Because I’m traveling this weekend and will be away until late Sunday afternoon at the earliest. I’ll be here, and probably also on Twitter. Otherwise, see you in a couple of days.
Consider This Picture of an Empty Chair a Metaphor For My Presence Here This Weekend
January 21, 2011 By 24 Comments
Hmm, the lights are on but nobody’s home.
Typical artist, wasting electricity to make a point and a nice picture.
Shane, well, Dixie is still home. And if the lights are off, the cats get pugnacious.
See ya there, John. I’ve got a copy of God Engines that’s just begging for your signature.
Three hours drive. Will you be driving? That would be a way of avoiding travel karma. Unless there’s a huge snowstorm and the roads are closed. But then the airports would be closed too.
You poor thing, it looks like such a comfy spot to be away from.
Good luck, take care, and have fun!
Gah! I’m still so disappointed that my weekend class schedule prevents me from meeting not only you sir, but also the awesomeness that is Priest and Bacigalupi. All in the same freaking weekend… I hate responsibility.
That being said, I shall see you in Chicago in 4 weeks. Will have to suffice. :)
Argh!
”And…what about Naomi?“
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_of_Chair
(How is this href thing supposed to work?)
If I come back and look at this picture again in an hour, will there be a dog or cat in the chair?
I’m thinking of you as I sit in my own comfy chair. Today I’m only driving as far as the local Post Office.
Travel safely.
Laurel Anne Hill
http://www.laurelannehill.com
Eerie. Profound.
Brad@11: “Eerie. Profound.”
That’s why John gets paid the big bucks. The rest of us settle for Erie, Pennsylvania.
The Rapture has occurred and we have lost John! Woe, woe betide us and our wicked ways.
Hey, can I just…have that lamp? I really like it, and since you’re not using it…
I guess that’s sort of the Scalzi mercy seat.
John’s here at ConFusion, that’s for sure. But he’s sporting some kind of weird Old Star Trek Klingon goatee beard — which he actually had to explain to the audience at the first panel. (grin)
Dr. Phil
So… Would you mind enlightening us with said explanation? Also maybe pics or it didn´t happen?
And John, have a nice weekend and do try to photobomb more people, the picture on tobiasbuckells twitter feed is really funny!
This bringsup a question. I assume authors get paid for this. Including expenses? Not that I want JS to divulge his details but in general is this the case? I guess not enough to live off of just cons though?
Can you not afford Athena’s fee for the guest host gig? Or are the rider demands onerous?
the question should be, is that chair at all comfy? Even shown as a metaphor the question should be answered.
there are plenty of uncomfortable chairs out there, yet the cushion on that chair hints at comfortability (is that a word? if not it should be) Yet the chair has a lamp next to it, so the next question being is ‘does he read by that chair?’ or does he interrogate people by it? I bet he’s perfecting the hot lamp interrogation for any suitor willing to take his daughter to the next prom. ;)
you never know with authors
That’s a moody shot. I can easly visualise you sitting there, fingers steepled, looking serious and literary and important.
Boy, a weekend out of town and a Monday morning quota sure make for a long dry spell.
I’m exhausted, I have con crud, and my legs still hurt from all the dancing I did. Good times.
How about you, John?
YoYo @ 18:
John can (and might) explicate, but with 50 years of experience in attending traditional s-f Cons, I’d say that the short answer is almost certainly No. The Guests of Honor get transportation, hotel room, and (usually) meals recompensed, and a Free Membership. Otherwise… Professional Writers will probably get first shot at being on Panels, which means they get to nosh on the food in the Green room (usually better than the munchies in the Con Suite that’s open to all Members), and might get part or all of their Membership Fee reimbursed if they put in enough hours of work (like anyone else) and the Con makes a bit of a surplus.
Basically, fans (including the ones who put on traditional Conventions) recognize that Authors are Important because they create the books on which our microcosm is based… and that Fans are equally important because they buy the Authors’ books. (Well… _some_ Fans buy those books new, and even in hardcover.) Aside from WorldCons (which have significant Business overtones for Pros), I think most Authors who attend Cons do so for the same reason most Fans do — “This is an opportunity to Party with a lot of my friends”. And, on the whole, they’re BYOE (Bring Your Own Everything) parties.