Trip To California! (Days 1-4)
Alas! The tale of my journey to California to meet with my Australian friends Xan thelistkeeper and Lyss elyssiel , who were visiting the states for the very first time before moving to the UK, as well as Emmie justapieceofme .
There will be more anecdotes and pics to come soon, so keep your eyes peeled!
Also, this is really pic heavy, so beware!
The Day Before My Trip: Stupid Airlines!
I think Expedia and various airports were determined to do their best to ruin my trip.
They canceled my flight the day before without telling me. I was only notified by a friend who had my flight on mobile alert. I called them up, could hardly understand the customer service representative, she said they'd change my flight and send me an email of my new itinerary.
Three hours later, I called them back and got on their case. They emailed me immediately that time.
I was gonna go to bed but then Xan got online and I was so excited about getting to see him soon that I stayed up later. We ended up rping until 6 am. XD
Day One: Stupid Airports!
I promised Xan I would try to sleep and snoozed until about 9 am. Woke up and laid in bed til about 11 am.
Then started packing and cleaning, rushing about like crazy. We had to be there by about 1pm. As a result, I forgot to pack my Rorschach mask, which I realized when I was in the airport later.
I took some pictures of Iowa before I left so that I could show what I was leaving.
It's... pretty much always this dark in Iowa during the winter. This was around noon.
Can you spot the horizon? Hmmn?
So my flight was an hour later than the original. And then it was delayed an hour... There was nothing to do but sit in the bar and have a beer and look anxious when the boards changed indicating a new flight, even though there was no new flight. -_-;
I was going to have an hour layover in DFW where I was going to meet up with my friend, Rin, for coffee.
Here are some pretty pictures of what I assume is Fort Worth. I love taking pictures from the sky.
I took more than I thought. Haha.
Naturally, since airports can never be convenient, I didn't know the gate number for my flight in DFW because they constantly change, and... Oh! My second flight is on time!! And I have no layover! And DFW is the second largest airport in the country.
I had LITERALLY five minutes to run and ride the lift to catch my new flight in another terminal. IT WAS SHIT. I was winded and sweaty and they changed the gate AGAIN at the last minute. One other guy arrived just when I did and this guy came out and said, "Just these last two. Don't send me anybody else." I was the second of the last two. I BARELY. MADE IT.
So, obviously, I didn't get to meet up with Rin and then the guy I sat next to on the plane was a creeper. He was all touchy feely and was like "I'm going to Thailand, wanna come? *suggestive looks and eyebrows*" Ugh. Yuck.
Anyway, I landed at LAX, which was the airport I was dreading the most. But for the trip overall, it was the airport that gave me the least amount of trouble. I got off the plane, met up with Emmie, who I was staying with, and her friend Nicole.
Of course, since I barely made it to my plane, my luggage certainly didn't make it. We waited and asked for help and they said it would arrive in two hours. But, fuck, I was in California. And I was going to see my best friends in a few days. I was in a good mood and nothing was gonna change that, not even the crappy Chinese food that I bought.
We eventually got my luggage and went to Emmie's place. California was a bit chilly but nothing like Iowa, and I was getting really sleepy so we just decided to settle down and chill out instead of doing anything. We ended up watching Invader Zim, which made me happy, so it was all good.
Day Two: Just Chillin' In Cali
Emmie and I didn't do a whole lot the second day. We basically sat around and fangirled together like we always do. We both worked on fic. I still haven't gotten mine updated because I've been so busy.
I was supposed to study for my biology exam, which I didn't do.
I did however, work on drawing a brand new baby Bubu for jackiemei 's fic, 'The Company of Demons.'
And at one point we walked to the liquor store to by cigarettes.
It was cloudy and a bit chilly but still wonderful as far as I was concerned.
Oh, and I saw this and it made me giggle.
Neither of us really slept that night. I was unbelievably excited about going to see Xan and Lyss. I couldn't wait.
Day Three: Meeting Xan & Lyss
Emmie and I got up early to go meet Xan and Lyss. We stepped outside for a cig but ended up sitting out there for an hour and were almost late to catch the bus. Nearly missed it.
Then we took a train and I took a picture of the ticket... For some reason.
Emmie and I on the train to go meet them.
Xan never told me which flight number was theirs so we wandered around the airport looking for them. He finally called me and we met up.
Knocked the wind out of me, we collided so hard, at a run. I took my time getting hugs from Lyss, as I was a bit winded, and just like being a tease in general. XD
This is how I found them, at least Lyss.
(Photo courtesy of thelistkeeper )
They were staying at the Marriott, which wouldn't let them check into their room, because their name apparently wasn't on the reservation. So they had to wait for their mates to show up.
