Years ago I bought tickets for ConJose, the World Science Fiction Convention, in (gee) San Jose and I talked Gharlane into doing it too. Well, he'd have bought a ticket, but he might have put it off till later when it cost more. I initially figured we'd (Rich and I, that is) stay at Monica's, but then she had the World's Cutest Baby and there wasn't room. Bernadette and Rob will stay with her, and I got a motel. I picked it for its price (AAA discount) and it wasn't till we got here that I realized it was on the trolley line. In fact, it's right at a station. The trolley runs all night, so there's no fear of getting trapped downtown.

I've been dreading this. When my friend first died, I just wanted to cancel going. It was especially tempting when I sold his membership. However, Rich wanted to go, so I guessed I could stand it. I'm taking one day off (missing the English Country Dancing, darn it!) and may spend a lot of time off by myself reading, but I can do it. Monday we may spend some time at the nature center, which isn't too far from our hotel, or the Tech.

(Actually, I stopped reading SF last year and only picked it up again last week, so I'm completely out of touch.) I was thinking about the difference in cultures between an SF convention and a mystery one. I think I was the only Reader, not a wannabe writer, at Bouchercon in '95. There are more just plain fans in SF. (Although real fans, those who get involved with the whole political group thing, are, really, WEIRD. I keep finding myself in this situation... all my friends are geeks, but me, I'm just normal. Riiiiiight.) There are more costumes in SF. I suppose that's to be expected. Most mysteries involve ordinary people. We did have a Hallowe'en party at B-con, because it was, uh, Hallowe'en. I think RenFaire people and SF people are pretty much the same. There are more artists in SF, I think. (I don't remember an art show at B'con.)

We took the dog to the vet and came back and packed up. Bernarob left just before us, to take film to be developed, and we got out about 10:30. En route we passed a SF Muni articulated bus. I assume it's being delivered from wherever it was manufactured.

We heard on the radio that the TSA has OK'd no longer asking the questions at the airport about whether you packed your bag yourself and have you kept your eye on it. What I want to know is, how do you "phase out" these questions? You ask one less word a week?

In San Jose we drove to Monica and Mark's house and parked. No one was home, so I left a message asking "do you like the car?" I also left a message on the car for Bernadette telling her how to walk to downtown, since I didn't remember that she'd ever done it. As they parked across the street, they didn't see my note, so it's as well she remembered how.

We left about 1 for the Convention Center. We went through San Jose State and for the first time ever, saw students! This is a short walk, I'd thought about a mile but it's closer to two. At the Convention Center, we registered. They were out of program guides (though they had more later.) I was grumpy about this and about some of the other gaffes du jour. (Worse one today, which I'll tell about later.) The badge holder is actually the admission. It is a pouch that goes around the neck, fits my sunglasses just fine. Really nice. Rich chose purple and I chose blue. Then we had time for lunch so we went to Cafe Primavera, which was really excellent.

At 1 there was a Libertarian SIG (Special Interest Group) which I would have enjoyed, but can't do everything and I really wanted to go to the panel on Visual Research. That's because I didn't know what it was. I thought it was about making a data base, but it turned out to be using pictures for artwork. OK, boring, we left it early. We wandered around and got our bearings. Out in the concourse, there were tables set up with art projects or puzzles, just something to fiddle with for awhile. There were lots of inflatables and people meeting and greeting. There were many messages, and party notes, and freebies. Bernadette put out her fliers for Dex. There were fliers for a Greek con ("What a bunch of Dorics") and one for "I-5 in '05", the longest convention ever.

We looked at the t-shirts and canvas bags (my Bouchercon one was part of the package and I brought it for this trip) but decided they were too expensive. I liked the buttons:

If the gods hadn't wanted me to be paranoid, they wouldn't have given me such a vivid imagination.

I've enjoyed this just about as much as I can stand.

(the one I picked up) Ask me about my vow of silence.

How Do You Know When You're Dead?

At 4 Rich went over to the Opening Festivities at the Fairmont while I went to a panel. (We'd seen Bernarob and they went to a panel about Intellectual Property.) The members were Connie Willis, Cordelia Willis (her daughter who lives in San Jose and works for Santa Clara county crime lab.), Laurie Mann, Eric M. Van and Larry Niven. Another con gaffe, was they had no nametags. Before it started, I saw a Sacramento fan I remember from Eclecticon '91 (?) She didn't recall me at all. I remember her in a wheelchair, and now she's walking with a cane. She wore a shirt which said "In the beginning was the word, and the word was Chocolate, and the word was good."

