Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

Beginning to look worn

Saturday at Otakon was another busy day for me, in more ways than one. It happened to be a day when a number of friends of mine wanted to get together with me, and I'd been engaging in frequent e-mail, phone and text message conversations to try to get everyone together.

I'll split up my write-up for Saturday over two days, with the first section covering my shift as part of Press Relations, and the second taking off with my off-duty activities.

In the morning, The Gryphon and I walked over to the BCC together, and he showed me where his Industry booth was in the Dealers' Room. I told him I'd come look for him when I got a chance, because I planned on asking BB, the head of Press Relations, for time to browse the Dealers' Room in the slow part of the morning.

Now Saturday, was the day that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out, so the Pottermaniac picked it up in the Dealers' Room on the way to the Press Relations Department.

She read it whenever she had the opportunity but had to fight off other Potter fans, such as Ed, who picked it up and started reading when the Pottermaniac was busy.

She failed to find it amusing when members of the press or Otakon staffers would see her reading and attempt to give her "Harry Potter spoilers", which were typically such unsurprising facts as "Harry Potter is a wizard."

I did, incidentally, hear that some unscrupulous pranksters were circulating an actual spoiler sheet of crucial events from the book, which I accidentally glimpsed when I saw some people reading it in the hallways, wiping it from my mind as I walked away.

Of course, BB and I were also defensive about spoilers, as we both had our copies waiting for us at home, having pre-ordered them from Amazon.com.

The morning was fairly slow, as BB and Gerbil worked on scheduling some interviews, as well as dealing with some of the mainstream press, who typically only come for the busiest day of the convention, that being Saturday.

I did see one of the press representatives wearing a T-shirt that I found particularly funny, after the previous night. I photographed him with our gopher.

In off moments, the staff gathered around Gerbil's computer and socialized. Apparently, the Press Relations department is like that: long slow periods, interrupted by busy periods that require all the staff members to be involved.

(from left) Our gopher, The Pottermaniac, BB, Ed and Gerbil

Since it was slow in the morning, when the Dealers' Room open, I asked BB if he minded if I walked down and took a look around. He said that would be fine but asked me to do an errand for him: stop by the Funimation booth, where some of their voice actors were scheduled to do autograph signings, and schedule an interview availability with them.

I headed straight for the Funimation booth to talk to the person BB had recommended I contact, and he was very helpful, introducing me to one of the voice actors, Chris Bevins, a very friendly guy who was more than happy to help us out. He told me he'd be doing autographs until 12:30 and then would want a smoking break, so I arranged it for 1 p.m. and told him someone would be there to escort him to the interview suit at 12:45.

Then I wondered around the Dealers' Room, looking for anything I'd want to purchase. First, I stopped by the Industry booth, but The Gryphon wasn't there. Instead were two of "the Kevins." You see, there were so many guys named Kevin working in the Industry/Dealers' Room space that they were all jokingly lumped together as "the Kevins," even those who had different names. Sort of like the old Monty Python sketch: "Mind if we call you Bruce to keep it clear?"

The Kevins apparently told The Gryphon when he returned that I'd been looking for him, and he called my cell to meet up with me. We walked up and down every aisle, and while I was browsing, he was listening to his radio for any alerts.

I was looking at places that sold fun, quirky items or fashion accessories. Most of the clothes, though, didn't interest me. They were either kimonos, for which I have little need, or regular T-shirts, which are too boxy. I did see a few fitted T's, but they just didn't appeal to me. If I'd seen an artsy one I could have paired with dark jeans and a jacket to go out on the town, I might have bought one, though.

But I found a great necklace and earring set at Undiscovered Treasures, one of my favorite vendors. The woman who sold it to me told me that it looked like something Uhura from Star Trek would have worn. In truth, it did look very Space Age, which was part of its appeal.

I also found a couple things for my mom's birthday, which was actually that day (I called her on the cell phone to wish her a happy birthday). And I found a really cute plushie: a bear with pancakes, at Kawaii Gifts (Cute Gifts). When you pull the pancakes away from the bear, he shuffles towards them, hands out, to reclaim them. How cute!

I also bought a Hello Kitty dangling phone accessory and a Hello Kitty sponge, which the vendor said I could use for art projects. Maybe I'll make something cute for my niece and nephew.

When I'd finished walking through the Dealers' Room, I stopped back at the Funimation booth to connect with the other voice actress who had arrived for autographs, Jamie Marchi. She was also very friendly and was happy to join in the 1 p.m. interview session. I called BB with the updated information, and he thanked me.

Meantime, my college pal The ER Doctor and her husband and baby had arrived, and she'd given me a call to figure out where we could connect. The Gryphon gave them directions to the Dealers' Room entrance, but somehow they got confused and ended up at the exit, instead. I told them I'd be right there, and The Gryphon went back to work at his Industry booth.

I greeted them, gave The ER Doctor a hug, and we sat in a relatively clear area of the hallway for a little while to talk. Both parents were looking tired, it haven't been a long trip from Harrisburg. The baby was getting a little fussy, and the flow of traffic didn't help, so I suggested we head up to the Press Relations room to get out of the noise.

