Back from Gencon!

It was wonderful. Not without its down-sides - I don't think you can put me into a con situation and not have me find at least something to be annoyed about - but wonderful in spite of it. I did buy Deliria, as well as one other game and some other stuff; Scott picked up some stuff as well. I walked out on one session (a first for me, but the guy running it would've appreciated it if he'd known how annoyed a player I was going to be if I stayed - or maybe he did anyway, who knows; he didn't seem upset). But I also had a few I wished would not end....

Stupid con. The whole thing went and ended. *grin* It was a good trip, and I'm alive. I'll provide more details later - I kept a pretty detailed paper journal, so I'm not going to lose stuff by waiting to put it up. I've also got a card and a half of photos (most of which quite likely suck - the conditions were non-ideal and I was trying not to be a complete nuisance as I got photos of people and things). I may get some of those up tonight, I may not.

We don't have our luggage yet. I was very not surprised to get to Portland and find I had no luggage. We had, at DFW, a 40-minute connection across over 20 gates. We power-walked it and arrived when almost no one was seated in the boarding area, but there was a line of about 20 people to get on the plane - so, as best as I can tell, we arrived just after they called the last group, but before "final boarding." We were seated just forward of the wing, so I could see the area where baggage was loaded. And not all that long after, maybe 10 minutes, a baggage cart drove up - and was waved off by the handler. The compartment had already been closed, and we were pushed back just minutes later, so I suspect it was an issue of "can't afford the delay" (although we had golf tournament folks on board, so it could be "can't fit the baggage" - but it didn't look like that much at the baggage carousel in Portland). In any case, I wasn't really very surprised. The lady at the baggage claim carousel got a list - several other people coming in from Indy, dunno if there were any others. So we got a phone number to call, called it, and they will deliver our bags sometime tonight. This is fine by me. I am, however, annoyed and baffled at being required to describe my bags, including material they're made of (never paid attention, honestly...) and their contents. See, they're not "lost" bags. They're "delayed" bags. They still have the tags on, and in fact your computer system knows right where they are. So why are you asking me what's in them, then further asking if there's books or jewelry? Not impressed. But, we'll get the bags tonight, so.

We're home, we're safe, there's nothing critical in the baggage, and we'll get it soon anyway. And it is vaguely amusing.

For the record? My friends list talks a lot.

I almost said too much, except I enjoy reading most of it and the rest is informative (some of those feeds and communities are meant to be). But geesh. For the record, I had to go back to skip=450 to find the last thing I read before leaving. I now have something like 19 browser windows open to LJ - each skip step - and will begin reading forward. Or, more accurately, skimming. If I don't reply to something and you expected me to, please comment, because, well...overload!

Squeee! Rain!

Yes, I'm home after a several-days absence from LJ. Whyever would my frequent posting make you think that?

But seriously, it just started pouring for a bit, coming down so heavy it splashed back up at least an inch. I stood in it for a bit. Then I came back in, stripped off my drenched socks (oops), and saw there was a rainbow out over the pasture. I have pictures. Whether they're good pictures, I'll find out later. :P There's a haze beyond the farmhouse (or rather, beyond the stand of trees that conceals the farmhouse) as if there's heavy rain there - so did it pass east of me and over the farmland, or is that another wave? It looks as if the far stand of trees has been ash-dusted or gone for an early Christmas - lightly greyed!

Caught up - and thinking of folding for the night except I need my luggage....

Still waiting for the luggage. Driver called a while ago (a couple HOURS) to get directions, but no luggage yet. I'm going to call them shortly. But first: I am caught up on reading LiveJournal entries (or skimming them, as the case may be). Assorted things that caught my eye as worth sharing:

A little girl (Catholic) who can't have wheat has had her first communion invalidated because the wafer must have wheat in it - even though wheat can threaten her health and life. Excuse me? There is no dispensation, no allowance, no anything for her medical condition? I'm not sure why it has to have wheat anyway, but why would there not be an allowance for those whose very bodies can't handle the wheat? Did God make them only to say they must either die or not partake of the sacrament? I'm disturbed now, but, it's not my religion and I haven't done any reading/research beyond that article, so on the one hand, I find it awful, and on the other, I am speaking from not much knowledge.

On a much lighter note, a kittenbreak!

An absolutely gorgeous shot of lightning. (Permanent link on Buzznet.)

Staring at this is bad for sanity.... (Permanent link on Buzznet.)

And, as I was writing this last up, my luggage was delivered by a very cheerful older gentleman who has, no doubt, been hauling luggage all over the metro area all evening. I am Pleased by this.

Oh! And this is an older post at This is My Body, This Is My Blood. Warning: It does name parts of the body that may not pass worksafe filters. Trust me, though, even I wasn't offended by the content - it's not discussing the body part in question. Do NOT drink anything while reading, in case of laughter.

Oh, and there's this meme going around where you ask people to create an lj icon for you that they feel represents you. I'd love to ask that of those who read me, but it's beyond me to do for anyone, so take that wish with a grain of salt. (It's not the "create an icon" part that defeats me - though my skills are basic in such, they're decent basic - it's the "making it represent someone else" thing.)