We attended Renaissance Press’s multi-author book launch recently, and brought the TARDIS for photo-ops with the authors and their brand new books.
What I *should* have done was ask the author which (if any) of their characters would run off with the Doctor. In this case, I’m going to ask now, as he is sitting in a chair ten feet away.
“I think the most likely would be Megan or Ajay, but I could definitely see Abigail doing it too.”
Learn about Éric and buy his book here! (And come see him at Can-Con this weekend!)
Can*Con is this weekend and it’s easily our favourite convention.
We will be selling coffee (including limited amounts of advent calendars) and crochet in the dealers room.
I also have a few panels and events I’ll be at:
Opening Ceremonies and Aurora Pin Ceremony
Friday, October 18 • 6:00pm – 6:50pm
I’m getting pinned for my novel A Sign of Faust, which was nominated in the YA category for the Auroras.
Panel – Who’s Our Hero, Anyway
Saturday, October 19 • 10:00am – 10:50am
Why have one protagonist when you can have a dozen – or none? These days, SFF with loads of characters and no designated hero have a certain appeal. Series like Malazan, A Song of Ice and Fire, and The Walking Dead comics offer fans plenty of options to love, and real danger for your faves. But they also run the risk of a meandering plot and a death-weary audience. What are the benefits of having so much choice in who to root for? Does having tons of characters set us up for disappointment, or is it ultimately the reason we keep turning the page?
Signing
Saturday, October 19 • 12:00pm – 12:25pm
I’ll sign any books you like (Hopefully the ones I wrote).
2019 Aurora Award Ceremony
Saturday, October 19 • 6:00pm – 9:50pm
The Can*Con co-chairs and organizing committee are pleased to invite you to join them for the Aurora Award ceremony, which will take place off-site, at the Christchurch Cathedral’s Great Hall. A reception will be hosted there, with paid bar and appetizers served round. There is no entry fee, and all Can*Con attendees are welcome to join.
It’s easy: just look at the pictures and say who is whom. One picture is Jen, one is Éric, another is Baby Dragon, and the last is Baby Pegasus; all at roughly 3 months of age.
Comment below and we’ll draw a name from the right answers.
This is the entrance to the King’s side of the palace. The Queen’s side was closed for renovations, which is probably one of the reasons it was so incredibly packed. I got to go in early and nurse Dragon, so I get to say that I nursed in Versailles!
We attended Renaissance Press’s multi-author book launch recently, and brought the TARDIS for photo-ops with the authors and their brand new books.
What I *should* have done was ask the author which (if any) of their characters would run off with the Doctor. Hopefully they’ll answer in the comments!
You are a fantastic kid but you’ve inherited every stubborn molecule from all sides of the family.
Our biggest struggle with you right now is how much you love your brother. That doesn’t sound too bad, except for the fact that you never stop touching, pulling, holding, squishing, hugging, or loudly singing/roaring/screaming at him.
You still don’t know your strength and he can not tell you to stop. He will occasionally make noises of annoyance but he’s not consistent enough for you to listen… even if you were inclined to listen.
So our current largest battle is getting you to respect his bodily autonomy and ask before touching him. You need to ask us, since he’s too young to reply for himself. Unfortunately, you refuse to listen or forget to remember… not sure which.
Note: Compared to hitting him or any other kind of mischief you could get into, this isn’t terrible, but it is very frustrating.
So last night you harassed him to the point of him being upset and us having had enough. We told you to not touch him or you were going to bed. Less than a minute later you saw him drooling and whipped around, grabbed his burp-cloth and wiped his face. I thought you’d hit him when I saw his head fall back but mum says he must have been surprised because you’re always gentle.
Either way, your face registered an, “Oh shit” moment and then you pretended not to notice.
We sent you to bed. You were not pleased. You cried yourself to sleep once at 9:30, then at 11:30, then at 2:30, then at 9, and finally you woke up at 10 and cried yourself into puking. Your tummy hurt so much that food was hard to handle.
This is hard on you and I hope you’ve learned to listen and respect others’ bodily autonomy, but I’m not so sure. Time will tell.
Something you might not realize right now, or even when you read this;hers’ really hard on us too. We love you and you’re a wonderful human being. Punishing you is hard.
I love you so much,
Your tired Papa
*Addendum added 2019-10-13* Okay Dragon. I didn’t go into details because I didn’t think it was relevant.
Here’s what happened when you were sent to bed.
You got changed into PJs.
We took you to pee and have water.
We tucked you in and explained why you were going to bed early.
We told you we love you.
We let you try to sleep once you stopped crying.
