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.)

A comic-con grows in Baltimore

If you're amazed there's not a T-shirt
in my haul from the Baltimore con,
I am too. (Credit: Me)

Yesterday I went to the Baltimore Comic-Con -- a first for me, which is weird since I live just an hour away and it's relatively easy to get to, even without a car. You'd think I would've gone years ago as a primer, building up to the mega-huge one in San Diego and the biggish one in New York. But true to my nature, if I really like something, I'm not one to dip my toe in, so I jumped into the deep end first and am only just now going to the smaller shows.

Now in Baltimore I did see Stan Lee, heretofore known as my nerd grandpa, when he passed us on the floor, with a lone guard as his escort. But there was no crowd chasing him. And besides him, there were no A-list celebrities. No must-see TV/movie panels or exclusive clips or previews or screenings. There were no corporate publicity stunts or huge booths, such as Marvel's, with all the different Iron Man suits or Odin's throne. There was no flashy swag.

But I could stand on the convention floor, stretch my arms out wide and not hit anyone. I didn't have to get there at dawn to fall in line to just get in the building. No opening multiple browsers on my computer  -- months before the actual con -- and waiting breathlessly and praying to the Comic-Con gods to get passes. I bought my ticket for the Baltimore con on Thursday night for $20. My friend just walked up to the window when we got there and bought hers.

Heck, we didn't even have actual badges, although I saw a Stan Lee VIP passholder who had a badge (for $200, you should get a badge). No, we got a blue paper wristband -- not even branded! *clutches pearls* -- which I promptly tore. Can you imagine what would happen in San Diego if people just had easily breakable wristbands? Chaos would reign. Thousands would wangle their way inside with a bracelet they found lying in the street. (It's a good thing we didn't have a badge anyway, because I didn't bring a supercool lanyard to go with it.)

Sometimes in San Diego you walk by the comics vendors and there aren't that many people there, which makes me feel guilty. At this one it was sometimes hard (relatively speaking) to get through people to browse through boxes of comics. Yay! I always tend to go to the trade paperbacks instead of individual issues, so I bagged "The Walking Dead" vols 1 and 2. Discount copies of "Locke & Key" -- a series I enjoy lots -- eluded me again.

Closer look at my treasures. The pins, from left: K-9;
a deer head that says "Expecto patronum";
a gas mask says "Are you my Mummy?"
(Credit: Me)

I also got a bracelet made from a comic book page, (at a museum before the con, I got a pendant with comics in it: one side says "Zoink!"; the other, "Voo-vroom!"), fun decals and buttons. And NO T-shirts. That in itself is a major milestone for me. Now there were many, many shirts I wanted, but I restrained myself. A "Eureka"-themed one called out to me like a siren, but alas, it was made for tiny people.

Anyway, the vibe was just as cool and accepting as at San Diego -- without all the hassles of lines or jostling for space or the exorbitant travel costs. People weren't shy about asking to stop a Dalek cosplayer to take a photo or where you got your cool shirt or just how many times an artist watched "Doctor Who" (the Ten years) to make that awesome pixel art poster showing every character who appeared in those seasons -- in chronological episode order. Basically, you're just free to be a geek without judgment, which is the best thing about any convention.

Washington is getting its own con in April. You can bet I'll be going.

Comic-Con 2012: Mission accomplished, baby!

So, Comic-Con 2012 is over and done with, and all that's left is catching up on the panels/interviews I missed there and reading recaps of the ones I did see. I will say this: That previous post about my Plan A? Totally checked 'em all off my list, and then some. I couldn't ask for a better (last?) Con. I won't go through it day by day because that's boring, so here's a long list of superlatives:

A teary-eyed "Firefly" reunion: Nathan Fillion, Joss Whedon,
Summer Glau, Sean Maher. (Credit: Me)

Best panel: The "Firefly" 10th anniversary panel was worth getting in line at 5 a.m. In fact we should've gotten there earlier, because Joss Whedon came out to see fans and we missed it and I don't want to talk about it. I'm fine. I'm FINE. Anyway, the panel itself was fantastic: teary, funny, sweet. After all these years, the cast members still have chemistry. The SDCC folks seriously must've underestimated interest in this panel the line was unbelievably long -- and deservedly so. 


