[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: Bitter winter

[Sheryll Townsend]

> 
> Sheryll: 
<snip>
> > Do you know when in May you'll be in Toronto? I was
> just mentioning to my boss the possibility of my taking a
> day or two in May to go to the documentary film festival
> there. Perhaps our trips will overlap (assuming I can afford
> a 5th vacation this year). :D
> 
> Geoff:
> My "Hmmm" was suggesting I was being a bit light-hearted
> about it. Andy has 
> said that they expect it to be reasonable which is why we
> chose that time - no 
> snow and not too hot seemed to be the guiding lines....
> 
> We fly out on the 2nd and return on the 16th. Our family
> now live in the East 
> York part of the city although Andy seems to be flying all
> over the place as he 
> has taken over a fairly senior job.
> 
> We're having three holidays this year which is very unusual
> nowadays as we 
> live in a favoured tourist area: Canada in May, then we're
> taking our daughter 
> and granddaughter to the Lake District as they've not had a
> proper time away 
> since the marriage went wrong and Sarah hasn't been back to
> the Lakes since 
> we used to go there regularly when the family were young.
> And finally, our 
> usual week on the Isles of Scilly in July.
> 
Sheryll:

If I can swing the fifth vacation we'll be there at the same time. The documentary festival, iirc, runs until the 8th of May. I was thinking of going for 2-3 days, probably from May 2-4. Don't think I can swing more than 2 nights in a hotel. I'm playing it by ear for now because the festival doesn't yet have a screening schedule available. I hesitate to plan for movies if I don't know what I'm going to see! I can grab a festival pass for relatively cheap ($98) and it would allow me to see 10 screenings, but the overall expense for a 3 day vacation would be the equivalent of a 2 week paycheque for me! Five nights in Vegas last summer cost me less than 2 nights in Toronto will in May. Ah, the joys of being an underpaid (we didn't get raises last year), part-time retail employee. :)

We could definitely meet up for dinner somewhere if I can manage the trip.

Technically I'm only taking 3 real vacations this year - Texas in March, Las Vegas again in June with my daughter and 2 of my co-workers, and back to Colorado in October for the Sirens conference. Toronto is close enough that a 2 day trip like I'm taking this month is really just 2 days off work that I'm spending out of the city. Last summer I did it to see the HP exhibit, this time it's for a Mary Pickford exhibit.

Btw, if anyone here has an interest in fantasy, I highly recommend Sirens. It's run by the same folks that did the HP conferences Witching Hour, Phoenix Rising and Terminus. This is the 3rd year for Sirens and it's still quite a small event. Focus on women and fantasy. Fabulous guest speakers, registration includes everything except 2 breakfasts and 2 dinners. The resort the event is held at is lovely, though getting there from Canada can be an adventure. The first time I took the bus - 52 hours each way. Last year I took the bus to Detroit and flew from there, an exhausting way to get there but it saved a fair chunk of cash over Air Canada's proposed airfare to Denver of $843! This year I will fly to Texas, spend the night there and then fly to Denver. It will still save me about 1/4 of the fare.

End of plug for Sirens. :D

Sheryll