The Crack Team were already ensconced in the Marriott hotel in downtown San Jose before this year's World Science Fiction Convention even began. We began the day with an expedition to the amazing Winchester Mystery House. We got both the basic tour (90 minutes of hiking around the biggest house in America) and the extended tour (another hour spent in the cellars, parts of the house damaged in the 1906 earthquake, and a bit too much nonsense about ghosts). Definitely a must-see, if you're in San Jose. Biggest mystery: how a house with walls covered in wood-pulp-and-linseed-oil sculpted wallpaper hasn't gone up in the world's biggest house fire. Seriously, that's like decorating with napalm.
The convention itself began at noon. The Crack Team donned our badges and headed into the mammoth convention center. Checked out the history exhibits and the tables for future WorldCon bids. Attended a panel discussion on "Tomorrow Through the Past" about using history as the model for science fiction societies and stories. Hung out with panelists Jo Walton and Ada Palmer afterward, then spent the rest of the evening at dinner with a dozen fellow Baen Books authors, editors, and artists.
Thoroughly stuffed, the Crack Team staggered back to our room to write a quick 'blog post before collapsing. Tomorrow: talking about food, and probably some parties.
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