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Xray the Enforcer

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Peadar Council Member

Peadar

Posted
Posted

Hi folks, just got home and am more than slightly jet-lagged.

I just wanted to say not to worry about the eye thing. It's just an allergy. Probably it's because of the pollen, or, as we call it here in Ireland: Pod-dust.

I get that allergy after most BwB cons.

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Regina Council Member

Regina

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I have no idea what you are talking about. :-P

But, seriously...new social circles....my bane

Tsk, tsk, I think you must have skipped what I wrote about you. When we worked the door together, you had the crowd eating out of your hand!

Also, but on a more serious note, the things you had to say during our goodbyes were so lovely and considerate, I couldn't begin to find the words to to thank you properly. I am rarely speechless, so please take that as a compliment.

As to this allergic reaction that has affected so many of us, I have a bad case myself. Damn con-dust. *wipes eyes*

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Xray the Enforcer Council Member

Xray the Enforcer

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are any of the members of the new free company willing to regale us with the tale of its formation?

Nothing to tell, really. We've discontinued the quests and knightings, and those who are new to WorldCon instead join up as part of a new Free Company each year. I suspect that many of the new Free Company enjoyed their namesake (Chicago-style pizza) at some point during the convention. ;)

MG made an excellent suggestion afterwards that all Free Company inductees recite an oath, and we'll probably start that practice next year.

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TheRedWoman Sellsword

TheRedWoman

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I hope to see you again soon, and if any of you are in Melbourne there is a room at my house with lots of towels (snicker) that is open to you. Please stay in touch, whether via facebook (http://www.facebook.com/camaris) or email (david.goodwin AT easingthebadger.com - please do email so I have your contact details).

I do wonder who washes the towels in Ser Cam's house? I hope he and Missus stock up on laundry detergent at the Super Mega version of what passes for Costco Down Under.

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Trebla Council Member

Trebla

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LOL....yeah I'm a closet crooner and shower singer. But get a few drinks in me and and I might bust out a tune. It just seemed like the place and time to start singing "The Rains of Castamere". I just wish I had brought my harp. :P ;)

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John Picacio Sellsword

John Picacio

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Belated driveby post here, but just wanted say that was a helluva weekend.

Understatement. :)

Thanks to all BWBers. Except for the LoneStarCon3 party, the BWB was the only fan-run party I attended at Chicon -- because that's pretty much right where I wanted to be for the hours that I was In Chicago. Felt like home.

Special thanks to Mr. X and X-Ray for looking out the whole way and taking care of me. Love you guys.

Stego, it was an amazing weekend, but you were missed, and I'll leave it at that. Really proud of what you're doing with Project Boost. We'll holler, I'm sure.

Posted a giant blog entry about this past weekend. A few BWB shoutouts within......incomplete list, I know.....Yags, you should be in there, but my brain was mush.....I'm sure I missed a ton of folks.....again, mushy brain....

http://picacio.blogspot.com/2012/09/wow-im-hugo-award-winner.html

And as always, thank you, George and thank you, Parris for being who you are. Best of times.

I'll see everyone in San Antonio next year, if not sooner. And I'll be here on the board, as always. Just holler. :)

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Mr. X Council Member

Mr. X

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Our trip to Chicago was one of the smoothest air travel experiences I've had -- we moved so quickly through the check-in and security lines that I didn't have time to get my boarding pass and ID out, our flight left on time and landed early, and the train from O'Hare departed a minute after we sat down. I suppose you could consider it an omen for what turned out to be an awesome weekend. We were busy the whole time and slept far less than is good for us, but I think it was my favorite WorldCon yet.

Wednesday night was gut bombs at Gino's, catching up with BWBers at the bar (including explaining IBUs to Ithanos and talking about framing artwork with Boiled Leather and the Red Woman), drinking Wisconsin microbrews in Arlington Bill and Makotohanabi's room (and explaining IBUs again), and crashing out at a semi-reasonable hour.

Thursday we registered for the con, then picked up a Zipcar and did the great booze run for the weekend's parties. Along the way, Xray and I had lunch at Hopleaf in what was our one Chicago excursion of the trip. On our way back, we put out a call for assistance in carrying our trunkload of booze back to the room and as usual, a whole posse of BWBers showed up to make light work of the job. It was the first of many, many times over the course of the weekend when I was reminded of what a great job everyone in the BWB does of making good times a group effort. Not sure I can properly explain how awesome it was to see twenty or so people come streaming out of the lower level of the hotel to grab bags and boxes from our car. (And all that right after checking off a minor bucket list item -- driving the lower level streets of downtown Chicago!) While the hard stuff made its way upstairs, I drove Pod, Trebla, and fenryng to a local supermarket to get the soft stuff (soda and water). A case of Coke fell from their cart on the way back to the car and one can exploded, spraying everything else in the cart with warm Coke. I was waiting in the car at the time, so I don't know all the details, but you can guess exactly who I blame. :P At the same time, Ser Scot, Stubby, and Angalin (and possibly others I'm forgetting) hit another grocery store to pick up big bottles of soda for the bar.

