cornerofmadness

So L. and I got up at the ass crack of dawn and drove to Columbus. She thought it was in the Southern Theater. I thought that would be weird since the schedule of events was your basic conference stuff. and really this SHOULD be called conference not 'festival,' because that's what it is. I tried to check but it has the worst website. Once we got there i"m like L. it's NOT here because the parking garage is empty. We still checked. Yep only the concert is there. It was at the Hyatt but you couldn't really tell that from the website. It just gave the Hyatt as a base of operations and NO directions. I mean really? Yes this conference is in a different city every year but you could make sure the hosting hotel is easy to find on the web page.

Luckily I know that area well. I'm like the hyatt is just two blocks north. We get there (to yet another empty parking garage). We get in there and go register only to find that J. (who heads up the Madog Center for us) had left a tag for L. who says but Dana is a Madog fellow too. We'll go check but you just go on in. So...got in for free. That made what follows 25$ better.

It wasn't a bad time but again, it was more of conference than fun times. It was right next to the bar I posed at as Madam Christmas when ELD was in town for an anime con. Anyhow, L. went to see her play saying she figured I didn't want to. I wanted to find a talk on a Welsh book. DIdn't find it. Went into the dealers' room and talked to reps of the University of Aberystwyth for about a half hour. Both L. and I wanted to court them to try for visiting professor status. Also she gave me the name of a professor who's studying the Victorian era sciences. That could be fun (i.e. project for me). Aberystwyth was always women friendly. They gave me a postcard of an African woman who got her law degree from there in the 1800s. How cool is that?

I went for tea and welsh cakes and pulled out Soldiers of the Sun which I had brought to show L. I read it while having tea only to realize a camera crew was recording me reading it. 0_0 I spoke to the poet who was at rio last year and she turned me onto this: pine marten recovery project which is cool, trying to reestablish the adorable marten to Welsh habitats.

Then I went to a love spoon carving demonstration (and put in to win a beautiful spoon). If my hand was good, I would love to try this. I love wood. This was also recorded by the crew (me sucking my gut in the whole time, oh vanity).

L. and I went to the Three Legged Mare for lunch. It's done up as a pub (much that's in this area now was not there when I lived in Columbus. the whole area is built up.) Had a Kentucky Bourbon Ale. Very drinkable, not at all bitter with a hint of the bourbon barrels its aged in.

Went back spoke to Peter Griffith, an author, bought his book and bought some more of the Infamous Welsh Cakes cookies which is all I really bought (got a freebie from Uni of Aberystwyth.) Picked up travel info for Ottawa and Calgary (where the fest will be next year) as I'm interested in returning to Canada for a trip. We also sat through part of a puppet show since L. is an amateur puppeteer (personally I hate puppets but it was dragons for the first one). He did the story of the red and white dragons and Merlin and Cadwaller and his goats before we had to go to a lecture. (Later I asked L. was it me or was it a terrible puppet show? His young assistants looked like they'd rather be set on fire than doing this. She agreed)

L. and I went to a lecture on Patagonia someone she met in Wales was giving. This is what happens when you force scientists to do 'cultural awareness' stuff. Boredom. It's not scientific enough for the scientists and probably too much science for everyone else.

I did buy a piece of art I don't really need from the James Evans gallery (for way less than these prices) but it was of a cromlech. He had a bigger print of pentre ifan but I just don't have space for wall art let alone a big piece. This was a small piece that might be one of the ones from Dyffryn Ardudwy but it's not quite a perfect match and his wife wasn't sure which standing stone it was. (It's sadly not on the website). I love it and it's original from the sketchbook. I'll take a pic of it at some point. He was talking to another artist. Both of them have Parkinson's so hey, why not spend less than my entry fee would have been for this to support an aging man whose joy is being stolen by a terrible disease? I know how that feels.

We met up with another contact from Uni of Aberystwyth. Talked to her for about a half hour about Welsh Language (she rolled her eyes and got pretty touchy about my story about being yelled at for using Welsh place names and I'm with her, have some respect people, though I DID blow it trying to pronounce Barcloides e Gawres when we were talking my research) She was fascinated by my druidic leanings and medical background since she was a homepathic nurse at one point.

Then it was over. L and I went to Chillicothe. Wasted money in JOann Fabrics buying 40% off Halloween junk I don't need. Wasted money in TJ Maxx buying full priced Halloween junk I don't need. Went to Olive Garden for dinner.

Am much tired now. Kanda can't decide if he loves me or is mad at me for being gone 13 hours. He's running thru the place now.