Into the lift, Eye Candy
Time for a trip account. This weekend was bloody amazing and I need to recall all of it :D Putting it under a cut just because its extremely long.
So we got up super early on Friday, like 4:30am, Ugh. After making sure everything was good at home, we headed out and stopped at a place called Cora's for breakfast. Really good food and HUGE portions, it was a great driving meal, haha. I had a meat/egg meal (bacon, sausage, eggs, potatoes, yum) and Jules had this deluxe omelette that had like everything in it. Yummy!
Anyway we got to Calgary in good time, it only took just over three hours with a coffee break about halfway there. Tiny almost disaster; one of my contacts fell out as we got into the city and I had to drive on very busy, unfamiliar streets for a few minutes with vision in only one eye before I could find my glasses. It was terrifying but I handled it well and managed to not lose my mind.
We got to our hotel and found out that we'd gotten early check-in (score!) so we dragged our stuff upstairs, freshened up a little and headed out to change our tickets for wristbands and badges. Obviously we were really keyed up at this point, squealing at random and grabbing onto each other, haha.
After we got the wristbands and stuff we left, heading over to the salon to get our hair done. I just got a bit of a trim and some layers while Jules went all out and got a cute little bob that really suits her. We retrieved the car and went for lunch at Galaxie Diner, which was featured on an episode of "You Gotta Eat Here!". It was good but not overly impressive, decent monte cristo :)
After that, it was back to the hotel to change and then the real excitement started, we headed back onto the train to get to the expo. It was time for our first photo-op, and the one we'd anticipated the most... Gareth David-Lloyd. We had to wait over a half hour in line and at this point, we were screaming inside. Jules had gone a bit pale and I was shaking, I was seriously terrified. Here's the guy we're both in love with and we're wibbling and whimpering and shaking and I was so scared I was going to say something stupid or clam up and say nothing at all...
Once our line started moving and we got close enough to see, I peeked around the corner and saw him standing there and nearly lost it, I whirled around and grabbed Jules' arm (accidentally hurting her, sorry meimei), and squealed that it was him, that he was RIGHT there... and before I knew it a volunteer was telling me I was next and then I was right there in front of him and he was looking at me and smiling and saying hello and I choked out a hi and then managed to pull myself together enough to ask for a hug. He gladly obliged ("Can I have a hug?" "Of course you can!")... I can still feel his arms around me... He was so skinny, I got both my arms around his middle no problem and I wasn't even holding tight... he smelled wonderful and he was warm and soft and it took all my willpower to smile at the camera instead of melting into him. Afterwards I shakily thanked him, told him we were going to the Hub reception party that night, (to which he responded "Great! See you later, then!") and I wobbled my way out of the photo booth area... after Jules was done and we stood there for a moment in shock (We'd just fucking met him!!!!!), we got our photos and wibbled our way back out into the grounds of the expo. After browsing a couple of vendors we decided we should go back to get changed and primp for that night so we headed back to the hotel in jittery high spirits.
After we got ready and I drove us to the hotel, we were getting all high and excited again. The dinner was rather meh (although the salmon was lovely), but I was getting too nervous to eat much anyway. Finally after about 30 minutes, the announcer guy comes on and introduces the trio and they come out one by one, RIGHT by our table as they walk by. I had to resist reaching out to touch Gareth as he walked by, and I was a bit star struck as Eve and John came out, John recording the crowd on his phone.
So they were supposed to mingle with the crowd but like Barrowman always is, he decided he wanted to stay with the microphone and regale us with stories. Which was fine because we noticed Gareth slip off the stage a little while into John's speal and we followed him to where we could chat. We told him how much we loved his music and Jules got to show him her tattoo of a few lines of Making Sound (by his band), which he was thrilled about. We got pics and hugs, and talked a little bit more. His accent is so wonderful, so cute and musical and brash all at once… and the little bit of scruff he had was so cute, and his cologne smelled so good… Finally we squashed our way back into the crowd in hopes of seeing John and Eve up close.
