Mid-Weekend Update, 5/28/23
Posted on May 28, 2023 Posted by John Scalzi 20 Comments
Balticon has been absolutely lovely and Krissy and I are having a fabulous time, both at the convention and in Baltimore. This weekend there is also a large Indian festival and a heavy metal festival downtown, so it’s quite the melding of cultures in the streets and also in the elevators of the hotel. Everyone seems to be having a good time no matter what they’re in town for, and that’s terrific.
Shown above is the medallion for the Robert A. Heinlein Award, which I got at the opening ceremonies of the convention. The head of the Heinlein Society joked to me that I would have to wear the medallion around my neck all convention long, and I replied that, oh, in fact, I was going to do just that. And I have, not only because, well, how often are you going to be able to wear a medallion and not have it be entirely out of place, but also because people at the convention are curious about the award, and I want them to be able to see it and interact with it. So yes, a fair number of people fondling my medallion this weekend, in a perfectly appropriate and acceptable way.
The convention runs today and tomorrow, and today I have two panels including Heinlein Award Winner presentation, and then tomorrow I have a reading where I’ll be reading a bit from Starter Villain and something else I have coming up real soon. It’ll be fun. And I hope wherever you are you’re having a fun weekend as well.
— JS
Enjoyed our very brief conversation in the elevator (“Hello,” followed by “Hello” as I recall – scintillating!)
Congratulations on your Heinlein Award! You’ve certainly earned it. What a fun weekend for you and Krissy. Looking forward to seeing what else you have coming our way.
Oh something about people fondling your head. No, no, no! Bad Hope! To the corner with you and wear the Dunce Hat.
Congratulations again! You’re one up on Chewbacca, he never got a medallion… Ha. I think wearing it is appropriate. Have a great time.
Photo of you wearing the medallion at Balticon please!
Congratulations. You certainly earned this award. Wear it in good health.
“Fondling your medallion”?
That sounds kinky. I like it.
And congratulations again.
100% on wearing the medallion, I mean who WOULDN’T, it’s like a cape/cloak, I will wear those wherever I can get away with it.
You ever wonder what Heinlein would have thought about your work?
Kinda looks like you too. At least in the photo on this page.
Congrats
Congratulations on the award. I have to say that that’s one ugly depiction of RAH. Hopefully it’s the angle of the photo that makes the medal look so bad. But however it looks, it’s the thought that counts.
Rock that medallion, John! You earned it.
I hope you manage to stay COVID free!
Can’t wait to read Starter Villain later this year.
Congrats on the Heinlein Award.
Well deserved.
Mr. Heinlein would most certainly have enjoyed your body of work. Congratulations on an award well-earned.
The combination of Science Fiction and Fantasy fans and delicious Indian food and heavy metal music sounds absolutely amazing. Not to mention you got a medallion!
“Does she like to….fondle your medallion? Know what I mean? Nudge nudge. Wink wink. Say no more. Say no more.”
“and something else I have coming up real soon”
Oh sure, tease us, make us beg for it, oooh the anticipation!
Well-deserved.
Baltimore must be a city for the melding of cultures! My wife and daughter both did competitive Irish dance. A few years ago our regional championships for Irish dance were held there the weekend of a home Baltimore Ravens game. The visiting team stayed in the same hotel as the competition. Picture, if you will, tiny little girls wearing huge curly haired wigs and blinged out dresses riding in elevators with HUGE hulking tattooed football players. They looked at each other like two alien species trying to figure the other one out.