FanX 2016, day 1

At the end of FanX this year, Theresa asked what made this convention different from the others. We decided that it was because we'd had more celebrity encounters than ever before.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

As always, I stopped in a day early even though I'd already pre-registered. I wanted to pick up my poster so I wouldn't have to carry it around the crowded Salt Palace the next day. I also hoped they'd have a smaller size t-shirt. They didn't. Oh, well!

The calm before the storm

Thursday, Theresa and I reprised our "Witches of Oz" costumes. We didn't expect to be as popular as we'd been in September, assuming that it wouldn't be the novelty it had been. To our surprise, we were still stopped a lot! It seems that people's love for The Wizard of Oz and Wicked is evergreen (see what I did there?). Our photo was even run again in a Deseret News article as one of "the best photos from Comic Cons past." I cannot begin to tell you how much that tickles me. My mom's gorgeous costume continues to delight, and I love to wear it!

This time, a photo of us ended up on the Salt Lake Comic Con Facebook page, too. Wicked!

We found Laura right away, in line for the Buzz Aldrin Panel

Buzz Aldrin was inspiring. The man walked on the moon! He took most of the iconic photos from that trip. The panel felt I imagine how it would be to have your grandfather tell you stories about "the good old days." (I say "I imagine" because I don't have any living grandfathers to compare him to.) He talked about training, and events during the mission, and how hard it was to come home and deal with depression and alcoholism, and how he's still a daredevil trying new things with his kids and grandkids. He's mega into skydiving right now. So cool. Totally worth the price of the ticket for the chance to hear him speak.

Behind him is a portrait constructed of Legos. It makes me smile.

LeVar Burton was surprised that a good 70% of the questions fans asked him were about Reading Rainbow. Don't underestimate the power of reading, LeVar! He was good-natured and candid. We all sang the theme song together. He talked about how he hated the visor he wore in Star Trek: The Next Generation, and that he liked the new movies as action flicks but felt they lacked Gene Roddenberry's social commentary and vision of the future. I wished I'd had the money to get his autograph later. If he ever comes again, I'm doing it. I want to meet him. Reading Rainbow and Star Trek: The Next Generation were huge parts of my Junior High life.

This was also the day that we convinced Theresa she needed to meet Mitch Pileggi because she LOVES The X-Files. We went to his table and Theresa told him how much the show meant to her as a teenager, I told him he was terrifying in Supernatural, and Laura, well, Laura said, "You have a hair on your shirt." She went to pick it off, but it was attached. SHE PULLED HIS CHEST HAIR!! He didn't even flinch, just calmly and casually tucked it back into his shirt. We should have walked further away than we did before we started laughing. I laughed until I cried. It was the best thing, ever. So, so funny and mortifying. Poor Laura. Good thing she has a sense of humor!

Theresa had also told him about a friend of hers who had a shirt with one of his catchphrases on it. As luck would have it, right after our conversation he was scheduled for photos, and Theresa's friend was the first one in line. She told us later he acted like they were old friends and gave her a hug; she figured for some reason he thought they'd met before. It made a lot more sense after we told her our story.

Most of Thursday was spent shopping and getting our bearings. And running into new and old friends :)

First stop is always the Utah Browncoats booth to buy tickets for the Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Sing Along.

Clockwise from top left: Jareth and Sarah from Labyrinth, Witches and post-apocalyptic Dorothy, River Song in Jurassic Park, Theresa, Laura and I on the last day, Ugly Concubines from Mulan, Witch "action figures" with BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Theresa's Rubix cube, and the Witches with Liv Moore from iZombie and hipster Ariel

The only Dorothy we could find. She was so excited to get a photo with us!

Ashleigh and David as a Doctor Horrible groupie and Captain Hammer 

As luck would have it, Aaron and his girlfriend, Anna, found us among the masses.
He took me to that first Con, so it felt good to reunite at this one, even if he did end up taking about five photos for random folks who kept interrupting our conversation. Good thing he's a good sport!

After the con that evening, Theresa and I attended a bachelorette party/bridal shower for our friend Ashleigh. We met Ashleigh at FanX last year, and she has become a dear friend. We're thrilled she's getting married to someone who tolerates her love for all things Star Wars. I liked getting to meet her family and hear about her and David's courtship. They're a kooky bunch, and we fit right in. Looking forward to the wedding!

One day down. Two to go!

FanX day 2
FanX day 3

Salt Lake Comic Con 2015 day 1

This Comic Con was special to me, because Theresa and I ended up being the unofficial faces of Salt Lake Comic Con 2015. Even with how busy I was getting my photo taken a billion times (and loving it), I managed to fit in a lot of panels, celebrity photo ops, cosplay shots, and shopping of my own :)

A shot outside the main ballroom at the Salt Palace the day before the event started.
Deceptively quiet, no?

