Thursday, Nov. 1, 2007. I got to the L.A. Convention Center before 7:00, the first time I had been downtown since I couldn't get out of jury duty two years ago. The parking lot was clean, well-lit and full of BMWs, Mercedes and various SUVs, unlike the parking area for jury duty. I stood in the back and watched as hundreds of fellow writers came up the escalators and stairs. For the most part, we are not an attractive group of people.