Geek's Night Out, postmortem

In a word - disappointing.

Probably due to expectations.

Last year, I had none. I wanted to see a TARDIS. I had wanted R come, because he could have had fun with the kids and the STEM stuff. He didn't. So the kids and I went solo, had a blast.

This year, we met a friend there. The kids dressed up - they were pretty snazzy and were stopped many times for photos. I, of course, took none. I kind of dressed up (and one person even recognized who I was supposed to be!).

There was no TARDIS. If there were vendors, I didn't find them. The costume contest that the kids signed up for? As far as I can tell, it never took place. The band ... well, I hate to criticize, given my complete lack of musical ability, but they were really really bad.

We did see a few cool things, some neat costumes. There was a little kid dressed as a Jawa, complete with glowing eyes - that was pretty cool. I managed a few beers, although given that it was AZ Beer Week, it was disappointing that I only got a "normal" beer.

I guess we'll see what next year brings.

... months and months and months later ...

Wow. I think this is a record for blog-ignoring.

Our first big event of 2014 is fast approaching - Geek's Night Out. Last year was amazing, inspiring, and all around really cool. I went for the TARDIS

stayed for the rockin' rendition of The Ballad of Jayne

There was lots of science stuff, Ghostbusters, zombies, storm troopers, Doctors. It was then and there that I decided me MUST go to Comicon, a decision I haven't regretted for one second.

We met lots of Geeks, had a picture of Hello Kitty/Captain America drawn, and basically just had a crap load of fun.

This year promises to be better. The kids are older, more used to this kind of event. It will be warm (F Arizona weather), we are all dressing up (they - Harry and Hermione, me - Kiki), and now we know a few people who are involved.

So it's not quite Comicon, but it's a nice stopgap.

And that's all I've got for now.

On meeting Neil Gaiman (FINALLY!)

 (Photo courtesty of Lighting Octopus, THE best what-to-do-in-Phoenix site EVER)

What? You say I haven't written about the actual meeting of Neil Gaiman, and you are gagging to know what happened? Join the queue!

In a nutshell, it was memorable.

It was also over 2 months ago, so my memory is a little fuzzy, regardless of the memorability of the event.

We got there early. There were probably 100 people already in line, waiting to get in. It was open seating, so regardless of your signing ticket letter (we were "A" - FIRST!), you still had to wait in line to get a seat. So we did. Wait, that is. And wait.

It was an odd day for a Phoenix summer. I don't remember the temperature, exactly, but it was well over 100. Luckily, the event site had tons of shade, so we settled in on the grass and waited. Did I mention the waiting?

My kids, being my kids, garnered a lot of attention. They had brought a gaggle of superhero figures, and were playing Super Hero Squad, or something. Lots of people stopped by. The guy behind us and his son (late 40s and early 20s respectively) started a conversation with them about Marvel vs. DC. The kids didn't know much about DC, but they were stunning in their Marvel knowledge.

Finally, the line moves. In we go. Found seating about 15 aisles back on the aisle, which was perfect. And then, we waited. And waited. Oh, didn't I tell you? There was waiting.

But I josh. It wasn't that bad.

Then, out comes The Author, and he was brilliant.

He made a few jokes, talked a bit about this or that, and then about 10 minutes in, some CHILD started whining. No, not whining, SCREAMING.

So distracting.

Mr. Gaiman stopped what he was doing, and asked if everything was ok out in the audience. How very embarrassing for said child's mother.

So said child's mother picked him up and headed for the nearest exit. Child continues to scream.

The Author acknowledged the situation, saying "Oh, come on, we've all been that parent! We've all been in this situation."

Said child's mother dies of embarrassment.

-FIN

Did you figure out that it was Z making all that racket? Oh, yes, it was. Clearly, I didn't really die, but I was completely mortified.

After a minute out in the hall, Z calmed down, and we returned to our seats. We listened to The Author read from his new kids' book, "Fortunately the Milk" (which was brilliant), he may have read from Ocean, and then the reading was done. The host came on stage, and read a few selected questions, which the audience had handed in on little cards while waiting to get in.
He took 4 questions.
One of them? OURS!
It went something like this.
"We have read that "Ocean" was written in Dallas, and "something else that I can't recall as I'm blogging 2 months later" was written (or inspired) in Florida. Do any of your books have Arizona roots?"
Amazingly, the answer was "yes", and there was a lovely story that followed about the origins of "Stardust". It was a Tucson origin, and I wish I remembered all the details. Ah, apparently, someone does. See another blog here, which I had nothing to do with, obviously. Because there is RUNNING. On Purpose.
And a Geek News Network piece, which also mentions Z's meltdown (I didn't remember that he wasn't the only one) - And this one details the answer beautifully.
And then I died happy.

