Lynati writes...

con Journal Part 3

Saturday

I wake up, and it is Not Good. My usual con sickness- collectively caused by the sleep deprivation, food deprivation, running around, stress, and relationship issues which seem to come together EVERY Gathering- has made it's first appearance. And then some. I beg off for the morning, asking Mara to send my regrets down to Chris, as I was supposed to help sit pre-reg. I got back to sleep, curled around the maelstrom in my guts, and when I finally get up things haven't improved at all. And on top of that, one foot had settled itself into a pediac fetal position, and refused to straighten out; I couldn't even feel half my leg at first. Some feeling crept back into my largest and smallest toe…unfortunately, that feeling was pain. I limped off to find Cat, only to find her not only sick herself but also at a loss of what to do when it comes to leg problems. She suspected I had pinched a nerve in my hip, and stretches of muscle groups besides my calf and foot did seem to help. I still spent most of the day feeling like I was doing an impression of Verbal Kint.

I manage to make it downstairs eventually, in time to meet up with Aaron and Mara as they went to be interviewed by the Video Crew. The interview is winding down when Aaron adds in, "…and I know Greg Weisman wanted me to show this…" and peels off his shirt to reveal the 8" color Demona he had tattooed there when he was 19. They wrap up, and Aaron helps me stumble off in search of food that I can keep down, and on our way out we run into Cat's crew returning from brekky, and I somewhat brighten upon seeing Dancer still with them. We wind up in the train station next to the Tim Horton's, at a passable sandwich place, and notice a Office Depot-type store nearby, and head over to it as I am looking for stands to hold some art (cast-glass versions of the 2004 mascot, which I referred to as the "Montreal Puppies") that I'd made with the intent of giving to Karine and the special guests. We found something I figured would work, and bought a couple to try out. (They worked. I went back the next day and bought more. Montreal rain tastes awesome.)

After that was the great search for the home depot; Karine had given us good directions that Montreal's one-way street deal utterly confused us on. The less said about that trip, the better, only thank you Revel for the loan of Hyena, and the HD people were actually very helpful.

So we get back to work on my costume. And…yeesh, I don't want to even go into it. Emambu, Mara, and Aaron wound up doing a metric buttload of work for me, and injuries on the side, and I gave my uber-staplegun to Aaron, who had successfully managed NOT to staple the fabric into me through the small amount of plaster strapped to my back.

Thank you guys, thank you thank you thank you. And I promise I'll be done with my costume months in advance from now on.

By the time I make it down, half-finished, the masque itself is over…well, the judges are out for decision-making. However, my arrival seems to catch much attention, and I was stopped for a mass photo time, which pretty much made the whole thing worth it. As did my "best late arrival" honorable mention from Greg Weisman. Awards for the rest are given, and then someone dressed as the Hunter (Flanker, as it turned out) had me strangle him for a photo op. (I have no clue how those pics came out.) I talk to Loopy about his costume, muchly jealous… I think I'm pretty much going to have to cross-dress as Brooklyn for 2006 in order to beat that. (Yes, 2006. I have something else in mind for 2005.) Hung around, and met up with Norcumi and Quindar, once again promising that I'd shortly be available for them to kidnap away for a few hours. First there were a couple things I had to take care of…giving Greg one of the Montreal Puppies…and then there was a little incident with Emambu singing a filk I wrote, at the start of karaoke.

Scooted off after that- missing the YMCA thing, which after spending 2 months straight every summer for 11 years at a YMCA camp which considered that song (heh) something of a theme, I could have probably managed the lyrics decently- and spent the night talking to Norcumi and Quindar in their room. That conversation starting off with me being asked to explain the differences between the reality of First Born and real life. I suppose those of you who follow the comic might have been wondering as well, so I'll just clear the air right now…yes, it's true.
Cat really IS dating Cthulu.

Got back into the room a little after four in the morning, realized that I no longer had to work on a costume, and was happy. Then I realized I was skedj'd to co-present a panel the next morning, re-checked the time, and whimpered at the ten am slot. (why ten am? why Sunday morning? whhyyyyyyyy??? ; )

tbc