Posts tagged dragoncon
Dragon*Con 2010: The Madness!
Sep 13th
Dragon*Con 2010 took place in Atlanta last weekend. During this, my 4th year of attendance, I had a lot of fun as always. But I gotta say, it had a few moments of FAIL that make me kind of leery about the commitments I’m willing to make for next year.
To start with, I will absolutely NOT be pre-registering as I did this year. Through a series of FAIL, I ended up with 2 badges: the one I pre-registered for and never picked up because they wanted me to wait outside for 4+ hours, and the one I paid cash for and had hanging around my neck inside of 10 minutes. Apparently I’m not the only one who thought the wait was completely not worth it and just bought another badge. I have since read that D*C plans to switch to a barcode system for next year that *should* make things run more smoothly, but I’ll believe it works when I see it. I also had a friend there trying to pick up a Press Badge, and what should have been a simple process became a 60 minute ordeal as no one knew exactly where the pick up was, and we ended up going from the Sheraton to the Hyatt and back to the Sheraton before she was actually able to get it.
It would also appear that the con is getting a little too big for its britches. Hotel security went into lock down a couple of times, only allowing people with con badges or room keys to get into the hotel. From what I heard, the Fire Marshall was threatening shut down due to too many people. Though the con is spread out over 4+ hotels, there’s not enough room for everyone! The wall to wall bodies was not fun.
I also heard that there were a NUMBER of sexual harassment and battery issues taking place throughout the course of the weekend. While this didn’t personally happen to me, I have to admit that I didn’t feel safe enough this year to go anywhere by myself. The number of people was not comforting, and the limited number of staff and con security didn’t make me feel entirely ‘secure’.
I won’t even go into the problems of staying in a con hotel. Of course it had amazing benefits, but the elevator situation was just plain annoying. And walking down 18 flights of stairs wasn’t very fun either.
All in all, my complaints aren’t terrible enough to prevent me from going back, and my level of enjoyment was still quite high. So here are a few choice photos from the weekend for your viewing enjoyment!
Building an Indigo Lantern
Jul 8th
Admittedly, I’m not all that familiar with the concepts behind the Green Lantern Corps. Last year it was suggested that a group of us get together and do a Lantern Corps group at Dragon*Con 2010. Knowing nothing about it, I said yes!
Admittedly I have begun reading the back story on the Green Lantern, though I’m not all the way through the corps yet, but decided that I wanted to be an Indigo Lantern. Partly because no one else picked it, and partly because compassion is often my greatest weakness.
So my costume is sewn (my very first time following a pattern, thankyouverymuch) and then the challenge started…
how the heck do you build an Indigo Lantern staff?!?
It took me a little while, and a bit of collaboration, to figure out the concept and what would (hopefully) be the best way to build it. So I began with a giant Styrofoam ball and a bamboo pole.
Earlier this week I learned how to use the Dremel and only broke 3 rotary blades as I hollowed out my Styrofoam and shaped the top of my staff. After I attached it to the bamboo pole with glue (though I apparently did NOT use enough glue), I covered the entire surface with Paper Clay because it dries light and would give me something to spray paint that won’t melt.
This is where I’m at so far, waiting for the Paper Clay to dry so I can paint:
Pretty good, eh? Considering it’s my first prop creation ever? 
Dragon*Con 09 review – coming soon
Sep 8th
So, because I have WAY too much work to get done tonight, I am taking the time to post that in the coming days, I will recap my impressions of Dragon*Con this year. So be warned. There may even be photos posted, since I took so freakin’ many.
My new adult sippy cup
Aug 14th
I admit that I am a huge nerd, and while I was wandering aimlessly around Target today, I came across this bottle and decided I had to have it.
It’s like a spill-proof sippy cup for adults. Does it get any better than that??
Made by Thermos, it is even more awesome than I expected it to be. Of course, it’s not a water bottle. That would be discrimination against other beverages. So it’s called a “hydration” bottle. Made of double insulated stainless steel. And I am pleased to say that it really does what it claims to do.
When you push the little grey button on the lid, it snaps open to reveal a straw, which is then pinched shut when you close the lid so there is no leaking. Hence, spill-proof sippy cup. Of course I had to hold the bottle upside down to test this out, because I am that mature. And of course, it did not leak all over the place. Which was good, cause I was not in the mood to clean up that mess!
This bottle is made of pure awesome. It claims to keep cold things cold for up to 12 hours. I managed to test it for 3 hours today before I ran out of green tea, but it stayed cold the whole time. And the absolute best part was that the outside of the bottle does not feel cold, and it does not sweat! No more rings all over the place or getting your hands damp every time you want a drink. Pure. Awesome.
The only thing that would make it better is a carrying hook or strap of some kind. Though, since it does not sweat, I have zero problem putting it inside a bag with other things, so it may not need one after all.
You know the first thing I thought when I saw it today? “This would be perfect for my booze at Dragon*Con!”
I am such a nerd.
