tired
kproche and bovil on account of I've been to these things before and I am not hugely fussed over being there at the very start of the scrum. So after the ceremony, they and I joined Cheryl and gigica, who were heading back to the Crowne Plaza as well (their room is actually shares a wall with mine) to change to shoes more amenable to standing for a while. I popped in to my room to get my invitation and give it to Kevin and Andy, who went on to the party.Lisa had actually gone to bed when I went to the Hugo Ceremony (something rare for her in these circumstances, but she was exhausted), but got back up and got dressed while I changed out of my suit and into a much more casual Hawaiian-style shirt. We then went over to the Sheraton, and after several mis-turns, figured out where we were supposed to be. We shared part of the walk with the Foglios, with whom I commiserated with over Phil's fourth-place finish in Best Professional Artist and explained that in 2009, there will be a Best Graphic Story Hugo Award, for which Girl Genius will be eligible, provided that one story ends during 2008. Since the GG books are first published in serialized form on the web, that means the end of a story there, not the publication of the paper books. I reckon I'll write to them and explain this further later.
We were happy to sit and join the Inoues and the other Japanese fans, who made us feel quite welcome. Hiroaki had some Japanese rail and train-modeling magazines which he gave Lisa as a present. I was happy to just sit and relax and talk with people whom I don't get to see very often.
Later in the evening, I was told that the crush had subsided at the Hugo Losers Party, and that I could go on in even without my invitation. Boy, was I glad I wasn't wearing my business suit anymore. Even with most of the crowd gone, the heat was stifling. Cheryl, looking stunning in her latest go-to-Hugos gown, was I reckon a lot more comfortable in her dress than I would have been in my suit.
Speaking of Cheryl, she hailed me as I came to the party and showed me the gifts. Traditionally, the hosts of the post-Hugo party give the nominees small gifts. This year's gift was a very clever ink pen and USB memory key combination.
I didn't stay at the party long, although I did take advantage of some of the cheese and other food on the table. Even picked over, there was some nice stuff on offer. However, I'd had a big dinner and wasn't very hungry. I do feel a little guilty for not having worked more for Anticipation.
I headed back down the hall where Lisa continued to talk trains and other stuff. It was nearing midnight, however, so we thanked the Inoues and the others for their hospitality and said goodnight, then made our way back to our hotel, where unfortunately it has taken us nearly two hours to get finished with my report writing.
There's a lot more I could say, but I'm way too tired to do so. And I have to be up again in about five or six hours because there's an MPC meeting at 10 AM Sunday.