I spent yesterday at Balticon, doing a shared reading with Danielle Ackley-McPhail and John Mierau (you can see me and John in Adam Corbin Fusco‘s photo below) and taking part in a panel on The Walking Dead, in which we compared the two seasons so far and speculated on what’s to come in season three. We also gave our opinions as to how long the series would last and theories as to how it would end.

While at the con, I broke bread with Karen and Charlie Newton, Sandy and Risa Stewart, and Patrick Darby, and chatted with the rest of the usual Balticon suspects.

I find myself surprisingly worn out from having spent one day at what I generally consider a relaxicon, especially since last weekend’s Nebula Awards, at which far more partying and schmoozing went on (as captured below by James Patrick Kelly), didn’t leave me a fraction as tired. John Ordover speculated over on Facebook that I’m older now, but … by one week?

Am I deteriorating that quickly?

And that word “deteriorating” makes me think of zombies again, so I’ll toss out what I’d presented yesterday as my thoughts on how The Walking Dead would come to a conclusion, which should only be read by those who don’t care whether I might accidentally spoil something for you.

Ready?

I speculated that Rick would die in the final episode, sacrificing himself in some way that dealt with curing the zombie infection, and that Lori would then give birth to their child (though of course, we have no way know knowing whether the child she’s carrying is Rick’s or Shane’s), and in the final scene, she would name the kid—”Rick, Jr.”

I’m sure I’m totally off—a movie might be willing to deliver a sacrificial ending that grim, but probably not a TV series—but check back in a few years and we’ll see just how far off I am.

In any case, Balticon continues through tomorrow, so it’s not too late for you to head over Hunt Valley and join the party!