On the road again: CONtraflow, New Orleans, day 2

My official con duties began before noon, but fortunately not much before noon:  At 11:00 a.m., I moderated a panel on "Reconciling Faith and Science."  My fellow panelists were an Episcopal priest and two SF writers, one of whom, Les Johnson, is both a NASA scientist and a Christian.  The hour passed quickly, with everyone being considerate and thoughtful in their answers, no one pointing fingers at anyone else, and a great deal of very interesting discussion.  It was easily the best panel on this or any similar topic I've attended at any SF con. 

After a quick lunch at a local Salvadoran restaurant, I was back on the main stage for the charity auction.  The cause was one I quite support:  the New Orleans Public Library.  We had a good audience and over 60 different items, so the auction ran for quite a while, but everyone seemed to have a good time.  Most importantly, we raised a decent amount for the library. 

A little work, and I was back in the main room for a run-through of the masquerade.  A little later, I was the host of the masquerade itself.  The show was solid, with one group, one young fan, and 13 individual costumes.  The contestants put a lot of effort into their costumes, and the audience seemed to appreciate all the work.

For dinner, on the advice of a friend I headed into town to try the fare at Boucherie.  My brisket main course was quite good, but my dessert--the Krispy Kreme bread pudding with housemade vanilla ice cream--was insane, easily the best bread pudding I've ever tasted.  If you're a fan of bread pudding and ever in this area, definitely check it out.

Now, to work, and then to crash.