How do I go on now?

Comic Con is all done, NOW WHAT?

I had such an amazing time at Comic Con that I am still living off my Nerd high. Sadly it is starting to wear off, but I have plenty of things to keep me busy until next year.

Did you hear that? NEXT YEAR. I have been invited back to help work at Artists Alley!!!! I am beyond excited that I have the opportunity to not only go to Comic Con again, but the chance to work with such amazing people! I am looking forward to learning from my experience and making next year even better. 

Things I loved about SDCC

Here is what I absolutely loved the most about Comic Con. I loved loved loved the feeling of community that you get the instant you set foot into the Gas Lamp district. You are surrounded by things you love and people who love them as much (or more) as you do. My favorite moment from the whole trip was waiting for the Doctor Who panel in hall H. The sea of Sonic Screwdrivers lighting up that huge hall was electric and overwhelming for me to see just how many people were fans of the show. That was a moment for me because I really only know a handful of people who watch the show ( even though I have been TRYING to get everyone I know to watch Doctor Who). To be in a room with so many people who loved it, was just SPECIAL. 

Hall H full of love for Doctor Who

I also LOVED the opportunity to see soooooo many geeky things all under one roof. While I enjoyed the panels, I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibit hall. After 5 days of walking that floor, I never did see all the exhibits. Some of the booths were so crowded that I had to just keep going, but I DID get to see so many amazing things. From toys, to comics, video games, to art work; there is something for everyone on the floor. Next year I would like to devote more time enjoying this and less time in line for the panels.

The exhibit hall stretched on forever

Things I liked at SDCC

I liked how many off site events there were in San Diego. It was absolutely overwhelming to take in all sights and sounds INSIDE the convention, then you've got a plethora of exciting things outside the convention that just makes your mind spin. I didn't get to participate in many of the outside events, but the ones I did get to take part in were so much fun. The Walking Dead Experience was worth every penny and left me with some great memories. 

I WISH I would have made it to the Godzilla Experience ( I actually did have tickets, but didn't get there in time) and I am kicking myself for not making it over to Nerd HQ. We did attempt to get to Nerd HQ on Thursday night but the line to get into the "Party in the Park" was extremely long so we passed. There was a big Geek and Sundry thing going on at one of the restaurants that I missed, there was a Dracula thing set up across from the convention, and a Bates Motel thing too, the Disney Infinity store, the Game of Thrones promotions as well as countless parties that I missed out on. 

I don't regret missing out on things though. It seems like whatever you commit to doing, you will have to miss something else that is going on at the same time. You must choose wisely. I'm happy with the choices I made and I think that I actually got to see and do a whole lot more than most first timers would have. 

Things I didn't really like about Comic Con

While it was pretty neat to see so many people dressed up in Cosplay, I was overwhelmed by the crowd most of the time. I KNEW it was going to be crazy busy and to just expect to wait in lines for EVERYTHING and I had a good attitude about it, BUT I really didn't like being pushed, prodded and slammed into by everyone every single time I went anywhere. One of the most scary moments for me was when I got shoved into the crowed as they were handing out freebies at the Marvel booth. Talk about the wrong place at the wrong time. 
The crowds at the booths were also scary during signing events. It could be easily avoided by paying better attention to your surroundings and just steering clear of that area during a signing. I really didn't like how the security people were shouting, and pushing the crowds though. I understand that they needed to get people to move along and not clog up the isles, but screaming at me to do it just isn't a good way. 
I wish there was a better way to be able to see the panels without having to camp on the sidewalk. While I DID have a good time with the camp out, it left me completely exhausted and it made Sunday much harder to for me. I am thinking I might try to gt tickets for the Nerd HQ panels instead of having to wear myself out on waiting in line. 

No big deal, just camping here for a few days to see my favorite panel

And the last gripe I have was the religious zealots who were picketing the Con. This just really made me sad/angry every time I saw these KIDS out on the sidewalk condemning others for liking Superman. They would stand on the sidewalk with their picket signs and mindlessly drone scripture to people who were waiting in line to get into the hall or trying to cross the street.  It's not only a ludicrous thing to do,  but it also makes me sad for the little kids who were there, excited to see their favorite superhero,  being sent the message that it was bad. One of the BEST things about Comic Con is that people who are made fun of for their Nerdy ways back at home, can feel like they belong. They can meet others who enjoy something as much as they do. They can talk to each other with amazing detail about the plot of their favorite Sci-Fi show or movie.

Why those people felt that something that special needed to be protested is just beyond me. I'm pretty sure that Jesus loves Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, so I don't know who they got the memo from that it was bad. 

So those are my overall thoughts from my trip

I am so glad I got to go and CAN'T WAIT to go back and do it again! 

Next up all about GISHWES the scavenger hunt that changed the world...

Saturday in San Diego

So this happened...

Just when I am thinking that my life couldn't get any better  I had to go and have one of the most incredible days ever.

The one really crappy part of this day was that I had to get up around 4 am to get ready and out the door before 5. We really wanted to get into the How I Met Your Mother ( HIMYM) panel and it was being held in one of the smaller rooms holding about 2,000 people. I was hoping that the Hunger Games Panel would draw a lot of people away from this one, but didn't want to risk getting there too late. So we arrived in line around dawn and here is what it looked like:

This line also had a short section that wrapped around the corner.

