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Mark's WOTP Report
[First, a note that doesn't really fit anywhere else. We weren't the oddest people there! :0) There was a convention of Lincoln lookalikes, who seemed very nice, and were curious about us, too. They kept looking in.] I got up at 3 on Friday morning to get to the airport. They tell you to get there 2 hours pre-flight, but the counter wasn't open until less than an hour before flight time. I checked my bags and was on my way. I went through customs in Calgary without being stopped. Thank goodness, because they're very suspicious of videotapes, and I had 6 in my bag. Anyway, we caught a tailwind to LAX, and I ended up rather early. I ran into Carol Reeg at the airport. She remembered me, and we talked as I waited for Dina and egg to find me. Thanks to egg's physical description of herself, I was able to spot her and grab a shuttle together. We happily squicked the other people riding with us for the next hour, then entered the hotel to find Heather waiting. We went to put our bags in the room, then proceeded to chat for hours, and to exchange gifts, (I love my 9" Garak!). We also started the Action Figure photo shoot. Think Garak in pimp clothes, or in jeans and a leather jacket. Think Bashir in pink Barbie lingerie, tied to a lamp and about to be whipped. Later on, we put them in various sexual positions, in various clothing and lack thereof. We went up to the hospitality suite after dinner at the mall, and began running into people. I believe it was Friday that I got to see the beginning of Inter Arma. Olivia's right, Garak was definitely acting like he got some. Invicta was the non-roomie I spent the most time with, I believe. A delightful person. She's also an action figure photo shoot collaborator. :0) On Saturday we read fic and chatted in our room. We also went to lunch downtown, where I was lumped in with the 'ladies' by an evil waiter apparently unconcerned by the fact that I grew more incensed every time he said it. The autographs were plentiful; I collected Aron Eisenberg's, Chase Masterson's, Lolita Fatjo's, Armin's and Rene's. Armin was sweet, but Rene definitely seemed distracted. The auctions were all stunning in their incredible prices as well as the merchendise that went up for sale. The special auctions by the actors were most incredible -- more on that in a moment. I was at Chase's table for dinner. She was very nice, but her son seemed to think hell was preferable to enduring this banquet. He's 12. I don't blame him. Sid and Nana brought Django, who was so cute!!! He's like a tiny version of both of them. Very well behaved, too. He helped the actors hand out envelopes to the people who were active in the fan clubs. At one point he said, "I want to give this one to Mommy!" and proceeded to give someone's gift to Nana, who took it and handed it over. The Sat. special auction brought a top price of $1200 US !!!!!! Holy snerf. Rene was also revealed as a kleptomaniac -- he stole a whole bunch of stuff from the set to sell. Also on Sat. night was an episode clip montage. One of the scenes was the infamous 'chest cold' scene where Bashir and Leeta meet. I watched Chase during this. Her expression was very amusing. Andy was, of course, utterly riveting when he read Garak's Diary. Even with the bad music from next door, he performed incredibly. Garak's Diary [titled for publication "A Stitch In Time", to be released in May 2000] will be a written record from Garak to Bashir. (YAY!) :0) The bit he read us was so wonderful. I was so jealous -- he said, "That's the first draft..." I wish my first drafts were that great! Rene and Armin did their Q&A with Sadler (Sloan), Chase, and Lolita. They tried to lure Andy onstage, but I think he was tired, and wanted to wait till Sunday. We attempted a Round Robin in our room on Sat. night, but we were all really too tired. Bed, then Sunday. None of my main little group got a table with Andy or Sid or JG Herzler. So we set up shop with a clear view of Andy and Sid, and proceeded to make comments that were in occassional danger of being overheard. Much fun. The auction was as frighteningly out of control as Sat's. Sid auctioned off his undershirt. The reason Sid looks thinner in person is because he's got padding both in the undershirt and under the uniform pants as well! They also sold Rene's cup. Not his drinking cup, his athletic cup! (Eww!) :0) The Q&A with Sid, Andy and JG was marred a bit by squealing mikes, so the actors had to stand several feet apart. I got to ask my question -- I asked Sid to talk abouut Lawrence