I worked my day job in the morning on Thursday, then took the afternoon off to get dolled up and play. Theresa and I carpooled over which turned out to be a really good idea since we were cosplaying together.

Would you know it, I ran into a friend right off! Hi Candice!

The first celebrity panel Star Trek: The Next Generation's Marina Sirtis. I remembered her as being really obnoxious at the Fan Xperience last year. I take back every unflattering thing I said about her. She was real, and hilarious, and sassy, and passionate, and I love her. She is grateful to her fans and feels incredibly lucky to have the career she has. And she loves soccer. And dogs. And standing up for women.

Favorite quotes:

"I'm the only one who tells the truth up here That's why you can't record me."
"If I see a man watch me struggle to put my bad in the overhead compartment, I say 'Your mother would be ashamed of you.'"
"We were just normal people. Actors. Well, that's kind of an oxymoron 'normal actors.'"
"I learn my lines. I hit my marks. And I try not to bump into the furniture."
"Sir Lawrence said to Dustin [Hoffman]: 'It's called Acting, my boy.'"
"As a psychologist -- I played on for 7 years and 4 movies, I'm qualified -- you only play pranks on people you don't like."

That first day, I felt a little overwhelmed by the photo requests and didn't feel up to getting any of my own, until I saw this real-life father and son cosplaying as Indiana Jones and Henry Jones, Sr. I couldn't pass that up!

I caught the end of Star Trek's Walter Koenig's panel. Such a sweet guy.

Then we hurried forward to grab excellent seats for the Studio C panel. I had only seen a few of their skits, but had to admit their panel was great. They were all so happy to be there, and they obviously like being together. My favorite was when they showed a clip that most of them hadn't seen, so they sat on the front of the stage to watch on the screens on the side of the stage. A down-to-earth, unaffected moment.

James and Oliver Phelps from the Harry Potter movies! They were the highlight of my day and the reason I missed rehearsal that night. I was thrilled to be on the fourth row in the center. I thought it interesting that while Oliver (who played George Weasley) seemed more outgoing and comfortable and took the lead on most questions, James (Fred Weasley) had more funny comments. Several of my friends were shocked to learn they weren't real redheads. Movie magic, everybody!

Favorite quotes:

James: "He does the talking and I have to listen."
Audience question: "With most twins, there is a good twin and an evil twin. Who is the good twin and the evil one?" Pause. James: "I'd say I'm the Good one." Oliver nods.
James: "The hair wasn't the worst part. Everyone always forgets the eyebrows."
Audience member (re British football): "Go Chelsea!" Both Phelps brothers: "Boo!!"
Audience question: "My brother loves your characters so much that he named his hamsters after you. And Fred just died." James hangs his head.
Oliver: "I'd love to be in a western. Have a big shootout. [Small voice] Wear a hat."

I ran from the panel to have my photo op with the twins (my most expensive photo from the three days). I was excited to wear my Glinda the Good Witch costume for the picture, even though it was the wrong story. A witch is a witch, right? A witch and two wizards. What could be better? James didn't seem thrilled when I asked him to hold my wand, so I was pleasantly surprised and thrilled that he smiled for the photo anyway. Aren't they cute? I'm so pleased with how it turned out!

Oliver (left) and James Phelps

A few more shots while wandering around the floor. I needed a photo this Cinderella. She nailed that floaty dress.

Thermians from the planet Thermia (Galaxy Quest). It was weird and hard work talking with them about my "historical document." Poor Dorothy.

Theresa was enchanted by this Cinderella (she wasn't with me when I got the other photo). I'm still not sure if she is really this tall or if she was on stilts. Or maybe she was standing on a chair, but then why was her dress so long?

This is what happens when you wear green makeup and then stand in front of a green screen. The booth operators thought it was hilarious, and so did we!

The green screen operator lady, dressed as Cruella de Vil

Theresa, Laura, Madeline, and I. Beautiful stormtrooper Madeline has been home from her mission about a month or so. We have known her since she was a baby. We're so proud of her!

Sarah and I (note her sister's photobomb hand over Sarah's shoulder -- haha!)

Theresa and I met Ashleigh at Fan Experience in January and we've been friends ever since. She makes a darn cute Nyan cat, doesn't she? Very appropriately -- since Theresa and I made Ashleigh watch Doctor Who -- David Tennant watches over us here.

Even when the floor closed and we were forced onto the street, people kept asking for photos. Theresa and I took it in stride. After all: "We did not dress up like this because we didn't want anybody to notice us."

Recap of SLCC day 2
Recap of SLCC day 3

Memes that make me giggle: movie stars are nerds, too

Borrowed from Set Phasers to LOL

Salt Lake Comic Con Fan Xperience day 3: River Song, Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, Patrick Stewart, and more!

