Ok so I will start by very briefly saying that this week has probably been one of the worst of my career with the company I work for. I don't think I could be more unhappy with the situation that I'm going to have to be in for the next few months BUT I am not going to let it discourage me & get me down - not anymore that it already has anyway. And so in the spirit of me not wanting this post to be a bitch-fest, pity party I'll just say that I had one of those wish-this-hadnt-happened-moments that I'm getting through with the fantastic support of my amazing team & get onto more happy events!
This weekend me & one of my good friends - code name Sally (& she wouldn't mind me telling you her real name, I just think that us having code names is very awesome) drove down to Hamilton - about 150 kilometers away from where Sally lives for the New Zealand equivalent of a Comic-con - albeit on a much smaller scale. It was the first time that Hamilton had experienced an Armageddon & the turn-out was actually really amazing. We arrived at about 10.30am & the queues were already huge - luckily we had taken the precaution of getting cash out before leaving home & the 'Cash-only queue' was the only line that seemed to be moving!! It was at an event centre that was actually really modern, bright & roomy but with all the people & exhibitors packing in to the main space it felt much smaller & more intimate. That is one of the highlights for me actually, there is something so comforting about being squished in a room full of people, many in costume, who embrace their 'Geekdom' as much as you do - or in some truly fantastic cases with their shaved heads & completely authentic looking costumes even more so! I always walk around at a convention feeling so normal & accepted - which I wish was something I could say everyday in the 'real world'. Its also wonderful to be able to get your hands on merchandise that for the majority we would not be easily able to get our hands on other than buying online - which is usually so much less fun. I have to confess to spending about double what I had intended but really who could resist a ceramic "Tardis" mug or a reproduction Vintage "Star Wars" poster? - Certainly not me!!
The main reason that I go to events such as Armageddon is because it gives you the chance to meet the celebrity guests who will be attending. Now keep in mind that this is in NZ not a big US con & that it takes a lot more money just to get the talent over to this part of the world so there are generally fewer guests but it is still just as special as many of the experiences that I've had at the bigger conventions overseas. The main draw card for me this year was that Julie McNiven - who has had a recurring role on one of my MASSIVE fandom addictions 'Supernatural' was a late addition but also that some of the cast of the 'Almighty Johnsons' would be attending. Now depending on where you are in the world - and if you're over 16 or not - you might not have heard of this Kiwi sci-fi show but it is AMAZING & if you can I enthusiastically suggest you watch it! Its about brothers - sound familiar my fellow-Supernatural fans? - who when they turn 21 become the living embodiment of various Norse Gods. Now if you aren't a sci-fi fan this might sound a less-than-thrilling prospect but it is actually one of the funniest & best written TV shows out there at the moment, even compared to what is out there in the US & UK - where the first season has just finished showing on SyFy - especially with all of the amazing one-liners. If you are one of my twitter followers you probably have already experienced one of my twitter-bombs when I, fellow fans, & indeed the actors & director of the show live-tweet during the episodes. If you need further proof just go back & look at the hash-tag #AlmightyJohnsons or on my twitter @NZBeckyW (I know, I know, I'm gushing but it really is that good!!)
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| Me, Julie McNiven and, another of my friends who came down for the day, Alisha |
Now one of the most important lessons I have learnt about conventions of any sort in my experience is the 'hurry-up-and-wait' phenomenon which is what happens when you have to rush to get good seats or to the front of the line - but to do so you usually end up sitting or standing with long wait times but again, one of the perks of a smaller convention is that you have a bit more time to smell the roses. Which is of course code for buy-the-merch especially when you find a stall that is selling US food (I might have had to purchase some twizzlers & pop-tart OK? A girl has NEEDS! ). Still much of the day - especially for me at a convention is fighting to get front row seats to the panels you want to attend & to the front of autograph & photo-op queues. Its usually a toss-up, if you have good seats in the panel you will be at the end of the photo-op line but if you miss the panel to get to the line early… YOU MISS THE PANEL! So we went with what I think is a fair medium of being in front at the panels & the back of the line for the photo-ops. Besides, sometimes its good to have that extra bit of time & ensure that your eyebrow isn't wonky or any other disasters - and yes I am speaking from experience there… I'm actually really happy with how both pictures I'm in came out - happy enough even that ill post them on here (if I can work out how too) & its so nice to have that moment of interaction with people that you've only ever seen on your TV - even if you are like me & invariably end up a blushing mess that can't say what they intended too.
Of course there is that other best thing about photo-ops: sometimes the autographs come afterwards! Usually by that stage I can at least 'act' like a regular person again. The turn out especially for the 'Almighty Johnsons' signing was actually really wonderful, it was free which is amazing & had been announced to run for a certain amount of time. Running straight over from the photo-ops we had joined the end of a rather long line I was a bit worried that time would run out - which has happened at other events I've been too - but happily the guys ended up staying on to make sure everyone got a signature - or two & they were all so sweet - even James the show creator who had come along & spent the day 'in disguise' mingling with the fans in the main room!
At the end of the day, happily exhausted & driving back up to Auckland with the sun setting around us - not nearly as nice as it sounds, the glare was terrible - we had managed to attend two panels, two photo-ops & one signing, buy pop-tarts, twizzlers, a doctor who mug, t-shirts, and mini-donuts and have a good thirty minute run around the various stalls. Now I know that this might not sound like much, indeed if this were the accomplishments of a regular day it would probably seem like I hadn't gotten much done, but for me, to have had this experience, it was just amazing. Its left me on such a high & in such a better frame of mind. Having experiences like this is one of the real highlights that I look forward too over the course of a year & especially when things go wrong in real life & I'm not having the best week its so fantastic to be able to look back at - and look forward too, my fandom experiences with my amazing friends. My next convention will be in Dallas in September, when my journey will have truly begun & I am so looking forward to it - BRING ON SEPTEMBER !!!
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| Emmett Skilton, Me, Jared Turner & Ben Barrington - three of the Gods from the 'Almighty Johnsons' |
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