-FIN

No, not really.

But it was about the end. He took a short break, allowed pregnant women to jump the line, then it was "A" ticket turn. We were 50 or so people back, so yeah, we waited.

There was some confusion over how many books could be signed. I don't remember why. I didn't pull out all my books, we got just 6 signed (I imagine the people behind us are pleased that we didn't get them all signed!). We had a very short exchange with The Author, he was incredibly gracious, although obviously EXHAUSTED. And that was it. And then I died happy.

I wish I had had the energy to write about it closer to when it actually happened. But the fact that I was able to bring A and Z with me to meet one of the best authors EVER (high praise!) meant the world to me.

It has been an otherwise incredibly eventful summer, starting with Phx Comicon, and ending, today I suppose (Labor Day). I am working again, I am (mostly) not sick any more, the kids and I are (still) moving in to a great little place, and things are good. Great, even. I expect there will be an entry or two coming up.

Oh, as an interesting end note. I have not yet finished "Ocean". WHAT??? I know. Crazy. I had to force myself to put it down before the reading, as I love hearing an author read his own work for the first time, and then I started back to work, and haven't had time to breathe, much less read anything longer than a text.

But as we get settled, as I finish up on commitments I overscheduled myself for, as peace reigns over the chaos of the past year... it is first on my list. And for the first time in a very long time, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it is Gaiman-colored.

BTW, pictures of the event can be found on my memory card, which I am not up for finding amongst the boxes right now. Check out those other two blogs, their pics are better anyway.

On meeting NeilHimself

There is much afoot in my world these days. The most anticipated  is that I finally, for the first and probably last time, get to meet NEIL GAIMAN, oh my god! And thanks to being observant for once in my life, I managed to get "A" signing tickets!

I have been a huge fan since reading "Good Omens" a million years ago. I had been a Pratchett fangirl before that, but man, that book is so freaking good, it sent me into the arms of Gaiman.

And man oh man, has it been an adventure. I loved him before I loved Doctor Who, and then I loved Doctor Who, and he created one of the most beautiful creatures ever.

  

I will probably not have anything interesting, clever, memorable or all that intelligent to say to him. I will probably squeak a little. He will be kind and generous and will not at all act as though there are 1,300 people behind me that he also needs to be kind and generous to before he can call it a night.  He will say something interesting, clever, memorable and very intelligent to me. He will compliment my kids. He will, wearily I imagine, sign my books, but he will do it with a smile on his face.

Oh yeah, I'm bringing the kids. This pretty much guarantees that my few seconds of NeilHimself will be spent trying to corral Thing #2, or wake up Thing #1. But here's my secret: I don't mind one little bit. We will be in the presence of greatness, and I will make sure they remember. They love him for Blueberry Girl, Crazy Hair, Chu's Day - I can't wait to introduce them to The Graveyard Book, Ood and the Frost Giants, Coraline, Good Omens... They will read these books having met The Author, and, I think, that will make those books so much MORE for them.

And making things MORE for my children- I guess that's what it's all about.

There is really no reason for this photo, just that The Author looks so dreamy.

He won't remember the times I Twitter bombed him. I will always remember the few times that one of my tweets got his attention - one for Ada Lovelace day, one for a cake version of a Coraline character, and I think there was one other, so I guess I can't say I will ALWAYS, but anyway. It's hugely exciting to get an email that says "Neil Gaiman has retweeted one of your tweets" - because DUDE, the man must get thousands of mentions a day, so how cool that one or two or probably three of mine were interesting enough for him to share with his 1,866,500 followers.

I will be honest. I have not read every Gaiman book. That is not due to lack of interest. It is due to wanting it to last. To always have at least one Gaiman book to still read. I have done the same with Terry Pratchett and John Irving, because I can't imagine not having one of their books to look forward to. Life is weird, strange things happen. So I keep their books, unread, nearby as a bit of a comfort that there will always be a bit of them that I haven't discovered.

Some day I will finish the collected works. But this week, I get a few seconds of NeilHimself to myself, and it will be glorious. And I won't blink.

