Chicago 2008
I'm being lazy this morning since I'm tired.
HMC=High Maitenance Child
SW=Skater Wanabe
RHDS= thecoddess's kid
Picture gallery
Friday did not work out as well as I had hoped. I planned on getting us to Chicago early to go to the Field Museum, but with traffic and stopping to leave a note for our CSA drop off we didn't get to the hotel until 12:30. Plus I got confused by the two Hyatt's a mile apart. Hyatt Rosemont is not across the street from the Rosemont Convention Center; the Hyatt Regency O'Hare is. Trying to check into the wrong hotel is ego boosting.
We then took the L to the museum and since the day was running late we grabbed a cab from the blue line stop. Did you know the Taste of Chicago was this past weekend? Me either. Lovely long ass ride in the taxi costing $11 plus tip. Got to the museum about 2:00 p.m. It closes at 5:00 p.m. of course. Bought basic admission plus tickets to see Mythic Creatures. We saw the African exhibt which didn't do much for the kids. Then the animals which they liked. And ancient Eygpt which was mostly stairs. A bit of the Ancient Americas which included the Mayans. This made me wonder why I don't have the soundtrack to History of the World Part One. Does it even exist? Yes, my brain works odd.
Mythic Creatures was interesting, but photography wasn't allowed which annoyed me. No mermaid pictures. No cool dragon pictures. The dragon video was mostly an interview with the kid who wrote Eragon. No that impressive. I noticed that for a museum they had a lot of photographs of things instead of the actual items. Budget issues?
After the exhibt the kids were burned out so we tried to take the Free Trolley back to the L. We would still be waiting in line if we hadn't given up and decided to walk. A short walk it was not. The blue line station was by the Art Institute and the Field Museum is qute a distance away especially in muggy weather that includes occasional sprinklings of rain. We stopped half way for lemonade and juice at Starbucks. Good lemonade. Reminded me of what I made as a kid. Promised the girls to teach them how. Started walking with a girl scout troop who was walking from the Shedd back to the "train." The Amtrack not the L. Walked past our stop and had to turn back. SW was less than thrilled.
Made it back to the hotel and stopped at the front desk to get delivery menu. Chatted with some WOTC guys who were shocked the girls played D&D. Told us to stop by. Watched them absorb their first real pizza in years. HMC got a stomach ache the next morning. Might be milk or readjustment phase. Stay tuned for further updates.
Slept like the dead until 7:00 a.m. Dressed, took bag to car, and went to breakfast buffett. There was a nice corner to put our back packs in which lead to a surprise. SW literally brought all her money, including her change, to Chicago. When I said they could bring money I meant bills. I begged one of the hostess to turn the change into bills. Luckily it was all quarters and dollar coins. $31.75 worth of quarters and dollar coins. All the adults involved were in awe.
Went over to the Con and registered. Goody bags consisted of 2 MTC decks (or 1 for kids) and a comic (for adults only). Not real impressive.
Went to the WOTC booth first. Yes, we went to a comic convention and hit a gaming booth first. SW did a demo Maple Story with my help against another kid who was being helped by an adult. Fun game. Good for kids. The rules are not insane. Adults would like as well if they can get past the cuteness factor. We bought a starter and will get some boosters if I ever have cash again.
Then we started walking the semi straight rows. Marvel and DC had dull booths. Image's booth was just sad. Dark Horse did tell me the Star Wars Omnibus will print the stories in reading order like the Buffy ones incase anyone is looking for gift ideas for me. Read RHDS, Little Vampires which we ended up buying. Horribly cute. Got badges from the stromtrooper booth who were going to spot us at some point in the convention and trade us a drawing ticket for prizes later on. I would have kept mine longer if SW didn't have a big mouth. thecoddess and I did win prizes though. RHDS cuted mine out of me. Star Wars Legos. I'm easy I know.
HMC decided she wanted to use her money on getting a Teela from the 2002 version of He-Man. That is all she wanted. Now the part that pisses me off. Dealers would give her disgusted looks when she asked if they had one. Yes, it is from the second version of He-Man which we like better since Prince Adam and He-Man don't look the same. Yes, she wanted the girl character. HMC is a girl, so why wouldn't she want the figure of the female character who kicks major ass? I know toy companies make less of the female characters and then complain their products can't crossover to the girl population. No shit. Look down on the girls and they'll take the hint. We will be ordering one on-line. No one had one.
Ape Comics had some interesting stuff, but I only had so much cash. I'd like to get Fablewood in the future.
One booth amazed the Hell out me. Studio Ronin publishes a comic called Sould Eater that is written by a guy from One Life to Live, my step-mothers favorite soap. I bought the graphic novel for me (signed of course) and got an autograph and picture for her. It is beyond rare when she and I can get excited about the same thing and it not be kid related.
Hero Foundry is an organization that donates comics to schools and libraries. Great organization. thecoddess bought a raffle ticket and won a graphic novel. She definately had the luck of the Irish.
SW bought her t-shirt from this booth. They has some of the best baby onies and t-shirts I've eve seen. Baby shower gifts must be bought there.
