Amazing Times at SDCC, and an Unbelievable Tragedy

It's nearly mid-August, so it's about time I post a recap regarding SDCC.  A week or so prior to the event, they posted the panels and activities that were going to take place.  I had a whopping 3 on my must do list; the panels for Penny Dreadful, Sleepy Hollow and Hall H on Saturday (95% of what was in there that day I wanted to see, so no, I was not a sleeping seat warmer that day).  I did hope to catch Benedict Cumberbatch at the Dreamworks panel in Hall H on Thursday, but ended up at Nerd HQ with tickets to not 1, but 2 panels (Zach Levi, along with Craig Ferguson).  The panels were all great, and I got a decent bit of swag from Ballrooms 20 and Hall H, but I think I scored the most (paid for) swag at the Exhibit hall.  I just allowed myself to buy the majority of what I wanted, from a Penny Dreadful tarot card set, to an SDCC exclusive Rocket Raccoon plush, a signed book and poster from The Oatmeal's creator, labyrinth art, and even a print of a Han Solo kitty that looks like my Lucy!

Note: I got a kitty named Lucy in late January around the time of my surgery.  She's niece to my Josie, and is a bit of a catdog.  I'm not kidding.  Most tuxedo cats are.  :)  She has this habit of tapping you to get attention that is hilarious (unless it's the wee hours of the morning, then it's not so much).

The only downside to the weekend was a  kerfuffle I heard a little bit about Friday night having to do with the new wristband system for Hall H.  I found out much more after the the con. (read here at Crazy4ComicCon)  You see, when folks, old or new to SDCC decide to bend the rules, everyone suffers.  I'm thankful that despite being way the heck back by the Marina (sleeping on tree roots, dirt and ants), my family and I managed to get (group D) wristbands for Saturday's panels, and we got in for them but only just.  We had shown up at 7ish (pm) by the tents just to see what was up and if they would allow lining up yet, as they usually don't allow the line to form until after the last panel has concluded (would've been 8:05pm).  Folks started lining up the day prior (hidden in plain sight in 3 lines closer to the docks and the Godzilla outdoor exhibit), just because they were anxious over the wristbands and the possibility they might not get one!  Are you kidding me?  Have a life, please!  I would bet quite a few wasted a day or two of their passes (swag! experiences! sleep in a hotel bed!) just to sit on the grass and save a spot that didn't exist (until Security said it did).  *sighs*  I hope next year SDCC Security is more strict with line dispersal (there were NO problems during other evenings), and I do hope SDCC is less lenient about folks who bend and break rules when they see fit to do so.  You break the rules, they take your badge.  End of story.

Note: I'm thrilled for those who got to meet Andy Serkis and Lee Pace Friday night in the ADA line and the Hall H tents.  I think I walked to and from that area only 30 minutes before to use the "non scary ladies room".  (We had a few public restrooms in the Marina and Pier area, but the toilets were filthy and the stalls had no friggin' doors!  Talk about a quick 'go'..)

NerdHQ was a new endeavor this year.  As I noted, I went to two panels on Thursday, and we ended up going back over on Sunday afternoon to check out their shirts and hats they were selling (I snagged a free shirt with purchase).  The panels themselves are pretty intimate (read: you're nearly sitting on your neighbor, and there's 300 of us in one cozy area of covered Petco Park space), and if you have a question for the panel guest(s), you need merely raise a hand and get a mike passed to you to ask.  Oh, and the majority of the panels were taped (not Colin, which I think was per CBS, so he relished being able to swear a bit).

This year's vacation met my expectations (hint: I knew I wouldn't be able to do everything, as every must do has a line and an inevitable cutoff point), but at the same time it felt a bit off.  Folks complained there were far fewer "hot panels", but I disagree.  I do think a big problem was Hall H on Saturday (it's just a massive undertaking), though I doubt SDCC's committee would be able to do anything to parse out those panels to other rooms (I think it's a security thing with teaser trailers being illegally filmed).  I'm sure in the coming years, those folks will figure out what needs to be done to ensure a fantastic time and schedule (especially with more Marvel, and Godilla, Pacific Rim and STAR WARS on the horizon), and make sure people follow the rules if the wristband method (or something else) is used to lessen the strain on crowds.

Now, for the sad part to this post.

