Insert Witty Journal Title Here

I have decided not to go in chronological order. That requires like, memory and stuff. I'm just going to throw things out there as I think of them! In as many different posts as it takes before I run out of things to say or work the rest of the week crowds the rest of it out of my brain.

Dessert Salon:
I could've sworn I'd bought a dessert salon ticket, but my badge said D:0. And I looked for confirmation, but I couldn't find an Email or a Paypal record of it. So I must've used a credit card, but just.. could not find a record. So no proof.

So I was like.. well, who needs dessert salon anyway? But Kater was going, and she usually doesn't. And I like sitting with the cool people. So I bought one at the last minute. I picked up eclairs and key lime pie because there was no chocolate mousse left. Then as I was entering to go find Kater, this mob is rushing back out like there's a fire or something. It was because they'd announced it was time for seconds. I wish they'd waited a little bit longer. Just a minute or two!

The eclairs were horrible. Salty in the first bite, saltier in the second (when I got some of the middle). Do Wisconsinites not know how to make eclairs? I mean, they're basically Boston Creme Donuts when you get right down to it! Tasted a bit.. cheesy. Which I guess makes sense, actually. But, bleh. You get much better mini-eclairs out of the frozen food section.

Then I hear the chocolate mousse has been restocked, so I ran out to grab one of those. Muuuch better. They do not go wrong with the chocolate mousse.

The key lime pie was very limey. The crust was little bits that got stuck in my throat. The sour and sugar gave me a sore throat on top of that. Jun makes way better key lime pie. I ate roughly half of it.

This all on top of a dish of ice cream from reportedly the best ice cream place in Madison. Malt something or other. (The ice cream, not the shop. The shop was Chocolate something or other.) Very good.

The problem with buying dessert tickets and being in the back of the line is you get seats at a table, but off to the sides and/or in the corner. I could see the stage okay from where we were, but I had no view of the CART. Which I had been interested in checking out.

Reportedly the CART experiment was a great success! Not just for people who have trouble hearing, but for the Japanese contingent and others for whom English is a second (or third or fourth) language.

(For much the same reason I was thrilled to find subtitles on the latest Doctor Who I downloaded.)

Mics:

I felt mic use was much worse than previous Wiscon. I kept going into panels with.. well, apart from the ones with no mics, of which there were many, panels with panelists who were reluctant to use the mic. I don't know what it is. Unfamiliarity with mics? Shyness certainly doesn't seem to be the problem! Sharing mics is a bit of a pain, but most rooms had at least two. Afraid of the microphone as disease vector for Wiscon Norovirus 2.0?

Things heard (paraphrased): This is a small room, we don't need the mic right? There's not many of you here, we don't need the mic, right? I have a loud voice, I don't need the mic. You need to listen better. It was funny the first time, it won't be if I have to repeat it. Does anyone here need us to use the mic?

I may've been the only one to raise my hand on that last one, but frell-it, the mics are there, you're going to use them!

I have more to say on this, not all of it ranty, but I think I'm going to see if the editor of the next Wiscon Chronicles would like to consider it for inclusion.

Best Use of the Mic Award goes to the #notaboutrace panel whose full name I forget. They not only all used the mic themselves, but had the audience members with the questions come up to the front, use the mic, AND FACE THE AUDIENCE.

Seriously, guys, you need the game show format, silly, hilarious, sparkly pony panel to set the example on mic use? Do you? Really?

Apparently you do!