FanX Experience

Last Friday I took a vacation day and went to the FanX convention with my nephew. I have never been to a con before and generally would have avoided this one but one of my favorite web comic artists was going to be there and I’m subscribed to her Patreon so I wanted to go. I found a discount code on IG and bought 2 general admission passes. I really wasn’t sure what to expect at all but ended up having a great time. 

The first thing I did wrong was massively underestimate how popular this con is. We didn’t leave for Salt Lake until around 10:45 and when we got down there, the parking garage I had planned on using was full. So was the only other parking lot that I’m very familiar with. We had to drive around for a bit to find a parking lot that was about 3 blocks south of the convention center. By the time we parked and got back to the Salt Palace there was a huge line to get in. I was hungry and getting a little bit impatient with my nephew so we decided to go eat at the food court at City Creek. This was an excellent decision. By the time we finished and walked back, not only was my blood sugar back up and I was happy, the line had died down and we basically walked right in. We picked up our wristbands and headed inside.

 

Artist Alley was the first thing we saw and I found my web comic artist right away. It was fun to meet her in person and talk to her for a few minutes. I bought a keychain from her to hang from my car rear-view mirror. I have a variety of fun things hanging there from other trips.

 

Then we basically wandered around for a few hours. The convention center is huge and there was so much to see. I did not dress up or take pictures of anyone dressed up, but there were some great costumes. My nephew did dress up as Crazy Dave from the Plants vs Zombies video game (it’s been his Halloween costume for a few years). I didn’t think it would be a big deal and bet him $10.00 no one would ask for his picture. We weren’t even there for 10 minutes when he got asked the 1^st time. It was funny how many people stopped him and recognized who he was dressed as. He had so much fun and is already thinking about what he could dress up as for next year.

 

We went near the booths set up for pictures and autographs of the celebrities but didn’t actually go into that section because frankly, I’m not going to pay money for a picture or autograph. Most of the names I don’t recognize anyway. So that part was skipped and not missed by either of us.

 

After walking around for a while, I was tired and thirsty so we got overpriced drinks and found a place to sit. I decided that it might be a good idea to download the app so we could see what all was going on. 😊 We found out there was 20 minutes before… LOL I forget the guy’s name… was scheduled to do a panel. It’s the guy who voices Mario and Luigi and all the sounds for the Mario games. My nephew really wanted to go to that panel so we did. It was fun. The guy was so nice and friendly and even I recognized the voices and sounds he made.

After the panel was over, we walked around for a bit more but it was after 4 pm by then and I swear the number of people doubled. So. Many. People! So we decided to call it a day.  I did have a great time and I would definitely go again. Lots of fun, it was.

Don’t Blink

How did September get half-way over already? I can’t believe it! We started out with a crazy heat wave so my sister and I took the twins and my mom back up to the Uintahs for Labor Day. 

It was such a great day. The weather up in the mountains dropped to the 70’s. I almost needed a jacket when the sun went behind the clouds. 

My mom and I hit the summer farmer’s market up for one last time and I also went to the Peach Days Parade. This year my niece was in it. I love spending time with my family. Work has been crazy busy and I’ve another busy week ahead of me. Then I talked my nephew into going to the FanX con with me later this month. I’ve never been so we’ll see how it is. I truly only want to check out the artist alley because some of my favorite webcomic artists will be there. 

Today I’m hanging out and doing things around the house. It’s raining so the weather is perfect and I’m just enjoying my day off. 

Happy Dance

It's September!!! I was so happy to move the calendar over to the next month. I mean, we are having record heat this week so it's not like summer is actually over, but it's getting there. This year has truly gone by so fast. The sun is even setting about 8 pm. Earlier this week, I knew summer was coming to a close because I was in my sister's garden picking blackberries. Yep, it's that time of year. Plus, the peaches are on and I'm hoping to pick some up at the farmer's market on Saturday. 

So I'm enjoying this time of year. Not wishing it away (even though 100 degree temps are not my favorite thing) but looking forward to darker, cooler days and nights to come. 

Work Travel

I spent this week in North Carolina for team meetings at the corporate office. It was the first in-person meeting I’ve had since I got my new job and joined this team 2 years ago. I had a great time even though it was days full of meetings and having to do some work at night at the hotel to try and keep up. 