I've no doubt anyone who pays attention to the news has heard about the unfortunate death of Robin Williams on August 11th.  Further details (aside from the autopsy) will no doubt reveal his life up to his untimely demise.  I just hope it doesn't cause his family and closest colleagues too much grief.  I know, the pain is fresh right now for any of us and everything feels...oversensitive, whether we knew him or not, but I hope we don't find out anything unseemly beyond the tragic details of how he died, which was revealed today on tv by the local police.

I see so many folks chiming in on his substance abuse and battle to remain sober, his depression and even his little talked about bipolar mood swings.  Folks are posting info about suicide hotlines, or numbers folks can talk to about their issues, asking "please don't hurt yourself".  That's all fair and good, though if you know someone, I ask you to do one thing; talk to them.  Whether you know a person is going through temporary or long term darkness, or you don't know for certain matters little.  What matters is communicating with your friends, loved ones and colleagues.  Bond with one another.  Get to know how others are doing, then if anyone does have a hard time, be around with them in whatever way you can.  Even just asking how someone is doing on a given day could make a difference, and tilt the scales in favor of a person feeling worthwhile, or feel that they're having a better day.  If you know or find out they're into substance abuse, keep talking to them. It's nigh impossible to change someone, but if they realize others give a damn about them, they may see the damage they're causing themselves and seek out treatment.

I don't know that I've ever suffered from depression, though I have family who has.  But I have had moments in recent past where I truly felt life's struggle.  Either I felt as if specific roadblocks were preventing me from going further, or I had hurdles that I didn't look forward to.  I will admit here that I considered taking my life (via sleeping pills) a few years back, but talked/cried myself out of it.  I thought about life and death again around the beginning of the year, with the very real possibility of breast cancer looming in my future. (good news - it wasn't cancer, the lumpectomy went fine though I got sick after from pain meds, and the only thing left upset from the ordeal was my wallet)

I have talked with select friends and family about my own demons (the near-suicide attempt and more recent thoughts about it - and they've been good listeners/advice givers), which I viewed as real obstacles that brought me down for unnecessary reasons, not just a fog that brought me down that I couldn't pinpoint.  That's why I'm not truly sure my situation is depression.  If it can be classified as that, okay, I accept that.  But, I've been seeing my outlook on life take this ridiculous turn for the dark, which it shouldn't.  I've started setting goals to complete by age 40, threatening myself to do them "or else", seeing the coming decades as a limitation rather than a gift.  Life shouldn't have a caveat of threats imposed upon it...which is where I need to relearn how to handle myself.  There are so many years ahead, decades of days and nights to live through and complete whatever I wish.  I just have to strategize and figure out what to do, and when.  And I bet when I turn 40 in a few years, I'll be able to do a lot of what I could do (but didn't) in my 30's.  All that's needed is will and determination.

Fall Roundup - SDCC and goodbye to Moni

I think it's time to catch up on SDCC and what happened this year.  As with every other year I've attended, this one was just as crowded and filled to the brim with opportunities to explore.  I pared myself down to a select handful of discussion panels I wanted to see (BBC's Sherlock, Agents of SHIELD, Once Upon a Time and True Blood).  My traveling companion (Dad) wanted to see a few panels that happened right around the same time as these, so our plans coincided pretty well.  There were a few we really wanted to see but couldn't because of timing, or because they were in other rooms we knew would be impossible to get into in a short span of time (never, ever try this with Hall H...I didn't).  Grimm, Haven and the Marvel panels were a no go due to this mindset.  But, you have to be happy with what you are able to do, and if you get some of your wants accomplished, well there you go.  :)

I caught a few panels before Sherlock on Thursday and the attendees must've been comprised of many tumblr folk (I'm just taking a wild guess.)  The Sherlock panel itself was good, headed up by  the show's creators Gatiss and Moffat as well as Executive Producer Sue Vertue.  I was a bit bummed that Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman couldn't be there (had prior engagements), but clips were provided from them saying hello, they hoped we were enjoying ourselves and that we are really in for it with series 3 of Sherlock.  The creators took some questions and we did see a clip from the new season (No, no spoilers for you.).