We decided to go get something to eat, though we were gross and sweaty and tired. We wandered around and went to a really great Greek place. It was delicious and the customer service was remarkable, hence my remark.
Here's Xan and Lyss at the restaurant, after 12 hours of flight.
When we got back to the Marriott, their friends still hadn't shown up, so we chilled out around the hotel lobby ALL DAY. But that was okay. We just had a fun time sitting around together.
And beaucoup de snuggles and unflattering angles (and bruises?) ensued. We're all exhausted and in need of showers and all look kinda high.
(Photo courtesy of thelistkeeper )
(Photo courtesy of thelistkeeper )
(Photo courtesy of thelistkeeper )
They had some pretty groovy sofas.
Random photo also from that day!
Look! I'm in California! Woohoo! (Sole purpose of this shot. And, god, it was bright!)
Their friends finally showed up so we all had showers and stuff. Amusingly, the shampoo in the shower in their room was "Orange Ginger" scented. Lyss hates orange anything. And apparently ginger as well. I thought it was funny as hell. And it smelled great too, especially on my grumpy ginger. ;)
Xan dressed up in a sweater vest and fixed up his Daniel hair and I channeled my inner Walter to grudgingly put his tie on him myself, which was later fixed by Lyss, a perfect addition.
Lyss also dressed up in her Walter attire. She's far too pretty to be Walter, but whatever. I'll buy it. XD
(Photo courtesy of creadigol_lili )
Walter. Me. And Daniel. Shoulda felt out of place, but I didn't. =)
Then we (Xan, Lyss, Kat, Emmie, and I) rode a bus to Santa Monica Boulevard. They were amused by the buses, which amused me in turn.
D'aww. Lookathimwithhissweatervestanddanielhairandeverythingsqueeee!
(Photo courtesy of thelistkeeper )
We had lots of fun that night, walking around, spotting dinosaur bushes and taking pictures of Hooters restaurants, eating fantastic food (some of the best curry I've ever eaten), Lyss and I making ridiculous Rorschach references like we always do, teasing Xaniel, and snuggling with them both as I got cold.
We got harassed by some sales kids and got sucked into trying this exfoliating stuff. Since I have dry Iowa skin, it hurt my hands a lot. =(
Then we returned back to the Marriott and Emmie and I had to go back to her place. I DIDN'T WANNA LEAVE!!! I missed Xan and Lyss from the very moment we left and I couldn't wait to get back to see them as soon as possible.
So we finally did leave. And it took for-ev-er to get back to Emmie's house. I fell asleep on the bus (which is crazy for me-- I can never fall asleep sitting up). And then we got propositioned on the walk home. Wee!
Though it was really late when we got back, I popped online for just a few minutes and Lyss was on. We made plans for the next day and though I initially suggested it as a joke, she approved of my idea of me spending the night with them in their hotel. While visiting the States, they had made plans to go to Gallifrey One: Blackjack 21 (Dr. Who convention) and if I simply stayed in their hotel room (where the convention was being hosted) they could just see me between panels and stuff. Sounded great to me!
So I hurried up and went to sleep so I could see them as soon as possible the next day.
Day Four: First Day At Gallifrey One: Blackjack 21
We're legal now!
Nicole offered to drive us around to wherever we wanted to go. Since Xan is a film student, he wanted to go to Hollywood and, of course, we all wanted to see the city.
Buuut... We didn't. Emmie, Nicole, and I showed up at the Marriott and Lyss said they couldn't really leave the con. I was planning on spending the night with them and there wasn't much to do but sit around, plus parking was like $18 an hour or something like that, so Emmie and Nicole decided to leave. I felt kinda guilty but we had made plans to all hang out Sunday all through the night til Monday when we were scheduled to leave, so we figured we'd just do EVERYTHING then.
I chilled with Lyss while she got dressed up for her cosplay as the Fifth Doctor. (A small disclaimer, I know very, very little about the Dr. Who fandom besides what I learned last week, so... Bear with me here. I intend to get into it because I had a fucking BLAST at the con, but for now, forgive my ignorance.)
(Photo courtesy of creadigol_lili )
She went down to register for the con that day and I stayed in their room. Of course, Captain Jack Harkness came through the door eventually, and I had many hugs from Xan. XD
He makes a delicious Jack.
(Photo courtesy of creadigol_lili )
Yes, yes, initially the plan was that I was going to chill out in the hotel room and they could come up periodically to see me. But Xan was hungry, so he and I went in search of food and then got locked out of the hotel room. We went down to the con to look for his roommates to see if they had a key.
And... Then we realized that nobody really noticed that I didn't have a badge on. So... I didn't wait around in the hotel room after all. I went everywhere with them from there on out. We got me a badge eventually, but still. Curious, eh?
