Tea & Automatons

Forgive my prolonged absence.  I haven’t felt much like writing for a while and I have not had much to say, but the past week does need to be shared.  It’s been pretty sweet.

It began at Furlandia, a furry convention in Portland.  Their theme was the Age of Industry, so they invited me as a Guest of Honor.  I happily accepted.  I dressed to the nines and gave five steampunk talks.  It was wonderful to be able to educate so many eager folks about steampunk and hear their questions. I have to admit that I have missed that.  I had a table in the Dealers’ Den where I sold my Steamporium items. My brand new Steampunk coloring book was a huge hit.  I even hosted a Tea on Sunday morning for the patron level members.  My husband ran his first Tea Dueling event.  We had a great time.

On Saturday night, we went out to celebrate my birthday with K.W. and Geri Jeter.  K.W. is the man who coined the term “steampunk”, in case you were unaware.  We had a nice dinner at a German restaurant that is sadly about to be demolished in the name of progress.

After the convention, we took a few days to recuperate out in rural Oregon and then drove back to the city in time for a showing of Vintage Tomorrows, a documentary about steampunk at the Seattle International Film Festival.  This meant a lot to my husband and I as we are both in the film and were there for the very beginning of this project back in 2011. We were joined by my protege Carrie and dressed to the nines once again.  We were the first ones in line.  The SIFF staff loved our outfits and made us feel very special.  Many other folks that were in the movie and many local Seattle Steamrats showed up as well.  I was quite pleased with the way the movie turned out.  It is a good way to introduce steampunk to people and makes a few good observations.  I highly recommend it, but then I may be a wee bit biased.  I never in a million years thought that I would actually appear on IMDB.  Lol!  If you didn’t get a chance to see it, or want to see it again it will be available on iTunes on July 19th.

Afterwards I suggested to the director, Byrd that we should get a drink and chat, and that turned into a sizable after party at T.S. McHugh’s.  It was wonderful catching up with everyone. Truly a great crowd.

I was glad to be a part of all this steampunk excitement.  It’s been very inspiring to me in so many ways and it’s still going.

 

If you’d like to take a look at photos here is the Furlandia Gallery and the Vintage Tomorrows Gallery.

This past weekend, my husband and I and two friends went to a small, first time convention in Las Vegas. It was supposedly held in the very Victorianesque Main Street Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas, although the bulk of it actually occurred across the way in the California Hotel (which confusingly had a very Hawaiian theme to it).  The Main Street Hotel has tons of very lovely Victorian era antiques and brass everywhere.  If it didn’t have a casino in it, it would be the perfect place for a steampunk convention.  Unfortunately, Vegas still allows smoking, so many of my smoke intolerant friends wisely decided to stay home and avoid the issue.  Even if a restaurant does not allow smoking, the doors are always wide open and the smoke is everywhere.  Some of the larger casinos have better tech to whisk it away, but old Vegas is sadly lacking in this tech.  I am still uncertain why the Social Club at the Main Street was not used.  It looks to be a very large room and it is away from the smoke and noise of the casino entirely.

As with most first time conventions, it was disorganized and not as smooth as it could be, but it made a valiant effort.  We were surprised to read that they were not planning on selling memberships at the door, as this is where a good 50% of the sales usually happen.  It turns out that they had limited space and could only accommodate about 150 people.  While it is good to know your limitations, it might have been useful information for merchants and others to determine their involvement.  (Edited to add: It seems that not selling at the door was due to some state licensing issue.  Quite inconvenient I would suspect.)

There were only two event rooms used most of the weekend and one other that was used primarily Friday night, the Pullman Room.  The Pullman Room was very lovely and Victorian and even had a Pullman car attached to it.  It was also away from the smoke.  It is unfortunate that it was not used the rest of the weekend, except for one group photo op that most of us did not know about.  The other two rooms were in the California, a hotel across the sky bridge from the main hotel.  The first room, the Maile Room was 1,428 sq feet and housed the tiny primary merchant room.  The second room, the O’Hana Room was about twice as big, but housed not only another six or seven merchants on the periphery but also the stage and chairs for all the programming throughout the weekend.  I have seen other small conventions do this, but it is quite awkward for the merchants trying to do business.  The programming participants did have a microphone, which helps a bit.  These rooms are right off the casino and so of course the smoke is invasive.

