Balticon 44 Schedule

I'm off to Balticon this weekend, feeling very sad due a whole lot of bad life things falling on me lately and yet another birthday.  This has negatively affected my planning, so I won't be quite as shiny and well-costumed as I'd hoped, but at least I'll be skinnier (twenty-three pounds lost since mid-February). 

I haven't actually received a formal schedule, but I think I'm just doing three special events in the main ballroom:

Dancing in the Gears (Steampunk Ball)
Friday, 10:00pm-???
Susan de Guardiola, Jeff Poretsky, Chort & Paula Montrie
Attention all aeronauts, aethernauts, lady and gentleman adventurers, mad scientists, inventors, and other Steampunks and neo-Victorians! Join us at 10pm Friday night at for a time-traveling formal evening at the Steampunk Ball! Become part of the living clockwork of Victorian and Victorian-inspired set dances and spin madly with your partner to romantic waltzes and lively polkas. No previous experience is needed; all dances will be taught by dance mistress Susan de Guardiola. Music will be an eclectic mix of modern and nineteenth century. Steampunk, neo-Victorian, or Victorian costume encouraged and admired but not required. Airships and time machines should be parked outside the ballroom. No sabers, ray guns, or clanks permitted on the dance floor.

Hoopdance
Sunday, 12:00-1:00pm (or maybe 1:30)
Susan de Guardiola
Learn to dance with a hula hoop! It's great fun, good exercise, and kind of weird. From basic hooping to simple tricks, come get your twirl on! Beautiful adult-sized hoops provided or bring your own.  [Yes, this item is listed as 1.5 hours.  I have to change for the 2pm item, so it probably won't go more than an hour unless there's a huge turnout.  Also, I will have hoops available for purchase along with practice!]

Martian Parlor Croquet: A Steampunk Diversion
Sunday, 2:00-3:00pm
Susan de Guardiola, Jeff Poretsky
Victorian explorers, adventurers, chrononauts, and aethernauts!  Join us in the fine sands of the remote Martian Canal Estates, where the well-dressed 19th-century tourist and all civilized alien entities may indulge in the genteel yet cutthroat Martian pastime of parlor croquet.  Portable gravity generators encouraged to prevent loss of croquet balls into the aether.  Tentacular assistance prohibited.  [They totally messed up the description of this on the website, and I don't know if the program will be any better.  This is the one I actually sent them.]

If I'm on anything else, it will be a surprise when I get there, and I will be totally unprepared for it.  I'm hoping to go to some of GOH Tanya Huff's programming, since I missed her completely at Lunacon this year, but otherwise have no special plans and have this great gaping hole in my schedule from midnight Friday/Saturday to noon Sunday.  So if anyone wants to hang out, Saturday will be a good time. 

I feel so absolutely depressed about going to this convention that there's a chance I'll just head home Sunday night after the Tanya Huff interview.  This is not Balticon's fault at all; they've been great.  I think they even have my name spelled right everywhere this year.

Edited 5/28/10 to add:

Look at these cool posters Amber made for Martian Croquet!

Comments

[Marilee J. Layman]

I hope the general life things get better, and that you have fun at Balticon!

[Serge]

A con sounds like a GOOD place to be.

[Susan de Guardiola]

This post now with Extra Added Illustrations!

[Serge]

Now I really want to escape to a con!

[Mary Aileen]

Have a good time.

[Mary Aileen]

(The previous comment required a CAPTCHA to post, and it took four tries to get a match.)

[Marilee J. Layman]

Very cool posters!

[Bill G.]

Hey Susan,

What room is the Martian Croquet going to be in? I completely missed the hoop thing because it wasn't on the program and nobody could tell me where you were. Hoping for better luck with the croquet. I'll check e-mail in the morning before I head out to the con hotel.

Bill

[Susan de Guardiola]

Hooping: main ballroom at noon
Croquet: main ballroom at 2pm.

[Neil W]

Nice Martian croquet hats, especially the second poster!

[Nikki Raiford]

Sounds a million times better than World Steam Expo was. Other than meeting Terrance Zdunich, of course.