Home and Back to Work

I'm home from Spokane. I sort of slacked off on reporting because I got busy, and a more complete convention report will have to come later because I came home to lots and lots of work that needs to be done. Suffice it to say that I had an excellent time, and for once, although I was looking forward to being home, I was also a little sad about leaving. I had a fun convention, met new people, learned a lot, and really enjoyed the location. I'm going to miss those cool mornings. It will be months before we're in the upper 50s in the morning, and my neighborhood river is a bit too turgid for waterfalls. I liked the waterfalls.

I also have more photos to post when I remember to bring my phone upstairs and upload them.

The trip home wasn't as bad as I feared, though it did make for a day that felt long. I had one little snag that ended up working in my favor. I had just enough time upon arrival at DFW to catch the earlier train from the airport, but the airport tram to take me from the arrival terminal to the train station shut its door in my face and left without me. I wasn't even running to catch it. I was there waiting for it. I let people off first, as the recorded voice ordered, but then before I could get on, the door slammed shut. I only had to wait about a minute for the next tram, but then I missed the train by one minute. However, since the airport is the end of the line, the next train was already there, and they let us get on board to wait the 15 minutes before departure, and the train was air conditioned. Then I really lucked out in connecting to my neighborhood bus. If you go by the schedule, the train arrives one minute after the bus departs, so you have to wait for the next bus. The train runs every 20 minutes, but at rush hour the bus only runs every half hour. That means you're probably going to wait half an hour or more for a bus, depending on the train you're on. But since the bus was running slightly late, the same bus I would have caught with the earlier train was still at the station and loading when the train arrived, so I stepped off the train and onto the bus and didn't have to wait half an hour for the next one, and that meant my waiting time was in the air conditioned train. So, thank you, rude airport tram.

Highlights of the convention, other than the waterfalls, included meeting some really fun people at the Discworld events, ballroom dancing at the Steampunk ball, people at my kaffeeklatsch so that I felt famous rather than sad and pathetic, and a writers workshop that had me really thinking and inspired, even though I was the one supposedly teaching.

Normally, I would spend a day or two recovering, doing laundry, getting groceries, etc., but I have copyedits due September 1, so I must spend the week (and probably the weekend) working. I also have lots of other stuff that must be done in the meantime. I had grand plans to take care of some things in the evening in my hotel room, but I was so tired that I just couldn't concentrate, and that means I have to catch up now.