I can’t even keep track of how long it is since I took that photo at the airport. 10am Friday. Well, it’s 6am Sunday, but there’s all kinds of dateline nonsense between here and there. Suffice it to say, it took waaaaaay longer to get here than you’d think. How was it?

Well, the flight from Perth was fine. Packed, but fine. I arrived at about 4pm, had time to do the online check-in thing at the airport before being picked up by Nick. Went back to his place and he showed off his awesome new toy art that he’s doing for his exhibition, and we nattered away until Terry, Kerry, Deb, Chris and Adrian all showed up. We then headed off to this terrific gourmet pizza place where we ate, drank, laughed and talked. Then back to Nick and Adrian’s for dessert and wine. It was a wonderful, wonderful evening.

Next morning I was up fairly early. Terry came over and we strolled through Paddington and found somewhere for brunch. It’s a stunning area – the only place in Sydney that I’ve seen where I’d love to live – and again we had the relaxed kind of easy conversation you only get with long time friends.

After that it was all good-byes and off to the airport again. The twelve and a half hour flight was fairly horrible. Cramped, unpleasant. I fell off the plane in San Francisco tired and just awfully depressed. This was jetlag, of course, but still… I was met by Amelia who was incredible and kind. We headed back to Oakland for a long lunch where, in a haze of jetlag driven funk I spoke much nonsense. Then shopping before coming up to Charles’ house, where I’m staying. Amelia headed off and I then pottered around, had something to eat and spoke to Gary (which was welcome). I’ve slept some and will sleep some more before brunch today. Need to find the post-jetlag fun so I can enjoy Montreal. Not there yet.

The reason you can’t contact me is because I’m not HERE, I’m THERE. QF642 is waiting at Gate 2 and I’ll be in Sydney in five hours or so, I guess. Stuck in the ‘travel time’ limbo. Should be great seeing everyone today, but a weird time.

I will *try* to post info and photos about the trip, but I warn you that I always fail in this. I’ll mostly be offline till Sunday. See you then!

When: Thu 15:30
Location: P-516D
Title: 2009: The Year in Short Fiction
Session ID: 625
All Participants: Adrienne Martini, Ellen Datlow, Jonathan Strahan, Sheila Williams, Bill Fawcett
Moderator: Adrienne Martini
Description: Our panel of experts tell you about the must-reads of the year.

When: Fri 17:00
Location: P-516AB
Title: Handicapping the Hugos II: The Short Fiction
Session ID: 590
All Participants: Ann VanderMeer, Jonathan Strahan, Karen Burnham, Niall Harrison, Bill Fawcett
Moderator: Ann VanderMeer
Description: Our panellists survey the Hugo-nominated short stories, novelettes, and novellas: they tell us what they want to win, what will win, and why.

When: Sat 10:00
Location: P-521A
Title: Kaffee Klatch Jonathan Strahan
Session ID: 1062All Participants: Jonathan StrahanModerator:
Description: A chance to ask one of your favourite authors those burning questions.
When: Sun 14:00

When: Sun 14:00
Location: P-516AB
Title: Charles N. Brown: a Tribute
Session ID: 1693
All Participants: David Hartwell, Ellen Datlow, Jonathan Strahan, Robert Silverberg, Gary K. Wolfe, Connie Willis, Anthony Lewis, Gardner Dozois, Liza Trombi
Moderator: Gardner Dozois
Description: Charles N. Brown, the creator of the newszine Locus, the winner of the most Hugo Awards, and a tireless promoter of the science fiction field died suddenly last month at the age of 72. Join Charles’s friends in remembering him. Hawaiian shirts encouraged. Aloha, Charles.

When: Sun 17:00
Location: P-517D
Title: The New Space Opera 2
Session ID: 1702
All Participants: Bill Willingham, Cory Doctorow, James Patrick Kelly, Jay Lake, John C. Wright, Jonathan Strahan, Mike Resnick, Robert Charles Wilson, Robert Silverberg, Walter Jon Williams, Tom Clegg, John Scalzi, Peter Watts, Gardner Dozois
Description: Meet the editors and authors of both the first and second The New Space Opera anthologies. Jonathan Strahan, Gardner Dozois and Tom Clegg will attend the entire event and will be available for autographing. Other New Space Opera writers may drop by

Part way through Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers, Trent Reznor, who compiled the soundtrack, drops the needle on one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard. A slow bass comes in and over the top of it the beautiful, soulful voice of Margo Timmins fronting the Cowboy Junkies, singing a deep and slow version of the Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane”.

The version is so true and so perfect that Lou Reed himself described it as “the best and most authentic version I have ever heard” .  I’d not heard of the Cowboy Junkies or Margo Timmins, but I walked out of that movie theatre wanting more.  I went to a music store near where I lived at the time looking for compilation that would give me an overview of the band, as well as a copy of that extraordinary song.

Fortunately the only album I could find was The Trinity Sessions. I was reluctant to buy it because it sounded like it must be demos and it wasn’t an overview of the band.  Stupid, stupid me.  I bought it and stumbled into one of the most wonderful albums I’ve ever heard.  An entrancing mix of originals and covers, it opens with Timmins singing an acapella version of the traditional miner’s ballad “Mining For Gold”. The moment I heard it I knew the album was something special, something different.  The album continues through a revisited version of “Blue Moon” (appropriately subtitled ‘Song for Elvis’ – Timmins sometimes sound like some magical female Elvis singing the blues) and more.

They say that great art takes time. The stunning thing about The Trinity Sessions is that it didn’t take much time at all. Apparently, planning time aside, Timmins and the other Junkies recorded the album in a single night, 27 November 1987, at Ontario’s Church of the Holy Trinity with just a single microphone.  Well, not one night. They had to go back and finish one track during the Symphony’s lunch break later that week, but the point holds.  Perfect, spontaneous, and soulful it’s one of my favorite albums of all time.

Today has been a bit mixed, to say the least. Marianne and I went out to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (a solidly adequate piece of entertainment that had me laughing out loud a couple times), and got to bed a bit late. That, in turn, has meant we’ve both been a bit tired today, as the young ones don’t sleep in when we do.  I had lots to do to get ready for heading o/s next week, so I was up and out early.  I finished in record time, had enough time to sneak in a sidetrip to JB and was feeling a bit smug about it, when the cooling system in the aged Camry died.  A major puff of steam clued me, and I just made it home before it was done and dusted.  sigh.  It’s been towed away, will be repaired, but no car till Tuesday probably, which leaves us mildly inconvenienced.  We have some help coming, but the afternoon plans were set aside and we ended up having a stroll in the park before heading home.  Family movie night beckons.

I can’t seem to shake the feeling that I’m unprepared for the trip next week. This might be because I am unprepared, but mostly seems because I like to do this kind of thing to myself.