Heat Wave!

It's currently 80 degrees in my house.  Windows open, fans blowing.  Yup, the A/C went out.  The guy from BGEHome came and looked at it today - oh joy the motor's out.  Not only is it out, but it's not one they have on hand.  So they have to special order it.  And the fan is a little tipsy too, so he's replacing that as well.  The bad news is, I'll be without A/C for a few more days (he said end of the week).  The good news is, I have a policy with them, so I don't have to pay for anything.  So, so glad I didn't follow the instinct to give up that policy this year.  Almost did.  Saved me a thousand dollars.  I'm thinking that policy just paid for itself.

So I went home around lunchtime today thinking I'd be there all afternoon.  I set up my computer so I could call in to our telecon, and next thing I know the guy is calling saying he'll be there in 30 minutes (he was there in 20 - he rocks!).  So Kitty of course has to climb up on the table and smack me in the face.  Sans claws, thankfully.  She attempted to use me as a scratching post too (that never goes over well).  I found her toy and she got over it.  I think she was feeling the heat too, she really didn't want to run and jump very much.

I've been to a couple of movies lately (see movie side-bar) and am going to see The Mortal Instruments with my friends S and A.  So much fun!!  Aidan Turner is in it!  Ok, so he's not the main character, but he's an important one, and there are pictures of him being chained to a chair so that has to be a good scene, right?  I love when my Facebook News Feed is full of pictures of Aidan.  He's too freaking cute.

So a few days ago I had a bit of a realization.  I went to the Sci-Fi book club at work for the first time in a while, and realized I just don't have much in common with them.  I tend more to movies and urban fantasy series' these days, and they prefer more hard SF.  Ok, and I should confess that one girl really gets on my nerves.  She's one of those that is always right and if you disagree with her you're just wrong.  No discussion, no nothing.  You're just wrong.  And she does a lot of the talking.  I'm thinking I may not go back.  I get the notes from the meeting so I know what they're talking about, and if there are any good book suggestions, and while I'd like to discuss what I've been reading they're not reading the same things.  This was part one of the realization.

Part two was, I went to Shore Leave this year - the Baltimore  Star Trek Convention that has mostly guests from other series' and shows.  More on that later.  Went to a panel on women in sci-fi and it got way off track.  The conversation left sci-fi and went real life and then I got attacked for saying that being a woman in a technical field is getting better.  Lots of bitter women in the room.  Then I went upstairs after the panel and one of the dealers yelled at me.  Ok, so maybe was just talking very loudly, but not really answering my concern about the thing I wanted to buy.  So I didn't buy it.  I'm thinking it's going to be a while before I go back.  There's going to have to be a REALLY GOOD GUEST there.  I could have flown to Boston and met Aidan Turner and Dean O'Gorman instead.  Seriously - they were at Boston Comic-Con.  See?

They were both so adorable.  While I got picked on.  So part 2 is that I'm not going back to Shore Leave unless they have someone like Adrian Paul there.  Next year, I'll go to Dragon Con with my niece.

I did get to go see Greg Evigan that night, though, and Julie Caitlin Brown.

Greg Evigan (yes, from BJ and the Bear)

Julie Caitlin Brown (from Babylon 5)

Both amazing, I got their autographs the next day, and Julie had some CD's - two music ones (I got one) and a book one, Love First.  Got that one too.  I need some refocusing in my life, I think.

However, Saturday was brilliant.   I dressed as a Jedi, mostly for ease of movement through the crowd, and had my Yoda backpack with me.

Me and my little friend, Yoda

Me as a Jedi (with Yoda backpack)

 
Got to see Neil Grayson (from Eureka), a couple guys from Warehouse 13 (which I don't watch regularly but will now add to my Netflix queue), and Amanda Tapping, who I simply adore.  How can those women from that panel say things are not getting better when we have people like Amanda Tapping fighting those battles and making it better?

Amanda signing autographs.  Yes, I got one.

The highlight was seeing William Shatner.  He just left Nashville that morning after being in a horse competition the day before - where he won 2 championships.  I had no idea he was so in to horses.  I immediately had to share with my new friend on FB since she is also very 'in' to horses.  Also, he has such a lovely voice, and a lovely way of speaking.  Not like Captain Kirk at all.  I'm thinking I should look to see if he's done any audiobooks, just to hear him speak.

Bill Shatner - didn't have my good camera with me, but iPhone does ok

I also stood in the 'free autograph' line - my number was in the 400's so I didn't have to wait long to get in line, just enough time to find some real food (nutrition bars just don't cut it after a while).  Here's Neil:

Neil Grayson signing autographs

He took the time to talk to all the fans, so the line kind of queued up again after getting Amanda's autograph.  He was really sweet, though.  I told him about my wall of pictures at home.  Which I still need to redo, come to think of it. 

So that was my adventure.  It's taken me all week to write this, and my A/C is not fixed but the weather has been so nice I haven't minded.  It's supposed to rain tomorrow, so I expect the humidity will get worse after that, but they're coming to fix it on Monday.