Heading Out for Comic Con

Bright and early tomorrow morning I (along with two good friends) will embark on a journey – dare I say a “trek” – to San Diego for the 2009 Comic Con. This is my annual ‘vacation’ every year; one that I look forward to with much anticipation and a little bit of dread too. My dread aside, this event always fills me with much excitement over seeing friends (who I only get to visit with at this event) and immense joy by participating in all of the fantastic panels, autograph sessions, etc. that can be squeezed out of 4 and ½ days.

Planning for this annual trek always starts at the end of the previous year’s grand event, making sure the dates are clearly marked on my new year’s calendar and the beginning of the “you have to save up for next year’s event” thought in the back of my mind. The rest of the planning process then starts in the new year by making sure my 4-day pass is purchased in advance – to avoid any worries of not being able to purchase the set before the dreaded “Sold Out” appears at Comic Con’s official website.

Then the nail-biting process starts: waiting for hotel rooms to be available to book, hopefully getting through the whole process to book said room and getting confirmation that the room is actually booked. Thankfully, I attend this colossal event with friends every year and one friend in particular is very persistent in checking on available hotel rooms from the first day they are available, all the way through Spring, making sure that we get the best room(s) possible to fit our group members’ budgets.

This year we are finally staying at the Manchester Grand Hotel, which is a fairly short walk to the convention center – about the closest we’ve ever stayed in the 8 or so years of attendance – and I can’t wait to walk inside the grandeur of this hotel. My friends and I have admired and discussed this hotel over the years and deemed it as being one of “THE” hotels that we needed to stay at if we could ever get into it. Fortunately, we’ll finally be able to say, “We did stay there”.

Another part of the planning process is figuring out the lengthy, jam-packed schedule that is usually announced about 10 to 12 days in advance. This is always the trickiest part of the whole event: what panels we have to attend, which ones we’d like to attend and which ones will be “back-up” panels if we can’t get into the “must see” ones. This whole planning process could put brides to shame when they complain about seating charts for their reception dinners – it’s just that nuts.

As a (Nice)Girl, I then have to focus on what to wear –remembering while it will be hot outside, it’ll be FREEZING cold inside the convention center – so dressing in layers is mandatory, comfortable shoes are a must and plenty of sunscreen is imperative. Food is also a big issue, and while the convention center and the con planners have gotten slightly better about providing food vendors in more places than just inside the football-size exhibition hall, the prices are still outrageous and the quality of food is, at best (sometimes) questionable. So, another important aspect is making sure adequate breakfast items for the hotel room before heading off each morning as well as having plenty of water bottles and snacks for the marathon days at the convention center.

Despite all the planning and fuss leading up to this monumental event, it is the highlight of my year. And, this year will be even more special as I am now a part of NiceGirlsTV and can bring my special brand of reporting on this event to all of you alongside my fellow staff members.

If you see a harried blonde, scouring over Moonlight or Legend of the Seeker photographs in the Exhibition Hall, it very well could be me; but since I’m no longer alone in my scavenger hunts, hopefully I’ll blend in like a chameleon. If you’re going to Comic Con, have a great time and don’t be overwhelmed (especially those of you newbies) out there and enjoy the greatest show on earth – Comic Con!!

Daydream by Aletha Robertson

Artist’s Spotlight: Starting this month, I will be doing a spotlight on artists – photographers, artists and the like – who I feel deserve to get some attention. This month I would like to introduce you to Alethea Robertson, a blossoming artist who is passionate about art and seeks to unveil the beauty of the world she sees around her. Her featured piece is called Daydream and is painted in oil on canvas. It reflects a woman on a Greek Island watching the waves crash beneath her balcony window and what she feels deep in her heart as she daydreams with lust and longing as she awaits a dark handsome lover. Alethea is intrigued by the idea that women are comprised of many layers of emotions and, as each layer is peeled away, it reveals another level of a woman’s heart and desires. If you would like more information about Alethea’s artwork, please contact me at rueben@nicegirlstv.com.