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When I started typing this up, I was a week late, now I'm closer to two, but I am finally getting to my review and pictures from Torchsong. I will say right up front, yes, I was extremely disappointed that John Barrowman was not able to attend in person. And no, I was not happy with how the organizers handled things. And that will be all I say on the topic. I had a truly wonderful time, saw friends I haven't seen in a while, and met some incredible new ones.
Thursday - travelling
I opted to go into work early on Thursday, so that I could leave early and catch an early evening flight, rather than skip work entirely or rush around on Friday. So I went into work at 9am, got to the airport around 3pm, got on the plane around 5pm, and turned off my phone. Which meant that I probably just barely missed the call letting me know what was going on. A few hours later, I landed in Chicago Midway Airport, and headed towards the hotel. The signs in Midway sucked a bit, and there was no one at the help desks, so when I saw the signs for the train, I figured that was the cheapest, if not most convenient way to travel, and followed them. It really isn't a bad way of getting from Midway to O'Hare, just a bit long and noisy. But for $2.25, I ain't complainin'. Finally made it to O'Hare, where I couldn't figure out how to find the hotel shuttles. Turns out there's a tiny sign, that I must have walked right past. A very nice airport employee pointed me in the right direction, and I, at last, was at the final step of the journey. I step outside, and the first person I see is![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
echoingvista, one of my roommates! I was so excited to finally see someone I knew, that it didn't matter that we then had to wait for the hotel shuttle to show up, I was so glad to not be under threat of completely lost anymore!
Anyways, we finally got to the hotel, where I ran into a ton of people I know from other conventions. It was really cool seeing all these people who I normally see at completely separate events at the same place. For a change, I actually knew more than one or two people in advance, which was pretty sweet! I adore meeting new friends, but knowing people helps a ton. And conventions are about the only place where people somehow don't realize just how shy I actually am. My comfort level with strangers goes way up when they're other fans! Okay, I've gotten off track here. I intended to hang out in the bar, maybe have a drink and then go to bed. Didn't quite happen that way. I ran into this really nice, if rather odd, guy outside, who invited me to the other bar to have a drink with him, his wife, and another friend. Three beers later, I finally realized I was about to crash, and decided to go to sleep.
Friday - hanging out and the cocktail party
Spent most of Friday hanging out in the lobby, although I did go up to the pool for a bit. The pool was nice, if a bit chilly. The hot tub, on the other hand, was awesome! There was all this really weird foam-type stuff that you could pick up. Odd, but cool. So after relaxing, I got ready for registration and the cocktail party. Registration was a mess, but as I said, I'm not going to talk about the negatives. We got there early enough that the wait wasn't overly long, and then we headed into the party. I didn't get the chance to talk to all the guests, which is okay. I'm not the kind of person who can just insert themselves into groups, so I tend to either wait for people to come to me, or wait until a group's conversation appears to be ending. I did speak to Gareth briefly, and to Mark Sheppard, although he got pulled into another conversation rather quickly. The highlight of the evening, at least to me, was Peter Wingfield. Let me start by saying that Highlander was my original fandom, long before I knew what fandom was, and long before I truly understood what I was getting myself into.
Anyways, I kinda got shoved towards him, and the group he was speaking to was finishing up. So I introduced myself, and he asked about my tattoo. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I have a tattoo of a physics equation, escape velocity to be precise, on my right shoulder. I got it last year during Tribal Forces withakina16 and sara_merry99, and it very quickly became the one I am most proud of. For a long time, I hid my geekiness, and with the tattoo, it became something I am proud of, rather than ashamed of. So now I show it off whenever possible. Okay, off topic again. So Peter asked about, and for the next ten minutes we discussed tattoos, and the meanings behind things, and other stuff that I don't remember, 'cause I was in total shock. I mean, I had a ten minute, one-on-one conversation with one of my childhood heroes! How absolutely fantastic is that! The rest of the party was a bit of a blur. I know that I ran into Gareth again outside, when I needed to get away from the crowd for a bit. I honestly hadn't even realized he was there until someone else said hi to him. I guess I was still floaty from Peter.
