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elderwittyAfter debating whether we really wanted to get up early to see the SG:(F)U folks at breakfast, I decided that - no, I didn't, but I did want breakfast. Wake up call arranged, room darkened, time for sleep. Jenn fell asleep in roughly 43 seconds. I resented this mightily ... for about 16 seconds, at which point, I fell out, too. I mean, really, how dare she fall asleep so f...[snore] :D
Awake again, I for breakfast and Jenn for -- hanging out with Kath and Sue, I think. Down to the dessert party room for the continental breakfast. Sad, as I had a hanker for baccy-eggy. Oh, well. Got my fruit, mystery muffin, and juice, and headed toward a table with three people at it. Oops! Elyce and friend headed that way. I sheared off to a table with four adults and two kids,
Most of them con vets but the little old lady on the other side of the empty chair to my left. The guy (and wandered-off wife) had been many times, but it was the kids' first. His wife reappeared and took the formerly empty chair to my right - I thought nothing of it...'til Elyce came over and sat in the empty chair just to my left. Totally wasted on me! (Show-wise, anyway.) The boy kid (10-12) was very interested - he doesn't watch the show, but he's not blind, either. Shame he didn't get to get closer. She is very pretty. She talked about how it was too early, and thank god for coffee. Just as she started to ask where we're from, I looked right - as if I'd been called, so that she'd start on her left. Yeah for plan! By the time the rest of the table'd answered, her minder was tapping her to move on. So they did. The marrieds discussed how he was the strictest guard, and would get really stroppy if his charge didn't move right along. You know, try to finish a conversation, that sort of nonsense. I asked what he'd do, throw her over his shoulder? They wouldn't be surprised. This led to discussion of the red-shirt handler, and how he was the nicest of the bunch. I didn't make the connection at the time, but I concur. (He was the one with David the night before.)
More convo, mostly about the wife's having been poached from her current boss by a very-much-higher-up boss. Funny stuff! Since they'd mentioned being from Chicago, I asked how to go to the Museum without using the El, since that would be huge backtracking for me. Well, you can always just park downtown...for about $36. !!! Plus admission to the place. !!! Or, wait - they have their own parking garage, and they seem to recall that it's not a bad deal. Okay, something for the concierge to look into for me later. (Hey, at these prices? I'm using every service they've got on tap. :grin: )
Brian Smith sits down to my left. (I still didn't see this coming.) It's okay, I'll just sit here quietly (Stop laughing, everyone who's ever met me!) and say nothing about his show that I've never seen but still manage to resent deeply. :> So Brian looks around, then focuses on me. For, like, five seconds - which is a looooong time. "Haven't we met?" "Uh, I don't think so. And we didn't go to high school together, either. I get that all the time," I say with a big smile. He's still looking - "At the last con, maybe?" "This is my first con, so I'm pretty sure...no." "Huh." He finally seems to shake it off, and turns and asks where everyone is from. They're answering, and I'm wondering what my doppelganger did to make such an impression. :D People admire his John Deere gimme cap, and then his time was up, and he moved on. Seems like a nice young man, and mention was made that he brought his mom to the con with him.
Husband laughed about the high school thing. I assured him that I do, indeed, get that all the time. It seems that there was one of me assigned to every high school everywhere, every year, for a while there. We get to talking about Jenn's action figures, he mentions stopping something, and I suggest he use his set to make a stop-motion film for next year's con. And he even has a year to learn how. "Oh, god, don't get him started!" says Wife. "He's a graphic artist - he's halfway to knowing how already." So, instead, I instigated her to write the plot for his video. :smirk:
Alaina is the last one left, and we're the last table. I was enjoying the convo, and didn't want to hop up and leave while she was walking towards us. It's not the actors' fault that their showrunners are dicks. :D She's also very pretty. And very, very skinny. Her first question was, "So, where are you guys from?" (Do we see a pattern? :P ) She's the only one, however, how asked how we're liking the show. The other couple at the table, who've been mostly talking amongst themselves when the celebs weren't there, gave their opinions. Air? was so complex, with the stones and flashbacks, that it was hard to understand and get into, but it's been much better since then. Alaina said that, yeah, as it was three hours (was that the pilot?), there was a lot of plot stuck in there, but that we should hang in, because this season there was less of the stones use, so it was more straightforward. They then asked if her character was pregnant, or was she? It was her, and very nice of the show to write it in. Her third. My skinny-girl-resentment-factor about blew the scale when she said he'd been born in November. Last year. And she's back to twig already! But then, our time was up, and she fixed that by asking her guy if she could grab some food to take to the meet and greet, and then piled her plate. Okay, she eats - all is well. (Although I'm not sure why I should resent a freakish metabolism less than a strong workout ethic, but - whatever.)
