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Ad Astra Saturday Report
Apr. 11th, 2010 11:21 amI transcribed the hotel address from a Polaris email and took us 30-40$ of cab fare out of our way before we got to the Don Mills Plaza.
I remembered too late that the Don Mills Plaza is the reason we'd stopped going to Ad Astra a few years back: It's a terrible building, inconveniently laid out even for the completely able-bodied, which a lot of fans aren't; I think the building's architect must have actively feared an attack by armed force in wheelchairs, or something. Perhaps Daleks.
At any rate it made me feel I was causing green_trilobite undue pain every time I wanted to change locations,and for this reason we only went to one panel, though we did see several of handful_ofdust's and kelpqueen's readings, and I finally met their excellent book-cover artist, Erik Mohr.
Also, the dealer's room, though small, did have a booth selling charming little puppets that perch on your shoulder - I bought a baby griffin, now christened Whatsit.
There were many steampunk costumes - so many that more than one person joked that the event should have been called "GoggleCon." The steampunk Ghostbusters were particularly memorable.
As regards the field test of my own outfit, I have determined that most of it is comfortable enough to wear for 15 hours, but that the corset and the goggles both start to chafe a bit after 13 hours, and the knitted shrug starts to get sweaty after only about 5 hours - must work on that. Also I need a button hook for the gloves. The boots and the bustle performed well throughout. Pictures when I get them.
ETA - Also I hereby resolve that next time I go to a convention w/o staying at the hotel, I will just pay for the overpriced drinks in the hotel bar rather than try to be clever and bring my own booze for the room parties, which I will then have to lug around all day and which no one drinks until after I go home.
Further ETA - Overheard Rob Sawyer talking about his trilogy Wake, Watch and Wonder, and misheard it as Weight-Watch Wonder: I thought he'd written a book about his experiences with the Atkins diet.....
I remembered too late that the Don Mills Plaza is the reason we'd stopped going to Ad Astra a few years back: It's a terrible building, inconveniently laid out even for the completely able-bodied, which a lot of fans aren't; I think the building's architect must have actively feared an attack by armed force in wheelchairs, or something. Perhaps Daleks.
At any rate it made me feel I was causing green_trilobite undue pain every time I wanted to change locations,and for this reason we only went to one panel, though we did see several of handful_ofdust's and kelpqueen's readings, and I finally met their excellent book-cover artist, Erik Mohr.
Also, the dealer's room, though small, did have a booth selling charming little puppets that perch on your shoulder - I bought a baby griffin, now christened Whatsit.
There were many steampunk costumes - so many that more than one person joked that the event should have been called "GoggleCon." The steampunk Ghostbusters were particularly memorable.
As regards the field test of my own outfit, I have determined that most of it is comfortable enough to wear for 15 hours, but that the corset and the goggles both start to chafe a bit after 13 hours, and the knitted shrug starts to get sweaty after only about 5 hours - must work on that. Also I need a button hook for the gloves. The boots and the bustle performed well throughout. Pictures when I get them.
ETA - Also I hereby resolve that next time I go to a convention w/o staying at the hotel, I will just pay for the overpriced drinks in the hotel bar rather than try to be clever and bring my own booze for the room parties, which I will then have to lug around all day and which no one drinks until after I go home.
Further ETA - Overheard Rob Sawyer talking about his trilogy Wake, Watch and Wonder, and misheard it as Weight-Watch Wonder: I thought he'd written a book about his experiences with the Atkins diet.....
