I finally broke down and rebooked my useless ticket to Dragon*Con. With fees, etc., since this was a lowest-of-the-low ticket (no refunds, etc.) meant that it put me up only $60 on the tickets for Norwescon in April, but at least I wasn't out the entire ticket price. The flight prices had gone done for April in the meantime of my dithering, so it ended up being right about where I was thinking it "ought" to be.

So I am now booked for Norwescon in April 2010, and I will not be that irritating never-shows-up passenger they call as they're trying to board the plane today.

I haven't started packing yet. For me it's all the prep-work that takes time. Cleaning (because I am my mother's daughter and can't leave a dirty house), writing up notes and instructions for my cat-sitters, sending detailed info to various people who want to know where I'll be, wrapping up loose ends at work, cleaning out my purse so only the essentials are in there, syncing and charging up my iPod, gathering all the charger cords...

Y'know what? Packing is EASY!

Looking forward to seeing many LJ people at Norwescon! If you're looking for me, I'll usually be found standing somewhere near lisamantchev  looking short by comparison.

I'm going to Dragon*Con! At least litl_iruka and I finally booked a hotel after spending an hour and a half checking hotels online, calling to find out true availability, and boggling at how expensive some of them were.

We finally found a great one a bit farther out than we'd planned (but still less than a mile's walk and also on the bus line). It's gorgeous and reasonably priced for what it is. I'm probably more excited about the hotel, now, than the convention.

And, no, I'm not telling where it is. I don't want my shiny find filling up with Klingons and Storm Troopers ;)

Day Seven — In which we wander along l'Avenue des Champs Élysées

Only a few pictures (Flickr photoset) of this day. It rained off and on and we spent a *lot* of time in this lovely little cafe down a street away from the main thoroughfare.

( onward to the finale )

–fin–

Without further ado, Day Six — in which we finally go to the Louvre! (Flickr photoset)

The details of this day beyond our long, lovely day at the Louvre are a bit sketchy. I think this was the day we ended up trying to find the comics again and failing (though that might have been Day Seven), but we did go to a bookshop and fruitlessly search for French editions of Madeline only to discover later that she is an American creation. Oops.

I believe this was also the evening we found ourselves seated next to a tableful of young Americans who couldn't have been more cartoonish in their behavior (this was at supper; I think we had lunch before we went to the Louvre somewhere during our leisurely, site-seeing walk there). These plucky youngsters (they seemed college-aged) complained about the lack of ice water (including a hilarious conversation about how they missed "ice-cold water" that we mocked mercilessly for the rest of the trip -- and at least I've been mocking it ever since), ordered food that came as close to burgers 'n' fries as they could get, and got mad that the waiter wasn't bringing their check right away (which the French don't do -- you will not be rushed in France which is, y'know, polite. When you're ready to go, just ask for your check). I hid behind my menu and tried not to talk lest I be lumped in with the Uglies.

At this point, we were pros. We went back to our hotel and, as the next day was going to be our last in Paris, we decided to go at last to Champs-Élysées after a sojourn through the Catacombs.

As usual, things didn't go quite to plan.

Up next: Day Seven — In which we wander along l'Avenue des Champs Élysées

This is really embarrassing. I wrote up Day Four in JULY!

I really *haven't* been blogging much this year. Yikes!

I'm going to rush through the last three days. I set up the Flickr streams for them earlier this week, and I'm mostly going to let the pictures tell the story, but there is a bit more detail that needs added, so without further ado:

Day Five — In Which We Don't Go to the Louvre Again

( I approve of flirtatious Frenchmen! )

Up next: Day Six — in which we finally go to the Louvre!

I'm back!

My cats celebrate my return by picking fights with each other. This is after trips to other cities and trips to the gym -- they aren't particular.

I was back at the home office for a couple of days in order to attend the holiday party, have my year-end review, hang out with friends, and spend time with my parents.  And then I got to drive back on some of the worst road conditions I've ever encountered (and frankly, with my travel history, that is saying something).  Two hours of driving in gale-force winds on black ice?  Wheeee!

But in spite of it taking over an hour longer than usual, I made it home safe and sound, and things calmed down about half-way along the route, so I could relax a little.

And fun was had and friends were seen and reviews were good and the party was SUMPTuous.  Really snazzy and yummy and fun.

Now I'm in my jammies and planning to order in Chinese for supper as is my way after Exhausting Travel.