Near the end of his microphone stage, John wished for some drinks for him and Eve (Vodka and soda, for future reference...) and I convinced a volunteer to let me bring John's up (I tried to get him to let me AND Jules do it, but he wanted to get Eve's to her I guess). I brought him the drink and he thanked me but that was it and I was a little disappointed (I mean we all know Barrowman, I was expecting at least a hug, or something inappropriate xD), but no. However once he finally got offstage a few minutes later, I pointed out that I was the one who had brought his drink and he enthusiastically replied that he knew, and thanked me again, and then was like "I'm just gonna put this right in here..." and proceeded to put his drink in my cleavage AND DRINK FROM IT, while I stood there laughing and trying not to shriek with delight and disbelief, with a definite "OH MY GOD IS THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENING" pounding through my brain. His hair/head was pressed right against my face and I could smell his hair gel and his cologne and feel his body heat and AAAAGHHH… He only left it in there long enough for one drink and for Jules to snap a pic and then he took it out, grinned and took a normal pic with me, and then with her. I was shaking with fangirlgasms and giggling like an idiot. After a few I realized that I'd forgotten (I had been a bit distracted afterall) to ask for a pic of him with both Jules and me and also to tell him how much we love his novel.
We squished out way back through the crowd and when he saw me again I hastened to explain that we forgot to get a group pic and he pretty much yelled "Yeah right, you just wanted your titties touched!!" and just... spins me around and puts an arm around me, grabbing my boob where his hand was hanging. He'd done the same with Jules on the other side (I think so anyway, I was freaking out so much that the details are a little hazy now xD), and I gave my camera to some chick who took a pic of it, while everyone around just roared with laughter because Barrowman. After a few long seconds of his hand fairly firmly gripping my right boob, he turns his head closer to me and asks (while giggling, I might add) "This is okay, right? You're okay with this?!" to which I said something along the lines of "Oh, YES," ahahaha.
After he (and we) calmed down I managed to tell him we loved his book and he told us the sequel is coming out in July (YAY) and that they're licensed FOR FOUR BOOKS SQUEEEE!!!!! I told him we had a photo op with just him and a team photo with all of them the next day and he told us he'd see us later and we slowly tried to make our way towards Eve.
Eve was... well, she wasn't just drunk, she was smashed. But she was freaking adorable, her hands were everywhere (Second boob groping in like 5 minutes!)... she told Jules and I that we were beautiful and that we had Mongolian tits (I think thats a compliment?) and she kissed us on various places of the face several times (including one time she got the side of Jules' mouth)... She was hitting on this one volunteer/bodyguard and it was so funny, and then she was hanging onto me, she was like clinging to my arm (I’m guessing to stay upright) and then she had her arm around me and her hair kinda in my hair, gripping on, and I wasn’t going anywhere haha. After a few minutes she was holding onto both of us, one each of her hands in our hair... She really was so so sweet though, she kept asking everyone if they were having fun, she really wanted to make sure everyone was having a great time. She called us her beautiful girls and gave us each a hug and cheek kiss as we moved away, it was great.
We managed to talk to Gareth a little more before we left too, and I asked him if there's any chance of Blue Gillespie playing in Canada like they're going to be playing at Dragon Con... he said that if we/someone can convince the cons to pay for them to be there, then sure! I told him we would have to start a petition and he grinned at me and told me we should. Then Jules asked him to say something in Welsh which he happy obliged, and I haven't a clue what the hell he was saying but it was really awesome to listen to, that accent oh my god. He said it was something like "if she ever embarrasses me like that again, I'll smack her" or something, I can't remember exactly, but it was cool haha.
Soon after that we left and were heading out of the hotel when we ran into four guys dressed in Sgt Pepper costumes. Beyond shy anymore, I yelled out "Oh my god its the Beatles!!!" and I asked them to pose for me which they graciously did... belatedly I felt a little bad for disturbing them because they were about to retire to their room but hey, its all good haha.
We spent the rest of the night at the hotel, going back and forth between incoherent squees and rambling and reliving the night over and over. We just couldn't believe how we'd spent the last few months dreaming about this and it had finally happened and SQUEEEEEE.
DAY 2
That morning we got up pretty early again but our breakfast plans were a bit thwarted since the restaurant we wanted to go to didn't open until 10 on Saturdays, and we wanted to be at Con before ten, so we just ended up getting fast food. Whatever, it was good.
We got to con like 10 minutes early, expecting a bit of a line but nothing amazing, only to find like 1500+ people in line already, just to get in. It was a little terrifying. It took almost an hour for the line to filter through but I do have to say kudos to the Calgary Expo team for their organization, it was orderly and quick (as quick as it could be anyway) despite the massive amounts of people.
