The Life & Times of a Time Weary Wombat

There were fewer panels I wanted to sit in on and much fewer things I want from the vendors. I did go to a ghost talk with my friend in the morning (why at 10 AM people? We goths aren't made for morning. Did I mention you can tell a lot of older Steampunks were goths in the 80s and 90s? If not you should have seen the 80s=goth DJ party last night when The Cure came on and we were all dancing)

Speaking of which I am paying for it today. I'm having issues with the nerve damage all day. I had to take a few breaks because of it.

I wanted to do the make your own dice bag thing (but they way they do registrations here sucks) so I go where I was directed to go by his partner but turns out there was TWO of them, one for the VIPS and the one for the rest of us so when I ask him about the registration he just looks at me and says 'this is VIP only' You'd THINK he'd of added, go see my partner next door. I drag out of there embarrassed (and into break number one)

The afternoon session was about the history of tarot cards and I enjoyed that but there wasn't another panel I wanted to hear until 4 so break number two after another disappointing round through the vendors. I got a few less expensive things as holiday gifts but some things were SO expensive. Like the fun literary chocolates where they married classic novels with foods/drinks in those novels and made chocolates from them, like bilberries for Jane Eyre or nori and ginger for Cthulu. I planned to get several as gifts figuring they were 6-8$ a piece. they were much much more. Like twice that. I kept the flavor catalogue (I make own chocolates, no reason I can't try some of this myself) But maybe I'm the cheap ass bulking at pay 12$ for a chocolate bar because one couple raced up because they'd already finished the chocolate they bought yesterday and bought 6 more (that's over 70$, sorry but I can get a week's groceries for that)

There was a guy with collage art that was cool and the big pieces were 100$ which fair for that but he had ones the size of post cards that would have been loved by a couple friends but it was nearly that (or make me an offer. He seemed a little desperate. I didn't want to insult him because yes I don't know exactly what the cost of his time and materials should be but 50$ for a 3 inch square of burlap covered in things seemed...high)

I did get to talk to the woman doing the tarot thing. She runs a destination D&D thing in both new orleans and in a castle in the UK. It's something to look into. That could be fun.

The mocktail talk with Calamity Dawn was good. I knew what a Boulevardier cocktail was so she gave me the mock version. I had just used that in a story too. The alcohol free spirits did a passable bourbon attempt (but something in it made her and me cough, not sure what)

Tonight for me was all about music. First up was Steamcordia who...honestly plays accordian better than he sings. He stumbled over several songs.

Then came the main act, Frenchy and the Punk which I very much enjoyed. Ended up buy 2 cds (there was a price break and I didn't have cash enough for one and figured if I'm getting the card out...) It was a crazy long line for her that I was at the head of so I'll see if she's in the vendor's room again tomorrow and have her sign the cases.

Lastly came This Way to the Egress. I heard some of it but at this point it's 11 and I'm getting tired (feeling my age)

So overall a good night. I'll bring science saturday back next week.

I'm too tired to do it justice (and friday's fannish 50 will probably be moved to tuesday). I hit a new museum here in town, Beyond the Battle out of the Adams County Historical Society. It was a nice idea and a small museum (with two enthusiastic older lady docents) It starts with local dinosaur findings, then a wee bit (very wee) on the local natives and then the making of Pennsylvania (and it's skirmishes with Maryland)

There was some on a famous local abolitionist and naturally quite a bit about the battle of Gettysburg and afterward (including Mag Palm who I learned about last year, the woman who beat up the slave catchers who came for her even though she was a freeborn woman)

It also went into the Spanish flu pandemic, WWI and WII I guess the Eisenhowers retired here.

But the really cool thing was 'Caught in the crossfires' It was set up like the sitting area of a typical house in the mid 1800s in disarray. You're sat in there and it's five minutes of what it was like in Gettysburg in those three days. The 'family' is in the basement and you can hear their voices as cannons and guns fire on the house with lights appearing in the 'bulletholes' in the walls, screams of animals and people and the floor shakes. They put effort into it (Not recommended for people with PTSD related to battle)


From there I went to the Shriver House museum and cracked the key as to when to get to downtown historic Gettysburg. Get there by 11 and you can find plenty of on street parking (during the week at least) The house was down up in period pieces and tells the story of the Shrivers. The husband was set off to war (thinking it wouldn't last long) while Hettie takes care of their two daughters and tries to keep the business going, a saloon in the basement and a two lane bowling alley (Shriver had sold off his farm and had a fair bit of money when he built this place.

It doesn't have a happy ending. I got the diary of the neighbor girl plus the one about the Shrivers (and a book on battlefield hospitals) These Shrivers are distantly related to the famous ones, like Arnie's wife.

Since the festivities didn't start until late today I went to the movie theater here on campus and saw Fantastic Four. I loved it with one major exception. I'm biased. I can't remember if FF was my first comic or if it was Justice League but I know Johnny Storm was my first comic book crush so there's that. I adored the mid-Century American feel (with the futuristic tech). What I liked, they reduced the origin story to a news clip since most of us know it and that Sue didn't get sidelined because she was pregnant.

What did annoy me: Reed, the world's smartest man, saying something stupid in a press conference that he could have not said a word about and for what? 10 minutes of drama? We could have done that a different way. Other than that, really liked it

At the con, I got to see my friends and I've already bought a few things. One thing they can do better (and I'll put that in my response if they do a survey) was tell us WHO are doing the panel talks. I went to one and it was Calamity Dawn and her cocktails which I didn't mind. I like her but I didn't even know it WAS her. Drank malort. don't rec.

I did notice that a lot of the usual actors aren't here in the vending room. Hmm, I need to look at them more carefully tomorrow. It's holiday shopping time.

I went dancing and I went to the magic lantern 'castel' presentation. I need to work magic lanterns into a story somewhere.


If I'm slow in answering you, sorry but man I didn't even get back til nearly midnight. I'm getting old for this place.