I have had this cold for three weeks now, and it shows no sign of abating. The first week I had a low temperature, an agonizing sore throat, and a tendency to faint; last week I had a dry cough, swollen glands, and laryngitis; this week I am blessed with a sinus blockage, congestion, and constant sneezing and coughing. I am, in other words, a mess. I can't quite muster my thoughts on all the fun stuff I did over the weekend but I will just mention I had breakfast one morning with Ceej and Diane and their partners, along with a friend of mine, Jim Young, Foreign Attache to the U.S. Embassy in Lagos, Nigeria, and science fiction novelist. The food was highly forgettable (we managed to find the only restaurant in Baltimore that didn't have crab) but you can't win 'em all and the company was excellent. I'm signing up to marry Darin in the afterlife. Maybe Diane and Ceej, too, although we're getting into a whole weird area here. I'd settle for being reincarnated as a group mind with them for sure.
After breakfast, Diane and Darin and I wandered through the art show. It was fairly disappointing because it had far too much quality work. I really live for things like elaborate drawings of Captain Kirk riding a unicorn with a dragon (or a cat) on his shoulder. In the Dealers' Room Diane said hello to a friend from Babylonian Productions at the Babylon 5 table, and I introduced myself to Julie Walker who is head of the fan club. She used to be head of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 fan club and gratifyingly seemed to remember me from the early days of MSTie fandom. Of course, some buffoon immediately barged in by saying, "Remember me? I was the obnoxious guy who blah blah blah..." and I watched Juliewa's eyes glaze over a bit as she politely smiled at him. I did not buy anything in the Dealers' Room. It wasn't hard to resist, though, being mostly swords, jewelry, and dragon sculptures, so I don't accrue any real points for it.
Then it was on to the Babylon 5 presentation. The preview of the new tv movie, River of Souls, looks fantastic. Ian McShane is one of my favorite bad guys, and this looks to have a much more interesting plot than the space opera of ThirdSpace. I laughed so hard at the blooper reels I felt lightheaded afterwards. Bruce Boxleitner is incapable of finishing a sentence, apparently. I always knew he was a lightweight but now I'm convinced he's only as good as his director. (I'm a Sinclair fan; you can have Boxleitner/Sheridan and his dippy prep boy looks.) Anyway, I was charmed by the actors who play Londo and G'Kar. Even in the blooper reel they had style and grace. "Narns and Noble," indeed.
Oh, what do these diarists seem like in person? Ceej bounces. Ceej grins. Ceej enthuses. Ceej also snaps into intense focus mode at a moment's notice, much like a cat who suddenly spots a bird. Diane ticks, a tightly wound soul. Diane is funny, and relentlessly analytical. Diane has the best gossip of anyone I know. They're both thinner than I am, damn them. Brainiacs, both of 'em.
And now, having done my duty for one more day, I'm toddling off to finish reading Kate Ross' The Devil In Music, an excellent mystery set in the Regency.