We ended up in the autograph section first, and we saw Wil Wheaton (what a cutie when he smiles), and James Callis at their tables! We wandered around, looking, until we found Gareth and Eve's tables (next to each other!). We queued for Gareth and thank god, when we saw him we didn't freak out... we actually felt more like friends or acquaintances now, which was brilliant! We paid for the autograph and picked a photo, while we asked Gareth if he remembered us from last night (which he did, squee!). We chatted a little and got him to sign the other stuff we'd brought (both of us a Blue Gillespie CD, me my journal and Jules her TW dvds). I got him to sign a special journal I'm creating for myself, something to look at when I feel down or alone or sad. We chatted for a few more minutes and then skooched over into Eve's line. I asked her how she was feeling a little tentatively, since she was pretty damn drunk the night before, and she told us how she'd gotten up and gone to the gym and for a swim and then when she was on the way here, she was like "ugghhhhhhh". It was really cute. She signed a Torchwood pic for both of us (and Jules' DVDs), and then wrote something in my journal for me. We chatted for a second or two longer and then headed out to find Barrowman's table.
John had a longer line than the others so we waited about 15 minutes before we got to him. I had a bit of a fangirl moment while we were in line (and close enough for him to hear, sigh), when I saw the pic of him as the Dark Archer on Arrow (I have a huge thing for guys and archery, guh). I squealed out in disbelief before I could stop myself "You're the Dark Archer?!" and he looked up and laughed a bit and pointed out that if the pic was on his table for him to autograph, then yeah, its him (The pic of him as the Dark Archer had his face completely in shadow from the hood, so it was impossible to tell that it really was him) and I blushed and told him I wasn't caught up with Arrow and he laughed and said "Oops, guess I spoiled you then!". A couple minutes later we'd gotten to him and I asked him if he remembered me/us from last night (He'd been somewhat drunk, I wasn't sure haha), and he was like "Of course! The Boob Girls!" with a big grin and laugh. I'm pretty sure I went pink and we got him to sign our stuff, and he asked me a bit cheekily if last night had been okay, if I'd been okay with what he'd done... I honestly don't remember what I said but I assured him it was fine.
We went to the Torchwood panel next which was the fucking funniest 45 minutes of my entire life, there's so much that happened but I'll have to detail that another day ahaha. Also when we were just going into the panel, I noticed Misha Collins coming out from behind some curtains not twenty feet away (It had just been his panel) and I yelled "HI MISHA!" and he replied enthusiastically, which made me excited. What a cutie.
After that we went to line up for our first photo op of the day, which was Mark Sheppard. He seemed really nice and sweet, and he had a nice firm grip on us when he pulled us in, but the poor thing was so tired (Jetlag, weeeee) that he looks like he's going to fall over in our pic haha. I wanted to hug him but we were already being ferried out.
Next on the photo op list was Barrowman. By this point I was so excited, but happy excited, not freaking out omg-I'm-going-to-die excitement. This line took a lot longer to move and we chatted with the people around us as we waited. Finally we got in and he smiled that squeeeee smile at me when I approached him. He started to put his arm around me but I stopped him and asked if we could pose in some kind of dancing pose, like Jack and Rose in The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, and he said "Sure!". I reached out to take his hand and he pulled me so close I almost stopped breathing, I hadn’t been expecting it to be that fast and close. I don’t even know where my other hand ended up, maybe on his back I think… all I could focus on was his body pressed against mine and my hand in his. He was so warm and muscle-y and again I had to remind myself to smile and not just melt into his arms. The pic turned out AMAZING, he is so freaking gorgeous and I actually don't look horrible either. It was just... squee. *sighs happily*
Then we looked around a bunch of vendors, bought a couple little things and tried to rest our feet (There's nowhere to sit at these things, that was really the only bad thing besides the lines). We almost got run over by Peter Dinklage’s golf cart as it went zooming by, he waved a little guiltily as we jumped out of the way, haha. We sat for a bit and then headed to our Torchwood Team photo op which... was delayed. Our feet were absolute agony by this point and I was almost crying I was in so much pain and so exhausted, but knowing what we were about to do was enough to keep me going. As Jules pointed out the next day, I learned how real endorphins work.... one moment I was dead in pain and ready to pass out, and then we saw them and my pain and fatigue went away for a good half hour afterwards!
Anyway so Jules and I were getting this pic done together, and as we step forward, we're saying hello to them all in a more familiar way than before since we’d met them all a few times by this point and John recognizes us almost instantly and goes "MY BOOB GIRLS!", to laughs and slightly puzzled looks from Eve and Gareth. He settled us on either side of him in front (Me between him and Eve and Jules between him and Gareth) and reached over our shoulders and grabbed one of our boobs each, to which Gareth was trying desperately not to burst out laughing and Eve pulled the greatest face I've ever seen. After the pic was taken we started to turn away but he called us back, laughing, and told the photographer to take a second pic just in case we didn't like the boob one.
