That time I met Zachary Levi

Yes. Yes. I did.

Yeah, so if you haven't seen me fangirling about it on Facebook or Twitter, I saw "Once" and "First Date" on Broadway this weekend, and I met Zachary Levi, not once, but twice.

Zac -- because like I know him or something -- has kinda been my nerd boyfriend for years now. Every year at Comic-Con, seeing him has been a priority, whether at the convention center or at his off-site Nerd HQ event. Last year we had front-row seats for all three Nerd HQ panels we went to, including his solo panel.

So when I heard he was gonna be in "First Date," a new musical on Broadway, I was definitely not going to miss it.

As close as we were gonna get
to Arthur Darvill. Sadface.

Side note: And I thought, What the hell? Might as well see "Once," too, since (a) it's one of my favorite movies and soundtracks ever and (b) it currently stars Arthur Darvill, "Doctor Who's" Rory (A.K.A. the one shining light from the Eleven era, IMHO).
"Once" is highly enjoyable. Nothing can match the movie, but it's well done. AND the audience can go up on the stage -- set like a pub -- before the show and grab a drink. How often can you say you were literally on a Broadway stage?! And you know what? Darvill was surprisingly good, too. I knew he had singing experience, but the cynic in me wasn't expecting much. I'm glad I was wrong. He was great. But I was really sad he didn't come out after the show and greet fans at the stage door.

Anyway. Back to Zac.

So after "Once," we were making our way through the crowd around Broadway Barks, a big pet-related event the shows do, and whom do I see just hanging out on the street? Zachary. Levi.

This is what you get when you wear a star's
T-shirt line when you meet him on the street.

So I calmlynotcalmly went over. When I got his attention, he noticed my Nerd Machine shirt (his line of merchandise), which I had worn intentionally for the show that night. But yay, double high-fives from him because of it! Then, he told me how the stage-door line is set up and where I should stand and warned me it might be a while after the show, and I feel bad because I kinda was only half listening because ZACHARY LEVI. And then I told him to break a leg and thanked him and walked away and then at a safe distance from him, proceeded to freak the eff out.

His show, by the way, is really cute, set entirely on one blind date. It's in previews, so there are some tweaks to make, but he is really great in it. Lotsa shades of Chuck Bartowski. He brought the house down with his big solo number, and really seemed to appreciate the long ovation he got.

Zac: "I saw you earlier!" Me: *dies*

Later, after the show at the stage door, Zac remembered me! (Thank you, yellow Nerd Machine shirt!) And I asked him how he's going to manage doing Nerd HQ this week. Short answer: He's skipping a week of previews. (Long, cute answer here in this video.)

He could not have been more gracious and patient and nice both times we talked. Super down-to-earth and had a conversation with all his fans after the show.

Meeting him more than made up for skipping Comic-Con this year, so, thank you for that, Zac!

Once again, I swear I am not a stalker. Indeed, some of these guys I just stumble upon by chance. And now that I've met him and Richard Armitage and the other guys below, I wonder who I'll meet next! (I wouldn't say no to meeting Henry Cavill. Just saying.)

The Maltese vacation

Oh, hey! I forgot to blog about Malta, where I went in March. You should all go visit. A few movies were filmed there, most recently "World War Z" (more like World War Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz; I disliked that movie, obvs) and "The Count of Monte Christo" (more like, "I love you, Henry Cavill, but WHY ISN'T THIS MOVIE DONE YET?").

Seriously, the island in the Mediterranean is a neat mix of European and Arabic influences. In WWZ it stood in for Israel. It's lovely. Before I leave you with a few pics, here's a pro-tip: Don't stand too close to the Med when a storm is passing through; you are liable to get nearly swept away.

Victorian pools cut from the rock.

View of Valletta from a boat.

St. Julian's Bay.

Valletta fish market buildings from the boat.

Tarxien Temple ruins.

Marsaxlokk. 

At the cliffs. Look at the stormy whitecaps below me.

Ramla Bay

At the salt pans goofing around.

Sea caves remind me of in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

My fave part of the trip: the natural arch!

A turn about the room

You guys, you guys! I went to Jane Austen camp! I am totally not kidding.

Backstory: I love Jane Austen. Pride & Prejudice is my favorite book ever, hands down. I've been to her cottage in Chawton and seen the tiny writing writing table where she worked. I've been to her burial site. I geeked out in Bath on the gravel walk, where a key scene takes place in Persuasion. I love her.

So a couple of weeks ago, when I saw on Twitter that my alma mater, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, was hosting a four-day conference for the 200th anniversary of Pride & Prejudice, I thought about it for 24 hours -- to just, you know, pretend to be an adult and make rational decisions -- and then signed up.

I was a little worried how scholarly it would be. Indeed some of it was. Two or three professors just about read directly from their papers on things like "the Lockean education" and "the networked novel" that went over my head. And I wondered if I had made a mistake in coming.

(The video here is me dancing the Duke of Kent's Waltz!)

But then there were fabulous discussion groups (even though we had a bit of a Catherine de Bourgh in our group, which appropriately was in the posh octagon room redubbed Rosings for the event) in which we talked about the book in-depth. And other panels on topics such as P&P as a precursor for romance novels, a post-Colonial look at P&P using Sri Lanka as a test case, how costumes help detail character in the 2005 movie. One participant brought some books from her impressive P&P collection, including an edition with the lovely Hugh Thompson illustrations. I have the peacock illustration on my Nook cover, a tote bag and a T-shirt. But to hold the book in my hands? Unbelievable.

And the friends I met were super fun, including a teacher from Virginia, and a mother and her 11-year-old daughter who has read more Jane Austen than I have. All so great.

But the best part -- the best part -- was that we learned to dance ... in preparation for the ball. A ball! The steps were hard to remember, but no one cared. Well, the caller might have cared. I felt bad for him, and the patient dance enthusiasts who were there to help us look good.

The ball itself was fab. Historical drinks from a local bartender who loves that kind of stuff, a silent auction, live music, the dancing itself, whist (easy peasy!). The music even stopped when "Mr. Darcy" and "Caroline" showed up. All in all, just so lovely. (Edited to add: Lots of people had period dresses, many didn't. I was lucky in that I was a bridesmaid in a friend's wedding years ago and the dress was PERFECT for the ball.)

Now there's a Jane Austen ball here in Alexandria that I may go to and another workshop and I've joined the Jane Austen Society of North America, so this is now a slippery slope. And UNC is planning on doing a Jane Austen camp every year. Next year is on Sense & Sensibility. I'm on the fence about going -- but mostly just because I don't know the book as well as P&P or Persuasion. But I'm definitely leaning toward going!

You can read more about the camp here and see some of the collector's P&P books here. I'll leave you with a slideshow of more pics from the weekend: the Rosings room, dance lessons, the ball and the lovely dance book they made for us.