How I spent my weekend by ifreet, aged old-enough-to-drink
Cut for wordiness.
So Thursday night I couldn't sleep, even after applying my favorite insomnia remedy (Trigger's A History of Archaeological Thought -- usually capable of knocking me out within two pages). I was maybe a little excited. Also, I kept hopping up to see if I'd packed ~whatever~.
Friday I spent driving. The day was clear, the drive was fine, the bridge at the border was not crazy backed up, and I made good time... until I actually got to the Bond and absolutely could not find the related parking garage. I spent literally 40 minutes circling the neighborhood (even after asking for directions, because I am sometimes a real girl), before giving up, finding the cheapest garage I could (made trickier by all the 'event parking' going on in the neighborhood), and hiking back to the hotel. So I missed going out for Ethiopian, woe, but I did get checked in and ran into kanzenhanzai belmanoir and mrs_laugh_track.
I rescued my car and acquired food, and I ate and unwound a bit before leaving sis a note and visiting kanzenhanzai belmanoir and mrs_laugh_track. ♥ sisterofdream joined us, as did
andeincascade and
spuffyduds and there was a great deal of squee. Topics included: Ee, it's you!, The Persuaders, what the heck is going on in that wall?, creepy supposedly-childhood rhymes, Timepunchers, Star Trek actors and DC comics.
In the morning, sis and I found a starbucks and hung out for awhile before meeting up with the group eating at Fran's. meresy,
theleaveswant, snoopypez, brynnmck, troyswan,
waltzforanight, mrs_laugh_track, belmanoir, kanzenhanzai, sisterofdream, and ... someone whose name I didn't catch /o\ And there was yet more squee on equally varied topics. Also, there were a large number of DCU t-shirts. I see what you're doing, and I do not have TIME for another fandom, especially one with that much canon!
After lunch, some of us wandered Eaton Center, then headed out to Queen St. to window shop.
waltzforanight and I want a lifestyle that would give us a reason to own racks of party dresses. Sis and I relaxed at the hotel for a bit, before we grabbed dinner at a Smoke's Poutinerie with meres, kanz, bel and mrs_l_t. And then there was a concert. Which was maybe kinda -- okay, I can't even pretend to nonchalance. It was PRETTY MUCH AWESOME. We went to the venue an hour early and huddled together in the cold -- but not in the falling snow, because some genius had attached a windbreak to the awning. We got in, we claimed some floor space and waited, acquiring more fangirls as time passed.
There were two openers. On the one hand, I felt bad for them, because seriously, no one cared because they weren't the Headstones. On the other, they both seemed pretty excited to be opening for the Headstones. They were both fine? Under nearly any other circumstances, I would probably have enjoyed the second band (The Gentlemen Husbands) even more? They covered "American Girl," which went over particularly well with our segment of the crowd. I enjoyed the antics of the nearer guitarist of both bands, and the drummer of the second opener is a pretty, pretty man. However, neither band was the Headstones. So.
Then there was another wait of about a millions years, and the crowd behind us started trying to occupy the same space as us and the vaguely annoying guys behind us became the vaguely helpful guys keeping the rest of the crowd off us. And then THE HEADSTONES. And other people seem to be describing the event in actual detail ( ee!more detail! and photos!), so I'll just say that I loved everything that was going on on the stage, and I loved catching the expressions of fans-I-know as it dawned on them that THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING. I loved when Hugh asked the crowd "where the fuck have you been, motherfuckers?" as though we'd been keeping them waiting -- between sets or for the past several years, whichever. All four of them seemed so happy to be performing, and it was awesome watching these fuck-off rockers just GRINNING at each other. And I LOVED when Mr Hugh Fucking Dillon hopped down from the stage and stood on the barrier to sing with mrs_laugh_track. (I highly recommend asking her about it -- she goes ADORABLE about it and rightly so!) They performed "Judy," which I'd just the day prior told the customs guy was my favorite. My favorite moves around, but I've been listening to that one a bunch this winter. And "Smile and Wave" with Hugh's ridiculous smile and waving. And the intro into "Fuck You," when Hugh tells the crowd "when someone's blackberrying while you're talking or condescending to you, you should sing this song in your head. Then sing it out loud." Hee.
And then for the encore, Trent came out wearing a black t-shirt that read "Who the Fuck is Hugh Dillon?" and he struck a nice pose so that we could all see and admire it. I think the giant grin probably takes the sting out of it.
Now, the crowd... well, I was expecting it to be a bit rough, and it was. But the problem up where I was standing was less the moshing -- not really enough space to get it going right by the stage -- and more this tendency for the center of the crowd to all lean together -- straight into our group. I was nearly knocked off my feet a few times, and my attention was constantly getting split between what was going on up on stage and what was going on beside me. Also, a large number of fangirls come in pocket size? So I ended up pulling people up ahead of me when the moshing got closer, which means I went from three people back to five-ish. STILL PRETTY DAMN CLOSE. ♥ Also, aka made Headstones necklaces, and in the crush, my ribbon snapped. I noticed and figured, hell, gone forever. Only I did find it after the lights came up and the crowd started to disperse, so unexpected yay. I had to clean it forever, though, ew.
