PAX

It’s here, ya’ll. PAX Prime! Wooooo!

I am seriously stoked about attending this convention! Sure, it’s going to be huge and ungainly and loaded down with gamer-y goodness, and I have no idea what to expect beyond that, but I know it’s going to be AWESOME.

Why??

Games, man. Games. Lots of ‘em. And not all in one category, either. Not all video, not all tabletop, not all RPG, just ALL. ALL, Ya’ll!!

To paraphrase Ally Brosh from Hyperbole and a Half:

Yup.

Even Flaninja is excited, and he hasn’t been around the blog in ages. He’s a stoic dude (think Oz from Buffy, but in pastry-form) and the fact that he’s even shown up shows a level of enthusiasm not to be ignored.

Stoked.

I’ve prepared for this con-adventure using the tools of any modern geeky, nerd-type. I downloaded the Guidebook app, and set my schedule after perusing the daily panel and event lists. I’ve actually left most of the three days wide open for shenanigans, because this is my first time attending this con and I don’t want to bog myself down too much and inadvertently prevent fun-having and exploration.

I’ll report next week on all the happenings I happen to happen upon!

Moment of Silence…

Jerry Nelson passed away today. He was one of the earliest members of Jim Henson’s Muppets. He was the “muppeteer” and voice of countless characters… most notably, perhaps, Count Von Count, Gobo Fraggle, and Kermit’s Nephew Robin.

Let’s take a few moments today to remember him.

ONE… one amazing man…

So there I was, at Costco…

UPDATE: 8/20/2012…see below…

And wouldn’t you know it, I ran into fellow (and far more popular) blogger who’s name is ALSO Jen (though she’s known by most as The Bloggess)!

At Costco you can even find Jens in bulk!

I’ll give a fuller report tomorrow of all the awesome!

Aaaaaaand here’s the promised follow-up!

First of all, let me just say, Jenny Lawson is THE sweetest, sweetheart of a lady I think I’ve ever met outside of my circle of friends.

She took her time with each of her admiring fans, she was personable, she was genuine and she never rushed anyone.

Because the event was at a Costco (a location so damn contrary to what anyone thinks of when they think of “book signings” that it was totally perfect) Jenny wasn’t able to do a true reading mostly because of all the cussing in her book “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened”, but also because it was a Costco.

Jenny made up for the lack of reading by bringing with her Copernicus, the Homicidal Monkey and her husband Victor. Both were terrific sports. Copernicus, because he refrained from killing anyone (mostly because Jenny’s fans are wary of his hugs) and Victor because he happily snapped photos of his wife’s fans as they basked in the glow of her awesomeness.

When I got up to the table, after she’d complimented my Blue Box Ale t-shirt (she’s a recent Doctor Who fan), I stated as casually as possible, “You’ve never heard of me, but I’m Jen Tidwell.” To which she jaw-droppingly (mine, not hers) replied, “Oh my God, I’ve TOTALLY heard of you!”

After this, I’m not sure what else happened because I was in a state of euphoria that she’d heard of me, and not just because a while back I’d asked her permission to use her photo of Juanita Weasel in my Testimonial Gallery.

Anyway, at some point during my blissful coma I managed to ask her to affirm her knowledge of me by signing an 8×10 of herself, and then I suggested she do a reading of her book over the public address system, substituting “Beyonce” in place of foul-language. This made her laugh, which was awesome.

After that, Victor took our photo, and my wife and I got out of the way so as not to monopolize any more of her time.

It was a terrific experience, made that much more special with the knowledge that Jenny has to overcome her own deep-seated anxiety with social gatherings to even make it to these events. She is incredibly generous and selfless.

Her book tour is finished now, but if she ever comes to a city near you, take a moment to go see her and thank her for all that she does.

AND THIS WEEK’S ADDITION TO THE TESTIMONIAL GALLERY IS (who else?):

The Bloggess herself, Jenny Lawson!! Yaaaaaaay!! (Kermit-flail.gif)

Of Cash and Cons

Trying to come up with something to write about for this week’s blog and having a hard time. Geek Girl Con is this weekend here in Seattle and I’ve decided, after much thought, not to go. Nothing against GGC, money factored into it more than anything else.

