On the road again: Balticon, day 3

It's late, I'm tired, and I still have work to do, so this entry may be shorter than yesterday's.

After five fairly unsatisfactory hours of sleep, I groaned my way out of bed, showered, worked a tiny bit, and headed to the con for my first event, a signing. At a table in the main lobby sat Naomi Novik, whose four fantasies are well established and very big with fans, and I, with my lone novel currently available. If you've gone to a convention before, you've witnessed a variation of this scene: she had about two dozen people in a fairly long line, while I had about five. Though I was pleased to sign books for anyone, I couldn't help but recall mystery writer Parnell Hall's song, "Signing at the Waldenbooks." I think most writers can relate to my situation.

From there I headed straight to a panel on body armor in SF. Only one other panelist showed up, but we nonetheless managed a discussion that, though ranging far from the topic, was interesting enough that we kept a fairly packed room of fifty or so folks until time ran out.

We headed out to lunch with friends, wandered the art show a bit, and then I joined the "Meet the Crooks" panel. This traditional bit of Balticon programming put all the Compton Crook award winners who were at the con behind the same table for the enjoyment (we hoped) of those in attendance. We introduced ourselves, discussed our current projects, and then answered questions. I enjoyed meeting the other writers, and the audience seemed okay with the content, so I consider this one a moderate success.

We then dashed out to meet Kyle at the nearby theater to watch the new Indiana Jones movie. Though it certainly had its moments, I felt like I was on the Universal Studios ride of a movie composed of the rotting flesh of the giants that had come before it. The writing in particular hurt the film. I can't recommend this one, but I expect it nonetheless to have a very strong couple of weeks at the box office.

After the movie, I did a bit of work in the room, rested a little, and then headed to the masquerade, where I helped my pal, Marty Gear (in his Uncle Vlad regalia for his role as masquerade emcee), present the awards to the winners of the very worthwhile BSFS Jack L. Chalker Young Writers' Contest. I'm all for encouraging young writers, so despite the awkwardness I felt I was glad to be able to participate.

As the masquerade was winding down, Kyle picked me up, took me to his place, and he, I, and some other friends watched the UFC pay-per-view event. Key takeaway: BJ Penn is amazing.

Whew. A busy day, but overall a good one...which I will now improve by writing.