Cordelia Willis, introducing herself and talking about her mother, "We like to dish literate." I must get and read Connie said, "A person dies but the relationship doesn't die." (It's like they've gone to Europe, she continued.) Sigh. I was weepy at this point. My notes say "The Vintage Book of Amnesia," make of that what you will. Cordelia pointed out that it took the advent of the stethoscope to be sure people were dead. There was talk about the bells in the coffins, etc. Nowadays, cryogenic people store folks on their heads so if there's a power outage, the brain thaws last.

Recommendations: John Collier: "Am I too early or were you too late?" Posthumous Fantasy in Kluth's encyclopedia. Peace,, by Gene Wolfe. Charles Williams' All Hallows Eve. In the movies, they hate "It's a Wonderful Life", and "Ghost," (so much for Mike Jittlov!) which breaks its own rules. Connie doesn't like the clay pot scene. They hate anything by L. Ron Hubbard. Connie told about a call from Harlan Ellison. He didn't, and Connie didn't, have Sixth Sense figured out. Hey, *I* did. (GoE didn't.) Good panel!

We went through the art show, which wasn't entirely hung yet. I fell for a cute little picture with the cow hanging by its front legs from the crescent moon, with a panicked cat hanging from it and a dog at the bottom. In the frame, the dish and spoon are running away. It's only $30, so I should just buy it, but I'll wait to see how the bids go, if anyone does bid. You have to register to bid.

Differences Between Writing for Children and Writing for Adults

Bernadette joined us, while Robert went to Terraforming Mars. I missed a SIG for airline security horror stories for this. This panel had Terry Pratchett, Tad Williams, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Terry Bisson, and Suzy McKee Chernas, of The Bronze King Trilogy. Pterry got the Carnegie medal.

Tad Williams said he didn't realize he WAS writing for children, till these books would suddenly materialize at his signing table and a tiny voice would lisp "will you please sign my book?" I asked B. how old she was when she loved TAILCHASER'S SONG and she said about 8.

TP: "I only write a children't book if I think the idea is too big and too real for a grownup book." "It's not a propah fairy story unless someone has their feet cut off at the ankle."

Suzy pointed out that parents and librarians are the people who buy the books. They don't have the same standards as the children. Editors, of course, listen to the people who will buy the books. CQY said "I listen to what the kids on my block say and I couldn't put that language in my novel." TP pointed out that in the UK parents are so pleased you can get the kids to read anything at all, they don't complain as much. This led, go figure, to Harry Potter. Terry Bisson was appalled when he started reading this. Tad Williams (who is FUNNY! Who knew?) said his first reaction was "it's Terry Pratchett writes Enid Blyton." TP said it was pretty strange to read the media hype, like there never before was a book about wizards going to school.

TP (after CQY admired "Alice in Wonderland" [this one's for you, Pagan!]): "I would like to wrap Alice in Wonderland up in a lead box and sink it in the sea -- it's only survived on it's own momentum." He went on to recommend WATERSHIP DOWN. Bernadette reminded me that WD was her favorite book at 8 and that she read it over and over and over till I pointed out that there were a few other books in this house and she might like one of them.

SMC pointed out that kids are not ready for the descriptive and reflective layers in fiction. They'll run with the hints but they want the action and the stuff moving on the top. Your protagonist has to be young. They need more subtlety than for adults in pulling plot along. TW said that a single rock in the desert stands out more than in the scree in a quarry and if you have a simpler plot you can't much around with authorial rubber gloves.

They discussed gender differences. Tad said he can't picture his daughter pushed into the My Little Fluffball area of the store. Write the book YOU would want to read. SMC: Editors want to narrow you down into a niche. TP: "If someone came out to imitate J.K.Rowling, how would you tell?" and "Put enough shit in, the kids will love it."

Recommended: THE SINGING TREE by Kate Seredy and THE WHITE STAG which is about Attila the Hun!

Pratchett finished by quoting Chesterton: "Fairy tales don't tell children there are monsters. They know there are monsters. Fairy tales tell them monsters can be killed.

EXCELLENT panel!

We met up with Robert and all walked back to Monica's. The World's Cutest Toddler was in bed. Mark and Rich went out to get pizza and mostly to show off the new car. After dinner, Rich and I went to our hotel and registered. Yay, it's a ground floor place, and Hey! We're right across from the light rail!

Matt Welch on a baseball game. They'd be fools to strike.