Yesterday the puppies had their last series of shots, plus their rabies, and their first Lyme disease. I was amazed that they were extremely calm throughout the entire process. There was no crying, no whimpering, not even a yelp when they got the injections (and there were a lot of injections). Afterwards they were a little sore and extremely tired. Around 7 I took them outside for a bathroom break and Finn walked right across the deck to the door that leads to the bedroom. He was officially done for the night.

We had a little, shall we say, bowel disruption today, but other than that everything seems to have gone well. We’ve got one more visit for the Lyme booster, something which we need to do given the number of deer and other animals we have going through the yard (The Mrs already found one tick on herself). Then we will be all done with puppy shots!

We have a week off from puppy class due to Easter Sunday, so we have extra time to work on all of our new commands like drop it, leave it, take it, etc.

The other big event of the week was that I was able to spend my weekend at what I consider to be my “Home Con.” After a year off, Penguicon rose from the ashes. A little more on that at the other end of the post.

Listening To: I just barely started The October Film Haunt: A Novel by Michael Wehunt. I’ll let you know my opinion when I’m further in.

Currently Reading: I spent the bulk of my free time last week prepping for the panels I was on, so I didn’t have a lot of time free for reading.

Current Obsession: We started watching Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen. This one is…odd. Nice and creepy, tho.

There is a big blank space in our convention schedule for the month of April. We may attend the Chaosium Convention, just to walk around. We might also take in Cinema Wasteland for a day.

We are deep in the throes of formatting a really big project. Unfortunately, it is taking longer than expected, which is throwing us off a little. We hope to be all caught up soon.

I go to a lot of conventions every year, but I have always thought of Penguicon as my “Home Con.” I have been attending it for decades. After a difficult financial year, Penguicon rose from the ashes like a Linux based phoenix.

Aside—for those who need the explanation, Penguicon started as a Linux/Open Source based convention, hence the penguins. It expanded to include all of the other interests that the attendees shared.

I attended fewer panels than previous years because I spent a lot of time at the Writer’s Block (the bookstore). Unlike previous years, each author had their own table which they sat at when available. This was great, as it gave me a place to relax, to leave my coat and bags, and to chat with people.

I had a few panels which I spoke at. The most fun one was also the most nerve wracking. I put together a presentation about mead making (entitled Mead: It’s Not Just For Vikings) and my adventures with it. I brought a bunch of gear, kind of a big show and tell session. I used the various pieces of equipment as the outline—this is what you do first using this, etc. I managed to end with only a few minutes to spare. I shared three bottles work of the lingonberry mead with the audience and received rave reviews (including one person from Sweden!). Throughout the weekend people came up and told me how much they enjoyed the presentation and the mead. The panel was on Saturday. On Sunday, a number of folk came up and asked if I had gone home for more.

Exceptional panels included What Shark Movies Teach Writers About Genre Expectations with Jennifer Blackstream and Jim Butcher. You know that I appreciate people who are able to not take themselves too seriously. When two famous authors appear in shark hoodies to talk about movies from Jaws to the worst B movies and explain key notes about writing.

Transhumanism How Close Are We to Cyberpunk? Sergio Bermudez presented talked about some of the classic tropes regarding human transformation which appear in science fiction and discussed their real world equivalents. In some cases he was able to speak about research which was currently happening and how close we are to actually having these things in the real world. in others he spoke about the likelihood of us achieving the technological breakthroughs required to have those achievements, when we could expect them if it was possible, or why it might not be possible.

I am extremely grateful to the Con Chair, the Con Com, and all of the volunteers who made the convention happen. Special thanks to Sarah Hans who was in charge of the literature track and setting up the Writer’s Block. It was great seeing everyone, especially those I have missed seeing over the past few years. I look forward to meeting up again next year.