I didn't mean to take such a long break from posting but internet access proved less accessible than I had hoped during my wanderings during the last few weeks. I'll blog about some of my adventures later but for now I'll just say that Tasmania is amazing to visit. Beautiful and historic - and we could easily have spent another couple of weeks there and still not have seen everything.
But let me start with Aussiecon 4. What an experience. I enjoyed every moment. It was brilliant to catch up with so many friends I see rarely due to distance and to have a chance to be in a space where everyone has similar interests. It was tiring (exhausting might be more accurate), crowded and noisy - and so stimulating. I have pages of notes on panels to transcribe. As Worldcons go this was relatively small and I'm not at all sure I'd enjoy something much bigger so I'm glad I was able to attend this one. If I have a complaint it is that there were so many interesting panels, guest speeches, kaffeeklatsches and readings that I generally found myself torn between at least two - more often three - choices every time. Even my own panels clashed with others I would have liked to have gone to. I was lucky though that they were both on the first afternoon and so left me with time to enjoy the rest of the con without having to juggle that as well.
I have to say to anyone considering it, if you ever get the chance to go to a Worldcon take it. I learned so much, met such interesting people - several of my fellow reviewers from The Specusphere I hadn't met face to face before for example - and came home with far too many books - dealers' rooms are a temptation and so are book launches - and the pre Hugo Orbit party was a blast.
Catching up with so many of my Clarion South 2007 classmates and others was an added bonus as was the opportunity to hear about their achievements which were added to when Peter M. Ball was awarded Best New Talent in the Ditmars and tutor Robert Hood was named Best Fan Writer for his blog Undead Backbrain.
All in all a great five days.
