two years since our last show, and many of the panelists are new to the Match Game SF stage, so I think it should all work out.
