January rites of passage

All in less than a week: Mystery Hunt, Arisia, and buying tickets for Burning Man (this year's theme: Rites of Passage).

I was lucky enough to get through the queue fairly quickly (despite network/site issues), so this afternoon has been more squeetastic about the possibility of going than frustrated at the length of the queue.

Arisia for me this year was more about being social than attending much of the programming. It was wonderful to see people, but perhaps next year I'll just be social and not bother with a membership. (On the whole, the new hotel seemed to work for people, despite the lobby temperature, and it never seemed crowded. I miss the sight lines of the ziggurat hotel, as well as its geographic proximity to my house, but I can see how this works much better for the con.)

And then there was Mystery Hunt, which was a huge amount of fun, and will get a post of its own, hopefully tonight.

Mystery Hunt: Mario and Peach Get Married

Or not, because Bowser kidnapped her during the black-tie optional ceremony (video of the ceremony, though without the pre-recorded sound track). And of course, many many puzzles had to be solved in order to find her. Luckily, team Metaphysical Fungus was able to help out.

Here's the intro, and the world map (with solutions now mostly available, which is admirable speed compared to previous years.). ( Read more... )