 

The programming that we saw was on par with that of most small first time cons.  The concert on Saturday night was headlined by the Velveteen Band, an okay ensemble including a rabbit headed lead and some puppets.  Unwoman and Poplock Holmes were awesome as always and our favorite part of the weekend’s entertainment. 

We had a great time sitting and chatting with various folks at the bar outside the programming rooms, although we were dismayed that they closed at 11:00 PM on Saturday night.  I invited anyone we knew who was staying on Sunday night to join us at the bar in our hotel and we had a great turnout.  These sorts of impromptu gatherings are often the best times of a con, and this was no exception.

Mr. Kastler is a very gracious host, and as an intimate gathering for his birthday, this was successful, but it hardly lifted “the standard of a steampunk con” as he has boasted.  As always, the attendees were the best part of the event and we had a fabulous time chatting and making new friends.  There were so many wonderfully outfitted steampunk enthusiasts.  I personally despise the word “garb” when referring to steampunk enthusiasts.   I think “gear” might be more appropriate.  The environment, at least in places was simply magical for photos and we took full advantage.

So, despite still coughing the smoke out of my lungs, I have quite a few lovely photos and had a nice weekend at Steamathon.  I know personally how difficult it is to make everything run smoothly, especially the first time, so I applaud the effort of Kastler and his staff.

Some of our photo galleries can be seen here and here.

I hope that you have been enjoying this crazy season.  I feel like I have either been prepping for events or attending them non-stop for a while.  Still a few more to go too.

First there was the Steampunk Exhibition Ball run by the Center for Sex Positive Culture.  It was held in the new location for the Museum of History and Industry. People were so very well dressed.  It was quite a treat.  I do miss the old location for it’s multiple spaces.  The new space is nice and very open.   The prohibition on flash photography was also a bit annoying but we found light where we could.

 

We went to a dress up event at the Raygun Lounge called Shindig.  I am not really a game person so it won’t be a standard haunt for me, but several of my friends were moving away soon, so it was a great excuse to hang out with them.  They had tasty food and beverages for sale as well, so it was a nice night.

Lastly, there was Steampunk University last Saturday.  We had classes and a store full of great merchants.  Attendance was decent, despite the many scattered showers.  I got a lot of good feedback from people who came to find out what this steampunk thing was really all about. They seemed very enthused.  We sold a lot of memberships to the convention!

Although I am steadfastly saving every penny for my birthday trip to Paris, I did buy a gorgeous mini pith helmet from my friend Amanda Forbes.  It was too cute to resist and it will go well with Steamcon V’s “Around the World” theme.

Next weekend, the Abney Park and Steam Powered Giraffe show!

Once again at Norwescon on Easter weekend, Steamcon will be running a promo table and Eggstravaganza.  We will be selling golden eggs filled with candy and a prize code.  The prizes include Steamcon V memberships, Steamcon IV pins, Steamcon stickers, Steamcon magnets, and lots more fun things.  You will also get a ribbon.  We’ve made four new ones just for Norwescon, but the supply is limited so get them while they last.

If you have not gotten your Steamcon V membership yet we will have them for sale at a discounted rate and for an even better discount if you pay by cash or check.  You will receive a ribbon for purchasing memberships as well.

So drop by in your steampunk finery and chat with us about this year’s Steamcon.  It’s going to be the best yet!