Had to stop at Gris Grimly's booth to drool. RHDS got a newly signed book. Last copy they had at the convention. I'm jealous. If you have never looked at his stuff, it is amazing. Wierd, but amazing.
The girls love Archie Comics. Embarrassing, but true. Dan Parent is an artist for the comic. The girls were suitable impressed. SW bought a comic to have him sign. Maybe, I'll get him to do a commission for them for their birthday or Christmas.
thecoddess and I gave crap tot the man at the Fanzig booth. He had t-shirts about judging a man by the size of his comic collection, but none about the size of a females. I'll put my collection up against any man's. He said to check back in a week for a new t-shirt design. On a similar note, I always drive thecoddess nuts at conventions being shocked by the sticker prices of the some of the comics I own. I walk around going I have that and that and that until she tells me to stop it.
The kids attended their first panel, Comics are for Kids too. They really enjoyed it. It had writers and artists fron Tiny Titans, Marvel Advenutres, Owly, and Mail Order Ninja. All of which I recommend highly. Tiny Titans is just so on crack it amuses me greatly. The panel included Peter David who kind of took over and started interviewing the child of one of the artist's on the panel. The artist looked like he was going to die, but she was beyond cute. She would like a Webkins comic. The crowd laughed from begining to to end and the girls asked to do more panels in the future. Yea! The ability to sit for long periods of time. RHDS passed out during it but got sketched from the Tiny Titans' guys afterward.
SW begged all day to go back to the WOTC booth to do a demo of D&D 4.0. Hard to say no to something that is free. She waited patiently for a new demo to begin. Each one took up to 30 minutes. I was very impressed when she sat down and a guy in his early 20s asked her if she would trade her wizard for a dwarf. She politely said no. The demo guy kept pointing out to her that the RPG was nothing like the minatures game until I said that is good since she has only played the RPG. He congradulated her for playing the version that requires imagination. There were characters already created. All level one. I was astounded by how non-whimpy level one characters have become. Makes for a much better game in my mind. The group had to defeat some goblins and steal back a stolen object. SW was the youngest on there by far and the only girl. When it came time to battle the goblins, she used her Sleep spell which put most of the goblins to sleep and the drawf as well. The demo guy loved it. He was chuckling about it for the rest of the demo. He had asked her if she wanted the dwarf included in the spell since she could get 3 monsters if she included him and only 2 if she did not. She confidently sent him to sleep. She was very proud of herself. She had a lot of fun too and is looking forward to playing again.
After that we left the convention, started the drive home with a stop at Cracker Barrel, and got home at 9:30 p.m. It was a very long day but a fun one. I'm sure I've forgotten stuff, but I'm tired.
HMC=High Maitenance Child
SW=Skater Wanabe
RHDS= thecoddess's kid
Picture gallery
Friday did not work out as well as I had hoped. I planned on getting us to Chicago early to go to the Field Museum, but with traffic and stopping to leave a note for our CSA drop off we didn't get to the hotel until 12:30. Plus I got confused by the two Hyatt's a mile apart. Hyatt Rosemont is not across the street from the Rosemont Convention Center; the Hyatt Regency O'Hare is. Trying to check into the wrong hotel is ego boosting.
We then took the L to the museum and since the day was running late we grabbed a cab from the blue line stop. Did you know the Taste of Chicago was this past weekend? Me either. Lovely long ass ride in the taxi costing $11 plus tip. Got to the museum about 2:00 p.m. It closes at 5:00 p.m. of course. Bought basic admission plus tickets to see Mythic Creatures. We saw the African exhibt which didn't do much for the kids. Then the animals which they liked. And ancient Eygpt which was mostly stairs. A bit of the Ancient Americas which included the Mayans. This made me wonder why I don't have the soundtrack to History of the World Part One. Does it even exist? Yes, my brain works odd.
Mythic Creatures was interesting, but photography wasn't allowed which annoyed me. No mermaid pictures. No cool dragon pictures. The dragon video was mostly an interview with the kid who wrote Eragon. No that impressive. I noticed that for a museum they had a lot of photographs of things instead of the actual items. Budget issues?
After the exhibt the kids were burned out so we tried to take the Free Trolley back to the L. We would still be waiting in line if we hadn't given up and decided to walk. A short walk it was not. The blue line station was by the Art Institute and the Field Museum is qute a distance away especially in muggy weather that includes occasional sprinklings of rain. We stopped half way for lemonade and juice at Starbucks. Good lemonade. Reminded me of what I made as a kid. Promised the girls to teach them how. Started walking with a girl scout troop who was walking from the Shedd back to the "train." The Amtrack not the L. Walked past our stop and had to turn back. SW was less than thrilled.
Made it back to the hotel and stopped at the front desk to get delivery menu. Chatted with some WOTC guys who were shocked the girls played D&D. Told us to stop by. Watched them absorb their first real pizza in years. HMC got a stomach ache the next morning. Might be milk or readjustment phase. Stay tuned for further updates.
Slept like the dead until 7:00 a.m. Dressed, took bag to car, and went to breakfast buffett. There was a nice corner to put our back packs in which lead to a surprise. SW literally brought all her money, including her change, to Chicago. When I said they could bring money I meant bills. I begged one of the hostess to turn the change into bills. Luckily it was all quarters and dollar coins. $31.75 worth of quarters and dollar coins. All the adults involved were in awe.
