Very late because the day kinda deteriorated in the evening.

After tea, it was much more pleasant to sit talking with friends in the lobby than go to the Star Trek movie panel, so we chatted, then took a few steps down to the panel room where we were discussing the companions of the Doctor—who's bad ::cough:: Adric :: (poor Adric) and who's not, who's favorite (Sarah Jane, Leela, Ian and Barbara, etc.) and who you would have wanted to see as a companion (like Sally Sparrow).

I had seen John Levene yesterday, so I figured James and I could have a leisurely meal at the restaurant before the UNIT panel at six, since the restaurant was supposed to open at five.

At five thirty we gave up waiting for it to open and went to Arby's. (I had their pecan chicken salad wrap, which wasn't bad but I'm not sure if did not contribute to what happened later on.) We got back in time to say hello to the Butlers just arriving and greet Neil the new graduate.

The restaurant didn't open until 5:40, despite the sign out front. I swear, I've never seen such a dual-personality establishment. Physically, it's nice and in the middle of everything, and plays great swing music. In the morning, everything is up and running, the waiter (Jesse) is attentive as is the other waitress; at night you might as well be in a different universe. The young waitress tries really hard —we felt bad for her Friday night, when she had tons of people to serve and no help except for a guy whose entire job seems to be to wander out occasionally to tell you the waitress will be with you in a moment. I know the bad service on Friday night caused a lot of people to seek other means of being fed for the rest of the weekend.

Anyway, at six we decamped to the UNIT panel, which degenerated into silliness from the opening minutes. We wished them better marksmen, chatted about the Brigadier's love-hate relationship with the Doctor, Sgt. Benton's varying roles, where was UNIT when Harold Saxon rose to power and why didn't Torchwood protest with UNIT using their enemy, the Doctor, as a scientific advisor (::cough:: add-on, add-on ::cough::), so on, so forth.

About five minutes before the end of the panel, I started terrific stomach cramps. This had happened mildly the night before, but had passed quickly. Unfortunately, this didn't. I was in the bathroom getting claustrophobic from the tiny stalls for about three hours with only two respites: a brief period eating soup in the restaurant, which only made me nauseated, and getting to see the last half of the Atlanta Radio Theatre presentation (which, of course, typical of life, were two stories we had heard previously; I missed the first new piece entirely and only saw the end of the Ghost Hunters bit). Afterwards, I would have preferred to schmooze with friends and see the Doctor Who cruise video, but instead we went home and finished up the day with diminishing "potty breaks" and watching a replay of the Mars Phoenix lander touchdown on Mars.

Still not sure what set it off...something at breakfast? Maybe the green tea or whatever in the Heart to Heart cereal? the cantaloupe? Or was it the shrimp or salmon sandwiches at tea? The Arby's wrap with a quick turnaround (since I usually don't eat mayo?). It's nothing consistently, that's the problem, or I would quit eating it.

Actually written in the a.m. on Monday.

Labels: conventions

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. . . . . noted and logged by Linda at 11:59:00 PM

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