It’s Thursday evening, only around 9:15PM, and I’m already in bed recovering. Once I’m done with this post, if I still have enough wakefulness, I’ll do some reading, then go to sleep.

This doesn’t sound like a very exciting start to the convention, and if I had more get-up-and-go in me, I’d go find where people are hanging out and try to socialize and connect. But I hit my limit for the day, which I should probably describe from the beginning.

It started with the usual alarm this morning, at 7AM. This is the alarm that gets Melissa and me up to get our work day started, but when you need to drive to Oakland to help with the setup of the table in the dealer’s room, preferably close to 9AM, that 7AM alarm is a little on the late side.

Melissa and I smartly packed everything we needed to pack the night before, but there were a few morning rituals we weren’t able to avoid. We got on the road around 7:30AM. Late, but fine. We topped off the tank in my mustang, acquired coffee and breakfast from Starbucks, and hit the road.

There’s not much to talk about when it comes to the drive. We went through rain, and there were lots of slow spots. Some of it has to do with regular morning commuter traffic. Some of it had to do with California drivers being incapable of driving and merging when there is even a little bit of rain on the ground. There were some stressful parts of the drive when we got into Oakland, but for the most part, it was uneventful, and we got to the table just before 10AM.

We arrived before Steven and Vanessa, but only by a little bit. We brought the books to the table and set it up. It’s crowded, but it’s not as crowded as it has been at some events. Because this is World Fantasy, our selection of books has a bigger focus on Fantasy stories.

The dealer’s room opened, but it didn’t really matter. Registration for the convention was delayed, and people were in line to get their badges rather than exploring the dealer’s room. Melissa and I had time to wander off across the street to get pulled pork lunches that were absolutely delightful.

Back in the dealer’s room, things proceeded. Not a ton of customers. We had a handful of sales. I talked to bunches of people though, and I think most of them enjoyed what I had to say.

I collected a number of shocked looks from people that haven’t known me that long, people that weren’t prepared to see me clean shaven, with short hair.

At one point, I felt a sort of internal pressure, and a feeling of not wanting to be at the convention rolled over me. I let it fill me, held it for a second, and then let it go. Then I went back to talking to the handful of people that came around.

We went to the SFWA gathering after the dealer’s room closed, but there really wasn’t much there for Melissa to eat. We wound up going back downstairs to the hotel restaurant and sat with Richard Crawford and a young woman named Sarah, who was also from Sacramento. We wound up having a really great conversation and decent burgers. Cliff Winnig joined us for a little while, but I’m afraid I didn’t converse with him very well. I was already starting to wear down.

That leads us back to where we began. I’m up in the room, wondering how I’m going to possibly write about this convention for several more days. I’m just going to be in the dealer’s room. I’m not on any panels. I don’t feel like I’m going to have enough energy this weekend to really engage the way I should. In some ways, it would have been better to stay home than to come this weekend.

I’m sure I’ll feel differently tomorrow. I’m probably just tired.