Until then, I'm off to catch up on emails and LJ posts.

Continuing on the theme of the candid meme, I took the picture below when I got home tonight from my first ever foray to the Chicago SF group Meetup.  'Twas fun!  I met some neat people, though it seems a bit cliquey -- inevitable, I suppose, but it always bothers me as someone who likes to make sure everyone's met any time I'm in a circle of folk and newbies pop in. The host was great, though -- I don't want anyone to think I thought it was unfriendly. I hung out with a group of very neat, smart, interesting people, but when I got there, people were already setting up little outposts at various tables, and some of them just plain ignored any attempt by Not Their Folk to join in which is very counter the way things are meant to be, from what I was told.  At least say "HI!" is what I'm saying. I may not have a maternal bone in my body, and I may very rarely throw parties of any kind, but I do have a very strong hostess instinct.

Anyway! I'd planned to go get my eyebrows done yesterday in prep for tonight, but by the time I got around, it was too late, so I rescheduled it for right after work today.  I had a plan to go to Evanston, get the brows done, and then wander around and shop.

This would have been a great idea if it hadn't been raining like crazy.  I still managed to do these things, but not nearly in as fun a fashion as I'd imagined, though I did get a full makeup job with my eyebrows (they love to do this to you at Benefit in hopes you'll buy more stuff).  Usually, I'm just going home or to the gym after, so it was nice to have somewhere to wear my schmancy face to for once.

So here I am hours later after driving and walking around in the rain, yakking for hours, and being exhausted.  I'm sitting at my computer bathed in monitor glow, so the lighting is WAY true-to-life.



And the eyebrows look GREAT!

As for the meetup, I made my way downtown and arrived without incident at the destination (so now I've been there and know where the SF meetup takes place so future jaunts will be easier to make last-minute.  It's a nice location, decent food, good private room for the group, and with a handy and (for Chicago) inexpensive parking garage right next door.

Anyone else in the area want to go or meet there in future, it's always the first Tuesday of every month. Comment for more info. I'm heading off to bed so I'm not even going to look up the link just now, but I will if anyone's interested.

I'm home, I had a great time, and I'm exhausted. There was severe lack of sleeping but a lot of hanging out with great people.

Probably won't do a report as such, though I might review a few highlights. It was all too freeform and mad-dashy and impressionistic, or at least feels so right now.

A very good con.

Took the train out to Pocatello, Idaho, then drove back to Indiana from Yellowstone National Park.
That accounts for *some* of the red in the middle...


visited 27 states (54%)
Create your own visited map of The United States or determine the next president

I've also been to several places in Ontario, Canada (though not yet Toronto); spent about five minutes in Tijuana/Baja California, Mexico; been to London, Cambridge, and Oxford in the UK; and Paris, Orleans, and Blois in France. 

7/27: edited to include New York

Monday, March 17, 2008 — In Which We Don't Go to the Louvre or La Musée D'Orsay

As time drifts past and I don't get this report typed up, details are drifting away, so I'd better speed things up!

After our usual breakfast of croissants and café crèmes, we headed off with Great Intentions for the Louvre. However, nothing about this day went even remotely as planned -- even though we'd planned it in only the loosest sense of the word.

( Did I mention the Night Bus? )

Up next: Day Four — In Which We Visit the Neighbors

Sunday, March 16 – Pens and Marmots and Sparkly Things

It all began, innocently enough, with a desire to go see pens. Min, Chris, and I had our already-traditional breakfast croissant and café crème (I believe still acquiring both at a café — a practice we abandoned very quickly since a wider variety of pastries were available and much more cheaply at a selection of patisseries leaving us to only pay for the privilege of sipping our coffees in a leisurely fashion while sitting at one of the thousands of possible cafés we had to choose from).

A Dark and Stormy Tour	The Muses... I think.	A yellow-bellied marmot, native of Yellowstone National Park

( I swear to you, I'm getting to the pens... )

Next up: Day Three — In Which We Don't Go to the Louvre or La Musée D'Orsay

After all this time, I should attempt a Paris Trip Report before I forget what happened.

Friday, March 14th, 4pm – Saturday, March 15, night
(Hey, look!  I traveled on the Ides of March!)

( So let's start at the very beginning... ) 
Next up: Day Two -- Pens and Marmots and Sparkly Things

Teaser Cat (Le Chat a Pere LaChaise)

( More pix! )