I was dreading the actual travel but it wasn’t so bad. The flights were direct and I didn’t have any delays. I’ve still got TSA Pre-Check so getting through security is only mildly annoying. So not as bad as it could have been, for sure. 

I think we will normally have team meetings together every quarter and that much travel is actually something I kind of enjoy. It’s not really often, but when it does come, it makes work different and mixes things up a bit. 

I work on a great team with great people and while we work well together remotely, there are definitely some advantages to being in the same room. It was really nice to be back together. I won’t be dreading the next time so much. I have to go again in September for the big company wide HR meeting and there is talk of October or maybe just early next year for the next team meeting. 

And now I happily await the end of August and end of summer. It’s been a good one but I’m ready for my favorite time of year. 

Theater

I spent half of last week down in Cedar City going to the Utah Shakespeare Festival. This was my 4th year in a row. I really love going to the theater there. This year I went with my mom and a niece (but a different niece than the previous 2 years). We had a good time. The shows were fantastic. We saw four: 

The Sound of Music

I must admit I only bought tickets to this one because my niece wanted to see it. I might have skipped it and I’m so glad I didn’t. I just figured I’ve been exposed to it so much, even though I knew the theater production is different than the movie. It was fantastic. The actress who played Maria brought so much joy and exuberance to the role. All of them did so well with their parts. My least favorite was Captain Von Trapp and I figured out to myself why. I was expecting a slightly deeper voice. He sang beautifully but the timbre of his voice was just higher than I liked. I saw him in another play also and it’s just his voice, there’s nothing wrong with it at all. It’s just a personal preference. 

Clue

I was so looking forward to this one and it did not disappoint. I love the movie so much and this stage version was very similar. They hit the comedy right on and the characters were also spot on. It was so good. I had so many laughs. A favorite part was when they were searching the manor for other people and two of the characters were using a Clue board game for the “map” of the house. So funny. 

Sweeney Todd

This is one of my favorite musicals. It’s one of the rare instances where I love the dark themes and not happy ending. I love the music and the cleverness in the lyrics and how the harmonies all work together. This was my mom and nieces’ least favorite and I can see why. I think you need more exposure to it to really appreciate it. Making meat pies out of people is not for everyone! But it is for me and they did a great job.

The Tempest

Our last play was finally some Shakespeare. This one was in the smaller theater that I had never been in before. They set it in the 1990’s and Prospero and Antonio were played by women. Oh my gosh, it was good. I had some good laughs and really enjoyed seeing what they did on a small stage with very few props. I would love to see it again. Plus, I had forgotten it is the play that Mary Stewart used in her book This Rough Magic and I’ve been re-reading it since I got home.

I thought four plays might be a bit much but it was not. I loved them all and really could have gone to 1 or 2 more without any problems. 

So it was a great time. Right now I’m actually not planning to go next year because I’ve already seen the only play that actually appeals to me but I may change my mind later on. You never know. 

No Service

Drove up to the Uintah mountains with my sister and her twins this past weekend. It was absolutely wonderful. The temperature was in the high 60s and it was overcast and we got a little rain. I want to go back. It was kind of a little sad when we got back to cell phone service and my phone started dinging with notifications. It's the kind of break everybody needs once in a while. 

Long, Hot Summer

It’s so hot!!!! I know I just had some nice summer days, but this is the part I really don’t enjoy. It’s hot and dry and on fire. Once it’s past 9 am I just don’t want to be outside at all and getting in and out of a car for errands is so awful. Guess I shouldn’t complain since where I live, we are set up to have this kind of weather and I have a great 1 year old air conditioner. Other places with record heat are truly feeling it. 

Still, this summer has been flying by. I can’t believe it’s almost August. I’m heading to Cedar City again this year for the Utah Shakespeare Festival. It’s going to be even hotter there! And then I have to go to Charlotte for work. Not really looking forward to it. From the news, flying sounds like not a lot of fun and dealing with airports and then humidity is not something I would choose to do right now. At least the flights are direct. Flight delays won’t result in other missed flights. I’m trying to appreciate the now and not long for Fall. I think I manage most of the time. 

So lately I’ve been indoors in my air conditioning, doing puzzles and chilling. I’m sure my power bill will be outrageous this month.