Thursday night we headed out after the Sherlock panel to grab dinner (shoutout to the Mariott next to the Convention center - the Marina restaurant is still awesome).  Then we headed into the Gaslamp Quarter to find ourselves a Kaiju.  Godzilla, to be specific.  I'd managed to tap into a tumblr site for the Godzilla movie coming out in early 2014, and after unearthing a series of clues I secured two invitations to a secret location for a themed event.  (They had them each day, so the odds that folks would be left out were pretty slim, unless they didn't know about it.)  Anywho, the tumblr site also alluded to an app we needed to download in order to find this event venue.  So there I was, thrilled to have had a smart phone for the 2nd year, but actually using it for one of these gatherings.  I turned the app on, and it acted like a Geiger counter that utilized my GPS coordinates to bring me closer to the venue.  When we got closer, the visual on the app went haywire and flashed red.  It was a little noisy too, and managed to snag the attention of folks as we walked by.  We finally got to the spot, and it turned out to be a building I'd seen a photo of on tumblr.  Thanks for that spoiler, random poster. :-D

Friday was Agents of SHIELD day, and we woke up very, VERY early.  I slipped into my Agent Peggy Carter uniform from Captain America (it's about as authentic looking as I'll ever get it), and we got over to the convention center between 6 and 6:30am.  We'd figured out Thursday morning that the lines were as follows: Hall H line, and everything BUT Hall H line.  So we aimed for the everything-but line which started on the side of the building (hilariously close to Hall H's line).  It ended up wrapping around the back of the building and going into the marina.  Actually I think both did, but we didn't pay much attention to that until we had made it past the calm (but extremely purposeful) dash to where we needed to be when they let us into the building around 8:30am.  We made it up to the line for Ballroom 20, and I was thrilled to see how close we were in the line relative to the very front (when you are on the top level, or even the next one down and underneath the canopies, it's a guarantee you'll make it in to the first discussion panel).  Well, we made it in, watched a few panels (a couple were what my Dad wanted to see, which was good), and then during Agents we were fortunate to see their first episode and then the cast for a very brief Q&A (including Joss Whedon, who showed up to give Clark Gregg aka Son of Coul a big Man Hug).

I nearly didn't recall what we did for Friday evening, but Aha!  Friday night was for spending the night in line, and not just the semi-comfy (really hard as a rock grassy knoll) that is the Hall H line.  Nosiree...we went for the everything but Hall H line.  I recall heading back to Old Town, changing clothes, eating dinner and grabbing our gear for our campout.  I forgot my iPhone (dumbass) but did bring my iPad, stuff to sleep on, and fixings for breakfast the next morning (my stainless steel thermos kept milk for our cereal ice cold through the night).

I don't know if I'll ever try that line again.  Maybe if I'm seated in a chair up off of the ground so folks exiting the building don't trample me I'll give it a go, but it was touch and go for an hour or so after the convention drew to a close.  It was an absolute MASS of people walking each way, trying to dodge our legs.  My Dad and I were within the first 10 folks in line, right next to the building near a door and sort of behind a barricade.  We stayed up for a few hours, talking with folks next to us.  I was next to a Swan Queen** fan (that's a person who likes the idea of Regina Mills and Emma Swan of Once Upon a Time being a couple).  That was interesting, since I'm a pretty sedate Captain Swan fan (Emma Swan and Captain Hook - I don't shout it from the rooftops...I just like the pairing and see promise in it).  Anywho, I didn't get into any sort of lengthy debate or diatribe about who was right or wrong.  She talked and I listened, and then we talked about things not relating to OUAT.  Then we all tried turning in for the night.  I felt bad for my neighbor...she didn't bring much to protect herself from the chilly night air.  I on the other hand had my bivvy sack (a sleeping bag made from the same material as an emergency blanket).  That, a yoga mat and a collapsible pillow kept me pretty cozy and warm, or as cozy and warm as one could be on concrete.

We didn't have a single person from any of the shows, OUAT, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, True Blood, or anything in between show up to say "Hi".  That was a bust, considering Hall H often sees celebrities ducking in around midnight for pictures and autographs.  (Folks, I hope you read this and consider it next year - I even brought cookies!)

The panels for Saturday were good, and my goodness we were close!  We could've gotten first row in Ballroom 20, but opted for 2nd row right in the center for a great view of each cast.  Everyone looked gorgeous and/or handsome, and it was nice to see cast members banter and faux bicker back and forth from such a short distance away.

