Conventioneering
Sep. 27th, 2009 06:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fiat_knoxHere's a brief guide to what I did today.
Well, I originally had planned to be up early enough to catch the 10:20 bus into town, and thence make my way up towards Glyndwr College and the micro - convention taking place there. I got up at 10:20 instead, woken by the sound of the bus going past nearby.
Not the best start.
Anyway, I set up a tape and recorded a show I wanted to tape, and then caught the 11:20 instead. By the time I got to town, it was already half past 11. A crowd was moving in my general direction, so I just followed it. It led me to the football stadium, which is next door to the college.
Getting there was only a part of the fun: I had to locate the convention on the campus itself. At the front entrance, two people asked me if I was here to attend the SF convention. I did wonder what gave them that impression. (See the tenth photo below, with me sandwiched between two Imperial soldiers, for a hint).
I found myself following my instincts, drawn to the Fitness Centre. Maybe it was the size of the place - it was the largest venue that was open. Or maybe it was the crowds.
Although, and I could be wrong here, it might have been the Stormtroopers hanging around outside that might have given me a clue.
Inside, I caught part of an interview taking place in an interview area. These were the Torchwood actors being interviewed. The crowd around them was pretty much impenetrable, but I had one advantage. I had brains, and Lucy. I didn't need to be holding my camera at eye height to take a good photo: all I had to do was just hold Lucy up in the air and point her vaguely in the direction of the stars.
This was a technique I used for the further interviews with Danny John - Jules and Bruce Hopkins, who played the Rider of Rohan Gamling in the second and third LoTR films. I'll remember it in future, if I have to try and take a photo of someone over a crowd.
Some more highlights follow below. But it's the highlights that haven't made it into the photo album that made my day, including:-
- I helped an old lady to cross the road. I have never been a Boy Scout. But I guess I'd now qualify for a badge if I had been.
- I mentioned that there was a football crowd heading in my direction. I had the Devil's own time trying to convinve the coppers that I was trying to get to the college, instead of ushering me into the bloody football stadium like the rest of them. In the end, I had to show them my credentials. I opened my coat. See photo 10, above.
- I taught a woman to roll up a movie poster. As with everything in life, you start big, and slowly wind it up like a clock.
- Do you know that Gareth David - Lloyd (Ianto Jones from Torchwood) has a band called Blue Gillespie? Well, they're currently, as I speak, getting around to doing a gig in a little restaurant called L'Etage in the middle of town. I actually drew the guy a map through the town to make sure that he and his band got there on time for his gig.
- As much as I was entertained, so too I did some of the entertaining and a lot of the social networking, making sure that people got to talk to the stars and keeping things circulating.
- When I was hungry, I went looking for an eaterie - and I found one in the old Yale college building, now the Wrexham Clinical School. The eaterie is called "Caffi Darganfod" ("Discovery Cafe"). It's open on Sundays.
- I discovered that am really, really turned on by women in military uniforms.
- I learned information about the Fitness Centre's fees, which give me hope for being able to join it when I complete my application to join the Alumni Association. No more muffin top. No more moobs. I can't disagree with that. :)
- Looking about the premises, I found myself imagining coming back to the college as an alumnus and an associate of this group. And I like the idea. It'll give me a place to hang out during the day, new opportunities to look for work and a really good place for me to get on with my writing if nothing else.
So that has been the extent of my day today. I took a good, long leap outside of my regular Sunday comfort zone, and I enjoyed it. A lot. I will strive, starting this week, to make more leaps out of my comfort zone like this.
Well, I originally had planned to be up early enough to catch the 10:20 bus into town, and thence make my way up towards Glyndwr College and the micro - convention taking place there. I got up at 10:20 instead, woken by the sound of the bus going past nearby.
Not the best start.
Anyway, I set up a tape and recorded a show I wanted to tape, and then caught the 11:20 instead. By the time I got to town, it was already half past 11. A crowd was moving in my general direction, so I just followed it. It led me to the football stadium, which is next door to the college.
Getting there was only a part of the fun: I had to locate the convention on the campus itself. At the front entrance, two people asked me if I was here to attend the SF convention. I did wonder what gave them that impression. (See the tenth photo below, with me sandwiched between two Imperial soldiers, for a hint).
I found myself following my instincts, drawn to the Fitness Centre. Maybe it was the size of the place - it was the largest venue that was open. Or maybe it was the crowds.
Although, and I could be wrong here, it might have been the Stormtroopers hanging around outside that might have given me a clue.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Inside, I caught part of an interview taking place in an interview area. These were the Torchwood actors being interviewed. The crowd around them was pretty much impenetrable, but I had one advantage. I had brains, and Lucy. I didn't need to be holding my camera at eye height to take a good photo: all I had to do was just hold Lucy up in the air and point her vaguely in the direction of the stars.
This was a technique I used for the further interviews with Danny John - Jules and Bruce Hopkins, who played the Rider of Rohan Gamling in the second and third LoTR films. I'll remember it in future, if I have to try and take a photo of someone over a crowd.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Some more highlights follow below. But it's the highlights that haven't made it into the photo album that made my day, including:-
- I helped an old lady to cross the road. I have never been a Boy Scout. But I guess I'd now qualify for a badge if I had been.
- I mentioned that there was a football crowd heading in my direction. I had the Devil's own time trying to convinve the coppers that I was trying to get to the college, instead of ushering me into the bloody football stadium like the rest of them. In the end, I had to show them my credentials. I opened my coat. See photo 10, above.
- I taught a woman to roll up a movie poster. As with everything in life, you start big, and slowly wind it up like a clock.
- Do you know that Gareth David - Lloyd (Ianto Jones from Torchwood) has a band called Blue Gillespie? Well, they're currently, as I speak, getting around to doing a gig in a little restaurant called L'Etage in the middle of town. I actually drew the guy a map through the town to make sure that he and his band got there on time for his gig.
- As much as I was entertained, so too I did some of the entertaining and a lot of the social networking, making sure that people got to talk to the stars and keeping things circulating.
- When I was hungry, I went looking for an eaterie - and I found one in the old Yale college building, now the Wrexham Clinical School. The eaterie is called "Caffi Darganfod" ("Discovery Cafe"). It's open on Sundays.
- I discovered that am really, really turned on by women in military uniforms.
- I learned information about the Fitness Centre's fees, which give me hope for being able to join it when I complete my application to join the Alumni Association. No more muffin top. No more moobs. I can't disagree with that. :)
- Looking about the premises, I found myself imagining coming back to the college as an alumnus and an associate of this group. And I like the idea. It'll give me a place to hang out during the day, new opportunities to look for work and a really good place for me to get on with my writing if nothing else.
 |
 |
 |
 |
So that has been the extent of my day today. I took a good, long leap outside of my regular Sunday comfort zone, and I enjoyed it. A lot. I will strive, starting this week, to make more leaps out of my comfort zone like this.
