sleepyWe checked to see whether we needed to upgrade our memberships for the newly-seated 2011 Worldcon. I was a Friend who voted and need do nothing else. Lisa voted, but was only a pre-supporter, so we had to pay to upgrade her to attending.
The final hours of the convention passed in a quick blur, as we talked with lots of people. We rushed toward Closing Ceremonies at 1600, for which I had one more official responsibility. I still had the Gavel of WSFS, having used it to preside over the WSFS Business Meeting. I had to deliver it to co-Chair Rene Walling for use during the ceremony. Not being able to find Rene, I ended up standing around in the front row of the main hall until he found me -- it's not like I blend in that easily in my WSFS uniform! Rene found me only a couple of minutes before the ceremony started. Lisa doesn't like the big ceremonies, so I was on my own, and I joined
dave_gallaher, dinogrl, and Cheryl in the center mid-rear section.The Closing Ceremonies were brief, entertaining, and to the point, ending with Rene formally ending the convention and handing the Gavel to Rose Mitchell, co-Chair of Aussiecon 4. And then we were done. I went up and mingled with the folks here. Rose looked at me and said, "So, do I give this back to you now?"
I said, "No, you keep it -- it's yours until you hand it on the following year." I did say that whoever chairs her WSFS Business Meeting will want it after she calls A4 into session next year. I also pointed out that the "World Science Fiction Society" plate on the Gavel is getting slightly corroded and needs a lick of brass polish. She says she'll take care of it when she gets home.
Then I helped Cheryl work out a storage box for her Hugo Award trophy. As I understand it, Anticipation was prepared to ship trophies if you left them with the Con Office, but did not have appropriately-sized storage boxes on hand. Cheryl didn't want her trophy shipped, but needed a box for it. We made one by cutting down a slightly-larger box and obtaining packing material from the large Pile O'Boxes sitting in one corner of the exhibit hall. After helping Cheryl get her box made and carrying it back to her hotel room, I headed back to my hotel, where I had earlier arranged to meet
redneckotaku and get dinner with him (and Lisa, and Kuma, of course).He sat for pictures with Kuma and with me; unfortunately, the photos with me turned out to be out of focus, but I like the one above with him and Kuma.
I ran up to my room and changed into less stain-prone clothes, and the four of us (including Lisa and Kuma) went up to the food court at the Complex Desjardins where I again indulged a taste for poutine, this time with smoked meats. I also learned that A&W makes a sugar-free root beer that's pretty good. We passed a companionable casual meal talking about conventions, fandom, and suchlike, before walking back down (this time through the underground RESO warrens) to the foot of the hill, where he headed off toward the Delta and Lisa and I returned to our hotel again.
My computer had been running pretty warm from all of the video-production work I'd set it to doing, so I shut it down to give it some rest. Lisa and I then went off to the Intercontinental's Absinthe Bar for the [Hudson's] Bay Area Science Fiction Association meeting. Many of our friends from the Bay Area and beyond came by during the meeting, and Cheryl joined us carrying her Hugo trophy, which most of the BASFAns had not yet had the chance to see. Lisa headed off to the Delta, came back to clarify the location of the Old Pharts Party, then went back to the Delta.
Following the BASFA meeting, I carried Cheryl's trophy down to the Delta and we headed up to one of the suites at the top of the Delta. Another elevator queue awaited. On a Monday? Turns out out it was a completely unrelated group that had all arrived at once and was moving in.
I had fully intended to spend some time at the Dead Dog Party on the 5th Floor but once I was ensconced upstairs, particularly in the comfy couch, I didn't really feel like going anywhere. If anyone was expecting to catch up to me at the Dead Dog Party, I apologize.
As the clock struck 0100 on Tuesday morning, I decided it was high time to turn in. Lisa and I walked with Cheryl back to her hotel, with me carrying the Hugo again to the door of the Embassy Suites, where I gave her back her trophy and we said our goodbyes, after which Lisa and I returned to the hotel.
Although we don't have any specific deadline on Tuesday, we have free-breakfast coupons for Tuesday and Wednesday, and we don't want to waste our one day of tourism sleeping. I reckon I can sleep on the train after we leave Montreal. Also, I'm seriously considering shipping some of the papers and maybe even some of my clothes back to Oregon and California if the price isn't too awful. We'll figure it out on Tuesday. As it stands now, I need some sleep, and soon.