Not a con report

This is not a con report. It's a thank-you to everyone who contributed to making my time in Perth so incredibly cool.

First, my family in Bunbury: you completely rock, every last one of you. Shout-out to the Fabulous Tornado Child: stay strong, little buddy, and be true to yourself! Rock and roll! Yeah, baby!

My family at home, who managed to be okay with my trotting off and having fun without them for a couple of weeks.

My fantastic Perth hosts and longtime friends Luca, Bernadette, Sam, and their sedate little dog Jacqui.

My legendary supervisor/advisor, Van Ikin, who is entirely generous and more than happy to spend his days helping other people (like me) achieve their dreams.

Ben and the cheerful, welcoming folks at the University of Western Australia fencing club. Any week with fencing in it is a good week. Thanks for helping me get my fix.

The people on the Swancon committee: you created a time-and-space bubble in which a lot of people could be happy and enthusiastic and just as geeky as they wanted to be (including a couple of furries who stalked around the hotel lobby on all fours). That's a good work. An important work.

My friend David, who went to church with me for the Easter Vigil, bought me beer (not at the same time, though), and just generally was an all-around good person to hang out with. Look forward to seeing you again soon! (And thanks to the Archdiocese of Perth, whose parishes and pastors made Holy Week a sacred time for me and thousands of others.)

The larger-than-life Dirk Flinthart, whom I thank effusively for his company, his perspectives, his princely gift of a pennywhistle in my hour of need, and his eagerness to discuss everything from obscure food items to metaphysics to the Icelandic cow that licked the world into shape (arguably something that could fit into both the preceding categories). I keep both the pennywhistle and a small Scary Snack Tub as mementoes.

My Illawarra peeps Cat, Rob, Al, and Richard. Yes, as Cat pointed out, it's just a little lame that we have to fly 3,000 miles to meet up. I am definitely scheduling a Writers' Barbecue (where we eat barbecue, not barbecue writers) Real Soon Now!

OF COURSE, all my well-beloved Clarion buddies who were there (and the ones who were there in spirit); particularly (in no order) Simon, Helen, Peter, Lyn, Lee, and Rob (again). I include in this group not only my fellow Clarion students (Clarion South 2007, WOOOOOOO! WOOOOOOO!), but our tutors and convenors, and all the other Clarion buddies from other years (students, tutors, Clarions here, Clarions there).

My Scrabble buddies — you are even more fun and fabulous in person!

Grant, my panel comrade — great to share ideas with you and the audience! Keep me posted on how your plays are going, yeah?

All the other writer and reader buddies I met at Swancon: glad to know you! Hope to see you again!

The very nice people at the quick-e-mart and several Indian restaurants in the vicinity of the con hotel.

And finally, the almost entirely taciturn folks at Transperth. I got to know you as the days and miles went by, but not to know you well.


I suppose if I were required to go around scraping up sputum for DNA analysis, I'd be taciturn too.

If I missed anyone who should be thanked, please let me know in the comments and I will rectify the oversight with apologies.