3182: Zoo Station
[This would've been much faster to write, but C's watching X-Files S3! "You know, I can think of more dignified ways to die than autoerotic asphyxiation." "Why are you telling me that?"]
So I got burned TWICE by one-way doors... D= When I ***FINALLY*** arrived in Pittsburgh, the first thing I did was hurtle myself into the first parking garage I saw, since--whatever--I'd prolly end up walking to AC regardless. [ Was I close? Hmm.] After parking, I then ended up leaving my ticket AND my GPS in the car, only realizing it after I went down the last flight of stairs to the street--
--which, unlike the rest of the stairs in the garage, had glass doors at the top and bottom--
--which were one-way upon emptying at street level.
XO So I ended up spending my first half-hour or so trying to get back INTO the parking garage, finally having to circle around and walk [likely illegally] up the same ramp I drove up earlier. Ironically, the GPS was little to no help actually finding the convention center =p and I basically had to guess it was the kind of Dulles-shaped building.
The second was when, in a small effort to slow my rate of spending [nearly $200 in under two hours!], I walked around and out onto the balcony on the far end to take pictures of the river. Shortly thereafter, this CRAZY CAT WOMAN joined me and waved all her red TEH DRAMA flags... oh, I'm so tempted to describe the entire ordeal, but given the community, someone's going to recognize who I'm talking about and be all offended--or LAWL at it--but I just don't want to be like that.
Of course, she very well knew she was batshit insane, I think, from everything she said to me, but what could I do but smile and be polite? Can't very well figure out why come out and talk to me--with my WORST HAIR EVAR and the fact I deliberately dressed like a preppy with nothing on me to make myself stand out besides my badges and tote making me look touristy--but I guess that's some of the appeal of such conventions, the relaxed social aspect. In theory, it's refreshing, but in practice... CREEPY T_T
After some length, she decided to leave, which was when she realized the door wouldn't open. IT'S A TRAP D= Luckily, there were people hanging around to let us back in, so lesson learned: Try the doors first, especially if no one else is there. The thing was I really should have figured the first door was a trap, but the balcony doors had NO indication they had childproofing locks on them 9_9 [Given the convention center policies, maybe it's a trap for smokers? LAWL hateful.] In retrospect, maybe I should've put up a sign or checked the door for a latch or something, or at least mentioned it to the staff, but I had my own time constraints in mind =/
Ugh.
They might want to fix that, anyway.
Stoof! I didn't read the map and ended up in Artist's Alley first--not by design, but I *did* have a badge waiting for me with Susandeer, so I'd meant to see her first. [It is YAY! ^o^] The first artists I found who I recognized were ScullyRaptor and Calikat [bug me for links if you don't know who they are and don't has teh Google], so I got book sketches from them--Scully first since she was less busy. Meanwhile, Cali looked at my NIH badge I put on for LOLs and to fill out my badge...ness, and she recognized me:Cali: Jen Aside?
Me: ...? Yes?
Cali: Didn't you used to be Jen Aside?
Me: Used to be...? XD
Cali: What are you doing at a con??
So that was pretty funny. Then as I was Tweeting that, somebody saw my phone and said he hadn't seen one so pristine \=o that he used to have the same model but his got beaten up from use. Yay, that casual atmosphere D= [less creepy in this case, but I'm pretty paranoid... so.]
Disappointingly, I didn't find Gene and CatsWhisker for various reasons, but I did find Rain! =D It was a little surreal meeting someone without expecting it, but I'm not complaining! ^^ She commented that it was weird that we hadn't actually met before but it felt like we had since we'd known each other for over ten? years now--funny about the Internet, innit? It just figures we'd meet when I had the worst hair I'd ever had in my LIFE... 9_9
I also found Metalfox and Cherri by basically playing " Where's Waldo?" from one of the overhead windows. Didn't have to be them, but they were the first faces I recognized out of the lot, and I figured they'd at least be a starting place for finding other peeps I knew. I hung out with them the rest of the time I felt like staying--the difference between parking for five hours fifty-nine minutes and six hours was $5, and since no one had decided where to eat, I left straight from the convention.
Notes to self:
- Garmin nuvi [insert umlauts when less lazy] 205 is somewhat bare bones for what I thought--could have checked the package and maybe saved $50 to get the on-sale Tom-Tom instead 9_9 but... guess I'll keep it anyway for now =p
- PA turnpike is a DAMNED TOLL ROAD that bled me of $16.30 for the length I had to go DX [round-trip]
- Registration line is STILL long at noon D= so plan to sponsor or make other arrangements to avoid the line
- Buy books and comics before the con vs. carrying all that around for hours >_<
- If I ever feel like trying my entrepreneurial legs, get a dealer's table and sell a bunch of organizers at a con for people who don't think to bring one, 'cause they're AWESOME for keeping prints safe [and organized! HOW 'BOUT THAT]
- Plan to stay longer and check out the zoo! ^o^ [the REAL one]
- Wi-Fi access sure would've been nice in order to find people...
- and, yes, C would rather have the clean shirts ;p though I'm sure he's tempted!
