LarryCon! Part 1
Hey folks! Bob Foster here!
My write up: I’ll try to be brief but that’s not really in my nature. I’ve always given too many details when telling stories. This one will be no exception, surely.
Larry Con! Larry Con! Larry Con!
What can I say? Last weekend might have, in fact it probably was, the best weekend I have had since…. We Are Rocky in 2007. Don’t get me wrong Atlantic City 2008 and Celluloid Jam 2009. I loved both, but Atlantic City I had to do some sneaky stuff at 4 pm in Pensacola, FL for a 230 am Saturday morning arrival and had to leave early Sunday. Celluloid Jam I didn’t really socialize. The people I was with for both, no offence Lupa and Sam, didn’t want to so much so I stayed with them. So while I didn’t miss any events, I really didn’t connect as well with what makes the conventions paloozas, all-star shows, etc a total blast: the people. I love Rocky people. Everyone is themselves. Whatever changes we might make for a regular life is dropped. We are simply allowed to have unbridled fun. I loved really meeting and interacting with my fellow conventioners than “Hi, I’m blah from blah.. Okay see you later”. So, like We Are Rocky, I really was able to meet and know the other people since I was the only one of my cast there. (More will be there for TC/DC and Sins). I came out of LarryCon feeling more a part of the community than just some guy who was there. I love you all, really.
My time off almost didn’t come at all at Weds morning, 2 am. Many of you know, but I am in the Navy. Stationed in Washington - a nice little trip to get to NYC/NJ. Of course I must go through hoops to go anywhere. I jumped through everyone I was supposed to. I found out later my supervisor didn’t. After a frantic search for my leave chit, they just let me go.
I was officially UA, or AWOL as commonly known, for first two days before it got worked out. Yes, I love Rocky that much I would illegally leave town for it.
After being up 24 hours I got on my plane and jetted off to NJ. My sister lives in Jersey City. I spent the night there with her and her boyfriend. I love having her there. I love the city. Any chance to visit and I’m there. No need for a hotel room. She’s right off the PATH line. 30 mins and downtown!
Thursday morning, that is exactly what I did.
After many messages and missed phone calls, Sarah Presley (theteabegreen ) Sean Weller and I finally ended up in the same place. Ron Maxwell told me to text him when we met up and he’d find us, but Sarah had to go off and text his home number! Stupid Sarah! Time to be a tourist! Despite this being my Nth time there. They were new so its okay.
We hit up the Empire State Building first. You know, where Fay Ray and King Kong had their celluloid Jam. And Bob Dylan lived. Still a fantastic breathtaking view. Got lots of pictures when I could. People love to just look at your taking a picture of someone and just walk in front. Dude, you can wait one second for the click. Half my pictures up there that featured Sean or Sarah had someone directly between me and him/her. Grumble. Stupid people.
Then off to the Statue of Liberty. This was a new one for me. It also featured our first bad run in with security - which as any one at LarryCon knows - would not be the last. Sean has his grandfathers knife with him. While the security at Empire State gave Sean a ticket for his knife and allowed him to get it back later, Statue would have none of it. He had two choices: hide it or the police will destroy it. After a bit of arguing, he went out and hid it in the snow. Sarah and I were hustled through the tent because we apparently were not allowed to wait on him. We missed our boat. By about thirty seconds. We weren’t allowed to leave so we had to mill about the holding area for 30 minutes until the next one.
Eventually: boat. Windy. Incredibly windy. Sarah fell straight upon Sean and I. Thank gods she didn’t fall backwards. WE get 13 minutes on the island. Next ferry leaves at 4, next one after that is at 5. The moment museum closed at 330 so rather than spend an extra hour, we ran. Went to the front. Took pics. Including a few for Sins promos. Ran back. Happy, Navy? I got they days PT!
A very rocky trip back finishes with watching people who had never been on a boat almost fall over every time the boat swayed at exit. Sean and I had to laugh.
We wondered northwest until we found WTC. Finding a vantage point is hard, but a walkway gave us what we looked for. Sarah and Sean promised someone back on sins they’d send a picture of the address from their phones. They did, and I did too. Poor guy spend the rest of the night trying to figure out who I was - with Sean and Sarah being ignorant about it. Dinner with Laura and Shawn Stutler. Off to Shawn’s house. Marvelling over the movie collection. Pictures in the famous tub. Then…
LarryCon!
Check into our rooms - I’m in 415 with Dawn and Fester at the moment and 4 more to be added Friday. As the table full of various types of alcohol suggests, 415 has been designated the party room. (Thanks Dawn for bringing a million coffee cups so we can walk about with our drinks leading to the continual question of “Is that coffee or coffee?”) Too bad security didn’t agree. Within 30 minutes of my arrival security made everyone leave.
