It’s always an adventure when a trip sneaks up on me. Suddenly the hours shorten, seeming to go by much faster than they would on other days. Suddenly I realize that half the wardrobe I meant to take on the trip still needs to be laundered, and I wonder why I didn’t get to it last week.
Then there are all the pre-trip things that need attending too – making sure I have all my documents, letting the credit card companies know I’ll be traveling, arranging for the mail hold. It’s not that these tasks are individually very hard (they’re not); it’s just that you have to remember to do them!
And talk about things to remember — I bought a new memory chip for my camera, since I hope to take lots and lots of pictures, and didn’t want to possibly run out of space (the current chip is 3 years old and a bit better than two-thirds full). I need to actually get the chip INTO the camera (ha! another chore for right now!). I’m taking the laptop with me, and have to make sure that the latest versions of certain files are transferred from the desktop to the laptop. (Oh! The advance of technology that this is even considered important. As recently as the summer of 2007, I wouldn’t even have concerned myself with that element.)
All of this is to gear up for Mythcon and then the San Diego Comic Con.
Even though some friends won’t be making it to Mythcon this year (and you will be missed!), I still love going. It takes me out of the Hollywood MindSet for a weekend, where people are just interested in good stories and talking about what they mean to us. Thought provoking and stimulating and refreshing. And also, just the simple pleasure of seeing people I enjoy spending time with. This year, I’m moderating a panel on poetry in fantasy literature, and it should be a fun discussion. And if the panelists run out of things to say, we can always read our poems to each other. Heh.
This year instead of a road trip, I’ve opted to take the train. I haven’t made an over-night train trip since I was two. And of that train ride, I only remember one vivid moment of it. In 2008, my brother and I took the train from the Philadelphia area into Manhattan, and then a few days later, I took the train from Manhattan into Connecticut for that Mythcon. But other than those, this will be my first “serious” train trip. I try to pretend I’m so sophisticated that it is merely another mode of transport. But the reality is, I am gleefully anticipating the train ride. I have a sleeper roomette all to myself, which means I’ll be able to fall asleep watching the landscape go by.
Last year, when I drove to Dallas, off in the distance south of the Interstate 40, I could see the train tracks and the long lines of freight trains crossing the vast open countryside of the southwest. It’ll be nice to cross those lands and not have to be focusing on driving! I’m sure it will stir in me a longing for further adventures on cross-country trains. We’ll see about that.
When I get back from Albuquerque, I turn around and venture into the frenzied world of the San Diego Comic Con International. It’s a physically challenging experience — days of trudging and standing and manouvering through crowds. But when entertainment really is your business, it’s a great place to get a sense of the audience. What are people really interested in these days? How are various projects being recieved? What’s the next big trend in thematic entertainment. (Steampunk has held on for three years, but will that still be the most popular choice for the cosplayers?) And of course, there are the friends I see at Comic Con – varioius artists and editors, and writers, of course. My feet are going to be tired by the end of the con, but … it’s worth it to me.
Yes, it is the season for my Summertime Pilgrimages.