Take me out to the ball game!

Know what we're doing today?

....
....
.....
......

We're going to the D-backs game!

This is something that we did a lot last year. We did Spring Training, regular season, and Fall League games. It was awesome. But thanks to the Epstein Barr, I missed all of Spring Training, and now we're almost into July and we haven't been to a single game yet.

Last game of the year, 2012

Fall League, 2012 - Salt River Stadium

A's summer "camp" is going on a field trip to the game today, and Z and I are taking the day off to go too. We got crazy good seats on StubHub, 1st base box, for almost free.

It will be interesting to see how much Z has matured. He really loved going last year, but was easily distracted. I think that this year, he's more interested in the mechanics of the game, as well as the whole experience.

A will be sitting with her friends, but I think they are only 2 sections over, so we'll pop by and see how she's handling the game. I'm pretty sure that since she'll be with her crazy friends, it'll be more like a playdate than an actual "enjoy the game" day. But that's fine, that's what being 6 is all about.

.... and, do I dare say it .... my old boss emailed me today about a "possible opportunity."

The world works in mysterious ways.

Taking kids to Comicon - a newbie's thoughts

So. You want to take your kids to Comicon. Here's how to do it.

DON'T!!

Ah, no, just kidding. The kids were really the best part. Seeing their reaction to all the people in costume was as good as Disneyland. Seriously.

So, what we did that worked:

(Edited 5/7/2013 to add:

• Wear comfortable shoes. Want to dress up like Jessica Rabbit? Forgo the heels. Find a pair of sensible red flats. They can still be fabulous. Or better yet? Red Converse. Converse make every outfit just a tiny bit cooler.
• If there are actors, writers, artists, etc. that you are interested in, research their previous Comicon appearances. If they are anything like John Barrowman or Wil Wheaton, you WILL want to have your picture taken with them if the opportunity presents itself.
• As I stress later, with kids in tow, unless they are mindless zombies, newborns that sleep 20 hours a day, or those rare magical angels who are always compliant, it is possible that you will pay for your photo-op, get into the ridiculous line, and then watch your child have a total meltdown. Be flexible. Find out if refunds are available if you are unable to do the photoop. 
• With all that stated, have fun with it! Some of these guys are NUTS, and it will be SQUEEE! worthy to have a picture of you with Captain Jack leering at you, grabbing your ass, or hell, you grabbing his. How often do you get to grab John Barrowman's ass?
• HOWEVER- not all people taking photos will allow you to grab their ass. Hence the "Do your research" statement above.
• On second thought, I would not grab anyone's ass unless you have a signed, notarized document indemnifying you from all future legal action.
• Maybe that's just the lawyer in me. Or the skeptic.)

• Bring food. I don't know how it works in other cities, but in Phoenix, the food that was available at the convention center was overpriced, crummy and hard to get (crowded). Except for frozen yogurt on two occasions, we mainly ate what we brought. We didn't really plan well, or rather, I didn't follow through on my plan well, but what was needed was:
• Water bottles. There were water coolers all over the place. I lugged a ton of water and Vitamin Water with me, and I'm not sure that was necessary. It was nice to have the Vitamin Water for the flavor, but I think we could have made do with water from the coolers, and had less to carry. Since so many drink makers now have those little portable flavor packets, maybe pack some of those for some variety.
• Peanut butter sandwiches in non-squashable containers. For my kids, a necessity. Take your pick on something substantial that doesn't weigh a lot but that will fill everyone up and pack it up. Make sure it won't get squashed if it's rolling around in a bag or backpack that is getting thrown all over the place, because your bags WILL get thrown all over the place.
• Granola bars, protein bars, LARA bars, etc- These were the easiest, most sensible thing to bring. I will admit to being very sick of LARA bars after the fourth day, but they did the job.
• If you can, stay at the host hotels.
• I know this isn't feasible for most people, but if you can, you've got a place to run to for a quick rest, quick shower, quick dip in the pool. You will need it after a few hours in the morning, and you will be refreshed for the afternoon/evening.
• If you cannot, still try to figure out some time and a place to get away from it all and REST. Seriously, this is full sensory overload on every possible level. Go somewhere else for lunch. Find a quiet place to read a book with your kids (load books onto your phone if you need to). Many of the rooms are empty every now and then- grab one of them for fifteen minutes.
• Do it ALL! 
• Ok, this worked for *us*, but truthfully, probably not for most people. We did all four days, in a fashion, because we needed to. We needed the escape. Possibly for our first time, just one or two, maybe three days would have been better. But I will say that there were things every single day that I can't imagine missing out on, so I would not do it any differently.
• Plan ahead!
• Phoenix Comicon has a brilliant app called Conquest, where you could look at all the panels, parties, etc. and add them to your schedule. It didn't occur to me at first to double-, triple-, and quadruple- book, so at first I was trying to decide between several panels or groups or whatever that appealed. Then I decided- screw it, I'm just adding them all, I'll decide when we get there. That ended up being the most brilliant idea, because a vital key to doing Comicon with kids is:
• BE FLEXIBLE
• Unless your kids are cyborgs that you have programmed to be perfectly compliant, chances are they are going to do one or more (or all) of the following: get tired, get hungry, get thirsty, get angry, decide they MUST have a balloon animal even if the line is 50 people deep, get sad, refuse to leave Captain America's side, get scared, have a meltdown, have an epic meltdown, run away, steal a Dalek, undress in public, scream loudly at inappropriate times, pull a fire alarm, regenerate into the 12th Doctor.
• Because of the above, you kind of have to go with the flow. Really wanted to see John Barrowman's panel, where he ended up hopping for joy, flashing his Batman underwear, and twerking?  Bummer. The kids wouldn't get dressed. (Looks like Captain Jack had the opposite problem...)

