Reviews, Recipes, and Random Slices of Life

Warning: Huge write-up ahead!

Last weekend I went to the 4th Street Fantasy convention (http://www.4thstreetfantasy.com/). As part of my attempt to level up as a SFF writer, I'd decided that this was the year I should make a point of going to conventions, either writing conventions or fantasy and science fiction conventions. Finding one that was both made me happy.

I couldn't justify getting a hotel room. I live in Minneapolis. My budget is already cranky about the hotel room I'm sharing with others for CONvergence. So I used the light rail and my bike. That's when I discovered that my poor old bike's fender means it doesn't go at all easily into the designated bike rack on the light rail. I feel a bit lucky that I didn't die biking home in the dark along city streets at 1 AM. I am in favor of me not dying. I came home every night, though quite late; it still felt as if I'd been gone for a week by the end of the convention.

Lesson #1: 4th Street Fantasy Convention distorts space and time.

( The panels were both useful and shiny. )

DIY ornaments made from photographs. Sometimes I think the best thing I could do in my study when I eventually get around to actually painting/decorating it would be to just mount a massive cork board to the ceiling to allow me to stick things to it. Like, say, hundreds of swirling photo ornaments.

I should try to go to the Rice Park Winter Wonderland in St. Paul before it closes on January 1st. I've really enjoyed wandering around and photographing the ice sculptures in the past. Of course, it did rain this afternoon, and there's no snow on the ground, so that takes a bit of the fun out of it. I used to live right around the corner from this, and I'd walk past the ice sculptures every day on my way home from work.