A note about security: They hated us. This was their first taste of what they were in store for. Unlike other conventions, we were not situated together at all - except for one corner of the 11th floor. Con rooms scattered about. We must all be together. So we will make noise. We did. They didn’t like it. We’d be kicked out of room after room. To the point where they’d stand outside of our rooms and wait just a bit of noise so they can come in. Probably didn’t help we marked them with police tape until we were told to take them down. While I’m on it, no Bibles! How can we play Bible soccer without them? I remember the hallway at TCJ, look down it and see paper on every door marking who was inside and Bibles all over the place. On a personal note: the bastards almost didn’t give me back my phone. I left it somewhere and Grace told me someone found it - I can’t remember who - and brought it to the front desk. I described it and all that and they were still skeptical. I was obviously with our crowd as I had my Ralph costume on to boot. I am serious in every time I’d leave a room or head towards one there would be a rent cop nearby. Only hotel I have ever seen that had a security force outside of some old guy napping in the lobby. I was told the guy who played Vance in Shock came down in his costume and hung out at the front desk. They weren’t happy. Pictures from Jes Neal show Melissa and Josh Johnston’s room left them surprises.
Speaking of that room: the party moved there. There I met, although they might have been upstairs too, Jenny, Josh and Melisa, Jes, Gabby, Grace and Mitten. Much drinking ensued. Dawn (magenta1969 ), Fester (iamfester )and I went up and stole the Fabulous Maxwells from their bed. Made them get un-nekkid and come down to the party. Sophoclese(sophoclesg ) and Jackie eventually arrived and …“what happens on a fold out couch stays on a fold out couch. For like ten years, they never clean those things” to quote a fellow congoer.
At four AM, I joined Melissa, Jackie, Gabby and Jes on a hunt for Dunkin Donuts which were told was somewhere if you take a left leaving the hotel. A wonder around the square - including at least one person being started by the blind man statue we all took photos with at some point in the few days, we find it, eat. Then having breakfast, I went to bed. A note to all: Fester and Dawn both snore. Thank gods I was at some form of buzzed otherwise I’d never sleep.
Thus ends Thursday. Stay tuned for Friday.
My write up: I’ll try to be brief but that’s not really in my nature. I’ve always given too many details when telling stories. This one will be no exception, surely.
Larry Con! Larry Con! Larry Con!
What can I say? Last weekend might have, in fact it probably was, the best weekend I have had since…. We Are Rocky in 2007. Don’t get me wrong Atlantic City 2008 and Celluloid Jam 2009. I loved both, but Atlantic City I had to do some sneaky stuff at 4 pm in Pensacola, FL for a 230 am Saturday morning arrival and had to leave early Sunday. Celluloid Jam I didn’t really socialize. The people I was with for both, no offence Lupa and Sam, didn’t want to so much so I stayed with them. So while I didn’t miss any events, I really didn’t connect as well with what makes the conventions paloozas, all-star shows, etc a total blast: the people. I love Rocky people. Everyone is themselves. Whatever changes we might make for a regular life is dropped. We are simply allowed to have unbridled fun. I loved really meeting and interacting with my fellow conventioners than “Hi, I’m blah from blah.. Okay see you later”. So, like We Are Rocky, I really was able to meet and know the other people since I was the only one of my cast there. (More will be there for TC/DC and Sins). I came out of LarryCon feeling more a part of the community than just some guy who was there. I love you all, really.
My time off almost didn’t come at all at Weds morning, 2 am. Many of you know, but I am in the Navy. Stationed in Washington - a nice little trip to get to NYC/NJ. Of course I must go through hoops to go anywhere. I jumped through everyone I was supposed to. I found out later my supervisor didn’t. After a frantic search for my leave chit, they just let me go.
I was officially UA, or AWOL as commonly known, for first two days before it got worked out. Yes, I love Rocky that much I would illegally leave town for it.
After being up 24 hours I got on my plane and jetted off to NJ. My sister lives in Jersey City. I spent the night there with her and her boyfriend. I love having her there. I love the city. Any chance to visit and I’m there. No need for a hotel room. She’s right off the PATH line. 30 mins and downtown!
Thursday morning, that is exactly what I did.
After many messages and missed phone calls, Sarah Presley (theteabegreen ) Sean Weller and I finally ended up in the same place. Ron Maxwell told me to text him when we met up and he’d find us, but Sarah had to go off and text his home number! Stupid Sarah! Time to be a tourist! Despite this being my Nth time there. They were new so its okay.
