Blackjack!

One of Friday evening's events here at CascadiaCon was a casino night, which included a blackjack table. Now I like to play blackjack, but I also enjoy dealing it, and I volunteered to be the dealer at one of the tables. Next thing I know, it was nearly midnight and I'd been dealing for over three hours. I had a great time, and the table to whom I was dealing also seemed to be enjoying themselves.

The only reason I stopped was because David Gallaher had arrived and he and I needed to talk about Saturday night's Reception that SFSFC is hosting in my honor, to include the Board of Inquiry into the matter of the WSFS Armadillo. According to Dave, the reception begins at 9:30 PM Saturday in Rooms 2113/15 (the Green Room during the day), with the Board of Inquiry to follow.

But right now, I've gone too long without sleep. Fortunately for me, I have no program items until late Saturday afternoon, so I think sleeping in is indicated now.

Captain On Deck

I'm really glad I had no program items this morning. It meant I could sleep in and get a leisurely breakfast -- which, by the time I got it, turned out to be more like lunchtime, but never mind.

The morning issue of the newsletter included an announcement regarding the SFSFC-hosted reception for me tonight, including the Board of Inquiry into the matter of the Armadillo. Accordingly, I'll be around today in my captain's uniform, trying to be on my best behavior. I understand that testimony on both sides has been lined up from near and far.

The question is: do I want to be cleared or not? As I said at Interaction when Colonel David Gallaher advised me that he would be convening a Board of Inquiry, "But that means they might never let me have a command ever again! Hey, wait a minute: that might not be so bad after all."

Saturday Afternoon at NASFiC

I spent this afternoon wandering around the convention in my WSFS uniform, accompanied by Yeoman Lisa Hayes. For those people who hadn't been at Interaction, I had to repeatedly explain the Interaction theme, the Armadillo, the capture by pirates, and the Board of Inquiry.

I also had a chance for the first time in many conventions to actually see the Art Show, although there was nothing I saw that caught my buying interest.

Late afternoon, I walked down to the Radisson, where I had a 6 PM Panel entitled "Do You Spend More Time With Your Computer Than With Your Significant Other?" to which the answer in my case is, "Yes," as it was for everyone else on the panel. Perhaps we needed one or more of those Significant Others up on the panel with us.

I had a panel at 8 in the same hotel, and I was interested in the 7 PM panel in the same room anyway: "Generation Gaps in Fandom and Conventions." This panel was very interesting to me, as it's something I think about a lot. Anchoring one end of the panel was David Kyle, who has seen a lot, including the fact that the very room in which the panel was taking place had been the entire program room (one track) at the 1961 Worldcon.

After that, the 8 PM panel was "Organizing a Fan Group." The Masquerade was going on at the same time, which probably was the main reason only one person (besides those who were fellow-travelers of the panelists) showed up for it. We talked a bit about fan groups, but did not stay near topic that much. After that it was back to the Hilton, where I could dash off this quick summary before I am summoned to appear before my Board of Inquiry.