Gathering 4- Denver Con Report

Having been told to meet my crew leader at the hotel, I asked for directions in finding where I could get the shuttle, and left the airport. Having learned from my Anaheim experience [They (whoever they are) are right- experience IS the best teacher!], I didn’t bother waiting for a shuttle marked Renaissance Hotel- I had learned such creatures as complimentary/hotel shuttles do not exist. Instead, I found the nearest SuperShuttle, asked if they could deliver me to the hotel, and asked the cost. It was the amount stated on the G4 site- so I took it...along with about 8 other people headed to the hotel- all dressed in some form of HL clothing. Couldn’t understand why they were there! :-)

I arrived at the hotel around 1:15- only to be told my room wasn’t ready. (It was FINALLY ready at 4:30- only a half hour before I started work!) I waited around in the Convention Operations (Con Ops) suite on the restricted floor until my leader came back from school. After he arrived and ate, our group of 4 sat down and discussed our duties- and signed the confidentiality statement. What that means is that I can discuss anything that happened in public, but nothing that occurred out of site of the public. Sorry, guys!

I was assigned to Special Events- which I knew going to Denver. What that meant was that our group covered events such as the Dealer Rooms, the auction, the Jim Byrnes concert, the Sunday breakfast, and we helped at the Jammie Jam. Let me tell you, for being camera shy- I had my picture taken A LOT during the con- by both the convention people and by the con members.

My room was on the restricted floor. On the last night, I discovered that I was right across the hall from a friend I had met in Anaheim! Apparently our hours never matched since we had never seen each other in the hall. Saturday I discovered that my room was next door to the suite the guests used to wind down... I was REALLY hoping for a rowdy party in there so I could reprimand them (or join them...)! *g* I also know where the other stars were in relation to my room- but my lips have been hermetically sealed on that information! *g*

Of my roomies- all 3 of whom were strangers until then :-) - 2 worked for Security and 1 worked the Stage. One of my roomies was also Jim Byrnes “liaison”. One of my other roomies was the one who bought some of the pics at the auction- and then gave them back to be auctioned again. If anyone noticed a Security person with REALLY weird eyes- she was my 3rd roomie!! She wore contacts that were odd shaped or colored. In fact, she wore red eyes to the Jammie Jam- and had a white face. SPOOKY! I *STILL* don’t know what color her eyes really are! *g*

I started work each day by 7:30 am. I didn’t get to bed until after midnight any night. We were required to eat 2 meals a day and/or sleep at least 6 hours a night. They had had problems in the past with staff getting sick or passing out- including my leader! If you didn't eat, you were banished to the staff room for a couple of hours- and the staff there wouldn’t let you leave until they had seen you eat! You could also be banished to the secure floor to do guard duty- which meant sitting there and checking everyone who came off the elevators and checking the halls to make sure no one had gotten through to the floor. In other words- BORING!!

Now, the con! As some people have mentioned, the PEACE room was small. But they had requested a separate room from the other dealers. Their room was directly across from the Convention Services room- where I spent much of my day. Since our room was located in front of the ‘hotel staff area’, the guests would walk through our room going to and from their sessions. We were not supposed to speak to them unless they spoke to us first. (So, I assume attempting to grab them or kidnap them would have also been frowned upon! LOL)

The first time Adrian came through, he said a general, “Hi y’all.” on the way through. The minute he walked through the door into the dealer area, the flashes went off!! He looked very nice- dark pants and white shirt. A word to sum him up- YUMMMM! (My prejudice may be evident here, though! *g*) When his session was ended, LOTS of people got ready to take more close up pics as he walked back through to our room- but he went out another door without being seen! On Sunday, when he entered the PEACE room after the Q&A, he walked right through the crowd- and no one even knew it!! They either didn’t expect it or didn’t recognize him. Can you imagine it????

When Stan walked through the first time, my first thought was, “GOD!! He looks so young!” He also looked very nice and he also looked fit- but, damn, he looked young! (And no comments that it might be because I am OLDER than him!!! LOL) He looked around at the staff in the room, but was very quiet going through.

Our room had a variety of emotions displayed in it. We had one girl come from the PEACE room, walk directly into ours and burst into tears. She was member of Clan Denial and this was her first con- and she had just received Stan’s autograph. We also had some very irate con goers who did not get autographs on Saturday. Our sympathies were with them, but.... We also had people come in to praise us and thank them for helping them.