I decided to wear a costume on Day 3 -- one I thought might be recognized by fans. I confess, after two days of holding Carrie's purse, I secretly hoped someone would ask for MY photo at least once!

The costume I decided on was River Song from Doctor Who's "The Big Bang" episode:

Totally doable, especially since Aaron was willing to loan me his leg holster and gun. White jacket/sweater? Check. Wide belt? Check. Tight pants? Check. Bag on a belt around my hips? Check. Tight pants and knee-length boots? Check. Big, curly hair? ... Do you even have to ask? I'm actually kind of amazed how big my hair was that day.

It wasn't perfect, but I was pleased with the result:

Fun fact: I wore socks with Daleks printed on them.

Another perk of being a VIP: I got a free Thursday-only pass for a friend. It was only $16 extra to upgrade it for Saturday, so I brought my friend Theresa along. I knew she'd love all the geekiness as much as I did. Her "Captain Hammer groupie" t-shirt (from Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog) was brilliant. She even had a copy of his dry-cleaning bill: "Four sweater vests!" (You better believe we had that tune in our heads all day long).

Yet another perk: I was allowed to enter the Con an hour earlier than the regular folks. This was fortuitous because the Nathan Fillion Spotlight Panel was scheduled to begin at 10am: the same time the general public was allowed in. Unfortunately, since Theresa wasn't a VIP that meant she wasn't allowed in with me, so we had to split up for the first couple of hours :(

Nathan Fillion was hilarious. Not quite as humble as Karl Urban, but just as happy to geek out with the rest of us over anything and everything science fiction, particularly his stint on Firefly. One fan asked what his favorite gig was, and he said, "You're trying to get me in trouble, aren't you?" He admitted Firefly was his favorite, and then apologized a bit to the Castle fans saying something along the lines of "If my favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate, but I've given you strawberry for the last six years, I hope you'd forgive me for liking chocolate more." Here's a chunk of the start of his panel.


Some of my favorite quotes:
On working with Joss Whedon: "I come up with a lot of ideas, 98% of which are terrible. Joss will say something along the lines of 'Yeah...! Or!' ...He has a way of saying things that doesn't make you feel like a [dummy]."

"Do any of you watch Castle?" crowd cheers. "That's what I hoped."

When asked if he still uses the Chinese curse words from Firefly: "They don't just pop out like 'Ooh! I spoke Mandarin!'"

"Never endeavor to find out where a celeb lives. There's nothing you can say that doesn't say 'I'm crazy and I know where you live.'"

He told a story about being thrilled to go out to dinner the night before with the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Some fans saw them and started freaking out. Brent Spiner turned to Nathan and said "Wow." Nathan replied, "Right?" and then confessed he was thinking "Be cool! Don't blow it!"

An animation student: "I think it would be so awesome to work with you one day as an animator." Nathan: "That is correct."

The next panel in the same room was Karen Gillian from Doctor Who, so I decided to stay and creep forward to a better seat. I hoped Theresa would be able to join me, but the line to get in was massive. Fortunately, they set up an overflow room so more people could watch the panel, and Theresa got to watch that way. Unfortunately, Karen was about half an hour late, so her panel was really short. This did give me time to chat with the people sitting next to me. The couple next to me had marks on their arms and legs to count the Silence (a Doctor Who alien race you forget as soon as you look away), and mentioned they'd dressed their red-headed daughter like Karen's character, Amy Pond. I thought this was hilarious *SPOILER ALERT* because I was dressed as Amy's daughter, and thought "only on Doctor Who is it perfectly normal for the parent to be a baby and the child an adult *END SPOILER* so I asked if I could get a picture with their baby. The baby had major "stranger danger" fear, and cried inconsolably during the first attempt, but later seemed to be cool with it. In her defense, I look nothing like her mom :)

Karen's panel was a lot of fun, so I didn't much mind waiting so long for "The Girl Who Waited."

After the panel, Theresa and I finally met up again and started wandering around. To my delight, several people DID ask for a photo with me, including some who were dressed as River! A couple people even said I was the best River they'd seen that day. DAY MADE! Of course, I grabbed quite a few Doctors for photo ops. I somehow never suspected I'd have as much fun with that costume as I did! I will be wearing it again at a future date :D

The 11th Doctor and a Dalek

One of Theresa's friends, dressed as Rose Tyler

Another River :)

This family was adorable as the 10th Doctor (Dad), TARDIS (Mom),
11th Doctor (son), and Amy Pond (daughter).
I want to be this kind of parent.

I realized after walking away that River would never be so stupid
as to look away from a Weeping Angel. #cosplayfail

Laura and her husband joined us about that time, and we had a blast looking around and taking more random photos!

