Jim at Ad Astra in Toronto - April 5-7, 2013

[Priscellie]

Jim is the guest of Ad Astra in Toronto, Ontario, April 5-7, 2013.

(Note: It says on the site that Shannon will also be appearing, but she had to cancel, unfortunately.)

http://www.ad-astra.org/?page_id=1351

[Shecky]

Mulling this one.

[Metekoranes]

Shannon cancelled. See http://www.ad-astra.org
Shecky - are you going to be there for this ? I would love to meet forum members and maybe buy you a beer

[Shecky]

Wish I could, but I'm having surgery on the 5th.

[Toottootfan199]

So looking forward to Ad Astra. I go every year and I'm cosplaying Toot Toot this year.

[Shecky]

Cool! Have a load of fun!

[Guardian 452]

After a registration mixup (they lost my payment info) and a hotel SNAFU (also fixed) I'll be there!  I said this once before, but Jim if you're reading this let's hope for no fire alarms like happened the last time you did a Toronto con!

I should mention that Ad Astra was amazing at sorting out the mixup with my payment!

[Toottootfan199]

Glad they got it sorted out for you. I'm helping out at the con this year. I'm doing a few Panels on Sunday for the Ball jointed dolls and I'm help to set up on Thursday  and friday.

Fire Arms? Wait did I miss this? I missed him at Polaris a few years ago cause we had the big ender to our RPGA 3.5 Con in TO that weekend and I was GMing tables. Grrr. I usually go to Polaris/Toronto Trek and now I think its turning into a Doctor Who Con.

Ad Astra is a great little con and alot of fun I go every year. Its one of my favourites along with Anime North.
I'm cosplaying Toot toot and maybe Korra from Legend of Korra . I have a few other cosplays to choose from for the weekend but I'm competing in Masquerade as toot toot.

[Rasins]

Post pictures.

[Guardian 452]

Fire Arms? Wait did I miss this?

Not Fire Arms...Fire Alarms!  The hotel was doing a lot of construction, and the dust set off the fire alarms three times on Saturday night/Sunday morning!  Two of the three times we were all herded out onto the sidewalk!  I won't say too much in case he wants to talk about it, but Jim had been up and got less sleep than the rest of us.  One of the vendors made up buttons, and did some saying "I survived the Polaris 23 Inferno...3 Times".  I got one and gave one to Jim (as well as one for Shannon...she wasn't with him when I gave him the buttons).

I don't do a lot of cons.  I did an early Toronto Trek (before they changed the name to Polaris) twenty-something years ago, and then didn't do another until Polaris when I saw Jim would be there.  The reasons I haven't done many are partly money-related (until not too long ago I really couldn't afford all the time off work...that's since changed) and partly not having anyone to go with.  I work an afternoon shift on a fixed schedule, making socializing difficult (my "weekend" is Wednesday/Thursday).  On top of that, all the people I'd go to cons with have since moved out of the area, and regularly going on my own just isn't as much fun.

I've known about Ad Astra for years, and always intended to go at some point.  Robert Sawyer announced that he'd be there so I checked out the website.  Seeing that Jim would be there was the clincher for me!  Rob is an acquaintance/becoming a friend in large part because he's local.  He lives in Mississauga and I live in Kitchener.  He has a lot of friends here and is down regularly...he's spoken of moving to the area!  I say "becoming a friend" simply due to not seeing him that often.  If he's in town and sees me anywhere he does make a point of coming up to say hi...we also talk online fairly regularly.  Anyway, I have him to thank for the heads up about the con, and enough lead time to book the time off!

I'm sure I'll see you there...I'll look out for you in costume!

Now I just need to work out the public transit routes to Markham...

[Shecky]

Yeah, Robert Sawyer's another one of those Really Nice Guys who are becoming more and more the norm in SF/F authordom. It's a wonderful trend.

[Stiletto]

Those panels look really interesting! Makes me want to hop a plane for Canada. If only mu passport hadn't expired! Maybe they wouldn't notice?

[Shecky]

So how was the con, folks?

[Toottootfan199]

The Con was fantastic and Jim Rocked. I was there with set up on thrus so I got to go out for dinner with  Con Con staff and guests. Then they had a small meet and greet with guest up in the con suite and Jim told the story of the last time he was in Toronto he set off the fire Alarms and just as he finished the alarms went off and ya he cursed it. So I followed him down 14 flights of stairs and we waited out side for along time in the cold until the firemen would let us all back in. Then back up the slow elevators we all went to the con suite again. Fun times.

So it was a great weekend. My Toot toot cosplay won in masquerade and I got Jim to sign my ribbon. Lots of pics to get on the computer but I've been in a coma since I got home sunday night. lol. Yesterday I slept with 3 cats on my side and a dog on my feet  on the couch. All 4 missed me and it was hard to get up and move. Man I remember doing Con and partying all night and then getting up to work the next day. Can't do it now….. so sad.