*I* played an important role in the life of one con goer. *g* She got stuck on the elevator and COULD NOT get down to the Ballroom level- where EVERYTHING was. She finally got off on a floor , walked downstairs and came to our room seeking refuge. Well, actually, she needed directions to registration- but refuge sounded so much better! LOL

I also had the privilege of being “harassed” by Peter Hudson! He, BTW, is a *wonderful* person! He is very personable and prefers to be free to wander around without Security with him. (This had to change due to a problem, but he still remained very reachable.) The harassment came when he walked through on the way out and told me that it looked like I was asleep on the job. He disagreed when I tried to convince him that I was just watching something in the dealer area. Like I said, very personable! On Sunday he came into our room to hold a conversation with a group of people- and asked permission if they could meet in the room. (Yeah- as if I was going to say, “No, Mr. Hudson, I’m sorry. Go find another room. I don’t like to share!!” )

Due to working, I only got to see 2 things- Adrian’s Q&A on Saturday and Stan and Adrian’s Q&A on Sunday. I requested the Saturday Q&A time slot free since I went there to see Adrian. Saturday morning, however, I thought my hope to see the Q&A would be blown since one of my co-workers woke up sick! ARRRGGGGHHHHH! Thankfully, the Q&A wasn’t until 4:00- and my co-worker recovered. (Bless her!!) In fact, the leader covered the room so we could BOTH go. I took about 4 rolls of film- and could have taken another one, but I thought he was going to end on time. WRONG!!

Saturday’s Q&A. I got to see Adrian come on stage since Stan ran over about 15 minutes. I was much closer than in Anaheim- front row seats- stage right. GREAT vantage point- especially when he stood on the corner of the stage. OOOHHHHH! Ho looked great! White tee and purple slacks. Now, you know my thing about jeans- but these were acceptable because they were NOT the unstructured type of pants I despise! They were slacks- slim fitting, form defining, ummm... I’m sure you know what I mean. *g*

Let me tell you- it’s darn hard to get a good pic of him when he WON’T STAND STILL LONG ENOUGH TO FOCUS THE CAMERA!!! But, the visual effects are etched in my mind- even if they weren’t captured on film! I was disappointed when someone raised the aftershave/cologne question. I like a man of mystery... BUT it helped that NONE of the names he mentioned were even vaguely familiar- they were all foreign names (as in- I probably couldn’t even afford to read the label!) and basically unable to be written unless you spoke the language. So, it’s still a mystery to me!

Some of the questions included the standard ones- comments about his career, thanking him for his DM role, etc. To be honest, I don’t remember a lot of the questions- I just enjoyed listening to his answers! *g* One I found interesting (guess it’s the blood- and-guts part of me!) was not whether he’s ever had stitches- but HOW MANY had he had. He didn’t give a number, but did relate some of the areas he’s had them- his forehead (Editor’s note- Return of Amanda), the corner of his right eye (Modern Prometheus) and his hand. He also mentioned that he hurt his neck when he was younger and also on the set- having to wear a neck brace. While talking about this, he mentioned that he has never broken a bone, but that he has had to have vertebrae fused together in his neck. He didn’t say whether this was as a kid or an adult. He admitted that he never had stitches until he started HL. (Think those swords might have anything to do with that??)

Another question I remember is someone asked him to repeat the proposal he made to Tessa- and he refused. (This was written in several reports.) He said, basically, that the proposal came from intense emotions at the time. I can’t remember exactly what he said, but I remember thinking that it made sense- and that I was glad he had refused since that was a memorable scene and couldn’t be repeated, in my opinion. Someone also asked him about “boxers or briefs”. His look was, “You have got to be kidding!!” But he answered it with, “Calvin Klein- and that’s all I’ll say.”

Someone also asked him about the Chivalry scene- whether it was really his butt in the scene. He laughed and said, “Yes, want proof?”- and put his hands to his waist as if to undo his belt. He also said that the actress (who played Kristen) didn’t know he was going to do that- and didn’t know where to look! [Now, get serious- where your YOUR eyes have focused??????]

