I observe the people, the ordinary people

[austin_dern]

In getting to Morphicon we were constrained by two things: bunny_hugger's teaching schedule, which her for classes (and finals) Thursday, and the con's schedulers, who set her Letterboxing panel at 3 pm Friday. This is why we started on Friday morning instead of Thursday afternoon, and why we set out quite so early Friday morning. We needed time to arrive, get our badges, and get to the first panel's location.

Finding the hotel was easy enough --- we could literally have just followed US 23 south and made a right turn at the end, although we took a diversion on I-75 to save some time, and I had a satellite navigator for reassurance --- as was finding the surprisingly deep ditch in at least one of the entrance drives. I don't think it scraped the base of my car too badly, but you'll note, I'm not looking either. This left me gunshy about pulling in the rest of the weekend, too. Still, the hotel was ready for us and we put our bags in, put on ears and tail, and went down to find Registration.

Registration was nice and quick, although we managed to understand incorrectly the instructions about filling out the Yes We Do So Understand The Con's Behavior Rules. (We filled out redundant registration information, as we had already preregistered; they only needed us to sign that we'd read the behavior policy.) We even had time to look around the (silent) charity auction, and bunny_hugger put in a bid on a raven T-shirt that might appeal to her father. She would go on to win it, and her father did like it.

As bunny_hugger set up for the Letterboxing panel I realized I'd forgot my little log book and the coati stamp I use, so I popped upstairs to get it. While rooting around for it, I got a phone call, from bunny_hugger. But I missed the call, and phoned her back, not getting anything. I finally concluded going downstairs --- we literally had the nearest room to the stairs leading from the center of the con space, so could not have been closer, which is a great position to have -- was faster than waiting for her to call back. She'd hoped I could pick up some letterbox clues she'd left in the suitcase, and I went back and found them quicker than she feared I would.

The letterboxing panel was small this year, with I think two people besides me and xolo attending, but they were also fiercely interested people who were into the ways it allows more artistic involvement than geocaching does. There was talk floated of hosting an event box next year, provided several people do get the stamps and log books that let you get started letterboxing. This could be rather fun, particularly if the promise of an interactive and special event draws people in.

Trivia: In Old and Middle English, ``smart'' (spelled ``smeart'') meant ``causing pain; sharp; cutting; severe; painful''; the word is related to the verb ``smeortan'', ``to be painful''. Source: Semantic Antics: How and Why Words Change Meaning, Sol Steinmetz.

Currently Reading: Gender And Boyle's Law of Gases, Elizabeth Potter.

Comments

[chefmongoose.livejournal.com]

To note on the Trivia: Well, that's why we say "Ouch, that smarts!". Well, we would if we didn't stop at Ouch nowadays.

I also wonder if 'smartly dressed' then comes from 'sharp dressed', similarly.

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

In a circuitous but not outrageously weird way for English, more or less. The word picked up the connotation of being sharp as in witty in the 17th century, and the next century that got extended to fashion as in the particularly stylish and well-dressed.