…I spent most of sitting in a green and white chair near the lobby and the latte machine. We were there from noon until about nine—and I did great for most of it. I had two programs, one a one-on-one writing critique: I couldn’t find the story I’d apparently been sent, got a second copy of it, and then didn’t have a room to hold the conference in. What they oughta do if they’re doing such things is schedule those two-person meetings in the bar…much more comfy. We did get through it. The concom is entirely new to dealing with hotels, and was surprised that previous people didn’t clear the rooms in question until way late. [ This is not, btw, the concom of the Spokane Worldcon bid—different people, and a very experienced committee.] These local folk were running just a little tiny no hotel, no bar con for last several years, pretty much confined to one classroom hallway of a local college. This year, sensing imminent expansion, they went to a hotel for the first time, and well that they picked a big one, because they were suddenly inundated, with 2 registration lines stretching out for hours. From one hall and half a dozen rooms, all of a sudden this quite-little concom had registration lines from here to eternity and they’re suddenly dealing with big-hotel type problems and a multitrack programming and rooms not available as they’d thought they’d be. From “it’s just down the hall” where nobody could ever get lost, they were suddenly coping with a huge hotel where you HAVE to have room numbers AND a hotel map on the programming guide—convention goers being convention goers, they coped, but it was one of those oopses that needs fixing next year. Fortunately the hotel (a Doubletree) seems to be playing fair with them and sticking to contract pretty well. Room availability is something the hotel can’t really guarantee when guests won’t budge.
We met the usual local friends—some from the Wet Side came over, too, and in from Missoula region and the TriCities. And I held up pretty well, until about 5, when the leg started hurting. We went out to dinner with friends across the street at Chili’s—a lot cheaper than the hotel restaurant where we had lunch. We met Patricia [Patty] and Mike Briggs in the parking lot, but they were coming back from dinner. We at least tried to lay future plans.
And we went back to the hotel—I claimed my chair, and we sat and talked for a while…got home at 9 something and discovered, yes, after so carefully installing fittings to be able to lock the newly installed windows—we left the front door not only unlocked but open!—
However since no one had stolen the cats, we concluded all was well. They were certainly ready for us to be home—and we were ready for a nice glass of wine, a quiet sit watching Project Runway, and bed.
“…got home at 9 something and discovered, yes, after so carefully installing fittings to be able to lock the newly installed windows—we left the front door not only unlocked but open!—” This caused a sympathetic chuckle on my end. So grateful to know that these illogical things happen to other people too.
The front door was actually hanging open, as in, people could walk into your house without having to open the door?!? Cold shivers. Last time that happened to me, our apartment had been burglarized; I’m glad this didn’t seem to be the case. I am further glad that the Dynamic Trio didn’t elect to R-U-N-N-O-F-T. That would have been my primary fear, on coming home to find a door open: Where are the kittehs?
one morning last week I headed out to work, panicked because I couldn’t find my keys – but oh, there they were, in the front door lock, outside, where I had left them after I unlocked the door the night before.
Good to hear the aches and pains didn’t prevent your conning.
Sounds lovely, despite the little problem. I miss conventions.
Scary on the door, but glad all is well.
I have two more baby kitten videos up here: http://www.youtube.com/user/ZetteG
and a couple more pictures in his set on Flikr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zettepics/sets/72157627272624903/
That’s all the news on my end.
Great videos and photos! He (she?) is VERY cute!
I’m tending towards ‘he’ today. I usually don’t have this problem. I think it’s all about denial of any kitten being in the house.
A few years ago did a craft show in a city 8 hours away, and got home after the long weekend to find I’d left the front door swinging in the breeze. No screen door, nothing. I was SOOO glad the local wildlife (including many varieties of 4 leggeds and a few of the two legged known to hang in our hood) hadn’t moved in. Boy did I feel like a shmuck! Nice to know the shmuck-hood is so well populated! 🙂
Room availability is something the hotel can’t really guarantee when guests won’t budge.
I seem to recall that there was a problem at a Phoenix Westercon. The previous convention was Jaycees (national), and apparently their rules require that they can’t go home until they elect a new president. (It took something like 24 ballots, that year, before the white smoke went up.) Some of the Jaycees tried checking out and immediately checking back in, and the hotel retaliated by charging them full winter rates.
I remember going off to do something prior to moving, once, and when I got home discovered I hadn’t closed the front door. (It wasn’t visible from the street – the house was in the back of the lot. Not that there was a lot to steal at that point;, it was right after the garage sale.)
Since I live in a small town, I tend to forget to lock up and somedtimes leave my front door open (with the outer porch door closed) when I go out to take pictures. Sometimes those couple minutes outside turn into a few hours and take me a couple miles from home.
Russ, who lives on Long Island, has gotten twitchy about unlocked doors, though. I can’t imagine why.
That is one cute kitteh!
CJ, glad all is well on the home front. Sounds like you are improving and enjoying the con in spite of growing pains.
Last year we got one of those electronic security system things with the sign in the yard and people on call and automatic 911 if the alarm is triggered, etc….
of course, after fielding calls from home TWICE while I was at work, when family members set off the alarm, and the police came, and the security people called up – with the alarm going off LOUD because absolutely nobody in the family can REMEMBER the blasted secret code…. it’s just four numbers, for crying out loud.
So we never turn it on. Maybe the sign in the yard will do the trick. It did seem kind of silly to have the alarm, when we really truly almost never lock the front door in the first place. Sigh.
Nice neighborhood, generally. Small town (though growing). I don’t think I want to live anyplace where I feel required to lock my car in my own driveway and my front door during the day, at least. I think I live in ‘Mospheira’. The biggest story lately is plans to put in a roundabout instead of a traffic light, over by one of the schools. Front page news. Traffic people love the idea and the local residents are petrified at the very thought. I hate roundabouts.
Lol—I’m rather fond of roundabouts: they’re fast and mean no stops. The only secret is—stay to the right lane and yield to anyone entering. Nobody should EVER have to stop, just slow down for the guy entering in front of you, and exit at your street. A 4-way roundabout is a piece of cake. A 6way requires you concentrate on picking the right street!