Nearly time for Dragon Con !!!!

It’s officially two weeks away from Dragon Con which starts Friday Sep. 1^st and runs through Monday Sep. 4th (AKA Labor Day Weekend).

Two weeks from now I’ll be wandering around downtown Atlanta looking for a place to put my awesome chair that Golden got me for Christmas/Birthday and people watch that is in the shade or better yet downwind from a very powerful air conditioner after watching the DragonCon parade lead Stan Lee, the 2017 Grand Marshall, through the hot and humid streets of well…downtown Atlanta.

Those of you not new to this Blog know of Golden and I traveling to Atlanta for the last few years to people watch, cosplay, and see all the pretty things and people that Dragon Con has to offer. Actually Dragon Con was the first thing featured after we started this blog so long ago. This is year 4 for us, tho I honestly don’t remember when we were not going. Golden is better at Cosplay than me, I like to blend into the wall and look at all the pretty. I can’t imagine people wanting to take my picture and also the aforementioned humid/hot weather makes a costume feel … well …… like a lot of freaking effort. See we are never lucky enough to be in a host hotel, no matter how hard we try, which means we either rely on Uber or the Dragon Con Shuttle buses and costumes just aren’t practical. That’s not to say Golden hasn’t made a good show of it over the years, but yeah I’ll just wear my jeans and nerdy shirts instead.

  

This year the forecast is showing 40% chance of rain but here in the south that could mean that it’s raining at the front of the hotel but not the back, or that it will not rain at all … really it’s a guessing game so put your jacket in your backpack and be prepared for anything. That’s the best advice I have for DragonCon. The first year we went, Golden had a plan, and written out schedules of things to do and we quickly became overwhelmed and did very little on the list. Do all the things, quickly changed to … well we can do that next year I guess. If you come with a plan it will quickly be destroyed, have a vague idea of what you’d like to do but remain flexible. That’s the best way to enjoy the Con with minimal stress … well except for in the tunnels between host hotels on a Saturday. On that day take extra anxiety meds and be prepared to be claustrophic, but know it will only be temporary. That’s not to say Panic Attacks aren’t a thing, and I’ve had more than my share at Dragon Con but find a corner, find a chair, get some water, breathe it out and then … get back out there. You only live once right?

So many fun things to do …. Just a few options are listed below:

·       Dragon Con Blood Drive: I encourage all my fellow Dragon Con members to give blood this year. I myself won’t be giving after passing out last year and face planting on the sidewalk (due in part to high blood pressure which hopefully is now in check after several doctor appointments and the insane heat that is Atlanta in late Aug/Sep) resulting in new glasses, a busted and bloody face, and a massive headache that lasted for days. Golden has insisted that I not give this year, as has my boss, the rest of our Con group, and well my family. I guess I’ll listen, but only cause I know others will step up in my absence … right?! Please and thank you. Give Blood… Save a life.

·       The Dragon Con Parade is a MUST view .. it’s a great way to see all the pretty in one place. It will take place Saturday Sep. 2^nd and start rolling at 10am. So either be in place by then or just stay your respective hotel and watch on TV (that’s what our lazy bones did last year – it wasn’t too bad). I had to admit being out there with everyone watching it all walk by just gives you a feeling of community like nothing else.

The parade begins at the intersection of Peachtree Street and Linden Avenue, then heads south on Peachtree, east (left) on Andrew Young International Boulevard and north (left) on Peachtree Center Avenue. It will end on Peachtree Center Avenue between John Portman Boulevard and Baker Street, in front of the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. Then everyone heads to the food court, like for reals the food court becomes as crowded as the crosswalk between hotels so be prepared to stand in line. There’s a lot of line standing but it’s typically worth it.

·       Fan Tracks: Check out the Dragon Con website for a list of fan tracks because they most definitely leave no one out. There’s a track for everyone. The Britttrack is celebrating 20 years of fun which includes a ton of “British” themed panels (Dr. Who, Sherlock, Harry Potter, music etc.,) each year we have attended the Yule Ball, which is always a good time. The first year of DragonCon we stumbled upon a Dr. Who panel discussion which was really interesting. Their schedule is tentatively posted here, cause everything is subject to change even as you start the last day of the Con. Another panel about cussing the British way is happening this year. It always makes for a fun time.  

