The AAN continues

Woo! My Friday coverage has been permalinked on the AAN blog site.

The trade show lasted from 9am-3pm, but I was tired enough that I wanted to sleep in. It looked like Matt G. slept in as well, since we both met up around 11-ish.

MG and I headed to Pizza Schmizza for lunch. We get back and find out there's a machine that looks like it's dispensing Slurpees. It's actually a margarita dispenser. Yay.

I meet Bitter Single Guy, who's working his way up into a few newspapers. He's a Washingtonian, so we discuss many things Northwest-related. I also get to see the rest of the exhibitors, and talk a little more with Deb about cats. I talk to Ari LeVaux ("Flash in the Pan"). His table is covered with cooking items--a cutting board, a garlic pestle, what looked like pickled vegetables, and a bunch of Ferrero Rocher chocolates. I think he thought the trade show went until 5, because at about 2:30 I notice a big fwoosh of steam from behind the curtains. He's preparing a pot of elk meat with garlic and vegetables. Wow.

MG and I then walked with Jen Sorenson (Slowpoke Comics) to the be-all end-all of bookstores, Powell's. A trip to the Coffee Room (where all the comics and cartoon books reside) proves fruitful when we find a few copies of Jen's new book, right there on the shelf. My trip to the Rose Room to find old copies of the RH Jonesin' book? Not so successful. (In fact, Amazon currently says it's out of stock.) I do find the new book of Battleship puzzles, rechristened as "Yubotu," which according to the back cover, means submarine in Japanese. Hm. I think I'll challenge that one. Jen and I talk about what books I usually read. I have to admit that I mainly read trivia books, since it's shared reading at night. I do get in the occasional Harry Potter or Wicked, but it's been a long time since I sat down with any Neal Stephenson or Terry Pratchett. I recommend a cool little book called the Macabre Miscellany; she mentions a book that brings up medieval health practices, including spinning in centrifuges to displace the humors. I settle on buying a Games World of Puzzles, the new Get Fuzzy anthology, and the Mammoth Book of Oddballs and Eccentrics (used at $6!)

Now everyone's gathered in the ballroom, ready to head over to the OHSU building for the Aerial Tram party. A fairly quick ride by streetcar (where we all crammed in en masse), and then we were there. I was actually surprised--the event planners went all out. The main lobby of the OHSU building was filled with tables, and a band was set up in the back. Salmon and vegetables, salad, plenty of Widmer beer and Jones soda. I even saw Rob Widmer milling about, but I didn't get to say hi. I'm not sure if anyone else knew his significance in Portland, but that was some good beer, at least. Stephanie asks me the "What do you read?" question, and I hedge again by saying I don't read a lot. Apparently the "puzzle guy who doesn't read a lot" angle adds to the mystery that is my life. :)

Oh, and there's a guy from one of the papers that looks eerily like Ben from Lost. Enough so that I do many double takes.

Up the tram (my first time!) to view some really nice overhead shots of Portland, then at the top of the tram, another rooftop reception with desserts, brandy and liqueurs! The view was really nice. I got there too late for the pear brandy (but I've got a sample mini-bottle from my gift bag). I tried the loganberry liqueur...nice, not too alcohol-strong, but pretty smooth. Black and white chocolate petit-fours were arranged; I didn't think about it at the time, but I shoulda resisted the urge to rearrange them into a crossword grid pattern.

I finally met Doug Ogg (Ogg's World). He tells me that one of the things he does to get ideas is to solve crosswords, and see where interesting words juxtapose. It's an interconnected world.

Back on the streetcar. Blair, MG and I are in round 96 of the trivia showdown. He asks a Ferris Bueller question (What did the license plate say on Cameron's dad's car?) and I counter with my own. (There are two fairly familiar instances where the original movie dialog differs from the edited-for-TV version. What were the original snippets of dialog, and what were the edited-for-TV snippets that replaced them?) Blair does great with the original dialog, but blanks out on the edited versions.

Final party at the Tugboat Brewery. I settle on water, no more beer and spirits for me, I'm driving. One of the companies hosts a jam session, and the ensuing music turns out to be pretty good. I really appreciate their efforts to get through the Miles Davis standard "All Blues," especially when I heard a lot of rock played.

I say goodbye to MG, who I unfortunately did not get to meet up with on Sunday. Ah well. My wife was missing me at home.