DragonCon 2010 Brain Dump part the Second
Sep. 8th, 2010 11:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
puppetmakerWhich I am going to put most of under a cut to save your eyeballs. I have a feeling this one is going to be a long one.
Thursday-In which we get to DragonCon and settled in
We got in and we were lucky enough to get our room really early. We got our bags up to our room and Peter finished writing a project that he needed to finish before he took a well-deserved nap. I took Caroline to my folks’ house where she was going to spend a couple of days with them. After a nice visit with my parents, I headed back to the convention.
On my way over to the Sheraton, I ran into my pal Regina who was going to the same place as I. With her was John Ringo who I hadn’t seen in while. We all caught up on news and stuff while walking. I do enjoy the walk and talk that happens quite often at DragonCon. I got our badges and headed back to the room running into various folks I know as I went.
I got my badges so quickly, I had about 45 minutes before I could get into the Art Show. So what is a good thing to do with an extra 45 minutes on a Thursday at DragonCon? Give blood. I have been giving blood since I was 16 years old. Out of the numerous times I have given blood, I have only had two bad experiences which is pretty good. Unfortunately this was one of the two. Both times I think it was because I was a little dehydrated so blood does not flow easily. They got enough out to trip the weigh but it was a bit of a battle.
The Art Show was next on my list. I set up and got through the sign-in process efficiently. Anne and John do a great job and their staff is top notch and very helpful. I highly recommend the DragonCon Art Show. I also found out where Peter was set up in Artist Alley. Peter and I went to have dinner with my parents and Caroline and again had a very nice visit. My dad helped us with a project which was very nice of him (Thanks Dad). We got back to the hotel where Peter went back to work and I went to see my brother and sister along with a bunch of other people I know and love. We caught up on stuff and sorted out when we were going to see each other over the weekend. Then I went out to the Hospitality Suite because I had promised I would try to catch up with a few friends there.
Those friends didn’t make it but I did run into a couple of actors we had become buddies with when we went to Australia and New Zealand. I also ran into and caught up on news with Jewel and Matt who I hadn’t seen in a while. Everyone was asking after Caroline so I showed them current pictures and told them that she would be at the convention on Sunday and Monday. Finally the drive caught up with me and I headed back to the room to get some sleep.
Friday In which my soul belonged to Costuming
Peter and I slept in a bit knowing that we weren’t going to get the chance the rest of the weekend. We spent the morning together wandering around the convention. I showed him where his table was and I went to the Art Show to take care of some falling over dolls. We grabbed lunch and he went off to his table and I started my Costuming Marathon.
Lee Cox and Aurora Celeste had the pleasure of running the costuming track and they did a great job indeed. I had worked with both of them at DragonCon over the years so I trusted them to make a kick-ass track which they did in spades. My first panel was on the Judging Process with a group of really great panelists with knowledge of all kinds costume contests and judging. I had a short break so I visited Peter and ran into a number of people I knew for hugs and chitchat. I went to judging for the Workmanship contest. I had agreed to be the head judge this year which was a first for me. I have to thank my fellow judges Ana, Cheralyn, Freddie, and Travis for being such a great judges and keeping the up with the pace we had to do to get this puppy in on time.
Now a few things about that Friday Night Workmanship contest from the judge’s point of view. First off, there was not a bad costume in the bunch. No one had anything that we could just write off. Everyone came in with their A-game and the work showed it. The winners won by ½ a point to 1 point. That’s how close it was. And there were a lot of people right up there with the winners. We saw a lot of hard work and a lot of cool costumes. We wanted to talk longer to each and every one of you but we had a very strict time limit. Just know that y’all gave us quite a headache in the best way. I hope to see you again next year because it was a phenomenal group. It also gave us warm fuzzies to hear that things that we taught in the costuming track helped people figure out how to do these costumes that they have wanted to do. I was also impressed in the number of costumes that were 3-D interpretation of paintings and other media.
Also my thanks to the Crossed Swords for being the MCs for this one. They know how to entertain a crowd and make the contestants feel comfortable. I am always impressed with their professionalism and sense of fun. This year they had a new thing where they introduced the judges with photos of our work. I have to say that more people knew who I was this year than any year before.
We got done “early” so Peter and I went out to see some folks we wanted to see. Unfortunately I vapor locked on one of my favorite panels to be on and didn’t show up (My apologies to all the hard working people in the YA track and esp. to Bev and Betsy Mitchell. I promise if you put me on that panel again, I’ll be there.) So Peter and I caught up with some folks and then went to bed at a reasonable time (yes, I am getting old.)
