Boskone Fun!
Feb. 19th, 2005 11:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matrixrefugeeThis is long, so make yourself a nice cup of hot chocolate...
I was up bright and early at eight this morning: my dad was getting ready to go to work, and he drives right by the Wilmington stop for the MBTA Commuter Rail, so he was very happy to drop me off there. I have to admit, I was extremely nervous going all the way into Boston and trying to make heads or tails of the train route, once I got into the city. I accidently got off on the wrong stop on the Green Line, which made for a slight delay.
Unfortunately, that delay cost me one of the talks I wanted to hear, a panel discussion for writers trying to publish their first novel... I didn't get to the Sheraton near the Prudential Center until almost 11 am: and on checking in, I was amazed and delighted to find that Aspect Sci-Fi, a publishing company, was giving away free books to everyone who registered at Boskone. I got a copy of Maxine McArthur's "Less than Human", a murder mystery involving intelligent machines... I hung around the dealers' room for a while, where I bought:
--the Official Boskone 42 T-Shirt, with artwork by the Artist Guest of Honor, Allan Pollack;
--a Fo' Paws T-Shirt, with the motto "Nothing Keeps Me From a Good Book", in black and white and purple, with a gleefully gothic image of a skeleton in a coffin reading a book (I showed this shirt to my mom when I got home and she said it was cute!);
--And the obligatory stack of books:
---Jill Thompson's "Death: At Death's Door" (as I told the gentleman I bought it from, "This is exactly what I was looking for; you've made me one very happy "Sandman" fan!")
---Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's "Good Omens" (since I'd had to return the copy I'd borrowed from the Lowell library)
---Simon R. Green's "Something From the Nightside" (a film-noir-style urban fantasy)
---Esther Friesner's "Chicks in Chainmail" (a playful collection of short stories that plays around with the "woman warrior" archetype in sci-fi/fantasy/pulp fiction)
---Neil Gaiman's "Coraline" (I am trying to get the audiobook version, since Neil himself reads it; the guy has one of the yummiest voices to hear...)
I attended some of the filk concerts, specifically one given by "Urban Tapestry", three gals from Toronto, who got me roaring with laughter with their Tolkien filks, including the chorus of one I plan to teach my mother:
((To the tune of the Irish folk song, "My Old Man's A Dustman"))
"My father was a hobbit,
My mother was an elf,
My uncle's last name is Orcish,
I wonder about myself
My family all are readers,
And well-read everyone,
But I can't understand the bloody
'Sil-ma-ril-li-on'!"
The guy who wrote the lyrics to that apparantly had a terrible time reading Tolkien's "The Silmarillion". That was the second Tolkien book I *ever* read, and I completely understood it... but then again, I'm a harmless anomaly.
I had lunch at the Starbucks' Coffee shop in the hotel; Twink, if you're reading this, thanks for reccommending the "Drinkable Chocolate": I had a cup of that with my fruit cup and blueberry scone... heavenly...
As I was walking through one of the hallways, I found myself staring at a large banner hung on one wall, welcoming the Unitarian/Universalist Church congregations for a regional convention, being held today. As I'm standing there, some of us sci-fi nuts -- clad in medieval costumes, "Harry Potter" get-ups, and goth gear -- walk past, looking up at it; then a group of minsterial-looking people in suits approach and head into the ballroom reserved for the Unitarians, but not without giving the sci-fi folks some odd looks. I wish I'd had a movie camera: it was as funny as it sounds! I even burst out laughing, which was probably rude of me, but the contrast was so deliciously *odd*!
I also got a little bit of the "Odd Numbers" concert (their male singer can't sing too well, but hey, it made his performance seem even goofier!), before I nipped over to a panel discussion on writing about weapons. That was pretty crowded, to the point that some folks, specifically the girl next to me, had trouble breathing. Next thing I know, she keeled over against me; the fellow standing on the other side of her, and I got her into a sitting posture against the wall, then helped her out into the hallway. She hadn't fainted, she claimed: she'd been up all night and she'd fallen asleep, or so she said. I offered to walk with her back to her room in the hotel, which she gladly accepted. As I found out, chatting with her in the elevator, she'd been going to Boskone since she was four. Wow!
I managed to see the Medieval Weapons demonstration given by the Arms Guild from the Higgins Armory Museum, over in Worcester (my folks and I toured there some years ago), before I had to start heading back: two guys demonstrated halberd fighting, using leather and wood practise battle axes; then two girls demonstrated dagger fighting (with wooden daggers), and lastly, a man and a woman about my age demonstrated long sword fighting. I took a ton of pictures of that!
I headed back about five pm, though believe me, I really, really wanted to stay longer; once I got back to North Station, I discovered that the next train back homewards wasn't leaving for another twenty minutes, so I prayed my rosary and waited for the track number to be announced. About seven, I got off at Anderson Station in Woburn, a few blocks from where my dad works; once I tried calling, I got the answering machine, which made me a bit nervous. After another fifteen minutes, I started calling again, but then I glanced over my shoulder to find my dad standing right there! He had to check the greenhouses once more before the night watchman came in, so I took a look-see with him before we headed home: they've got some flowering trees they're coaxing into bloom for the Boston Flower Show next month. There's a chance I might help him out with that since they're looking for part-time workers to help out with their trade booth. I'd be glad to, if they'd let me!
