Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

A car window spotted during Otakon

This past weekend on Saturday was the wrap-up meeting for Otakon, which is where staff members gather and hear reports on how everything went at that year's convention.

It was held in Baltimore, and we carpooled down with The Dormouse. But it seems no matter how early we leave, we can never get there in time for the board meeting, traditionally held before the public meeting. The Gryphon is a member at large and is supposed to attend said meetings.

So we walked in after it had started and had to take a seat on the side of the room that didn't have easy access to electrical outlets. I usually multitask at these meetings and go through Wild Violet submissions, paying closer attention to portions with which I have direct involvement, such as the Press Relations or Publications departments.

During the board meeting, I contented myself with going through snail mail submissions. Then, during the break between meetings, I power walked downtown to a CVS, where I found a 15-foot power extension, just long enough for me to connect to an outlet in the front of the room.

The meeting went a bit long, as these meetings go, lasting until almost 6 p.m., which was as long as we had the room. The con chair, Hellbuny, basically had to kick us out into the hallway at the end. But the meeting went relatively smoothly, with people getting a chance to weigh in on things that had happened.

Afterwards, The White Rabbit joined The Dormouse, The Gryphon and me for dinner. Instead of our favorite Chinese restaurant, Uncle Lee's, we walked down to the Inner Harbor.

At The Dormouse's suggestion, we tried the Cheesecake Factory first, but their line was 45 minutes long, so we tried the Pizzaria Uno, where the wait was much more reasonable. Before we knew it, we had a nice little table on their balcony, looking out over the harbor.

I shared a pasta dish with The Gryphon, because I knew I wouldn't be able to finish it all and didn't want to carry it home in a hot car. He supplemented his portion with a bowl of chili. Without thinking, I ordered a dish with Alfredo sauce instead of Marinara sauce, but even though it was fattier, I don't regret it. A nice occasional treat!

On Sunday, we spent some time with The White Rabbit. He came over in the afternoon to lend us some of his DVDs. In return, we lent him one of The Gryphon's DVDs and my copy of the seventh Harry Potter book.

He chatted with us while I looked through books of poems and wedding readings, looking for inspiration for my wedding vows. Then we all went out to dinner at Bertucci's. It was good to spend some time with him.

Then on Monday, I took our kitty, Luke, to the vet for his annual exam and for some booster shots. It was in the afternoon, which was when he likes to nap, so I was able to scoop up the sleeping kitty with no resistance and deposit him in his carrier, over his surprised objections.

I've been told that pets pick up on your emotions, so on the way to the vet, I played music and sang along calmly. I put a couple fingers through his carrier so he could nuzzle up against them.

In the waiting room at the vet, a little boy came in with his family. He's apparently afraid of cats and kept asking me if Luke was going to scratch him. By now, Luke had shifted to the very back of his carrier, trying to stay as far as possible away from the stranger. I told him that Luke only scratches when he's scared, so it probably wasn't a good idea to try to pet him right now.

When the veterinary assistant got him out of his carrier in the exam room, he nuzzled close to me until she took him away to weigh him and clip his claws. She came back with good news: he'd lost almost a pound, down from 10.10 pounds to 9.3 in the past year.

This was welcome news because at his last checkup, the vet had noted that Luke was getting a belly, and she'd advised us to watch his food intake. We had not only cut back on his food portions but also increased the number of toys in the house that he could play with independently, as well as trying to play with him on a regular basis to give him exercise. He also works out himself on his own, prowling the house all night long, engaged in what we call ninja training, killing water bugs and fending off mice and zombies.

While we were waiting for the vet, he tried to get back into his carrier, but I wouldn't let him. He even stuck his paw into the grate of the door, trying to open it. But I'd already latched it. I put it on the floor so he'd stop trying to get in.

Then he pushed up against me and hid his little face in the crook of my arm. I petted him and told him he was a good little boy.

When the vet came in, he must have recognized her voice, because he seemed less fearful. She talked nicely to him as she checked his vitals. Then a different veterinary assistant came in to hold him steady while he got his shots. I talked to him gently and told him how good he was.

The vet refilled his prescription for anti-inflammatory medicine, which we use when he has food allergy flare-ups. She told me we're doing a great job with Luke. This was great news.

I guess Luke's ninja training has been paying off!

Copyright 2006 by Alyce Wilson

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