kevin_standlee | Entries tagged with costume-con

This morning, I couldn't get breakfast because of needing to fast for a blood test, so I slept an extra hour. Packing out of the room was not difficult, and I was on my way by around 8 AM.

My first stop was the Sutter Health/PAMF facility in Fremont, where there was not much of a wait until they could draw blood for the test requested by my doctor. I could then get some breakfast.

( Bay Area Coffee Stops )

I continued on through Altamont Pass and Tracy to Lodi Junction and refueled at the Flying J truck stop as I usually do on these trips. I was pretty fatigued and found myself needing to stop far more often than I did going the other way, just to have places where I could sit still and close my eyes for a few minutes. I did this in Rocklin and at Monte Vista, the latter because the Gold Run rest area is still closed

( Through the Mountains )

After Cisco Grove, I did not stop again until Gold Ranch (not Gold Run), the first exit in Nevada, where I "paid" for the restroom use at the casino by putting $1 in a slot machine and playing for a short time. After losing and then winning some money, I found that I still had $1, and decided that the casino had had its chance, so I cashed out and left.

I got some take-out in Reno, then drove home to Fernley, stopping there to buy a gallon of milk from Family Dollar and collect accumulated mail from the post office across the street. Then I went home.

Today's total travel time was about 10 1/2 hours, which was pretty good in light of all of those stops. According to my mileage log, the total trip from Fernley to San Jose and back, along with the side trips and errands, was 701 miles.

I'm starting to feel that while I can make the outbound trip from Fernley to the Bay Area in one day, if I have a convention or other intense activity involved, I'm going to have to plan to split the return, as it's increasingly difficult for me to make the return in a single day. It's slightly different when I use the RV, such as did when I would spend a week working at my company office in the Bay Area, because in that case I'm driving a vehicle with a built-in toilet and bed, making it slightly easier to stop and even to take a nap. (However, until Caltrans sorts out Gold Run, there aren't that many places where I can stop overnight to sleep in the RV, as I've done a couple of times in the past.) So even though the RV is harder to drive than the minivan, it does have advantages in that one particular case.

Now I need to finish unpacking and get some sleep, as it's back to work tomorrow morning, meaning the alarm is once again set for 4:30 AM.

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: Fernley, Nevada

Because of my doctor's appointment (about which I will write separately), I did not get back to the Pemmi-Con table at CC39 until around 12:30 PM, where Spike was set up as the last parts of the convention wound down. Indeed, as I understand it, Registration was closed on Monday and there was a sign telling anyone who was interested to enjoy anything that was still happening. There were program items and the Dealers Room was open until 2 PM, but the major programming ended last night.

( Past Costume-Con Chairs )

There were still people around on Monday in costume, but they passed by quickly and I was not quick enough on the uptake to get pictures. For the most part, this was the day for tear-down and move-out. Around 4 PM, I went to BurgerIM one last time to get dinner. (I have a fasting blood draw due tomorrow morning and thus needed to get dinner early: Nothing but water for me until after my blood test.)

The post-con party in the Con Suite started at 5 PM and ran until 9 PM. It was mainly the hard-core types including SMOFs like me (particularly those with an overlap in costume fandom), it wasn't crowded, and people kept their masks on except when actively eating/drinking. I felt reasonably safe. I talked with lots of people on a variety of topics.

( Danger: SMOF Zone )

Anyway, just before 9 PM, we got the (figurative) warning bell from CC39 bell Radar, and we were all told to eat and drink anything we wanted and to take away with us anything we wanted to take, because the perishable food would be discarded and the non-perishables stored and/or given way as needed. I took several bottles of water and some sealed food bars to eat after my lab visit tomorrow morning and headed for the room to write up this last day and to do pre-packing for tomorrow morning.

I had a good time here at Costume-Con 39, even though it's not my primary interest. I got to talk with many of my friends who I have not seen in person for a long time (sometimes years), and got to discuss NASFiC with people, and help sell a few memberships. I got to wear some of my own costumes and to see many great ones. And as far as I know, we all got to have fun fairly safely, as I have heard of only one reported case of COVID. As I wrote elsewhere, in that respect, it was sort of the anti-Eastercon.

I head for home tomorrow morning. I had sort of thought of having breakfast in the hotel restaurant tomorrow (as it was likely to be very uncrowded), but now that I have the fasting blood draw ahead of me, I guess I'll just pack up and leave when I wake up tomorrow.

Current Mood: cheerful
Current Location: San Jose, California

I continue to wake up ahead of my alarm, but that was still several hours after my normal rising time. After a negative COVID test cleared me to be able to face the day and after refilling the makeshift icebox in the room's second sink, I got showered and got breakfast from the nearest Starbucks (that's about 850 m today because the close one isn't open on weekends). After that, I took the Pemmi-Con material down to our info table and set things up. I was ready by 10, but apparently things down that way didn't open until 11. That's okay with me; I answered messages until people showed up to whom I could talk about NASFiC.