Eve jokingly asked me if she could touch my tits this time and I was about to tell her to go ahead if she wanted (haha) when John told her to behave and let us have a nice photo, so we got a really nice one, and I was holding Eve's hand where it rested just below my shoulder and it was just sooooo squeeeeeee :DDDDD We got a print of each pic and will just make copies at a later date.
After that we were like... so high on endorphins we were shaking and we eventually left and had supper at this cool little place called Tubby Dog that was also featured on a "You Gotta Eat Here!" episode. It was pretty sweet, we got a hot dog each called the A-Bomb that had mayo, mustard, ketchup, bacon, nacho cheese sauce and chips (crisps, not fries) on it... It was delicious but had to be eaten with a fork haha.
We tried to go have a nice relaxing soak and swim but there was like 50 million stupid little kids in the pool (I actually mean no less than 20 9-11 year old boys) taking up the ENTIRE pool and shrieking and cannon balling and being obnoxious little snots. We attempted to work around them for like 45 minutes but eventually gave up and went back to the room to attempt to relax.
Went out for some late night McDonalds (which had horribad customer service), got our crap ready check out the next day, and crashed.
Sunday morning was sad because we had to check out and I didn't want to leeeeeave. Thankfully the hotel was really nice and accommodating and let us park there till 6 PM which is great because Con parking is less than desirable. We loaded all our stuff in the trunk of the car and then went to the train again (getting really used to the train side of Calgary transit, anyway!). There was a huge line again, almost identically long as the day before and only marginally faster. We ended up in the autograph area again and found Gareth sitting at his table all by himself. We hesitated for a moment before we went up to him and told him we just wanted to say goodbye and thanks. He was wearing a cowboy hat that had been given to him as an "Honourary Calgarian", and he looked so adorable I just wanted to kiss him haha. Instead we got a pic and a handshake and then off we went to look at merchandise and I was just so happy because I'd been afraid we would never see him again.
We had to head to our first Sunday photo op (and Jules's last photo) pretty quick. It was Misha Collins this time! We didn't really have a chance to say anything much to him but hello and I asked him for a hug too, which he willingly did with a big grin. After the hug I looked up at him to say thanks and he just winked at me while he said thanks and bye which nearly made me fall over. I stammered a thanks and wobbled away, grinning like an idiot. Misha's was the funniest photo op though because almost every younger woman/girl that went in there, came out squeeing and bouncing around. It was adorable and hilarious.
After that we did the merchandise thing again, I bought 4 shirts from the GIANT tshirt stand (They literally had thousands, it was called the Tower of Tshirts and it was kickass), I got a few other things and Jules got a shirt and a wicked Sherlock drawing from the original artist who also does the DW comics and he signed it for her (and signed two comics for both of us!). Saw Norman Reedus being carted by back outside and waved to him and got a wave back!
Finally it came time for my last photo op, Nathan Fillion. Jules already has pics of her with him so she saved the money and decided to just wait for me. I waited alone for like 2 hours (thankfully the girls behind me were nice and we chatted :) ), and then we finally got to go in. Unfortunately they booked SO MANY PEOPLE for Nathan that they were literally chanting "No hugs, no handshakes, next!". So it was rushed and a little scary that way... Also I have this wrist band, its blue rubber and it says "Can't take the sky from me", with white cloud-like markings on it. I've been wanting to give him this for four years now, ever since i moved to Edmonton and found out he was from here.
I was so scared but I managed to tell him I wanted to give him it, and he said thanks and that I was sweet but he had to put it in his pocket without looking at it really and now I'll never know how he liked it (I was hoping maybe he'd tweet about it but no such luck), but hopefully he did. We took the pic (he's way taller than I imagined, wow) and he joked that I had a good grip on him which was a little embarrassing but I'm sure he meant it good-naturedly. He smiled and said bye when it was time to go and I left, all fluttery again.
And then, well... we just sat for a while watching some of the stars being bussed back and forth in a golf cart (we saw Misha and Ian McDiarmid and Peter Dinklage again, the latter of whom we waved at and he waved back). Finally we decided our feet had had enough and we left with some sadness but still hyped up about it all. We went to a restaurant called Big T's BBQ (also on YGEH) after some confusing GPS instructions, and it was freaking amazing, delicious meat (I had brisket and sausage and she had fish and chicken) and it was so so good.
Then, regrettably, we had to head home. The weather got worse and worse as we headed back and unfortunately it was freaking snowing/raining by the time we got home (and practically a BLIZZARD the next day ugh!). But it was the most amazing experience I've ever had and I wouldn't change ANY of it (except maybe the brats in the pool) and I would never want to do it with anyone other than my bestest best friend EVER. Although Fuz I wish you could have been there too, you'd have loved it!