BB didn't mind that I brought them, especially as they just sat at an empty table in the far end of the room. The plan was to get them some kind of food so they could eat before the Steve Blum panel at 1 p.m. they wanted to attend. The baby, of course, already had his food packed, and he was happy to begin eating it, calming down almost immediately. After all, the Press Relations room is a nice, welcoming, quiet space, so it was a lot less overwhelming.

The husband and I went on a food quest, stopping along the way to check out the room where the Steve Blum panel would be, just to see what kind of a line was forming. There was indeed, a line, but judging from the gaffer's tape on the floor, they'd seen much worse lines for this room before. I saw a couple Otakon staffers who were handling the line, and I asked them if it should be a problem to get in if my friends came back in about 20 minutes. He said it shouldn't be a problem.

I don't know if they thought I was trying to ask if I could bypass the line with them, since I was a staffer, but I explained quickly that I was just trying to figure out what to tell them. He reassured me it shouldn't be a problem.

I gave the husband the lowdown and we went downstairs to get some eats from a sushi stand operated by Aramark in the Pratt Street Lobby. Since The ER Doctor doesn't eat raw fish, he grabbed her some veggie sushi. Then we walked across the lobby to a stand where they were selling drinks, and I also bought a box of "Men's Pocky", which is dark chocolate Pocky.

Back in Press Relations, I shared the Pocky with my friends and then with the other staffers, leaving it open on the table with clear instructions that they were free to eat it.

The baby was starting to seem cheery again. I was amazed to note how much he'd grown since February. He now had a full head of dark blonde hair and could not only crawl but actually stand with support.

We had a nice time catching up, and once they'd finished their sushi, they went off to catch their panel. I told them I'd meet them outside when it was over to give them a quick behind-the-scenes tour of Otakon.

I managed to make myself useful, then, by covering the room while the rest of the Press Relations staff dashed off in different directions for various events. I didn't have to do much, but I did answer the phone a number of times and track down info for some members of press.

As luck would have it, some of the staffers had returned in time for me to meet, as promised, with The ER Doctor's family. I told them where I was going and that if there were any emergencies, they should call and I'd come help out.

I got to the panel room in plenty of time to wait for them to come out, and I got their attention by waving over the sea of tall cosplayers and members. As promised, I gave them the whirlwind tour, and we dropped in on some fellow Monty Python Society alums.

First, we tried LARP, where we hoped to find The Cheshire Cat and The Dormouse. I fully expected that they would be surrounded by clamoring LARPers, and that we'd just be able to say a quick hello and leave. But we lucked out and hit upon a quiet period. Perhaps the LARPers were all out getting lunch.

We walked up to The Cheshire Cat, and knowing it had been a while since they'd since each other in person, I made brief introductions. The Cheshire Cat and The ER Doctor remembered each other immediately and chatted, catching up.

When The Dormouse got a chance, he also came over. At first The ER Doctor wasn't sure who he was, but when I introduced him as the Cola Preacher from the infamous Coke-In, she knew him immediately.

After we'd chatted for enough time that I figured we ought to be getting along and leave them to their work, we slipped out the back door into the back hallways, to make our way to Video Ops, where I hoped to find The White Rabbit.

Now, I warned them that The White Rabbit is usually dashing around the convention center during Otakon and therefore hard to track, but as luck would have it, he was standing at the desk talking to the head of Video Ops! I was so pleased to see him, I gave him a hug.

I made quick introductions, and we all went into the hallway, where it was quieter, to socialize and take some pictures. You can kind of see how tired I was getting, because I wasn't trying to look silly in the picture, but I ended up sitting much too straight and tucking my chin, as if I was in character as some sort of loony.

(from left) The White Rabbit, me, The ER Doctor's family

The best part, though, was talking to them in a nice, relaxed way. I'd let them know about plans I had for attending the water ballet benefit later and then dinner with some friends from Baltimore, but they had to pass, since they had to leave for a relative's place in the area at about 5:30, so the baby could get to bed on time.

Much to my surprise, who should show up then but the March Hare, who was the only other person I thought they might recognize from our MPS days. (The Court Wizard was from the same class as the ER Doctor but unfortunately couldn't attend Otakon due to work related responsibilities.)

While The March Hare and The ER Doctor didn't remember each other clearly, we all had a good time talking until it got to the point where I figured they ought to get in line for the 3 p.m. event they wanted to attend.

I walked them back to the Press Relations Department to pick up their gear and wished them a pleasant time, promising to send them the pictures that I'd taken.

Back in Press Relations, I had about an hour and a half to help before leaving for the water ballet, a schedule I'd already cleared with BB. I tried to be as useful as I could, running errands, making signs or whatever was required until it was time to leave. Then I bid BB goodnight, promising to return bright and early the next morning at 8:30.

And with that, I left the BCC to change for the evening's activities. That's where I'll pick it up next installment.

More on Alyce's Otakon Experiences:

Musings on Alyce's Otakon Experiences

Copyright 2006 by Alyce Wilson

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