PBW: Nebulous

From the sidewalk, Ground Zero looks like any other construction site. To be honest, I wasn't even sure I was taking a picture of that solemn ground until I got home, and at the time I had other concerns. I will have to make a specific trip with my good camera someday, but today's Photo Blog Wednesday is about the 2007 Nebula Awards.

It was a great honor when my editor invited me to join our team's table. One of my coworkers joked with her that he expected a lot of costumes, but she quickly dismissed that notion by pointing out that these were professionals. Authors, editors, and others in the publishing industry who create science fiction and fantasy should never be confused with the fans, especially fans of the popular stuff. It was no different than any other literary awards banquet, save for the subject matter.

As the day approached, I considered whether or not it would be good form to bring a camera. There would be no easy way to conceal my good camera, and I didn't want to come across as the geeky fanboy I am. I work in the same industry, perhaps on the fringes. So I brought my old one which has no flash and no real zoom and figured at the very least I'd get to Manhattan early and get in some good city shots before the sun went down.

My luck ran true to form. Despite checking the subway schedules online the day before, posted notices in the station eventually informed me of construction taking place last weekend only. I watched two of the trains I was waiting for go by on a different track before I changed platforms. When I switched platforms and finally caught the right train, the announcer said that 14th Street would be the next and final stop. It barely got me out of midtown.

What could I do? I could have waited on the platform, hoping another train would run that line further downtown. Or I could walk from Greenwich Village to the Financial District. That's just over three miles, but it was a nice evening and I needed the exercise. Other than a few tricky intersections, such as by the Holland Tunnel where cars blocked the intersection consistently to make their turns, I made it there unscathed, and only a half hour late for the cocktail hour. The rest of the evening was a blur, a banquet followed by an awards ceremony headed by Ron Moore, most recently of Battlestar Galactica fame:



Did I mention I had my old camera? I did film some of his speech:



He went on after that first joke to speak about protecting the rights of creators, especially in a digital age when novels might soon be as easily distributed as videos and music. I'm not sure if filming even a clip of his speech infringes on anything, but it didn't seem right to film more than that. Besides, I was there in a professional capacity.

The complete list of winners is available at the Science Fiction Writer's Association web site. When an episode of BSG lost to Howl's Moving Castle for best script, Moore joked about burning down the hotel. I'll still have to see that movie. Mr. Miyazaki wasn't in town for the awards, but they announced that George Takei would be heading to Japan to present it to him. Ohhh my.

The awards themselves were interesting, glass blocks with swirls and planets, and no two alike. The authors, gifted wordsmiths, all gave great speeches. Joe Haldeman joked about missing a nomination by one vote and wondered if his special time machine glasses might not cause him to read a name like Herbert George Wells instead of someone from the present. D.G. Compton was genuinely moved when he was awarded a meteorite as Author Emeritus, and didn't joke that he ”got a rock”.

The ceremony concluded around midnight and, still two or three trains and two hours from home, I opted not to attend any of the after parties. I caught a subway with some coworkers who knew their way around, and made the journey back in a fraction of the time. The next day, it was still light out after I got back from visiting my mom in the hospital, so I shot this nifty robot we got as guests:




My mom is still in the hospital by the way, possibly with a Hiatal Hernia according to the latest tests. I suspect this resulted from all the coughing when she had pneumonia. I guess it's better that the doctors are erring on the side of caution, but I know she's eager to come home.

While I was shooting those robots, I decided to capture some of my action figures while the sun was still out, clear shots to offset those nebulous ones: