Comic Con 1 (Wednesday) - Away We Go!

In the wee hours of Wednesday morning, we were off to Comic Con!!


We arrived at DIA first thing in the morning.


The beautiful, upside down cow airport.


I'm not sure who they have to tel that you can't bring cans of WD-40 or lighter fluid on the plane with you, but just in case, there was a handy display case before you got to security.


Once we were through security, straight to the McDonalds for breakfast.


Iced coffee and a hash brown cakey thing. Oh yeah, I'm lovin' it.


Everything seemed to be right on time, so we had a LOT of time to kill.


Taking in the "artwork" (I have no idea what this is supposed to be.)


Taking in the other planes (our plane was the baby lynx one. Who would've thought they'd let a baby lynx fly? But then, I'm not sure how the elk gets in the cockpit of the plane he flies either. So what do I know?)


Taking in the airport.


Spent some time listening to the iPod and reading... waiting for our flight to leave.


Then we were all getting ready to board! Almost time!


And we're up and away! Taking in the scenery from the air!


And uh... airline TV. Who watches TV on an airplane when you could look out the window and see the mountains and stuff?


We ended up over a cloudbank, and I couldn't see anything. I didn't want to watch airline TV either. What I WANTED was that thing that tells you where you are. Like we had on the flight to Washington.


But there wasn't one, just clouds, which was pretty much what I was seeing outside too. I had no idea where we were. But I figure as long as the pilot knows, that's the important thing. Right?

Next - We Arrive!

Going to Comic Con!!!

So I'm packing for Comic Con.

We leave in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, so we thought it might be better to get things packed and ready to go now.


And I'm packing Tycho's comic book shirts. He loaned them to me. Poor guy. I feel bad for him. See, last night, after taking Voltaire for her walk, when I got inside, Wendy told me I was going to the con, though she didn't say why. I already kind of had my suspicions after Tycho was so upset being at the movie theater.

(*cue flashback music*)


Kumo was less than thrilled to hear that I was getting to go to a convention and she hadn't been invited. She seemed to feel better after I told her I was going to need someone to look after Voltaire, but she made me promise that there were no ninjas there. So if there are ninjas at Comic Con, please don't tell my sister.


Anyway, as I was packing up books to take with me (Kirkachu said there's a lot of sitting around waiting in lines, and he and Wendy are both bringing books too), Tycho came by.




He had an armload of t-shirts and asked if he could talk to me a minute about the convention and stuff. I told him "of course" and to make himself at home.



Tycho told me that Shirley had diagnosed him with Enochlophobia - fear of crowds. She said it probably stemmed from not enough socialization as a puppy, and that there was just no way he would be able to handle going to a place with 100,000 people. So he said he was glad that Wendy had a backup companion to go with her, since he couldn't.



He brought me his comic book t-shirts so I could wear them at the convention. It was a really nice gesture, and I guess that made it feel like some part of him was going to the convention too.


I felt really bad for the guy. And I asked him if there was anything I could bring back for him. Anything I could do.


He told me there was a set of Green Lantern figures he really, really wanted. Only available at the convention.


And I told him that it was no problem. I'd find him a set. That seemed to make him feel a whole lot better. Poor guy.


So, I'm going to Comic Con with Wendy and Kirkachu, and with a mission for my friend who can't go. I'm going to have to ask Kirkachu about where to find those figures when we get there. He knows all about that stuff.

And now I'm all packed and ready to go!


See you at the convention! I am out of here!

Tycho and the Dog Psychologist

As I was taking Voltaire for her evening walk, I saw Tycho and Shirley, the dog trainer and psychologist sitting and chatting on one of the park benches.


Shirley is a remarkable dog trainer, and if anyone can help him figure out why he got all upset last night at the movie, I'm sure it's her.

Hopefully she can get him to quit that whimpering too. It's sad, and it's obnoxious.


However, I am not a nosy bunny, so I just kept walking with Voltaire and did not disturb their conversation.


Voltaire LOVES her evening walkies.



I was just hoping that she'd be done before the rain came. It looked like some heavy weather might be moving in.


We started heading back just as the drops began to fall. Apparently Shirley and Tycho had already gone in, since the bench was empty.

I hope she helped him out. I don't want to be nosy, but I probably will politely ask him about it when I see him next.