Most revelatory panel: Psych at Nerd HQ. (Click the link to watch the full panel.) I didn't realize it last year, but in an intimate setting this year, it seemed like Dule Hill was the funny one and James Roday was the straight man, when it's the other way around on the show. 


Most feel-good panel: Nathan Fillion at Nerd HQ. (Click the link to watch the full panel.) He brought up Adam Baldwin to join him, and the two were obviously enjoying themselves. Also seeing them kiss Zachary Levi for $1,000 donation to Operation Smile was pretty funny too. (Side note: Had my sister not been there, I might've coughed up the money to kiss Zac, too. Cooler heads prevailed.)

RUN!!! (Credit: Me)

Scariest moment: I hate heights, so at Petco Park during the Walking Dead Escape obstacle course, the rope net we had to climb down while watching for zombies below was not fun. Not. Fun. At. All. ...


Superhero moment: ... However, the rest of the obstacle course was pretty awesome. I can say that now that I'm not wheezing my way through it. Seriously hard, folks. Seriously. But I did surprise myself by vaulting -- vaulting! -- over a zombie's hands to escape contamination. Watching the video it's not all that superheroic, but it was in my head.

Rockin' the Fringe swag.
 (Credit: Joy)

Coolest swag: At the final "Fringe" panel (the show ends this season), they gave out pretty sweet gray fedoras like the ones the show's creepy Observers wear. Neato!


Coolest souvenir bought: Tie. A super cute limited-edition Comic-Con Domo T-shirt. Also an equally super cute limited-edition canvas Nerd messenger bag at Nerd HQ. 


Biggest regret: See first item about missing Joss Whedon. I'm FINE.

My boyfriend Richard Armitage. (Credit: Me)

My Beatles moment: Seeing Richard Armitage on stage for the Hobbit panel. Not only is he handsome (DUH), but I'm so happy he'll be getting more press in America in the coming months. Comic-Con is just the start, y'all. Get on board.


Cutest guy (besides Richard Armitage): Zachary Levi (see last item below). Runner-up: Henry Cavill is quite a looker, and I'm psyched to see "Man of Steel." 


Coolest panel: No one could top the rock-star entrance by Robert Downey Jr., who IS Tony Stark at this point. And the Marvel presentation in general -- in which they announced film titles and dates for "Thor: The Dark World," "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and "Guardians of the Galaxy" -- made me geek out completely.

Me and Colin Ferguson. (Credit: I honestly
can't remember if it was Joy or
Erika, I was so excited.)

Best random celeb moment: Seeing Colin Ferguson chillin' out, checking his phone outside Rock Bottom Brewery. So I calmly introduced myself and told him how much I love "Eureka" and will miss it. And then he graciously offered to take a photo with me. And I squeed quietly to myself inside. I did not chase him like the fangirls who ran after Misha Collins from "Supernatural" (FF to 3:03 to see the silliness).


Best food: If you're in San Diego, please partake of the breakfast items at Richard Walker's Pancake House. Also their coffee. Which is THE BEST EVER. I'm serious. THE BEST EVER.


Worst food: I am so over granola bars right now.


Best moderator: It's so funny, I follow so many entertainment journalists/personalities on Twitter that seeing them mod a panel is as exciting as seeing the cast. The best mod by far was Chris Hardwick (aka the Nerdist guy of podcast/geek fame). Funny, charming, knowledgeable about the subject matter, he's really engaging. Now if he could drop his sidekicks on his podcast, I'd love him even more.

Ladies and gentlemen, the King of the Con for the second year
in a row -- at least for me: Zachary Levi. (Credit: Me)

King of the Con: Drumrolllllllllllll. Zachary Levi! And his Nerd HQ. My raison d'etre for going to Comic-Con was Richard Armitage, and I did and it was amazing. But the biggest highlight was sitting in the front row for three Nerd HQ panels and having Zachary Levi right there in front too (and high-fiving me!!! And Scott Porter showing up! And Aisha Tyler!). I know actors are good at acting nice, but I want to believe that Zac is as genuinely down-to-earth and sweet as he seems. And I can't not love a guy who says he loves my color-coded Comic-Con schedule! 

