Locus Hugo Coverage

The October Locus arrived in my mailbox today, with the Hugo Awards coverage. Among many other people I know, pmcmurray is included in the panoramic photo of the winners and acceptors on stage. Alas, while they got his name right in the photo caption, the article itself identified him as "Mike" McMurray.

Looking at the winner photo, I see what Cheryl was saying about the photo session. Last year in Glasgow, we gave a lot of thought to the post-award photo session, taking care to have a properly lit photo area. We didn't do the movement of the nominees to the photo area as well as I wanted -- I came up with a method in hindsight that I think would have worked, but never mind -- but we still had a good photo shoot. LA did what just about every other Worldcon has done, as far as I can tell: make it up on the spot and ask the winners to come on stage, where the lighting conditions are wrong.

L.A. even had a reasonable option here, I thought: Take the nominees next door to the Arena Lobby (Spaceport Lounge), where they could have set up a proper photo shoot area. But I don't really fault L.A.con IV that much; it's not like they did any worse than almost every other Worldcon.

I wonder why it is that Interaction (er, well, Cheryl and I) thought through things like the Former Worldcon Chairs Photo and the Hugo Winners Photo shoots, while everyone else leaves them up to chance.

What johno Said

Agreed with his post.

Applications Dispatched

The "Guaranteed to Pass" gas treatment failed me, so I want a refund. Not surprisingly, they don't make it simple. You have to mail (no on-line method) a letter to them asking for the application form, then fill out the form and attach a copy of the receipts showing that you purchased it, you failed the test, and how much you spent on repairs. Then maybe someday they'll send me the $10 I spent on it.

I mailed the letter asking for the refund and the application to the California state government for smog-repair financial assistance today. Hope they turn around the application relatively quickly. I don't like sitting on this and risking my vehicle registration running out.

Credit Card Shuffle

Last night, I took the next step in resolving the credit card kerfluffle by dispatching the payment electronically that failed to get through on paper. They told me it will still take three or four days to appear. Diners Club is worse than most on this. They might credit the payment today, but their on-line statements are roughly a week behind. You'd think they'd get with the program. Anyway, once the payment actually shows up in their system, I will call them and tell them my tale.

In the meantime, American Express (with whom I have a personal card I never use) has offered me a very attractive balance-transfer deal. I've taken them up on it. If they actually approve it, a bunch of debt being charged variable rates between 7 and 15% will turn into a single 5% debt, and I can cancel at least one of those other credit cards. It doesn't actually reduce my debt, but makes it a little easier to pay off.

Holy Toledo!

At the risk of spreading would-be pernicious memes (go read my friends list if you don't get it)...

As the user icon may tell you, I'm not really an A's fan, but I'm not an anti-A's fan -- I just don't follow the Other League very much. No longer having a dog in the fight personally, I'd be happy to see the A's win it all. They did well to win at least one game in that dome, which is a good start. (I watched the last three innings before going to work this afternoon -- I'm still on sort-of Australian time these days. What a terrible place to play baseball! How can anyone track a fly ball against that roof?) As they say, anything can happen in a best of five series.

If I had to pick my two favorite teams in the baseball playoffs -- that is, my preferred World Series pairing -- I'd say Oakland and San Diego. But during the first round of the division series, I am a Mets fan. Beat LA!

I reckon the league and the networks would prefer Yankees-Dodgers so they could have the #1 and #2 television markets covered. But another Subway Series or an all-California Series certainly is easier on the teams, travel-wise.