During Saturday’s Q&A, Adrian was given one of the Duncan MacLeod mugs and he commented that it could give you nightmares. After some discussion about it (the presenters said some have said it looks like Elvis), Adrian said it could be used as a weapon and pretended to heft it. [Personal note: I received one of the mugs with my Season 5 tapes- and I can’t *give* it away!! LOL]

Adrian was asked by a young (I think) boy about how much he could lift. After questioning what he meant, the boy asked how much Adrian could bench press. At that point, Adrian said that he didn’t lift weights. He then went on to explain that he did different things to keep in shape (and named some of them- but like the colognes he named, his voice was more interesting than the names!). He also explained that when you lift weights, your muscles are shortened and he wanted long muscles for flexibility. (Seeing it in writing brings very interesting images to mind!! *g*)

Another question brought up by a young person asked him about the horse he kept falling off. At that point Adrian said, “I told you- never work with animals or children!” Adrian explained that it wasn’t him that kept falling off- it was the stunt man! (No one believed him!) He then explained that he swore one of the horses they used (when he lived with the Indians) understood the word “Action!”. He demonstrated how the horse would be standing there calmly- eating or dozing or whatever- and when the actor (or stunt man) started moving and the crew yelled ACTION, the horse would look over his shoulder and take off! Not only did Adrian tell about it- he demonstrated the horse’s actions! Adrian would bend over, talk about what the actors/stunt man would be doing, then look over his shoulder like the horse would and then he would bolt across the stage. He had everyone laughing!

During Saturday’s session, he was asked about the dancing in Duende, and he said that he had done it, how they cut from feet to face, etc. Then he did a demo of the dance. My thought was, “Jeeze, I can’t believe I just finished my last roll of film!!”

Another question raised was that of race and prejudice. The questioner was an Afro-American woman and she questioned why there were no shows dealing with the issue of race, except for the one with Bruce Young (Run for Your Life). Adrian’s response was that that was the focus of the show. Otherwise, race made no difference. He then went on to use examples- like Rae Dawn Chong having a mixed heritage. Race should not make a difference- people are people.

He also used the analogy of certain dogs being termed dangerous or whether that was another question. But while discussing the issue of dogs, he brought up the issue of violence and he asked the audience what was the most dangerous animals on earth? And they (we?) answered- man. This may have been in response to a question asked about what, with all his training, would he do if he brought his date out to the car and there were 8 guys at the car. Adrian response was to call a cab! People laughed, but he said he was serious. You don’t have to prove yourself. Don’t put your self (and others) in danger to prove yourself. Ask them to move- and if they won’t, then you leave and take a cab. Come back for the car later.

At Sunday’s Q&A, which Stan shared with him, Adrian got the majority of the questions. Which was too bad, because I would have loved to see Stan in action again! (I missed his Saturday session, but loved him in Anaheim.) Stan did seem subdued, probably because he was as tired as everyone else there! I really don’t remember a lot of the questions, other than those discussed in other reports. Like the question about his shoe size, along with the comment about, “You know what they say about the size of a man’s feet!” When Adrian answered , “11”, I wanted to holler out, “Then why were the boots that you wore on the set a size 9 1/2???????” (A pair had been auctioned at Anaheim.) But I restrained myself. (Aren’t I good?? *g*) Then he made the comment that, “Where’s the lady who wanted to trace my hand?... So THAT’S why you wanted it!” Broke everyone up! Then he went on to razz Stan about his shoe size. (I really think those 2 are very good friends, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to play off each other!)

Another question I remember was concerning the sword fight in ‘Something Wicked’. Like other reports have said, most of it was adlib- like kissing Richie, bowing after slicing Richie, licking the blade of his sword. What surprised me was that most of the fight was basically unrehearsed. They both said that they had worked together on it, but also knew each other well enough that they knew what to expect from each other. Adrian than made the comment that after you work for a long time with a person, you learn them- so it is safe to (using my term, here) go with the flow in a scene. They both agree that most fight scenes are well choreographed (for safety), but there was a lot of emotion in this one- so it was natural and flowed. He also mentioned that quite often, something action or some phrase that is remembered from a movie is often adlibbed- the emotion of the time gives it the intensity it needs to be memorable. He cited an example from a classic movie- but I don’t remember what the example was. Sorry!

They also discussed THE fight scene. (Yeah- the one that was heard around the world- Arch Angel!) When he was discussing it, Adrian (who usually keeps characters separate from the actors), referred to when he faced Stan in the fight. He corrected himself by saying Richie, but Stan made a comment about , “Was that a Freudian slip, or what?” I can’t remember which fight they were talking about here, but Adrian said that the morning of the fight, they had discussed it- and knew there were going to be intense emotions involved. (See- it could be either one!) Anyway, after the AA discussion, Adrian did refer to the Clan Denial- the Red Brigade. Which, of course, got a vocal reaction from them!

