Gallifrey - Day One

I got into LA around 10 in the morning on Thursday and was at the Marriott by 11. I go to sample some of the local cuisine in the form of the nearby Burger King. Eventually I just hang out in the lobby and slowly, like moths to a flame, convention goers find one another. I find it interesting how we could just spot another another on pure sight and instinct. Like we give off a pheromone that just tells other Whovians where we are.

I did get worried for a second. You might recall that in a previous post I noted that I was gonna be hanging out by the Starbucks and that if you read this blog I'd love to meet you. Late in the afternoon a small child wearing a "I'm with Creepy" t-shirt walks up to me and just starts pointing at himself. He acts like I should know him and I start to worry that he might be one of the ten that I know reads this blog. Not that I wouldn't want a child to read this, but you might note that I don't always watch my language. The child's mother quickly points him towards a woman sitting with the group that he really should've gone to. I quickly wipe the sweat off my brow.

The truck arrives with the goodies for the convention and myself, along with some new friends, decide to help unload it. One of the things we got to unload was the TARDIS. Obviously not the original but a pretty awesome fascimile of it. I'd have taken a photo but it's kind of hard to take a picture when you're carrying the top of the TARDIS.

After that we got roped into working in what we affectionately called the Nerd Methlab, putting together progams for the convention. I was able to lead the revolt for pizza and tasty non alcoholic beverages. This is when one of the new friends, John, had to give up after being up for nearly 24 hours and thinking that the type on the program was moving. We got liberated from the Methlab to help move in the sound and lighting equipment.

I made my way up to the lobby after the latest bit of sweat equity to check in with Tim and Angelie who had just arrived. Or I should say get with them long enough to get my room key since at this point I had procurred a pint of Sam Adams. It was 10 in the evening by this point and I thought it was time to buy a round or two as by now Paul Cornell, Steven Moffatt, Lisa Bowerman and Simon Guerrier among others were in the lobby. All three of us got to introduce ourselves to both Paul and Simon. We mentioned that we read their blogs and thanked them profusely for pimping ours. At least for me the rest of the evening after that was spent in the lobby hanging out and knocking back the booze. I was good and only uttered my Captain Jack Is A Poor Man's Jason Kane rant (tm) only once. And I got high fived by some other new friends, Cathleen and Keefe, who had read the piece I did for Shooty Dog #4. I finally decided to hit the sheets around 2am, having been up for nearly 24 hours when you factor in the time change.