Views from Medina Road

Tonight's Hugo Awards ceremony was fairly typical, almost avoiding major gaffes -- except for a couple prematurely flashed slides displaying names of the winners before they had been announced from the envelopes -- and highlighted by the well-behaved, almost serene demeanor of toastmaster Neil Gaiman, and an entertaining mid-program speech by Robert Silverberg describing memorable Hugo Awards ceremonies of the past.

It wasn't a particularly good con day for me, beginning with a missed breakfast meeting and ending by being barred from the post-Hugo party by a door Nazi after the rest of my group (who didn't notice) had gone inside (in consolation, I had a drink in the bar downstairs with Ralph and Beth and Malcolm, all of whom had also been barred). In between I attended a couple panels, bought a few books, strolled outside for a couple hours, and like yesterday managed not to eat a complete meal -- just a snack in the morning and grazing in the Hugo nominees reception in the evening (I was there as guest of one of Locus's co-nominees) -- eating behavior much more fannish than at any convention I've ever attended.