July 16th 2012

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Diana Vick, Steamcon Vice chair, info@steamcon.org

STEAMCON IV: VICTORIAN MONSTERS

Each year Steamcon draws several thousand fans to its Steampunk convention, one of the longest running in the world. This year’s theme is “Victorian Monsters,” a weekend long Halloween party featuring all the classic monsters of the Victorian era. Frankenstein’s Monster, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Spring Heeled Jack, the Invisible Man, Jack the Ripper and many more were born in the foggy streets of Victorian London. With participants dressing as monsters and monster-hunters, this year’s event is the perfect setting for Steampunk intrigue, ghoulish frights and ghastly delights.

Kim Newman, the man who penned the thrilling alternate history tale Anno Dracula, will be the Author Guest of Honor. Joe Benitez, illustrator and creator of the gorgeous comic book Lady Mechanika is this year’s Artist Guest of Honor. The Monster Hunters of Honor will be the ever popular and outrageous League of S.T.E.A.M.

Headlining the Saturday Night Concert will be Musical Guests of Honor the cello ensemble Rasputina. The concert will also feature a performance by the fabulous Nathaniel Johnstone Band and the theatrical Eric Stern of Vagabond Opera.

Taking place indoors at the lovely Hyatt Regency hotel in Bellevue on October 26^th -28^th, Steamcon IV will feature three days of lively panel discussions, demonstrations, and talks about the literary genre/music genre/fashion/do-it-yourselfers dream that is Steampunk. The Convention will host an art exhibition, a huge merchant’s room, several games rooms, a high tea, dances, a concert and much, much more. Speakers, fans and Steampunk aficionados from around the world will attend this international renowned event.

Special events:

Friday night will be the third annual Airship Awards Banquet, an evening to honor the most outstanding creators in the steampunk community. On Saturday there will be the Sanatorium Tea featuring a best monster costume competition, and on Sunday there will be the “Wayfarer’s Brunch,” an event to honor multiculturalism in steampunk.

Who: Steampunk Conventions Inc.

What: Steamcon IV: Victorian Monsters

Where: Bellevue Hyatt Regency Hotel, 900 Bellevue Way Northeast, Bellevue, (425) 462-1234

When: October 26-28, 2012

How Much: Adults $45.00 and youths $40 if bought in advance.  Higher at the door.  Tickets available online or at the door.  http://registration.steamcon.org/

For more information, go to www.steamcon.org or drop us an email at info@steamcon.org.

Other articles on Steamcon IV: Steampunk Chronicles

 

 

Recently,  I had the privilege of attending the first Clockwork Alchemy as their Fan Guest of Honor.  It was even more special because it was my birthday on Monday, a very nice way to spend one’s birthday.  It was slightly lessened by the fact I had a very mild cold and was on decongestants, but I didn’t let it slow me down much.  Clockwork was held in San Jose over the Memorial Day weekend in conjunction with Fanime, a large and long standing anime convention.

My husband and I arrived Thursday so that we would be ready for Friday’s festivities.  We are very well acquainted with the Doubletree hotel where CA was held because it had housed several fannish conventions in the past including Baycon and Further Confusion.  There was a meet and greet going on that night but since it was rather loud, we chose to sit in the bar and chat with folks instead. The bar in this hotel is centrally located and open to the lobby so people can easily find you and join in the conversation.  You’ll note a trend in behavior beginning here.

Friday morning, we attended opening ceremonies.   Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett, the Author and Artist Guests of Honor were introduced and spoke briefly.  Kory the con co-chair said some very complimentary things about my role in west coast steampunk fandom.  I was touched and truly appreciated the recognition.  Erica “Unwoman” Mulkey, the Music Guest of Honor performed with her strap-on cello, which got a lot of buzz.

Martin and I set up our promo table for Steamcon and chatted with the few folks who came by.  Attendance was light, but it was only Friday.  I did a talk called “Modding for Wimps” that was not well attended, but still enjoyable.  I did it as a Powerpoint presentation since bringing all my props down from Seattle on a plane is too difficult.