The last thing I remember about Sunday’s Q&A (at this point- more will come to me, I am sure!), was when a little girl (9 or 10) asked Adrian if he could do a dance- and named it. (Sorry, but with the Southern accent, I couldn’t understand it- until she repeated it. ) Then I realized she had asked if he knew how to do the Cotton-Eyed Joe. When Adrian said, “No,” the little girl said it was easy. Adrian told her to come down and show him how. She did- came right up close to the stage and told them it was 8 basic steps- and demonstrated them for the guys. They came to the front of the stage to watch her- and watched her steps. Then Adrian told Stan to try it with him. They both started, still watching the girl. Then Adrian told Stan to follow him- and he moved from center stage to stage right, doing the steps. When he turned to continue the steps, he found Stan right there- out of sync. It broke him up. Then they clapped for the girl who had shown them the steps.

(An aside note here- I TOLD you I would remember more! And I did- just typing that out!) At one point during one of the Q&As, Stan mimicked Duncan always telling Richie what to do- and Richie’s thoughts when he heard those commands! He also included the response he would give Duncan. During Adrian’s Q&A on Saturday, Stan walked behind him with a trash can (like he did in an ep), and supposedly Adrian was not aware that he was there- and everyone was laughing! Well, when I got my pics back- I found I had a picture of that moment! (My co-worker and I were sharing the camera during that session, and she apparently had taken the picture!)

Well, I’ll cut to the auction. Yup, the one with THE T-shirt incident. But that’s later on.... Just to let you know , I was one of the runners at the auction. I had to find people with the bids and stay with them while they bid- or alternate if there were several in my section. My section- even though it had some Clan Denial members in it- was fairly quiet. Most of the bids I covered were from CD members- sometimes bidding against each other or themselves! *g* (I thought that was my imagination, but AC has since admitted that she bid against herself AGAIN!) At one point, I was standing by a bidder (member of CD) and there was a bid war between her and a couple of other people. Well, I admit, I have a *loud* voice at times (I think it’s the teacher in me! *g*) Well, no one was paying attention to my hand waving, so I yelled the bid. Adrian looked at me, pointed at me and repeated the amount. What a way to get noticed by the star!! lol BUT, that was the most I was noticed by Adrian. He pointed to me and acknowledged my loud voice several times. In fact, he actually spoke to me one time I went in front of the stage, taking a successful bidder to the area to pay for the merchandise. I looked up to him and told him that she had bid higher (like $2000 or $3000, I can’t remember which), but that he didn’t hear me and closed the bid. He questioned, “What?” and I repeated it, but he still didn’t hear me. He leaned down and asked, “What?” again, but I just shook my head and waved him off. After all, she was successful in her bid! *g*

Another aside. What can you expect- I’m writing these as I think of them! During his Q&A, Adrian mentioned that he was hard of hearing. I don’t know whether he was joking or not, but there is a real possibility since he had to have a lot of things repeated. Ohh, he and I are *very* alike!! *g*

Back to the auction. James Horan or Peter Hudson started the auction, but it was pretty slow paced- and Adrian didn’t like it! So he took the mike and told the person doing the auctioning how to do it- and demonstrated. Adrian is a born auctioneer! He is very fast paced- kind of undecipherable- jacks the bids up- and misses almost nothing (He would sometimes see the hand to bid before those on the floor could!). He also would only allow increase of $25. One of the people I was watching started adding $5 or $10 when the price was getting near the limit- and Adrian wouldn’t allow it! He questioned what that was.. and generally harassed the person until they agreed to bid $25 more! Because of his personality, Adrian ran most of the auction.

Stan, on the other hand, when he was the auctioneer, would take just about anything! He would start the bid at $150- (read one fifty)- and when no one would bid that amount, would comment, “Come on! Isn’t that worth $1.50!!” He got some bids up there just like Adrian did! But he joked the price up, whereas Adrian demanded the price up!

