MFF 2009: Day One - Pyat and the Illegal Oranges

[pyat]

sassy_fae (aka Jenn) came by bright and early last Thursday morning. It was grey and cloudy, but the weather was warm and traffic was clear. We made good time to the border, pausing in Strathroy, Ontario to empty bladders and stretch.


November 2008!


November 2009!

We reflected on the difference a year had made in the local weather - those pics are of the same house and section of parking lot.




The border crossing was smooth until Jenn noted that she had some clementines in the trunk. This led to a delay as two border agents rummaged through our suitcases and bags. We could see them rifling through my DVD collection and making comments to each other.


Michigan still has the worst roads in America. Entropy runs the state, explained resident kianir on our return trip. We counted 11 dead deer by the side of the highway in Michigan, and zero in Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Ontario. Picking up roadkill costs money, you see.


We stopped in East Lansing for strange American hamburgers, and to visit the campus of Michigan State University for a Very Special Video Project of mine.


I should have that up by the end of the month! Ooh, such mystery!


Jenn drove and drove and drove and drove and showed no signs of fatigue or wilting.


We were stopped only by biology and the need for gasoline, just outside Battle Creek. I did NOT visit the Slan Shack this year!


We reached Illinois as the sun set and the clouds finally began to break up.


And then.... rising out of the darkness.... CAMELOT!


We checked in, dropped off our luggage, and joined the registration line.


Which went relatively quickly.


While in line we bumped into norman_rafferty, jdarkwulf, rikoshi, zorinlynx, and many other familiar faces.


The fursuits were out in force, though the con had not yet formally begun.


Having pre-registered, I was able to escape the rapidly growing line, and made a beeline for the con suite...


Which wasn't open yet. But let me tell you - it was running out of a recently closed Italian restaurant, so it had a full kitchen and a bar, tables, and booths. Best con suite I've ever been in, and it was all free. You did not need to pay for food while at this con.


I also bumped into redstorm! Hello, Lex!


I returned to the registration line to see how Jenn was doing. She was near the front finally, so I wandered about and took some photos.


And realized I'd totally missed the free cake!


Jenn and zorinlynx finally emerged from the line, wolfed down their cake, and we headed out to dinner. Not before running into a fursuiter.


And wyldekyttin!


We (Jenn and Zorin and I) decided to head out to Giordano's Pizza, which we'd liked last year. At this point it was freakishly late and I was very hungry. I wolfed down a bunch of fried mushrooms and almost fell asleep before the pizza arrived.


Jenn also seemed a little subdued, though she perked up when the pizza arrived.


This was the first bite of the roughly 8 pounds of cheese I consumed over the weekend. Urp.


When I returned to the hotel room (which we shared with halfelf and leonard_arlotte, halfelf had a monocle for me! I tried it on, liked it, and then dropped into a nearly dreamless sleep...

MORE LATER!

Comments

[relee.livejournal.com]

Dude was that a picture of the Bluewater Bridge? You brought CLEMENTINES onto the Bluewater Bridge? It's a good thing you told them, or the ninja dogs would have thrown you into the river.

Also I really need to remember you drive through my town on these trips, if I'm still here next year maybe I can egg your car wave as you pass by or something. Or you know, if I find a job but I'm still stuck here, maybe we could ride together? <3

[pyat.livejournal.com]

All these things are possible! Even the Ninja dogs!

[relee.livejournal.com]

They wear adorable scarves and hold kunai in their mouths. <3

[tigerwolfvix.livejournal.com]

That girl wolf fursuiter! I know her! She comes to my parties! Her name is Lil_Chi!

[pyat.livejournal.com]

She seems cool!

[kianir.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Li'l Chi comes to our monthly meets. She's, ah, boisterous, but definitely a good time.

[paka.livejournal.com]

It sounds like a lot of fun, and I envy you getting to drive through Michigan, as weird as it sounds.

[dagoski.livejournal.com]

Those aren't dead deer on the side of the road. They're "speed beef". That con looked seriously fun. One of several reasons why I hope I move back to Michigan soon. The gaming and sci-fi scene in the midwest seems so much more active than it is in where I currently reside. Either that or I just know more of the people in the scene there.

MFF

[ankhorite.livejournal.com]

Maybe we will see you there next year.

Savant wants to go, and I want to visit relatives who will be two to twenty miles away.

And I LOVE clementines!

Great pix, thanks for posting.

Re: MFF

[pyat.livejournal.com]

You should totally go! It's one of the friendliest and almost certainl the best run con I've been too.

Plus - there are a fairly number of folks at the con with mobility issues. The con volunteers are fantastic at making sure they can get everywhere they need to.

[leonard-arlotte.livejournal.com]

You were unconscious when I finally came into the room. Apparently you can wear the monocle. :)

[pyat.livejournal.com]

Not for very long! I think I can keep it in for about 30 seconds at most.

Dallas

[ankhorite.livejournal.com]

A lot of comments here (http://www.amazon.com/Dungeon-Master-Disappearance-Dallas-Egbert/dp/0345326954/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259046692&sr=8-6).

Amazon has three different listings for the book, with three unique sets of comments.