After the party, I tried to get to the slasher's meet up, but I never quite got there. I ran into a group of really great people, who I spent the next few hours talking to outside the hotel. By then, my feet were dead from my shoes, and I decided that sleep was becoming a necessity. So to bed I went.
Saturday/Sunday - Autographs and Photo Ops
Other people have done a much better job than I at recapping the panels, so I'm basically going to ignore those, and talk about my personal experiences, autographs, photo ops, things like that. I always say that I'm going to take notes at the panels, and I never do, I always get too distracted by taking pictures. Which, considering some of the pictures I got, is not necessarily a bad thing. I'm also combining Saturday and Sunday, since the autographs and photo ops overlapped the two days.
Most of the autograph and photo op sessions I've attended have been rather similar. You walk in, hand over your picture, the actor signs it, hands it back, and its over. Pretty much the same with photo ops. Walk up, arm over shoulder, smile, camera flash, done. I did have a few really cool moments here though. For one, Peter Wingfield remembered me when I walked up for my photo with him. I tend to blend into the background a lot, so being remembered totally made my day. Let's see, what else. I managed to have a girl moment during Gareth's photo. Not so much a fangirl moment, as much as just a girl moment, which I also don't normally have. While the photographer was checking to see if the picture had come out okay, and Gareth's arm was still over my shoulders, I kinda tilted my head over and told him he was comfortable. And the sad thing? I'd have said it to whoever was standing there, it just kinda slipped out of my mouth without thinking.
On to the highlight of the day. I'd been taking my Jack-bear into the photo ops with me, and none of the guests had really said anything about him. However, when I walked in for Tom Price's picture, he snagged my bear and held him for the photo! Most awesome thing ever!!! I couldn't even guess what my expression must have looked like, I was in total shock. While the rest of the signings and pictures were great, nothing came close to that one.
Saturday night - Cabaret
The cabaret, which was not really a cabaret, was still a load of fun. Peter Wingfield playing guitar = absolutely adorable. Gareth singing, while really cool, was not something I was particularly prepared for. I have really sensitive hearing, and the sheer volume was something I wasn't ready for. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it, I just wish I'd had a little more time to expect it and make my ears ready for it. My other comment on the cabaret has to be prefaced by this fact. I do not, nor have I ever, found Gareth David-Lloyd to be particularly hot. He's just not my type. Watching him perform Take It Like a Bitch, I wanted to jump him. Holy shit, HOT! Yeah.
Saturday/Sunday - Other random shit My other major experience during the convention was getting up the courage to ask John a question during the Sunday panel. I have extremely bad stage fright, to the point that I am almost unable to function when put in front of a crowd. I have no issue with celebrities, but crowds can cause problems. I've been known to have debilitating panic attacks when I have to speak in front of people, including school classes. And somehow I got it into my head that I wanted to ask a question during the panel. Probably not my smartest move. So I got into the line, finally got to the front, introduced myself, and when asked how I was, answered that I was absolutely petrified. It didn't occur to me until afterwards that I should have clarified that it wasn't him that terrified me, but the crowd that was now staring at me. Basically, I got to the microphone, and only then did I realize that a few hundred people were watching me. Cue stage fright. It took me more than an hour to stop shaking afterwards.
And on that note, I move on to the pictures.
Just a quick not about the pictures before though. I have no problem with people snagging them, I know there's always someone who's got exactly the picture that you missed, or something like that. So snagging is fine. Jut don't claim them as your own please. I know that almost needs not be said, but I'm saying it anyway. I f you want to use them for icons/wallpapers/etc, have fun! I know I have every intention to... eventually.
Saturday - Peter Wingfield
Saturday - Tom Price
Saturday - Gareth David-Lloyd
Saturday - Carole Barrowman
Sunday - Carole Barrowman and Tommy Lee Edwards
Sunday - Peter Wingfield
Sunday - Mark Sheppard
Sunday - Gareth David-Lloyd
And one last picture, because its just so adorable!