Soooo yeah. Best experience ever? I think so. :D
So we got up super early on Friday, like 4:30am, Ugh. After making sure everything was good at home, we headed out and stopped at a place called Cora's for breakfast. Really good food and HUGE portions, it was a great driving meal, haha. I had a meat/egg meal (bacon, sausage, eggs, potatoes, yum) and Jules had this deluxe omelette that had like everything in it. Yummy!
Anyway we got to Calgary in good time, it only took just over three hours with a coffee break about halfway there. Tiny almost disaster; one of my contacts fell out as we got into the city and I had to drive on very busy, unfamiliar streets for a few minutes with vision in only one eye before I could find my glasses. It was terrifying but I handled it well and managed to not lose my mind.
We got to our hotel and found out that we'd gotten early check-in (score!) so we dragged our stuff upstairs, freshened up a little and headed out to change our tickets for wristbands and badges. Obviously we were really keyed up at this point, squealing at random and grabbing onto each other, haha.
After we got the wristbands and stuff we left, heading over to the salon to get our hair done. I just got a bit of a trim and some layers while Jules went all out and got a cute little bob that really suits her. We retrieved the car and went for lunch at Galaxie Diner, which was featured on an episode of "You Gotta Eat Here!". It was good but not overly impressive, decent monte cristo :)
After that, it was back to the hotel to change and then the real excitement started, we headed back onto the train to get to the expo. It was time for our first photo-op, and the one we'd anticipated the most... Gareth David-Lloyd. We had to wait over a half hour in line and at this point, we were screaming inside. Jules had gone a bit pale and I was shaking, I was seriously terrified. Here's the guy we're both in love with and we're wibbling and whimpering and shaking and I was so scared I was going to say something stupid or clam up and say nothing at all...
Once our line started moving and we got close enough to see, I peeked around the corner and saw him standing there and nearly lost it, I whirled around and grabbed Jules' arm (accidentally hurting her, sorry meimei), and squealed that it was him, that he was RIGHT there... and before I knew it a volunteer was telling me I was next and then I was right there in front of him and he was looking at me and smiling and saying hello and I choked out a hi and then managed to pull myself together enough to ask for a hug. He gladly obliged ("Can I have a hug?" "Of course you can!")... I can still feel his arms around me... He was so skinny, I got both my arms around his middle no problem and I wasn't even holding tight... he smelled wonderful and he was warm and soft and it took all my willpower to smile at the camera instead of melting into him. Afterwards I shakily thanked him, told him we were going to the Hub reception party that night, (to which he responded "Great! See you later, then!") and I wobbled my way out of the photo booth area... after Jules was done and we stood there for a moment in shock (We'd just fucking met him!!!!!), we got our photos and wibbled our way back out into the grounds of the expo. After browsing a couple of vendors we decided we should go back to get changed and primp for that night so we headed back to the hotel in jittery high spirits.
After we got ready and I drove us to the hotel, we were getting all high and excited again. The dinner was rather meh (although the salmon was lovely), but I was getting too nervous to eat much anyway. Finally after about 30 minutes, the announcer guy comes on and introduces the trio and they come out one by one, RIGHT by our table as they walk by. I had to resist reaching out to touch Gareth as he walked by, and I was a bit star struck as Eve and John came out, John recording the crowd on his phone.
So they were supposed to mingle with the crowd but like Barrowman always is, he decided he wanted to stay with the microphone and regale us with stories. Which was fine because we noticed Gareth slip off the stage a little while into John's speal and we followed him to where we could chat. We told him how much we loved his music and Jules got to show him her tattoo of a few lines of Making Sound (by his band), which he was thrilled about. We got pics and hugs, and talked a little bit more. His accent is so wonderful, so cute and musical and brash all at once… and the little bit of scruff he had was so cute, and his cologne smelled so good… Finally we squashed our way back into the crowd in hopes of seeing John and Eve up close.
Near the end of his microphone stage, John wished for some drinks for him and Eve (Vodka and soda, for future reference...) and I convinced a volunteer to let me bring John's up (I tried to get him to let me AND Jules do it, but he wanted to get Eve's to her I guess). I brought him the drink and he thanked me but that was it and I was a little disappointed (I mean we all know Barrowman, I was expecting at least a hug, or something inappropriate xD), but no. However once he finally got offstage a few minutes later, I pointed out that I was the one who had brought his drink and he enthusiastically replied that he knew, and thanked me again, and then was like "I'm just gonna put this right in here..." and proceeded to put his drink in my cleavage AND DRINK FROM IT, while I stood there laughing and trying not to shriek with delight and disbelief, with a definite "OH MY GOD IS THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENING" pounding through my brain. His hair/head was pressed right against my face and I could smell his hair gel and his cologne and feel his body heat and AAAAGHHH… He only left it in there long enough for one drink and for Jules to snap a pic and then he took it out, grinned and took a normal pic with me, and then with her. I was shaking with fangirlgasms and giggling like an idiot. After a few I realized that I'd forgotten (I had been a bit distracted afterall) to ask for a pic of him with both Jules and me and also to tell him how much we love his novel.
