My Comic-Con 2011 Top Ten

  I went to Comic-Con for my second time and this time I went for the whole shebang, four days of craziness. I got to do many things and had lots of fun. Some people say I have something called the luck of the Dempseys. I don't believe in luck, I think that I just have really great things happen to me a lot. Even the bad stuff often turns out to be good. But after this weekend, I have to wonder about the effects of a certain hat I wore and the amazing things that happened while I wore it.

10) We got to see so many amazing panels: Twilight, Chuck, Fringe (with a charming and living Joshua Jackson), Castle, Eureka, Merlin, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog sing along, what's hot in young adult fiction, diversity in young adult fiction (where I got to meet and talk with an author I had read recently), two tv premiers: Terra Nova and Alcatraz, and TV Guide's fan favorites with a smorgasbord of celebrities. That may not seem like much, but with 2-3 hours of waiting for each panel, that's quite a lot to accomplish. And except for the Doctor Who panel, that was everything I wanted to see! Well, I did miss Psych :( but I happened to see the main actor from that show while I was in line for the bathroom and that counts for something.

9) I got interviewed while waiting in line for Twilight. I made some references as to how I thought that some members of the panel might be more coherent than others (implying that Kristen Stewart wouldn't be so clear). That got a laugh, but I think I won't make the extras on the DVD, not like the girls screaming Twilight!  I also got to meet Nikki Reed and speak with her (she had a main role in the film). We had excellent seats during the panel, got to see some sneak peaks of some scenes in the film, and heard some good questions and answers including some surprisingly insightful answers from Kristen Stewart.

8) I made many line buddies. You see, half of comic con is just waiting in lines. I mean like sitting down for 3 or more hours waiting to see a panel of people or a movie screening. And when you are sitting in line for so long, you start to make friends with the people around you. And since most of them are nerds like you, you are bound to have things in common. Things like: the Hunger Games is a great book, or David Tennant is the best Doctor, or whether or not Harry Potter will be considered a classic years from now. Also while waiting in line, you get to see lots of interesting costumes. It is a people watching haven!

7) I got to see the Doctor. Doctor Who? Yes. Matt Smith was on a panel with a whole bunch of other great people including Zachary Levi (from Chuck) and Jorge Garcia (Hurley from Lost). He was floppy haired and beautifully British. He was charming, but not David Tennant, but still charming. My friend works for comic con this year and he found out that I liked Dr. Who. I had to miss the main Dr. Who panel, but he said he might be able to get me in to a private signing with the cast!!! He tried to get me in, but by the time I got the text saying that I could come, I was about 2 blocks away and on the wrong floor. I ran through the crowds wearing my huge backpack, which I had just filled with 6 books I had bought (or received for free) on the main exhibition floor. At one point my backpack opened up and books spilled out. People helped me pick them up and I carried them in my arms as I ran down the hall. I got to the door and just missed them. But at least I was several feet from the Doctor himself.

6) The Chuck panel was amazing. It is the last season of the show, a show that was first screened at comic con and basically got its start and support and sustenance from the nerds there. We got free shirts as we entered (after waiting in line for 2 or 3 hours). They showed fun clips and Jeffster sang. They were super funny and entertaining. But the best part was at the end as Chuck (I mean, Zachary Levi) was speaking about why he loves comic con and how he feels about the end of his show. He started to speak about how much he loves the people of comic con and his fans and he started crying...like all manly yet choked up. And then the whole crowd just stood up and started clapping and continued clapping for several minutes. I love overly sentimental moments and this was a great one.

5) So here is one way the hat became magical. You see, last year, my friend wanted a hat from a show called Firefly. It was a sci-fi show that had a short run and a huge following. One of the gruffest characters (played by Adam Baldwin on Chuck) got a hat in one episode from his mother. Now fans of the show wear these yellow, orange, and red knitted hats to show their love for the show. They were selling them for $30 each last year and I told my friend I could make them for $10. I ended up making 4 of them (at a cost of about $10 each) and we wore them at panels where members of the cast were presenting. I was wearing the hat after the Castle panel with Nathan Fillion. A girl came up to me and handed me one of the the tickets we got during the panel. Hers had a special stamp on the back that meant you could go meet the cast at a signing! She gave it to me because I had on the hat that said I was a true fan! I gave it to my friend because she's a truer fan than I am and it would mean more to her.

4) We went to dinner at a restaurant near the convention center. I did not want to wear my hat at this fancy place, but it started to get cold and we were outside, so I put it on. One of my friends noticed an actress from the show, Firefly, was walking right in front of the restaurant. I got up and stood on the sidewalk as she passed. She looked at me, smiled and asked, "Would you like a picture?" Her husband took two pictures of us and they were so nice. I thanked them for allowing us to interrupt their evening and told her I thought she was great.