Next year, I'm gonna do all three days of Boskone: If I plan ahead far enough in advance, I might even get a room at the hotel and stay there...
I was up bright and early at eight this morning: my dad was getting ready to go to work, and he drives right by the Wilmington stop for the MBTA Commuter Rail, so he was very happy to drop me off there. I have to admit, I was extremely nervous going all the way into Boston and trying to make heads or tails of the train route, once I got into the city. I accidently got off on the wrong stop on the Green Line, which made for a slight delay.
Unfortunately, that delay cost me one of the talks I wanted to hear, a panel discussion for writers trying to publish their first novel... I didn't get to the Sheraton near the Prudential Center until almost 11 am: and on checking in, I was amazed and delighted to find that Aspect Sci-Fi, a publishing company, was giving away free books to everyone who registered at Boskone. I got a copy of Maxine McArthur's "Less than Human", a murder mystery involving intelligent machines... I hung around the dealers' room for a while, where I bought:
--the Official Boskone 42 T-Shirt, with artwork by the Artist Guest of Honor, Allan Pollack;
--a Fo' Paws T-Shirt, with the motto "Nothing Keeps Me From a Good Book", in black and white and purple, with a gleefully gothic image of a skeleton in a coffin reading a book (I showed this shirt to my mom when I got home and she said it was cute!);
--And the obligatory stack of books:
---Jill Thompson's "Death: At Death's Door" (as I told the gentleman I bought it from, "This is exactly what I was looking for; you've made me one very happy "Sandman" fan!")
---Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's "Good Omens" (since I'd had to return the copy I'd borrowed from the Lowell library)
---Simon R. Green's "Something From the Nightside" (a film-noir-style urban fantasy)
---Esther Friesner's "Chicks in Chainmail" (a playful collection of short stories that plays around with the "woman warrior" archetype in sci-fi/fantasy/pulp fiction)
---Neil Gaiman's "Coraline" (I am trying to get the audiobook version, since Neil himself reads it; the guy has one of the yummiest voices to hear...)
I attended some of the filk concerts, specifically one given by "Urban Tapestry", three gals from Toronto, who got me roaring with laughter with their Tolkien filks, including the chorus of one I plan to teach my mother:
((To the tune of the Irish folk song, "My Old Man's A Dustman"))
"My father was a hobbit,
My mother was an elf,
My uncle's last name is Orcish,
I wonder about myself
My family all are readers,
And well-read everyone,
But I can't understand the bloody
'Sil-ma-ril-li-on'!"
The guy who wrote the lyrics to that apparantly had a terrible time reading Tolkien's "The Silmarillion". That was the second Tolkien book I *ever* read, and I completely understood it... but then again, I'm a harmless anomaly.
I had lunch at the Starbucks' Coffee shop in the hotel; Twink, if you're reading this, thanks for reccommending the "Drinkable Chocolate": I had a cup of that with my fruit cup and blueberry scone... heavenly...
As I was walking through one of the hallways, I found myself staring at a large banner hung on one wall, welcoming the Unitarian/Universalist Church congregations for a regional convention, being held today. As I'm standing there, some of us sci-fi nuts -- clad in medieval costumes, "Harry Potter" get-ups, and goth gear -- walk past, looking up at it; then a group of minsterial-looking people in suits approach and head into the ballroom reserved for the Unitarians, but not without giving the sci-fi folks some odd looks. I wish I'd had a movie camera: it was as funny as it sounds! I even burst out laughing, which was probably rude of me, but the contrast was so deliciously *odd*!
I also got a little bit of the "Odd Numbers" concert (their male singer can't sing too well, but hey, it made his performance seem even goofier!), before I nipped over to a panel discussion on writing about weapons. That was pretty crowded, to the point that some folks, specifically the girl next to me, had trouble breathing. Next thing I know, she keeled over against me; the fellow standing on the other side of her, and I got her into a sitting posture against the wall, then helped her out into the hallway. She hadn't fainted, she claimed: she'd been up all night and she'd fallen asleep, or so she said. I offered to walk with her back to her room in the hotel, which she gladly accepted. As I found out, chatting with her in the elevator, she'd been going to Boskone since she was four. Wow!
I managed to see the Medieval Weapons demonstration given by the Arms Guild from the Higgins Armory Museum, over in Worcester (my folks and I toured there some years ago), before I had to start heading back: two guys demonstrated halberd fighting, using leather and wood practise battle axes; then two girls demonstrated dagger fighting (with wooden daggers), and lastly, a man and a woman about my age demonstrated long sword fighting. I took a ton of pictures of that!
I headed back about five pm, though believe me, I really, really wanted to stay longer; once I got back to North Station, I discovered that the next train back homewards wasn't leaving for another twenty minutes, so I prayed my rosary and waited for the track number to be announced. About seven, I got off at Anderson Station in Woburn, a few blocks from where my dad works; once I tried calling, I got the answering machine, which made me a bit nervous. After another fifteen minutes, I started calling again, but then I glanced over my shoulder to find my dad standing right there! He had to check the greenhouses once more before the night watchman came in, so I took a look-see with him before we headed home: they've got some flowering trees they're coaxing into bloom for the Boston Flower Show next month. There's a chance I might help him out with that since they're looking for part-time workers to help out with their trade booth. I'd be glad to, if they'd let me!
Next year, I'm gonna do all three days of Boskone: If I plan ahead far enough in advance, I might even get a room at the hotel and stay there...
