Mostly I'm signing up here so I can connect with the people I know who use this and not LJ. And I met SO many amazing people over Halloween weekend (whom I failed to give contact info), I have to do something to find them all!
I got to go to the incredible-ness that was the American Gods Low Key Gathering in Wisconsin.
The House On The Rock is AMAZING. If I lived anywhere remotely here, I would come back over and over again, as a zen exercise – I think it takes a kind of zen head space to be able to wander around that place and not continually ask “but WHY?” I took a zillion pictures which won’t do it justice, but I will put them on Faceboo anyway. For further description of it, all I can suggest is that you reread that bit of American Gods. If Neil can’t describe it for you, lord knows I can’t.
Friday night was your basic Evening With Neil Gaiman. He read some stuff, answered some questions, and was generally his cute and charming self. The event was held in this big semi-heated tent, and it was fine in the beginning when I was running around saying hi to people and giving out black cat pins I had made for the occasion, but then it got later and the temperature dropped and we were sitting still and it got HELLA cold. On our way out, though, I found myself beside Neil and was able to give him a poke to say hi, at which I got a delighted hug, sympathetic how-are-you (he knows about the divorce), him asking after Gracie and making Wow noises at how big she’s grown, and then he was whisked off to sign things while we went back to the hotel and then out again in search of food. I slept, though not terribly well.
Saturday I was up with the sun for the continental breakfast while my friend slept in a bit, and I met and chatted with bunches of fun and interesting people who all knew American Gods as well as I did. Then off we went to the House itself, and let me tell you, you could go there every day for a year and not see everything. We did see everything important – the Infinity Room, the carousel, more self-playing instruments than you ever imagined in one place, the whale fighting the giant octopus (and I do mean GIANT, the thing is incredibly huge), and their Streets of Yesterday, which was sort of like if Main Street USA had been redesigned by Henry Selick.
Neil was signing in different blocks of time all weekend, and ours was Sat afternoon. As part of our event packet, they gave us each a paperback copy of The Graveyard Book. Since I already have it, Neil signed it and told him I would give it to the most impressive trick-or-treater to come to my door, as a 1st Annual All Hallows’ Read gift. I finally got to meet the famous Lorraine, who is lovely.
After the signing and saying hi (and I’m telling you, every time I saw him during the weekend, he had this face on like a kid in a candy store. The whole thing was joyous and overwhelming, and he seemed to be having a ball), we explored the house some more, then went back to the hotel to change for the costume contest and party.
The costume contest was back in the tent, and it took forever, but some of the costumes were incredible (pictures on Facebook). I was not the only Easter, but I was the only one who looked like she was hanging out in San Francisco, instead of looking all goddess-y. I didn’t win, and deservedly so – the people who did win worked much harder and looked much more fabulous, my favourites being a pint-sized Dr Horrible, Emperor Norton (who had actually printed out his own money and gave me some), and a thunderbird. They got to ride on the carousel as their prize, along with some raffle winners. Amazing. I contented myself with squeeing over finding Shadow’s mount on the carousel, the tiger with the eagle’s head. It never stops being incredible, seeing things in real life after you have read about them in books. I’ll never forget when I saw the Mildenhall Treasure in the British Museum…but that’s another story.
After the VERY long costume contest was the party, and had I been smart, I would’ve either brought a change of clothes, or gone back to the hotel, changed, and come back to the party. As it was, I was exhausted, my feet were ready to kill me, and my whole body was beginning to rebel. What REALLY should've done was follow my instinct and go down to the carousel before hitting the party (it probably would've given me a second wind), but my friend wanted food, booze, and magicians. As it was, my body won out, I conked out around 11, and my friend went downstairs to take advantage of her MUCH later sleep schedule and hang out til around two.
A wonderful weekend, though, all things considered. I heartily recommend HOTR to anyone who wants a weekend of zaniness and zen, whether you are a fan of American Gods or not. Plus, their kids’ indoor wading pool is built around a walk-through sea monster. True story. I will go here with Gracie one day.
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