That night we took the opportunity to head over to Fanime at the convention center to check things out and do a little shopping.  The folks at Xcentricities have a fabric with a gear pattern that I had asked about getting it in purple with copper gears.  They made it as a waist cincher and my husband graciously bought it for me as an early birthday present.  My friend Margaret gave me some gorgeous purple lace and feathers to deck out a hat I had bought from her at another show.  I bought a curly purple wig to go with all the purple.  We met up with Paul, Anina and two more friends and headed off to dinner.  After food, we went to a private club and had cocktails.  The other patrons were completely enamored of the steampunk look and I think we made some new converts.  One gentleman offered to buy my goggles, and since they were a pair that I made, I was very flattered.

Saturday after breakfast I was booked on a large block of programming.  From 11:00 – 1:00 Jean Martin did a group interview of the Guests of Honor.  Kathy and Shannon O’Hare from Neverwas Haul were the Maker Guests of Honor and told stories from Burning Man and other events.  Paul and Anina talked about Boilerplate and their new book Frank Reade: Adventures in the Age of Invention .  I talked about how Steamcon got started and how that lead to me becoming a speaker, an educator and many other improbable things.  Erica spoke on her music and to my delight gave Steamcon a nod for getting her a start in the steampunk community.

I ducked out a little bit early to grab a quick bite (not an easy task) and get ready for my “Steampunk Litmus Test” talk.  It was a large and enthusiastic crowd and we had fun discussing the various things that really make a story steampunk.

The rest of the day, we talked to folks at the promo table and I managed to get some interest in my book, “Steampunk Archetypes.”  We had dinner at the sushi bar again and then I changed into the new corset and wig for the concert.  My feet were tired and my cold was wearing me down, so we adjourned to the bar with some new folks to chat.  You spotting the trend yet?

Sunday, we again manned the table and talked up Steamcon.  In the afternoon I did my talk on “Seven Steampunk Fallacies.”  I had not done that particular talk before and being a Sunday, I wasn’t sure how popular it would be.  I guess the title piqued their curiosity because the room was packed and stayed that way.  I took questions after I went over the initial points and the audience seemed entertained.  Afterwards we were supposed to go to dinner with the con chairs, but Spencer’s was unexpectedly closed.  Martin and I eventually resorted to bar food once again for expediency.  Shortly afterward, I spoke to a reporter from USA Today about all the fun that is steampunk, so that is something to watch for.

I changed into my copper gown for the Ball, but since I don’t dance we ended up in the bar chatting with some fabulous people.  It was a good weekend for lively conversation with fascinating people.

Monday morning, the con was still going, but many people used the day for travel, so attendance was light.  I hadn’t completely lost my voice yet, but it was getting squeaky and it hurt a bit to talk.  I was supposed to be on two back to back panels but they were both full of lively panelists, so I suspected that I would not be missed. Besides, it was my birthday and I wanted to celebrate a bit.   My husband and a friend took me over to Fanime to do some actual birthday shopping.  The majority of the booths were filled with figurines, and anime videos.  I love looking at the art books, but they are quite expensive.  The costuming is mostly too small for me, but I did find a gorgeous copper colored corset at Timeless Trends and my husband got it for me!  Two corsets for my birthday!  I am so spoiled!  I bought myself a couple of small Re-ment boxes of tiny food and a tea service, indulging in one of my hobbies.  I also got some colored reflective lenses for my goggles.  We took the opportunity to eat away from the hotel for lunch.  By the time we got done, the con was basically over and the dealer’s room was closed.  We took a few pictures at the picturesque Sainte Claire hotel before heading back to the Doubletree.  We found Paul and Anina in the bar and we spent a pleasant while chatting.  A friend whisked us off to a Teppanyaki place for dinner.  Prawns!  Yum! Then back to the hotel bar to chat.  My loving husband had procured a red velvet cupcake for my birthday.  No candle, but they are really unnecessary, not to mention a fire hazard, after a certain age.  Ahem.

It was a wonderful way to spend a birthday weekend.  My thanks to the convention organizers for having me as fan guest of honor.  I was quite proud to be instrumental in the launch.  For a first year convention, there were some hiccups, as there always are, but it ran quite well on the whole.  The staff was friendly and responsive.  I expect great things from this convention in the years ahead.