Saturday In which I am not scheduled for anything but had a lot to do
Saturday was Peter’s busy day with panels and the like. I had a few things I needed to get done as well but we met up and went to the walk of fame to see some of our friends over there. I got to meet Fraiser Hines who played the role of Jamie in Doctor Who. Peter told him that I had written a short story with Jamie in it. I was a bit tongue tied. We had a very nice conversation and I bought his book. We also caught up with John De Lancie, Armin Shimerman, Rene Auberjonios, Paul McGillion, Jewel Staite, Richard Hatch, Edward James Olmos, Claudia Christian, Mark Goddard, and Lee Arenberg (I hope I didn’t leave anyone out). One thing about doing a lot of media conventions is that you meet a lot of the other guests over and over again so you get to know each other in time.
Peter went off to his table and I went back to the room to get him his lunch. Riding back down in the Elevator, I ran into Stan Lee who I have met a number of times. I reintroduced myself and we chatted about Peter and the past year. Meanwhile the other people in the elevator couldn’t quite believe that they were on the same elevator as Stan the Man. Pictures were taken so they could prove it to their friends. I helped his handlers get him off the elevator so they could get him to his signing. I visited a short time with my brother Sean and sister Sheila while they got the room ready for Sean’s western steampunk party that evening. I got down to the dealers room and found Bill Stout’s table. He and I caught up on a years worth of news including the fact that he became a grandpa two days before the convention.
Peter had panels so I went to get us our table at the awards banquet. I ran into a bunch of authors I know that I had wanted to see. We got in the banquet and Peter had been told that he was being seated at a specific table which means we didn’t get to do our usual grabbing of a table with a bunch of friends. We were seated at Stan’s table and processed to eat our dinners wondering if Stan was going to show since he had had such a long day. The reason this was of such interest to us was because Peter was going to present Stan with the Julie Award for this year. He had prepared a speech and everything. Neil Adams, bless his heart, stalled for us by telling this ripping tale about his son Stan Lee. Stan showed up and the award was presented. Pictures were taken and a good time was had by all. The banquet is the only time I get to see Laurel and Jonathon. We did the usual catch up on the year in less than 10 minutes. We all agreed that some year we have to get together for a meal and have a little more time together.
Afterwards Peter had to run to a panel so I went with the Zahns to my brother’s party. This year they had their son Corwin with them. He fit right in with all the other insanity going on. We were joined by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta and grabbed a corner of the party to ourselves. People wandered in and out of the conversation. Peter joined up with us and the conversation went all over the place as it usual does. A fun time was had by all but the day caught up with me so again we went to bed at a reasonable time (reasonable for DragonCon).
Tomorrow what happened Sunday and Monday because this is getting too bloody long.
I am grateful for all the fun we had at the convention.
Thursday-In which we get to DragonCon and settled in
We got in and we were lucky enough to get our room really early. We got our bags up to our room and Peter finished writing a project that he needed to finish before he took a well-deserved nap. I took Caroline to my folks’ house where she was going to spend a couple of days with them. After a nice visit with my parents, I headed back to the convention.
On my way over to the Sheraton, I ran into my pal Regina who was going to the same place as I. With her was John Ringo who I hadn’t seen in while. We all caught up on news and stuff while walking. I do enjoy the walk and talk that happens quite often at DragonCon. I got our badges and headed back to the room running into various folks I know as I went.
I got my badges so quickly, I had about 45 minutes before I could get into the Art Show. So what is a good thing to do with an extra 45 minutes on a Thursday at DragonCon? Give blood. I have been giving blood since I was 16 years old. Out of the numerous times I have given blood, I have only had two bad experiences which is pretty good. Unfortunately this was one of the two. Both times I think it was because I was a little dehydrated so blood does not flow easily. They got enough out to trip the weigh but it was a bit of a battle.
The Art Show was next on my list. I set up and got through the sign-in process efficiently. Anne and John do a great job and their staff is top notch and very helpful. I highly recommend the DragonCon Art Show. I also found out where Peter was set up in Artist Alley. Peter and I went to have dinner with my parents and Caroline and again had a very nice visit. My dad helped us with a project which was very nice of him (Thanks Dad). We got back to the hotel where Peter went back to work and I went to see my brother and sister along with a bunch of other people I know and love. We caught up on stuff and sorted out when we were going to see each other over the weekend. Then I went out to the Hospitality Suite because I had promised I would try to catch up with a few friends there.
Those friends didn’t make it but I did run into a couple of actors we had become buddies with when we went to Australia and New Zealand. I also ran into and caught up on news with Jewel and Matt who I hadn’t seen in a while. Everyone was asking after Caroline so I showed them current pictures and told them that she would be at the convention on Sunday and Monday. Finally the drive caught up with me and I headed back to the room to get some sleep.
Friday In which my soul belonged to Costuming
Peter and I slept in a bit knowing that we weren’t going to get the chance the rest of the weekend. We spent the morning together wandering around the convention. I showed him where his table was and I went to the Art Show to take care of some falling over dolls. We grabbed lunch and he went off to his table and I started my Costuming Marathon.
