Fan Days 2017 - Moments in Time

This year's Fan Days was a bit different for me.  For the first time I worked with Guest Services instead of working as a Crew Member.  My job was twofold: 1) coordinate with the Guest Liaisons to be sure that we had coverage for our Guests at all times, and 2) make sure that if the guests or their representatives / Managers / assistants needed anything, it was taken care of to the best of my ability.  While that may sound very glamorous, it really meant that I spent most of my weekend riding freight elevators between floors 1, 3, and 4, with brisk mission-based bursts of walking between elevator rides.

I did have some memorable moments, however, and I want to put them down so I can remember them all.

• Won a bet with Kristian Nairn that he is younger than me.  He says I wear my age well.
• Bruce Boxleitner tells some of the best stories.  According to him, George Lucas' nickname for Glen Larson after Battlestar Galactica came out in 1979 was "Glen Larceny" because Lucas felt BSG was a Star Wars ripoff.
• Ruth Connell is wee and beautiful and kind.  Her rep, Liam, is very intense while doing his job, but has a fun sense of humor, and offered me a selfie with HIM for my birthday.  I took him up on it, and took Ruth up on her offer too when it was made.
• Madelaine Petsch and I were destined to keep meeting in the same exact place in the backstage hallway.  We were constantly running into one another there.  Luckily we weren't literally running into each other, because I would have smooshed her.
• Eugene Brave Rock is a very kind, mellow man.  He has a wide-eyed kind of joy when it comes to being at conventions.  I hope that he never loses that sense of fun and wonder.
• Mara Wilson doesn't catch sarcasm, so you have to tell her you're being sarcastic, which can lead to some very amusing moments.
• I am very honored and pleased that Austin St. John remembered me from when I moderated a Q&A with him and some other Power Ranger folks.  His kids are adorable. His wife is lovely. And if I ever interview him again, one of my questions has to be "What is the absolute best conversation you've ever had with a fan since you started doing conventions?"  If his answer isn't "Paleontology", then I get to harass him about it. :)
• Jeremy Jordan is a nice kid.  I didn't get to talk much with him, but his rep and I got along really well, especially after I found her missing sweater for her.  It's a Weeping Angels cardigan, and they don't make them any more, so she was so very happy she hadn't lost it.
• I didn't get to talk to David Tennant much, really, just some passing "Hi" and "Hello"s in the hallway, but he seemed very energetic, very pleasant, cheerful, and really seems to enjoy meeting his fans.
• I hardly got to see Graham McTavish, but again, he seemed nice.  His rep was very cool and appreciative of all of the work our team was doing.
• Kristian Nairn fully expects me to show up at his next Dallas gig.  I'm to stand at the foot of the stage holding a Sprite in one hand, and a bag of cough drops in the other.  I'm seriously considering sending a six-pack of Sprite and a large bag of honey lemon cough drops to the venue for him the next time he comes here. *LOL*
• "Et tu, Brute? Et tu?"
• The Chef and kitchen staff at Irving Convention Center do a really amazing job of things.  The Guests were very happy with the food in the Green Room, and a few even told me it was the best food they'd ever had at a convention.  I made sure to let the Chef know this, and to thank him and ask that he pass the thanks on to his team.
• I had an "Aw, shucks" moment when one of the ICC kitchen staff stopped me and said, "You work very hard.  I don't know what you do, but you work very hard.  You're also a very pleasant person.  I hope that they bring you back next time."  I didn't really do anything special, I just treated them all like the human beings they are by greeting them with a smile, asking how their days were going, and being my normal self.  That said, I really appreciated his words.
• Dara, Maresa, and I bonded over the fact that if you're name isn't "normal", then people will mispronounce it all of the time.  Eventually you start just answering to any version that gets close enough.
• Italian Cafe on Las Colinas Blvd is amazing.  Some of the best Italian food I've had since moving to Texas.  If you get Benny as your server, leave him a big tip.  He's awesome.
• Having everyone from Guests, to reps, to other staff and crew wishing you happy birthday all day is pleasantly surprising and adds an extra smile to an already happy day.
• Note to self:  ALWAYS remember to take a portable charger. ALWAYS.
• Personal surprise: I can do 12,000+ steps for three days in a row without dying.  Who knew???

There are other moments that are in my mind, but those are going in my private journal.  All in all, it was an amazing weekend.  I'm happy I could help Jessica and take some of the load off her shoulders so she could focus on other things.  My Guest Liaisons did an amazing job.  My Runners were on top of things and made sure that Guests made it to where they had to be on time without me having to ride herd on anyone.  I really enjoyed doing this more than I thought I would.  I was afraid that switching roles from my usual to this would take some of the joy out of things for me.  I guess I really AM hard-wired to want to make sure others are enjoying themselves and have everything that they need to make their lives easier.

Fun weekend.  I hope I get to do it again sometime.