The main problem was not the con itself but primarily the hotel food.  It’s a decent hotel, but it’s major flaw is that it has very little food within walking distance, if you don’t count Denny’s which I don’t.  There is a coffee shop, a coffee bar, a nice bar with a sushi bar in it and a pricey steak house all inside the hotel, but as they cater to mainly business clientele the offerings became less each day through the holiday weekend, making it very difficult on those of us without vehicles.   The bar menu shrunk by half its selection after the first day and the sushi bar is closed on Sunday.  Spencer’s was closed Sunday and Monday.  Sprig’s, the coffee shop was only open for breakfast and lunch.  There was supposed to be a “grab n go” for quick sandwiches and such, but the hotel decided not to run it all weekend after it didn’t do well enough the first day.  The coffee stand was open sporadically and the sundries shop ran out of many things fairly quickly.  We muddled through as best we could, but it was frustrating.

I think I would have possibly forgiven all of it if it wasn’t for Tuesday morning.  I was feeling quite run down from my cold so grabbing a coffee and pastry for breakfast didn’t seem like a good idea.  I needed a real breakfast to get through a day of travel.  We went to Sprig’s in the hotel since getting to Denny’s seemed a bit daunting.  The waitress waved us at a table but didn’t bring menus.  When she finally came over to help us, still not bringing menus, she said simply “buffet? implying it was easiest on her, so we shrugged and nodded tiredly.  She then quickly waved in that direction and muttered something about the hot buffet was not out.  Slow restaurant, she said and did we want eggs?  What kind?  Anything else?  We both said scrambled would be fine and bacon for him and sausage for me.  She left and eventually we got two plates of scrambled eggs and hot tea for Martin.  Martin went and got a bowl of fruit for us.  My drink was missed, but the busboy kindly brought me an iced tea. We never did get any meat.  As we finished the eggs she came and asked if we wanted potatoes, but we really didn’t want to wait around and eat in shifts.  This was beyond ridiculous.  I went and got a bowl of oatmeal.  I really wish she had just given us menus to begin with and told us they didn’t have a hot buffet that day.    Martin said he had difficulties with that particular waitress earlier in the weekend.   I find it odd because most of the staff was fantastic despite the issues.  The waitress in the bar was so good that we felt compelled to give her manager a compliment about her.  I do understand the economics of the situation, so I am not surprised, but it definitely negatively impacted my weekend.

There was a mishap with a transformer in downtown San Jose on Thursday night, that didn’t affect us.  The five hour power outage did cause problems for Fanime, but they soldiered on from what we heard.  It caused registration to get way behind and by far the most oft heard complaint was about registration and having to go to the convention center.  I know the organizers have heard this and are working hard to make it better next year.

 

The photo Gallery for the pictures taken by my husband is here.

 

As usual this month marks the beginning of the whirlwind steampunk event season.  I was very sad to miss both Victoria Steampunk Expo and Gaslight Gathering this year, but it’s being made up for by my wonderful birthday weekend adventure in California.  I have been asked to be the Fan Guest of Honor at Clockwork Alchemy!  I am going to be doing a few talks, and panels and we will be running a promo table for Steamcon all weekend.  It should be quite a nice way to spend my natal fete, getting to dress up, see my California  friends and help initiate a brand new steampunk convention.

While there are lots of steampunk events happening all over the country, I am only going to list on the ones that I might have a chance to attend.  You may want to check out the Airship Ambassador’s site for event listings for things that are further afield. If you are on the west coast or even better in Seattle,  check out the events below and click the links for more information.  I hope you can join us for some of these splendid steampunk events!