Afterwards, sis and I stomped our way to a cab (aiming for a bus, but hey), headed back to the Bond and found brynn and sal in the lobby. A group of 8 ended up coalescing going to Fran's again to snack and squee and deconstruct the concert at length. Consensus was basically AWESOME. WOULD MISUSE TIMEPUNCHING TO SEE AGAIN. ALSO TO SLEEP FIRST. (Also, are we loud? No one's staring, so I think we're okay.)
Sunday, ears still ringing, I finally hooked up with
lucifuge5,
helens78, akamine_chan, primroseburrows
omens, spuffyduds -- basically the
omfgheadstonesfeb2011 crowd whom I'd been failing to connect with since Friday's dinner fail -- in an environment where we could actually converse. The Senator Restaurant had nummy food and awesome people, many of whom I hadn't yet met.
Sis and I ended up back at the Eaton again for awhile that afternoon, wandered up Yonge and had coffee/cider and oversized desserts at the Elephant & Castle Pub. We were not very touristy -- it was very much like a regular con in that there was more interest in being in the same space as far away people than in actually trekking around town.
We met aka, spuffy, and prim for dinner, went to a curry place which was a car repair place in a previous incarnation (complete with the roll-up garage door still in place). More talk and squee and fun. theleaveswant joined us there and wandered back to the hotel with us. Aka was taking off, spuffy and prim had studying to do, so the three of us ended up in sis and my room. Watching Hat Squad on YouTube. As you do.
Monday morning, sis and I hit a Tim Horton before checking out. I dropped her off at the airport and started the drive back south. Driving home is even longer, I swear. The US customs guy thought I was a much more suspicious character. (Whose name is the car registered in? Mine. Yours? Uh, yes? Ok, pop the trunk.) Also, the Lake still hates me so the last sixty miles were done in lake effect snow. But even with the Lake they call Michigan hating on me, I have to say it was a terrific weekend, very much worth it, and I'd have driven through worse for less.
Now I miss my girls. /o\ But now that this is posted, I can read everyone else's reviews which is ALMOST like being there.
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comments.
So Thursday night I couldn't sleep, even after applying my favorite insomnia remedy (Trigger's A History of Archaeological Thought -- usually capable of knocking me out within two pages). I was maybe a little excited. Also, I kept hopping up to see if I'd packed ~whatever~.
Friday I spent driving. The day was clear, the drive was fine, the bridge at the border was not crazy backed up, and I made good time... until I actually got to the Bond and absolutely could not find the related parking garage. I spent literally 40 minutes circling the neighborhood (even after asking for directions, because I am sometimes a real girl), before giving up, finding the cheapest garage I could (made trickier by all the 'event parking' going on in the neighborhood), and hiking back to the hotel. So I missed going out for Ethiopian, woe, but I did get checked in and ran into kanzenhanzai belmanoir and mrs_laugh_track.
I rescued my car and acquired food, and I ate and unwound a bit before leaving sis a note and visiting kanzenhanzai belmanoir and mrs_laugh_track. ♥ sisterofdream joined us, as did
andeincascade and
spuffyduds and there was a great deal of squee. Topics included: Ee, it's you!, The Persuaders, what the heck is going on in that wall?, creepy supposedly-childhood rhymes, Timepunchers, Star Trek actors and DC comics.
In the morning, sis and I found a starbucks and hung out for awhile before meeting up with the group eating at Fran's. meresy,
theleaveswant, snoopypez, brynnmck, troyswan,
waltzforanight, mrs_laugh_track, belmanoir, kanzenhanzai, sisterofdream, and ... someone whose name I didn't catch /o\ And there was yet more squee on equally varied topics. Also, there were a large number of DCU t-shirts. I see what you're doing, and I do not have TIME for another fandom, especially one with that much canon!
After lunch, some of us wandered Eaton Center, then headed out to Queen St. to window shop.
waltzforanight and I want a lifestyle that would give us a reason to own racks of party dresses. Sis and I relaxed at the hotel for a bit, before we grabbed dinner at a Smoke's Poutinerie with meres, kanz, bel and mrs_l_t. And then there was a concert. Which was maybe kinda -- okay, I can't even pretend to nonchalance. It was PRETTY MUCH AWESOME. We went to the venue an hour early and huddled together in the cold -- but not in the falling snow, because some genius had attached a windbreak to the awning. We got in, we claimed some floor space and waited, acquiring more fangirls as time passed.