We hit up the Empire State Building first. You know, where Fay Ray and King Kong had their celluloid Jam. And Bob Dylan lived. Still a fantastic breathtaking view. Got lots of pictures when I could. People love to just look at your taking a picture of someone and just walk in front. Dude, you can wait one second for the click. Half my pictures up there that featured Sean or Sarah had someone directly between me and him/her. Grumble. Stupid people.
Then off to the Statue of Liberty. This was a new one for me. It also featured our first bad run in with security - which as any one at LarryCon knows - would not be the last. Sean has his grandfathers knife with him. While the security at Empire State gave Sean a ticket for his knife and allowed him to get it back later, Statue would have none of it. He had two choices: hide it or the police will destroy it. After a bit of arguing, he went out and hid it in the snow. Sarah and I were hustled through the tent because we apparently were not allowed to wait on him. We missed our boat. By about thirty seconds. We weren’t allowed to leave so we had to mill about the holding area for 30 minutes until the next one.
Eventually: boat. Windy. Incredibly windy. Sarah fell straight upon Sean and I. Thank gods she didn’t fall backwards. WE get 13 minutes on the island. Next ferry leaves at 4, next one after that is at 5. The moment museum closed at 330 so rather than spend an extra hour, we ran. Went to the front. Took pics. Including a few for Sins promos. Ran back. Happy, Navy? I got they days PT!
A very rocky trip back finishes with watching people who had never been on a boat almost fall over every time the boat swayed at exit. Sean and I had to laugh.
We wondered northwest until we found WTC. Finding a vantage point is hard, but a walkway gave us what we looked for. Sarah and Sean promised someone back on sins they’d send a picture of the address from their phones. They did, and I did too. Poor guy spend the rest of the night trying to figure out who I was - with Sean and Sarah being ignorant about it. Dinner with Laura and Shawn Stutler. Off to Shawn’s house. Marvelling over the movie collection. Pictures in the famous tub. Then…
LarryCon!
Check into our rooms - I’m in 415 with Dawn and Fester at the moment and 4 more to be added Friday. As the table full of various types of alcohol suggests, 415 has been designated the party room. (Thanks Dawn for bringing a million coffee cups so we can walk about with our drinks leading to the continual question of “Is that coffee or coffee?”) Too bad security didn’t agree. Within 30 minutes of my arrival security made everyone leave.
A note about security: They hated us. This was their first taste of what they were in store for. Unlike other conventions, we were not situated together at all - except for one corner of the 11th floor. Con rooms scattered about. We must all be together. So we will make noise. We did. They didn’t like it. We’d be kicked out of room after room. To the point where they’d stand outside of our rooms and wait just a bit of noise so they can come in. Probably didn’t help we marked them with police tape until we were told to take them down. While I’m on it, no Bibles! How can we play Bible soccer without them? I remember the hallway at TCJ, look down it and see paper on every door marking who was inside and Bibles all over the place. On a personal note: the bastards almost didn’t give me back my phone. I left it somewhere and Grace told me someone found it - I can’t remember who - and brought it to the front desk. I described it and all that and they were still skeptical. I was obviously with our crowd as I had my Ralph costume on to boot. I am serious in every time I’d leave a room or head towards one there would be a rent cop nearby. Only hotel I have ever seen that had a security force outside of some old guy napping in the lobby. I was told the guy who played Vance in Shock came down in his costume and hung out at the front desk. They weren’t happy. Pictures from Jes Neal show Melissa and Josh Johnston’s room left them surprises.
Speaking of that room: the party moved there. There I met, although they might have been upstairs too, Jenny, Josh and Melisa, Jes, Gabby, Grace and Mitten. Much drinking ensued. Dawn (magenta1969 ), Fester (iamfester )and I went up and stole the Fabulous Maxwells from their bed. Made them get un-nekkid and come down to the party. Sophoclese(sophoclesg ) and Jackie eventually arrived and …“what happens on a fold out couch stays on a fold out couch. For like ten years, they never clean those things” to quote a fellow congoer.
At four AM, I joined Melissa, Jackie, Gabby and Jes on a hunt for Dunkin Donuts which were told was somewhere if you take a left leaving the hotel. A wonder around the square - including at least one person being started by the blind man statue we all took photos with at some point in the few days, we find it, eat. Then having breakfast, I went to bed. A note to all: Fester and Dawn both snore. Thank gods I was at some form of buzzed otherwise I’d never sleep.
Thus ends Thursday. Stay tuned for Friday.