A dilettante’s adventures and misadventures collecting autographed books, baseballs, and photos; meeting celebrities and ball players; and attending conventions from the past 35 years.
AH
All of the cast was fan friendly and interactive. San
Antonio seemed to be a great spot for this ‘reunion’. The fans were very
excited about getting to see so many cast members in person. Even though the lines
were long, I did see everyone I ‘needed’.
Some actors I have gotten in the past so there weren’t on my list.
Vanessa Rubio was fun. She and I chatted about the drive from
Dallas and traffic. Then driving 85 mph (legally) and passing the Eon’s Mega-building.
Her handler agreed, the only way to get around Austin was using the toll road. We
all know, the Interstate can back up any time day or night around the State Capitol.
AH
Kelli was sweet. Lucas
was another date movie with The Wife. We both really enjoyed that movie. It’s
sad but good. I’m sure she signed Goonies photos and maps all day long; this
might have been the one exception.
AH
This year, the line was shorter.
He is very tall. Over 6 feet. I saw him walking through the
crowd. The population in San Antonio is short so he towered over most people. And
that hair is sooo long. Am I jealous? Yeah.
I wish I had a full head of hair again. Not that long but full.
He is quiet and friendly. He offered a quote and I was
happy. We chatted a bit and then I was on my way.
AH
Okay. Again, dad as happy I got to chat with Emilio. He was
very friendly and was asking questions back to his fans. He seemed happy to be
there he did think it funny that dad wd not have let me watch the show when I was
growing up. Different times and world.
AH
Back story – my Dad would have never let my sister and me watch Sons of Anarchy or M. C. Mayans growing up. But he is watching all of those now that we are out of the house. Parents, go figure.
I still don’t watch those types of shows. However, dad was more excited about me getting J D Pardo’s signature than I was. Yes, I did tell JD that. Personally, I remember him from Revolution; much younger of course.
And I had to tell him how my friend Daisy wanted me to say hi
and not worry that she was married. She could lose her hubby in a flash. He was
caught off guard by that. Probably because I’m an old guy and not cute and perky.
Which reminded me, he had a few women in line that spent a lot of time checking
their makeup and the lay of their blouses as they waited. One lady hugged him
at least 6 times and had a very glazed look in her eyes as her friend led her
away.
AH
This was my second trip to Big Texas ComicCon in San Antonio. I went last year as a quick one-day adventure to get David Harbour’s signature. I thought the layout of the convention was good. They had plenty of places to sit. Parking was much tougher this year but I learned more so it will be easier next year.
I’m glad I planned on 2 days this year.
Garrett Hedlund made my list because of Instagram. Their marketing
paid off. I saw a couple of clips from Tulsa King and decided to watch. If you
know me, about 99% of what I watch is Sci fi, Horror, and Fantasy. This is not the norm for me. I really enjoy
Tulsa King. Now The Wife thinks she can get me to watch Yellowstone…but back to
the con.
Garrett was there on Saturday. I couldn’t find something to
print. I chose the only table photo from Tulsa.
He was friendly. He was chatting with everyone. It seemed mostly about
Friday Night Lights. I told him why I started watching Tulsa. He smiled.
I asked about the movie Pan and SDCC. I mentioned I got one of the cast signing, which included him. I told Garrett I was trying to be 'cute' when I told Hugh Jackman that he had a good Texas accent. Hugh was not amused. Garrett smiled again.
Then I
was on my way to the guest.
AH
For the most part, the drive was easy. This was north of
where I normally go in Hoston so, I didn’t get bogged down with the traffic. It
was in a hotel. Parking was free but it was in the back and it filled up fast. As
I as leaving, people were double parking and parking on side roads.
The convention was small. It didn’t take a lot of space. It seemed
to fit the size of the crowd. I walked
into the expo floor first. It seemed the only option. I made a quick circuit
and found the table for Shannyn Sossaman. That was the main purpose of the
drive. I love the movie, A Knight Tail and I think she played the foil/love
interest wonderfully. That movie has some wonderful lines that I find myself
quoting to The Wife.
