A brief, and belated, post to say that I survived both Comic-Con 2009 and the return trip to the East Coast(1). With that successful return, I'm officially done with my summer travels (go me!). Now, real life gets to begin again. Um, yay?

Along with the return to a more-or-less sane pace of life *should* come a return to the writing that's been neglected these last three weeks. I had a really good groove going on, and I'm hoping to sink back into it and get some things (the "Semantics" Universe in Were the World Mine, my "Bound" Universe in Torchwood (yes, it was 'Jossed' after KKBB, yes, I'm still going to finish it anyway), "Ripples" and "Bridges" in SGA, and a few of the related larger projects)(2). No specific time-table, mind you, but I'm getting back at it again and I've got some really good ideas (as well as some serious motivation - somehow, I've picked up a cheerleader for my True Blood AU Fluff!Fic not-quite-epic). *Cracks knuckles ominously*

So, yeah, not dead. Hopefully I'll get a con report up at some point, although I spent most of the weekend hanging out at Cafe Diem (dude. The pancakes(3). And the Stargate Sticky-buns...) and wandering the Expo Hall (I managed to get a free tribble from the Orion Girls at the Paramount Booth! To keep my Rage!Activated Tribble(5) company!). I did make it to a few panels (including the "Powerful Women in Popular Culture" panel featuring Eliza Dushku/Sigourney Weaver/Zoe Saldana/Elizabeth Mitchell, the "Cassini Quantum Quest" panel, and - almost by accident - the combo panel for Torchwood & Being Human(6)), and (of course) the Annual Slasher's Dinner (some very cool people, as always, and I look forward to seeing everyone again next year!).

It all boils down to Comic-Con = Good. Being done with my summer travel = Awesome. Getting back to writing = V. Awesome. Now, if I can only get around to updating my "Book Battle 2009" entries. I've got well over a half-dozen books I still haven't written up, and I keep falling further behind.

Footnotes:
1. Unfortunately, while in San Diego (due to a number of factors) my internet access was limited at best, hence the notable lack of proof of life on my end of things. Like, for example, the fact that hllangel's ISP hates my guts.
2. For those of you who know me, no, I haven't forgotten about the pet projects various parties are cheering on. If you see me online, ping me and ask about them. These are just the ones at the top of my personal "Wow, I want to read these!" list at the moment.
3. Sunday morning, fortysixth and I stopped in for breakfast, and (after some serious warnings on my part) she ordered the pancakes (4). The bartender later told us (as she was bemoaning her inability to even get halfway through the four cake stack) that in 2+ years he's never seen someone finish a plate, and that included his coworker when v. stoned and going on 24 hours w/out food.
4. I ordered them on Saturday morning when I met adafrog, scififreak, and commodoremarie for breakfast. They could easily have fed 3 people.
5. Seriously. You have to smack this thing on a table/wall to activate it, and then it squeaks and warbles and shakes. It's kind of awesome.
6. I'm not joking when I say it was just shy of totally accidental. I have something akin to an allergy to wank, which goes with my more all-encompassing issues with fannish entitlement, and didn't feel like standing in a line for Ballroom 20 just to watch people act like idiots around Russell T. Davies. However, since I walked by the ballroom just before the panel and there was plenty of open seating (and I was quite curious about Being Human, since I hadn't heard about it until the week before con), I ended up sitting in on the panel. To my great relief, the laws of realistic demographics played out, and the Torchwood panelists were very sensible about what minimal fuss there was.

ETA: Oh, right, other interesting and noteworthy event of Comic-Con? I (quite literally) almost tripped over Matthew Gray Gubler, who plays Dr. Spencer Reid in Criminal Minds - he had a knee brace on, and was being pushed in a wheelchair, which is the only reason I noticed him in the kill-or-be-killed crowd outside the Warner Brother's booth. I had to do a double-take, because honestly - not someone I was expecting to see at Con.

At Comic-Con.

Saw the "Wonder Women in Pop Culture" (title paraphrased) panel today.

Sigourney Weaver is AWESOME.

Eliza Dushku & Zoe Saldana are not far behind.

Oh, and I've managed to pick up a Star Trek foam hand (a la basket-ball games).

Comic-Con, as always, rocks.

Several of you commented on this post. I have, sadly, been absolutely awful about timely responses lately, and when kd5mdk posted a second comment, I realized I should possibly explain.

( Explanation. Names Changed/Omitted/Etc to protect the, erm, less-guilty. )

So, um, yeah. *Hangs head* I guess you had to be there.

On the plus side, it was lovely to be able to act so completely not-my-age for a few hours.

With great boobs come great responsibility.

At Comic-Con.

Having a blast.

Torchwood Panel = FTW.

Iron Man Animated = Potentially Slash-a-rific, and should be seen as its own entity and not having more than a completely passing familiarity w/ the comics.

Fly home tomorrow. Must get sleep.

More on Monday.

I have been travelling via airplane for all of my life that I can recall. I don't I've ever had this nasty of a morning.

First, they've changed the rules regarding non-functional weaponry, so I almost got arrested for having a paintball gun in my checked luggage after the check-in desk assured me it was fine.

I get called out to security and they start in about how they're supposed to call the cops if they see anything like a gun on the x-ray thing, and how they're being really nice and how I'm a stupid, stupid traveller and I'm going to miss my flight.

Got that dealt with (my Beretta 9MM mock-up is now sitting in my truck, in the parking lot at the Nanaimo airport). Made my flight.

