Just to help people out with planning, here's my schedule for Friday and Saturday:

Friday

Fr1700D Alternate History
Fri 5:00 PM-6:00 PM Ballroom D
Antonelli, Brown*, Dimond, Kimbriel, Mills, Waldrop

Why is this genre so fascinating, and how does it relate to the rest of speculative fiction? What special challenges does it pose for the writer -- and reader?

Fr2030CC Reading
Fri 8:30 PM-9:00 PM Conference Center
Katharine Eliska Kimbriel

I can read from new Nuala or Night Calls short pieces.

Saturday

Sa1000E Silkpunk: Asian themes and influences in SF/F
Sat 10:00 AM-11:00 AM Ballroom E
Chu, Kerr, Kimbriel, Landon, Liu*, Oliver

Exploring the use of Asian concepts and locations in the work of Guy Gavriel Kay, Neil Gaiman, and Ken Liu contextualized as just a few of many.

Sa1400DR Autographing
Sat 2:00 PM-3:00 PM Dealers' Room
Cardin, Cherry, Downum, Kimbriel, Mancusi, Stoddard

I will bring some books to Adventures in Crime & Space.

Sa1600D Speculative Fiction as a Mirror to Religion
Sat 4:00 PM-5:00 PM Ballroom D
Blaschke*, Cardin, Kimbriel, Marmell, Morrow, Swendson

Illuminating human institutions, belief systems, theology, and cosmology.

If you have ever wondered where it started, there's a mini-LoneStarCon3 Yard Dog Press Road Show mp3 with Selina telling us the story.

I refuse to admit which laugh is mine. Dear heavens....

As it happens, my programming Fri-Sat-Sun is noonish.

So I am open to sharing meals with folks for late lunches and early evening dinners. I hope I get to at least see you all--this is a test convention for me, to see whether I can handle conventions anymore.

Well, I used to prep a couple months in advance. But I didn't know I was going--and I am fluctuating a lot in size (too weird to explain...) so everything is either HUGE or a hair too small and Vintage.

I figure I need at least one sundress, one nice top and a new pair of athletic shoes for walking. I have a credit at InStep, so will go look for shoes there. The other stuff I need inexpensively.

Any Hill Country suggestions?

I know that those who do not know me well may be surprised by this, but I am an introvert who has worked hard to have an extrovert shell to use interacting with the world. If you think about a lot of the things some people talk about on their blogs? You'll notice that I don't talk about those things at all. Issues, writing, things in the world that fascinate and frustrate me? I'm there. Occasional discouragement? Yup. Silliness? That's me.

I have always fought for others, and awkwardly for myself. SF conventions have always been a twilight zone for me, ever since I misunderstood a BNA at a major convention and found out that his kind gesture meant that he expected me to sleep with him. It has never been the safe place others alluded to. It was a place where I assumed I had to look out for myself, just as I did everywhere else in the world. la_marquise_de_'s post "What safety means to me" strikes a powerful chord.

Starting today, we fight for others and ourselves. If you only follow one of these interesting links, please read the echo of Elise's post over on John's site. It talks about reporting sexual harassment when at a convention. Real reports are what counts, people. We can't clean up a problem if we don't report. And, BTW--if a male friend needs your support reporting a woman or man who is being aggressive? Support him. Same thing.

"Screw nice. I have a responsibility to the rest of my community, to not excuse it. To not allow it. If you’re out in public, there are expectations as to your behavior. Going forward, if someone behaves like a creeper, I’m calling them out as a creeper. Your physical existence entitles you to nothing other than your own existence. Do not presume." -- Laura Anne Gilman

Additional thanks to Kari, Laura Anne, Maria, Cherie, and Elise (quoted in full over on John's site.)

Thank you for having my back. Know that I have yours.

I've tweeted a bit, but have been either "a bit off" or working on a grant that must go through first draft by Sunday night. Octopodicon was wonderful, the friendliest convention ever -- such generous people with their time, talent and enthusiasm! Mel White and I are already working on a steampunk project for next year. Kudos to Noddy, Bev and the crew for a job well done! (And thanks to Morgen who came all that way to see me!) Highly recommended for all steampunk enthusiasts.

Speaking of projects -- it was bound to happen. Someone made a Weeping Angel From "Blink" and wandered around DragonCon with it. Very nice job, a costume's first duty being Effect.

And -- only, ONLY if you have seen the last episode from the Doctor Who 2012 Season Seven, and not before (Spoilers!) -- the missing scene from that last episode, "P.S."

Back to the grant research.... Oh, the headache. Is it too late for tea?

Sigh. Life is too complicated.

I'm heading for OK soon, after I finish editing and printing a copy of a story to read, loading a flash drive and uploading to Drop Box, packing, assembling the rest of the food...I do not travel light!

And then there are things like three orders/financial things to attend to before leaving. Cat instructions. And hitting the storage shed, and Good Fellas....argh!

See you next week!

ArmadilloCon 34

Fr2100SB SF 101: A Reading List for a College Course
Fri 9:00 PM-10:00 PM Sabine
S. Allen, B. Frank*, K. Kimbriel, M. Trimm, S. Utley
Suppose you got to teach a cool class on science fiction as literature. What important works do you think students should read and like?

Fr2200T Writing a Strong Female Protagonist
Fri 10:00 PM-11:00 PM Trinity
M. Bracken, R. Frater, K. Kimbriel, J. Moyer, C. Neill, P. Sarath*
The challenges of writing a tough-yet-relatable heroine.

Sa2000SM Reading
Sat 8:00 PM-8:30 PM San Marcos
Katharine Eliska Kimbriel

I probably have an autographing, too, but I don't know if I'll be bringing books or not. I'm out of town, and I will be doing a seminar in Austin this weekend. So I will be at the convention Friday, and Saturday night. I will come back Sunday night if people want to get together, but I don't plan to do the BBQ slug-fest.

Hope you can join us!