Vanessa Branch Heart of Texas Con

When I saw that Vanessa Branch was attending this con, I didn’t know who she was. The convention labelled her as an actress from Pirates of the Caribbean. That didn’t help; I still didn’t know who she was (sorry Vanessa). After looking her up on IMDB, I knew who she was but it was a very small role.

After listening to her at the panel with Kevin McNally and Lee Arenberg I found her not just a pretty face but very funny. So I got her autograph too.

I will admit we actually chatted for a few minutes; longer than the norm and longer than expected.  I know we talked about airports and DFW and Texas. I remember making her laugh and she making me laugh. I remember my friends raising an eyebrow when I rejoined the group, curious about what we said.  But I honestly can’t remember; which is the purpose of the blog, to capture the things that happened that I know I’ll forget. Too late in this instance.

 I do remember her getting up and getting her own bottle of water and something to eat instead of having a handler scurry off for her.   Something that made her down not earth and like-able.

AH

Kevin McNally Heart of Texas Con

So we waited for the Kevin McNally to arrive.

Then we waited some more.

He did arrive just in time for the Pirates of the Caribbean panel. Since we had nothing else to do, my fellow hounds and I attended the panel.  Surprisingly it was amusing and interesting. The panel also had Lee Areberg and Vanesa Branch.

The panel gave some insight on what it’s to have a small role on a large movie on an exotic location.  It was also interesting to see how different it was for each actor.

After the panel, we got in line and got our photos signed.  Kevin had more of a rock star swagger than I would have expected but then he is an alumnus of Dr Who (old school) and don’t all alumni of Dr Who have a swagger?

He admitted he enjoyed himself the night before and was moving slowly.  And that’s explained his tardiness.  Again, he was another friendly guy and very open to chatting.

AH

Lee Arenberg Heart of Texas Con

As I mentioned, my fellow hounds and I arrived early Sunday morning at Heart of Texas Con.   Since this was a small con, we just chatted among ourselves and waited for the actors to arrive.

 The first one that I got that morning was Lee Arenberg. He was friendly and outgoing.  We talked about Once upon a Time instead of Pirates of the Caribbean.

  AH

Heart of Texas Con March 2014

This was a new convention. Not just to me but to the world. It was in Waco. While small, it was listing a few big names.  Even though I was only interested in 2 people, the two hour drive made it reasonable to go.

Four of us carpooled. Each of us thought the same thing…we’ll check out the convention, hopefully get the autographs we want and then figure out if it was worth it.

When we entered, the show proved it was small.  We walked through the vendors tables in 5 minutes.  The autograph area was a small also but the lines were short.  It was a typical convention: vendors, photo ops, celebs, cosplayers, and nerds. For us it’s another venue that might have an autograph opportunity. And that’s all we need it for.

But my life was ruined on the way home from Waco.  It’s still hard to speak of the tragedy.  It's cliché to say 'life changing' but my life has been changed forever. I’ll never be able to drive down I35 the same way. it all started when we stopped at the Czech Stop and Little Czech Bakery. 

The wife and I normally drive straight through. We only stop for gas and bio brakes.  A stop barely 2 hours down the road is silly and never thought of.  

Slightly miffed I missed the stop on the way down; they laughed it off as a rookie mistake.  Missing the exit on the way back was not to be tolerated. My companions basically threw a mutiny.  All three of my carpool mates were focused on NOT missing the exit on the way back.

So we stopped.

The line was not out the door but very close.  Almost 100 people were in front of us. This was the longest line I waited in all day.  The bakery smelled wonderful.  I was forced to make a purchase. A beautiful 5 inch tall cupcake and some blueberry bread.  My friends, much more experienced bought armfuls.  They called friends to let them know they were making a kolache stop.  The rear of the car was weighed down in confectionary goods.  

The wife complained the cupcake was too sweet…after she ate it all…and licked her fingers clean…twice.  She marveled that we didn’t already know about this place.  She has mandated we make the stop the next time we travel south so she can see the Promised Land herself.

Yes, we went to a ComicCon and returned with a diabetic’s nightmare.

AH