ICRS Friday

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.06.2007

My flight left San Jose at 6:50 AM, which meant I had to get to the airport at 5:30 AM, which meant we had to leave the house at 5:00 AM, which means I got up at FOUR THIRTY A.M. Camy was not a pretty sight. That also might explain why I went to the wrong gate at first, but luckily I was only off by a number and got to the correct gate before they called my boarding group.

I sat next to this tall college kid and felt old. I don’t fly well, so I put on my earphones and watched a movie on my video iPod for most of the flight. Near the end of the four+ hour trip, the kid and I chatted a little, and I found out he’s Christian, and he’s a volleyball player! He was coach for a high school boys’ team going to Atlanta for a tournament.

We chatted about volleyball injuries for a while. I gave him my bookmark and he said his mom might like my book.

I didn’t check beforehand if Omni Hotel had free shuttles to and from the airport, so I wandered to the hotel shuttle area and came up with nil. Luckily I found signs to other shuttles, but they were pretty slow and since I was the only one, I had to wait.

After waiting a while, the driver directed me to another shuttle service near the Baggage Claim (Atlanta has no SuperShuttle, they have this similar company called Link, but I wouldn’t have known they were like SuperShuttle if the guy hadn’t told me). The timing was actually incredible because the time I spent waiting enabled me to ride with a car full of ICRS people.

I met the Marketing Director for NavPress (but forgot to ask his name) and one of his marketing people, I think her name was Jessica but I can’t remember. She was SO nice. We were talking about NavPress and speculative fiction, and she gave me her copy of Tosca Lee’s Demon! Cool, huh?

I also met Patty and Wendy, who own Sonshine Christian Book Store (I think it’s in New Jersey). They’re affiliated with Parables.

I also met another woman whose name I forgot to ask for, who’s a nonfiction book author with Howard.

It was a fun trip to downtown. I enjoyed talking with them. And if I’d been early, I wouldn’t have sat with them in the shuttle at all.

Here’s a picture of my room:



And here’s the view from my balcony:



Cool, huh? I’m right across from the park.

I don’t often have a room all to myself. I considered getting a roommate, but I thought about it too late, and I also think I might have had a hard time finding someone who was staying at the show as long as I am. I have to pay for the extra nights anyway, so I might as well enjoy my privacy.

I get to use up the ENTIRE BATHROOM COUNTER. I can leave all my stuff out. I can take up all the hangers in the closet. I can use up all the cups and the towels. I have a huge king-size bed to myself:



(Captain Caffeine is now green with envy—I typically don’t move much when I sleep, whereas he rolls around the entire bed.)

I was a little at loose ends, so I left a message on Wendy’s phone to see if she’d gotten into Atlanta yet, but I ended up falling asleep until 11:00 PM, when Wendy called me. They had just gotten in. We chatted for a while, then I ordered room service since I was STARVING—vegetable pizza.



$20, after I added tip. But having hot pizza at 11:30 PM—priceless.

I intend to sleep in tomorrow since I don’t have anything to do until lunchtime, when I’m meeting a local Korean American blogger and his wife for lunch!

Update: OH MY GOSH THE OMNI SHOWER IS FANTASTIC! High shower head, just the right water pressure, hot and soothing. I could have stayed in there another hour. The fan in the bathroom is pretty good, too.

Continued: ICRS Saturday