My Seven Favorite Moments from The Con
I
was invited to perform at my very first Dragon Con in Atlanta, Georgia. For science fiction/fantasy
fans this is like being asked to suit up and be the starting quarterback for
your favorite team during the Super Bowl. I am not a casual sci-fi fan. It’s my
area of expertise when I co-host StarTalk
with Neil de Grasse Tyson. I’ll spare you my long list of book, movie, and
TV show loves. Just know that my geek runs deep, or so I thought until I got to
Dragon Con.
The
first day of the Con I made it as far as the Marriott Hotel lobby where a mass
of cosplayers whirled around me. Their costumes were elaborate, detailed, and
looked frighteningly authentic. There were Gladiators, Cylons, Wookies,
princesses, Daleks, vampires, Storm Troopers, Tribbles, fairies, starship
captains, and superheroes aplenty. Not to mention the people who did mash ups [like
Arthur Dent (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the
Galaxy) wearing a Star Trek
bathrobe], and those who created their own characters from scratch. And so
there I stood, frozen like a Doctor Who
Angel clutching my Dragon Con credentials, schedule, and map. I didn’t dare
blink.
How
could someone one from the bustling metropolis of Gotham become so overwhelmed?
My barometer for weird is set pretty high but being a native New Yorker is
about not seeing strange things otherwise I’d never go anywhere or get anything
done. That’s why the Naked Cowboy and the bare-breasted women in Times Square
aren’t an attraction to see but an obstacle to avoid.
I
was aroused from my hotel lobby stupor by a text from the Science Track
organizer asking if I had gotten lost on the way to our evening meet up. “No,”
I texted back. “I’m not lost. Just overwhelmed.” No questions asked a Con
volunteer came to get me. I was easy to find. I wasn’t wearing a costume.
As
my mind adjusted to the Dragon Con universe – whose center for me was the
Marriott orbited by the Hilton and Hyatt hotels – I soon realized that I wasn’t
just among friends. I was with family: an artistic, brilliant, and sometimes
socially awkward family. Had a bomb dropped on Dragon Con, America would never
survive the creative and intellectual loss.
There’s
no way to adequately describe what my four-day trip to Never Land was really
like but here are my seven favorite Dragon Con moments.
1. Sister, Can You Spare
an Ear Cuff
At
Skeptic Track’s opening panel I casually mentioned that I’d forgotten to bring
my Bajoran ear cuff. A woman from the audience called out that I could borrow
hers. I thought she was joking; you know, just being nice. So I was stunned
when she showed up later that evening before my comedy show ready to actually
loan me said ear cuff. What! Who does that? Folks who go to Dragon Con, that’s
who.
2. The Best T-Shirt Ever
The
Dragon Con Dealers Hall was the place to buy all things geek chic. I got a
nerd-gasm just walking in the door. (By the way, the music playing in my head
as I did so was the theme to Battlestar
Galactica, original series.) Okay, yeah, I can buy all this stuff online.
But there’s nothing like going over to a weapons table, ogling the swords, and
picking one up to see how the weight of it feels in your hand. Admittedly, I’ve
been watching way too much Walking Dead
and have been channeling my inner, Michonne. But you know what they say, swashbuckle
hard or stay home. I feel the same way about magic wands; but duh, I already
have one. Go Ravenclaw!
With
great restraint I only bought two t-shirts. The first was a BSG shirt that said: “WTF. What the
Frak!” The second one said: “You Never Forget Your First Doctor.” Mine is the
tenth, the über sexy, David Tennant. The t-shirt I regret not buying wasn’t from
a franchise but still wins the dilithium crystal award for best smart and funny
message. It said:
What do we
want?
Time
travel!
When do we
want it?
Irrelevant!
3. You Know What They Say
About Guys With Big Ears
I
had many cool conversations at Dragon Con but my brain – perhaps to protect me
from overjoy overload – only remembers a few snippets like:
HER
My husband has a PhD in
biochemical engineering.
ME
My boyfriend has a
tattoo.
Or
stepping into the elevator and hearing, “Welcome aboard.” And
when leaving me saying back, “You have the con.”
My
favorite was overhearing a guy say, “I’ve gotta find some fake elf ears.” And me
thinking, “Dude, they’re all fake.”