** The bummer moment was during OUAT.  My Swan Queen line buddy asked a question regarding her pairing, and it was pretty much shot down (my assessment, though others may have a different take).  In honesty, I don't see anything between the two characters that would suggest mutual romantic interest.  But, each person watches a show, sees a movie or reads a book with their own views in mind, I guess.  We are bound to color what we experience through fiction with our own wishes and needs and mindset.

Sunday...well shoot, I think Sunday was a day just for buying stuff.  We had a few places we wanted to visit in the Exhibit Hall, and the last day is a good day for finding things (that aren't uber popular and sold out already) at a discount.  I ended up with a few sketches and knick knacks here and there (Loki themed, I think), series 2 of BBC Sherlock, and I waited in line for a little bit at the Legendary booth for a Pacific Rim Cherno Alpha (that's the Russian Jeager) shirt.

I have something to say about the big booths by the way.  Legendary did a fantastic job manning their booth, ensuring they had enough people to keep the piece, keep lines in-line when they were doing things (like an autograph or a line for the Godzilla event).  Even when they were doing giveaways, they had people out and available to answer questions openly and honestly.  If we had to wait a bit for something, we were told so and were not given the runaround.  That is NOT how the Marvel booth was run.  It's no wonder I avoided that booth in the past (it's a crowded nightmare) and will likely do so again in the future.  We gave them one good try on Wednesday night for Previews (lots of special stuff on sale that sold out in the Hall within minutes, and an attempt at learning more about their special events - tickets were given out at times we couldn't be there for).  We spent over two hours in line, thinking we were going to get a free poster or would see relatively inexpensive, fun swag to buy.  Nope, no, sorry.  If we were to buy this huge set of blurays in this SHIELD case, we could get a signed poster.  I was so fed up once we got to the register that I didn't buy anything.  My Dad, however, bought me an Agents of SHIELD shirt.  Bless you Dad.  (And I apologized to the couple behind me.  First timers, and they too were duped into standing in line and having Marvel folks shrug at us when we asked what was going on.)

All in all, we learned more this year than we had in the past regarding lines, purchasing of items (especially limited edition stuff), and how the convention center handles this event as a whole.  I think we are pretty well primed for next year.  Unless rules are changed and lines are moved.  Then we are newbies once more.

Next up: A little piece on a gem of a kitty.  Moni, I miss you so much.  (To be continued later this week, I hope.)

Fragile as Wrapping Paper (and SDCC 2012 recap)

Well, I realized back in March that I forgot to write anything about adventures or happenings from 2012.  Even made a point of saving a placeholder for a post.  And then I let three months slip by.  Whoops!

2012 was a busy year.  I said farewell to a few coworkers (and that added more to my to-do list), hit San Diego Comic Con (aka SDCC) for the third time (missed 2010...I sorely regret that), and the ConGaloosh team and I hosted our fourth gathering since the famed Disney's Adventurer's Club closed.

SDCC in 2012 was so much fun, and I think my meet-up buddy** and I did pretty well in terms of seeing the panels we wanted to see.  The heavy hitters for last year were in Hall H on Saturday, and after a wonderful dinner at the Marina restaurant at Marriott next door on Friday night, on a lark we decided to rough it and stay the night in the Hall H camp out line.

**(Dad, because he truly is the best companion for a weekend like this.)

That was easier said than done.

The first few hours (7 to midnight) were fun, as we made idle chitchat with our neighbors, listened to music or watched movies, and someone even passed along extra pizza to whomever might want some.  Then as folks were starting to wind down, Sir Ian McKellen showed up, surprising dozens of bleary eyed, bed/grass-headed folk as they got up to greet him.  I didn't have anything on me that I could've had him sign, so I stood back and watched the spectacle of it all.  Everyone gave Ian and one another space, and plenty of Thank you's and cheers were heard amongst the crowd.

After that spazz-worthy surprise, I decided to drop down next to my Dad and try to get some shuteye.  We both had jeans on, shirts and jackets/hoodies and shared a small blanket I bought at the Marriott (took turns using it, really), but despite that we were shaking during attempts at sleep for most of the overnight hours.  That surprised me because I've camped out in sub freezing temperatures and yet I was chilled to the bone in 50 something degree weather.  We figured it was due to being near the water with dampness in the air and on the ground that made us so cold.  I think the two of us slept a few hours each.  When the sun rose, I grabbed breakfast from a nearby hotel (Dad got free coffee from a neighbor), and we waited in line until around 10:30am before they let us into the building.