Thursday - travelling
I opted to go into work early on Thursday, so that I could leave early and catch an early evening flight, rather than skip work entirely or rush around on Friday. So I went into work at 9am, got to the airport around 3pm, got on the plane around 5pm, and turned off my phone. Which meant that I probably just barely missed the call letting me know what was going on. A few hours later, I landed in Chicago Midway Airport, and headed towards the hotel. The signs in Midway sucked a bit, and there was no one at the help desks, so when I saw the signs for the train, I figured that was the cheapest, if not most convenient way to travel, and followed them. It really isn't a bad way of getting from Midway to O'Hare, just a bit long and noisy. But for $2.25, I ain't complainin'. Finally made it to O'Hare, where I couldn't figure out how to find the hotel shuttles. Turns out there's a tiny sign, that I must have walked right past. A very nice airport employee pointed me in the right direction, and I, at last, was at the final step of the journey. I step outside, and the first person I see is
echoingvista, one of my roommates! I was so excited to finally see someone I knew, that it didn't matter that we then had to wait for the hotel shuttle to show up, I was so glad to not be under threat of completely lost anymore! Anyways, we finally got to the hotel, where I ran into a ton of people I know from other conventions. It was really cool seeing all these people who I normally see at completely separate events at the same place. For a change, I actually knew more than one or two people in advance, which was pretty sweet! I adore meeting new friends, but knowing people helps a ton. And conventions are about the only place where people somehow don't realize just how shy I actually am. My comfort level with strangers goes way up when they're other fans! Okay, I've gotten off track here. I intended to hang out in the bar, maybe have a drink and then go to bed. Didn't quite happen that way. I ran into this really nice, if rather odd, guy outside, who invited me to the other bar to have a drink with him, his wife, and another friend. Three beers later, I finally realized I was about to crash, and decided to go to sleep.
Friday - hanging out and the cocktail party
Spent most of Friday hanging out in the lobby, although I did go up to the pool for a bit. The pool was nice, if a bit chilly. The hot tub, on the other hand, was awesome! There was all this really weird foam-type stuff that you could pick up. Odd, but cool. So after relaxing, I got ready for registration and the cocktail party. Registration was a mess, but as I said, I'm not going to talk about the negatives. We got there early enough that the wait wasn't overly long, and then we headed into the party. I didn't get the chance to talk to all the guests, which is okay. I'm not the kind of person who can just insert themselves into groups, so I tend to either wait for people to come to me, or wait until a group's conversation appears to be ending. I did speak to Gareth briefly, and to Mark Sheppard, although he got pulled into another conversation rather quickly. The highlight of the evening, at least to me, was Peter Wingfield. Let me start by saying that Highlander was my original fandom, long before I knew what fandom was, and long before I truly understood what I was getting myself into.
Anyways, I kinda got shoved towards him, and the group he was speaking to was finishing up. So I introduced myself, and he asked about my tattoo. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I have a tattoo of a physics equation, escape velocity to be precise, on my right shoulder. I got it last year during Tribal Forces with
akina16 and sara_merry99, and it very quickly became the one I am most proud of. For a long time, I hid my geekiness, and with the tattoo, it became something I am proud of, rather than ashamed of. So now I show it off whenever possible. Okay, off topic again. So Peter asked about, and for the next ten minutes we discussed tattoos, and the meanings behind things, and other stuff that I don't remember, 'cause I was in total shock. I mean, I had a ten minute, one-on-one conversation with one of my childhood heroes! How absolutely fantastic is that! The rest of the party was a bit of a blur. I know that I ran into Gareth again outside, when I needed to get away from the crowd for a bit. I honestly hadn't even realized he was there until someone else said hi to him. I guess I was still floaty from Peter. After the party, I tried to get to the slasher's meet up, but I never quite got there. I ran into a group of really great people, who I spent the next few hours talking to outside the hotel. By then, my feet were dead from my shoes, and I decided that sleep was becoming a necessity. So to bed I went.