Lee Cox and Aurora Celeste had the pleasure of running the costuming track and they did a great job indeed. I had worked with both of them at DragonCon over the years so I trusted them to make a kick-ass track which they did in spades. My first panel was on the Judging Process with a group of really great panelists with knowledge of all kinds costume contests and judging. I had a short break so I visited Peter and ran into a number of people I knew for hugs and chitchat. I went to judging for the Workmanship contest. I had agreed to be the head judge this year which was a first for me. I have to thank my fellow judges Ana, Cheralyn, Freddie, and Travis for being such a great judges and keeping the up with the pace we had to do to get this puppy in on time.
Now a few things about that Friday Night Workmanship contest from the judge’s point of view. First off, there was not a bad costume in the bunch. No one had anything that we could just write off. Everyone came in with their A-game and the work showed it. The winners won by ½ a point to 1 point. That’s how close it was. And there were a lot of people right up there with the winners. We saw a lot of hard work and a lot of cool costumes. We wanted to talk longer to each and every one of you but we had a very strict time limit. Just know that y’all gave us quite a headache in the best way. I hope to see you again next year because it was a phenomenal group. It also gave us warm fuzzies to hear that things that we taught in the costuming track helped people figure out how to do these costumes that they have wanted to do. I was also impressed in the number of costumes that were 3-D interpretation of paintings and other media.
Also my thanks to the Crossed Swords for being the MCs for this one. They know how to entertain a crowd and make the contestants feel comfortable. I am always impressed with their professionalism and sense of fun. This year they had a new thing where they introduced the judges with photos of our work. I have to say that more people knew who I was this year than any year before.
We got done “early” so Peter and I went out to see some folks we wanted to see. Unfortunately I vapor locked on one of my favorite panels to be on and didn’t show up (My apologies to all the hard working people in the YA track and esp. to Bev and Betsy Mitchell. I promise if you put me on that panel again, I’ll be there.) So Peter and I caught up with some folks and then went to bed at a reasonable time (yes, I am getting old.)
Saturday In which I am not scheduled for anything but had a lot to do
Saturday was Peter’s busy day with panels and the like. I had a few things I needed to get done as well but we met up and went to the walk of fame to see some of our friends over there. I got to meet Fraiser Hines who played the role of Jamie in Doctor Who. Peter told him that I had written a short story with Jamie in it. I was a bit tongue tied. We had a very nice conversation and I bought his book. We also caught up with John De Lancie, Armin Shimerman, Rene Auberjonios, Paul McGillion, Jewel Staite, Richard Hatch, Edward James Olmos, Claudia Christian, Mark Goddard, and Lee Arenberg (I hope I didn’t leave anyone out). One thing about doing a lot of media conventions is that you meet a lot of the other guests over and over again so you get to know each other in time.
Peter went off to his table and I went back to the room to get him his lunch. Riding back down in the Elevator, I ran into Stan Lee who I have met a number of times. I reintroduced myself and we chatted about Peter and the past year. Meanwhile the other people in the elevator couldn’t quite believe that they were on the same elevator as Stan the Man. Pictures were taken so they could prove it to their friends. I helped his handlers get him off the elevator so they could get him to his signing. I visited a short time with my brother Sean and sister Sheila while they got the room ready for Sean’s western steampunk party that evening. I got down to the dealers room and found Bill Stout’s table. He and I caught up on a years worth of news including the fact that he became a grandpa two days before the convention.
Peter had panels so I went to get us our table at the awards banquet. I ran into a bunch of authors I know that I had wanted to see. We got in the banquet and Peter had been told that he was being seated at a specific table which means we didn’t get to do our usual grabbing of a table with a bunch of friends. We were seated at Stan’s table and processed to eat our dinners wondering if Stan was going to show since he had had such a long day. The reason this was of such interest to us was because Peter was going to present Stan with the Julie Award for this year. He had prepared a speech and everything. Neil Adams, bless his heart, stalled for us by telling this ripping tale about his son Stan Lee. Stan showed up and the award was presented. Pictures were taken and a good time was had by all. The banquet is the only time I get to see Laurel and Jonathon. We did the usual catch up on the year in less than 10 minutes. We all agreed that some year we have to get together for a meal and have a little more time together.
Afterwards Peter had to run to a panel so I went with the Zahns to my brother’s party. This year they had their son Corwin with them. He fit right in with all the other insanity going on. We were joined by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta and grabbed a corner of the party to ourselves. People wandered in and out of the conversation. Peter joined up with us and the conversation went all over the place as it usual does. A fun time was had by all but the day caught up with me so again we went to bed at a reasonable time (reasonable for DragonCon).
Tomorrow what happened Sunday and Monday because this is getting too bloody long.
I am grateful for all the fun we had at the convention.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-08 06:13 pm (UTC)I MISS DRAGON CON!!!! < cry >