Speaking of Stan, let’s get to the T-shirt incident! When Adrian started talking about the T-shirts from the previous Gatherings and that they were all autographed by the stars, Stan went around autographing the T’s. (I don’t know whether he wasn’t there for previous Gatherings or what- but he was signing all the Ts. Had me giggling in the back watching him!) After Adrian had the bids going, he stopped them and had James Horan put one of the T’s on. He did- to many cheers and claps from the audience. Adrian started the bidding again- at the next thousand dollar amount. At that point, James rubbed the T-shirt all over his front and in his arm pits! After the bidding went higher , Adrian again stopped the bidding- and had Peter Hudson put a tee on. That in itself was a riot! I don’t think Peter has ever had the opportunity to strip on stage!! He couldn’t get his collar button undone- and had James helping him, unsuccessfully. Then he worked on the front of the shirt- only to return to the collar again- still unsuccessfully. At this point Adrian started the bidding again- at the next thousand dollar amount. In the background of Adrian’s auctioneering is Peter still trying to get out of his shirt! Finally it was unbuttoned, and he pulled it off- only to get his hands caught because he hadn’t unbuttoned the cuffs! Everyone is dying of laughter watching him! Thank heavens he is a good sport! So, there he is with his hands caught in the sleeves and Stan (I think) and James are trying to pull it free of his arms. FINALLY- the moment came- he is bare chested and puts on a T-shirt!! Cheers and clapping all around from the audience!! After a bit- Adrian stops the audience and it’s Stan’s turn. Well, there are 2 shirts left- blue (I think) and red. Stan thought for a second- and commented it had to be the red one- for Clan Denial! He, of course, HAS had practice taking his shirt off on stage! And he made the most of it, much to the delight of the fans! Slowly pulling it up- exposing his stomach and chest, and grinning at the cheering going on. (Aside, at one point during this part of the auction, Adrian (or someone) was humming the tune for stripping.) After getting his shirt off, Stan reversed the procedure and slowly pulled the T-shirt over his head, down over his chest and stomach, until he was dressed again and grinning at the crowd! Anyone surprised to hear that the bidding got very, shall I say, *heated* at that point? *g* Adrian continued to auctioning until STAN stopped it and said that it was HIS turn to put a T-shirt on. Adrian looked at him and looked at the crowd, then said that he had never taken his shirt off at a convention, but would do it. (My immediate thought- “Why the he** didn’t I have my camera with me????) Screams from the crowd- and every one stood up to watch! Adrian (if I remember correctly) started to take his shirt off, but kind of turned his back to do it. When his shirt was off, he did turn around - and the flashes were blinding! (A very SWEET person I met at the con has promised me a pic of that moment!) After the Tee was on, the bidding continued. Total, I think was over $4000- about $800 per shirt.

Then came the removal of the T-shirts. Almost everyone has heard of the strong feelings that produced. Someone said they would pay to take the shirt off Adrian again. The look on his face was uncertain, but he agreed to do it. The bid went higher and higher- and Adrian couldn’t believe it. Finally, when the bidding stopped, he was good natured and the woman came on stage. I couldn't see a lot, because everyone was standing, but I could see Adrian’s face. He stood there facing the crowd- with his arms spread out. I saw the woman start to slide it up his body, and his facial expression changed, so I figured her hands were sliding along his body with the shirt. She took her sweet time with it. Finally, the shirt was up around his shoulders and he bent a little so she could pull it over his head- which she did, but leaving his arms and head trapped in it. I saw his body stiffen and I thought, “God, he must be panicking! He’s basically trapped!” (And I thought of my feelings when something like that happens- panic city!!) Fairly quickly, Adrian worked his arms to free them and pulled the shirt off the rest of the way. He then stepped back and pulled his white shirt back on quickly. If I remember correctly, he also stayed standing behind the podium for a minute or 2. When he came back out, I noticed his tag showing- and Stan tried repeatedly to get his attention about it. Stan finally, I think, said it over the mike and asked if he wanted a fan to change it for him. At that point Adrian went behind the podium and ducked down. When he came back out, the shirt was still inside out and he went off stage and behind the curtains to change it.

I’ll write more later.

I have just a few more things to write about, and they’ll be totally out of sequence. Sorry, but I’m too lazy to go back and put them in the right place!

During the con, staff were not allowed to stand in line for stuff- whether it was an autograph or merchandise. We had to wait until the line was down or try to get in early when the autograph or dealer opened.That MUST be the reason I didn’t get to meet Adrian- I couldn’t stand in line!! (Hey- sounds like a good excuse to me!)

Right before Adrian’s Saturday Q&A, Krystmas- one of the Gathering organizers- brought one of the staff (Michelle, I think) up onto the stage- and had everyone sing happy birthday to her! She also announced the Michelle (Let’s go with that name!) just found out that she was expecting her first child. (Where’s privacy when you need it??)