Went over to the Con and registered. Goody bags consisted of 2 MTC decks (or 1 for kids) and a comic (for adults only). Not real impressive.
Went to the WOTC booth first. Yes, we went to a comic convention and hit a gaming booth first. SW did a demo Maple Story with my help against another kid who was being helped by an adult. Fun game. Good for kids. The rules are not insane. Adults would like as well if they can get past the cuteness factor. We bought a starter and will get some boosters if I ever have cash again.
Then we started walking the semi straight rows. Marvel and DC had dull booths. Image's booth was just sad. Dark Horse did tell me the Star Wars Omnibus will print the stories in reading order like the Buffy ones incase anyone is looking for gift ideas for me. Read RHDS, Little Vampires which we ended up buying. Horribly cute. Got badges from the stromtrooper booth who were going to spot us at some point in the convention and trade us a drawing ticket for prizes later on. I would have kept mine longer if SW didn't have a big mouth. thecoddess and I did win prizes though. RHDS cuted mine out of me. Star Wars Legos. I'm easy I know.
HMC decided she wanted to use her money on getting a Teela from the 2002 version of He-Man. That is all she wanted. Now the part that pisses me off. Dealers would give her disgusted looks when she asked if they had one. Yes, it is from the second version of He-Man which we like better since Prince Adam and He-Man don't look the same. Yes, she wanted the girl character. HMC is a girl, so why wouldn't she want the figure of the female character who kicks major ass? I know toy companies make less of the female characters and then complain their products can't crossover to the girl population. No shit. Look down on the girls and they'll take the hint. We will be ordering one on-line. No one had one.
Ape Comics had some interesting stuff, but I only had so much cash. I'd like to get Fablewood in the future.
One booth amazed the Hell out me. Studio Ronin publishes a comic called Sould Eater that is written by a guy from One Life to Live, my step-mothers favorite soap. I bought the graphic novel for me (signed of course) and got an autograph and picture for her. It is beyond rare when she and I can get excited about the same thing and it not be kid related.
Hero Foundry is an organization that donates comics to schools and libraries. Great organization. thecoddess bought a raffle ticket and won a graphic novel. She definately had the luck of the Irish.
SW bought her t-shirt from this booth. They has some of the best baby onies and t-shirts I've eve seen. Baby shower gifts must be bought there.
Had to stop at Gris Grimly's booth to drool. RHDS got a newly signed book. Last copy they had at the convention. I'm jealous. If you have never looked at his stuff, it is amazing. Wierd, but amazing.
The girls love Archie Comics. Embarrassing, but true. Dan Parent is an artist for the comic. The girls were suitable impressed. SW bought a comic to have him sign. Maybe, I'll get him to do a commission for them for their birthday or Christmas.
thecoddess and I gave crap tot the man at the Fanzig booth. He had t-shirts about judging a man by the size of his comic collection, but none about the size of a females. I'll put my collection up against any man's. He said to check back in a week for a new t-shirt design. On a similar note, I always drive thecoddess nuts at conventions being shocked by the sticker prices of the some of the comics I own. I walk around going I have that and that and that until she tells me to stop it.
The kids attended their first panel, Comics are for Kids too. They really enjoyed it. It had writers and artists fron Tiny Titans, Marvel Advenutres, Owly, and Mail Order Ninja. All of which I recommend highly. Tiny Titans is just so on crack it amuses me greatly. The panel included Peter David who kind of took over and started interviewing the child of one of the artist's on the panel. The artist looked like he was going to die, but she was beyond cute. She would like a Webkins comic. The crowd laughed from begining to to end and the girls asked to do more panels in the future. Yea! The ability to sit for long periods of time. RHDS passed out during it but got sketched from the Tiny Titans' guys afterward.
SW begged all day to go back to the WOTC booth to do a demo of D&D 4.0. Hard to say no to something that is free. She waited patiently for a new demo to begin. Each one took up to 30 minutes. I was very impressed when she sat down and a guy in his early 20s asked her if she would trade her wizard for a dwarf. She politely said no. The demo guy kept pointing out to her that the RPG was nothing like the minatures game until I said that is good since she has only played the RPG. He congradulated her for playing the version that requires imagination. There were characters already created. All level one. I was astounded by how non-whimpy level one characters have become. Makes for a much better game in my mind. The group had to defeat some goblins and steal back a stolen object. SW was the youngest on there by far and the only girl. When it came time to battle the goblins, she used her Sleep spell which put most of the goblins to sleep and the drawf as well. The demo guy loved it. He was chuckling about it for the rest of the demo. He had asked her if she wanted the dwarf included in the spell since she could get 3 monsters if she included him and only 2 if she did not. She confidently sent him to sleep. She was very proud of herself. She had a lot of fun too and is looking forward to playing again.
After that we left the convention, started the drive home with a stop at Cracker Barrel, and got home at 9:30 p.m. It was a very long day but a fun one. I'm sure I've forgotten stuff, but I'm tired.