The drive with Jamie was great. The two of us had never spent more than a couple of hours together at a time, and most of those had been spent silently watching movies together. But the drive allowed us to connect and start forging a far deeper friendship then we had when we set out on the wild weekend. It was a perfect start to a weekend that I had no suspicions would eventually be responsible for such dramatic and welcome change in my life. Though Valleycon was not even two weeks ago, in some ways it feels like I have lived a lifetime since then....but that's later in the story. First, back to Fargo.

We get to the hotel with about 45 minutes to spare before the scheduled meet with Travis and friends at 7. First off, just checking in is an adventure, as we forgot to stop for cash, and therefore have nothing to pay the hotel bill with. So, we go to a cash machine not a block away (for which, BTW, the desk clerk had given us driving directions. Don't you all have a bigger gas shortage in the US then we do up here?) We come back, we check in, we ride the world's scariest elevator, we get our Con passes, and now it's time to go the the lounge and meet our fellow Winnipegers.

As soon as we enter the lounge I spot a table of three guys who I suspect to be the gents. As I timidly ask if they are the people we are looking for, Steve points out that I've recognized him because of the baldness. True, but I find myself liking that, (and a whole LOT of other things, but again more on that later,) about him. With Steve is Travis, but the third gentleman is not Ed, who, it seems, is taking a nap. Nope, the third guy is Ted, who is intrigued at meeting the Canadians, and is way too much into invading other people's personal space.

Friday night at the con turned out to be quiet and a tad boring. For all the things I ended up loving about Valleycon, the hospitality suites weren't one of them. I've just been spoiled by Keycon's Short Plank. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, plan a trip to Keycon 2006, and check out the Short Plank's final appearance as one of the best Hospo Suites eva!

We ended up at a bar near the hotel instead. It was quite entertaining in and of itself. The beer came in little whino-esque paper bags! It was great. But the best part was spending time with Travis and Steve, (Ed was still, one surmises, in nap land), and getting to know them.

After a bit, we meandered back to the hotel to give the con suites another try. We ran into Ted, who at one point actually poured a drink down Jamie's throat, charming, and some weird guy pretending to be French. FYI, pseudo-French guy, next time you want to be a faux nationality, try not to do it around people that really speak the language.

Fun was had by all on Friday, but it was tame compared to what happened on Saturday. And that's a whole nother story, that I will have to post another time. But post it I will.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank the hell out of Travis. Meeting you guys made the weekend, which looked at 6:30 on Friday to be an experience in boredom, into something truly fun. I also want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for bringing something into my life that I'm truly thankful for. I know that I might not be your favorite of people at the moment, but I owe you more then I can ever say for simply agreeing to meet up with some girls from the 'Peg. I will always be in your debt.
Posted by Arieanna at 2:37 PM |