• But you know what? Because we missed that panel, we were able to go to the kid's fashion show (because the kids did, eventually, get dressed), which ended up being one of our favorite bits of the weekend. So it just goes to show - double, triple, quadruple book, you never know when you might need something different to do.

    

• Dress up
 




• I won't take a guess at the percentage of people who dress up. But it is high. And you know what? It is fun! Not just for the kids, but for everyone. Plan a little, be clever. Do some research. Be a little different. Help your kids with their costumes. Encourage them to be in character. Call them by their character names. Have fun with it. 
• Ask people if they will take photos with your kids/you. You will see crazy, awesome costumes. Most people are pretty proud of what they've come up with, and the really dedicated ones know they will be asked for photos. So be polite, ask. I wasn't turned down once. We got great pictures. If you want to take a picture of someone by themselves, if you can, ask. Especially if it's a kid.
•  

  

  Yes, that *is* an 8-foot tall Wookie. Seriously, you had to see it to believe it.

• Talk to the Super Heroes!
• If your kids have any interest at all in super heroes, find them and talk to them. As far as I can tell, every Comicon has at least one group, usually two (one Marvel and one DC) that does in-character cosplay. These were huge highlights for my kids. We must have visited both of these booths 2-3 times a day every day but Sunday.
• Don't like Super Heroes? How about Star Wars? Star Trek? Doctor Who?
• There were, at the very least, panels with cosplayers in character. I don't know if they were at booths on the exhibition floor in character, but I would be surprised if they weren't. This is just magic to a kid.
• Be nice to the volunteers
• These guys (and girls), in varying amounts, do a crap load of work to make sure that these things go off as smoothly as possible. Remember, they are just fans, too. They do what they are doing for the love of doing it. Tell them how much you are enjoying yourself. Be specific, if they are working something specific that you love. Most of the people I talked to who were working were so nice, so kind, would take the time to compliment the kids, etc. They were lovely.
• Don't be snotty. I witnessed a lot of that, and it made me sad. It was crowded. The volunteers did the best they could with what they had, and I'm not sure the attendees appreciated that.
• That said, I did witness some reverse snottiness, but I will chalk that up to utter exhaustion on the part of the volunteers.
• Be nice to security.
• There were bag checks. There were prop-gun safety checks. Sometimes the lines were long. People were irritated and angry about this. Some of you know how I feel about it, given my overseas time- If I have to stand in line for an hour, and it ensures that my kids and I are safe, I will do it with a pained grin on my face.
• Basically- shut up about it. Take a minute to thank them for being vigilant. I am not neurotic, but you never know. And in a place where 25,000 people are walking around with play guns, the potential for one idiot to bring in a real one? Luckily, so far, so good, but again, better safe than sorry.

