Realms of the Raven

I've actually been back from RT 2007 in Houston for almost a week but it's been busy and I've been trying to hack up portions of my pulmonary system ever since.

My best bud Jo and I traveled and roomed together, which was really nice - not only was there company at all times but I could borrow jewelry from her jewelry case when I didn't feel like wearing my own. Not sure what she got from it other than a good laugh or two at my expense, but oh well.

Arrived on Monday and after we ditched the suitcases in the hotel room, the next priority was to feed ourselves. Although not starved on the plane, we were ready to chew on a chair leg by the time we checked in.

We also discovered that the hotel is basically a large hollow tower and at the center of the bottom is the bar - not as a separate room but almost a mix of sunken living room and kiosk.

The smoking. OMFG the smoking. I'm from Washington where smoking in public places is banned and I have lost any resistance I had. Add to that the fact that I'm an asthmatic. Not a good combination. The longer the convention went on, the greater the amount of smoke that flooded through the entire hotel. I am not sure how I avoided a full blown asthma attack but I did hit the inhaler a lot. Camille Anthony was really having a hard time since she has respiratory problems anyway. A few times I was tempted to offer her my first born for a hit off her oxygen tank!

Before we went to have dinner in the little hotel cafe, I dutifully donned my bunny ears. For those who don't know, I review for Joyfully Reviewed and our mascot is the bunny - which originally started out as a joke but took on a life of its own. Last year Joy wore bunny ears and this year Jo and I brought bunny ears too. This also had to do with a contest where people from our chat group could find us, tell us the secret phrase and win a prize.

I had warned Joy that my ears were pierced but either she didn't believe me or she thought I had changed personality and was suddenly opting for "discrete". Silly woman.

Here's me in my ears:



They suit me, no? And how could anyone miss them???

Author friend Jade Buchanan called during dinner to locate us - I actually had to wave my arms to get her attention, can you imagine?

Not much other than socializing and starting the smoke permeation process on Monday. The Advanced Aspiring Author program started at (gasp) 9am Tuesday morning. Cruel and unusual punishment - I'm not alive at 9am, much less able to pay attention. Still, Jade and I arranged to meet downstairs at 8 to have coffee and breakfast before the program started. Yuck.

I'll pick this tale up with Tuesday.