Note: We caught some shuteye during a few of the early panels.  I can't believe I zonked out during Silent Hill part 29, but I did.

The highlights of Hall H were Pacific Rim (del Toro's enthusiasm for his work is infectious), the test preview (??) of Godzilla, which had nearly everyone in the Hall screaming with excitement, Iron Man 3 (Robert Downey Jr's entrance, a literal dance from the back to the front of the Hall was priceless), news on what the next Marvel movies would be, and of course, The Hobbit panel.

Sure, we had fun doing other things.  Going to panels, talking to others in line, seeing the setup for the NBC series Grimm outside of the convention center (including a replica of the infamous trailer full of Wesen deterrent and killing weapons, potions and whatnot), that rounded out the long weekend rather nicely.

Now for this year's SDCC, I can tell you with certainty this time that I'm set for the overnight Hall H line, I know what panels I want to see, and who I may want to meet, if they're there.  But I'll give that another month or so, let the adventure happen and tell my tales here once again.

Onto the topic that helps give sense to the name of this post.  Health issues.  I occasionally have them.  My intracranial hypertension comes and goes, forcing me to go through more eye tests and medicine, though for now it seems to be improving.  But this isn't about me.  Oh no...this involves two individuals who in my eyes do pretty well in this area.  Or they did until recently.

Moni, my eldest cat (and a Munchkin aka short-legged kitty) who turns 17 in July has had a tumor on her tummy for a few years.  Hadn't caused any severe problems, and I figured she might not make it if I took her in to have it removed. (She may have been fixed as an adult by her first owners, which upped her chances of tummy tumors and breast cancer.)  She ended up with another tumor (literally in the past week or so) that surfaced and ulcerated (in other words, eww).  I got her in to see my other cat, Josie's vet and within a few days time she had surgery, had the tumors removed (they were cancerous, but hopefully all was removed), and she's such a tough cookie that she survived!  I was worried about her at first due to her age, but now, I feel she's tougher than I thought she was.

And the other individual in this story is...my Dad.  Yeah, I couldn't believe this either.  He's not uber healthy, but he has generally had it good in this department until recently.  He was diagnosed two or so years back with gluten intolerance (my mom's was ruled out, so I know I got my mild version from him).  His is pretty violent.  He can stand cross contamination of wheat, barley and rye, but can't have it literally in his food.  If he does, he ends up doing an imitation of Linda Blair in The Exorcist.  This past week while he was in town (thankfully for Moni's surgery and recovery), he had a day of gluten free food, but got sick shortly before we were to head out for dinner.  So I waited while he was sick, and when I knew he was going to rest I went out to get myself a meal and get him some light food (7-Up and gluten free soup).  I get back, just start to change into pajamas when I hear a knock on the door and my Dad moaning "Jen" in pain.  I open the door, and he has his hand clutched to his chest.

Aww shit, I thought to myself.  And I took action. 

Back into bed he went, and I dialed 911 to get the EMT's to my place.  I begged him to take some aspirin, but he noted he couldn't (due to some medicine he was taking that might interact).  Double damn. And he was getting pale, though thankfully not clammy nor incoherant.  I gave the person on the line my address, Dad's vitals and waited for the paramedics to arrive.  They checked him out, ran an ECG (heart monitor test) and cleared him at that moment, though they recommended because he was still in pain in the center of his chest that we get him checked out.  So that's what we did, but we went to where they recommended first (a local Care center) and they turned us away (possible heart issues should ALWAYS go to the hospital).  So, off to the hospital we went.  I think we got there at 8pm, and just shy of midnight they finally got information to us on lab tests they ran on him.  His heart was looking good, though his white cell count was still up, and his pain lessened but still going.

He ended up spending the night, having a bunch of heart and stress tests done the next day.  It turns out his blood pressure and cholesterol was great.  (He could've told the doctor's that.)  That morning my Grandmother, Mom and I exchanged phone calls, and we were all on the same wavelength.  My Dad likely had his first gallbladder attack.  The doctor overseeing my Dad's care wasn't sure that was the case, and pointed where the gallbladder was.  Now I wasn't even there and heard this later when I picked him up, but I told my Dad the doc was way off, and that gallbladder pain is often in the center of the chest, just a few inches above the bottom of the rib cage.