I got to the table before Shannyn. Which was good as she offered
a large selection of photos. I had printed something, but found one I liked
better from her table. I chit-chatted with her handlers and between us, we
found a good color choice for the pen. I was all set. What could go wrong…
She arrived with a smile and I said hello. That was probably
the last thing I said that where my foot wasn’t trying to find my mouth.
As she sat, I could tell she was looking over the table and
trying to set herself up mentally.
What I SHOULD have said: Do you need a few minutes? I can
come back.
What I said: Still need time to wake up?
Really,
I said that? I was implying she needed
to set herself up but I was saying she might be hung over. With a smile she
said, she had a lovely morning.
Handed over the photo and asked if she could add a quote. I had
it printed fairly large to make it easy to read. She read it and I tried to explain
the context…like she wasn’t in the movie and hadn’t uttered the line a few
lines.
She signed and I barely
said thank you when I said, I hope they take you our someplace nice to eat. Texas
has great BBQ and Tex-Mex.
Very politely, she said, she doesn’t read meat very often.
I SHOULD have said: Houston is a large city with lots of
options.
What I said: Course you don’t.
Yes, I said
that! Can you believe it? In my head, I was thinking, she was trying to eat properly
and making good food choices and would avoid BBQ. But it did NOT come out that
way. Oh, my word. I KNEW I was swerving all over the icy road. I can’t believe how crass I sounded.
Give her credit, she never flinched. I mumbled how much The
Wife and I love the movie and I backed out with a slight blush. I truly hope I was
the worst she saw all weekend.
The convention also had 2 Twilight actors. I’m not a fan of
the movies, although we did see them all. I read the first book thinking it would
be on par with Harry Potter but I was mistaken. But I still wanted to get these
two.
After that, I was done. Found my car and headed home.
AH
You might prefer the Scottish that Bobby Burns used: The
best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men Gang aft agley
Or if you prefer the original Klingon: Qu' nab of tarq 'ej
men, pij jah qih
Well, I can’t really say ‘best plain plans’. I had a plan. Not
a lot of planning. Mostly it was: wake up, add the address to google maps and
drive.
I went to Greater Austin ComicCon to get 3 signatures. Just
a 3 hour drive. However, because of the airline software issue, I got one
autograph. The other two actors had flight delays and were not there when I was
there. It happens. I’m very happy with the
one I got, I just wanted three. The most disappointing part, I didn’t know
until after I got there.
The first and only autograph I got was Bob Gunton. You know
him when you see him. He has been in a million shows and movies. I was excited
to finally see him at a convention.
I found a great photo from Shawshank Redemption and printed
it. I even had a quote. I walked up and he signed. One of the handlers suggested
a different quote and we both liked it better.
Then as I was about to start chatting (no one else was in
line), a few kids walked up and saw photos from Ghostbusters Afterlife on his table
and started peppering hm with questions. That also happens.
So, I didn’t tell him how much I enjoyed Royal Pains or 24.
After the nice buzz of getting this signature, I walked around
looking for my other two ‘wants.’ Maybe 15 minutes later I found a place to sit
and checked their website. No updates about
the missing actors. Another buddy saw me walking and texted me the bad news. The
convention updated their Instagram feed.
I sat and digested that a while and decided to drive home.
AH
As I stepped forward, she stepped away to pose with a
Chomper droid on the floor. She had to; they are crew and good friends.
Before the show, I could not find a photo I liked for Tiya. So,
I was left with her table choices but I did like the one I selected. However,
it was very dark. The handler and I chatted and he suggested a
purple and I was very skeptical. I liked
the color as it matched her hair but I didn’t think it would show with the
black background. He promised it would and if I didn’t like it, I could get
another photo and choose a different color.
Tiya returned to the table and we chatted. She signed and mentioned that she loved that pen
color because of the hair. Which I had to tell her was why I liked it too.
Again, I left with another big smile.
AH
