Rained out of Shakespeare in the park tonight. Sat in the rain (which was coming and going and coming and going) for about an hour before they called the show canceled. More than fairly wet by this point, despite a light jacket and a tarp we were all hiding under for a time.

Sans Shakespeare, we went out for coffee. It started raining rather seriously by the time we were at the coffee place, but we found some mostly dry seating on their patio. Sipped coffee, watched the rain, chatted with friends a bit (despite my tendency towardswallflowerish silence).

Time to leave, and it's pouring again. Reasonably wet by the time we made it to the car and still wet by the time we got home. It is rather impressive how long clothes, once wet, can stay wet. (Especially denim, which, geez, never dries.) Brrrrr.

I am back from Dragon*Con and I enjoyed it immensely. I had more fun this year than in any previous years, and I think it's because I juggled my work/play balance -- now rather heavy on the "play" side. Many good times were had hanging around with cosplayers who, quite obviously, do have more fun than everyone else.(This is to say that, yes, I am almost certainly diving off that deep end.) I'm hitting up an all fun, no work Doctor Who convention in November (Chicago TARDIS) and if it is half as fun as Dragon*Con was, it will be good times indeed. Considering that the best times at D*C were not guests or panels but simply hanging out with people of similar interests, I have high hopes. (Also, there will be Paul McGann -- and if you do not know that name, we can simply say he is the best Doctor ever. No arguing accepted.) And I've at least half-way talked myself into going to Gallifrey One next year... Really, I am not quite certain what has become of me, going to silly scifi conventions for fun.

Post-Dragon*Con, I'm hanging out with friends in Nashville for general fun -- but also for my birthday. I don't have many (any?) particularly close friends back home these days, so it'll be nice to have something vaguely resembling a real birthday party. Well, right up until my best friend informed me that we needed to reschedule my birthday because it conflicted with a WoW raid. I've not yet entirely decided what I think about that.

Really, I could not make things like this up. I'm not that creative.

• Seen Voltaire twice this week -- one of those weird things you're only likely to make happen at a place like Dragon*Con. He's more fun live than he is on CD, and I think he's pretty damn fun to listen to on CD already. 
• Gave blood. Oh gods, I hate giving blood. It tends to make me really rather sickly for quite a long while after, and this was no exception. The feeling like the world is spinning madly around you while you're sliding backwards into a dark place... when you're sitting in a chair in a brightly lit room? Yeah, kind of terrifying. Also I am significantly un-fond of needles and the sight of blood makes me a teeny bit queasy. All in all, it's a losing proposition... but it's for a good cause and sometimes I manage to force myself to do it anyway. And I seem to have survived the experience.
• GDL is awesome in person. Lots of fun to see on panels, very friendly if you meet him, perfectly lovely smile. Have passed him in hallways a few times and freaked out a little over it.
• Met a fantastic Six cosplayer who has really made my day a couple of days running now. Obviously, Six himself is sort of love, but this guy, whose name escapes me at this instant in time, had a lovely costume and played it up quite brilliantly. Many lulz were had.
• Met an equally fantastic Ten cosplayer who not only has Ten's attitude and manner down pat, but is also a really sweet gal. Have been doing a lot of hanging out and tagging along to panels with her and having general, all-purpose funtiems. Also, she sat with me when I gave blood which was... well, rather comforting. And not something I would have at all expected from someone I'd met only by crazy random happenstance in the past day. (And, okay, it is a little odd for me to talk to strangers in person at all, because I am that kind of ridiculously shy. So this is weird and yet also kind of awesome.)
• Saw (without actually meeting) someone cosplaying Sam from Life on Mars. It was a strange costume choice, but I cannot deny its awesomosity.
• I met Denise. Am now puzzling over how she can clearly be such a terrible, terrible influence on me while also being so completely sweet and adorable. I really do not know. (P.s., I <3 you.)
• Decided I'm going to cosplay at Chicago TARDIS, because, obviously, cosplayers have more fun.
• Friends may help you move, but real friends will answer the phone and let you into the hotel room at a quarter past three in the morning after you've forgotten your room key.
• Still owe Rafe a drink and have hardly seen Korr and Cal... and this is my fourth day here. Must remedy this.
• Have gotten more than one compliment on how I look, which is an unfathomably bizarre thing that I simply can't make sense of.
• Body starting to rebel against the combination of a few hours of sleep a night and entirely too much running about. Am less chipper than usual. (Ha!)
• Have no idea what I'm doing today, but ought to go on and get out and do it, oughtn't I?

• The Doctor goes through quite a lot in this story -- there are heart-wrenchingly sweet moments, there's the Doctor angry and the Doctor unsure of himself and the Doctor quite confused and the Doctor smug (as you expect Six to be) and the Doctor terrified (as you never expect the Doctor to be) -- and Colin Baker makes it all completely believable. The performances are all top-notch, but Colin Baker is simply amazing in this story... and, well, otherwise, really.
• Music seems better than average Big Finish quality... and really adds to the story. (This may just be my own impression, however. I don't tend to pay a lot of attention to background music, but this caught my attention.)
• The story itself is excellent. It's full of surprises -- and leaves as many questions at the end as it did in the beginning. It's a story that will stick around in your head and force you to think about it. (Which, imho, those are the best sorts.)