·       The Hall of Fame is a great place to people watch. It’s located in the Marriott hotel in a bank of ballrooms and is the place for meet and greets (tho note that often they will have you line up else where and then march through the con with a guide to get your meet and greet on). That keeps the lines from blocking walkways and makes for interesting conversation as you wait in line. Ask Golden about the overzealous Pop Art guy we met while waiting to meet Felicia Day. The end result was that I’m not allowed to talk to people anymore. Ha! The times for the Hall of Fame are crazy weird …. And by that I mean the first year we went to Dragon Con it always seemed to be closed. Typically it’s open from about 10am – 5pm, sometimes later, sometimes earlier. It’s posted people look it up it’s definitely a must walk through area. Plus air condition. I tell you that air condition and chairs will become your new best friend at the Con. Trust me on that. For the entire list of featured guest click here.

People that I’m interested in seeing this year include (in no real order) Melanie Scrofano, Zachary Levi, Nathan Fillion, John Barrowman, Julie Benz, Jewel Staite, Matt Smith, Frank Conniff, William Shatner, Bill Corbett, Alton Brown, Don Rosa, Sean Gunn, Wallace Shawn, Tad Stones, John Cusack, Ming-Na Wen, Brett Dalton, Nick Blood, Elizabeth Henstridge, Casper Van Dien. That’s just to name a few and Dragon Con is still announcing guests. My favorite part of the walk of fame is how artist, actors, actresses, writers, gamers, Puppetters just hanging out and they are all in one room just being awesome!!! I really love when voice actors are sitting there and bust into the characters on the poster behind them and I’m instantly 9 years old again in front of my TV reliving my childhood. It’s a fun feeling one I can’t wait to feel again. Also if any of the above have Social Media -- let's be real they all do -- follow them cause it's fun to see the Con through their eyes.

·       Good Eats Panel - This year … for some reason … Alton Brown is coming, which is totally cool and I’m thrilled about it but confused as well. I mean ok … he is a culinary geek and so he’ll fit in, plus he used to (may still) live in Atlanta so it makes sense but yeah weird too (which might be the very definition of Dragon Con now that I think about it). He’s doing a Panel in the Marriott Atrium Ballroom on Sunday at 4 (which means Golden and I might have to split off as she heads to the Wynonna Earp panel also happening Sunday afternoon). Alton is getting ready to do a Good Eats Reboot which makes this culinary fan so excited. I do hope he gets “W” to join him but Itchy or Twitchy, or his “neighbor chuck” would be fun too. Wonder what Elton is up too … and of course his mom (ABs sister whose name escapes me at the moment .. MARSHA! … so many possibilities I just hope the more recent version of Mr. Brown (Angry Alton from Cutthroat Kitchen) stays away tho BA might be fun.  

·       The Dragon Con Comics and Pop Art Alley is always fun and located near the Vendor Hall. Among the Con goers there are artist of plenty that show up to display their illustrations, sculptures, paintings and it’s fun to see these artist and their points of view on the world around us. Look for it it’s worth the effort to find.

·       If all that were not enough there’s a freaking arcade guys ….. like old school arcade games we all grew up with wishing we had one more quarter, as well as board games and other gaming rooms to enjoy!!!!

I haven’t started packing yet, well mentally I’m making the list of the things I’ll need, chargers for all the electronic things, hotel reservation printouts, my Dragon Con post card, a jacket, a hat, the lap top, headphones, MP3 player (for night time when I NEED sleep but can’t shut off the Con goers in the hallways) bathroom stuff, geek t-shirts, my Dragon Con post card, my camera, cards for the camera, flash drives, my dragon con post card, power strips for the hotel, comfortable shoes, money, and of course my Dragon Con post card, but haven't put a single thing in a bag yet. Seriously don’t forget the post card, I can’t STRESS that enough.

I should start napping now to prepare my body for the Con, tho every year long about Sunday the Dragon Con Coma hits me and hits me hard, it never fails. I am ok with that as long as the Con Crud stays well away from my crew this year, but it never does. Ha!

How about a Dragon Con roll call ... if you will be in Atlanta hit us up so if we should see you we can give you a high five. I might even let you borrow my chair ... insert your laugh here ... get your own chair!

Stay safe out there and let’s have fun and not add to the death toll tally that GDOT seems to think needs to be across the interstate - no that's not stressful at all GDOT ... really it's not ... totes is. 

Marcy @beaslma

Golden @theonlygolden

#SayWhatMG

Weird and Proud

Marcy's post yesterday got me thinking. Are there certain check marks that you have to get by your name, in certain categories, before you can be embraced by the modern nerd culture? Are there clicks within the geekdom that will refuse to allow your entrance unless you follow their arbitrary rules? What exactly constitutes a geek?

