Monday, and the Worldcon is only a couple of days away. What's weird about it is I feel like the opening act at Woodstock: I'm probably not the first one up in front of an audience, but pretty close with a reading at midday on the Thursday. Which is a bit scary, but I've done it before (okay, once). People are emailing bits and pieces around the GSFWC mailing list about stuff to talk about on panels, and I'm like, prepare? How do you even spell 'prepare'? I'm too busy hoping my bad back clears up before Thursday so I don't spend the whole weekend hobbling around with a pained expression and a pocket full of 400mg Ibuprofen. Plus, if there's one thing I really, really hate, it's the sound of my voice amplified. Too squeaky.

Like a couple of other people pointed out, there's a little in the way of pre-con preparation in the form of the Nova Scotia launch on Wednesday in Glasgow Borders - the same Borders that chucked our writing group out the door several years ago because we were 'too rowdy'. I'm not sure how a middle-aged, bearded, choir-singing sub-editor called Lawrence asking if we can have an extra chair and carrying one down from an upper floor qualifies as 'rowdy behaviour', but clearly we were far too violent, dangerous and badly behaved to be allowed to remain on the premises. I find it endlessly amusing that these same people now have to host a do on the Friday night for Tor writers, a few of whom (ie me and Hal) are members of that writing group.

I keep meaning to put together a list of things to go to at the Con, and particularly, stuff I'm supposed to be at, but I suck at organisation at the best of times. Probably I'll scribble something down (lacking a printer) at the last minute and hopefully not lose it.

One thing I am hoping to do at some point (and this is by way of a reminder to some of the other GSFWC people attending) is I'd like to take a picture of us, outside the SECC. There isn't much in the way of photographic evidence of GSFWC over the nearly fifteen years I've been a member, and considering the vast majority of the old crowd now either have agents or actual book deals it sort of makes sense to me to just take a picture. Outside the front entrance of the SECC, maybe. However, most of GSFWC suck at organisation even worse than I do, so there are absolutely no guarantees I can get them all in the same place at once. If enough of them turn up to the midday reading, I might try and entrap them there: except, of course, somebody won't be able to make it, and then there won't be any point. So what I'll probably try and do is just generally take pictures and post them up here as and when.


Hal Duncan said...

I say we start a riot.

Hell, we could start a riot on Wednesday night at the Nova Scotia launch and then the Tor Party can just go to a decent pub.

gary gibson said...

Don't get me started, I'm in a bilious mood. I'm only engaging in the rank cowardice of not seriously venting spleen until after the con. Then I'm considering putting the 'Borders management/golden throne/bazooka' rant up online.

taleswapper said...

C'mon now, everybody knows that calendars are important. You people were taking up valuable space that could be used to store calendars. Yup. Calendars are the bedrock upon which bookstores are built.

In fact, if you had all just agreed to become a calendar club, I'll bet they'd have let you stay. You could've sat in that stuffy little room and drawn squares with numbers. That would have been fun. Ooo oo and stickers. Yeah, stickers.

neil williamson said...

Transcript of conversation:

GSFWC: "Look, what if promise to respect your calendars in futu... LOVE, we'll promise to LOVE your calendars. We'll even make our own!"

BDRS: "Will they be "Sci-fi" calendars?"

GSFWC: "Probably..."


neil williamson said...

Gary - opening the festival is a time honoured role.

*crackle...pop...squeal* "Is... *one, two* is this thing on?"


"Hello Worldcon!"