Of course, I had no costume or even clothing that I felt was appropriate, so I borrowed a shirt from Lyss that had a cute little Star Trek reference on it. I got a lot of complements on that shirt.
We went down to a Torchwood photo shoot where wonderfully gay hijinks ensued, including a Jack-Off with the three Jacks wandering around.
(Photo courtesy of creadigol_lili )
(Photo courtesy of thelistkeeper )
(Photo courtesy of thelistkeeper )
We took HEEEAPS of photos!
We also met Laurie Juspeczyk while there. Er wait... Just Gwen. My bad!
(Photo courtesy of creadigol_lili )
And also we took some at the Tardis.
(Photo courtesy of thelistkeeper )
Five: GTFO Jack!
(Photo courtesy of thelistkeeper )
(Photo courtesy of thelistkeeper )
They're sooo cute! <3
We went into the merchant area and met, at random, Wendy Pini, creator of Elfquest. Xan flipped his shit and got his geek on, and we stood around and talked with her for 30 minutes or so.
She. Is. AWESOME. She told us all about Masque of Red Death and about how great and queer friendly it is. I'm gonna have to check it out. <3 Wendy
After that, we chilled out in their room for a while. We had a Slash fiction panel we were gonna go to later so we just chilled for a while. Lyss and I layed around and discussed why exactly Laurie hates Rorschach and what he must have done to piss her off so much.
(Photo courtesy of creadigol_lili )
Then Lyss and I giggled over how similar we are. We both play Rorschach in rp and her Ror is younger and smaller. I called him Mini-Me. In real life, however, I'm only... Half an inch taller. Not even (and it was a constant contest of "No, I think I'm taller!"). And Lyss is a wee bit older than I am as well. Also, we're both quite pale and freckle covered.
(Photo courtesy of thelistkeeper )
Apparently, my feet are slightly bigger.
(Photo courtesy of thelistkeeper )
And our hands are the same length (lol) but I have longer, broader palms and thus short, stubby fingers and she has small, narrow palms and thus long, thin fingers.
And Xan decided that it was within his right to claim me for his own. With Sharpie. Which he politely and adorably asked if I was allergic to before marking me. So cute.
Sadly it had mostly faded by the time I thought to take a picture of it.
Then some slashy Five/Capt. Jack hijinks ensued. Can't forget about those.
(Photo courtesy of creadigol_lili )
(Photo courtesy of creadigol_lili )
(Photo courtesy of creadigol_lili )
Seriously... Is it any wonder WHY i love these guys? Notice the phallic pillow in the background.
(Photo courtesy of creadigol_lili )
We went to the opening ceremony thing.
(Photo courtesy of thelistkeeper )
Their friend Sam gave me her ENORMOUS bow to wear. And Lyss and I stroked each others imaginary beards while we waited for it to start.
(Photo courtesy of creadigol_lili )
More Captain Jack wankery.
After the opening ceremony we went to the Slash Panel. HILARIOUS.
We enjoyed some fun at LobbyCon. Met Huston Huddleston. And kinda sorta hung out with him for a while, haha.
(Photo courtesy of Aubrey West)
(Photo courtesy of Aubrey West)
Then we were informed of a party with free booze! So we got on that, but most of the people had left. Still the whiskey was good and it was chilly outside by the pool so Lyss had to snuggle up close to stay warm because she had changed into Fem!Five with a skirt and stockings.
(Photo courtesy of creadigol_lili )
They're telling me that I would make a good Adric. Then I could partake in some silly slash myself.
We sat outside for a good while and Lyss and Xan argued over who was gonna go get the drinks, while we shouted a lot and called each other cunts. Yes. Good times. Ya cunt.
(Photo courtesy of creadigol_lili )
Hurming together.
Me n' my girls.
(Photo courtesy of creadigol_lili )
I didn't really think that we drank all that much, but we seemed to look pretty drunk in most of our pictures.
(Photo courtesy of creadigol_lili )
I sat down in this little cubby area and this guy popped out of... Somewhere and asked to photograph us. Turns out he's a pro.
My Ebby is such a pretty girl.
*hides* Ugly freckles! Gah!!
Back upstairs for more late night LobbyCon.
O. T. 3.
(Photo courtesy of creadigol_lili )
Then we went back to the room and were up until 4 am watching funny videos online and kept Kat from going to sleep (Sorry, Love!).
My new favorite way to sleep. Xan and I look like we could be related. It's crazy. Look at that. We have the same eyebrow line and hair line and everything.
(Photo courtesy of creadigol_lili )
Then lights out, though Xan, Lyss,and I stayed up until about 6 am giggling like a bunch of 3rd graders and hurming about sharing a bed with Daniel.
And I wonder where I get my self!cest kink from. -_-;