We squished out way back through the crowd and when he saw me again I hastened to explain that we forgot to get a group pic and he pretty much yelled "Yeah right, you just wanted your titties touched!!" and just... spins me around and puts an arm around me, grabbing my boob where his hand was hanging. He'd done the same with Jules on the other side (I think so anyway, I was freaking out so much that the details are a little hazy now xD), and I gave my camera to some chick who took a pic of it, while everyone around just roared with laughter because Barrowman. After a few long seconds of his hand fairly firmly gripping my right boob, he turns his head closer to me and asks (while giggling, I might add) "This is okay, right? You're okay with this?!" to which I said something along the lines of "Oh, YES," ahahaha.
After he (and we) calmed down I managed to tell him we loved his book and he told us the sequel is coming out in July (YAY) and that they're licensed FOR FOUR BOOKS SQUEEEE!!!!! I told him we had a photo op with just him and a team photo with all of them the next day and he told us he'd see us later and we slowly tried to make our way towards Eve.
Eve was... well, she wasn't just drunk, she was smashed. But she was freaking adorable, her hands were everywhere (Second boob groping in like 5 minutes!)... she told Jules and I that we were beautiful and that we had Mongolian tits (I think thats a compliment?) and she kissed us on various places of the face several times (including one time she got the side of Jules' mouth)... She was hitting on this one volunteer/bodyguard and it was so funny, and then she was hanging onto me, she was like clinging to my arm (I’m guessing to stay upright) and then she had her arm around me and her hair kinda in my hair, gripping on, and I wasn’t going anywhere haha. After a few minutes she was holding onto both of us, one each of her hands in our hair... She really was so so sweet though, she kept asking everyone if they were having fun, she really wanted to make sure everyone was having a great time. She called us her beautiful girls and gave us each a hug and cheek kiss as we moved away, it was great.
We managed to talk to Gareth a little more before we left too, and I asked him if there's any chance of Blue Gillespie playing in Canada like they're going to be playing at Dragon Con... he said that if we/someone can convince the cons to pay for them to be there, then sure! I told him we would have to start a petition and he grinned at me and told me we should. Then Jules asked him to say something in Welsh which he happy obliged, and I haven't a clue what the hell he was saying but it was really awesome to listen to, that accent oh my god. He said it was something like "if she ever embarrasses me like that again, I'll smack her" or something, I can't remember exactly, but it was cool haha.
Soon after that we left and were heading out of the hotel when we ran into four guys dressed in Sgt Pepper costumes. Beyond shy anymore, I yelled out "Oh my god its the Beatles!!!" and I asked them to pose for me which they graciously did... belatedly I felt a little bad for disturbing them because they were about to retire to their room but hey, its all good haha.
We spent the rest of the night at the hotel, going back and forth between incoherent squees and rambling and reliving the night over and over. We just couldn't believe how we'd spent the last few months dreaming about this and it had finally happened and SQUEEEEEE.
DAY 2
That morning we got up pretty early again but our breakfast plans were a bit thwarted since the restaurant we wanted to go to didn't open until 10 on Saturdays, and we wanted to be at Con before ten, so we just ended up getting fast food. Whatever, it was good.
We got to con like 10 minutes early, expecting a bit of a line but nothing amazing, only to find like 1500+ people in line already, just to get in. It was a little terrifying. It took almost an hour for the line to filter through but I do have to say kudos to the Calgary Expo team for their organization, it was orderly and quick (as quick as it could be anyway) despite the massive amounts of people.
We ended up in the autograph section first, and we saw Wil Wheaton (what a cutie when he smiles), and James Callis at their tables! We wandered around, looking, until we found Gareth and Eve's tables (next to each other!). We queued for Gareth and thank god, when we saw him we didn't freak out... we actually felt more like friends or acquaintances now, which was brilliant! We paid for the autograph and picked a photo, while we asked Gareth if he remembered us from last night (which he did, squee!). We chatted a little and got him to sign the other stuff we'd brought (both of us a Blue Gillespie CD, me my journal and Jules her TW dvds). I got him to sign a special journal I'm creating for myself, something to look at when I feel down or alone or sad. We chatted for a few more minutes and then skooched over into Eve's line. I asked her how she was feeling a little tentatively, since she was pretty damn drunk the night before, and she told us how she'd gotten up and gone to the gym and for a swim and then when she was on the way here, she was like "ugghhhhhhh". It was really cute. She signed a Torchwood pic for both of us (and Jules' DVDs), and then wrote something in my journal for me. We chatted for a second or two longer and then headed out to find Barrowman's table.
