(no subject)

Floriade is very pretty this year. Most of the stallholders, however, are very confused. This is nothing to do with my teaching habits. Not a thing. Nada.

Stall holders at festivals are the perfect fodder for teaching students that ideas can come from everywhere, after all, and were born to be such. No, I'm not going into details. No, I didn't suggest that finger puppets were a perfect way to remember characters. No, I did not make my students smell every single scented soap. No, I did not make one of them analyse the sales technique of a tea stallholder. Yes, I am a big fat liar. Or maybe a short and very rotund liar.

How to avoid Gillian

These suggestions on how to avoid me are applicable only to Conflux4. If the Conflux progam changes then you may run into me by mistake. The proper procedure if this happens is to look scathingly downwards in my general direction, then run the other way as fast as you can. If you're on a panel with me, then you're in trouble. If I'm chairing the panel then your life is ruined. I have no words to describe the ineffable impossibility of existence for anyone who finds themselves dining with me during Conflux.

Places not-to-be during Conflux:

Friday:
Magic workshop (I think I've worked out a way to make participants doubt reality - I will be testing it)

The Great Debate

Saturday:
9 am - I'm chairing a panel on cultural identity and tales and what-not. Kaaron and Dev and Kylie will need all the chocolate I bring just to get through it. I haven't told them this yet.

2 pm - the universe gets even - I'm the sole female on a panel with Leigh Blackmore and Jonathan Strahan and chaired by Dave Cake. This is the panel where chocolate is most likely to be thrown into the audience. I suspect the panel might be about what books are in a 'must read' list. I might sound you all out on this one. I love knowing what books everyone else adores to recommend. I don't love it so much when I haven't read them myself, of course.

7 pm Regency Gothic banquet. No chocolate in sight. But the menu is just amazing and wonderful. It will only take the least encouragement for me to blog hints of what to expect.

Sunday:

2 pm Another panel where I'm the only female. Just as well I have extra supplies of chocolate this time. I will especially need it to help explain things, since it's about reviewing and my personal reviewing style is somewhat chocoholic.

sometime lateish - possibly a purplezoner party with alcoholic dalek cake (because my friends will be there and we can't get by without meeting and greeting and eating dalek)

Monday:

avoid dark corners and you'll be safe. I don't intend to turn into a monster that lurks in darkness - I just think I might be falling asleep wherever the light dims. If anyone wants me to mind a table in the dealers' room and doesn't mind me hibernating underneath it, that will do the trick.

ETA: You may have to avoid the mass booksigning, too. Sorry about that.