Thursday night was the Meet & Greet. I delivered most of the t-shirts and chatted with several Bros, old and new. Thursday night was also the "get a sensible amount of sleep" night, as Xray and I crashed out before midnight.

The rest of the weekend is sort of one gigantic blur, partly due to the fact I slept a total of something like 5 or 6 hours between Friday morning and Monday morning. Once again, the BWB turned out in force to make party setup a breeze on Friday afternoon. After the initial rush of EVERYONE hitting the bar for drinks as soon as we announced it was open at 9pm, Friday's party went off largely without incident. Xray came back from the Chesley ceremony with John Picacio's award and read the shoutout to the BWB from his acceptance speech to everyone. George, Parris, and the rest of the crew from the Random House cruise (and yes, I mean crew -- the boat's captain was there, along with at least one other crewmember) showed up a bit past midnight and we had the traditional private party events -- a toast to the fallen and the induction of the Free Company of the Pretender Pie.

Once again, Lord Dracarys, JetBoyGirl, Yagathai, Lord Jo, and Stubby were an awesome bar crew. Yagathai invented the specialty cocktail of the night -- Ser Rodrik's Whiskers, which involved blended Scotch, fresh ginger, lemon, sugar, and possibly something else. I had a few tastes and would have had more, but I was too busy destroying my digestive tract and my liver with Lord Dracarys' homemade Apple Pie liqueur and the ghost chili infused version we called the Master at Arms. So tasty, so evil.

On Saturday, we made it to a panel! This is becoming a notable event for us at cons. I'm pretty sure all I went to at Boskone this year was Ian Tregillis' reading, and I know we attended exactly zero panels or readings at the past two Readercons. In Chicago, we made it to the Why Fantasy Dominates Science Fiction panel with Scott Lynch, both halves of James S.A. Corey, Farah Mendelsohn, and Valerie Frankel, and it was very much worth the time. Thoughtful discussion and hilarious comments abounded.

At some point, we had more fun on the lower level streets with lunch at the Billy Goat Tavern. That place wouldn't seem right in a location where it actually saw the sun.

Saturday night's party was properly packed. Shared some excellent scotch with John P. in honor of his Chesley win. Saw Ian Tregillis' face turn red after drinking a Master at Arms, then was told that I made his night after explaining my reaction to the end of The Coldest War. Heard Ireland's most famous vegan cannibal read out a lot of seemingly random numbers. Swapped con badges with JetBoyGirl, and later got called "an imposter and a fraud" by GRRM as a result. Good times all around.

Sunday morning was a bit rough, but Mouse saved the day for all with donuts and coffee for the party suite cleanup crew. Xray and I then went to get our London 2014 memberships before attending George's reading. After that, it was time for naps, dinner, and the Hugos. This was my first time attending the Hugo ceremony (largely due to this being the first year that the BWB was not having a party the same night as the awards). I thought John Scalzi was an excellent host and managed to be entertaining while keeping things moving at a good pace. The highlight of the night for me was seeing a genuine smile on Scalzi's face in the moment between opening the envelope for Best Professional Artist and reading John Picacio's name. The rest of the night was full of celebrating, talking, giggling, and not sleeping. (And judging from photos, I might be the only BWBer who didn't get a picture taken with a Hugo. So it goes.)

Between no sleep Sunday night and having to leave all our friends at WorldCon, Monday was no fun at all. Next year I need to burn some personal days so we don't have to leave the morning after the Hugos.

To all the folks I met for the first time -- Angalin, Alguien, Ser Cam, Adz, Arantius, Stormborne, Alytha, Toft, pablonohablo, Fragile Bird, Space Bandito, BookWyrm, Jebus, Master of Coin, and the others I'm likely forgetting -- it was excellent to put faces to board names and I hope to see you at future cons.

To the rest of you who I met at any number of former WorldCons and BWB meetups -- excellent times as always. Can we speed time along to San Antonio already?

Memberships for San Antonio and London have been purchased. I can't wait.

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