I get into Vancouver, they've got incorrect signs up for getting to the US transfers, and I'm a little worried about making my 830 connection. Get glared at by a grouchy passport control guy who doesn't believe that I've only got 2 books and a couple of chocolate bars going with me that I plan to not bring home. Finally get done with him, get through customs, and guess what? The security guy in Nanaimo, whom I'd asked twice if I'd have to re-do security at YVR b/c it means having to take my belt off, was WRONG. Must re-do security because I'm "entering the United States." Get to the front of the line only to learn that I'm missing my boarding pass, which had been tucked into my passport when I went through customs. Freak out b/c that means the passport control guy has it, and I can't get *back* through customs. Try to find out what to do. Get told I need an escort, told to talk to person X, who says "No, not me..."

Luckily, it fell out on-line for security. Crisis averted.

Get up to security, having fully prepped and done the whole "remove laptop, remove toiletries" thing. Get bitched out about my shoes, which I'd been bitched at in Nanaimo for taking off. Tell them "No spikes, won't set it off." Get told "You're entering the US, shoes must come off." WTF? They're thin-sole flats made of rubber and suede.

Get through security, try to find out what gate I am. It is then that I realize that they cancelled the 830 flight, so I was bumped to the 1130 flight w/out notice. This means that my plans for meeting up with my hotel people (and also the cell phone I'm picking up from one of them so I can be contacted in the US b/c my Canadian phone doesn't work on US networks) are completely screwed. Have texted and called and left messages, and figure worst case I'll beg the people behind the desk at the hotel to hold my luggage so I can go to preview night if I haven't found anyone by 4:30.

This leads to me being gateless and sitting in Starbucks, pouring out my misery over a mint-mocha-chip frappaccino.

Gods, I hope this isn't an omen for the rest of Comic-Con. I really do.

ETA: Have gotten a-hold of kijikun. Have sorted out getting into my hotel room & meeting up with people. Thank the frakking gods (and yes, I am sure there is more than one god credited w/ the act of fornication out of the numerous pantheons currently held in reverence around the world).

Yesterday, I met crimsonquills to hit the KRAZY Art Of Comics/Manga/Anime exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The trip aboard public transit was, mercifully, uneventful, and both of us made it on time.

( Comments on the Exhibit )

In short, it was a very academic look at very specific sub-genres within the field of the graphic narrative (still and moving). Had I been handling the exhibit, I'd have done it a hell of a lot differently, but then that's just me. I'm only this analytical about it because I did a course in museum display and presentation, so I now notice a lot of this stuff.

Following "KRAZY", we picked up lunch (and discussed both Comic-Con plans and fandom in general) and then met vflick and Nix's roommate to see The Dark Knight. Not going to do the whole spoiler-heavy review, because there are plenty of other people who have already done so. Just going to say that, as with most movies I've seen this summer, it was better than I'd been expecting. Do I have minor con-crits regarding it? Yes. Overall, was I well entertained for 2.5 hours and did I come away mulling over some interesting intellectual points? Also yes.

And then, of course, there is the fact that I got to simply hang out w/ fellow geek-types, which is enough to make any day a good one. I feel a bit bad for not getting in more time with vflick, especially since I was the one who dragged her into this little excursion, but I'm glad that I at least got to meet her. *Sends round of thanks to wychwood for introducing us*

Now. I fly out at 6:15 on Wednesday morning for Comic-Con. Who else is going to be there? Do we have plans to meet? If not, why not?

And to conclude: OMG! COMIC-CON IS IN TWO DAYS AND I'M TOTALLY NOT DONE WITH MY PRE-COMIC-CON TO DO LIST!!! AAAHHH!!!
[/Flail]

So, Wednesday is Comic-Con '07.

I am going.

I am, in fact, getting up at an ungodly hour to catch the flight to San Diego.

This being said, I need advice. I am checking no baggage, because I have an 0800 flight and don't feel like the extra check-in hassle. I am taking a duffel, and one other bag-type-thing.

The duffel has my clothing (T-Shirts, jeans, that ilk - I'm planning to be comfy, since I'm going more for the casual socializing than the panels), and will also have my iPod, Axim, and spare pair of shoes.

For the bag-type-thing, I'm torn between taking my Salvation Army-acquired many-pocketed-purse, my summer purse (woven faux straw with embroidered flowers, but an open top), or my CSI case (exact replica of the square cases used on CSI Miami). I'm leaning toward the Salvo bag-of-many-pockets, b/c it has zippers and Velcro. I'd been planning to take the CSI case, which is awesome, btw, but I think it's turning into my electronic components storage unit (i.e. used for all of the cables, converters, etc relating to my computer).

Sadly, none of my options will fit a full-sized Binder of Doom. I shall be limited to the Baby Binder and a few stenos.

Now despite all of my "Pack & Re-Pack", I can't help feeling like I'm forgetting something (and it's not the laptop - since I'm not checking baggage, the docking station isn't going, meaning that the laptop would run for all of two hours due to its evil power-supply issues).

Anyone have a clue what that might be??

Also, is anyone who's going to CCI and knows me going to be bringing a laptop? I've got a digital camera, but would like to do the space-saving thing and off-load periodically in the week. I'd be willing to buy you a drink/appetizer/etc...?

Am pulling together all of my Comic-Con stuff in preparation for the trip. This is good, and a vague attempt at organization never hurts. My clothing is, in fact, already packed.

Of course, I pull up my flight itinerary, and guess what? I'm flying out of Dulles (which is a little over 2 hours from the farm). At 0817. So I have to leave home somewhere between 0400 and 0430, since I'm going to have to park at the airport (what with mom being in the middle of driving to Minnesota).

I'm going to have to go to bed early tomorrow. Because I get into San Diego at 1030, can't check in at the hotel until 1600, and it's Preview Night, so I'm going to want to do most of my Con-Surveying that evening.

*Weeps*

Oh, and did I mention that my grandmother flushed her meds sometime yesterday when she was left alone for all of 10 minutes??