Driving To CoastCon

[filkertom]

There's a moon rocket at the Alabama Welcome Center.

I'm as good at identifying rockets as I am at identifying cars -- which is to say, NOT AT ALL, please never ask me to do so, it'll only end in tears, likely mine -- and I thought it was a Polaris or somethin'. (Not skinny enough, I should've realized.) I thought, what a great welcome! "Howdy! Welcome to Alabama! We've got nukes."

Not a mile over 70 per hour the whole way.

Well, okay, maybe a few. But still.

In any case, I'm at the Super 8 on Beach Blvd., the official hotel for CoastCon in Biloxi, MS, and the Gulf of Mexico is right across the street. Way cool. And I passed "The Shed", the recommended barbecue place, on the way into town -- I'll likely hit it either tomorrow or as I leave.

My programming is:

• Meet The Guests, Fri 6:30-7:30 at the hotel's meeting room (apparently, formerly the pool)
• Concert, Fri 8:00-9:00 at the hotel's meeting room
• Masquerade halftime performance, Sat 6:00-7:00 at the stage in the Convention Center (a bit up the street to the west)
• Concert, Sun 2:00-3:00 at the stage in the Convention Center

I also have a table in the dealer's room, and I'll be there as much as I can be all three days.

Another note: the C.O.G. performance I announced in the previous thread on Friday at midnight has been moved to Saturday at 10:00, I would presume at the Convention Center stage.

So. Who all's gonna be there?

Comments

[beldar.livejournal.com]

I won't be there myself, but my son (who lives in Biloxi) is looking forward to it. Last I heard he is a big filk fan, so he should be at your performance.

[gorgeousgary]

The first thought that crosses my mind, of course, is "We'll try to stay serene and calm / When Alabama gets the bomb..." 8-)

[ldydragon7.livejournal.com]

You're not the only one. ;)

[phecda.livejournal.com]

That rocket at the Alabama Welcome Center is a Saturn I-B. You're pretty close to Huntsville at that point, and the Alabama Space and Rocket Center (and Marshall Space Flight Center), oh, and the Army Redstone base where I believe they actually do still have nukes. Take a detour that way when you come back. There's a SR-72 Blackbird parked outside, as well as a variety of other hardware.

[siliconshaman.livejournal.com]

I was wondering why Alabama would have a Saturn...

Hmm...I wonder if one could make off with said SR-71? Heck of a joyride...

[phecda.livejournal.com]

Huntsville is also where the US spirited Werner von Braun away to after WWII.

[dan-ad-nauseam.livejournal.com]

Shi, jiu, ba, qi, liu, wu, si, san, er, yi, ling.

[ladystarblade.livejournal.com]

ROTFL, we pass by that rocket every time we head to B-Ham to see the roomie's family. Always make a pit stop, too. :-)

Have a great con!

[unclelumpy.livejournal.com]

I love it, they have a moon rocket in a place where it wouldn't surprise me at all that people still think the sun revolves around the earth.

[siliconshaman.livejournal.com]

Well, their Senator is in favour of teaching the heliocentric controversy IIRC.

*ALERT* RNC Caught Endorsing Fearmongering

[roycalbeck.livejournal.com]

Tom, I thought you needed to see this ASAP. FWIW, I'm a centrist conservative who is not now nor has ever been a Republican...and now, I'm VERY PROUD of that fact:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/33866.html

Politico just broke the news: the Republican National Committee recently had a Finance Leadership meeting in Boca Raton, Florida, where a member mislaid their 72-page outline. Provided to Politico by a Democrat who found it later in the committee member's hotel room, the RNC has affirmed this was a legitimate document:

http://www.politico.com/static/PPM136_100303_rnc_finance_leadership.html


I would also like to note that this has caused me personally to choose to re-don my political armor and run for office once more. There is one more windmill to charge.

http://roycalbeck.livejournal.com/43175.html

Re: *ALERT* RNC Caught Endorsing Fearmongering

[unclelumpy.livejournal.com]

Tell me again how we're "projecting".

Re: *ALERT* RNC Caught Endorsing Fearmongering

[roycalbeck.livejournal.com]

If that's supposed to be sarcasm, it helps if you're not being a hypocrite.

You've already been informed I'm an independent with a mad on about both parties...the Repubs only somewhat less than the Dems. And now it's equalized, on the same grounds: deliberately peddling fear to obtain power.

Both parties need removal. NOW.

[tcgtrf.livejournal.com]

Oh man, they paved over the POOL?!? Last year, on Saturday night, there was a drunken Mad Scientist Party around the pool that put General Technics to shame.

Their dealer's room is magnificent. You ought to be able to press flesh and sell stuff with no problem at all. What's the weather like?

Tom

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Very nice -- mid 50s, clear and pleasant. And they tell me that Lou Zocchi, who I didn't even know was still alive, is dealing!

[tcgtrf.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah! He was there last year, too. Ask him to show you the "special" new die he invented that does unusual probabilities--it can be rolled as a seven- or thirteen-sider. Living legend.

Southern Cons have struck me as the friendliest there are. CoastCon is a fine example.

Tom

[roycalbeck.livejournal.com]

Really? Mr. Zocchiball himself? Cool!

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Met him yesterday. Wonderful, wonderful man. I bought a laminated guitar chord chart he created, only five bucks. He also gave me a D12 keychain and a lovely little gimcrack (scaled for miniatures) for your dungeoning pleasure -- a small flat circle, you throw it behind you as you flee the monsters, and it instantly expands into a 27-foot-deep pit that they tumble into and can't escape from. It's called The Hole, Nine Yards.

For Cthulhu's sake, he's reprinted Tegel Manor. How can you not love this man!?

That's gamescience.com (http://www.gamescience.com/).

[msminlr.livejournal.com]

I can see I need to update Ramblin Razorback bigtime. The last time I checked CoastCon's site, it was still in-recovery from Katrina.

Eventually I gotta sample CoastCon. Once we get retired to central MS [near Starkville] it will be practically local.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

(Pedantic Rocket Scientist Mode) The Saturn Ib is not, strictly speaking, a moon rocket. It could get an Apollo command module to Low Earth Orbit, but not to the Moon. It required the third stage of a Saturn V to get the Apollo three module assembly out of Earth orbit via the translunar injection burn.

[purpleranger.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah, it's there. You didn't know about it?

[doctorpinkerton.livejournal.com]

Hey Tom - Coastcon didn't book us for a musical performance; they booked us for a PANEL. What will end up happening is anybody's guess!!!

[peteralway.livejournal.com]

Oh, blast. I'm too late commenting to get pedantic about the Saturn IB. I so wanted to! Cause, like, when you've sunk years of your life into writing and illustrating Rockets of the World and its supplements, you get pretty good at identifying rockets. And, Oooh, I just want to get sooooo pedantic.

Maybe next time.

Sigh.

[roycalbeck.livejournal.com]

Some of us will be looking forward to that.

...or should I just make a side comment about the use of liquid oxygen in the Redstone series?

*ducks!*

Not Wanting To Annoy The Pedant

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Comment away, O Rocketspotter! :)

Re: Not Wanting To Annoy The Pedant

[peteralway.livejournal.com]

Alas, my pedantry was pretty well covered by wcg's comment

[eruvanna.livejournal.com]

Enjoy, I went to CoastCon back in '92 as my First Ever Con. It was great :)

[smparadox.livejournal.com]

"Howdy! Welcome to Alabama! We've got nukes."

That would make a great signature line to randomly add to emails...