221B Con: First Friday Night Update

Okay, half hour before the Omegaverse panel, so here's the rundown of my adventures so far:

My morning constitutional took me over to Perimeter Mall where a California Avocado Salad was eaten in honor of Francis Hay Moulton and Hattie Doran at Cheesecake Factory. Halfway through the salad, the phone rings and Howard Ostrom tells me that he and David McAllister are about to roll into town, so I finish up and hoof it back, arriving just in time to help them unload two heaping luggage cart loads of framed Holmes and Watson actor autographs like Howard sold last year. We spend a good amount of time setting up Howard's dealers table, which he'll be manning solo this year, and I've offered to babysit it for him now and again. I wish you could've seen all his stuff, but if you live in Texas, you might . . . that story comes later.

That task done, I drive the boys to Shake Shack for their first lunch and my second, get back to the hotel in time to don tonight's con apparel (deerstalker and vest full of flair, with lanyard ready to receive my con badge), then head down to register. A family gets in line behind me in the registration line and are asking me if it's always so long, and I say, "Yeah, at first, but it dies down," then eventually we figure out that they're here to check in to the hotel and not 221B Con. They seemed happy to be here, though.

So, once registered, I hit the dealer's room and spend half my ready cash on some really great stuff. There's some lovely Disney-esque Johnlock art by anotherwellkeptsecret -- the first is just ethereally nice and the second relates to a moment in BBC Sherlock which I like the story of. And since I've already broken my Johnlock art virginity, down the aisle there's a piece by purrlock holmes of Sherlock and John sleepily at the bathroom mirror that's really lovely. I get a Mycroft Holmes marshmallow across the aisle (chocolate and double ginger), then round the corner to see a very attractive comic book called "the foldings" by Faye Simms and Joann Dominic. Being a comic book fan, that's an easy purchase, and I'm wondering if I'm going to be able to afford to go back to the steampunk dealer's excellent selection of wares when the Mocha Memoirs Press ladies ask me what kind of books I like . . . and of course, they have a vampire book . . . and a Sherlock book, so there goes more money.

Fox Estacado's booth isn't together yet, as she apparently hit the travel delays that have cost us a few con-goers this time out, so I make a note to save some money for that one. She has a Moriarty shirt I regretted not ordering earlier, and . . . well, on to that later. Drop stuff in room, back down to "Sherlock in YA Lit" panel which yields a lot of notes for future research as well as a tip for a librarian friend and an idea for a current project of mine that may now involve an escape room.

And when I get out of that panel, pause to have a few words with Beth about the John H. Watson Society, and get back to the dealer's room, I find Howard's entire two-table booth of autographs has been sold off to some fancy Texan who shall remain nameless for this blog entry and  Howard is roaming free.

Of course, I'm leaving out a pic with Mrs. Hudson (Marilynnne McKay) that made it to Twitter, a little chat with an author and a director about season four aftermaths and con discussions, and getting to see this person or that, including, of course, con special guest Curtis Armstrong. More name dropping to come soon, but I need to get back to things after a handful of nut mix and a little tea to keep my strength up.

I've already missed so much!  (Story of the con, every durn time!)