* May 20th – Annual Seattle Steamrats Train Outing – Northwest Railway Museum

* May 25th – 28th – Clockwork Alchemy in San Jose, CA

*June 9th – The Brass Screw Confederacy in Port Townsend

*July 7th – Abney Park & Karina Cooper Rock Bellingham

*August 4th – Steampunk University and Store – All Pilgrim’s Church

* August 17th – 19th – GEARcon – Portland OR

 

 

I went down to San Diego to attend Gaslight Gathering, southern California’s first steampunk convention.  Conveniently for me, my copy of Morlock Night arrived so I had new… well recently reprinted reading material for the flight.  I arrived on Thursday night so I could get a fresh start in the morning.  My main purpose was to run a promotional table for Steamcon III.  I also had a few panels and one talk to give.  The venue is a truly curious mish mash of former hotels, motels, convention facilities, restaurants and a spa that is now called Town & Country.  On my way there I discovered that we were going to be sharing it with a swing dance convention as well as a few others.  Luckily, it’s a big place, sort of an overly ornate rat maze for humans as it turns out.  There were many gardens, trellises and gazebos scattered about as well as lots of quite random statuary.  The room we stayed in was quite sumptuous.  I did have the good fortune to ride the elevator frequently with many curious mundanes who were quite charmed and intrigued by my description of our gathering for the weekend.  I suspect some of them dropped in on the festivities.

On Friday morning, after a very mediocre breakfast at the Terrace Café, I investigated the convention space.  The spacious merchants’ room was still getting set up and happily my Steamcon table was right inside on the right hand wall.  Registration, due open at 10:00 A.M. did not open until after 11:00 A.M. as often happens the first year, but I got tech support for my talk “Steampunk 101”, which was to occur at noon.  I feared that no one would make it since they couldn’t get registered in time, but I did have a small but enthusiastic audience, nonetheless.  It went well and I later heard a few people comment that they really wished they could have attended.  Afterwards, my roommates and I had a quick nosh and I went back to man my table and answer Steamcon III questions.  I must admit that this review will be a bit incomplete due to my table duties which prevented me from seeing the entire convention.  I bought a plushie octopus and a miniature brass diving helmet from a merchant in the room, which made wonderful table décor to go with Steamcon III’s 20,000 Leagues theme.

At one point I ventured out to get officially registered and found the door to registration closed.  I looked unsurely about and a spritely young thing asked what I needed.  When I told her that I was a panelist, she flung open the door and pranced inside announcing my status.  I was served promptly.  The program book is lovely and Steamcon’s ad is right on the inside front cover.  Sadly, there is a conspicuous absence of a map.  The membership badge is ungainly, approximately the size of a flattened paperback novel and attached to a lanyard, which I find less than useful.  I usually bring a spare clip to rectify this, but I had neglected to repack it.  My badge had a blue ribbon stating “Second Class” and a red ribbon that said “Panelist” already attached.  Anastasia, the fan table liaison came by and gave me a lovely little cloth insignia to wear.  I also purchased one of their handmade Gaslight Gathering pewter medals which are quite fabulous.  I spent the rest of the day talking up Steamcon and enjoying the enthusiasm of the attendees.

Food that night was found by walking across a bridge to the mall.  Dressed up as we were, we got a lot of strange looks and several inquiries.  People were generally bemused.  When we came back we checked out the dance.  It was up a flight of stairs.  The foyer was almost impossible to traverse due to all the photographers and their victims.  Once through, we discovered that the entrance to the dance let out into the middle of the dance floor.  This meant that the flow of traffic was blocked by new arrivals and once again … photographers.  We chatted a bit, wandered a bit and finally decided to call it an early night so we would be fresh for the day.

Saturday morning I went to the Terrace for breakfast again, and it was again fairly mediocre, but food is food.  I wore my Nemo’s Daughter admiral outfit complete with tentacle fingers for the day.  It got lots of attention for the special effects and the hat.  I sat at my table and was so busy promoting Steamcon III that I was a tiny bit late for my panel, which was down the courtyard, across a pool area, and up to the 9^th floor of a neighboring building.  The lack of a map in the program book was inconvenient and since it is the most confusing space, I think it might be a very good addition for next year.  The panel was on faux finishes and it was very well attended.  My fellow panelists were quite knowledgeable and the hour flew by.  I think we could have gone on for a while, as we sort of did with random audience members afterwards.  I think that appointing a moderator might be helpful as there is a certain amount of chaos if there isn’t one.  Afterwards I ducked in to get my photo taken by “Tobias Eastman”, a professional photographer, since I was in the vicinity.  While waiting, I got an opportunity to talk to one of my fellow panelists, Arabella Benson, who is an absolute delight and very creative.

