alias_sqbr

Another good day. Can't be bothered looking up all the links, I may add them later (dreamwidth is being wonky so I want to post this while I have the chance)
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So Sunday was awesome. I had another sudden spoon failure, but not until nearly 4pm, and panels only run until 6 and I'd seen everything I really wanted.
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Took the scooter for most of today, am thus in MUCH less pain than yesterday but more fuzzy headed.
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Well! We have registered and picked up our bags etc (on the ground floor, for anyone else who gets confused by the Calculated Risk Rationalisation or whatever conference happening at the door connecting to the Hilton) and are waiting for the Worldcon opening ceremony which is at two. Picking up our badges saved exactly zero time since we got confused and waited in the "people who have pregistered but not picked up their badges" line anyway (which was a whole one person long for our end of the alphabet) Said hello to some people, and even though I'm resting in my room same as I have been for most afternoons lately it's cool to know that the con is there, waiting.

The scooter has been very useful in some contexts, especially any long dull travel in a straight line or when I'm backtracking a lot because I'm lost or standing about a lot (it was thus great for registering). Not suited to an umbrella and no gloves in the rain though, brr. Also, well, I'm not very good at it. I am quite embarrassingly bad at using reverse to do three point turns etc.

Yesterday I managed to TOTALLY screw up organising to meet people and yet it ended up going about as well as it possibly could. I got to meet nixwilliams which was great. We chatted for a bit and then he tagged along in the rain while I picked up my badge (much drama, since the power was out, for no real benefit) and pick up some carrots from the Spencer St IGA (they had five, two of which were off :/) And I didn't run over his feet with the scooter once!
( In which I try to untangle where I went wrong )

I tend to find travelogues very dull myself, so don't feel bad if you feel like scrolling by, but if nothing else other Worldcon goers might find some of this useful.

First off: when we checked into the Hilton and they took our credit card number they put a hold on the cost of our stay AND an extra hundred dollars a night. Which was more than we had on the card (we have a very low limit!), thankfully they were willing to wait until we had a chance to transfer some money across (and have yet to complain that, it being Sunday, the money is presumably still not there). No idea what they would have done if we didn't have the extra money to hand up front.
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Am doing the last couple of preparation things for Worldcon, and thought I should ask this before I forget.

So! I would like recs for places in Melbourne to get the following dishes, since they are pretty much all I can eat out and it would be nice to have them cooked well. Nowhere that does creative things like adding butter or chili to udon, please(*)!

• Teriyaki beef or similar eg Japanese
  
• A wide variety of sushi
  
• Dim sum (though this tends to disagree with me a little at the best of times so I might skip it)
  
• Bulgogi eg Korean
  
• Low-ish fat Chinese or Vietnamese style stirfries of the "meat and vegetables with stock/soy/oyster based sauce" variety (I don't know the real names of these dishes and "garlic chicken and vegetables" is a bit vague :))
  
• Steak or roast
  
• Meringues and pavlova
  
• Sorbet
  
• bread (less fussed about this one, but if there's an AMAZING bakery I might try it out)
  

EDIT: My food restrictions.

(*)Yes I am looking at you fancy Perth Japanese restaurant with a large menu on which I can eat one entree and one mains.

Who's considering going to Aussie con(*) in 2010? Cam and I are going, since I want to go to a worldcon with my entire being and it seems like a perfect opportunity. With my health as it is(**) I'm not really up to exploring strange cities etc, but we've been to Melbourne before so as long as we can get a hotel nearish to the convention centre I can pack a lunch, choose a comfy corner and just sit all day. And with enough notice we should be able to save the 3 grand or so it'll cost all up even given our currently constrained financial state.

Anyway, I know it's WELL early, we take ages to organise anything so I wanted to think about it in advance. And I was curious to know if anyone else we know is pondering it.

Anyone going to Montreal next year?

(*)Note to anyone using that website: don't miss the tiny, almost unreadable links on the side. They're actually pretty useful once you notice them :)
(**)I may be a bit better by then, but I may well not :/