And now, boring story time.
Friday morning. I opt not to sleep after working Thursday, since I was leaving ridiculously early to get to the airport. In talking with people who'd be up by detroit lately, I discovered the highway exits into DTW were on roads under construction, which had been reduced to 1 lane. So, traffic bottlenecks, things like 2 hour delays, things of that nature. These turned out to be true.
It also turned out to be true that said lanes were only closed from friday night to sunday evening. So, having left home at 4:30 or so, I get to the airport shortly before 6. My flight leaves around 9:30. My ride happened to drop me at the wrong terminal, but given my ridiculous buffer it was simpler to send him on his way and get there from inside myself. Took me a minute to work out that there wasn't an internal pathway, and that they used shuttles for this purpose, but that's okay, not like they charged for them. At this stage it's still barely after 6, so there's no issue getting through security, grabbing breakfast, and settling in at my with enough time to read about 300 pages of Sanderson before boarding. Things from here proceed as they often do. I read another 100 or so pages of my book before deciding to doze for the rest of the flight. I suspect that I get, between sessions, about an hour of sleep here. From the plane I head off to wait in baggage claim, and read more. After about half an hour Jenna and Kier wander over; they'd been waiting at niu's claim, since he was coming in later, but realized I didn't know what carrier he was using and claimed me while waiting. It turns out that he was delayed anyway, so it was another hour perhaps before we got going. I'm convinced now that Kier must've been tired at this point, because he sat down, played DS, and only got up every 15 minutes or so to check when Niu was getting in.
Since traffic over the Bay Bridge was pretty bad, it was around 3 before we got to the house. Now, at this stage I cannot actually remember what all I did on Friday. I think Jim roped me into some card game, and I watched the end of texas hold'em perhaps. Anyway, dinner I remember better, and it involved the italian place with a group of... hm. Super, Ciato, Elf, Met, Meeple, Tal, Grefter, Laggy, Rat, and Archmage, with Niu and Tonfa joining late and not only not sitting with us, but not sitting together. It was funny. Dinner wasn't thrilling, but that's my fault; I ordered the tortellini despite misgivings about the sauce used, and it turned out bland. Anyway, sitting in the middle of the table, I was able to dip in and out of two conversations but not really follow either correctly. Damn. Evening activities are more blurr... I don't think I remember anything about it in fact. Perhaps this was the first bit of Scott Pilgrim game. I know, though, that I zonked out early (well, 12ish).
Next morning involved the Niu game parade, I think. This was a lot of fun, not because of anything the games were doing but because Dhyer was highly entertaining when presented with stripping loli girls. I recall the phrase "I've never been so glad to see a woman's breasts". ... or was this Saturday morning? That's where I want to put it anyway. Eventually, around 11, the great migration to IHOP takes place, where I end up sitting with Sopko, Meeple, and Nitori (the only time I really see Nitori during the con). What was said I can no longer say. Frustrating. Anyway, get back from that, and quite quickly Ciato and a group head out just to get out and walk about. I can't really remember where we even WENT this time, but there was much Suikoden talk. When we get back from that, it's time for Jeopardy (for a given definition of that). Didn't do all that well, though. Or... hm. Maybe that was at a different time. Anyway, then! Bowling. I did much better than in years past here, and the side show of DDR hype was nice. After this I go with those who splinter off to hit the book store, pick up a little Gaiman. Afterwards, macaroni grill. Wasn't impressed with this place; got a safe chicken parm and was disappointed with the sauce. Very bland, and not enough of it. Anyway, on the way back, I end up with a crew including Djinn, Chiaki, Meeple and Kier, and we spot a comic shop. They turn out to be trying to get some collectable games as well, and I snag a copy of Suikoden III for the Vancouverites. Back at the house, I immediately set off again for the Luckys, realizing that a) I need something to drink besides coke and b) I've managed to chaff a bug bite on my leg so badly it's bleeding a bit. Anyway, after that I chill for perhaps an hour, just floating about, until ice cream is declared. Pretty good, if melty. THEN Karaoke was declared when we get back. The walk was fun, but the bar itself wasn't much. They're really only set up to seat perhaps 25 in their singing zone, and there were already 20 back there. I stay long enough for 3 drinks (although I don't finish the last) and in this time Djinn, Met, and Jim get some singing in. Andy proclaims himself drunk almost immediately for some reason, although it must be said this bar poured reasonably strong drinks. After finally getting a seat and not touching my last drink, super gives up and I and Dhyer go with. I find one or two people still up when I get back to the house, and about an hour later the rest of the singing crew join in. Apples to Apples happens, and runs to about 2:30 or so at which point Toro appeared to destroy us. I'd found a closet with another sleeping bag in it earlier, and grabbed some floor space for a bit until Meeple got up, at which point I snagged the couch and slept until about 8:30 or 9.
