Way Too Early in the A.M.

People are still asking me how Comic-Con was and if I'm happy I attended. The answer to the second part is yes, though I might not feel that way if soon after, I'd tested positive for COVID. Though my friends who've had it recently have not suffered much, I've managed to get this far through the epidemic without joining them in that experience and it would be so nice to keep it that way.

Comic-Con was Comic-Con. Everything people complain about was still there to be complained about. Just about everything people love about it was there to be loved except for the non-presence of my amigo Sergio…who, by the way, is in fine health. I had some problems with the hotel though they made everything right before we checked out.

Photo by Bruce Guthrie

I also had some problem with restaurants. One could sense with them and with some hotels, the slight presence of the following thought: "We have so many customers, we don't have to treat any of them particularly well." A friend of mine who used to go to Las Vegas every month says that that mindset is why he'd stopped going to Las Vegas every month.

My lady friend and I had the following problem twice during our stay in San Diego: When we checked into the hotel, I asked if it was any sort of hassle or problem to order food delivered from DoorDash or Grubhub. The desk clerk assured me that it's done all the time with no hitch…and we tried it two times. Each time, the order was placed and accepted. The usual "hold" was put on my credit card, to be charged when the meal was delivered and I was told the restaurant was preparing our order and we got updates on the promised delivery time…

…and then, five or ten minutes before that delivery time, I got a message that our order was canceled. No explanation. Just canceled. I guess they were just too busy to bother…but if you're that busy, why accept the order in the first place?

As I've mentioned elsewhere, I did not spend a lot of my convention time in the main hall. For obvious reasons, being in crowds was less comfortable this time. So was something I usually like about cons: Recognizing people I know and visiting with them. I also got real tired of all the walking. I walk a lot in my neighborhood at home but I think I need to train more before I attend another convention.

I enjoyed most of it and the parts I didn't enjoy weren't the convention's fault…so yes, I'm glad I went. That's my answer but I wasn't sure of it until I tested a few times after the con.