… to emcee the Archon 32 Masquerade, than my damn tuxedo pants began to fall down.
We had a packed house – standing room only, plus, I later learned, a boatload of people watching the show on big-screen TV in an overflow room (plus riffing on me and the contestants MST3K style, which is surely gilding the lily.) It would’ve been the Mother of Wardrobe Malfunctions, Fandom Edition.
The odd thing was, as I think I already mentioned, I already wore the damn drawers to play Toastmaster the night before. And they never once threatened to perform an unauthorized descent.
I carried bravely on, and retreated behind my podium as fast as I could without making it obvious to perform some rapid, covert adjustments. I realized that the difference between then and Opening Ceremonies must be that the first time I wore the monkey suit, I’d used the elastic band of the cummerbund to hold up my drawers. So I did that. And it seemed to work.
The Masquerade was another great one. We sprang back from an unusually low number of entrants last year (although the NASFiC/Tuckercon Masquerade was personally cool for me because the con and Masquerade staff turned it into a birthday party for me and a thousand or so of my closest friends) to 35 or so. As always standards were high, with many out-and-out great costumes.
The folks behind one of the crowd favorites, which owing to having won big at this years Denver Worldcon could only enter in the Exhibition class (hence ineligible for prizes) must’ve thought I was stalking them. Charles and Tauni Orndorff plus a third teammate (who I think was Michael Bruno) trotted out their extremely cool 16-foot long dinosaur costumes. The dinos and I had encountered one another before, when they brought them down for the Bubonicon masquerade, for which I’m also perennial MC.
Anyway, had a great time at the con. I may blog more about it later. Also I may not.
In passing: many congratulations to writers Sara Harvey and Matt Schwartz, who got hitched in California like a week before turning out for Archon. They passed through ABQ en route, but I missed their message. Which didn’t much matter as I was deadline-slammed and unable to surface.
And also thanks for the suave wedding-souvenir bookmark they were kind enough to bring me, as well as the most excellent fleece with dragonflies on it, which the lovely Seraphina made for me. They’re really splendid people, and it was a joy to get to spend time with them.
I should also thank my old and good friends Mike and Karly Weaver for putting me up before and after the con. Great to have you back with us, big guy!
And I hope the legions of marvelous friends I renewed contact with, or made, at the con don’t take it too much amiss that I don’t mention them…
On more contemporary notes … today was a good day. I’m finally out from under my overdue deadlines, having delivered the last of my contribution to the next Wild Cards book Saturday. Which was sweet.
Even sweeter: so today I intended to string together one-line descriptions of the key scenes in my epic fantasy The Dinosaur Lords to flesh out for a nice, punchy 10-page synopsis. The book’s nearing completion, and I want to get a proposal out quickly. Which is a change in strategy for me on this huge project – but more of that later.
Anyway, not only did I get that done (as well as actually helping firm things up in my mind for the push to the finish of the first draft!), but went on to rule on a whole different project.
I need to start my next Rogue Angel yarn, currently titled Skinwalker, muy pronto. I planned to hammer out an expanded storyline – as with my DinoLords thing, a sort of sketch for a synopsis – Monday. But instead I got hit while eating breakfast with pretty much all I needed in terms of characters, factions, and story. So I batted that out as well, and should be able to do at least a draft of a full synopsis tomorrow.
I need the synopsis to send to Gold Eagle, my publisher, for their marketing and art departments – they basically signed off on a one-paragraph idea, which at the time was pretty much all they or I knew about the book. Also need it for my own use, so I know what the hell I’m writing. I want this one to be particularly taut and lean. And I’m really excited about how it rolled out today.
So, whoa! Double win! Bonus.
It was good to see you too!
Hope the blanket comes in handy this winter! ^_^
One of these days we’ll plan ahead and trek out to ALQ just to see you! And eat again at the Owl Cafe…best French Onion Soup EVAR.
No doubt the blanket will come in mighty handy. The furnace came on this morning for the first time. Starting to get cool here in the Great American Southwest.
If you give me a little warning next time you kids head this way, not only will I contrive to get together with you, but if you & Matt’d like I’d arrange to have you meet the gang.