When you called for us we went up and did 3, 4, and 5 again.
We never leave you alone to cry and we refuse to force you to stop. We’ll comfort you and snuggle you but it’s okay to cry. (even if your crying almost always leads to gagging or puking.)
Even better, to my mind, is that these people aren’t hidden away in a green room – they walk the floor with the other attendees, go to panels to broaden their knowledge base just like everyone else, and are generally available for geeking out with.
This year, Can-Con is hosting the Aurora Awards, so the convention will be teaming with nominees and past winners. Our very own Éric Desmarais is one of the nominees!
Oh, and me too, I guess, for the Travelling TARDIS blog. I don’t expect to win, though, because the people I’m up against are incredible.
The vendors room is open to the public, (We have a table if you need coffee or crochet) but the convention itself is sold out for 2019.
Jen has retired from working as a travel agent. Hope you’ve enjoyed Fandom Travel.
Researching parenting advice or talking about parenting is dangerous. There are many things that can cause a sensitive parent to go off. These are the top 5 things you shouldn’t say to sensitive parents.
I may be guilty of every one of these…
5. Mentioning Babies Bounce.
Having had two very wiggly and active children, I may have dropped them… a few times. Thankfully they were alright. Children are scary resilient to falls and damage in general. I have actually seen my daughter get hit by a teen on a swing and keep going without hesitating.
Not all parents appreciate the grey humour about babies bouncing and they will take it personally.
4. Calling a Teether a Chew Toy.
For some reason, parents don’t like having their children compared to pets. Unfortunately, I keep forgetting what a teether is called.
In this vein, also avoid calling the baby tethers leashes, cereal kibble, and especially avoid asking a baby, “Who’s a good baby?”
3. Talking about Sexual Health.
Somedays I wonder about the world and it’s obsession with cutesy names. It’s not a cookie, a hoohaw, a bit of string, or a weiner; and not telling kids the right name for things is absurd (It’s a penis and a vulva). I once made the mistake of correcting a young kid about the fact that they had a penis not a noodle.
Kid: Do you want to see my noodle?
Me: Sure…?
Kid: Starts to unzip pants.
Me: That’s a penis and no.
Let’s just say the parents were not too thrilled. Obviously, it’s a parent’s choice to teach their kids about their bodies, but that doesn’t mean it’s right.
You should probably also avoid talking about sex, contraceptives, and sexually transmitted diseases to sensitive parents and their kids.
The parents of the kid should talk about these things. Cough Blush Cough
2. Disagreeing on One of the Major Wars.
Parenting is a minefield of dangerous subjects and choosing a side in any of the major wars is a great way to be yelled at.
What wars?
Diapers: Disposable, Reusable, Diapers Service.
Feeding: Breast or Bottle (Even saying fed is best is controversial.)
Feeding: Solids vs puree; feeding the child vs baby led weaning.
Daycare: Daycare or home; School daycare or babysitter
The list could go on for a long time. I mostly try to stay out of it. We do our things, you do yours.
The only thing I will fight you about are Vaccines. I like my children and the immunocompromised in our society to stay alive.
1. Agreeing with the Child.
This will get you in so much trouble. It’s a favourite pastime of Aunts and Uncles.
Don’t agree with the child until you know what the parent is saying. It could be as inconspicuous as what is the best flavour of ice cream or as dangerous as Star Trek vs Star Wars.
Note that even if the child isn’t there, saying that they have a point, or trying to make the parent see that point is a dangerous idea.
The parents are bombarded by the child’s sass and near constant contrariness that they don’t want to think about it. Just leave them alone. The parent will come around in 10-20 years.
In conclusion, it’s hard to not insult, offend, or irke a sensitive parent, but if you avoid talking to them about their child, children, pets, health, schools, or generally anything but the weather… you should be safe.
I could almost imagine myself being a visiting royalty as we pulled up to Versailles.
Yet again, we arranged a private tour of Versailles. The company that we went with, Artventures, was worth every penny (every Euro?) and I highly recommend them. The guide picked us up from our hotel and drove us out to Versailles, took us to a side entrance for tours, found a way for me to get inside to sit down so I could nurse Dragon, gave us a wonderful tour full of incredible anecdotes for every room we were in, and was super patient while I took many many pictures with the TARDIS.
The only thing I did not like was the massive amount of people and the lack of places to sit. I was in so much pain that by the end I couldn’t concentrate and was in tears. Literally the worst pain I’ve ever been in, and I include childbirth in that (I did have an epidural, but that’s besides the point). So if you get pain from standing for long periods of time, I recommend viewing the gardens rather than the interior of the palace of Versailles.
