I love the annual Imaginarium Conference for a variety of reasons. This was year 12 (9th for me!), and it felt......off.
1) Friday. I arrived late, due to my own stupid decision to pack last minute. That's fine; I beat the rush earlier in the day. But, there was a snafu.
-My packet was not in the VENDOR packet, even though I had paid the early bird fee for a table back in September (I checked!), so getting my table was delayed, since the check-in person didn't have the password to the computer, and they had to locate Cassandra and Holly to clear it up. Fortunately, no one had claimed my 'preferred spot', so they quickly swapped out the tables, since the vendor assigned hadn't checked in yet. Fine and dandy; I set up maybe 30-45 mins after I'd arrived.
-It was close enough to check-in time, so I decided to go ahead and get my room. Yay, I'm back on the 3rd floor, though not handicapped accessible as I thought. No problem; I got my key and I can grab onto the sink to raise/lower myself to the toilet. Problem solved; I moved my luggage in, redid my hair, and went back down. Checked my emails; I have one from Cap 1 saying I was over my limit, but they approved my $511 charge for the room! WTH...I made SURE there was $460 in there, to cover it! Oh well, maybe there's an extra fee....it's okay, I can still pay this off in time for Sept....I hope!
-I only sold one book, but again, I was only at my table for maybe 2 hours. The minute I arrived, I was grabbed by nearly all my friends for hugs, and I did go into the vendor hall to see Carol Preflatish, Brian, Cookie, Tommy Smith, and the Hydra table.
-Brian, TL Shively, Matt Shorr, and I decided to go to dinner at The Melting Pot. Now granted, it's been 20+ years since I'd been there, and since I wasn't the paying customer at the time, I don't remember the prices. But sticker shock hit my eyes. I thought maybe we would just forgo the cheese and chocolate courses and pay $35 for the entree. But no, we'll split the $116 payment between two people each, making it *only* $56 per person. Fine; I can adjust my food budget, and maybe sales will be good, and I won't be in the hole. But again, things had changed. I remember unlimited veggies; nope, we only got three plates per table, so once the cheese and entree courses were over, I was still hungry. Chocolate course, Matt and I discovered he didn't care for the pound cake, while I didn't care for the marshmallows or the bananas, so he ate most of what I didn't like, and I ate what he didn't want. Then, since there was some of the others' items left, I volunteered to eat what was left, and it solved my hunger issue. Then, surprise, surprise....when we got our bills, it's standard operating procedure for all parties over 6 to be billed a 20% gratuity, which split between the 6 of us, was an additional $12. I ended up paying nearly $80. Food budget is officially blown. But maybe sales will make it up....I'll skip breakfast and only eat my planned Subway sandwich.
-I went down for the entertainment, after fixing myself a cocktail in the room (vodka and kool aid), which last year's dancing I really hadn't cared for, so waited until 9:30. Fortunately, there was no Burlesque this year, and I joined my friend Mysti Parker for an enjoyable final dance, which was pirate-themed:) Then Jayson William Allen took the stage with his guitar player and drummer, and we had a GREAT time! 3 times, his g/f Stephanie joined him to harmonize, and at one point, Jayson leapt onto the chairs in front of us. I whispered to Mysti, "Should we act like hysterical fans and pretend to rip off his pants?" LMAO!
2) Saturday. My panel was at 9am on Plot Holes, so after grabbing my PWT flyer, a copy of HLC, and my cards, I joined Marilyn Barr and several others for a lively discussion on how they happen, how to resolve them, or are they simply mistakes? Afterward, NO ONE came up to talk to us or grab cards.
-Attendance seemed to be down, and I only saw maybe less than 10 cosplayers. During the times of no traffic, I went to the vendor hall and took pictures and found a few books I'm interested in buying....but first, I need sales to recoup my loss from Friday night's meal.
-I WAS given two free books; I went to get a picture of Jayson at his table and he told me to take anything I wanted. So I got Steph's book, and she was thrilled when I asked her later to sign it! Likewise, Troy Maynard, the Viking Hugger, handed me HIS hook, and signed it later.
-I wanted Jen Selinsky's Genesis book, but with only $10 in sales, I couldn't justify it. Fortunately later, I sold a copy of Catered Romance to a gentleman for his wife, so I was able to buy it.
-Brian, TL, and I were meeting Brian and Robyn Rodman at Momma Bear's BBQ, and leaving at 6, so I packed up early to go refresh myself before dinner. Once there, we had a 30 min wait (no problem....the Rodmans had an errand first). But said errand took longer than expected, so after waiting nearly an hour, we got the go-ahead to order. Had a wonderful meal (chicken caesar salad, as per my food budget), and managed to buy a copy of Brian's Memoir of an Angel and Nebulizer 2, of which I used the $40 cash earmarked for my son, whenever he gets off his butt and takes care of a friend's yard! I get paid Friday; I can replace the $25.
