You are one sick man, Edelman. That must be why I like you.

That was about it for the controversy I saw, and it’s also not that controversial anyway, since everyone there was on Connie’s side.

I probably want to do that more because i spent so much of the con in a weird state of disequilibrium that I wonder how much I really remember.

You remember getting groped onstage by Harlan Ellison, don’t you?

I was thinking of doing a report in which I note every single person I talked to during the convention, but on the other hand I probably want to do that more because i spent so much of the con in a weird state of disequilibrium that I wonder how much I really remember. So it would only be a mental exercise. And I’m not going to do it anyway, because I’m writing up a couple of other things.

I like stories about interesting panel discussions or strange episodes, like the one Kevin describes. Controversies are fun to hear about as well.

I also used the microphone as striker to chime the pie plate while doing a translation of the Uman Bridal Chant. That went over very well and Pat Cadigan did interpretive dancing.

Laughing this hard is not good for my asthma. Ah, the things I have missed!

Indeed, you did, and indeed, you broke your own rule on your home blog. Ah well, I’ll forgive anything when someone compliments me on my style, which I should probably describe: big mane of romance hero hair of the “tossed his chestnut locks” variety, various bits of silver and pewter jewelry, assorted flamboyant shirts from Hot Topic and some gas station outside of Phoenix, and for the Wild Cards dinner and the parties afterwards, a really snazzy vest with black silk and the Venetian winged lions done in silver brocade. I would have dressed up more at night, but in keeping with Anaheim WorldCon’s past, that way lies heat death.

As for the panels, the most interesting one I attended was the “Rise of Theocracy” panel which had Howard Hendrix and Mike Moscoe on it, among others, and had the incident of the spilled water pitcher. There was a lot of talk about Dominion theology and other creepy things, but that’s appropriate when you have Armageddon cults.

Beyond that, I mostly have to say that the panels were pretty much as billed, excepting last-minute panelist changes. I was a late add to the “Alien Artifacts” panel and had good fun, especially when I got to explain that some metal pie-plate thing was in fact one of the tentacle-cymbals use by the brides of Uma as part of the marriage ceremonies, before they eat their husbands. I also used the microphone as striker to chime the pie plate while doing a translation of the Uman Bridal Chant. That went over very well and Pat Cadigan did interpretive dancing.

As David E. mentioned back during my Comicon post, too many con reports read like exercises in name dropping (which that post avoided)

You’re right, Kevin, I did say that. And then I went and totally ignored my own advice and turned the WorldCon report on my personal blog into one big, long name-dropping fest. Whoops.

Great to finally meet you in person! For all those DG readers out there, you should know that Mr. Murphy is not only knowledgeable about matters of science fiction and fantasy, but the dude’s got style too.