January 24, 2006 - Sake and Smurfs

Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

January 24, 2006 - Sake and Smurfs

Even Octopussy attended the meeting

On Saturday, The Gryphon and I got up early enough to make the continental breakfast downstairs, where more and more staffers eventually accumulated. The Gryphon was there because, as head of human resources, he'd promised to meet with the chief of staff to discuss anything that came up. Meanwhile, I just ate my breakfast and socialized with other staffers.

Then, because I was still tired, I went back to the room to sleep a bit before the staff orientation session, where the chief of staff explained staff policies, introduced new staff members and introduced department heads. After that, we held the general meeting.

This was the biggest business day of Com Con, with most of the day taken up with the membership meeting where we approved the 2006 budget. I had a lot of work to do for Wild Violet, so I borrowed The Gryphon's laptop and sat in the back, where I found an outlet. Fortunately, the hotel had Internet access.

I sat on a cushion I'd brought with me, because sometime before Christmas I'd taken a nasty fall on the steps and injured my tailbone. It's just starting to feel better but is still not 100 percent healed.

Another person sat next to me who had to work on some design work. He kind of attracted people who came back and asked him questions, but I was able to divide my attention so that I heard the information regarding the Publications section, which is the one I'm in.

Shortly after the meeting got underway, we actually broke for lunch. While everyone else was going to nearby restaurants for something to eat, I went upstairs and heated up my leftovers from Chili's in the microwave. Of course, then I was faced with a problem: I had no utensils. I took it downstairs, inquired at the front desk, and eventually managed to pick some up at the Chili's take out window.

Then I relieved The Gryphon, who'd been watching the laptop for me, so that he could get himself some lunch. I stood in the back and ate my food, talking to whoever approached. The leftovers were just as good heated up.

The Cheshire Cat returned and saw an old friend, who happened to be sitting near me, eating his lunch. He pulled up a chair, and the two of them started chatting. The Paper also pulled up a chair, and before long we had a little crew back there socializing.

When the meeting started, I tried once more to divide my attention, but it was harder to hear with the talking, so I just concentrated on Wild Violet. I managed to get a lot done. The meeting ended by about 4, at which time I went back up to the room and tried to get some more sleep, since I was still operating on a sleep deficit from Thursday night.

I couldn't really sleep, so I got up and did more work on Wild Violet until The Gryphon came up to fetch me for dinner. I changed quickly into a black and white Op Art skirt, a white camisole, black zipper front jacket, bright blue stockings and black wedges. I thought it looked pretty good, and I got a number of compliments. A lot of people liked the fun stockings, and I heard the word "Smurf" more than once.

Most people didn't dress up, but there were a select few who did, and they all looked great. This included The Cousin, who was dressed in a black V-neck dress, and her husband, The Photographer, who paired a tan jacket with a turtleneck, reminding me of a high school English teacher, in a good way.

The dinner was buffet style, and I wasn't as impressed with this food as with the food from last year. There weren't as many vegetables, although there were three different entrees. I took some chicken and some fish, along with mashed potatoes and vegetables. My plate looked the opposite as it normally does, where I'll have a main dish, and the rest of the plate filled with veggies.

For dessert, they offered a number of different cakes. The Gryphon and I shared a chocolaty cake that tasted like it had some cherry in it.

The Con Chair joined us for awhile, and his large arm movements reminded me of The Godfather, so I snapped a pic.

I had a publications department meeting at nine. The guy who runs the photo suite, husband of the publications department head, had his equipment set up in the suite upstairs and was taking photographs of whatever staff wanted them. I decided to take him up on this. At first, I was a little nervous. The first pictures, I look worried. But then he started talking about a fun web site, Ask a Ninja, and that helped me just laugh and loosen up.

He's supposed to get me copies, but I haven't received them yet. Hopefully, I will soon. Some of them were great.

Eventually, more publications staffers drifted in, and we started the meeting. I'm excited about this year; it looks like a good group of people, and the department head is making some good organizational changes.

At one point, a line of people all had their Apple laptops out, so I passed the camera to a fellow staffer and asked her to get a picture.

She also took one of me acting serious:

So I returned the favor:

I excused myself at about 10 after 10, because I'd signed up for a sake tasting upstairs. Those of legal age could chip in $5 to $10 and try out a variety of sake. I thought this would be good for me, because I never knew what sort of sake to get in the store.

The first two I tried I didn't especially like. The Invisible Man had arrived first and was telling me what to expect from each one. The fourth one, Pearl, was definitely my favorite.

People drifted in and out of the sake tasting, and though I hadn't intended to, I ended up staying the rest of the night. The sake was good, and after I'd sampled enough varieties, I didn't want any more alcohol. So I just ended up drifting around the room, getting into conversations with people.

Mr. Kitty showed up in a suit with a purple shirt and matching tie. We talked about the fact that he's a crossplayer, in that he cosplays frequently as a character of the opposite gender. He said he just liked the challenge, and the costumes are more fun. But he finds it frustrating that people make assumptions about his sexuality because of it.

I told him that I understood; when I was a kid, I often dressed up as a male character because they were more interesting. So they always assumed I must be dressed like a girl and couldn't figure out what I was. When I was the Tin Man, for example, they kept asking why I didn't go as Dorothy. Because her costume was boring!

Later, I talked to a new staffer who's working in broadcasting. We shared stories from my days in college radio and video production courses. That was fun.

Eventually, The Gryphon showed up and stayed the rest of the night. He'd actually been socializing elsewhere, not doing work, which was good. Sometimes he forgets to take a break and enjoy himself at Otakon functions. He set up with The Cousin and some others on chairs in the other room and got into an animated conversation.

As one person put it, some people were there more for the sake drinking than the sake tasting. Some of them, in fact, got so out of control that the guy who was running the tasting had to confiscate the badges which allowed them to get sake!

One guy was being really silly at the end of the night. We were talking about Harry Potter, but he started insisting that everything could be explained by the fact that they're all in love with each other. I said loudly, just as The Photographer walked into the room, "Harry Potter is not about gay sex!"

The Photographer said, with a wry smile, "Yes, it is."

Throughout the evening, I heard my share of Smurf comments, including one woman who said that Smurfette was sexy. "You know, she could have any Smurf she wanted to."

All in all, it was a fun evening. At the end, we purchased a bottle of Pearl from the tasting organizer, since he had extras. At least when we want to have some sake, we'll know we have a good bottle on tap. And what's best, the bottle is blue, so it's Smurf approved.