Friday, July 10, 2015

Me at Comic-Con 2015 (Part 1)

San Diego Comic-Con 2015 or SDCC2015 as it's most commonly known on Social Media--we've arrived!
I’m a self-proclaimed geek wife and mom. And nothing says “geek” more than the Comic-Con Convention.  I have to say, it’s been quite an adventurous experience: from the lottery-type system in acquiring the tickets, to the pre-paid parking structures (you snooze, you lose), to the massive crowds, & finally to the epic event itself! I feel honored and privileged to experience this juggernaut phenomenon San Diego puts together every year (and I hope will continue to despite all the rumors I’ve heard to the contrary). But I have to pay a little homage to Comic-Con itself…

Dear Comic-Con, you kicked my butt! I can’t remember a time when I felt like my body had been hit by a mack truck! Not even 18 days in Orlando, Florida (and believe me, that was go, go go!) has made me feel physically fatigued as much as I do today.  After a full day of manuevering crowds and standing in long lines, I’m so exhausted I feel like I can’t move. Hand me a mai tai and a place to put up my feet, put a fork in me…this Mom is done…for now. (I still have another full day of Comic-Con on Sunday, so I best find the will to recover!) Thank goodness for my Skechers sneaks….if you were a person, I’d take you out for a coffee!
Signs are everywhere! You have to know something big is happening today!

Badged up & ready to go!
We arrived in San Diego so unbelievably early I don’t think even the roosters were up. But guess what? We’re late! There were large crowds all lined up & ready to go! We already purchased our tickets so all we needed to do was get our badges.  Great thing though, it’s pretty well organized.  Just simply ask what a line is for & most people know and are willing to share information. The lines are generally long but once they get going, they move rather quickly (at least in geek time).  The badge process was easy and the boys loved the way they looked–talk about being official! Not surprisingly, my guys’ main purpose on this particular day was to take advantage of everything Lego had to offer at the Convention.

Who could pass up a photo op with R2D2? Certainly, not the boys.
This includes standing in line for hours just to possibly get a chance to get a voucher to shop for exclusives (a handy dandy term meaning these toys are found nowhere else but at this event OR at an inflated price at some online auction) and a chance at an exclusive and very highly sought after mini-figure of the weekend.  Luckily for this family, we have 4 chances at everything–so all in all, the guys had a nice loot & stash of pretty much all the products they wanted.

Lots of people come dressed up in their favorite characters from movies, television, video games & any other genre I can’t possibly remember to come up with right now.  Some are just downright creative and I love the fact that they are so willing to take pictures with anyone that asks. So, go ahead, don’t be shy! Find your superhero and/or villain & snap away!

How cute is Baby Groot? Wish I could take him home.
The boys love the show Teen Titans Go!

United in calmness. I adore this kid!
There was a point in time, when my first born & I had to go and stand in line while the husband & my youngest stood in another line trying to complete another transaction (we’re efficient like that).  We roamed around the place & got a little bit (or a lot depending on your perspective) lost trying to find the line we needed to stand in. Thank goodness this kid is so laid back.  We were a couple of clueless, yet fairly calm attendees. And you know? Standing in line is never the most ideal situation, but I make the most of it by honing in & enhancing my eavesdropping skills! The things you learn about human nature by the conversations you overhear!
Look what we won!
So how fun is it, to get to the end of this massive line and have to press a button that lets you know whether or not you win something? Maybe it doesn’t sound good, but it’s actually pretty thrilling! And I’m not one to get too excited about these things because I’m that person that comes home empty handed at raffles that everyone seems to get a prize at, but my luck held out today! All 4 of us were able to get a very rare (and cool) mini-figure exclusive–some would give a right toe for or maybe just pay a ridiculous amount for (I mean, how much are mini-figures worth? 5 dollars at most–well you would think, until someone offers you 80 dollars for them). Trust me, this is a massive acquisition!

4th of July may be over, but we shine out our patriotism. Hello there, Captain America!

One side...Save all the geeky heathens from the firepits of hell!
It wouldn’t be an epic adventure without a little protesting now wouldn’t there! Amongst the massive crowd crossing the streets to get to different events throughout the Gaslamp District of San Diego, shouts a religious group calling for the repentance of all the Comic-Con attendees!! “Turn from your evil ways”. My kids…aww, poor kids…especially my first-born…”What? Are they saying I’m going to hell because I like Lego & Skylanders? Well, that’s just wrong”.  All I could respond was, “Well, I’m glad you know that.”

On the other side, we're heathens & proud of it! (And hell might be fun.)
 And to the Satan Worshipers…hey, to each their own beliefs. I may disagree with you (and just a tad bit afraid), but I respect your right to express yourself. Just as long as your members practice free will and don’t hurt anyone, what do I have to do with it? Keep on, keeping on! And again, it’s the perfect opportunity to tell my two boys, see?, everyone has a right to believe what they want & it’s okay to disagree–just don’t disrespect. Who says, Comic-Con isn’t educational??
The boys spent some time at this exhibit. You think they're excited for the release of this video game? Maybe a little.
The boys had such a wonderful time & the husband was on geek cloud 9. And me? As exhausting as it was, loved every minute! People watching galore…so many unique characters in costume, people with varying interests vying for the latest and greatest products and ALL so very different!! No one was weird, yet everyone was weird. If the world was one big Comic-Con, a lot of our problems would cease to exist.
I have a couple of days to recover & we’re back at it on Sunday! Now that I know what to expect, it’ll be a cinch…I hope…fingers crossed!

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