-I again fixed myself a cocktail (vodka and koolaid) and went downstairs for the karaoke party. Saw the end of the cosplay contest and the winners, then turned in my list for karaoke. Ended up starting things off, but this time people cheered! An hour later, Holly had arrived, and the DJ put me in for Simply The Best, which I dedicated to Holly and Stephen, and again people cheered me on:) Unfortunately, didn't get to do Independance Day or Univited, but that's okay. On the way back to my room, I ran into Aubrey, Anton, and Baryn, who were headed up to a party in Morgan and Sako's room. I said I was tired and would see them tomorrow.
-Changed into my PJs, then realized I'd left my water at my table, so went down to get it. After returning to my room, I decided to go to the party for a bit, and enjoyed myself. Had a Fairy Shot (hollowed out strawberry, amorretto, and Reddi-Whip), and a few meatballs. Then, Anton decided to make a comment at Dwan which I didn't care for, so I excused myself and went back to the room.
3) Sunday, my panel wasn't until 3:15, and I had signed up for Tea Dueling at 2. I made it downstairs at 9:45 and noticed traffic was REALLY down. Some vendors left as early as 1. The Tea Dueling was AMAZING! You face off in rounds, and choose your tea (Spicy, Chamomile, or Dr, Who), then your cookie. You hold the cookie half an inch from the bottom, then dunk it into your tea for 5 seconds, then HOLD it up. The person who gets their cookie into their mouths LAST wins. I faced off with Aubrey, and was so focused on making her laugh, I forgot to watch my cookie. It splatted into my tea, and she won the round. Oops! But she was taken out by Wayne (at my table!) in the next round! Wayne ended up winning the thing, so yay us!
-I went to my panel at 3:15 and had another wonderful discussion about writing historical fiction, with 4 people in attendance. Again, NO ONE came up to get cards.
-I did pop into Carma's panel, just to say hi, and got a bracelet:)
-When I came back around 4:15, nearly everyone had already packed up and left, including TL, Matt, and Cookie. Lynn left me a note; Brian PM'd me. Aubrey asked me if I was going to the Troll Bridge, and since I was, asked if I could carpool with her. We made plans to meet around 6. I packed up at 5:30 and moved my van closer to the door, saying goodbye to friends. Went up to the room to refresh myself, then went back downstairs to wait for Aubrey.
-We arrived at the Troll Bridge in one piece, thanks to Baryn and I directing. Walked two blocks and only had to pay $7 parking:) Aubrey nearly had a Marilyn Monroe issue with her skirt, ha ha! Arrived to discover Holly had WAAAAAY underestimated the amount of people attending, but there was a four-top about to leave, so we waited, instead of commandeering the table outside the main room, where everyone else was. Ro, a musician I met a few years ago, arrived, and she sat with us. We dubbed ourselves the Corner Crew, and had a great time! I ordered a Shroomburger (delicious!), but had issues with the server remembering to get my iced tea! After the 3rd reminder, Aubrey went to bar to get it (hence his $2 tip). I transfered another $20 out of my savings, for just in case, since I had a $25 check still out, and only $47 in my account at that time. (it still hasn't hit, so whew!)
-Took Baryn to his apartment so he could get his swim trunks, then made it back to the hotel safely. Parted ways, and I went upstairs, took a shower, played Solitaire, and went to bed. I'd forgotten how to turn on the shower, and the phone in my room didn't work, so had to go back downstairs and ask. As I was drying off, I noticed the instructions BESIDE THE SHOWER! If I'd looked UP, I would have seen it. But again, it was 10pm, and I was TIRED!
4) Checked out of the hotel around 10, and ran into Carma again. Had a good chat while she was checking out, and had another nice chat with someone I'd only seen briefly. Found out about the $20 daily charge, which does get refunded, and my final charge was only $460. Whew! Cap 1 will be happy:) Took myself to Chipotle for lunch, and the nice kid working the cash register didn't charge me for the extra chicken, since I only get rice, cheese, and sour cream. Thank you! See you again next year:)
-Drove home and only encountered a slight slow down at Tell City, as we all merged into one lane for about a mile.
-Arrived home in time for my writer's group, so went there 1st, then dealt with the grumpy spousal unit. Thank god I didn't have to work yesterday! Wanted to go to Food Truck night, but it was hot; I was out of $$; he was griping about having to replace the starter in the truck. Okay, we'll stay in.
Sigh.....maybe another Monday night Food Truck night will arrive where I'm off work???
