The convention hasn't really started yet, but I've already run into friends, had some Chicago-style pizza and gone to a party. The programming starts this afternoon, and then I'll start being busy. This morning I'm taking it sort of easy. I did a lot of walking yesterday and my legs are tired, but I think I may take a leisurely stroll this morning to keep my muscles from getting too stiff. My hotel is right on the river and very near a park, so there are lots of places to walk.
I do find that Chicago baffles my usually quite good sense of direction, and it doesn't help that taking the train from the airport means arriving downtown on a subway, which also messes with my sense of direction. As a result, I came out of the subway station and headed in the opposite direction from the hotel, then realized the mistake when I was running into streets I knew I wasn't supposed to hit. I was checking the map below an El station when a guy from the Salvation Army (in uniform, with ID, which he made sure to show me) took pity on me and got me turned in the right direction. That meant I did a lot more walking than I planned, and then I took a long walk along the river after dinner because I had to work off some of that pizza. I suspect there will be a lot of pizza this week. I am not complaining.
On today's agenda: I'm moderating a panel this afternoon, and then there's an opening reception at the planetarium. Tomorrow I'm meeting some Chicago friends for lunch, and then that evening is the publisher's party. Saturday's my busy day, with a reading, two panels and then dinner with my agent's associate and some other clients from the agency. I don't know how often I'll manage to update because getting Internet access means going down to the convention area. I don't think I'd use it enough in my room to make it worthwhile to pay for it, and I'm hoping to trick myself into getting some writing done, which might not happen if I could get online and goof around. Though the Weather Channel is kind of addictive at the moment.
Oh, and I've been recognized already by someone who reads my books, so I've had my moment of fame.
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