Let the Chocolate Flow!

So, after the final session yesterday, I somehow ended up on the programming committee for next year. Which means I'm pretty much a lock to be in Princeton next summer (I was pleasantly surprised to hear they got another East Coast location, as SUNY-Buffalo hosted Resnet last year).

We then were bused to The Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids. Unlike the two-hour drive to the lame-ass beach the night before, this was worth it. The Gardens themselves are gorgeous. My camera's battery gave out before I could capture everything (although I did shoot the giant spider and the giant horse), so I'll probably steal photos from elsewhere when I do my photo-report upon getting back home. But not only are the gardens themselves wonderful (there's even an entire carnivorous plants room), but the sculptures themselves are amazing. Frederik Meijer, the man who donated the money for the garden, had accumulated an amazing collection, so along with the new and weird (like the horse and spider), there were originals by Calder and Rodin.

And then there was the closing banquet. The dinner itself was nice -- two pastas, great mashed potatoes, wonderful pork and chicken. But then someone came into the banquet hall and said that I had to see the dessert. I walked outside the hall, and there was the most amazing sight I've seen in ages: A literal fountain of chocolate. The chocolate was flowing through literally three levels, in an intricate design. The table was laid out with everything from pretzels to strawberrys to mini-cheesecakes and truffles. You just took a skewer, grabbed something yummy, and held it under the fountain. Fresh chocolate covered strawberries never tasted so good. The chocolate covered marshmallows were like Mallomars squared. And pretzel sticks were perfect. I really was surprised that no-one stuck their face into the fountain. It was definitely a temptation. The entire dessert was like fondue fucked sideways.

So now, I'm attempting to pack (even though I have more stuff than I came here with, thanks to free t-shirts, free O'Reilly books, etc). And I've given up on reading your LJs -- I"m attempted to read everything since last night, but that's a fuckload to read.

In other news, read Sluggy Freelance. This is guest-artist week, and he's got Phil Foglio doing a week's worth of strips!

Now, to finish packing. Ugh.

I'm off!

Off to breakfast, then travel to the airport, then security, etc. Won't be online for another eight hours or so.

And I just found out that Topps bought Wizkids. :-( That sucks.

I'm back!

Had breakfast at the Holiday Inn, then Marisa and I did the drive back to Grand Rapids, followed by no problems or delays at all in the airport, meaning about three hours of sitting. :-/ Flight was fine, but I somehow missed mightywombat (and vice-versa) at the airport, and since I couldn't reach his cell, ended up on Marta. So I got home a little after four. And I was faced with a choice of trying to catch up on your entries (going back over 200 entries since this morning), or reading a certain book that arrived this weekend. So if you didn't post something after four, I probably didn't see it. :-)

Oh, for those who want to see the chocolate fountain, go here (and click on the image to get a huge picture of the fountain).

Back to Potter, then Hulk, then I'll try to reply to comments from this weekend.