3) While crossing the street and still wearing my hat I looked at the handsome man walking toward me and threw off my sunglasses while shouting, "You're Nathan Fillion!!", yes, I'm cool like that. He said, "I like your hat," to which I replied, "I do too and you're awesome!" I would have asked for a picture, but we were in the middle of the street and he wasn't stopping.

2) My friend who works at comic con gave my friend a text during the Twilight panel: if you leave now, you can come to a private signing with the Twilight cast. We left right then and ran to where he told us to go. We waited while the workers told us if we got out our phones, cameras or pens or asked for a hug or anything but smile we would be asked to leave. Then we entered the room and met the big three: Taylor Lautner, Rob Pattinson, and Kristen Stewart. Taylor was first and he asked me how I was as he signed my poster. I responded with my usually over excited positivity and he said and I quote, "I like your energy" ha! Rob Pattinson was a little strange but even with a half shaven head, was still good looking. I felt bad about bad mouthing Kristen Stewart earlier, especially as she had actually done a really great job on the panel. So I told her I thought she had some great things to say on the panel and she thanked me and smiled and now I take back half of the things I said about her.

1) And now the most magical of all. I forgot to bring my lunch from the hotel to the convention center. One of my friends was leaving later and she promised to bring it to me. She was in a ballroom far away from the panel we were waiting for. One of my friends waited in line for me while I ran across the street to meet my other friend with the lunch. I was wearing my hat, despite the heat, mostly because I had hat hair. As I was crossing back across the street, I started to walk around a group of people walking the perpendicular direction. I looked and saw that it was Morgan from Chuck! As if I was pushed in a current of a stream, I started walking sideways the wrong direction so that I was in front of him and then I noticed Awesome from Chuck! I finally started walking the right direction (with them instead of backwards in front of them) and said, "I loved your panel, it was awesome!" Captain Awesome gave me a thumbs up and a thanks and a beautiful smile and then I heard from behind, "You've gotta be pretty brave to wear that had in public," and I turned around to see Adam Baldwin himself, the man whose character originated my hat. I turned into goo, incoherent, bumbling goo. "I've always wanted to see you while wearing this hat!" I so eloquently replied. He gave me a hug and asked for my name and said, "We're off to have burgers at the Hard Rock," I don't remember what I said next except it involved stupid words and lots of smiling. I didn't get a picture (another walking in the street thing), but I thought that was the coolest thing to say to a fan and it certainly made my comic-con.

              So we have tickets for next year (which required us to wait in another 3 hour line) and although I am exhausted and thrilled with my time there, I don't know how next year can top the amazing things that happened this year. I'll be sure to bring my hat and the luck of the Dempseys.

Good and Bad

           As I was brushing my teeth tonight, I realized that I still hadn't rescheduled my appointment for my teeth cleaning. I then thought about how bad I am at rescheduling appointments. I then thought about how I needed to wash my car and change the oil and how bad I am about that. I then thought about blogging about how bad I am at things, but that's a little too negative for me so I thought I'd intersperse some things I am good at so I can counterbalance the negativity.

Bad thing 1: Rescheduling appointments...or even scheduling appointments. I like hanging out with people who are my friends. I don't like hanging out with people who hurt me by poking at my teeth and then charge me money for it.

Good thing 1: I'm really good at hanging out with my friends.

Bad thing 2: I'm really bad at selecting a professional to do some job and then feeling confident about my choice. That means I stick with a bad mechanic or dentist just because the idea of having to choose someone else is far more repellent than the state of staying with the bad one I already have. I guess that means I'll never choose divorce...

Good thing 2: I'm really loyal.

Bad thing 3: I am messy. I try to deny it and hold on to the false hope that I am not a messy person, but I am. I don't like to make my bed and if my laundry basket is full I just leave my clothes where they land until I get down to doing laundry.

Good thing 3: I don't ever make people feel bad about having to clear off their front seat so I can sit on the passenger side.

Bad thing 4: I am horribly forgetful. I think it has to do with the fact that I try to do too much and then I don't sleep that much and my brain doesn't work well. I remember stupid and potentially unimportant details like the fact that the kid I saw at the picnic had a black Nintendo DS he carried in his left hand, while I cannot remember his name.

Good thing 4: I also forget the bad things, so if you do something bad and then apologize and I say, "It's forgotten," I really mean that in the literal sense.

Bad thing 5: I hate calling businesses on the phone. I am always afraid that they will ask me questions to which I don't know the answer or I will feel the pressure to answer before I've had time to think it through and balance all of the pros and cons. I don't know if I want two medium pizzas for the price of one large...what's the cost per piece difference? Is there a volume difference per slice? Would a more accurate question be a cost per ounce analysis? And then I have to decide about toppings for the second pizza and I don't know if everyone wants pepperoni. Would someone else besides me eat the Hawaiian? Too much stress.

Good thing 5: I love providing people with food, whether I make it or order it.

Well, now you know. I am filled with imperfections and I'm sure you know of others, but these are the five I felt comfortable sharing. Please don't think less of me.