I told you that I arrived Thursday night, right? Well, by the time I got to bed, I had been up almost 24 hours by MY time and I was pretty tired! Well, I just began to doze off- when a voice announces over the PHONE that, “There has been a fire alarm activated on the 8th floor. The elevators have been shut off. The fire department has been notified and are responding. We will keep you notified of developments.” They then immediately repeated the message. Well, let me tell you- what a dilemma! Try to go back to sleep and hope it’s a false alarm (That was MY vote after the use of some..shall I say?... colorful language!) or do I crawl back out of bed to DRESS in case the hotel is evacuated? (That happened one time I had gone to a concert. The hotel fire alarm went off at like 5:00 am. While some of the hotel guests were evacuating, the hotel staff were checking people in and out!!) Anyway, my roommate got out of bed to watch the fire department respond- they were right next door to us. *g* Choices again: sleep...no smell of smoke; sleep.... you could hear the alarm from the 8th floor; sleep..... Gosh, I was tired! ; SLEEP!! Only to be told AGAIN, “There has been a fire alarm activated on the 8th floor. The elevators have been shut off. The fire department has been notified and are responding. We will keep you notified of developments.” An immediate repetition. EGADS!!!!! MORE colorful language... then we talked for a while.... No announcements.... Back to bed... dozing off... Phone announcement- “The fire department has responded and the problem has been dealt with. We are sorry for the inconvenience” ARRRGGGHHHHH It is around 1:30 by now- 6:00 comes awful early!!!

The next morning the rumor was that there HAD been a fire on the 8th floor- in a trash can. An extinguisher had been needed to put it out. Also, that the stairwells (our exits) had acted as chimneys due to the wind- and any smoke that had escaped had gone up the stairwells. Encouraging, huh?

All right, some of you may know that I am from the east coast BUT I do NOT have an accent. At least I never did- until I was in Denver. I had a couple of people ask where from the Northeast I was from. When I asked why they thought that, they would repeat words they had heard me say. One of the people had actually lived in my state at one time- and knew where MY TOWN was!! *fainting in shock* I even caught one guy giggling/ snickering with his friend about the way I said a word! When I called him on it (Very politely, of course, because he was a con goer!) he had the nerve to say that the way I said a word wasn’t right. When he repeated it, I said that WAS the way I said it- and repeated it to him... which only had him chuckling again! I gave up! (And I DO NOT have an accent!!! * stamping my foot*)

How about a little more on Adrian? Any one care? Didn’t think so! OK, during his Q&A on Saturday, I noticed that he moves A LOT! (Which I knew from Anaheim- and why I was hoping my pictures came out since I hoped he would stand still long enough for my camera to focus! But that’s another story.) What I hadn’t noticed in Anaheim was that he always fiddles with his clothes- I think unconsciously. He played with his belt, the waist of his pants, he scratched his legs a lot, rubbed his stomach, etc. That was besides walking around or acting like a horse (*g*) or whatever else he was doing. BTW, that reminds me. During that Q&A, someone asked him what it was like directing an episode that he was acting in. He demonstrated by patting his head and rubbing his stomach at the same time- which he laughingly said he couldn't do. Someone has a picture up of him doing that. Anyway, back to the subject of movement. During the Q&A with Stan on Sunday, he sat during most of it- but he was still pretty mobile- crossing and recrossing his legs, stretching his arm across the back of his chair, slouching in his chair, sitting forward, sitting back, swinging his foot, itching his legs again, he stood up once, etc. Very active! And Stan jokingly commented at his Q&A that HE (Stan) should have been on Ritalin when he was younger... After reading his baby book, maybe Adrian would have benefited from some calming influences!

One more thing on Adrian. He DOES have an accent! LOL Actually, at the end of the Sunday Q&A, there was a mini auction of some items left from Saturday. Among them was 2 sets of Peace Bears. Well, Adrian described the barhs- and everyone started laughing! He asked how it was said and he was told ‘bears’ and he tried again. AT one point I think he made the comment that ‘you don’t even speak English here!’ But he did sell them- and stressed the ‘odd’ pronunciation of the word. Maybe my ‘accent’ isn’t so bad after all!

