WisCon 29, Day Zero

It's been a bumpy ride to this vacation. (What? I'm on vacation? Well, I don't usually announce them here for personal-security reasons.) My Discover Card got pirated, as I said. Debbi had a rough week at work. And my own work has been very hectic pretty much all year. I haven't gone away for a long vacation since last September, so I was very ready for this one. I'm going to Madison, Wisconsin to attend WisCon 29 and see friends.

Debbi used some comp time to take the day off and give me a lift to the airport. She's also staying with the kitties this week to take care of them, which I'm sure they appreciate. Her cats I'm sure enjoy having the extra time to look out all my windows, and my cats get someone to keep them company.

We got up at 6 am and left for the airport at 7:45, to allow ample time for my 9:45 flight. I fly so rarely I don't know how much lead time to allow these days. Turns out I needn't have worried - I sailed through check-in and security in only 15 minutes, so I had plenty of time to get breakfast, get to the gate, and read. The flight left on time and landed in Chicago 20 minutes early. So I had another hour and a half to get lunch and read before catching the connection to Madison, which was also on time.

Wow, the Madison airport is being significantly renovated. They've already replaced the carpeting in the main concourse with stone tiles, and it looks a lot different. This would be just the hint of things to come in my first trip back to Madison in four years. (Has it really been that long? Yes, it really has.)

I'm staying with my friends Charlie and Dan, who live just blocks from the hotel where the con is. Charlie picked me up, but also noticed a woman standing by the bus stop looking like she just missed the bus. Charlie - who has this eerie feeling about such things - offered her a lift. Turns out she's an acquaintance of mine from the Bay Area, and Lucy had once brought me along to a party at her house. So telling her that I think made her feel better about hitching a lift with two men she didn't really know. But we're harmless! She'd had the exact opposite travel experience of mine: Cancelled flights, lost luggage, and the works. Ugh. So hopefully Charlie's good deed cheered her up.

Charlie and Dan have a lovely condo, with a view of Lake Mendota, and close to practically everything. They even have windows overlooking several restaurants, which is handy if you're checking out the lines to consider eating there. They gave me the orientation to their place, and we had dinner. It was a nice relaxing evening after the trip, which left me rather tired despite going so well. Oh, and they also introduced me to Katamari Damacy on the Playstation 2, which is a very neat game. (I've seen articles about it and it sounded neat.) I'm sure I'll waste quite a few hours playing it while I'm in town.

I said hello to their cat Amanda, and then headed off to bed. Long weekend coming up!

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