Not too bad. I sent Andrew to go wait in line for some Starbucks ( prob a half hour wait) and made myself at home. I made friends with the people sitting next to me and they gave me an idea to run over and try to snag some autograph signings being held later in the day. GREAT IDEA! So while my new friends held our spots in line, I grabbed Andrew and headed over to the convention center to....wait in another line! We got a little lost, so we were not right at the front of the line like we had hoped, but we managed to grab the LAST TWO tickets ( bracelets) to the TRUE BLOOD signing later that day! SCORE!!! it was so lucky because you had to pull a ticket out of a bowl to see if you won or not. 

We got back to the HIMYM line with plenty of time to spare. That line had grown considerably and I was glad we got there so early. We managed to get some pretty good seats when they let us in, so it was totally worth waiting for.  While waiting for the HIMYM panel, I got to see the Geek and Sundry panel. I just love Felicia Day and find her so entertaining. Wil Wheaton can be a little arrogant, but still entertaining to watch. 

Then the moment we've been waiting for! The HIMYM panel was great! the stars came out and were so much fun.

 Jason Segel was giving the person doing the signing such a hard time. He said something like projectile vomit, then laughed and wanted to see what that looked like. After that he started rambling off all sorts of things for her to sign and it was pretty darn funny. they showed some clips, answered some questions and were very appreciative of the fans. Someone got Cobie to sing "Let's go to the mall" and we all sang along. 

Then the best moment of the panel happened. During the Q&A a kid started talking about the Neil Patrick Harris Playbook. He had on several layers of costumes for many of his characters. He talked about each character and shed a costume for them then at the end he requested " the highest of fives" and by God he got it! NPH ran down the isle ( right by me in fact) and gave that kid a well deserved high five. It was pretty cool!

                                   

You can't see the kid talking in the video, but the reactions on the panel are priceless!

We were living on a high after that panel and talked about it all through lunch. We headed back to the exhibit hall to work, then it was time for the True Blood signing! 

I almost missed it because the crowd was so packed and I couldn't get through. The crowds were intense and security was so high strung trying to manage it. The security guard actually told me to leave and that I missed my chance. I was so disappointed and I think maybe he felt bad about yelling at me to leave after that. He changed his tune and said he would let us in. Phew, crisis averted. Andrew and I were the last two through the line. When you go to the booth for a signing it was all very assembly line, with the actors sitting in a row just signing and the fans walking by picking up the poster at the end. The WB wouldn't allow any photos AT ALL and checked my camera to make sure the cover was on and the power was off. So that sort of sucked. I would have loved to have a photo of such a cool thing, but I didn't have a say in the matter. I did manage to get a picture of Anna Paquin before I got out there though.

When going through the line the actors were everything from indifferent, to excited about the fans. Anna smiled at me and said hi, I complemented her on her dress ( it was really cool) and then she stared talking to Sam Trammell about how she wasn't going to the party that night because she wanted to get home to her babies. 

Prrrrr even sexier in real life ladies

Joe Manganiello was really nice ( at easy on the eyes) he chatted with us about his upcoming move and gave us a few stickers to give to our friends. Most of the other actors said hi asked how we were doing, that sort of thing. Then I got to Anna Camp and she started laughing at me! She said " Well aren't you excited" and I think my reply was something like "Heck yes, I am. This is so incredible. I can't even absorb it" ( all in one breath) then she said that it showed and laughed some more. She asked how Comic Con was going for me and if I was having a good time. I told her about it being my first time here and how overwhelming it was. We talked about the crowd and waiting in line. -She was awesome and I think I love her. 

Anna Camp and I are new BFF's

I am still in shock over that moment and it was so amazing that I got to experience it! I mean where else on earth are you going to get the chance to meet and talk to celebrities like this? Just a plain ordinary teacher from Oregon chatting it up with the cast of True Blood...amazing. I gave the signed poster to a person working with me that had really wanted to go to the panel, but couldn't go. I sort of wish I had kept it, but I was being nice that day. 

I also had tickets for a signing from the cast of Orphan Black that afternoon. I got in line around 3:45 ( the signing was from 4:30 to 5:30) and there was already about a hundred people in front of me. I had an extra ticket for this, so tweeted that I would give it away to the first person to find me. I had a taker within a min. We waited in line for a very long time. I met some new friends and the time went by much easier. - I absolutely LOVE the people at Comic Con. It is so cool to just be standing in line and be able to chat with a total stranger about something you BOTH love. I'm usually alone with my love for Sci-Fi shows and it is so nice to be able to talk about them with people who not only know what I'm talking about, but LIKE them too! 

Our time in line was a bust though, we got right up to the booth and were prob three or four people away from our turn; then they had to leave. I was bummed. So close, yet so far away. I don't consider it a loss at all. I DID make some new friends AND I met Mr. Tony  ( Crazy 4 Comic Con ) Kim. His blog has been so helpful to me and so many others! Glad I met you Tony! 

Me and Tony! 

After all that I was just about ready to drop dead tired. I had only a few hours of sleep the night before and I was crashing fast by this point. I bailed on Andrew and went back to take a nap. I had to recharge my batteries before going back that night to wait for the Doctor Who panel the next day...that's right folks I had to camp out that night.

More on that next time...