I went to Maine and all I got was this lousy entry

[geoviki]

So I'm finally home. Some of you heard me say that I planned to spend a few extra days after TWH to take the train to Maine (in the rain). In one of those odd situations that I never plan for, I seemed to have missed a horrible travel day for countless fen who were travelling west. isiscolo has a particularly horrific one. Oh, and if you want to see Isis and me, and a lot of you, in our ball attire, go check this post. She's looking for permission to post LJ names, so if you don't mind, go see if you're in some of them.



I'm going to have more posts about TWH (my photos are not digital, so there'll be a bit of a delay), but I'm going to tell you about Maine first, so you don't feel too envious of me. I picked out a city on the rail line in Maine, which looked to be a small resort venue, and I booked a B&B sight unseen. Now I was feeling horribly morose and pitiful after Isis left, because the con was one of those mountaintop experiences that you hate to see end. And it was grey and bleak when I wound my way through the streets of Salem to the station with my one-wheeled suitcase (the other is somewhere else on the planet, I presume). I got on the train, had a peaceful ride through Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and southern Maine, and got off in the most empty, deserted town I'd ever seen. In the rain. Dragging my one-wheeled impedimenta. After settling in to the place (being not surprisingly the only guest), I set off to see the ocean. In the rain. Even the pier was closed off. Nothing was open (Monday was a holiday) and I managed to cover every single thing to see in about an hour. It was one of those "What have I done?" moments. I decided then and there, that nothing is as cringe-inducingly pitiful than an amusment park shut down for the season. In the rain. (I have photos).

If you've read "After the Flood" by Cassie Claire, Harry and Draco have a scene very much like this. Except instead of teddy bears in the room, I had a life-sized bust of Michelangelo's David, along with some truly ...creative ... Roman decor.

I found a store, bought some crackers, cheese, and wine, and proceeded to make the best of the day by rereading my own stories. I noticed all the mistakes this time, too.

Tuesday, I got out of Dodge by taking the train to Portland, which I probably should have done in the first place, and taking a harbor cruise, shopping, having about the worst fish-and-chips dinner ever, and chatting to tons of friendly folks. I even found a feminist erotica store, but I won't mention what I bought. So my trip to Maine was redeemed (like my favorite Slytherin).

I've been on the track/air/road for 11 hours, so I'm tired. I have drawings to scan and post, a ficlet written for me by rosesanguina that I need to type for you, and more details, but manana, baby.

Comments

[ellid.livejournal.com]

Portland is a lovely little city and very worth visiting. I've never been much further north, but I can easily imagine exactly the scene; resort towns *die* right after Labor Day and stay dead until the middle of May.

Glad you made it home safe and missed the Mysterious Unknown Radar Problems that pretty much wrecked the airspace around Logan Airport for a couple of days. :D

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

I was feeling all sorry for myself, and then I got back and saw all the travel horror stories. Sometimes, my planets just align I guess. Who would have imagined that?

[gilded-kage.livejournal.com]

No matter how morose Maine was, my guess is that it was better than Logan airport yesterday. It was so stressful to have flights delayed, then cancelled, and then have to rush to catch connecting flights in the next city.

Anyway, I'm going to forget about the bad parts and remember the good parts: like the Harry/Draco OTP panel! Like the "slash as literary endeavor" panel! Like meeting you!

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

There was definitely not enough time to talk with each other and go to all the panels and things I would have liked to. Now we know why Hermione begged for that time turner. Still, it was great fun, and I'd never been to New England in the fall. So nice to meet you, too.

[lagreyeyes.livejournal.com]

If you've read "After the Flood" by Cassie Claire, Harry and Draco have a scene very much like this.

God, that was exactly the picture in my mind while reading your post! *laughs*

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

And I didn't even get the rough sex afterwards. *sigh*

I just saw that you're going to Lumos! You won't be sorry. Yay, Vegas!

[amelia-eve.livejournal.com]

Apparently I am perverse because I love resorts in the off-season. Atlantic City in January is my kinda town, with the snow piling up on the beach. Nonetheless, it sounds like you had a memorable adventure and a quiet counterpoint to all the squeefulness.

I wish I'd gotten to talk to you more at TWH. It was a pleasure to meet you.

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

I thought it would be much more picturesque, though. But the shuttered stores were either beachwear or tacky souvenir shops, and then miles and miles of cheap rental apartments. Not at all what I'd pictured.

It was fun to meet you, too. Not enough time, though, I agree. Vegas, here I come!

[luci0logy.livejournal.com]

I hope the wine helped to make the day a little brighter and I won't tell you what I bought in the erotic shop in Barcelona last week. You could have fired eggs on my husbands face as I tried to explain in very rudimentary Spanish what I wanted. Still, the helpful - and somewhat fit young man now knows the word 'adjustable' in english.

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

I can imagine. I am imagining!