After Arabia, and Andy to talk about Liberace. We waited until nearly the end for our autographs, because Heather was finishing her gifts, cross-stitched dragonflies. She also brought leather clad Garak and Bashir to show Andy and Sid. We got into the autograph room. Heather went first. Andy was thrilled with Leather Garak, and began playing with it. Suddenly every flash bulb in the place was going off. He joked that the pics would probably end up on "some Star Trek sex site, as a footnote to Bashir." The expression on Heather's face was utterly priceless! Dina, egg and I, the peanut gallery, cracked up. She said that was the wrong thing to say to her. He patted her hand and said, "That's all right, dear." I don't think it quite entered his mind that she might be embarrassed because she personally runs one of those sex sites... and the pic ended up on it. He was thrilled with his dragonfly. He kissed her on the cheek. he signed her stuff. My turn. He asked how I was, and I told him I was less terrified than I'd been meeting him in Oct. He said he tended to have that effect on people! :0) I remained coherent enough to tell him how much I enjoyed and respected him and his work, and how much I look forward to the book. I also mentioned my father is a fan, and my sister as well. Sid's line next! After Sid looked at Leather Bashir, pouted when he found out he couldn't keep it, and got his dragonfly, Heather had the balls (there's really no other word) to ask him how he felt about slash. She asked very quietly so he could refuse to answer without embarrassment, but he said, and I quote, "Oh, SLASH!!" in that volume. Every head turned. "Oh, no, I'm not bothered at all, after all, it's not me, it's Bashir." After that I blushingly sat down next to him and got my autographs. He was very nice, and I said I knew he was tired, so don't worry about taking too much time. (He took about an hour longer than Andy!) However, he talked to me a bit, and personalised a couple of the photos. The neatest thing was, when he signed the Feisal pic, he signed it Alexader Siddig after saying he'd sign Siddig El Fadil. So he just added to it. I bet I'm the only person in the world with a picture that's signed "Alexander Siddig El Fadil" !! :0) Egg and Dina also got the benefit of Sid's undivided attention. He talked to us collectively for quite awhile about Bashir's character. I asked him what colour he'd say his eyes were. He said he didn't know, and that they changed from mostly brown to almost pure green when he's tired. As research, of course, I gazed deeply into said eyes for several moments. :0) ;0) Yum. Heather and Invicta and I went to a Mexican restaraunt on Sunday night and had a lovely time. I had a Strawberry Daquiri. And nice spicy food. On Monday, I encountered some evil. I went down to arrange a shuttle to LAX, and was informed that the arrangements had to be made 4 hours ahead. I did not have 4 hours, nor did I have $65 dollars, which a cab would have cost. After going back upstairs to tell Heather my troubles, which served no real purpose but to worry her too, I'm sure, I went back downstairs determined to take a taxi and pay for it on my already maxed Visa, and if the transaction was refused, (a) cry, or (b) offer the cab driver a blowjob. Amazing what a couple of years in the gay community will do to your moral standards. Anyway, I was holding the shuttle coupon that had been in our room, and a man asked if I was going to LAX. I said yes. He was a shuttle driver who couldn't find the person who'd reserved him. He said he'd have to charge me full price, but I had the $25 dollars! I decided that he was an angel sent by God, or St. Gene, patron saint of Star Trek fans who travel to cons with insufficient means. I'd certainly been praying! I got to the airport in plenty of time. I was also reassured that my pineapple would probably make it through customs. (It did. Thanks, Alfina!!) I ran into Carol Reeg at the airport again, and related to her the saga of the miracle shuttle. She stared for a moment and said, "That must have been ours!" Her party had reserved a shuttle for 9:00, and when it hadn't shown by 9:30 they'd called and said if it wasn't there in 5 minutes, they'd take a limo and charge it to the shuttle company. It was 9:40 when I went downstairs to find the shuttle driver waiting. Not precisely a miracle, but coincidences like that are a little too good to be true. I got home at 10:30 at night, and Carola's Dukat chocolates were waiting on the landing with the mail. Thanks, Carola! ~~~ END
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