Nothing much happens until about 11, at which point I join Ash, Andy, Djinn, Chiaki, and Super for lunch wandering. Ash never does eat that I see, and the rest grabbed hot dogs, but I held off and eventually I decided everyone had humored me long enough and grabbed some Subway. On the way back, we run into Elfboy, Tai, and... I believe OK.. wait, no. OK started out with us, then Andy joined. A few splinter off back to the house, I decide to resume wandering. Tai breaks off for some Nations, while we let the other two grab some Rubios while we idle. Getting back from that (perhaps stopping over at the comic place again?) it's time for the music quiz. I perform shamefully. not too long after this, it's time to head off for dinner, where I end up with Sopko, Met, Meeple, OK and... hm. I forget. OH! Jim. It takes us a while, but we end up at a sushi place, which was pretty decent. We hit ice cream on the way back, which is where Jim got the picture of himself, after which I don't really remember what I did until the movie. The awesomeness of that has been well covered, although we get damn near parked in by what I've taken to assuming is a hooker trying to leave. After that, a few people head out again for late night Nations, and since going out with every group willing to has worked out so far, I go with. Djinn, Andy, Ashley, Super, OK, Gate, and Sopko end up there, with Monkey eating then splitting. I decide to sit in on Soppy and Gate trading RPing stories, which was a lot of fun. We hang for a couple of hours at least, before heading back, staying up just a bit chatting. After that breaks up, I hide out in the back room and read for a bit, then grab a shower while it's open, then read a bit more while my hair dries. I give up on waiting out the night around 4:30 and grab some floor space, then again grab some couch once that opens up and sleep until perhaps 9. I really thought it was later, too.
Gate, Grefter, I believe OK? and Tonfa decide to grab some breakfast, so I check out the donut place. Not bad, although I'm so used to donut holes being cake style I was a little thrown by that. We also let Tonfa nab some books and scope out the game store before heading back and doing final check on the house. after that, time to BART our way to somewhere convenient to Pacifica, followed by chillng at Gate's until heading out for my flight. for some damned reason I end up dozing heavily at this point, and generally being worthless to the world until Tai fed us some of his croissant deals. After that I was, while not conversational, at least AWARE of the world and read a bit until we left for the airport. This similarly goes pretty well. I get some reading done at my gate and again waiting for takeoff, ending up at about page 550 of 740. I don't read on the flight, at first thinking to grab some sleep, but later just because people on either side of me HAD and I'd have felt bad about that. We take off a bit late, but given the time of night they were able to skip a slight detour and get in more or less on time. I wait a bit at the baggage claim, and juuuust get into the Sanderson Rush when I recognize my ride walking past the door and through another one. I catch up to him, and thus we get going. He ends up, out of habit, taking an exit that takes us on a scenic route back home, so it was nearly 8:30 when I got home, but eh.
So yeah. For the life of me I can't remember a lot of the specific conversations that had gone on, and didn't hang out with the folks from Laggy's crew so no people breakdown this year. Which pretty well raps this up then.
