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!