Well, I got to go to WisCon... sort of. I basically did some badge-swapping with folks, which limited my opportunities. I didn't get to see the Dr Who panel, for instance, but I did go to the panel on Octavia Butler (which was hugely disappointing-some woman just read us her paper) and one on finding queer scifi (which was somewhat disappointing, but not as much as the previous one). I did, however, get to go to the big sign-out, where all of the authors sat at tables and signed stuff. I got Mary Doria Russell to sign, Nicola Griffith, Amy Thomson, and Ursula LeGuin. Turns out Patricia C Wrede was there, but I didn't know that so I didn't like, bring any books of hers. They're all in MH anyhow, but... still.

I was wearing Room's generic badge, so Nicola was like, "so... am I supposed to make it out to "Room"?" and I told her how fantastic Ammonite was. She was like, "Room, eh? good job to have."

I also told Amy Thomson how great *her* books are, especially Storyteller, and she seemed gratified. She ended up waiting just behind me in line for Ursula LeGuin, and we chatted for some ten-fifteen minutes. She told me that the Color of Distance was inspired by about three sentences in Left Hand of Darkness, the part where Genly is standing on a hill watching his people disembarking from their spaceship, and he realized that they look like aliens. That, in retrospect, is evident in the Color of Distance (which ya'll should read, by the way, because it's great).

I'm in the middle of Melissa Scott's Shadow Man, and if it weren't out of print and not in any of the used book stores I checked, I would have had a signed copy of that one, too. Good book, so far.

Well, anyhow. Life goes on. I went swimming and sunning all day Sunday instead of going to WisCon, and ended up with a great deal of color. We made mohitos and watched Eddie Izzard last night, and I didn't sleep because it's a hundred and seventy in my room. One hopes it rains, and gets nice and chilly for Thursday. I start my job on the organic farm on Thursday. Wish me luck!

OMG I GET TO GO TO WISCON!!!!
I've been kicking myself repeatedly for missing my chance to get tickets, but a friend of mine works for TOR publishing and she scored me a pass through them! Wheee!

Jane Yolen and Kate Wilhelm are guests of honor this year, and because it's the 30th anniversary, they invited all of the previous GoH's, and the following authors will be in attendance:

• Eleanor A. Arnason (GoH at WisCon 28)
• Amanda Bankier (GoH at WisCon 1)
• Lois McMaster Bujold (GoH at WisCon 17)
• Emma Bull (GoH at WisCon 14)
• Pat Cadigan (GoH at WisCon 13)
• Avedon Carol (GoH at WisCon 11)
• Suzy McKee Charnas (GoH at WisCon 3)
• Samuel R. Delany (GoH at WisCon 11)
• Beverly J. DeWeese (GoH at WisCon 4)
• Suzette Haden Elgin (GoH at WisCon 6 & 10)
• Carol Emshwiller (GoH at WisCon 27)
• Karen Joy Fowler (GoH at WisCon 18)
• James Frenkel (Special Guest at WisCon 18)
• Jeanne Gomoll (GoH at WisCon 24)
• Nicola Griffith, if health allows (Special Guest at WisCon 19)
• Nina Kiriki Hoffman (GoH at WisCon 26)
• Nalo Hopkinson (GoH at WisCon 26)
• Steven Vincent Johnson (GoH at WisCon 5)
• 
  
Ellen Kushner (GoH at WisCon 22)
• Ursula K. Le Guin (GoH at WisCon 20)
• Katherine MacLean, if health allows (GoH at WisCon 1)
• Vonda N. McIntyre (GoH at WisCon 2)
• Pat Murphy (GoH at WisCon 15)
• Trina Robbins (GoH at WisCon 16)
• 
  
Mary Doria Russell (GoH at WisCon 23)
• Jessica Amanda Salmonson (GoH at WisCon 8)
• Pamela Sargent (GoH at WisCon 15)
• Melissa Scott (GoH at WisCon 21)
• Delia Sherman (GoH at WisCon 22)
• Stu Shiffman (GoH at WisCon 12)
• Susanna J. Sturgis (GoH at WisCon 21)
• Lisa Tuttle (GoH at WisCon 9)
• 
  
Joan D. Vinge (GoH at WisCon 4)
• Élisabeth Vonarburg (GoH at WisCon 25)
• Terri Windling, if health allows (GoH at WisCon 23)

Oh My God. I might get to meet Ursula LeGuin, Mary Doria Russell, Nicola Griffith (whose book I'm reading right now and totally digging), Samuel Delaney!!! I am like, totally freaking out about this.

OMG, ps, there's an entire panel about the Chris Eccleston doctor's queering of the new Doctor Who!!!:
"

The 2005 season of the British tv series Doctor Who, starring Christopher Eccleston and produced by British Queer As Folk creator Russel T. Davies, included several alterations of the show's extensive mythology. Notably, the 9th Doctor flirts with both his female and male companions, establishing hints of his possible sexual self. At the same time, his character has been "humanized"—made less of an all–powerful alien—through trauma, similar to the so–called "feminization of the male" described by an analyst of post–WWI England. These changes appear to be good for drama, at least in most of the episodes. Is this humanization notably different from what came before, or is it part of a slow trend? Will it continue? And what are the ramifications of a romantic relationship with a character who's over 900 years old and from a technologically superior species? By the time of WisCon 30, episodes will have aired featuring a new actor in the role of the Doctor, and it will be interesting to see how he carries on from where Eccleston left off.

M: Kathryn Ann Sullivan, Rob Gates, Penny Hill, Jennifer Lackey, Jennifer Pelland

I had this bizarre dream last night... A couple of friends and I were at this island beach place, it reminded me of Devil's Lake only with more beach and being... an island... anyhow, we were singing songs and stuff, sitting on this rocky outcropping, and some dudes from my high school were there playing "The General" on a guitar, and we were singing along. Then there was like, a police bust, and the police were angry at us all, and I swam out a ways into the water even though it was damned cold and retrieved some trash, which turned out to be drugs. So we were all running around the island in chaos, I went into the bathroom and scrubbed my fingerprints off the drugs and threw them in the trash.

Then we started to organize. And our organization consisted of like, all "crossing the line" that was set up to contain us (it went along the waterfront) and if enough people joined, we could forestall police violence. So we got under this bizarre tarp-skin thing, and I was next to Jill. and we swam out in a huge cube, out to where the like, enourmous police armada-industrial complex thing was stationed . Our cube was smelly and fearful, but people in the floating evil thing gave us water and food. I was scared. Some people in our cube got shot at and died. Then I woke up.

So Sunday was my birthday. I turned 21.

And I came out to my parents. It was super scary. I still shudder when I think about it. They were like, "We know. We love you. It's cool."