Later in the afternoon, I chanced upon the League of S.T.E.A.M. in the courtyard.  I would have chatted longer, but they are just so popular it’s hard to deprive others of their awesomeness.  I did get to chat with Baron Von Fogel for a bit afterwards and we are already scheming for Steamcon III.

Dinner was found at the mall again.  The manager at The Art of Shaving called out to us as we passed and was very interested in our endeavor.  He gave us some samples to take to our men.

We didn’t have concert tickets, so we didn’t bother to check it out although I later heard good things about Steampowered Giraffe.  The dance that evening was period dancing, which I am atrocious at, so I didn’t partake.  One of my roommates did choose to stay and dance but after chatting with folks for a bit we wandered off to find more people to chat with.  One never really lacks for entertaining people to talk to at a steampunk convention, and this one was no exception.  We found the charming Anastasia and she introduced us to more folks.   I talked myself hoarse, but that is nothing new.

Sunday morning, third time’s the charm, breakfast was better.  Or maybe you simply can’t screw up oatmeal?  Due to having to pack up, move all my things to the table and check out, I decided not to dress up.  I really hate being at a convention and not being dressed up.  I just don’t feel like me.  I had a panel on Thrifting at noon and then a panel I wanted to attend, so I knew I might be too busy to change.

Once again, I was deep in conversation when time for my panel came.  Luckily it was very close this time, so I wasn’t horribly late.  It was a full house again and it seemed to go quite well.  Arabella was there again and had a lot of show and tell, so I didn’t feel bad about slacking somewhat.

Right after my panel, there was a talk I was very eager to see, so I rushed off.  Gavin Scott, the creator and writer of the television series: The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne was going to be talking about it and showing some episodes.  The room he was scheduled in was changed, so I took the opportunity to walk with him and introduce myself.  I explained that I was a big fan of the show, had seen some of it when it aired and had done some casual campaigning to get it released on DVD.  He was gracious and seemed pleased of the attention.  The panel was sparsely attended, but it was Sunday and not everyone is aware of the show.  Rick Overton, one of the actors had been scheduled to appear as well, but had a family emergency, which I must say I was sad to hear.  I am a fan of his comedy as well as some of his past roles.   Gavin told us some of the history behind the show and then began showing episode 2.  He gave commentary and took questions during it since the sound was very faint.  To my deep chagrin, I really had to go and eat so I could not stay for the entire talk.  I debated finding something quick and returning but I also had an obligation to go back to my table, so I did.   Happily Gavin came and found me after his talk and gave me a copy of the newly released soundtrack, which I had him autograph.  He showed me his book of clippings from the show.  I wish I could have spent more time looking at it, but he did need to get going.  I told him that in many ways I felt that show was ahead of its time.  I mean think how popular it would be now, with all the steampunk interest.  I always point to that show when someone asks if there is a quintessential steampunk show.  It even has Jules Verne himself in it!  He seemed to feel that I just might be right.  Maybe we’ll see something come of it.  Meanwhile he says to write to Talisman Films and let them know you would love to get a copy on DVD.  I know I’m going to write them.  If they do put it out on DVD, I hope they take the time to create some extras and let Gavin tell the history behind it.  After all, he was steampunk before it was cool.

So that was a great end to my fabulous weekend.  I met so many wonderful people.  Saw so many interesting costumes and gadgets!  I heard that they got three times the number of expected attendees, but it never felt crowded.  It’s a quirky venue, but it works for our quirky crowd.  Well done Gaslight Gathering crew!  Book me on next year’s excursion!

My photo gallery for the event is here.