Since he's cleared his heart as the culprit, before our next vacation (at SDCC) he has orders to go visit his GI doctor and check out that gallbladder of his and anything else in the area.  I'm glad what happened to him wasn't a heart attack, but if it was gallbladder it's going to happen again.  He'll need to form a gameplan with his doctor to either eat the right foods to lessen the likelihood of another attack, take medicine for it (like Josie the cat), or have it removed.

Anywho, tying back to the fragility of paper, I did feel in the past week or two that a few very special individuals were just that.  I was worried that if I touched them they would rip and tear, but then they showed me how much they wanted to overcome their health issue, I supported them and they succeeded.  I'm glad they both did well.

Before the month is up, I hope to chime in on ConGaloosh, a project that has been very near and dear to me and others.  That and other goings on so far for the year.  But for now, it's back to work.

There and Back Again (SDCC 2011 super post)

Like the event in 2009, the San Diego Comic Con has come and gone. Back to the ol' grindstone tomorrow. But for now, big honking place holder in place for my up and coming post, m'kay?
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Alright, one month later, plenty of time to digest the experience, so here it goes:

Looking back on this year's event, I see that the individuals in my group, along with myself had a lot on our wish list of things to see and do. Amongst my list was a hope to see the True Blood panel again, see Guillermo del Toro at one of the discussions he would be at (one was with Jeff Bridges - ack!), maybe score some tickets to see Captain America early, and see and/or meet one of my favorite authors, Jim Butcher (of The Dresden Files) at a panel on books vs graphic novels. Among all those wants, only the last one happened, which was fantastic (he signed book 1 of the series and we spoke briefly...*geek squee*). I think we all learned a good lesson though - pick and our battles choose wisely, and realize we will not get in to see/do everything we want, especially if said happenings are close in time to one another.

Surprisingly, I spent most of the time calming others down when we were in a hurry or waiting (not my brother's favorite past time). I've gotten to a point where I know if it's meant to be, it'll happen, whether I hustle my butt to get somewhere or wait for three hours to get into Ballroom 20 for one panel (which I did on Saturday...Fringe, for someone else in my group).

I'd say the highlights of the journey this year were as follows:
- Getting to nosh on meals at Cafe Diem (a Hard Rock restaurant done over for the tv series Eureka on Syfy) not once, but TWICE. I nicked a pen on the first go around too, though I think everyone else was doing the same. (My apologies to the waitress!)
- Having Conan O'Brien show up at a panel I was merely at (for The Green Lantern animated series). I was waiting for the next one for Falling Skies with my group, and Conan popped in to shamelessly plug his "Flaming C" superhero. I had no idea who the character was until then, but saw a few ladies and gents in costume with big C's on their chest, which did make me wonder what I was missing. Regardless of my being a noob, I enjoyed his hijinks with fans, and the lengths to which he went to get the crowd roaring with laughter.
- Futurama and Family Guy panels - I don't watch Family Guy much at all, but do catch Futurama once in a while, and they happened to have a panel on Saturday (the ENTIRE day spent in Ballroom 20). The Futurama cast was there in full this year, and I was thrilled to hear plenty of Bender and Frye talk. As for Family Guy, all I can say is thank you Seth Green and Kara Vallow for pointing out the gal signing what you were saying (in American Sign Language) to a group of folks at the front of the room. We all now know how to say "dirty hobo penis" in ASL. (And we now know you have warnings on the back of your name cards on your tables up there in reference to "minding the language around the youngins". Ha!) Note - see 3:30 or so into the video link above.
- Seeing part one of the preview for Terra Nova (the future meets the Cretaceous). Why yes, I'll watch the rest of that series. Thanks! (And can I visit Australia sometime, please?)
- TheOneRing.net's panel - It had a lot of news Hobbit fans had seen recently, but they did mention Peter Jackson's latest video blog was out (made for a great treat when I got home), and I got the Lord of the Rings soundtrack. Neato! It kept my dwarvy fetish alive (Hellooo Fili!), yet in check during the con, and encouraged me to start posting on the site (After signing up how many years ago!?).
- Despite feeling a little under the weather Saturday morning, I managed to meet a very nice couple while in the huge line for Ballroom 20, which stretched out clear to the marina and beyond. I didn't catch their names (And I had business cards on me...D'oh!), but know the area they live, so hopefully I can catch them again on the 'net for some chatting about writing. Both are writers, and the gentleman (who looked like Peter Jackson and Francis Ford Coppola had a son) noted his specialty was Fantasy along the lines of Tolkein, which left me intrigued.
- Food closer to where we were staying (Old Town San Diego) was much more plentiful, less crowded, and prices much more reasonable. We decided to get away from the hubub of the post-Con party scene, which was the smart thing to do. Most folks heading out after the Exhibition Hall closed also headed to areas nearest to their hotels, and I'm sure that alleviated any strain on getting around in the Gaslamp Quarter. Must've been a win-win for everyone. (Maybe, just maybe I'll stick around there for a night or two next year and catch a party, or hang at a pub - we shall see.)
- Swag, and a few cool items bought - I got a few die-cast pins from Falling Skies (another show I haven't watched yet), along with a hoodie complete with a very trippy looking alien's harness on the back (Have no clue? IMDB it.) I also came across a booth for a comic called "Two Lumps", about two Russian Blue cats, one smart named Ebenezer, one not-so-much named Snooch. I had to get one of their signature plushes of one of the kitties (Snooch - his face is priceless). I also happened upon a shirt at the Hard Rock's store I could not pass up - it's a Farnsworth on a t-shirt for the series Warehouse 13. I actually saw a suped up, non-working Farnsworth at the QmX booth, but it was $399 or so. My wallet cried, so I bought a Yo-Saf-Brig print instead (Firefly series), because she rocks. Oh, and I nearly missed a faux newspaper for the series Haven (based on the Stephen King novel "The Colorado Kid"). The newspaper is shown in the beginning credits to the show, and I am so thrilled to have picked it up at Cafe Diem that I may frame it.