Courteous curiosity only, mind you. Not even going to ask about if he's really up for the convention. Nope. Not asking.

Seeing the Harry Potter Movie - Almost

So off we went to see Harry Potter. Unfortunately, this meant sharing the purse with Tycho. Tycho is not a diminutive dog. I dare say he could lay off the dog biscuits a bit.


This is just not going to work, and I hope that Wendy is not even CONSIDERING taking both of us, because there is just no way.


I navigated, of course. Even though Tycho insisted on thinking he knew where we were going.


When we arrived at the theater, the parking lot was PACKED. Tycho gave a little whimper and asked how many cars I thought were there.


I told him the cars weren't the important part, and that if you figured there were probably 3 - 4 people PER car in the theater, that was a LOT of people.

He got a very strange look, and went very silent. And then he just started shuddering and whining.

Wendy unceremoniously threw me out of the purse, so she could talk to Tycho who was apparently having some kind of weird attack. So I went and looked at movie posters.


I'm looking forward to 2012. I know, his record isn't great (*cough* Day After Tomorrow *cough*) but I'm not looking for great drama. I'm looking for New York falling off the continent into the ocean.


I am also really looking forward to District 9. While I don't condone their "No Humans" policy, there are days I do understand it.


I am embarrassed to admit I've already watched an illegal copy of Ponyo on the internet. I didn't really mean to. But it was so good, even without being dubbed, I sat and watched the whole thing one afternoon. I am really glad it's finally coming out here, so I can show it to Wendy and Kirkachu and see what they think too. Great movie!


Wendy finished up talking to Tycho and found me looking at the poster for the Fame movie. She kindly suggested that we could catch a midnight screening when it came out, snickering the whole time.


She thinks she's funny.

Anyway, it turns out we weren't going to be able to see Harry Potter after all. Tycho was just a little too freaked out by something and Wendy had decided we should go home.


He really was pretty upset. I don't know what set him off. He wouldn't come out of her purse, and he wouldn't quit whining. Poor dog. I felt kind of bad for him.

Wendy said that tomorrow he'll be seeing Shirley, resident stuffie dog trainer. I guess she knows a lot about dog psychology. I hope she can fix whatever's wrong with him. I hate to see him like this.

And that whine is starting to give me a headache.

Harping On My Point

I think Tycho wanted to go with Wendy to the harp concert last night, but I managed to beat him to her purse and so I got to go.


I navigated, of course. I felt I really got the opportunity to show what a great navigator I really am with this trip. Had I not had the map, we would've been completely lost! Even WITH Mapquest!


The event was a performance by the incredible harpist, Sunita Staneslow. Wendy has a couple of the music books she's written, and says her arrangements are incredible. She told me she though I would really enjoy the performance.


And she was RIGHT!


Sunita's playing was beautiful. Wendy said that in part it was because the harp she played in the first half of the performance was a Rubarth Merlin. Wendy's a little bit biased, since that's the kind of harp she plays.


For the second half, Sunita played a Dusty Strings harp, which sounded okay too. She told a very moving story about playing for people in the hospital and the program she's trying to get going with the other harpers in Israel, where she lives. Harps in hospitals and hospices sounds like a very powerful thing.


I was completely enchanted by both her stories and her playing.


I told her so when I got to meet her at the reception later. She seemed a bit surprised to see a bunny at her show, but bunnies like music too.


I also got to meet Mr. Rick Rubarth. He's the guy who made that Rubarth harp she was playing for the first half, and he made two of Wendy's harps. Nice guy and a really good harp builder. He's got a very sweet lady friend too. I couldn't tell if she liked bunnies, but it wouldn't have mattered much as it seemed she only had eyes for Rick.


I hid out under a flower arrangement and had a cookie while Wendy schmoozed and talked to people from her harp past. Now she's all determined to play the harp more, and might be entering a therapy harp program. I wonder if there's a therapy bunny program. I'd be a great therapy bunny.

I guess we'll see.

I think I've finally proved my point about why I would be the better companion for Comic Con, but we'll see. We're going to try to catch a showing of the new Harry Potter movie. Wait until I show her how well I do in long lines (plenty of long lines at Comic Con!)

Wish me luck!