So, I’m kinda bummed about the next few days because originally I was supposed to be in Chicago (the town and not the musical) this weekend to watch one of my oldest and dearest friends get married. But then we had a sudden home-repair that sucked up all of our savings and POOF there went that trip. Then I thought I might go to GGC, but I waffled about it too long and now I don’t have money to do THAT.

It sucks when your reasonably flush savings account (for emergencies and/or fun things) is suddenly not there (due to an actual emergency) because it’s almost like finding yourself rock-climbing without a rope. Or tight-rope walking without a safety net. Or riding a BMX without a helmet. You get my point, but you can continue insert your own similes and metaphors if you like. (Maybe in the comments? Hmmm?)

Now I’m struggling to write about something fun and geeky instead of dull and self-pitying which is what I am doing right now… sorry.

OH! Ok, ya’ll, here’s some awesome geeky news! If you’re a fan of The Bloggess you already know this BUT she is coming here (Seattle) for TWO (count’em) TWO book readings/signings! I will be attending at least one of these and, of course, I will be reporting about it right here, so stay tuned!

Plus, as you know, I’ll also be attending PAX Prime at the end of this month. I’ve been looking over the schedule, trying to decide what panels to attend, and I gotta say, I am completely overwhelmed. This is my first time attending a gaming convention and I am going seriously big right out of the gate with PAX. What I can’t seem to find yet is the exhibitor’s list for the Expo Hall or a list of media guests. Frankly, other than the musical acts for the evening entertainment, I don’t know if PAX even HAS media guests. I keep thinking they must… but who knows? Not me. It’s scary and exciting.

Here’s another, semi-related, geeky thing! Guidebook! Are you familiar with this app? Thanks to PAX, I am now. It’s a pretty darn neat way to navigate conventions and other events! Basically, if the convention you’re attending is tech saavy and has the forethought to put together a guide to upload to the app, you, as an attendee, can view the event, its schedule, an expo hall map (if applicable), media guest list, panel descriptions, etc, etc. You can even create a “to do” list in advance and the app will keep you on track with reminders of where you’re supposed to be and when. I will absolutely be taking advantage of this tool… just as soon as PAX Prime uploads all of the information for this year’s convention to the Guidebook. And they will, probably a week out from the actual show.

So cool, this week’s post didn’t turn out too “woe is me” after all. Yay!

So…This is Happening

This year I will be at PAX Prime in Seattle! It is happening, people! I thought I had lost my chance (again) this year because even as early as February the site was saying that they were sold out… then I realized… they were talking about LAST year’s badges, not this year’s. Thus, began the ritual of obsessive site-checking. Every day, leading up to the official opening of registration, I was on the PAX site checking, waiting, watching. Then, the second registration opened in April, I pounced and “voila” I managed to score two three-day badges!! One for myself, and one for the wife.

Note how effectively my copy of GLOOM is keeping the welcome letter from being blown away by my oscillating fan…

It’s a good thing I got them when I did, because they sold out of three-day badges in under 24 hours, and single-day badges in under 48. Now that is a what I call a popular event, man!

So, come the end of this month, I will be rubbing elbows with other gaming nerds from across the country, attending panels and game demos and generally having an awesome time. Although video games will have a strong presence, I’ll likely be spending most of my time investigating the table top games as I don’t own any consoles (other than the Wii, which we use primarily for Netflix and Hulu), but I DO own a pretty nice table.

Note how the four legs lovingly support the large flat surface enabling the user to place any number of things atop it…such as board games… or plates or something.

Of course I will report on my experience here and post many photos. I’ll continue to provide updates on the schedule of the convention as they update the information on the PAX Site, and as I narrow down the list of panels and events I hope to attend.

I hope you enjoy living vicariously through me at yet another geeky fan convention!