The Jammie Jam. Due to hotel regulations, James Horan’s cabaret couldn’t be held at the same time, so it was scheduled for Sunday afternoon. (And all reports are that it WAS fantastic!!!) Rob (my group leader) and I helped with the Jammie Jam animal drive. For every donation someone made (no matter how big or small), they received a free raffle ticket to the ‘Breakfast with the Stars’ to be “drawn at the auction and you must be present to win. The auction is scheduled to start at 5:00 Saturday afternoon. If your number is drawn, you have to yell and scream and jump up and down!” OOPS!! Sorry, guess that speech is still ingrained in my memory! *g* Anyway, it’s amazing what some people wear to bed!!! There was one guy who had a Pooh Bear outfit- and donated a Barbie doll. Others wore real jammies to the Jam. A lot of the staff wore the hotel bathrobes over shorts or something. Rumor had it that one staff member was in the flasher mode- and kept opening his bathrobe at unsuspecting people! (Don’t worry, he had shorts underneath!!)

A LOT of toys were donated. One donation brought tears to my eyes. A woman came up holding a white teddy bear to her chest and said there was a story to her donation. When her daughter heard about the drive, she went to her room and got this teddy (the woman turned it around to show me) and said, “I think it’s time that this teddy helped someone else.” The girl had received the bear soon after the Oklahoma bombing! When I told Fitzkaren about it, she decided that the message and bear had to be passed onto Adrian, since the drive had *originally* started in his name. FINALLY, on Sunday, Fitzkaren was able to get it to Carrie, who said that she would get it to Adrian. See how generous some people are! Overall, there looked to be about 1000 animals donated, but I read somewhere that the count was like 480 something.

It’s amazing how some people interpret MEDIUM sized. We had a couple of bears that were the size of an 8 or 9 year old (One person said that the bear had ridden to the con in the car- and it looked like another passenger!) and there were several beanie babies of assorted shapes and sizes. The gift shop in the lobby area did a GREAT business, I am sure, since many people didn’t know about the drive and wanted to donate something when they found out about it- and that was the only place within walking distance! (Actually, it was just up or down in the elevator and around the corner.. but I won’t get technical here!) The big Teddy Bear card was presented to Adrian at some point.

Other ramblings. The con staff had their own stars. A couple of the security people were VERY popular- one of them (I think Taz) was asked to sign autographs and several people had their picture taken with him or took his picture! He walked around with a bat on his finger a lot of the time. (It probably also helped that he was very nice looking and also very nice!) Another security guy did GREAT impersonations! He could do just about anyone and had everyone in stitches with his Howie Mandell impressions of Bobby. He would do the impersonations at the drop of a hat- sometimes while in the middle of a conversation!

I met Julie of A Moment In Time photography. She was very nice and sweet. She would not, however, give extra tickets to the staff for the WONDERFUL collage of Adrian pics from Syndicon that she was raffling off. I almost had her co-worker convinced that I hadn’t already been through, but then Julie turned around and caught me! LOL She was very sweet and talked to me at the end of the con. We exchanged addresses and she promised me she would let me know when the pic of Adrian shirt less was ready!!!!! YAHOOOO! *g*

Last, but not least, (at least until I remember more!!) what I bought. I bought ANOTHER pack of Adrian’s pics from PEACE- because I needed to get a pic autographed for a friend and they didn’t have any separate ones. I think it was the first set- a friend actually bought them for me while I was working the Jammie Jam and I let her pick a picture that she wanted. I bought a pic of DM laying on the grass in the FB of End of Innocence- for a friend because she went ga-ga over it! I bought the Baby Book and have enjoyed it immensely! Also, a PEACE pin. I got a new, just available DUNCAN tee- looks like a pose from the Revolutionary, with a quote on it. (Sorry, I can’t remember the quote, and that was one reason I decided on that Tee!!) I also got a picture of Adrian crouched behind the camera in a tank top....some of the AP Board know what I am talking about! *g* The Anaheim con tape, naturally! A HL crew shirt. A set of Adrian pics (mostly from Syndicon) from Julie’s table. I also came home with a second set of those pics and a set of the others at the table.

Oops! Another tidbit that just popped into my mind. Adrian often calls Stan “Stan...... Leeeeey, like it is two names! I think it’s cute!! *g* At one point, Adrian was aksed why he signed the manifest (or whatever) in Something Wicked/Deliverance with his left hand. His response, “I did? I don’t remember. I might have been involved in the moment or maybe they reversed the film.”

That’s it for now. I am sure I will remember things later. If so, I will write about them then. It was a great con- even though I didn’t get to meet Adrian! I would love to do it again! And maybe see more of the AP Gathering there!