Said color-coded schedule and "Tangled"
DVD -- both signed! Squee! (Credit: Me)

Okay, that's it for Comic-Con 2012. Now I've got to back into the swing of real life. On the bright side: Hopefully less geeky posts in the future. 

A crafty, crafty girl

(Credit: Someecards)

I never took any Home Ec classes in school. It just wasn't my thing. I didn't want to learn to sew, to bake a cake, to properly wrap gifts.

But I probably should've taken at least one class. I am terrible at wrapping gifts. I suck at cooking -- unless it's from a box, and even then it's 50-50. And my method of sewing on a button was, well, just put the thread through the holes any which way a few times and pray the button stays on.

A few years ago, I took up knitting. It's a nice thing to do while watching TV -- at the very least it stops you from reaching for the potato chips. But it's also relaxing, very Zen: the repeated motions, the constant click of needles. And at the end of the night, you've made progress on something other than burning through shows on the DVR. Plus, start early enough and you've got presents for everyone! See the ecard above for thoughts on that.

Knit baby blanket
and matching robot for
my best friend's son. (Credit: Me)

And don't think I make doilies or the like; I don't knit  "Look what my Grandma made me" things. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I just like more modern designs. 


My thing has been baby blankets: I make a different one whenever a friend has a kid (and these days, there's one every year); it's never the same blanket. But, funny story: I took a class this winter in which the teacher informed me I was doing the knit stitch wrong. Oopsie! So, to everyone has gotten something knit from me in the last few years: Sorry, it could've been better!

It's Ten! Doctor Who
crochet doll for my sister.
 (Credit: Me)

After knitting, I tried crochet, which I'm not very nimble at, but it goes a lot faster than knitting if you don't factor in the time I spend confused about something.  And you only need one needle! It also seems better for more structured gifts: rounded mug cozies, for example, or a David Tennant/Doctor Who amigurumi doll. But it's not my forte.




Then last year I took up sewing after my sisters and brother-in-law got me a sewing machine. There's a great studio that offers classes here in D.C. -- the owner must be like: "What is up with this chick? She's here like every month!" But I've really learned a lot, though I'm not nearly as confident at it as I am with knitting, or heck, even crochet. 

Look! My first dress!
(Credit: Me)

There are good days, like yesterday, when I finished my first dress from a pattern! It was a six-week class, working through each step for two hours a week. And lemme tell you, friends, it was hard work. I'm not good at cutting fabric or, you know, figuring out the math. But with much help from the teacher, it turned out super cute, if I do say so myself. 


Then there are bad days. These come more often than the good days. The other week, when I went all lone wolf and made a Nook case without a pattern from an old Comic-Con bag I had. There were tears (of frustration), a little bit of blood (so that's what thimbles are for!), and lotsa sweat (figuratively, at least). The result is precariously functional and not at all pretty. So I'm going to try again after I get this year's bag.

Upcycled Comic-Con bag Nook case.

A for effort; C for execution.

(Credit: Me)

The next sewing class I'm taking is Intro to Quilting because I really want to make a T-shirt quilt. Upcycling clothes and bags seems so cool if done right. This way, I can take all the old geeky shirts I own and make something cute. And then I can buy new shirts to wear. Heh.
.
I keep meaning to come up with a cute label for the things I make, but I can't think of a fun name. If you think of one, let me know. Sometimes I think, "Hey, you know what? I could open an Etsy shop!" But: (a) I often get patterns from other crafters online, and it is not cool to make money off others' ideas; (b) I'm not good enough to come up with patterns on my own; and (c) if I opened a shop, then I'd actually have to make whatever I sell, and then it just becomes work. Where's the fun in that?


