Tag: dragoncon

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Dragoncon 2015

Made it back out to Dragoncon this year for another fun filled weekend of costumes, people and partying. Lots of people at Dragoncon this year, and it definitely felt like it too.

While Dragoncon was another great time, unfortunately this was also the first year I managed to pick up a cold (con-crud) while there, which was not so great. I missed out on the Saturday evening festivities but was feeling well enough to head back out on Sunday.

This year’s Dragoncon was (aside from getting sick) a different experience from the previous years. It was less about seeing the people in costumes and attending panels/sessions, and more about getting together with con-friends that I’d met previously and hanging out with them. The costumes were great, and watching them go by was pretty cool, but they weren’t the main focus for me this year as they were in the past.

Hung out with some old Dragoncon friends

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and met some new ones

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This was also the first year I got to stay in one of the host hotels (the Hyatt). Luckily, our room faced the street and offered a great view of the Saturday Dragoncon parade from the 12th floor.

Dragoncon parade view
Dragoncon parade view
Nichelle Nichols, Dragoncon parade star
Nichelle Nichols, Dragoncon parade star

After one of the Space track talks, I stopped by the solar astronomy setup at the Hilton to check things out. It was operated by the Charles Bates Solar Astronomy Project, and they had a pretty nice setup with 4 scopes each with a different filter. One of the things they do is bring solar viewing to schools, which I think is great.

Solar astronomy
Solar astronomy

Could be a while before I make it to another Dragoncon. The next year will be pretty busy, so I doubt I’ll make it to another Dragoncon until 2017 at the earliest. It will be good to get back when I do make it though.

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No Dragon*Con this year

My social media streams are filled with people posting about Dragon*Con now, and I imagine it will be for at least the next few weeks.

I’ll be skipping DC this year and travelling back home to Edmonton instead the following week. Feelings about missing DC are kind of mixed. On the one hand, I’m going to miss not being there. It’s always exciting to see the crowds, all the costumes and to hit all the different tracks and fan panels. The first couple of days are always a rush and full of excitement about being around your own kind. On the other hand, this would have been my 5th Dragon*Con, and part of me feels like it’s becoming old and routine, and that there isn’t much new to experience. Sure, there’s always something different to see, but the over all experience is still the same. Of course once I’m there, I’m sure all that would go out the window and it would again be an awesome and fun time.

Maybe it’s good that I’m taking a break from D*C this time. I’ll probably go back next year, but undecided at the moment.

I’m looking forward to being back in Edmonton again and seeing my friends. Hoping for an uneventful trip there and back, but given my recent past traveling history, not terribly optimistic.

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Dragon*Con recovery

Been spending the last few days recovering from DragonCon and working up to re-inserting myself into normal (non-cosplaying) society.
The 2012 DragonCon was a pretty awesome event as usual. The crowds and lines were definitely a lot bigger and longer this year, and I heard a lot of people comment about that. In the past, people get in on Thursday, and Friday the DC action starts happening. This year it was like DC was in full swing by the time we rolled in Thursday evening, and I heard a lot of people had arrived Wednesday and were already partying. Thursday is the new Friday it seems.
Almost all of the sessions I went to were standing room only. Only made it to two celebrity panels this year, one with John Barrowman (Torchwood) and one of the Gillian Anderson (X-Files) panels. The lines for all the other ones were just too insanely long for me to want to stand in. Even most of the EFF, Science and Space track sessions I went to were jammed.
This year’s DragonCon was a little different in a couple of areas. First, I got to walk in the parade this year (thanks to Erika for organizing things!). Rick, Mark and I marched in our robes and carried pipes, while Erika and her daughters were Star Trek “Bunnies”. It was a pretty awesome time seeing the parade from the inside.
The Odd Couple
Star Trek Heff
I also got to help out with a few ham radio related sessions in the Science track (thanks to Jim for letting me play). Helped out with the scanner radio scavenger hunt Saturday night. Although we didn’t get too many people coming out to play, it was still a fun time listening on the radio and tuning around to find things on the list. Then Sunday I helped with setting up and showing some ham radio stuff at the Evil Geniuses panel where we got to demonstrate a few radio things.
I didn’t get nearly as many pictures this year as I have in previous years. I opted to carry around the little Sony camera I have rather than my DSLR. Takes fairly decent pictures, but I found the battery would run down fairly quickly, especially if I was using the flash a lot. Still managed to get some decent shots of some of the more interesting costumes I saw.
One of the first things I saw as we walked over to registration was this van sitting in one of the parking lots
888-WUZ-DEAD
Jedi
Rebel scum
Check out the rest of my pictures.
Already have my membership for next year’s DragonCon and made the hotel reservation. Start the countdown.

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Dragon*Con lineup

Only a couple of days left until I head out for another DragonCon! As usual there are way more sessions and panels that I want to go to than there are of me to go see, and a good bit of my DC “schedule” is triple or quad-booked.
I tend to spend most of my time at sessions in the Science and Space tracks. There are a few celebrity panels I’d like to see, but the lines for them are generally really long and most of the time I don’t feel like standing in them.
There are a few “Have to go” sessions on the list though. Here are some of the sessions/panels with the highest probability of me being at.
Thursday
1730: DC Pre/Post Con Support Council meetup – Marriott Pulse Bar
1830: Girls of the Con Calendar Release Party – Marriott Pulse Bar
1900: Buckets o’ Rum meetup – Hyatt
Friday
1300: Famous Unsolved Codes – Hilton 201
1900: Up and Down the Dial – Hilton 202
Saturday
1000: DragonCon Parade
1300: Between the Candle and the Star (Babylon 5) – Hyatt International North
1730: Advanced Space Propulsion 101 – Hilton 203
1900: Higgs Boson – Hilton 202
2030: More Higgs Boson – Hilton 202
2200: Up and Down the Dial Scavenger Hunt – Hilton 202 (I’m helping with this one)
Sunday
1000: Adam West and Burt Ward (Batman/Robin) – Hyatt Centennial I
1130: Next Generation (Star Trek) – Sheraton Grand Ballroom A-F
1430: Astronomy Cast – Hilton 204
1730: Cryptography 101 – Hilton 201
1900: Katherine Kurtz – Hyatt Fairlie
There are other sessions and panels on the list that are on the “Would be nice to see” list, which means “If the line isn’t horribly long or I manage to get a good spot in line, I’ll go”. The rest of the time I’ll be wandering around, checking out all the people and the costumes, in the vendor rooms and hanging out in the various bars (usually at the Hyatt).
If you’re going to Dragon*Con, look for me and say hi. I’ll probably be wearing my blue Star Trek robe.

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Bring on Dragon*Con!

Heading out to on the annual pilgrimage to DragonCon in a few days.
This will be my 4th DC, and this year I’ll be marching in the parade with a few other friends. Excited about that. It will be fun seeing the parade from the other side.
DRAGON*CON!