[luci0logy.livejournal.com]

To aid your imagination you want a large glass cabinet and a hansome young man explain the virtues of each of the designs to an extreemly embarrassed hubby who clearly didn't know where to look. Still, I made it up to him *smirks*

[bethbethbeth.livejournal.com]

Oh, you poor thing! I'm so glad you're home and safe!

(My sympathy would have been even greater had I not been giggling just a little at the thought of you having nothing to read but your own stories. Are you going to send yourself feedback? *g*)

[jonem.livejournal.com]

Now I have a mental image of geoviki flaming herself... hee!

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

Concrit, baby! I'm so wordy, and oh, the cliches in my early stuff. Even Isis couldn't totally save me from myself.

When I think back to TWH, you really stand out as one of those women who made the whole thing so special for me. It was so fun to meet you and spend time together with all those Snape lovers.

Even if you are a snot who won't give me a foot massage on demand.

[bethbethbeth.livejournal.com]

I changed my mind! I'll give you a foot massage!

So what if we're thousands of miles apart? My arms will reach...I promise!

(and I feel the same way about getting to spend time with you. I just wish it had been more time...or that we lived within driving distance of each other)

[smaragdgrun.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think TWH is going to be memorable for a lot of reasons... I think in the long run, it will be for meeting people and not for the *hell* of the travel logistics. Or I hope.

Maine's one of the few states I haven't been to -- I wish we would have known each other before and planned the trip together, it actually sounds like the kind of trip I'd enjoy! Especially with you, and yay! reading your stories. Mmmm, slash and train rides, two great things that go great together... *g*

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

Maine was worth seeing. I had a vague thought that maybe I'd meet someone who could be flexible enough to just wander off with me and sightsee - now I'm sorry I didn't know you could have done it. We'd have had a great time, and I would have been spared that sad day alone, feeling cut off from all the wonderful women I'd just met.

It was a pleasure to meet you and hear you wax poetic on Teh Slash, my dear.

[parthenia14.livejournal.com]

*grimace*

I had been about to say 'Are you going to Portland' because it has the best designer craft shops in the world ever, which just about rescues from the otherwise greyness of the town. I can't imagine what an out-of-season resort town in that area would be like.

Wait a minute - I can!! (past life rushes past)

Glad you had a good trip and I'm keen to hear what TWH was like, from the horse's mouth, so to speak.

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

I need to take my pictures in to be developed so I can share. I hope you're catching everyone else's posts and pictures.

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

I got on the train, had a peaceful ride through Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and southern Maine, and got off in the most empty, deserted town I'd ever seen. In the rain. Dragging my one-wheeled impedimenta. After settling in to the place (being not surprisingly the only guest), I set off to see the ocean. In the rain. Even the pier was closed off. Nothing was open (Monday was a holiday) and I managed to cover every single thing to see in about an hour. It was one of those "What have I done?" moments. I decided then and there, that nothing is as cringe-inducingly pitiful than an amusment park shut down for the season. In the rain. (I have photos).

This is SO a scene from The Talisman. If you haven't read it yet? You should. I'm thinking there's a reason Stephen King likes living in New England. Fiction fodder.

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I really felt as if I were in the first scenes of some angst fic. Thank God it didn't end with character death! But now I see I missed all the horrors at Logan, so it was for the best in the end.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

The North Sea b&b After the Flood scene! I just love it! (Love the story too; easily my favourite by CC. She's a real writer in this.)

But no fun playing it out without Draco. Poor you!

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

Believe me, I could help but remember that scene as I trudged through the rain. Except I didn't get the pay-off that evening.

You know what made me sad? Apparently CC showed up at the con. I never saw her or even heard the rumors, and yet I was with the crowd she should have been hanging with all weekend. None of us was aware. To me, her 'fame' is an albatross if it means isolation like that.

God, I had a great time, though. I'm going through con withdrawl this weekend. Plus I have to catch up on all the laundry and housework I skived out of. Poor pitiful me, huh? Only not.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

I read somewhere (can't find the LJ reference now) that CC came to support a published author who's a friend of hers and was taking part in a panel (can't remember the name either, fantasy stuff, obviously well-regarded. I am a bit hopeless here.) The author, who was entitled to one, asked for a complimentary companion pass. When one of the organisers found out that this was for CC - who wasn't planning to attend anything besides her friend's panel - she started wanking in her LJ (I hate the term but I now see it's got its uses describing exactly this kind of petty spite) about how tacky of CC, etc. etc. I found this profoundly distasteful, as if people could not stand someone's success. It's the Princess Diana Wank - "she's successful (pretty, a princess?) She can't possibly be struggling to make ends meet (be bulimic, unhappy in Luv, etc.)" I rather disliked Diana, but I find that CC has talent and is obviously working at it since her original book is about to be published. No wonder she doesn't want to spread herself around at fandom events.