Obligatory TWH post complete with name dropping starts … now

[jlh]

ely709 was missed. I'm going to keep saying this at random intervals so just get used to it. Also, I didn't catch everyone's LJ name that I met so if you're friending me please leave a comment so I can friend you back!

It really started when evil_erato arrived on Wednesday evening complete with car. As we waited for cassandraclaire and tromboneborges to arrive for VM viewing I took her through the finale of So You Think You Can Dance (which CC and Josh arrived for the end of) and I have to say, I was so pleased that Nick won as he was a cutie with talent by the TON.

Thursday I had a couple of appointments to keep, and then I packed and we left the house at 4pm. This was clearly way too late, but even if we'd left at 3pm it would have sucked; I just didn't realize how much CT turns into a parking lot as I always drive north in the mornings. So, yeah. That sucked, and we missed the welcome feast, so we checked in to our most excellent B&B across the street from the House of Seven Gables (ely709, you were missed, and good job with the pick) and went directly to tea_and_toast's room.

I want to make an aside about the drive from downtown Salem to the Sheraton in, hello, Danvers. Granted, Salem and Danvers used to be the same town … in the 17th century. (Part of the socioeconomic factors contributing to the witch trials was the clash between Salem and the more rural Danvers.) It takes 20 minutes and is somewhat complicated, with the main route 62 doing that New England thing of making random right and left turns at random intervals because it's actually just a bunch of existing roads strung together. I kept making this drive at 3am in the driving rain and would occasionally get it wrong. If there was one thing that I think was a real set-up error for TWH, it was locating the main hotel (where most of the night time events occurred) so far from downtown Salem so that people had to go back and forth on a bus that, while reliable, had no regular schedule, such that I waited for the thing for an hour and hence never took it again.

Carrie, bless her, is new to New England so she gave us the directions to the Sheraton in this sort of loopy way (like, there's a sign for these three things and you want to do the third one … thereby making you write down all the things and completely confusing Crystal who hates playing navigator anyway). But we got there with a minimum of confusion, and were able to attend longtimegone's slightly belated birthday party, in the room she was sharing with Carrie and slytherincess. Other people there are a bit of a blur mostly because there were a bunch of room parties and they blend in my head. As the resident New Englander, I was asked to explain why there are so many Dunkin Donuts and roast beef places, and was made to say Peabody over and over. Personally I run into folks mispronouncing Woburn and Worcester more often, but whatever.

Friday there really wasn't any programming we were yearning to attend, so after our B&B brekkie and registration (we were both Ravenclaws) Crystal and I enjoyed our little porch overlooking the ocean and I got a small amount of reading done. Then we motivated for the FA meet-up where Carrie was running about like a crazy organizing thing, eating nothing and drinking cider. Saw dancingrain, smilie117 who basically looked exhausted the entire weekend, malachan who was somewhat drunk (also a trend) and owlman but only from a distance (very much also a trend). heidi8 arrived and there was a lot of yay and people talking and it was a lot of fun.

Crystal went off to some Snape things, I think, while I hitched a ride to the Sheraton and hung out with Carrie and Heidi. CC called to announce that she, blackholly and theoblack had arrived and what was I doing for dinner? I had decided not to pay $75 to have dinner with Holly though I heard later that she was the star of that panel (of course) so a flock of us went to Salem for Mexican food: Carrie, Julie, Crystal, me, CC, Heidi, didi75, and ani_bester.

Then I headed off to the H/Hr meet up at a local pub. We were very loud. It was awesome to see eliasheldon and eibbil_libbie and to meet annearchy. zorb and light_music, you were much missed! Everyone signed a book for silverbookworm, too. Eventually book 6 and the interview came up and I have to say, it was nice to be in a room of (mostly) level-headed folks who were also sort of disappointed. Though I'm not a canon shipper so I didn't feel it quite as keenly as others, I did point out that unless Harry or Hermione die, most of our foundation fics won't be noncanonical, as nearly all of them are post-H and posit a previous R/Hr relationship. Never mind that as JKR is such a crappy romance writer frankly I'd rather read someone else's take on the relationship. But possibly more on that later.

A huge passel of H/Hr types got on the bus and headed for the Sheraton, where they mostly went to the PS/SS screening but I went right up to Carrie's room party. Crystal was there, too, and Kristen and allysonsedai who had been at the H/Hr meet up but left before I did. I think nmalfoy was there at some point, and Holly and CC and Theo arrived bearing cognac which I drank quite a lot of. emmagrant01 was there talking about her upcoming panel though apparently that side of the party got into a lot of other things gossip-wise while I asked Holly and Theo for advice on changing my name. Crystal and Allyson (Marin, were you with us that night?) and I stumbled downstairs to the bus where we waited for nearly an hour which pretty much sucked. I didn't take the bus again.

Saturday I had panels I'd wanted to attend in the morning, but the walk was long and the parking turned out to be totally impossible and my umbrella broke and I was tired and frustrated so I blew it off in favor of doing some work which actually turned into a likely needed nap. CC and Theo and Crystal and I scrambled some lunch at a deli and then I was off in the rain for the flight of LJ/language panels that afternoon. Other friends were in and out, but that little set of presentations were pretty awesome, especially the one on language and didi75's polysci thing about the MoM and the DP.

Further walking in the rain, and running into people in passing (like Elia whom we invited to dinner, and bowdlerized) and Crystal, Emma, Carrie and I were at our B&B where I changed my totally wet shirt and we chilled for a bit before getting in the car and driving to the Sheraton to check dinner plans. Thanks to dezzikitty's awesome organizing sklz, we ended up with a party of 15 arriving at the Outback Steakhouse in three cars from just all over, including CC, Kristen, Crystal, Emma, Carrie, Meg, jiggery_pokery, Elia, and a bunch of HP Southeast people.

Back at the hotel for the room party of infamy, where fun was had but we just couldn't get people to be quiet and wound up getting kicked out of the room by the cops. Yes, I mean that. The cops. So Crystal, Allyson, Marin and I piled into the car and went back to Salem; seriously, screw the bus.

Sunday there was a brunch scheduled that no one went to so we all slept in. Theo called and wanted some brekkie so he, Crystal and I went to Dunkin Donuts and then did some shopping in Salem which was incredible fun as random outings with Theo always are, and he bought me a purple d20. Off to the Waterfront for Julie's panel and then Carrie's, both of which were awesome. Then sushi with Carrie, Morri, Cyg, Libbie, Crystal, Allyson and Marin, then back to the room to change for the ball. (ely709, your always amazing fashion sense was missed.)

Everyone looked really lovely! The ball was like a prom! I'm not sure I actually have more to say than that, except that it was fun. Then off to the Sheraton once again, not for a room party but a tired, serious conversation with Erica and Meg and others about the wank that had started. Unfortunate. Drove back with Allyson and Marin and slumped into bed. (ely709, your calm common sense was missed.)

Up relatively early to finish packing and check out, then to the Sheraton for the leaving brunch and final good byes, gave some better directions to Carrie, and then Crystal and I were off ourselves to a good, speedy, no problems drive back to NYC, with Crystal continuing home. I collapsed, having had not much sleep.

And then the next morning I woke up early and did my reading and went to class. So, back to normal. This morning it's cleaning because mysteriously there is charcoal all over my bed and my cat, but at least now it's cold enough to take the fan out of the window, so that should cut down on it blowing into the house.