Things to remember for next year (myself, and YOU, if you happen to attend):
- Pick and choose battles wisely. For me, it will be all about True Blood and The Hobbit, and that's it. Well, unless del Toro shows up and starts talking more about The (new) Haunted Mansion movie. I bet I could make it to all three panels if they were to happen. Although, if buzz about TR3N comes into play...(see, I can't think ahead like this or it all goes kaplooey.)
- If Hall H or Ballroom 20 makes you shudder (Friday or Saturday are the big days for those rooms), have a look at the lineup each day when the SDCC site starts showing that information. If they have a few popular panels early on, plan to GET IN LINE. After said big panels, a lot of folks might head on out of the room, leaving you with a better chance to get in and see what you want to see. (This - is what I should have done on Friday for True Blood. Little did I know that Torchwood was the must see panel that morning, and Ballroom 20 nearly cleared out after that. Now I know better...and will wait patiently in the long-assed line next year.)
- If you or a member of your party has a smart phone, iPad or laptop, use it! Keep up to date on changes for anything you want to do, and take down important information, like where to get your tickets for 2013 during 2012's con, or spur of the moment signings, or where special meetups or viral marketing is going on around the convention center.
- Don't overdo it! I staved off any chance of the dreaded "Con Crud" by eating healthy, getting plenty of sleep every night, taking vitamins (and drinking aloe vera juice - it actually works), and by keeping on an even keel throughout the week. Treat yourself right, and you're sure to have a good time.
- FRAK costumes. With the exception of a Merlotte's waitress outfit, I'll be going as a mild mannered tourist next year. I lost more weight between getting one of my costumes altered and the convention, and it was too big! I didn't uber loathe having the extra room, but when I was roaming the halls, seeing folks in more form fitting wear, I did wish I had something along those lines (showing off my slimming figure...just a little).
- Even the most impatient of con-goers can enjoy something. My brother hated (HATED) waiting, and let me know it several times in as nice a way as he possibly could (he uh, won't be back next year). But he turned his own frown upside-down by finally succumbing to wearing a costume he had packed with him, just in case he had the urge to geek out. He wore it, and ended up in Life online along with many other photo shoots. Yeah, who says you didn't have a good time, little brother. *smirks*

That's it for this year, unless a spur of the moment thought comes up, in which I may blurt it out in a future post. I hope others had as good a time as I did, and will see you all next year!