 Things we didn't do that I would like to do

• Take some time to just watch. Find a spot. You'll know it after the first day or so. On the busiest day (Saturday, usually), plant yourself and watch. Make it a picnic. Be ready to jump up and ask for pictures. Maybe do this a couple of times, once in the morning and once in the late afternoon. There are amazing people to see, and you will miss a LOT of it if you are herding kids. And, more importantly, the kids will miss a lot.
• If you can go on the first day, spend time on the exhibitor's floor. It is the least crowded that day, the people are the least busy. 
• I did not take advantage of this, although we were there on Thursday. We were a little in awe of the whole thing and didn't really realize just how MUCH more crowded it would get (a TON). I loved Thursday, though, and will continue to try to make Preview Day. It was relatively quiet, uncrowded, laid back. Perfect for first-timers, and I think it helped us get our feet wet.
• Regardless, if your kids let you, spend time on the exhibitor's floor.
• Do your research, map out booths you might like to see. 
• We lucked out and ran into Adam Rex, completely unbusy, and got a one-of-a-kind drawing for a ridiculously low donation to the Red Cross because he was probably just trying to fill his time. I wish we had gone back and asked for something more original than we had. I understand that this was not a one-off, that lots of artists were doing similar things. Many for free! And free is cool.
• There are about a billion and a half things to buy. Do or do not, it is up to you. We did not, but oh, that life-sized blow-up TARDIS....

The BAD

You, 50,000 geeks in costume, your kids... what could possibly go wrong?

• For us- Z is high energy. He pushes boundaries. He is impatient. But I will say that for all that, there were few real problems. Two times, he bolted. Once on the first day in the exhibitors hall, when we were looking at the booths (and truthfully, if we were in a store shopping, I wouldn't consider it a "bolt", more of a "meander over to another aisle", but given the situation, it was nerve wracking). The second time was when we were in line to get drinks at the Doctor Who party, so it was a closed room. It was a little dark, so that was frightening for a minute, but someone found him wandering right away, and brought him back. Amazingly, both kids stayed with me the rest of the time.
• Exhaustion- Obviously, four days of high stimulation anything leads to exhaustion. We probably didn't take breaks at the right times, so we were all a little tired and crabby at the end of every day, and at various points throughout.
• Hunger - We also didn't stop to eat our provisions when we should have. The kids would swear they weren't hungry, and I believed them. Then suddenly they would start melting down, and I would realize that it was 2 hours after normal lunch.

Maybe I'm forgetting something or somethings, but I really can't remember other issues.

When all is said and done, Comicon was an amazing experience for us. Me, I am still in a post-Comicon haze, wishing it wasn't over.

Here's to Phoenix Comicon 2014!

Phoenix Comicon, Part 5- Reflections

Part 1- Build Up
Part 2- Our Costumes
Part 3- Panels
Part 4- The People

So. After all is said and done, the takeaway is? I don't know. It was fun. Awesome. Exhausting. Infuriating (at times). Seriously cool. Ridiculous. Pick a label, it was that. All packed into the hours of 4:30 p.m. Thursday, May 23 to about 2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 26.

I understand that many people go for only one day their first time. That would not have worked for us. For me. There was just too much to see, to do, to take in. I can't operate that way if I don't have to, and I was fortunate that this time around, I didn't have to. I probably should have, but chose not to.

My expectations, going in, were to connect with a group or groups of people who were into some of the same things I (we) are into. That didn't really happen, but I am not altogether disappointed, because really, there's no earthly way I could have spent any more time networking with the kids there (and if the kids weren't there? I probably would have hid in a corner and just watched - can we say INTROVERT! Kids are a great shield.)

Also, going in, I knew it was going to be a chore. I knew it was going to be harder for me than for most, because of this stupid illness. Had I done this four months ago with the same kids, it would have been tiring, but not as overwhelming. But being sick every second of every day for going on three months has played havoc on my mind and body, obviously, not to mention the realities of four days of extreme exertion with fevers, body aches, exhaustion and KIDS!

That being said, I wish we could fly to Denver tomorrow for their Comicon and do it all over again this weekend!

Tucson has a Comicon in ... the fall sometime. We will try to go, but it won't be the full out extravaganza of Phoenix. There are some mini-Cons, even one in Mesa I think. We'll see.

I realize I am setting the kids up for full geekdom, but let's face it. The odds were always stacked that way anyway. The good news is that with me as their role model, they have a fighting chance to be geek chic instead of ... well, troglodyte geek. Not that I can see either of them going down that road, but you just never know. :)

And now, I'm calling it a wrap. For a while, anyway.

Part 6 - Doing Comicon with Kids, HOW TO, coming up sometime