When I boarded I realised that over half of my leg room was taken up by an entertainment unit.  I was really annoyed and  figured I was in for a long painful flight when I decided to ask an attendant if he could help.  I didn’t think he’d be able to – the flight was completely full and overbooked.  But, he came back and asked if I’d take a window seat several rows up the plane.  I happily accepted. The couple I was sitting beside – Dave and April – were great company, I was fairly comfortable, and the flight was ok in the end.  Not great, but ok.

I was picked up by Locus’s new intern, the very nice Hollianne.  It was then through the all-too familiar San Francisco and up to Locus HQ.  Charles was busy entertaining a bevvy of beautiful romance writers, so I spent some time getting reacquainted with Tim, Liza, Amelia, Kirsten, and Fran.  I don’t think I was necessarily coherent, but I did get to say chat with them all for a while.  When Charles was free we chatted, I then grabbed a shower, we had a quiet lunch, more chatting, I opened my Sony Reader, and that kind of thing.  I made it to 7pm before crashing.  I couldn’t quite string two words together.   Today will be a lazy day.  See Amelia, I hope, then Jeremy.  Otherwise, just here at the house.

More soon…

What else, oh blog? Well, I’m pretty much ready to travel. I’m due to pick up the old folks’ glasses today, and might see The Dark Knight. I’m also going to take a second look at what I’m taking to read. The spare battery died for the laptop, so whatever I read will have to be printed (oh the old-fashionedness of it). I have candidate or two in mind, though the most likely choice will be an anthology or a magazine so I keep up to date. I’ll also review what’s in the laptop. It’s 24hrs till I leave, so that’s the kind of thing on my mind.

On things SFnal – I’m reviewing the current list of anthology projects, and also seeing how they impact on panels for Denvention. I have a panel on the year’s best SF with Charles and David. It seems very specific. Not fantasy. SF. Maybe we should invite Gary to join us, I don’t know. I’ve read some excellent SF short fiction, so I’ll spend an hour or so in Oakland putting together a list and discussion points. I also am doing panels on the comeback of original anthologies and reviewers. The anthology panel will be interesting, if only to see how we fill our time. There are some basic observations that can be made, and Lou, Ellen and Lee will have a lot to say, but I’m pondering the complexity. As to the reviewing panel – it touches on some cherished shibboleths, which will be interesting to discuss.

And then there’s Oakland. My time there is short, and is always complicated, but I hope I get to see everyone.

Well, it’s about 60 hours to take-off, so I’m really just scoping out that I have what I need, picking up what I don’t have, and sort of getting in the right head-space for the whole trip. The traditional stopover in Oakland is a big part of any of these trips, and I try to set up get togethers when I can. This time I’m mostly seeing my fellow Locus folk, but I also always try to see Bob and Karen (who are dear friends and have been incredibly generous suporters in the past), and this time I’m eager to catch up with Posse Man (aka Jeremy) if I can. Lots to talk about.

I have four days in Oakland, if you count the day I arrive. I need to get to a T-Mobile store, but other than that am free as a bird. Except I have a batch of proofreading to do. I’ll tell you I’ll do it on the plane, but truthfulkly if I don’t do most of it before I go I’ll be behind the eight ball. I’m also going to spend time researching some books I’m doing or planning, and basically being busy.

Am I on track? I don’t know. I think so. I’ll forget something, but probably not anything important. I am pretty sure what I’ll be reading on the plane, but that could change too. More soon. (Interesting, huh?).

There are a lot of things I’m looking forward to. On the way to Oakland I should be seeing Simon and Ally at Sydney Airport. They’re off to Phuket at the same time I’m headed to the US, so it was too good an opportunity to miss. Oakland is always good. It’ll be great to see Charles, Liza, Amelia, Kirsten, Tim, Carolyn, Fran, and everyone else, and to spend a little time sitting on the back deck relaxing. Not so much drinking this year, but a quiet time will be good. I’m also hoping to see Karen and Bob while I’m in town, and Jeremy too. The only thing I have to do is get to a T-Mobile store for ten minutes and that shouldn’t be too hard to arrange. As for WorldCon, the people, the dealers’ room, the art show – lots to do. I can’t wait. And I’ll be hanging with Sean Williams, who is one of my best buddies, so that’s cool. Again, though, I’ll perhaps take it all a bit slower this year. It should be fun though. See you there?