I will be a guest not this weekend but next (July 3-6) at the tenth annual CONvergence, a science-fiction/media convention held, at least this time, in Bloomington, Minnesota, not far from Minneapolis. I didn't attend any of the previous nine but everyone I know who did tells me I'm in for one of the great con-going experiences of my life. I usually respond by reminding them how many cons I've attended and they say, "This will still be one of your all-time favorites." So we're officially jazzed.
Later this year, my friend Carolyn and I will be showing our lovely faces (hers, more lovely than mine) at the Comic-Con International in San Diego (July 23-27), the Mo-Kan Comics Conspiracy in Kansas City (September 20-21) and the Mid-Ohio Con in Columbus (October 4-5). Come to one, come to all, say hello.
Getting back to the Minneapolis one for a moment: This may interest someone. Because of a personal matter, I wanted to see if I could change my return flight. A call to Northwest Airlines revealed that the price to do this would be — wait for it — $1,041. Well, needless to say, the flight was not changed. Not over the phone, anyway. I went to the Northwest Airlines website, logged in…and made the change for $107. That's great for me, of course, but it's indicative of how hard the airlines are trying to cut back on staff and make us book our own flights on the Internet. And that, of course, has plenty of downsides for the passengers.