Into the Breech

So after much waiting we were inside. First stop, the DC booth to find Tom's friend Rai. It's a big display, but sadly no Rai. This was also where we were meeting Cathy and her husband Chris. They weren't there either. After some phone calls we learned:

1. Rai wasn't going to be there until 4:30 or so, and then she would probably be too busy to talk.

2. Cathy and Chris were still in line.

So we headed upstairs to the Artists Alley to see who we could find. It was relatively sane the first time we wandered through. Tom got Colleen Doran to sign his trade of "Distant Soil" and she was telling us that the woman with her had written a story in one of her issues and would be signing her new book, The Privilege of the Sword. Since I haven't read any of DS this meant little to me and didn't seem to light any fires with Tom so we moved on.

Beyond the Alley was the gaming area and the autograph area. We found Peter Mayhew who was Chewbacca in the Star Wars movies and Tom got an autograph and a picture with him.

Of interest was Gary Coleman, who was at the opposite end of the table and charged more for his signature than Mr. Mayhew did. My best guess is that after losing the security guard position this is now his livelyhood. I felt no need to contribute, but others did.

I was hoping to find Mick Foley and get Bear Bear's picture with him for Dan, but alas the man was no where to be found. After a brief rest at a gaming table we headed downstairs to listen to a DC panel. In the atrium we came across Boba Fett, Darth Vader and a storm trooper. I decided this would be a good substitute for Mick so I approached them to see if they'd be up for the picture.

Boba Fett filled his body guard role admirably and he stopped me and demanded to know what I wanted. Faced with the mighty presence of Bear Bear I'm fairly certain there was a smirk under that helmet, but when I explained it was for a friend in the navy who was having surgery I was allowed to approach the dark lord who gamely held Bear Bear aloft for a picture. The guys were great sports about it. And I think Bear Bear looks scared...

Next was trying to get downstairs to the special events room. We could see the escalator, but we kept getting turned back by security. We stood in line for a wrist band which would allow us re-entry and still we were ushered away. Finally I decided to see if there was another way around and a helpful staff member told us to ignore security. We finally made it downstairs, but couldn't find the room we wanted. By the time we figured out where we needed to be the talk was about over and Cathy and Chris had made it into the show.

After introductions we ventured into the publishers area again. We lost Chris in the gaming area and soldiered on with Cathy. I think this game would be a perfect teaching tool for Jill...

Cathy found the Yaoi table she was looking for and was soon outfitted with a discrete pink bag. As Tom observed, now we know what Victoria's real secret is! We also stopped by the Dark Horse booth while Cathy was over at the DC area. Tom spotted one of her favorite writers and was off like a shot to get her, after handing me his program. He was already out of sight when I began to wonder why I had the program...would it have slowed him down that much? I felt oddly obligated to make sure the writer didn't go anywhere until they got back, but I'm not sure how I would have stopped him without be arrested.

While they were chatting and getting a signed comic I heard a "Hey! Don't I know you?" It was the guy we were chatting with in line. He and his wife had made the circuit of the booths and even got a picture of Stan Lee being escorted away by storm troopers.

We decided to venture upstairs to the Alley again, and it was infinitely more crowded. Still the one author Tom wanted to see was missing from his booth. I think he was actively hiding.

Back downstairs to find Mr. Chris. He had managed to accumulate a huge bag of freebie's and purchases and the first words out of his mouth were "I roll 20s!" Ah, but did you use this D20? Once reunited we finally found the booth for the author that Cathy really wanted to meet...ironically it was Ellen Kushner, the author of The Privilege of the Sword. You may remember her as the woman earlier that Tom and I gave a passing nod to. While Cathy and Chris stood in line we decided it was time for some sort of food and would meet them at the food court.

So downstairs we went and it was much more crowded now. We finally found a place to sit and enjoyed the non-movement for a bit. I decided to hobble in search of liquid refreshment...only to find that the vending machines were not taking paper money. There was nothing for it but to get in line. Returning with cheese burgers and drinks, we settled into lunch then checked on the others. They were in the food court too. We never found them. It turns out they were in the cafe above us. We decided to meet for the Kevin Smith talk, but once again could not find them. I did however spot a Princess Leia in the costume from the sand barge that would have launched both boys and girls into puberty.

This was much more aesthetically pleasing than the "out of work Skeletor." There comes a point in your life, and your waistband, when you shouldn't wear tights. He had passed him. And his BVDs had a hole in them. I doubt I will ever get that image out of my head. I think Tom was perminently scarred by the middle aged Aqua Lad.

We decided to head into the room without Cathy and Chris, but got seats in the balcony where we could see them walk in. It's amazing how many people look like Cathy and Chris. And how many guys looked a lot like Kevin Smith. Go figure. We did find them eventually, and the talk was hilarious if a little raunchier than I expected. The last questioner was a heavy young man with facial hair who wanted to know if Kevin would cast him...he said there was only room for one fat guy with a beard in his movies.

It was getting to be 5 o'clock so we popped back upstairs to see if Rai had arrived. Tom waved from a distance and pointed her out. Great hair, I have to say. Chris was sucked into the game area again and Cathy spotted another writer so while she and Tom stood in line I went in search of a bathroom. Oh that was fun. Aside from my legs be tired because they hadn't done this much walking in ages, I had a feeling there was also a nasty blister under my heel, so I was getting grumpy as I roamed for a potty. After making the complete circuit of the floor I found the ladies room opposite the DC booth where I started. Sigh.

I returned to Cathy and Tom and we gathered Chris. On our pass by the restrooms I noticed Public Enemy had it's table set up outside the lady's...and there was a line of white kids waiting to meet them. Too funny. It was nearing 6 now and we all needed to start moving toward our transportation: Train for Cathy and Chris, bus for us.

Initially I was voting for a cab ride to the terminal, but by the time we found one and got through traffic we would have missed our bus so we walked (see map). I am nothing if not stubborn, and Tom doesn't seem to mind slowing his pace for me. Once in the terminal we headed down the stairs to our gate. I took the stairs slower so Tom landed at the bottom and I watched him get approached by a slick looking guy wanting train fare. I heard him say "train" and then Tom say, "But this is a bus station..." I love this guy. Tired and wanting to sit, I just stepped between them, said no and we walked away. Our little friend yelled, "I see who wears the pants..." which we both found amusing.

The ride home was nice. It was good to be snuggled up and sitting. I dozed a little, we talked a bit and were generally happily exhausted. It was a great day, with great people and a lot of laughs. After unwinding a bit at Tom's I was in the car and headed home.

And I didn't do a damn thing Sunday!