Report From Trekfest
I was going to type a long report on how everything went, but let me just hit the main points:
1. OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD WHY IS IT SO HOT.
My Bajoran nose ridges, which had been bendy but not malleable after the wax was sealed in hairspray, melted, and then the sweat slid them off my face. (I'm going to try to seal them in nail polish next time.) I was chugging liquids constantly. My shoulders are going to be so burnt. Oh God. I feel so sorry for everyone who showed up in full Starfleet regalia; those uniforms were not made for Iowa summers. (Gives me a whole new level of respect for Sisko's refusal to change out of his when he got stranded with those anti-technology fundamentalists.)
2. Fans are awesome, friendly, wonderful people, and I am so glad to share fandom with them.
My little sister's friend was driving me to Riverside, and three miles away--the car died. Completely. Kaput. So I called someone from ontd_startrek, who only knew me from one brief PM conversation we had about maybe meeting up at Trekfest, and she came and got me. And invited me to stay the night with her crew (the U.S.S. Macchiato) at the local hotel. And drove me around town that evening so that I could put up my posters. (Sadly, there was a thunderstorm that night and a lot of them were blown away.)
Also, she played the Wicked soundtrack while she drove, and she and her friend sang along (I did too, but quietly, since my voice has a tendency to go like that of a pterodactyl with a head cold, especially if I try one of Galinda's high notes). It's been forever since I've hung out with people who sing along to musical soundtracks in the car (basically, my friends from high school. I miss you guys!).
3. I managed to find six interview subjects: a mom and her two daughters, a minister officiating a Star Trek wedding (the couple accidentally went to the wrong Riverside, Iowa; understandable, as the Trekfest one shows up on hardly any maps), a local woman who's been coming to the convention for years, and the cashier at the Casey's gas station who had a kickass nu!Uhura costume. I had planned to interview this Asian-American guy with a pimpin' shuttle-Prius (serously, not only was it painted like a shuttle, but BLUE LIGHTS FLASHED UNDERNEATH IT AS THE THEME MUSIC PLAYED. THERE WERE STAR TREK INSIGNIAS ON THE SEATS. TRIBBLES ON THE DASHBOARD.) but I couldn't find him after the parade. If I can locate the flier with his number on it then I'll see if I can get a Skype interview. There were a couple moments (thankfully early in the interviews) when I realized that I had forgotten to press 'Record' and so had to start over, but people were patient and good-humored about it. I'm going to try to get the footage onto my computer tonight or tomorrow morning before I leave.
1. OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD WHY IS IT SO HOT.
My Bajoran nose ridges, which had been bendy but not malleable after the wax was sealed in hairspray, melted, and then the sweat slid them off my face. (I'm going to try to seal them in nail polish next time.) I was chugging liquids constantly. My shoulders are going to be so burnt. Oh God. I feel so sorry for everyone who showed up in full Starfleet regalia; those uniforms were not made for Iowa summers. (Gives me a whole new level of respect for Sisko's refusal to change out of his when he got stranded with those anti-technology fundamentalists.)
2. Fans are awesome, friendly, wonderful people, and I am so glad to share fandom with them.
My little sister's friend was driving me to Riverside, and three miles away--the car died. Completely. Kaput. So I called someone from ontd_startrek, who only knew me from one brief PM conversation we had about maybe meeting up at Trekfest, and she came and got me. And invited me to stay the night with her crew (the U.S.S. Macchiato) at the local hotel. And drove me around town that evening so that I could put up my posters. (Sadly, there was a thunderstorm that night and a lot of them were blown away.)
Also, she played the Wicked soundtrack while she drove, and she and her friend sang along (I did too, but quietly, since my voice has a tendency to go like that of a pterodactyl with a head cold, especially if I try one of Galinda's high notes). It's been forever since I've hung out with people who sing along to musical soundtracks in the car (basically, my friends from high school. I miss you guys!).
3. I managed to find six interview subjects: a mom and her two daughters, a minister officiating a Star Trek wedding (the couple accidentally went to the wrong Riverside, Iowa; understandable, as the Trekfest one shows up on hardly any maps), a local woman who's been coming to the convention for years, and the cashier at the Casey's gas station who had a kickass nu!Uhura costume. I had planned to interview this Asian-American guy with a pimpin' shuttle-Prius (serously, not only was it painted like a shuttle, but BLUE LIGHTS FLASHED UNDERNEATH IT AS THE THEME MUSIC PLAYED. THERE WERE STAR TREK INSIGNIAS ON THE SEATS. TRIBBLES ON THE DASHBOARD.) but I couldn't find him after the parade. If I can locate the flier with his number on it then I'll see if I can get a Skype interview. There were a couple moments (thankfully early in the interviews) when I realized that I had forgotten to press 'Record' and so had to start over, but people were patient and good-humored about it. I'm going to try to get the footage onto my computer tonight or tomorrow morning before I leave.