Today was a very full day. James had the day off, but he had errands to run. We had breakfast and I walked Tucker, he cleaned up the kitchen a little and I mopped the upstairs bathroom floors, vacuumed upstairs, and vacuumed the stairs and swept the foyer. James left halfway through those chores to go to work to pick up and check and talk to his boss about his work schedule (since he's been officially cleared to go back to work, but if he goes in to the office he will need to use the restroom frequently) and then go to the bank.

Once I finished with my chores I got dressed and went to Kroger for mushrooms and milk. I also called my mechanic and finally ordered the two new tires that the car needs. I have no idea when I will get the brakes done. That's going to be expensive and I keep using up my money on paying for emergency room co-pays.

James got home just in time for the visiting nurse's appointment, except she was late, and so was the physical therapy nurse who was supposed to come an hour later; they had both run into traffic. Both nurses were really nice, but we had to tell the entire medical saga again. In the meantime I had cooked some chicken thighs and made them into sandwiches for lunch at WHOlanta, since I really didn't want to waste time eating when I could be attending panels. James made his own sandwiches, and we popped them in the fridge, then gathered up all our stuff, stopped at Kroger for gasoline, and then braved the freeway for the ride down to WHOlanta's new hotel, the Atlanta Hilton Airport. Traffic was a fat bitch until we reached I-20 and everyone diverged, and then it was clear sailing.

At home we had discussed stopping at a restaurant and having an early supper (we had had a burger each for lunch and more of Wendy's delicious limeade) because we didn't know the price on the restaurants at the hotels (there are three and a quickie mart), but Clay and Maggi were already on their way up and we wanted to eat with them. Once we parked we couldn't leave the lot again, so we decided to chance it.

Registration was already open by the time we arrived, and this was quick and painless. We sat down to talk with Alice and Ken when Clay and Maggi showed up. Opening ceremonies were at six, so eventually the six of us started looking for a place to eat. We were going to try the Italian restaurant, but it wasn't open on Fridays! You could order food at the bar, but not a real meal. WTF? The quickie place charged $12 for prepackaged sandwiches, so we decided to go downstairs to the sports bar, the Finish Line. The waitress was nice, but the service was terribly slow. There were two appetizers on the menu, wings or nachos, a couple of really expensive salads, and then five burgers or sandwiches, ranging from $12 - $16, and only one entree, salmon for $24! Most of us got the steak and cheese with some fries. Instead of a nice full hoagie roll we got (after a half hour of waiting) these tiny sandwiches like you might get at afternoon tea, and a container of fries smaller than the small fries at a fast food joint. This "repast" cost $13 each! Screw this place! I'm making another sandwich for lunch; James already got four sandwiches out of his chicken and had enough.

Anyway, went to opening ceremonies, and then the first panel, "A Genre is a Genre is a Genre," about the increasing number of subgenres into what used to be simply "science fiction," "fantasy," and "horror." Now we have "urban fantasy," "steampunk," "dieselpunk," and at least two or three dozen more subgenres. I think everyone felt it was sort of confusing, but that it was basically a marketing attempt to target different readers.

After this panel, James was on a panel about gaming, but I went to "Red, White & Who: The PBS Experience," basically talking about how each of us found Doctor Who in the US. Yes, there were some episodes that were released into syndication in 1978—most of us remember the Tom Baker stories with the Howard daSilva narrations that premiered on local stations (it was WLNE in Rhode Island)—but we watched the majority of Who on PBS, along with other SF and other imports (Blake's 7, Red Dwarf, Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and of course stuff like the Britcoms and All Creatures Great and Small. (When Peter Davison took over for Tom Baker, most PBS viewers already knew him as Tristan.)

Since Aubrey Spivey was on the panel, we stayed for one last one, about diversity in young adult lit. I am for diversity in more than YA, thank you, like in cozy mysteries. I'm tired of reading the same generic whitebread woman starting a new craft shop or bake shop and meeting the most gorgeous guy in town and they lock horns about solving mysteries. (He's usually a detective or with the police.) They live in picturesque little towns. (Okay, I do like some of these. The Manor House mysteries, for instance. The Postmistress mysteries, which, okay, I bought because they took place in Massachusetts. I liked Celebration Bay, but I think the author ran out of ideas.) That's why I love the Ellie Rush mysteries and have found another new series with an Asian lead. Are there U.S. cozies with African-American or other ethnic leads?

Oh, I didn't mention the convention charity this year is a no-kill shelter, Furkids. Well, at their table today they had the most adorable dog. He was about a year old, reminded us a good deal of Willow, with a light brown and white coat, but his tail was curled like a spitz, and he had the most adorable undershot little jaw, with his lower teeth sticking out. He was stinkin' adorable cute, named Simba, and if we could actually afford another vet bill I think Tucker would have had a little brother this weekend.

Finally we wended our way back home, I walked Tucker again, and we were soon off to bed.

Labels: chores, conventions, health

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