Theresa, Laura and I and a tiny TARDIS from the KidCon area

As an English major in college, I found that Star Trek fanfiction was a nice break from all of the heavy novels, plays, and poetry I was required to read. One of my favorite authors was Peter David. He came to the Con, and I asked him to sign my copy of his novel Imzadi (the story of how Riker and Troi fell in love). He was pretty surprised when I told him he got me through college. Nice guy!

I had held off getting a photo with the 501st Legion until I was dressed in my own space-adventure costume:

This is my favorite photo from the entire day!
I should take on an empowered persona more often.

I walked by again later and saw that Darth Vader was there, and my friend Allisha was hanging out with her kids (who are in the Legion), so we got another photo!

The Dark Side is pretty irresistible!

Joe has been a friend of ours for 20 years, so we had to get a photo with him.
He'd spent the day as a volunteer in the actor-signing area telling people on
the wrong side of the line not to take pictures, so we made sure
to point the camera away from the actors for this photo ;)

Josh, Kyle, and Mandie

Before we knew it, it was time for Adam Baldwin's Spotlight Panel. Now, I've had a crush on Adam Baldwin since I first saw Independence Day at the Villa in the summer of 1996. He played Major Mitchell, the commanding officer at Area 51, and he was dreamy. He still is. He was a sweetheart; a family man doing his job and enjoying every minute. He had great things to say about Firefly and Chuck.

I only wrote down a couple of quotes, and then decided to just listen and enjoy:
In response to someone in the crowd who yelled "I love you!": "I love you because you love me!"

"I got a ten? Yay! You know what? You all get an eleven." *Crowd cheers*

Audience question: "Do you have any regrets?"
Adam: "I should call my mom more... excuse me!"

It makes me happy when actors are nice people in real life, especially when they play a lot of grumpy characters -- haha!


After the panel, we all hurried to the photo op area for our Firefly photos with Nathan Fillion AND Adam Baldwin. Because I was VIP, Theresa and I only had to wait about 25 minutes. I know several people who were in line for over an hour. Theresa and I were so excited. We'd already decided she could claim Nathan and I claimed Adam. The wait was completely worth it. As I mentioned when I got my photo with Michael Dorn, it was over really quickly, but, Oh. My. Goodness. Those men are attractive in real life, and the energy was palpable. I was a little surprised that Nathan wasn't taller; then again, everyone looks short next to Adam ;)  They were so nice and we were so flustered that Theresa missed a chance to shake Adam's hand, and I missed Nathan saying "Thanks" to me. It was crazy.

The best part? Theresa and I both look terrific in the photo!

Of course the men look good, but she and I were like "I am totally going to display this in my living room for the rest of my life" 'cause we look cute, too! It's little wonder that on Facebook and Instagram this photo became the most "Liked" of all my Comic Con photos. We look good, and they are celebrities that people recognized. No contest: those thirty seconds were the highlight of the entire weekend.

Once we finished the photo, Theresa had to leave, and Laura and her husband planned to leave as soon as their photo was done. Fortunately, I still had plenty of people to hang out with.

Carrie and Tyler

Marinda as Rosie the Riveter

Jillian and I -- curly girls!

Before I knew it, it was time for the Patrick Stewart Spotlight Panel.

I used my VIP status to get in early again. Since he hadn't known for sure whether he could come until two days previously, he had a slightly abbreviated timeslot. He was fun and chatty and humble and kind. He talked so much that there wasn't much time for questions, but we didn't mind. It was so cool that he came after all!!


I ended the day on the front row of the Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Sing Along. Apparently, at the previous Con, they cancelled the event because of lack of interest. This time, they originally scheduled a room for 350 people, but so many of us lined up that they moved us to a room for 700 -- and the place was packed! I don't know the songs very well, so it was nice to have a good view of the words. People quoted the lines along with the actors, and we all sang at the top of our voices. I was a tiny bit disappointed that Nathan Fillion didn't surprise us by bursting in as Captain Hammer at one point. Ah, well. I can't have everything!

The movie ended at 8pm, and even though there were no more panels, there were full
carafes and empty glasses on the tables at the front of the room. Since the sing along
was the final event, Marcy and I had an ice cold drink. Tee-hee! We felt like rebels!

When I arrived home, exhausted and nursing a blister on the bottom of my right foot (that had been there since Thursday night -- thank goodness for comfortable shoes on Friday and Saturday!!), I sadly cut off the armband that had been my companion for the last three days.

Thank you, VIP armband, for all of the glorious memories and perks.
I will miss you!

Then I laid out my swag and called my mom to thank her one more time for my perfect Christmas gift.

It was an awesome three days! I am sorely tempted to do it all again in September!!

Will you come with me?

Click the links for my recaps of day 1 and day 2 at the Salt Lake Comic Con Fan Xperience.