I tried to take more pictures today of the many wonderful costumes that passed our table. Unlike yesterday, I am not going to post them all to this entry. Click through the photos behind the cut and they will take you to my Flickr account, where you can look at all of them.

( Sunday at CC39 )

Spike joined me in the afternoon and we spent out time talking to anyone who came by about NASFiC, including in many cases trying to explain what Worldcon was and why NASFiC exists and no, there won't be a Pemmi-Con in 2024, just this one convention in 2023, although there is a strong probability that there will be a 2024 NASFiC in Buffalo, New York on account of they are the only group that filed a bid to host it. However, as anyone who has followed me regularly knows, being the only bid on the ballot doesn't guarantee success.

I hadn't expected to sell many memberships this weekend, but we've sold a total of four (including some upgrades from voting to attending), which three more than I expected.

We packed up the table at 6 PM. Neither Spike nor I will be able to be at the table until after Noon on Monday, and the convention ends at 2 PM, but we intend to be here from Noon to closing. I've found that it's a good idea when possible to be out there at the end because there are people who have talked to us that will dither over buying a membership and put it off until the very end, so if you're not there to take their money, they may change their minds by the time they're back home.

I once again walked to BurgerIM to get dinner. This time I tried the salmon burger, to report on it to Kuma Bear. This was salmon with a pineapple slice and barbeque sauce. It was good, but I think I like the Spanish Beef better.

By the time I finished dinner, the Historical Masquerade was over and people were socializing in the foyer of the ballroom. I was happy to socialize, and also to go in and watch the awards, because the ballroom was sufficiently uncrowded (and most people were masked) that I didn't feel threatened. There were awards and photographs and congratulations, and that was the end of the last big event of Costume-Con 39. There's still the one day remaining, but the big events are done.

I walked across the "overland route" (the rooftop shortcut from the ballrooms to the hotel tower, a walk that always reminds me of the scenes from my Doctor Who film "The Zombie Legions" that we shot on that walkway, and I briefly visited room parties. I didn't have anything to eat or drink (although I took a bottle of water back to my hotel room with me), but it was sufficiently uncrowded and people were in my opinion being sufficiently well-behaved that I was comfortable socializing for a while. However, when my day starts early, it also ends early, and I wanted to allow enough time to write this up as well.

Tomorrow I have to run up to Palo Alto to see my doctor. I'm braced for bad news. Not as bad as others of my friends have had, though. We'll see what he has to say after he completes my first annual physical in more than three years.

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: San Jose, California

This morning was a special event: Adam Savage made a special appearance at Costume-Con, with a one-hour Q&A session at 9 AM followed by photos with members. Adam rarely makes appearances like this, and did so as a special favor for us. I volunteered to help hand out masks to people who had arrived at the big event without one. I was pleased to only need to hand out three. Everyone else on my side of the audience had their masks and were wearing them.

( Adam Savage Live )

Today, like yesterday, I spent much of my time between the Pemmi-Con/2023 NASFiC info table. But unlike yesterday, when I wore either my Pemmi-Con or Winnipeg in '23 t-shirt, today, I wore my WSFS uniform, partially because Pemmi-Con will have more WSFS business than any past NASFiC.

( Captain On Deck! )

I set up the NASFiC table and sat at it for the first half of the day, while Tom Becker and Spike Parsons did the second half. As with yesterday, people in costume came by the table, and I took pictures (with permission).

( Costume Photos at CC39 )

As I mentioned, with Tom and Spike at the table, I could retreat to my room (which is cooler and more comfortable) for lunch. There I was able to use some extra supplies that Lisa sent with me.

( Hot Stuff )

The Doubletree Hotel texted me to ask if I was having any problems. This reminded me of an issue I first noticed yesterday, forgot about, happened again this morning, and about which I forgot again. When showering, I had almost no hot water, and what I did have fluctuated badly. I let them know, and they sent an engineer, who identified a blockage somwhere along the way and fixed it, so I should have a good hot shower tomorrow morning.

I spent the final hour of our day behind the table down at the time before we shut down around 6 PM. I changed out of my WSFS uniform, then went on the same hike as yesterday, first to a convenience store to get milk, then to BurgerIM to get dinner. I'd originally planned to get a lamb burger, but they were out, and they were also out of the Wagyu beef burger, so I returned to the Spanish Beef burger, which was just as good as yesterday.