4. Hypatia: A Skeptic,
Not a Sneeze
I
marched in the Dragon Con Parade as Hypatia of Alexandria (AD 351–370), a Greek
mathematician, philosopher, and skeptic. I was in the “Skeptics in History” group
alongside Plato, Lucian, Galileo, and Frederick Douglas. Full disclosure: I had
no idea who Hypatia was when I agreed to be her in the parade. I was just happy
someone else was providing the costume and I didn’t have to squeeze one into my
carry-on. When I read up on Hypatia I realized why she’d been in my educational
blind spot. Christians had skinned her alive and that’s not the kind of thing
they teach in Catholic School.
More
disclosure: I’ve pretty much given up on humanity. I think we suck as a
species. I keep a towel handy just in case the Mothership ever swoops in to
rescue me off this bipolar rock. But during the parade a group of little kids
began chanting: “Galileo! Galileo! Galileo!” Sure, it would have been better if
they’d been chanting, “Hypatia! Hypatia! Hypatia!” But them knowing and being
excited about Galileo gave me hope. It means maybe I won’t root so hard for the
Cyber Men, the Daleks, and the Borg.
5. The Amazing Randi
When
your first name is “Amazing,” you’d better be. And he is! I met The Amazing
James Randi at the start of the Dragon Con Parade. I’d just seen the
documentary, Honest Liar and yet I
was unprepared for Randi’s compassion, wit, and sharp mental acuity; wrapped up
in a diminutive package. He would’ve made an awesome Dumbledore.
6. Pan-Trackual Healing
The
Skeptic Track invited me to Dragon Con but I also got the opportunity to
participate in the Science and Space Tracks as well, which I guess makes me
pan-trackual. That’s a Latin word meaning big geek love.
I
moderated the late night “All Things Space” panel and got to rub elbows with a
technologist, a scientist, an astronomer, and a
chief engineer. Yeah. I’m bragging. The most inadvertently controversial moment
came when I asked, “What’s the best school to attend if you want to be an
astrophysicist?” School rivalries broke out and I thought I was going to see a science
smack down. I mean who doesn’t want to see an ivy leaguer get their ass kicked,
right? But alas, my most frightening moment was contemplating what would happen
if we suddenly lost all of our in-orbit satellites. No cell phones? No wifi? No
Netflix? Egads! I can’t, people! I just can’t!
While my SkepTrack stand-up comedy
show was fun, it was nice to do something a little different on the Science
Track’s “Solve for X” Show. It’s a variety show where the performance prompt is
“Science!” Originally I was going to share a humor article I’d written for the Guardian
about Hurricane Katrina and global warming because both of those things are oh
so funny. But at the last minute I changed my mind and read another piece from
a book I’m writing called Real Women Do it Standing Up. The story:
“Peeing Standing Up: A Four-Year-Old’s Failed Experiment.” Watching the adult
me re-enact why the child me couldn’t quite get the correct back arch and angle
to make the urine go into the bowl and not on the floor was mortifying and
hilarious.
7. Every Girl Needs a TARDIS
Oddly
enough my best Dragon Con moment came after I returned home to Muggleville. I’d
bought a Doctor Who license plate cover
that says, “My Other Ride is The TARDIS.” I went to my local garage to have
them put it on my car and the Abbott and Costello conversation went something
like this:
MECHANIC ONE
(to MECHANIC TWO)
“What’s a tardis?”
MECHANIC TWO
It’s a turtle.
(To Me): It’s a turtle,
right?
ME
No, it’s a TARDIS.
MECHANIC TWO
A tortoise?
ME
A TARDIS!
MECHANIC ONE
What kind of turtle is
that?
ME
One that can travel
through time.
I
hope my first Dragon Con won’t be my last. I’d love to be invited back. (I have
to go back. Being on the outside feels too weird now.) Besides, I never even made
it over to the Westin, yet another hotel in the Dragon Con universe. Ah, so
many panels so little time. How does one make them all? With a TURTLE, of
course, but only if you’re cosplaying as a Teenage Mutant Ninja TARDIS.
The Urban Erma, the longest running column on StageTimeMagazine.com, was created and written by stand-up comedian, author, and StarTalk Radio co-host Leighann Lord. Listen to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio. Get her e-books on AMAZON!
1 comment:
That's funny. Somehow they established the hard fact it is a turtle. Just trying to determine the species is all.
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