Awkward and Awesome DragonCon 2013

Awkward
- People. Oh god the people. I love mingling with my fellow geeks but DragonCon & the hosting hotels need to step up their badge checking game so that every skybridge doesn't end up backed up forever.
- Gang rape by puppets. Yeah - the puppet slam is 18+ for a reason but even I wasn't prepared for that level of WTF*ckery.
- More of a personal awkward, but Eliza Dushku was behind/next to me in the bathroom in the Marriott and I DIDN'T NOTICE. I was chatting with my friend and checking my phone for where we were heading next and even when she tried to signal me I was completely oblivious. Sigh. I'm a bad fan sometimes. (Plus she's really short and I'm gonna stick to the story that it threw me off my game.)
- Moving the merchandise rooms this year to the AmericasMart was such a bad call. Complete chaos, no one could find anything, and browsing was pretty much impossible.
- Guys, I don't understand the lack of underwear for people in tight spandex. I don't need everyone to wear full coverage granny panties but I also don't want to know by looking at you if you're circumcised or not.

Awesome
- The Radius Tower at the Hyatt. From the sounds of things we got a larger room in that area than usual (thank goodness) but the private key card entrance and private elevators were AMAZEBALLS!
- Author panels! Besides just the joy of finding new series to try I love connecting with authors and hearing them speak about their work - it's a rare opportunity to hear them say why exactly they love what they write (and why) and DragonCon excels at this.
- XENA IN THE HOUSE YA'LL! Lucy Lawless was at DragonCon (it was her first big convention appearance ever) and listening to her was amazing.
- I found Jen & John from Cakewrecks again! I got to see them in all their Alice in Wonderland Steampunk glory and it was fabulous (they're so nice!).
- DragonCon TV. Always a plus and probably one of the biggest reasons I stay in a hosting hotel.
- Even though I told myself that my lack of wall space meant I couldn't buy more art, I bought more art. But I love it so the regrets are pretty much nil and now I'm contemplating turning a whole wall in my studio into a Nightmare Before Christmas display!
- Costume success! I didn't get to see Yaya Han in her costumes as much as I would have liked to but I did see her in her Moulin Rouge Snow White look and personally, the couple actual costumes I had went over well (and weren't a pain to wear). Probably the most surprising thing was how much of a hit my Modcloth Pie Dress was with the crowds and I spent a lot of time telling people where to buy it!

In the end, DragonCon is a fantastic weekend where I get to reconnect with friends who live far away and learn more about the areas I'm passionate about. It's pricey but totally worth it, though I do have a teeny tiny hope that maybe a few thousand people will suddenly decide not to attend next year, lol. The crowds were at times oppressive and I can't imagine the experience for those with physical disabilities.

STAY TUNED for more pictures!

Awkward and Awesome Thursday - Dragon*Con Edition!

TOTORO!!

Instead of inundating you with a million posts (which I hate writing and are probably boring for you to read) here's a quick A&A to be followed up by one (or two) picture posts. I'm always sad to leave Dragon*con but I'm so happy to be back to my life and my studio apartment!






Awkward:
-Getting an hour outside DC before remembering the baggie of jewelry still sitting on my bed.
-Creepy CVS guy trying to pull the 'I have to take a photo of you' card. Uh, no. F*ck you.
-Jason Mamoa bringing cups/bottle of beer into every panel he was on. Strange, strange man.
-The woman at the Jason Mamoa panel who asked to touch his biceps. THAT IS NOT RELEVANT OK?!
-The lines. Oh god, the lines. I did more waiting this year than I really like and it was poop every time.
-Losing your moisturizer in the one room you've had it in, only to have it found in a washcloth no one has ever seen before o_O.
-Fart wars. Really, Voyager cast? Ok then. You do you.
-Spending 20min the entire weekend in the art show. There is just not enough time in the day!
-Not having enough books to read. Or not having enough books that I really wanted to read.
-Humidity. Atlanta in the summer is the home of steamy heat and sweat, which when surrounded by 50,000 people who don't like to shower? Not good.
-With that said, B.O. I should not smell you from 20 feet away. It's a bad sign.
-Vlogging. How does anyone do that? Not only do I forget about my camera half the time, the other half I don't have anything interesting to say. Sigh. I think I'm just gonna give up. 

A little awkward, a LOT amazing.

Awesome:
-Burlesque Power Rangers were apprently a 'distraction' to people coming up the escalator, so hotel security politely asked us to move over 10 feet to avoid an accident. THAT TOTALLY HAPPENED.

And apparently I made this face.

-Chicken quesadillas. Cheese + chicken + salsa = magic.
-A slightly drunk (or exhausted) Robert Picardo stepping into the elevator with my friend Jessica and I, trying to find the room for his next panel.
-An entire elevator letting me know that they all agreed and thought I should cosplay as Inara from Firefly. Ok...
-People in MUCH better steampunk costumes than I wanting to take a picture of me and my makeup! So freaking cool!
-MEETING JEN AND JOHN FROM CAKEWRECKS/EPBOT! I found them completely by accident (I don't stalk Twitter enough) but I did it!
-Richard Dean Anderson is hilarious and old and I would still marry him in a heart beat.
-Leather corsets! Costs an arm and a leg but looks fantastic. I can wear it every day right? Leather's always aprorpriate for work.
-"My Drunk Kitchen". Don't kow it? Look it up! It's short, hilarious, and easily the most entertaining thing to watch on epic car rides.
-Cook Out. I know that's another food item, but it deserves it's own awesome spot. It's so good and the DMV is missing out! Hush puppies and cajun cheese fries? A corn dog as a 'side'? A chicken wrap as a 'side'? Genius!

Yes? Yes.

Awkward and Awesome Thursday!

***Awkward and Awesome Thursday is hosted by Sydney at The Daybook. It's a style/life blog but I love her personality and think inserting a bit more of my own here is never a bad thing :). I can't promise them every week but I'll do what I can!

Awkward

-85 degree weather in March. I am not prepared for the sudden influx of heat and I miss Spring dammit! Not summer.

-No longer wanted but volunteered for responsibility. I feel as if lately all I've been doing are things that I feel like I 'have' to do which is a crock - I don't have to do anything but continue breathing, get old, and die.

-Trying to clear out my closet - again - and finding that the clothes I have now I mostly like and don't want to get rid of.

-Finding a new face serum that I love and might actually work but then realizing it's kind of hideously expensive.

-Twitter. I'm so bad at it it's laughable. How does one tweet when they're having fun when it seems to require you to stop having fun to do it?

-This pseudo case of carpal that I have going on. My right wrist is not having a good week.

-Other people who have me Google for them. I am not your Google-r ok? I promise, your fingers can work the keyboard just as well as mine can.

Awesome

-New books. These never suck :D

-Sitting on the roof during lunch, enjoying the sun and reading. It might suck to sit staring at the beautiful day outside my window but that time during lunch is pretty amazing.

-Lowlights! Or highlights. Whatever you want to call them, I love the new pieces of color throughout my hair.

-The Cherry Blossoms in DC. They're just starting to open up and I can't wait to see them in full bloom.

-A bit of an oldy, but new bags from HauteLook. I'm trying to incorporate the 'day clutch' into my outfits, but I haven't quite figured out how to function when you've always got one hand busy.

-Good skin days. As an acne sufferer I really appreciate days when I feel like my skin is looking good. Less makeup? Not always a bad thing for me. (I wish they'd last a little longer though)