There were two openers. On the one hand, I felt bad for them, because seriously, no one cared because they weren't the Headstones. On the other, they both seemed pretty excited to be opening for the Headstones. They were both fine? Under nearly any other circumstances, I would probably have enjoyed the second band (The Gentlemen Husbands) even more? They covered "American Girl," which went over particularly well with our segment of the crowd. I enjoyed the antics of the nearer guitarist of both bands, and the drummer of the second opener is a pretty, pretty man. However, neither band was the Headstones. So.
Then there was another wait of about a millions years, and the crowd behind us started trying to occupy the same space as us and the vaguely annoying guys behind us became the vaguely helpful guys keeping the rest of the crowd off us. And then THE HEADSTONES. And other people seem to be describing the event in actual detail ( ee!more detail! and photos!), so I'll just say that I loved everything that was going on on the stage, and I loved catching the expressions of fans-I-know as it dawned on them that THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING. I loved when Hugh asked the crowd "where the fuck have you been, motherfuckers?" as though we'd been keeping them waiting -- between sets or for the past several years, whichever. All four of them seemed so happy to be performing, and it was awesome watching these fuck-off rockers just GRINNING at each other. And I LOVED when Mr Hugh Fucking Dillon hopped down from the stage and stood on the barrier to sing with mrs_laugh_track. (I highly recommend asking her about it -- she goes ADORABLE about it and rightly so!) They performed "Judy," which I'd just the day prior told the customs guy was my favorite. My favorite moves around, but I've been listening to that one a bunch this winter. And "Smile and Wave" with Hugh's ridiculous smile and waving. And the intro into "Fuck You," when Hugh tells the crowd "when someone's blackberrying while you're talking or condescending to you, you should sing this song in your head. Then sing it out loud." Hee.
And then for the encore, Trent came out wearing a black t-shirt that read "Who the Fuck is Hugh Dillon?" and he struck a nice pose so that we could all see and admire it. I think the giant grin probably takes the sting out of it.
Now, the crowd... well, I was expecting it to be a bit rough, and it was. But the problem up where I was standing was less the moshing -- not really enough space to get it going right by the stage -- and more this tendency for the center of the crowd to all lean together -- straight into our group. I was nearly knocked off my feet a few times, and my attention was constantly getting split between what was going on up on stage and what was going on beside me. Also, a large number of fangirls come in pocket size? So I ended up pulling people up ahead of me when the moshing got closer, which means I went from three people back to five-ish. STILL PRETTY DAMN CLOSE. ♥ Also, aka made Headstones necklaces, and in the crush, my ribbon snapped. I noticed and figured, hell, gone forever. Only I did find it after the lights came up and the crowd started to disperse, so unexpected yay. I had to clean it forever, though, ew.
Afterwards, sis and I stomped our way to a cab (aiming for a bus, but hey), headed back to the Bond and found brynn and sal in the lobby. A group of 8 ended up coalescing going to Fran's again to snack and squee and deconstruct the concert at length. Consensus was basically AWESOME. WOULD MISUSE TIMEPUNCHING TO SEE AGAIN. ALSO TO SLEEP FIRST. (Also, are we loud? No one's staring, so I think we're okay.)
Sunday, ears still ringing, I finally hooked up with
lucifuge5,
helens78, akamine_chan, primroseburrows
omens, spuffyduds -- basically the
omfgheadstonesfeb2011 crowd whom I'd been failing to connect with since Friday's dinner fail -- in an environment where we could actually converse. The Senator Restaurant had nummy food and awesome people, many of whom I hadn't yet met.
Sis and I ended up back at the Eaton again for awhile that afternoon, wandered up Yonge and had coffee/cider and oversized desserts at the Elephant & Castle Pub. We were not very touristy -- it was very much like a regular con in that there was more interest in being in the same space as far away people than in actually trekking around town.
We met aka, spuffy, and prim for dinner, went to a curry place which was a car repair place in a previous incarnation (complete with the roll-up garage door still in place). More talk and squee and fun. theleaveswant joined us there and wandered back to the hotel with us. Aka was taking off, spuffy and prim had studying to do, so the three of us ended up in sis and my room. Watching Hat Squad on YouTube. As you do.
Monday morning, sis and I hit a Tim Horton before checking out. I dropped her off at the airport and started the drive back south. Driving home is even longer, I swear. The US customs guy thought I was a much more suspicious character. (Whose name is the car registered in? Mine. Yours? Uh, yes? Ok, pop the trunk.) Also, the Lake still hates me so the last sixty miles were done in lake effect snow. But even with the Lake they call Michigan hating on me, I have to say it was a terrific weekend, very much worth it, and I'd have driven through worse for less.
Now I miss my girls. /o\ But now that this is posted, I can read everyone else's reviews which is ALMOST like being there.
The Dreamwidth version of this entry currently has
comments.