hugos

I really meant to do this months ago, but got distracted.

Thanks to the miracle of the Internet the video of the full Hugo ceremony is just a click away.

In case it should cease to be available in the future, I though it would be a good idea to transcribe what I said when presenting the best fanzine award.

"I think one of the traditions which is unique to science fiction fandom is fanzines. I know there are fanzines in other fields, bit I think our ones are quite different and unique to us. I think it's something that has really defined us over the years. I think it's got easier with technology, but our standards have got higher. We enjoy each other's fanzines from other parts of the world, so for me it's a great honour to be presenting this year's best fanzine award. The nominees are..."

One of the great honours of being Fan Fund Delegate was being invited to present one of the Hugo Awards.  I've been very excited about it all weekend.

I popped into the rehearsal during the afternoon, where I was briefed on what to do. I made sure I knew how to pronounce all of the names of the nominees.

I was in a programme item until 6, after which I had to rush back to my room to get changed (I wore a black suit, which was fairly formal, but matched it with a tie covered in LEGO minifigs in an effort to not be too serious), and then rush back to the convention centre for the pre-Hugo reception. This was already in full flow, so I had a drink to make sure I was composed (but only one, so I wasn't too composed), and chatted with nominees and presenters (and others lucky enough to have an invite).