Roxy Bisquaint

The fear of flying I overcame last year was back again. I'd been freaking out for days about this flight to Atlanta. Then we got to the airport and I was totally fine. Then we got on the plane and I was totally not fine. Then the plane took off and I was totally fine again. So the good news is I'm still not afraid of flying. I think it's just going to take more flying before I truly believe it ;)

Oh, while I was feeling fine at the airport before the flight, I decided to eat (can't eat when I'm not fine, so I have to take these opportunities). Pot Belly sandwiches. Yum. And guess who was at the table next to us? Mink Stole. The man was upset that I recognized her and he didn't. Once I told him, he totally recognized her, though. She was on our flight too.

I hate the Atlanta airport. I'm sure it's easy to find your way around if you know the place, but we kept following signs to things that seemed to lead us in a circle. I was glad to just get the hell out of there, get on the train and get to Peachtree Center where I found some tasty coffee and some sanity. From there, we made our way through a series of walkways and hallways to the Marriott and then to the Hilton. Check-in was quick and easy and friendly, but karma intervened and we got stuck in a smoking room. They said it's not, but it clearly is (or was until recently). It's the same floor as last year (couple doors down from last year's room in fact) and last year this was a smoking floor. Anyway, it's fine because I still like the smell of cigarettes.

We spent a couple minutes in the room before heading off to the Sheraton to pickup our badges. We'd heard rumors at Peachtree Center that badge pick-up was running about four hours. WTF? It was bad enough last year wen it took 2 1/2 hours. I thought for sure Dragon*Con would've re-evaluated their incredibly inefficient system for badge distribution and made some improvements. Nope. The line was about a block longer than when we got in it last year. And someone walked by saying we had a six hour wait ahead of us. WTfrakkinF?! I discounted that as lies, though, and it was. It took about 3 1/2 hours to get badges. At least everyone is cheery and chatty in line, which helps the time go by easier.

After badges, we wandered about finding where our first couple panels for Friday were located so we'd be able to get quickly from one to another. There was nothing more to do after that, so we checked out out the bars at the Hilton. Down in the basement, Trader Vic's was way too loud so we defaulted to the quiet lounge off the lobby instead. We took a seat at the bar and discovered we were sitting next to Morena Baccarin and Sean Maher. Cool. We resisted the urge to intrude since they were having conversation with friends, but the man got a little hello nod from Sean Mahrer.

When they left, some fans at another table got up to talk to them in the lobby. There were pictures and excitement for several minutes. When we were done our beers, we chit-chatted with the fans who'd gotten pictures. They were fun and really nice. Since I was wearing some TSCC stickers and buttons, we talked TSCC too and exchanged twitter info. I think we'll end up hanging with them again.

I went to a Michael Biehn and Thomas Dekker panel and Thomas gave out more info about where season 3 would go. Some of this is real spoilers, unlike the spoilery hints he gave out before. ( Read on )

First things first: I'm no longer afraid of flying. After making it through the flight to San Diego for Comic Con with little trouble, I was pretty sure I was over the years of fear. But this flight to Atlanta confirmed it for me. Despite the unfriendliness of the Air Tran counter people, the long security line, the bad (and extra cramped and extra uncomfortable) seat on the plain, the take-off delay, I had a good flight. I was a little nervous beforehand, but it was nothing noteworthy. Something's changed in me and it's a really good feeling. Maybe it had something to do with this awesome view.

Atlanta is a huge airport. I've been there before, but it was years ago and I'd forgotten just how big it is. But they have that cool subway thing to get you from one end to the other. And from there, we caught the MARTA that got us two blocks from our hotel. Very convenient.

The first order of business was to pick up our badges. We'd pre-registered last October and had our registration cards on the refrigerator at home. The man remembered that as we were boarding the plane. Fuuuuuuuuuck. It's not like we thought we wouldn't be able to get our badges, but we expected it to be an ordeal. Turns out it wasn't, unless you count the 2 1/2 hour line we had to wait in. But that wasn't because we'd forgotten our cards (apparently, all we needed was ID), that was just the regular badge pick-up line. They're not very efficient with that and it was a vast contrast to the 10-minutes it took to get Comic Con badges. But here it is:



On our way to the badge line, some woman said "here, sweetie", and handed the man this card. I don't know what's worse, the fact that she handed it to him in front of me or the fact that the card itself looks like it's been handed out and handed back about 8000 times. But hey, it's not just a strip club! The other side of the card promotes their fine dining menu. And really, nothing says Dragon*Con like a stripper and a good steak, right? Maybe we'll check it out ;)

Notes:
• I think I'll be rockin' the ponytail for the duration of this trip.
• Even on a plane, one can keep up with Freaking Big Push missions!
• No turkey sandwich should be that big.
• 7' tall Chewbaccas are way more impressive than 5'10" Chewbaccas.
• I've really got to get more sleep.

>> My Dragon Con 2009 image gallery.