Fans this morning are coming by twos and threes into Tully’s, the coffee counter in the hotel. In another part of the country a careless person could explain that it’s kind of like Starbucks, but never in coffee-conscious Seattle with its rival chains. That’d be a little like saying wearing blue is the same as wearing red in parts of LA…

Another quick note about opening day: Andy Hooper’s inspiration for Friday night’s 10 p.m. program was to have an array of fans read aloud excerpts of Corflu reports from over the years. There may have been about 25 pieces, with John D. Berry reading aloud Hooper’s connective tissue and perhaps eight others performing the quotes.

As Hooper said, the material ought to provide some of the entertainment, and the juxtaposition of speakers and fanwriters should supply the rest. He was right about that.

Sandra Bond has a flair for reading conreports aloud, sounding easy and yet striking the right emphasis where needed. Chris Garcia’s enthusiasm was infectious, as always. Claire Brialey enjoyed some of the humorous readings quite a bit, but never went so far as to crack herself up. I got to read a bit of Ted White’s account of the dread which some felt before the 2001 Corflu — finding it impossible to actually mimic Ted and equally impossible not to try. The triumphant matching of material and reader was a British conreport with a Jersey accent. Not the Isle of Jersey, either.