There's something great about making a skirt or a dress or bag. You feel all accomplished at the end of it, even if it didn't turn out like you wanted it to. And you learn from your mistakes. One of the best things about being a crafter, which I never thought I'd be: I've made lotsa friends my age who do all these things too! So yay for that! 


What will be my next craft? Scrapbooking? Nah, I made a book for my superduperawesome train trip through Great Britain a few years ago, but other than buying some pretty paper, I just can't get into it. And there are cooking classes I wouldn't mind taking. After all, my knife skills are spectacularly lacking. Or jewelry? I can imagine spilling beads all over my floor.


Or, hmmmm, I wonder if there are gift wrapping classes.... 


Eek. This all reminds me: I need to start thinking about Christmas gifts. *runs off to find some inspiration*

Let's geek it out!

Welcome to Geeky Town! (Credit: Me)

So since I'm starting a blog (we'll see how long it lasts), I thought this topic would be as good as any. I mean, we might as well get my geeky-ness out of the way.

Next month is Comic-Con in San Diego -- when geeks make the annual pilgrimage to sunny California to worship superheroes, movies/TV/video games and cool graphic T-shirts. I've gone the last three years and I'm about 60% sure this is my last time. It's expensive, it's crowded, it's overwhelming.

But it's very, very fun. Half the fun is going, of course. The other half is planning for it. I love working out schedules and alternative schedules and alternative schedules to the alternative schedules.

Anyway, at Comic-Con, it's not about what you can see, because you won't see everything. That's just a given. It's about what you can live without seeing. So you prioritize; you set your must-sees and plan around those. A "Game of Thrones" panel the same afternoon as a Joss Whedon panel? Choose which to wait in line for all day, because you for damn sure won't see both.  

My priorities for this year:

Back off, girls.
(Credit: Project magazine July 2011)

1. Richard Armitage, otherwise known as my raison d'etre for going this year. Chances are, you don't know this man, but you should. He's in "The Hobbit," which I couldn't care less about (sorry, LOTR fans), but he's my favorite actor. If you haven't seen the BBC's (not ABC's) "North & South," go do it now. I'll wait. ....

Back? Okay. See? He's hot, right? Anyway, he's a TV star on the other side of the pond, but boyfriend is about to go global. Because, really, Look. At. Him. A "Hobbit" panel hasn't been confirmed, so if he's not there, I'm gonna cry. And if he is there, I'm gonna be a nervous Nelly until I'm in a seat in Hall H and he's on stage. Then I'll be able to breathe easy. And swoon.

2. Richard Armitage. I am so excited that he's listed twice.

3. Nathan Fillion. Apparently there may be a 10th anniversary panel for "Firefly." Huzzah! I saw Nathan Fillion at a panel in 2010, but he wasn't the main focus of it. And he was supposed to be at a Nerd HQ (see No. 4) panel last year with other "Firefly" cast mates, but had to pull out, so I missed him. So I really want to go to this one if there is one! But only if it doesn't conflict with priorities 1 & 2.

I was thisclose to him! (Credit: Me)

4. Nerd HQ and, therefore, Zachary Levi. Levi is a priority of mine every year it seems. Tall, dark and dorky, right? He's my nerd boyfriend. The off-site Nerd HQ panels are great because they're small, they include an autograph session (or did last year), and they're for charity. Also, during one panel I was seated close enough to Levi that I could see his phone background -- which looked a little like the little Nerd Herd icon from his now-defunct show "Chuck."

5. Walking Dead Escape. An obstacle course through Petco Park, where zombies -- er, "walkers" -- chase you. C'mon, how many times in your life can you say you were literally chased by zombies? (Okay, the "literally" there refers to the chased part; no actual zombies are taking part.) I'm a slightly-more-than-casual fan of the show, but I really love interactive show experiences. (If you're in Cardiff, Wales, check out the Doctor Who Experience -- in which you get to fly the TARDIS.)

So that's it. We'll see if all my Comic-Con dreams come true next month. No. 5 will, at least, since we have tickets. Now, let's all cross fingers for 1 & 2, okay?