Public Con Report - Stargate Vancouver April 2011
The weekend was very long but absolutely amazing.
Day 1, I arrived and started working. I spent a lot of time trying to get to know my fellow volunteers and also the Creation staff who work multiple conventions. I didn't realize I could go in and watch panels when things were slow so I missed all the panels on Thursday and Friday except for a few snippets which I can't remember!
By Saturday, I was working on the tables selling stuff so it was a bit easier to keep track of what was going on and with who. I did watch the entire Atlantis panel. It was pretty awesome. Sunday was simultaneously a blur and the most memorable day.
So back to Saturday. I was up VERY early which meant I had to nap after the cabaret. I was able to catch some decent rest for an hour with no roommates in the room. It meant I missed a lot of the karaoke but it was the only thing I missed so that's alright. What stands out the most is how absolutely hysterical David Hewlett is. I loved watching him joke, tease and quip for the entire time. He was also great in the photo shoot for my one minute of saying “ I LOVE A Dog's Breakfast; Stargate what?” I didn't do an autograph with him, or any of the Atlantis stars, so I really didn't bond in any way with them. Conversely, I felt like I had a nice connection with Mark Burgess. A few laughs and a genuine hug at the end of his autograph session.
The Cabaret was entertaining because Andee Frizzell tells a great story. She's definitely on my list to someday get a Meet N Greet with. Alexis Cruz has a lot of energy which is great and I enjoyed the show but it went on too long for me. Probably because I was tired.
Highlights: I can't remember a single joke from the Atlantis panel. Oh my!
So onward to Sunday.
Most of this day I've made private but if you know me in person you can leave me a comment and we can talk about it. If you were at the con you saw me working with Corin all day.
There was a breakfast at 7:30 that looked like a LOT of fun. 4 tables with 10 people at each so the actors stayed at each table for 12 minutes. Then while he was on break, I had my photo op with Chris Heyerdahl. My autograph with him reads “we like 'em tall!” He was quite a gentleman and always opened doors for everyone. After the break, we went upstairs for the panel with Corin , Jamil and JR. Chris H got his own panel to cover for Chris Judge.
Then there was the panel. Jamil and JR just met before they went on stage but got along fabulously. The panel was very funny and yet had some deep moments. It ended with the three of them and an audience member dancing. Very glad I had a chance to experience this panel. I hope someone has pictures.
From there, it was the private meet N Greet that I was simultaneously working and attending since I'd paid for it. I did have to go arrange Corin's checkout though so I missed about 15 minutes of it. JR was fabulous fabulous fabulous. We talked more and it totally made the event for me. I absolutely adore that man. He talked about Teen Wolf and A Mann's World. The latter looks like it could really be a break out role for him
Chris Heyerdahl talked about Sanctuary and we tried to cover some other topics but it was a less fluid dynamic than with Chris and Jamil. I adore Corin but I didn't want to monopolize the meetNGreet. We did cover Chris H's ancestor who built a raft made of balsa wood and Corin and Chris talked about a city that has been discovered underwater that shows how advanced prior civilizations have been.
During Corin's lunch break, I had my JR Bourne photo op. The picture turned out really well! After break was the group shot. It ended up being JR, Jamil, Chris H and Corin. Some great photos. The highlight of this one was watching JR talk to the woman who was fighting cancer. There were people waiting, she was there for a photo op and yet the world stopped for 5 minutes.
From photos it was time for autographs. The line was long, time was tight but with a little finagling it all worked out. I went through JR's autograph line and had a chance to tell him that I'd had a rough year but that meeting him and talking to him on Facebook had helped make it better. I don't remember what he said anymore because he called me “sweetheart” and my heart melted. Once Corin finished autographs, I walked him downstairs for his ride to the airport.
Later that night I went out with friends to a bar somewhere else in Vancouver. We ended up closing the bar! I don't drink but i still had a great time.