Back to the room to pack our stuff. While in the room, called the concierge for info on Museum parking. They weren't sure, thought they had the best deal in the area, and gave me a number to call for rates. I figured I'd look it up on the website...concierge had read me word for word what the site said. :P And at $2.00/"free" local call - the art went out the window. (Next year the plan will be better executed.) Went down to the lobby to hang out. Met some folks who were asked to move away from the Meet and Greet room, due to their gales of laughter at the announcement, And a special guest today - Brian's mom! It seems that he's not 22, as I'd thought, but 29. And his mom goes on the attack whenever his show is criticized. Okay, maybe not so sweet that he'd brought her. Comparing photos, when one on Jenn's screen caught my eye. "Ooh, that's good. Did I get that one?" (at the squee party) :a look: "You took that one." Huhhuh-Der! What? I'm not good that early in the day! (noonish)
A fairly strange stranger had plopped down among us, so Jenn suggested we go get food (somewhere we could all sit). Good suggestion. Off to concierge for directions and we set off. Turns out where we're planning to go is too far, so we end up at the Italian place that's right here. Good choice - the food was good, and they didn't mind our Mirth and Merriment table antics. These included: instigating them to dress a Rodney doll in the Cupid outfit and present it to him during Q&A at Dragon!Con. This morphed to a Ken doll with Rodney's head, since Ken's clothes come off. Then the girl who did it was going to deny that it had been her, while getting David to autograph their photo op from that day. :D This became a plan to wear a Dr. Who shirt "If you'd like to talk about time travel, meet me last Tuesday" while claiming that this was her first con, and the photo was from her fifth. "And, David, you still look fabulous!" Sadly, all was for nought, as David had to pull out, but the hilarity in the moment was epic.
Back to the hotel, and more chat. Then I got on the road for home (making sure to have beaucoup change for the tolls). About halfway there, my brain started going, "Why didn't you tell David the rest of the reason for choosing that photo? When he asked, 'Why?', you should've had a better reply." And that was that for the rest of the trip. My brain and I worked on a poem to explain, not only the non-standard non-headshot/non-t shirt option, but why this photo for that person. Here's the summary: when I hit upon the idea, and opened the folder, the basket jumped out at me. It always does, as it's one of my favorite photos of one of my favorite art objects. It's cool, funky, quirky, a little off, and a bit angular. So, naturally, that's David Hewlett's photo-equivalent. See? Joe's water lilies, the first pic I picked, has no such straightforward connection in my head. Jenn posits that it's the hair. I'd hate to think that my mental process was ever that glaringly obvious, but it could be so. Rachel is the calm of the pergola shadows, and Jason is big happy yellow flowers. Yeah, I don't really get that one, either, but everyone who saw it agreed with the assessment. I choose to believe they weren't just humoring me. :>
Rachel's photo..............................................................................Jason's photo
So, anyway - the poem explaining the non-standard photo of a fruit basket.
(Which I've left outside the cut, because I want all to see, so they may fear its might. Obviously. :> )
The Chicago Con Autograph Oddity
A Twitter Poem, by lisa
You signed my basket photo asking, “Why?”
“Because it’s cool,” was my reply
And, that's true enough, as far as it goes
But it’s ‘funky’ and ‘quirky’, too, Heaven knows
Files open – all my photos on view
That’s the one most reminds me of you
My camera, your hand
Wasn't that a winning plan?
While I waited in the line
My mental processes were fine
But thoughts once cogent quickly queered
As the interaction neared
My Sharpies clutched, my answers pat
All forgotten – just like that
So I rattled off some patter
That, in the end, seemed mostly natter
and walked away, slightly dazed
(Undoubtedly seeming completely crazed)
Thus, this effort to explain
What the *hell* goes on inside my brain
I hope this makes the matter clear
And perhaps I’ll see you again, next year
But to that end - a small request
Which of these would suit you best?
I frequent Garden, Museum, & Zoo
Which would most appeal to you?
There are flowers, animals, & art
In other words; pretty, dumb, or smart
Pick the one that does you suit
And I’ll go on a photo shoot
Please don’t think that I’m a stalker
I am just a lengthy talker
Plus, the drive from Chi to home
Gave me time to write this poem
Now let me end on praise un-fulsome
David Hewlett, *how* are you SO awesome?!
Got home. Unpacked. Started laundry. Called Walter, who was working overnight, and was convinced to post poem @David on Twitter. It didn't take much effort on his part. It took eleven open windows, all with a portion of the poem ready, so that I could hit Go on them all quickly, in the hope that there'd be no other person's tweet in the middle of my poetry. All went to plan, except the bit where I did them Number One - Number Eleven. I was supposed to do it in reverse order, so that it read from top to bottom on his Twitter feed (and mine). Oh, well. I'd been awake for 20 hours at that point, is my excuse. :grin: And I'm sure it got buried in the avalanche of disappointment when he pulled out of Dragon!Con, just a few hours later.
Well, that's it. Perhaps by the time the next con rolls around, I'll have recovered from this one. :D
Thought process for today: I'll write up Sunday's con report. It can't take longer than 20 minutes or so, as not much happened. OMG - I'M GOING TO BE LATE FOR WORK!!!!! (So, same as every other day, then - just insert different activity.) (I wasn't late, btw - I'm almost always only almost late.)
Sunday con report
Date: 2010-09-15 07:47 am (UTC)I choose to believe that it was drowned in sad Dragon!Con-ers Twitter wails. :D
Either way, it's okay. It's nice to find out that there's stuff like that rolling around in my brain, just waiting for something to shake it loose.