After dinner, I went down to the ballroom and considered watching part of the SF&F Masquerade, but realized just how really very tired I was, and retreated to the room, where I am currently considering going to bed early by "convention time," but on my normal work day schedule by my body clock. The pandemic has mostly put an end to my party-hopping days, I'm afraid. Sitting behind a table gives me at least 1 m spacing from people, but crowded parties make me somewhat nervous, even with my multiple vaccinations.

Current Mood: exhausted
Current Location: San Jose, California

I walked down to the nearest Starbucks this morning to get breakfast, and learned that is closed weekends. I'm glad to learn that today so that I can make plans for tomorrow. It's a huge hardship; the next-closest one, which is open on weekends, is only about 350 meters farther away.

Around 10 AM, I went down and found which table was for Pemmi-Con, then set up our sales table.

( Letting the Convention Come to Me )

Spike Parsons, who is Pemmi-Con's promotions and publicity person and put together the table material, joined me later in the day until we closed around 6 PM. We packed things up and I took stuff back to the room, then I went out to get dinner. I returned to the burger place from which I got take-out last night and instead of one of their "regular" burger packages, built one up from parts, so to speak, this time with the pre-seasoned patty. I may try and lamb or salmon burger next time

Last night, I wanted some milk, and ended up spending $5 for a tiny container from the hotel gift shop. This evening, I bought a half-gallon for $4 from a convenience store and iced it down in one of the hotel room's two sinks. I figured that even if I end up throwing half of it away, it's still a better deal.

( Evening Event )

Most people headed off to the parties, but to be honest, I'm already uncomfortable enough without more crowding. Besides, my hours don't fit the parties anymore. I wish I'd remembered to go by the Con Suite and get a couple of bottles of water, though.

Tomorrow morning is the Big Event: Adam Savage will be appearing from 9 AM and doing autographs and pictures thereafter. We only have him in the morning, and he's doing us a big favor by coming by. I hope to be able to see him. Then for me it's back to the Pemmi-Con table for most of the day. Rather than wearing my Winnipeg t-shirt, however, I'm planning to wear my WSFS uniform. More about that tomorrow.

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: San Jose, California

Last night, Lisa decided that she just was not up to attending Costume-Con. She's not sick; she just did not have enough spoons to deal with it. She did tell me that she wanted me to go, though, and I was essentially committed, even though my original staff position evaporated when nobody filed a bid for the Costume-Con two years from now. (The owner of the Costume-Con service mark will make a Direct Award.) I'll be running at able for Pemmi-Con, and I have a doctor's appointment on Monday morning.

I intended to sleep in for an hour this morning, but I woke up just a few minutes after my alarm would have normally gone off anyway, so I decided to go ahead and get started.

( Breakfast for the Road )

My timing was pretty good. I missed any significant traffic in Reno (but it's a good thing I wasn't going the other way out of Reno as I-80 eastbound was blocked at Lockwood, east of Sparks). I got a coffee in west Reno, stopped at the lottery sales at Gold Ranch to cast the $4 winning ticket I've been holding since the last big round of lottery sales, and kept going west. Next stop was Donner Summit. The weather was fine.

( Watch your Step )

Another stop for more coffee at Colfax, and then it was off to Sacramento. My timing was such that I passed through during a mid-morning lull and turned south on I-5. I stopped to refuel at the Flying J at Lodi Jct, and made one other brief restroom break along the way, before getting to the Doubletree San Jose about 2 PM. Seven hours for this trip is pretty good by my standards.

This hotel, back in the 1990s when it was a Red Lion Inn, was at one time Fan Central Station for the Bay Area, and I was spending up to a month per year (not all consecutive days, of course) here. However, I think it's been more than five years since I last stayed here, and after moving in to my room, and I to familiarize myself with the place in its current configuration. However, before I could do that, I had to lie down for a while and take a nap for about an hour. It wasn't enough, but it would have to do.

The food situation isn't great. The hotel rooms don't come with refrigerators or microwave ovens. (A 'fridge would have cost an extra $25/day that I wasn't prepared to spend. I did find a very promising burger place 850 m from the hotel. (That's about the same distance as the walk between my house and the post office in Fernley.) I have a feeling that I'll be back at BurgerIM at least once again this weekend. Breakfast I should be able to get for take-out from the hotel restaurant, or else I can go to the Starbucks about 500 m from the hotel.

If I had a refrigerator, I could get a half gallon or gallon of milk, but as it stands, I have no way to keep anything larger than a quart, as that's all that will fit in the ice bucket in the hotel. Oh well, I'll manage.

I have my membership badge, and I have the package of Pemmi-Con promotional material that Tom Becker handed off to me this evening for me to use at our promotional table this weekend. Now all I need is some sleep, which shouldn't be difficult.

Current Mood: exhausted
Current Location: San Jose, California