That it? I feel like this has droned on for basically five and a half hours of craziness sandwiched between four hours of driving each way 9_9 but I hadn't been crazy in five years--what the hell. If not for the buying HEAVY books and stupidly weighing myself down when I didn't have a convenient way to drop them off somewhere, plus buying things for C and T, I might've stayed longer and loaded up on all the prints I'd planned to get =/
--maybe next time I feel like I haven't been crazy enough ^^; [and remember to set the GPS to "avoid toll roads" so my trip can be six hours instead YAY]
OH and I drew 9_9 but you'll get that later =p X-Files + con report isn't conducive to scanning work! T_T
So I got burned TWICE by one-way doors... D= When I ***FINALLY*** arrived in Pittsburgh, the first thing I did was hurtle myself into the first parking garage I saw, since--whatever--I'd prolly end up walking to AC regardless. [ Was I close? Hmm.] After parking, I then ended up leaving my ticket AND my GPS in the car, only realizing it after I went down the last flight of stairs to the street--
--which, unlike the rest of the stairs in the garage, had glass doors at the top and bottom--
--which were one-way upon emptying at street level.
XO So I ended up spending my first half-hour or so trying to get back INTO the parking garage, finally having to circle around and walk [likely illegally] up the same ramp I drove up earlier. Ironically, the GPS was little to no help actually finding the convention center =p and I basically had to guess it was the kind of Dulles-shaped building.
The second was when, in a small effort to slow my rate of spending [nearly $200 in under two hours!], I walked around and out onto the balcony on the far end to take pictures of the river. Shortly thereafter, this CRAZY CAT WOMAN joined me and waved all her red TEH DRAMA flags... oh, I'm so tempted to describe the entire ordeal, but given the community, someone's going to recognize who I'm talking about and be all offended--or LAWL at it--but I just don't want to be like that.
Of course, she very well knew she was batshit insane, I think, from everything she said to me, but what could I do but smile and be polite? Can't very well figure out why come out and talk to me--with my WORST HAIR EVAR and the fact I deliberately dressed like a preppy with nothing on me to make myself stand out besides my badges and tote making me look touristy--but I guess that's some of the appeal of such conventions, the relaxed social aspect. In theory, it's refreshing, but in practice... CREEPY T_T
After some length, she decided to leave, which was when she realized the door wouldn't open. IT'S A TRAP D= Luckily, there were people hanging around to let us back in, so lesson learned: Try the doors first, especially if no one else is there. The thing was I really should have figured the first door was a trap, but the balcony doors had NO indication they had childproofing locks on them 9_9 [Given the convention center policies, maybe it's a trap for smokers? LAWL hateful.] In retrospect, maybe I should've put up a sign or checked the door for a latch or something, or at least mentioned it to the staff, but I had my own time constraints in mind =/
Ugh.
They might want to fix that, anyway.
Stoof! I didn't read the map and ended up in Artist's Alley first--not by design, but I *did* have a badge waiting for me with Susandeer, so I'd meant to see her first. [It is YAY! ^o^] The first artists I found who I recognized were ScullyRaptor and Calikat [bug me for links if you don't know who they are and don't has teh Google], so I got book sketches from them--Scully first since she was less busy. Meanwhile, Cali looked at my NIH badge I put on for LOLs and to fill out my badge...ness, and she recognized me:Cali: Jen Aside?
Me: ...? Yes?
Cali: Didn't you used to be Jen Aside?
Me: Used to be...? XD
Cali: What are you doing at a con??
So that was pretty funny. Then as I was Tweeting that, somebody saw my phone and said he hadn't seen one so pristine \=o that he used to have the same model but his got beaten up from use. Yay, that casual atmosphere D= [less creepy in this case, but I'm pretty paranoid... so.]
Disappointingly, I didn't find Gene and CatsWhisker for various reasons, but I did find Rain! =D It was a little surreal meeting someone without expecting it, but I'm not complaining! ^^ She commented that it was weird that we hadn't actually met before but it felt like we had since we'd known each other for over ten? years now--funny about the Internet, innit? It just figures we'd meet when I had the worst hair I'd ever had in my LIFE... 9_9
I also found Metalfox and Cherri by basically playing " Where's Waldo?" from one of the overhead windows. Didn't have to be them, but they were the first faces I recognized out of the lot, and I figured they'd at least be a starting place for finding other peeps I knew. I hung out with them the rest of the time I felt like staying--the difference between parking for five hours fifty-nine minutes and six hours was $5, and since no one had decided where to eat, I left straight from the convention.
Notes to self:
- Garmin nuvi [insert umlauts when less lazy] 205 is somewhat bare bones for what I thought--could have checked the package and maybe saved $50 to get the on-sale Tom-Tom instead 9_9 but... guess I'll keep it anyway for now =p
- PA turnpike is a DAMNED TOLL ROAD that bled me of $16.30 for the length I had to go DX [round-trip]
- Registration line is STILL long at noon D= so plan to sponsor or make other arrangements to avoid the line
- Buy books and comics before the con vs. carrying all that around for hours >_<
- If I ever feel like trying my entrepreneurial legs, get a dealer's table and sell a bunch of organizers at a con for people who don't think to bring one, 'cause they're AWESOME for keeping prints safe [and organized! HOW 'BOUT THAT]
- Plan to stay longer and check out the zoo! ^o^ [the REAL one]
- Wi-Fi access sure would've been nice in order to find people...
- and, yes, C would rather have the clean shirts ;p though I'm sure he's tempted!
That it? I feel like this has droned on for basically five and a half hours of craziness sandwiched between four hours of driving each way 9_9 but I hadn't been crazy in five years--what the hell. If not for the buying HEAVY books and stupidly weighing myself down when I didn't have a convenient way to drop them off somewhere, plus buying things for C and T, I might've stayed longer and loaded up on all the prints I'd planned to get =/
--maybe next time I feel like I haven't been crazy enough ^^; [and remember to set the GPS to "avoid toll roads" so my trip can be six hours instead YAY]
OH and I drew 9_9 but you'll get that later =p X-Files + con report isn't conducive to scanning work! T_T