i'm sorry that it's taken so damn long to get back to this part of my Worldcon report. This is the part where I name names. Also well, you know, other stuff.

It's not a real con report; I didn't go to enough stuff, do enough things. You can, I'm sure, find dozens of excellent articles on the events - from Opening Ceremoties to Hugo Awards to etc. But I sidled through the Art Show, very quickly, I cruised the Dealers' Room rather more intently and saw some stuff. The Dealers' Room pleased the heck out of me for offering fewer weaponry than in past years and more steampunk (I didn't buy it but I appreciate it. And someday for some reason, we will steampunk the hell out of my wheelchair. Agrred? Completely with smokestack going poof? (that can be fake))

I described my ventures into the Dealers' Room as "First, I am going to go andnot buy tee shirts. Then I'm going to go and not buy jewelry." Heh. Two tee shirts later and one stunning necklace later, aong with 3 adorable patches (one says "Crivens") and a bumper sticker, I stopped. I do hope that the potter found who she was looking for. She came up to me TWICE to ask if I was the person who'd bought stuff from her. I apparently looked so much like that person. Sigh. I have no idea who she was looking for and the second time, she got really embarrassed because apparently she was unable to notice anything about me after the FIRST encounter

One extreme pleasure of falling in love with a necklace made by Laurie Toby Edison, whom I have known for, er, a few years now, was that on this occasion, she was being very ably assisted by her daughter, Shayin Gottlieb. I was croggled that Shayin remembered me and flattered as hell. I mean it. We haven't seen each other in years and well, anyway. I am so glad to have reconnected with this very cool woman. And Laurie dammit, makes too much fine jewelry. I would post a photo of the "black lace" choker I bought but I cannot take pictures so I will have to ask someone to take one and send it to me.

I would not have been at Sasquan for one minute if it were not for another old friend, Beth Cohen. (Stu and I - I'm sorry but we did - always made jokes about our friends, the synagogues. Back east,it was "Temple Beth Cohen" and in the west, yeah, you're already there, "Temple Beth Meacham". Don't blame me, it was his idea. Yeah. That's right. What, you doubt it?)

We rented a van, found ramps to rent to try to get the wheelchair into the van. Beth then drove all the way to Spokane on Friday and all the way BACK to Seattle on Sunday night. I would not have managed the trip without her, nor managed several snafus - like our room at the New Davenport that was not accessible - without her. Period. It's that simple and that complex. And I owe Suzle big-time for the room fix.

I would not have been on program, nor felt so fortunate as to be so welcome at this Worldcon without Laurie Mann. Not only did Laurie organize program that really was suited to me, but she let me suggest participants for one of them and when I at first cancelled and then uncancelled, she single-handedly moved two program items complete with seven total program participants to slots when I would be in Spokane. I've done convention programming. I have never managed it for that big an event and have never once had to move an entire program item already set with particiants. She did it twice.

Laurie was also the first con attendee I saw when we arrived. Beth had gone to park the van and I was checking in ahd there was Laurie. Whom I've known since 19mumblemumble (not really that long). Well, okay we got to be friends when I lived in the Boston area, met and fell in love with Stu and worked on Worldcon, Noreascon 3 in 1989. And she was able to visit last year when there was a Sasquan meeting in Seattle. It has been great reconnecting with her and with Jim and her enthusiasm and happiness at my being there meant and means a great deal. And oh, that was a wonderful dinner with Laurie and Beth on Sunday and I want to do it again. Maybe the same menu - definitely the appetizer and dessert we shared! Cheeese, guys! Cheese....

Huge gratitude to Randy Byers and everyone who set up the Fan Lounge and put together that glorious display of Stu's artwork. Randy and talked with me about what he wanted to do. I'd spent hours poring over the computer scans I have of the artwork so far (thank you Alex Bear) and sent him far too many drawings that would be, I thought, good to choose from to show Stu's varied tastes, topics and to show how long he'd been an artist and how his style had changed. From what I could see, and what Randy said, I think everything I sent was printed, put on foamboard and displayed onfive panels in the Fan Lounge. I know that Andy Hooper, Jerry Kaufman and Suzle Tompkins worked to put it together, and Andy provided captions for every piece (I couldn't read them sorry, so I have no idea what they said. Most were simply too high up for me to see. And print. Don't talk to me about readinl l g print. Sigh.) Carrie Root? I am especially grateful to you for the photo of Stu you "rescued" for me. It's here with me as I type andI'll be framing it and putting it on the bedroom wall where I can always see it Thanks to Ulrika and Carrie for staffing the room. I know there were more of you - that's who I saw when I was in there. And the inflatable dinosaurs.

Thanks to David Gerrold for the hug I claimed (he told me to find him and get a hug). To the folks who put together the Discworld display I never got back to. But there were many orangutans, a wonderful Luggage, some great great fan-made CMOT aprons and other outfits and oh. I got the one ribbon I wanted for my badge. It is yellow. It reads "OOK".

I am so so so glad to have been found by Alma Alexander and by Madeleine Robins. These are two friends who have been so supportive of me on FB and we had yet to meet in real life. And I am still sorry I never got back to Alma. Things spiral out of control quickly when you're distracted by fuzzy objects.

It was great to at least wave to people and I wish those of you who thought I looked busy had checked. I was never busy. Yeah, I talked with people but then they went elsewhere - it's a convention. And I had very few obligations.
I also have to apologize if I actually did see you and don't remember. Some of you know how that it. Beth Meacham, Seth, Regina and Aileen! ACK! And Pat Cadigan, whom I don't know yet, but wanted to, and some folks who yeah, are local to Seattle but I don't see often, like Janet Freeman-Daily. And oh, yeah. Vonda. As Vonda N. McIntyre was a Guest of Honor, it was probably that we would not connect, but dammit, I like and admire her, am fortunate to consider her a friend and wanted to give her some attention. I totally missed her interview (but I have been told I can see the trailer, oh wow) and totally missed that there was a program item about "Dreamsnake" which OH, would I have gone to. OH yeah.

To Mark Richards - oh thank you sweetie. Mark got me an asterisk when I expressed dismay that I'd missed getting one and forgot where they were to be found.It is a dear dear memory of this convention and was a lovely thing to do. John Sapienza. It was great, beyond great to see you. Again, sorry we did not have more time. I should tried harder to do that - lunch or something.

John Hedtke, Marilyn Hedtke. You're back! Yay! Lori and Morris - so fine to catch up with you.

I know I'm missing people. I bet this blog post will be edited more than once.

Leslie Turek. I am so very glad you were a Guest of Honor and so very very glad you had time for dinner. Your friendship has always meant a lot and even though we are so far away from each other now, it remains a source of strength and joy for me. I'm so glad you were able to stay upright and awake after what sounded like a killer day on Friday to have dinner with us. I'm sorry again that I didn't see you and Alex more but I knew how unlikely that would be. And I love my button and have been wearing it. A lot. (Lesle found me a button in the Dealers' room that reads "Not going to ADULT today").

I'm still not wholly unpacked. I am so happy to know that someone will be here tomorrow to help me deal with laundry, as I have not managed it since returning over a week ago. (yay for clean underwear!)

It was a few days of good memories, intermixed with difficult feelings. I knew that going in. Thanks to anyone and everyone who made it easier for me.

LLAP.