John had a longer line than the others so we waited about 15 minutes before we got to him. I had a bit of a fangirl moment while we were in line (and close enough for him to hear, sigh), when I saw the pic of him as the Dark Archer on Arrow (I have a huge thing for guys and archery, guh). I squealed out in disbelief before I could stop myself "You're the Dark Archer?!" and he looked up and laughed a bit and pointed out that if the pic was on his table for him to autograph, then yeah, its him (The pic of him as the Dark Archer had his face completely in shadow from the hood, so it was impossible to tell that it really was him) and I blushed and told him I wasn't caught up with Arrow and he laughed and said "Oops, guess I spoiled you then!". A couple minutes later we'd gotten to him and I asked him if he remembered me/us from last night (He'd been somewhat drunk, I wasn't sure haha), and he was like "Of course! The Boob Girls!" with a big grin and laugh. I'm pretty sure I went pink and we got him to sign our stuff, and he asked me a bit cheekily if last night had been okay, if I'd been okay with what he'd done... I honestly don't remember what I said but I assured him it was fine.
We went to the Torchwood panel next which was the fucking funniest 45 minutes of my entire life, there's so much that happened but I'll have to detail that another day ahaha. Also when we were just going into the panel, I noticed Misha Collins coming out from behind some curtains not twenty feet away (It had just been his panel) and I yelled "HI MISHA!" and he replied enthusiastically, which made me excited. What a cutie.
After that we went to line up for our first photo op of the day, which was Mark Sheppard. He seemed really nice and sweet, and he had a nice firm grip on us when he pulled us in, but the poor thing was so tired (Jetlag, weeeee) that he looks like he's going to fall over in our pic haha. I wanted to hug him but we were already being ferried out.
Next on the photo op list was Barrowman. By this point I was so excited, but happy excited, not freaking out omg-I'm-going-to-die excitement. This line took a lot longer to move and we chatted with the people around us as we waited. Finally we got in and he smiled that squeeeee smile at me when I approached him. He started to put his arm around me but I stopped him and asked if we could pose in some kind of dancing pose, like Jack and Rose in The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, and he said "Sure!". I reached out to take his hand and he pulled me so close I almost stopped breathing, I hadn’t been expecting it to be that fast and close. I don’t even know where my other hand ended up, maybe on his back I think… all I could focus on was his body pressed against mine and my hand in his. He was so warm and muscle-y and again I had to remind myself to smile and not just melt into his arms. The pic turned out AMAZING, he is so freaking gorgeous and I actually don't look horrible either. It was just... squee. *sighs happily*
Then we looked around a bunch of vendors, bought a couple little things and tried to rest our feet (There's nowhere to sit at these things, that was really the only bad thing besides the lines). We almost got run over by Peter Dinklage’s golf cart as it went zooming by, he waved a little guiltily as we jumped out of the way, haha. We sat for a bit and then headed to our Torchwood Team photo op which... was delayed. Our feet were absolute agony by this point and I was almost crying I was in so much pain and so exhausted, but knowing what we were about to do was enough to keep me going. As Jules pointed out the next day, I learned how real endorphins work.... one moment I was dead in pain and ready to pass out, and then we saw them and my pain and fatigue went away for a good half hour afterwards!
Anyway so Jules and I were getting this pic done together, and as we step forward, we're saying hello to them all in a more familiar way than before since we’d met them all a few times by this point and John recognizes us almost instantly and goes "MY BOOB GIRLS!", to laughs and slightly puzzled looks from Eve and Gareth. He settled us on either side of him in front (Me between him and Eve and Jules between him and Gareth) and reached over our shoulders and grabbed one of our boobs each, to which Gareth was trying desperately not to burst out laughing and Eve pulled the greatest face I've ever seen. After the pic was taken we started to turn away but he called us back, laughing, and told the photographer to take a second pic just in case we didn't like the boob one.
Eve jokingly asked me if she could touch my tits this time and I was about to tell her to go ahead if she wanted (haha) when John told her to behave and let us have a nice photo, so we got a really nice one, and I was holding Eve's hand where it rested just below my shoulder and it was just sooooo squeeeeeee :DDDDD We got a print of each pic and will just make copies at a later date.
