I can’t tell you I was happy when I left you, dear reader. I was tired, in need to rest and recuperation, but faced with delays. In the end my flight from Los Angeles was delayed and I didn’t end up meetiing with the wonderful Ellen Klages till about 5.45pm (I was due at 1.15pm).

Still, once she picked me up at the airport everything looked up. We headed over to a brew pub for dinner with Eileen Gunn and John Berry, who were heading home to Seattle immediately after dinner. It as lovely seeing them, and I’m looking forward to spending more time with Eileen in Ohio. We then headed back to Ellen’s house where we sat and talked for another couple hours, and then I crashed.

Monday started slowly. I pottered around downstairs at Casa del Klages before we headed out to a lovely seafood restaurant for lunch. I need to get the name of it from E. The views were stunning, looking out over the Bay and Alcatraz, and the food superb (I had Steelhead Salmon cook in lemon butter -yum). We then pottered around Fisherman’s Wharf, before doing a little shopping then heading back to Ellen’s to meet up with Amelia.

Readers of this blog should have no problems remembering Amelia, who has been a dear friend for a long time (Jessica once, I recall, wanted to marry her). We chatted and caught up, walked over to very nice Peruvian restaurant for a relaxed dinner, then Amelia and I drove up to Charles’s house where I’m staying till we leave for Ohio.

We stayed up a bit longer, chatted and reminisced, and then she headed home and me to bed. I’ve been up for an hour and am going to go sit out on the back deck and think about Charles for a bit. Later today, the Locus people (!) and Bob & Karen (!). Tomorrow, Ohio.

Well, sitting at Gate 40 waiting for the flight to SFO, which I’ve just heard has been delayed 1-3hrs. Yay. Flight from Perth to Sydney was fine. Had a lovely time in Sydney with Nick, Adrian, Terry, Cat, and Rob including a fantastic Mexican dinner. Was on the A380 to LAX on time, after some paperwork kerfuffle (I swear nothing has gone right with the paperwork), but was disappointed by it. Not only were there entertainment units in the aisle footwells, but the arms between seats were bulky and didn’t go back all the way, meaning one was digging into my shoulder. Will likely avoid the aircraft when I can. Got into LAX 30mins late, and just found out the flight to SFO is delayed by one to three hours. Am ready just to be there.

Well, I’ve left. The plane hasn’t taken off yet – that should happen in about 90 minutes – but I’m sitting in the departure lounge of the Perth domestic airport, drinking coffee and blogging. I’ve gone through the morning rituals, done what I can to make sure that things go as well as they can for this first leg of the trip, and am basically unwinding. The plan, if I have one, is to read and nap on the plane, maybe watch a bit of a movie if that proves interesting, but basically zone out for four hours as I head to Sydney.

This is always an interesting time. You’re poised, like a diver on a precipice, waiting to start things. You know roughly what to expect, how it will likely play out, but have no idea what will actually happen. It seems like that the thirteen days between my sitting here drinking coffee and my coming through the arrival gate over my right shoulder at noon on Thursday will be a long time. It will go by in a flash. There will be dinners, bars, talking, some uncomfortable flights, good bits, bad bits, but when I get off that final plane on the way home it will have seemed to have taken no time at all. Hopefully it will have been fun, though.

What do I think will be highlights? Hmm. Dinner tonight with Nick, Adrian, Rob, Cat and Terry. Staying with EllenK. Seeing Amelia. The Locus folk. Bob and Karen(!). Gary. Alisa. The people. The World Fantasy Award banquet. I’m a freaking nominee!! How cool is that? I shall sit in the room, having eaten plastic banquet chicken, surrounded by friends, and enjoy the moment of being a nominee. No idea how it will turn out, and happy about that. I think others will win, but it’ll be great to just be there and enjoy it. I also hope to do some podcasting. It might be kept on file rather than posted immediately, but there should be WFC podcasts. And lots more.

I’m sure there will be other stuff, and I’ll blog bits of it. Miss lots of it, and see you on the other side.

What else?

Program participants have been asked to let as many other people as possible know that there won’t be the usual emails to members of the convention as to their convention schedules. Please go to World Fantasy Convention tentative schedule. Pass the word.

I’m sort of edgy and irritable, so it’s good that everyone’s out of the house. Maybe I need something cathartic. Hmm. It’s less than 24hrs till take off and I’ve been unable to do the online check-in with Qantas. This sort of thing just erks the devil out of me, and is part of the reason I’m on edge. It’s a system that should work and usually does. When it doesn’t – when systems like that don’t – they really bother me.

I am, however, all packed. I could leave in 30 minutes if I had to (which I happily don’t). I’ll have an early lunch with Marianne then spend some time with the family, before hopefully getting an early night. In the interim I’m piecing together some WFC social plans and getting into the swing of that. It should be a great time, though this is the first time I’ll be at a WFC without either the Aussie contingent or Charles. It’ll be interesting to see how it goes.

Now, I could tell you all of the people I cannot wait to see, but I’d leave someone out and that would be bad. I can’t wait to see everyone, especially if we’ve already made plans.  It should be a lot of fun.

Hmmm. We need a new webcam and some other stuff. Back in a bit.