Fun times at the Wordfire Press booth, selling good books written by good people. I met several more authors -- I don't want to list without having a list in front of me because I'll forget someone and feel horrible about it-- and all of them were fine people as well as fine writers. I had a lovely conversation with to women in the con hospitality area over lunch. Yes, I voluntarily conversed with two total strangers without any social framework beyond "con attendance." Way cool.I got my BBQ fix after work, went back to the place that was too full last night Jack Stack's. (still too full, but with room at the bar.) Noshed on delicious food. Met another author, one whose first book will be coming out next year. I can see why people get into going to cons.  In all the assorted places of gathering, there's an energy in the collective. It's a lifting of spirits, and I think it comes from knowing I don't have to explain it all: I don't have to explain what I mean by it. And the collective is cumulative! I've now re-met wonderful people I first met at Windycon last fall. People I saw at the Nebula conference. And others from Dragoncon last year.That feeling is strange but made of awesome. Does nothing to offset the regular but unpredictable times I go  melty-stomached and noodle-kneed. Still, much the way painkillers basically make me not care that something hurts, the inclusion keeps the terror tamped down. The scary is becoming just scary. Not piss-scary. Not all the time.I even attended a PANEL.  At 9PM, because it was an after-dark kind of topic. "Asexual Viewing and More: Beyond the Binary Gaze." About the way focus on or off sexualities can affect the way a story is told. Despite the academic-sounding title, it was pretty lighthearted. The panelist  tackled heavy subject matter with  and humor. And wit. Oh, the wit.Some stray remarks: "We're here to put the pro in inappropriate and the pal in appalling." "When Thor takes off his shirt and shows of those rippling abs, he isn't doing it for more than one audience." On the issue of groups being so desperate for representation that anything seems better than nothing: "That's a shit sandwich, but man, it's on some great bread" And the dark side of the same issue, that the backlash against some stories can be outsized because they fail to include hthe one thing everyone hoped they would bring.I hope the audio recording becomes available because it was full of quotables. If it does, I'll post a link. Meanwhile, Tex Thompson is now on my TBR list.Meanwhile...I collected random pictures. They're below. The volcano is part of the display put up by a city bidding for a future WorldCon. Don't ask me which. There aer different cities competing for different years, and I would get them wrong. I know NOLA, San Jose, Valley Forge, and a city in New Zealand are in the mix. ANYway, the volcano erupts and a river of leds turns from blue to fiery colors when the dealer area closes every night. Good times. The suspension bridge walk-through thingie is the dealer area entrance and is based on the Christopher S Bond bridge over the Missouri River north of here. It was built by someone local who's built bridges for the Army and does other fab thingsmand is in many other ways a cool person. I know these things because we conversed. Yup. Multiple conversations without a safety net in one day, several that occurred as I was hanging out in the con area typing this up. I CHATTED, even.Worldcon Day 2 summary: pretty fucking amazing.PS: for anyone expecting commentary on various and assorted controversies, rumors, predictions of  Hugo Awards/ Worldcon success/failure, or any other tempests...nope. This is my selfish blog about personal me stuff, so that's what you're gonna get. Rest assured that if I do develop strong opinions on any of that, I may blog on them in the future. Right now, enjoy random snaps of KC.