Backstage: it's not what you'd expect. It's more, it's less, it's completely different from what you've imagined. The world behind the curtain is very, very different from the world that the fans see.

It is three a.m. The glass in my hand is empty. I am neither drunk nor awake, sober nor exhausted; merely a place in between that defies explanation. It is three a.m., and the glass in my hand—filled only once—is now empty. I slept somewhere between one and two hours the previous night, and followed it up today by somewhere around sixteen straight hours of work at the convention.I am exhausted; the brutal floating exhaustion that leadens feet, shortens calf muscles, and makes my lower back ache.

Day 1 of dragon*con: lots of running around. At one time in the distant past I was concerned about how I'd find my way around the hotel and all of its different ballrooms. After a day of nonstop trotting, I know the answer: sheer repetition ingrains knowledge in everyone. Including me.

The incredible variances inherent in people never cease to amaze me, and never more so than when I trek to Atlanta. The town itself both compels and repels me: the traffic, the arts scene, the incredible southern acceptance of varied cultures, the horrid traffic, the excellent restaurants and shops, the upper-crust hauteur…and the techops folks.

It's official—we're going to Dragon*Con 2001. According to Kat and Heather, we will be working as part of the TechOps crew that helps run the Con. Eeep. When I talked to the hotel today, they said they were mostly full. Hard to believe when the Con isn't until Labor Day weekend of 2001, but then again, this is a huge convention.