Balticon and barbecue

I enjoyed the treats of sleeping late and lunch at a nearby Shake Shack before my con duties began in earnest.

First up was a panel on writing snappy dialogue. Four other writers and I spent an hour discussing dialogue tips and tricks and answering audience questions. I'm never sure whether such panels really helped the audience, but we certainly tried to be useful.

I stayed in the same room for the next panel, which immediately followed the first. This one focused on writing major minor characters. Again, we shared a lot of ideas, but whether we provided information the audience members could really use is hard to know.

I had less than an hour to change and work with the tech crew before it was time to take the stage for my role as MC for the opening ceremonies. Despite having to start late and bring in two remote guests via Skype, the show overall went off well, and everyone seemed to have a good time.

Dinner was a late meal at the nearby Dinosaur BBQ, a place I've visited before. I had planned to eat my traditional combination plate until I saw this menu entry.

Click an image to see a larger version.

When you spot something this odd and potentially gruesome or great, your reaction will be either to flee or to know you must order it.

You know how I reacted.

Oh, yeah, I ordered it.

It was mighty tasty, though the two sides were weak. It was not, however, a sandwich you could reasonably pick up. Instead, I used a knife and fork to cut it into more manageable bites.

Tomorrow, I get to sleep late again!