After that we were like... so high on endorphins we were shaking and we eventually left and had supper at this cool little place called Tubby Dog that was also featured on a "You Gotta Eat Here!" episode. It was pretty sweet, we got a hot dog each called the A-Bomb that had mayo, mustard, ketchup, bacon, nacho cheese sauce and chips (crisps, not fries) on it... It was delicious but had to be eaten with a fork haha.
We tried to go have a nice relaxing soak and swim but there was like 50 million stupid little kids in the pool (I actually mean no less than 20 9-11 year old boys) taking up the ENTIRE pool and shrieking and cannon balling and being obnoxious little snots. We attempted to work around them for like 45 minutes but eventually gave up and went back to the room to attempt to relax.
Went out for some late night McDonalds (which had horribad customer service), got our crap ready check out the next day, and crashed.
Sunday morning was sad because we had to check out and I didn't want to leeeeeave. Thankfully the hotel was really nice and accommodating and let us park there till 6 PM which is great because Con parking is less than desirable. We loaded all our stuff in the trunk of the car and then went to the train again (getting really used to the train side of Calgary transit, anyway!). There was a huge line again, almost identically long as the day before and only marginally faster. We ended up in the autograph area again and found Gareth sitting at his table all by himself. We hesitated for a moment before we went up to him and told him we just wanted to say goodbye and thanks. He was wearing a cowboy hat that had been given to him as an "Honourary Calgarian", and he looked so adorable I just wanted to kiss him haha. Instead we got a pic and a handshake and then off we went to look at merchandise and I was just so happy because I'd been afraid we would never see him again.
We had to head to our first Sunday photo op (and Jules's last photo) pretty quick. It was Misha Collins this time! We didn't really have a chance to say anything much to him but hello and I asked him for a hug too, which he willingly did with a big grin. After the hug I looked up at him to say thanks and he just winked at me while he said thanks and bye which nearly made me fall over. I stammered a thanks and wobbled away, grinning like an idiot. Misha's was the funniest photo op though because almost every younger woman/girl that went in there, came out squeeing and bouncing around. It was adorable and hilarious.
After that we did the merchandise thing again, I bought 4 shirts from the GIANT tshirt stand (They literally had thousands, it was called the Tower of Tshirts and it was kickass), I got a few other things and Jules got a shirt and a wicked Sherlock drawing from the original artist who also does the DW comics and he signed it for her (and signed two comics for both of us!). Saw Norman Reedus being carted by back outside and waved to him and got a wave back!
Finally it came time for my last photo op, Nathan Fillion. Jules already has pics of her with him so she saved the money and decided to just wait for me. I waited alone for like 2 hours (thankfully the girls behind me were nice and we chatted :) ), and then we finally got to go in. Unfortunately they booked SO MANY PEOPLE for Nathan that they were literally chanting "No hugs, no handshakes, next!". So it was rushed and a little scary that way... Also I have this wrist band, its blue rubber and it says "Can't take the sky from me", with white cloud-like markings on it. I've been wanting to give him this for four years now, ever since i moved to Edmonton and found out he was from here.
I was so scared but I managed to tell him I wanted to give him it, and he said thanks and that I was sweet but he had to put it in his pocket without looking at it really and now I'll never know how he liked it (I was hoping maybe he'd tweet about it but no such luck), but hopefully he did. We took the pic (he's way taller than I imagined, wow) and he joked that I had a good grip on him which was a little embarrassing but I'm sure he meant it good-naturedly. He smiled and said bye when it was time to go and I left, all fluttery again.
And then, well... we just sat for a while watching some of the stars being bussed back and forth in a golf cart (we saw Misha and Ian McDiarmid and Peter Dinklage again, the latter of whom we waved at and he waved back). Finally we decided our feet had had enough and we left with some sadness but still hyped up about it all. We went to a restaurant called Big T's BBQ (also on YGEH) after some confusing GPS instructions, and it was freaking amazing, delicious meat (I had brisket and sausage and she had fish and chicken) and it was so so good.
Then, regrettably, we had to head home. The weather got worse and worse as we headed back and unfortunately it was freaking snowing/raining by the time we got home (and practically a BLIZZARD the next day ugh!). But it was the most amazing experience I've ever had and I wouldn't change ANY of it (except maybe the brats in the pool) and I would never want to do it with anyone other than my bestest best friend EVER. Although Fuz I wish you could have been there too, you'd have loved it!
Soooo yeah. Best experience ever? I think so. :D