When I was a little g coming up, the words dork, nerd, freak and geek were horrible things that once branded as, you could never break free from. The people that usually fell into this group were the outcasts, the musically inclined, the introverts, the readers, the artists, the thinkers and the dreamers. I fell into quite a few of these categories. Instead of allowing other people to define me and label me, I chose to identify myself. I always loved The Muppets and so I adopted the label of weirdo, after Gonzo the Great. All the main characters had a since of self and knew what they were but Gonzo didn't. He wasn't a frog, he wasn't a pig, he wasn't a dog, a bear, or even an animal. He didn't know his species of origin so he took ownership in himself.

I was, who I was. I don't ever recall apologizing for being myself. I just viewed myself differently. Instead of a book nerd, I was an insatiable book slut. Instead of an art freak, I realized I found beauty in things that others couldn't see. Instead of being an introverted thinker, I was an observer of all mankind. Instead of being a smarty pants nerd, I was a potential genius. Instead of being a dreamer with her head in the clouds, I was the creator of infinite possibilities. Instead of being a band dork I was a fucking rock star. I knew who I was and I was a Weirdo.

Times have changed; the Geekdom has grown up and taken ownership in the names that once caused grief. My 9-year-old niece takes after me, bless her. But she isn't growing up with the same cultural stigma and is proud to be called a dork, a nerd and a geek. We no longer have to hide our true nature be it a lover of fantasy, science fiction, animation, comics, mystery, horror, cosplay, gaming, science, art, space, theatre, magic and the list goes on and on. And even though I tell my niece often that she has a vulgar, filthy mouth when she says she doesn't like Doctor Who, it doesn't make her any less a geek, it just means her passions are different from mine. But really at the end of the day I think that's what it means to be a geek. That no matter what your passion in life or how far off the beaten track others may find it, you embrace it fully, celebrate it, take pride in it and yourself. It can be absolutely amazing to be open about what excites you! So after decades of knowing what it feels like to be excluded, modern Geekdom should be supportive of each other and welcoming of all, regardless of how deep the nerd force runs within you.

 

 

Unless, that is if you don't like Doctor Who. If that's the case, then you can just fuck right off.

Am I geeky enough?

It’s nearly my bedtime which I know is very lame. I’m at the age where I shouldn’t long for my bed before I even get home, like Golden I’m not going to tell you my exact age but just know I saw Who Framed Roger Rabbit in the THEATER as a “birthday party” with a few of my friends you know back when the movies didn’t cost like an arm and a leg just to buy one ticket.

 

Unlike Golden I’m a geek but I don’t take it to the extreme. I like things I enjoy things, but the idea of DragonCon both excites me and scares the crap out of me. What if they realize I’m just an imposter. That I know about comics and enjoy super heroes and all thinks geeky but I haven’t seen every episode of Dr. Who but have seen everything Joss Whedon has done. I hated Lost but I did make it to season 3 or 4 before I said Fuck it I don’t give a damn what happens to you guys!

So what I’m saying is that I am a Geek (and may I add I LOVE that’s no longer a negative thing like when I was younger) but Golden is my leader. I plan to follow her around like a small puppy begging her to not leave me behind. See the thing is I wanna be a full on geek, I wanna wear the costume, I want to be the one in the middle of the conversation about something I’m way passionate about but I’m always nervous that I’ll say the wrong thing and everyone will look in my direction and I’ll get a dumbass stink that will never wash out of my hair. Truth is I’m more of a blend into the wall, don’t notice me and just let me observe everything going on around me.

I’m that person that doesn’t dance in public cause oh my god what if someone sees me and I’m not doing the running man right! Nope I’ll play it safe I’ll just stand here, nod my head, tap my foot and watch everyone else dance and have “fun.” I hope that for DragonCon I can break out of that a little bit. I don’t know these people (ok I know the 3 I’m traveling with) but for the most part the Con is an opportunity to be that person dancing, running around, and getting my Geek card the right way. My biggest fear is that I'll completely ruin the Con for Golden and then I'll be a really shitty friend. Stay tuned to the blog and let’s see if I succeed or if Golden leaves me in Atlanta with nothing but my Marvel Super Heroes T-shirt … guess that won’t really be a problem cause I’m driving, so that’s one less thing to stress about as I get ready for this road trip, but don't worry I'll come up with something else to stress about. After all It's what I do.