Saturday/Sunday - Autographs and Photo Ops
Other people have done a much better job than I at recapping the panels, so I'm basically going to ignore those, and talk about my personal experiences, autographs, photo ops, things like that. I always say that I'm going to take notes at the panels, and I never do, I always get too distracted by taking pictures. Which, considering some of the pictures I got, is not necessarily a bad thing. I'm also combining Saturday and Sunday, since the autographs and photo ops overlapped the two days.
Most of the autograph and photo op sessions I've attended have been rather similar. You walk in, hand over your picture, the actor signs it, hands it back, and its over. Pretty much the same with photo ops. Walk up, arm over shoulder, smile, camera flash, done. I did have a few really cool moments here though. For one, Peter Wingfield remembered me when I walked up for my photo with him. I tend to blend into the background a lot, so being remembered totally made my day. Let's see, what else. I managed to have a girl moment during Gareth's photo. Not so much a fangirl moment, as much as just a girl moment, which I also don't normally have. While the photographer was checking to see if the picture had come out okay, and Gareth's arm was still over my shoulders, I kinda tilted my head over and told him he was comfortable. And the sad thing? I'd have said it to whoever was standing there, it just kinda slipped out of my mouth without thinking.
On to the highlight of the day. I'd been taking my Jack-bear into the photo ops with me, and none of the guests had really said anything about him. However, when I walked in for Tom Price's picture, he snagged my bear and held him for the photo! Most awesome thing ever!!! I couldn't even guess what my expression must have looked like, I was in total shock. While the rest of the signings and pictures were great, nothing came close to that one.
Saturday night - Cabaret
The cabaret, which was not really a cabaret, was still a load of fun. Peter Wingfield playing guitar = absolutely adorable. Gareth singing, while really cool, was not something I was particularly prepared for. I have really sensitive hearing, and the sheer volume was something I wasn't ready for. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it, I just wish I'd had a little more time to expect it and make my ears ready for it. My other comment on the cabaret has to be prefaced by this fact. I do not, nor have I ever, found Gareth David-Lloyd to be particularly hot. He's just not my type. Watching him perform Take It Like a Bitch, I wanted to jump him. Holy shit, HOT! Yeah.
Saturday/Sunday - Other random shit My other major experience during the convention was getting up the courage to ask John a question during the Sunday panel. I have extremely bad stage fright, to the point that I am almost unable to function when put in front of a crowd. I have no issue with celebrities, but crowds can cause problems. I've been known to have debilitating panic attacks when I have to speak in front of people, including school classes. And somehow I got it into my head that I wanted to ask a question during the panel. Probably not my smartest move. So I got into the line, finally got to the front, introduced myself, and when asked how I was, answered that I was absolutely petrified. It didn't occur to me until afterwards that I should have clarified that it wasn't him that terrified me, but the crowd that was now staring at me. Basically, I got to the microphone, and only then did I realize that a few hundred people were watching me. Cue stage fright. It took me more than an hour to stop shaking afterwards.
And on that note, I move on to the pictures.
Just a quick not about the pictures before though. I have no problem with people snagging them, I know there's always someone who's got exactly the picture that you missed, or something like that. So snagging is fine. Jut don't claim them as your own please. I know that almost needs not be said, but I'm saying it anyway. I f you want to use them for icons/wallpapers/etc, have fun! I know I have every intention to... eventually.
Saturday - Peter Wingfield
Saturday - Tom Price
Saturday - Gareth David-Lloyd
Saturday - Carole Barrowman
Sunday - Carole Barrowman and Tommy Lee Edwards
Sunday - Peter Wingfield
Sunday - Mark Sheppard
Sunday - Gareth David-Lloyd
And one last picture, because its just so adorable!
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i've always been a fly on the wall, i totally know how that one feels. when i was in hospital once, the band busted who i adored, had heard about y condition and after singing for my birthday told me to ring in with my hospital number to talk to them privately!!! i rang then i sort of froze and couldn't say anything *headdesk*. at least ou got your question out!
i heard about tom, but what happened ot gareth? he seems ot be on a crutch n a couple of pics
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Btw! On Twitter I posted a picture of you that I took. It was one of you with the Captain Jack teddy. I'll post it to my LJ if you want so then you can get it! :D
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