As I try to recuperate and unpack from Norwescon, I will take a quick break to write up a review.  As usual, it all went by much too quickly.  The main goal for the weekend was to promote Steamcon III, so the Steamcon lobby table was our main focus.  A scant couple of weeks before the con, I came up with a crazy idea to draw more folks to the table, the Golden Egg-stravaganza!  Essentially a bunch of candy, badge ribbons and mystery prizes in gold colored eggs.  Each egg was a one dollar donation.  I didn’t have much time to find the prizes, but I used some Steamcon stickers, buttons and such as well as a few little compasses, dirigibles, hot air balloons and little octopi.  We also gave away four full Steamcon III memberships, which really delighted their recipients.  The eggs were very popular.  Too popular!  I realized that we would sell out completely on Friday morning, so I put half of them aside for Saturday.  We still sold out before noon each day.  Live and learn.  I am already plotting for next year.

As another ploy to draw attention to Steamcon III, I dressed in somewhat 20,000 Leagues regalia.  My Saturday outfit was Nemo’s daughter as an admiral with a little bit of the sea in her blood as it were.  It was quite well received.  I participated in the Under the Sea fashion show, which was very creative.

On Saturday night, I did a second version of Widget the automaton.  The lightning goggles and makeup were a huge hit.

I had about five panels, almost all on steampunk or related themes.  Despite having done this for so long, I am always learning more about steampunk.  I want to say thanks to Lou Anders of Pyr for some great insights and stating that Sherlock Holmes is not steampunk.  One of my favorite people, Claire Hummel was on many of my panels as well and she is always a fount of new information and good insights.

Social anthropologist, James Carrott followed me around to my panels to record the discourse in preparation for a dinner at the Dahlia Lounge on Sunday hosted by Brian David Johnson, the futurist at Intel.  Brian’s goal was to gather steampunk “luminaries” to discuss steampunk with an eye toward what we could add to future technology.  The dinner was lovely and the discussions quite lively.  The Foglios, Paul Guinan, Anina Bennett, Kevin Steil, Claire Hummel, Thomas Becker, Jordan Bodewell, Marshal Hunter, R. “Martin” Armstrong and myself along with James and Brian discussed steampunk past, present and future while the cameras rolled.  I confess to being quite intrigued by what may come of this.  If nothing else, hanging out with James and Brian during the convention, was very entertaining and thought provoking.  Thanks to both of you!

It was a marvelous but exhausting weekend.  You can see the photos my darling husband took on Flickr.com.

Copious apologies for my prolonged absence.  I do have a good excuse however.  My work on Steamcon, which is fast approaching, does take precedence over pretty much everything else.  And now that I think of it, I probably haven’t spent any time here talking about my beloved Steamcon.  I feel quite remiss.

Steamcon is a Victorian science fiction convention held in Seattle in the fall.  This is our second year and we are only about a week and half away.    Last year was a delightful success and this year is shaping up to be even better.  Our author guest of honor, Jim Blaylock is a dear man and one of the father’s of the genre.  Jake Von Slatt is an esteemed maker and our artist guest of honor.   Shane Hensley, the creator of Deadlands is our games guest of honor.  The very talented Kambriel is our fashion guest of honor.  Along with those wonderful folks, we have Cherie Priest, Studio Foglio, Gail Carriger, Nick Valentino and a whole bunch of other talented people helping us entertain and edify throughout the weekend.

On the music front, we welcome back Abney Park, and they will be joined by Bakelite 78 and Ghoultown, along with a host of folks in Mr Bodewell’s Cabaret.

Some of the other activities:

• Riverboat Gambler Night
• Airship Awards Banquet
• Pearl de Verre Cotillion
• Grand Mercantile
• Art Exhibition
• The Artful Bodger’s Guns and Gizmos Show
• The Girl Genius Radio Show
• The Great Maker Debate
• And many other panels, talks and diversions

Something for everyone, I should think.  I do hope you will consider joining us!

www.steamcon.org