Date: Thu, 18 Nov 1993 17:15:04 -0500
To: _swat.org.swil @ cc.swarthmore.edu
From: jthorpe1 @ cc.swarthmore.edu
Subject: SWILnews #9, #9, #9, #9, #9, #9....

        Well, PhilCon has come and gone, and the attendees (myself,
Kendra,
Elizabeth and Don) left feeling speculatively satisfied.  On Friday, we
spent most (nay, all) of our time in the gaming room, playing (and
trading!) Magic: the Gathering, which (I might add) took the convention
by
storm.  (I met a very nice man who gave me an earth elemental, thicket
basilisk and Shivan dragon for my lil' ol' Personal Incarnation... :)= ) 
Plus, on the way home, we only ended up in Delaware _once_.

        On Saturday we returned (I was no longer de-cloaked) and looked
in
at the art room (many naked animal-women), dealer's room (which
contained
one four-foot sword until Don bought it), and a reading by Ian Watson, a
delightfully Scottish man who read "The Call of the Wild: the Dog-Flea
Version."  Brilliant.  We also met ex-SWIL-president Jed Shumsky, who
was
impressed that SWIL still exists.

        Only Kendra and I returned the third day, to hear good old Greg
Frost's reading (_The Pure, Cold Light_) and a panel discussion on
Alternative Fantasy moderated by Greg Frost and containing Michael
Swanwick, Greg Cox, Will Shetterly (Emma Bull had laryngitis) and some
woman whose name doesn't appear on my program.  Plus, I met Hal Clement,
who was extremely interesting and sang to himself when he thought I
wasn't
watching.  All in all, I was extremely pleased we went--I felt immersed
in
the whole SF alternative social universe, and the sensation was a
welcoming
one.

        Anyway.  (I nearly just wrote "Antwater."  I don't know why.) 
Heather Brinkhous attended her sixth semi-consecutive meeting and proved
her sentience (or at least proved she was bad-ass), thereby becoming the
second Lang Visiting Non-member (after Charles Deilly, who may or may
not
be bad-ass).  If she shows up this week, Ahyana "Blue" Clark will be the
next to fall prey to our dismemberment procedures....

        At the meeting after Thanksgiving break, we will nominate
presidential candidates!  That means you had all better start thinking
about leadership, 'cause I sure as heck won't be keeping my job.

        That's all for now...thus, we have the

ATTENDANCE for 11:13:93
        d
Geoff (g  mode) Noer; Don "Provocative Leather" Lehr; Kendra "not-so
provocative not-so-leather" Eshleman [*sigh* --O]; Xharles of NO
PRISONERS!
slobber! growl! splat!; Colin "I'm not a security robot" Schatz; Ahyana
"_Blue!_" Clark -0- (I _am_ cat-woman)" Julianna "addicted to
cyberspace"
Patrick; Josh "try cranberries" Burdick; Larry "No More Palindromes"
Miller
[rellim semord nilap erom on yrral. --O]; Andrea "2nd consecutive
Samless"
Hall [2nd consecutive "Awwww..." --O]; Kristin "opera" Walker; Elizabeth
"jere7my ain't no hick!" Christian [Danke. --O]; Robert "hiccup" "Not
Luke"
Richardson; Heather "hiccup" Brinkhous; Lesley "Gosh, when I grow up _I_
want to be a Volkswagen" Tsina

                                                ----Praefecti Quondam
                                                     Praefectique Futuri