Whedon Con - Day 1
Friday, May 18, 2018
Marriott Woodland Hills
I heard about WhedonCon a year or two ago when I was still new about going to cons. Last year, with several cons under my belt, the event came up in my FB feed again, and I said, "Well, what the heck. Let's go for it." The con is run by fans for fans of all things Joss Whedon, and is produced through Fandom Charities. Buffy The Vampire Slayer (BTVS) is one of my very favorite shows, so I thought it would be fun to hang out with fellow fans. I bought my ticket in September, and waited several months for the actual event. Somewhere along the way, I forgot to tell other people that I was going, and I mentioned it to Dodie. She had time and wanted to go, so she gladly join me. Mind you, Dodie has been very generous in giving me many things for my Buffy fandom, so she was not surprised that I was going to this con. She had never heard of it, though. Well, that's because this is just the third year, so it's still new to lots of folks.
I had taken the day off work, and drove to Bro's house, where I'd be staying for the weekend. Bro and I had Thai food for lunch, and the lunch special includes a dessert of mango and sticky rice served in a cup with a cute little spoon.
I had taken the day off work, and drove to Bro's house, where I'd be staying for the weekend. Bro and I had Thai food for lunch, and the lunch special includes a dessert of mango and sticky rice served in a cup with a cute little spoon.
I then made my way to the Marriott at the Warner Center in Woodland Hills and obtained my credentials. I think it's cool that the hotel has a booth set up for people attending meetings and conventions like this. Dodie was at the Starbucks inside the hotel, so I met up with her and planned out our day. First up was the Opening Ceremony. I had never been to an opening ceremony for a convention, nor do I remember seeing one listed in the other cons' programs. It was basically a welcome and thank you for coming, and the organizers introduced themselves. They all seemed like friendly people, and Dodie and I talked to them at various times during the weekend. The ceremony ended with audience participation in the new theme song for the convention (we sang "WhedonCon"), by The Fallen Stars.
While we were perusing our programs and checking out the events, Dodie saw that the Geek Girls crafting session with Camden Toy only had 7 slots left. Not wanting to miss out on this occasion, and seeing that it was one of the less expensive extras, we decided to order tickets, then made our way to our first panel.
Or at least we thought it was a panel. It was actually the Geek Girls Open House to see what crafts would be available during the weekend. We got excited when we saw the Gentleman (BTVS) doll that we'd be making on Sunday. I also liked some of the cross stitch offerings, which we had also added to our schedule via the Gather app.
We then went shopping in the Sunnydale Mall, AKA the big room with all of the booths and signing tables. I bought a pretty brooch that looked like a cameo of a unicorn, and we also bought some tea. I also bought a wooden pin of the Mutant Enemy vamp, and got a discount because I was the first person to buy one that day! Add to that a reusable straw with a case and a straw cleaner, and I was done buying stuff for the day. We saw someone getting makeup to look like the karaoke club dude from Angel. We decided to finish looking at the other booths another day.
Afterward, we met a lady who said this was his first con last year and her favorite, after having gone to a few after that. She led us up to the hospitality suite. I didn't know what was happening, because I didn't understand when she said "Con Suite". It was a place on the 17th floor that any of us could go to chill and have coffee/water/lemonade/iced tea. How nice! We each got a ribbon to add to our badges. I was just happy about the name the con organizers had placed outside the room.
We went back downstairs and talked to the lady some more, and a guy walked by that she knew and he gave us leis and invited us to the con's T.A.H.I.T.I. pool party that was taking place that night. I chose a pink one. Dodie and I made our plans for the next day's meetup time and went home, since we weren't doing any of the after-hours stuff.
When I arrived at Bro's house and got out of the car with the lei still around my neck, Bro came outside as he was about to leave for an event at the niece's school. The look on his face was priceless.
I hung out with the nephew for a bit until V came home and we went to a Vietnamese restaurant for dinner. I love hanging out with my family. Once Bro and the niece got home, we watched "Jumanji". That was fun, although I wished it was funnier. It's just nice to be able to hang out with the family (and have a free room for the weekend). Thanks, y'all.
Next up: Day 2
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| Isn't his guitar cool? |
While we were perusing our programs and checking out the events, Dodie saw that the Geek Girls crafting session with Camden Toy only had 7 slots left. Not wanting to miss out on this occasion, and seeing that it was one of the less expensive extras, we decided to order tickets, then made our way to our first panel.
Or at least we thought it was a panel. It was actually the Geek Girls Open House to see what crafts would be available during the weekend. We got excited when we saw the Gentleman (BTVS) doll that we'd be making on Sunday. I also liked some of the cross stitch offerings, which we had also added to our schedule via the Gather app.
We then went shopping in the Sunnydale Mall, AKA the big room with all of the booths and signing tables. I bought a pretty brooch that looked like a cameo of a unicorn, and we also bought some tea. I also bought a wooden pin of the Mutant Enemy vamp, and got a discount because I was the first person to buy one that day! Add to that a reusable straw with a case and a straw cleaner, and I was done buying stuff for the day. We saw someone getting makeup to look like the karaoke club dude from Angel. We decided to finish looking at the other booths another day.
 |
| Love the name of this tea! |
Afterward, we met a lady who said this was his first con last year and her favorite, after having gone to a few after that. She led us up to the hospitality suite. I didn't know what was happening, because I didn't understand when she said "Con Suite". It was a place on the 17th floor that any of us could go to chill and have coffee/water/lemonade/iced tea. How nice! We each got a ribbon to add to our badges. I was just happy about the name the con organizers had placed outside the room.
We went back downstairs and talked to the lady some more, and a guy walked by that she knew and he gave us leis and invited us to the con's T.A.H.I.T.I. pool party that was taking place that night. I chose a pink one. Dodie and I made our plans for the next day's meetup time and went home, since we weren't doing any of the after-hours stuff.
When I arrived at Bro's house and got out of the car with the lei still around my neck, Bro came outside as he was about to leave for an event at the niece's school. The look on his face was priceless.
I hung out with the nephew for a bit until V came home and we went to a Vietnamese restaurant for dinner. I love hanging out with my family. Once Bro and the niece got home, we watched "Jumanji". That was fun, although I wished it was funnier. It's just nice to be able to hang out with the family (and have a free room for the weekend). Thanks, y'all.
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| Crispy noodles with chicken. Tasty gravy. |
Next up: Day 2
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| I really like the artwork on the program. |
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