Collectormania 6

[emony]

I left Portsmouth (hurrah!) at 9am (!!) on Friday, changing in London, and got to Milton Keynes around 1.30pm, which, all things considered, was a really good journey. I recommend Megabus if you ever need to go somewhere and can go there via London, as they're all right, and dead cheap if you book early enough. Anyway, the journey was fine, and I met odycee and niannah in the hotel lobby. There was a huge queue, which Anna caused apparently, but she was at the front of it, so we didn't have to wait around long. Our rooms at the Holiday Inn were nice, although Cee had an even nicer room on Sunday night (will explain later), and even though we didn't have a trouser press, we got by *g*

We waited in the hotel for a bit, then checked in our second room (for some reason, we could only get one room at a time), and, because vanilla_tiger was leaving on Sunday night, arranged to check out of the second room on Sunday and have a mobile bed put into the first room for Cee for Sunday. Then we met VT in the lobby, and checked out the second room, etc. After that was all sorted out, we headed in to check out the shopping centre and the place where the actual event was being held.

Milton Keynes is, essentially, a giant shopping centre, surrounded by car parks. I don't know how somewhere with so many shops can manage to be so boring, but Milton Keynes really is. I suppose it's the characterlessness of no period features or whatever they say on design programmes. Anyway, we found the place, looked around a bit, but didn't get any autographs on Friday. There were loads of stalls selling comics and actions figures and t-shirts and all kinds of geeky things, which we nobly resisted. Then we went down to the Slug and Lettuce and had some food, and then we went to see Wimbledon at the EasyCinema, which is basically Four Weddings and a Funeral with less friends, more family, and tennis. Some classic lines though.

On Saturday, we had bagels for breakfast (mmm bagels), and then went in to start getting autographs. I posted in my LJ on Saturday, as you may know, so before then I'd got the autographs I mentioned there (Adam Busch, Danny Strong, and the Phelps twins, iirc). Adam was on very good form, chatty and friendly and throwing stickers and badges into the arms of anyone who got within badging range. Eric also seemed on good form, and Jordan too, although he seemed a little overwhelmed by some of it, and mostly just sat and played Doom on his laptop or whatever it was he was doing on there. (Posting on the CoRo message boards? "Omg am at Collectormania!! Fans are Crazee!!!!1!") Danny commented on my Gryffindor t-shirt again, but our meeting was sadly all too brief, and not terribly memorable. I didn't get Tom's because I have about six million of his already, but by all accounts he was a moody sod. Oh well.

The Phelps twins were sweet. They remind me of my twin cousins, J2 and J3. They, and the other HP lads who I got on Sunday ("Neville" and "Seamus"), really seemed to be enjoying themselves, seemed to like meeting fans, and genuinely wanted to talk to everyone, to at least make you feel like you were really meeting them, not just getting an autograph on a piece of paper. I suppose because they're still young enough that they aren't jaded about it all, I don't know, but I did enjoy meeting them.

Anyway, I got all that, and everyone else got their autos too, and then we went to Pizza Hut (mmm Pizza Hut) for food. Service was slow and it was packed, but we got to eat, so that was good. There was also a Sainsburys around, so I stocked up on food and drink there a couple of times.

Saturday night was the "Party", where we saw Common Rotation play live. Oh baby <3 My love has been rekindled. They did lots of the old(er) songs, and a couple of newer ones as well. Brilliant. Afterwards we queued up to buy CDs, but I had to wait as they weren't accepting cheques and I had no money (a theme for the whole weekend). Eric was, again, on good form, and chatted to Anna, as did Jordan, about her having been over to the US. After that, we sat and chatted for a bit, failed to "party with the stars", although we did see a few (I spotted a Phelps at the bar), and then headed back to our hotel for sleep.

Sunday was much the same really, except for it being Anna's birthday. Everyone headed out early except me, because they were going to the .. Buffy talk, I think, at 1.30pm. By early, I mean "before lunchtime". It was a very relaxed con, as there weren't talks and photo sessions and stuff to get to. I liked it that way. I hung around at the hotel for a while, and then went over to meet naughtyelf and her friend. We wandered around for a while, and she came with me while I got my "Seamus" and "Neville" autographs (Matthew Lewis and .. Devon Murray. Hurrah! I knew I'd remember their real names eventually). They're both little cuties. I had a brief chat with Matthew Lewis (Neville) about how mad everything was, as he had to stop just before me to get a photo done specially with these two little kids, for some reason. Mad. But good :) There's a picture of me up at Jamie Waylett's (Crabbe) website actually. Fic of your choice to the first person to find it *g*

We met up with Anna and Cee briefly, and VT had met up with her friends, and then I went back to the hotel, Cee and Anna headed back up to wait for the LOTR talk, and Rachel went back to the main hall. I sat in the hotel like the boring, antisocial thing I am, watching The Simpsons and stuff. I went back over to the hall at about 6pm to wait for Cee and Anna, but their talk overran, it was really cold, and everywhere was shut, so I went back to the hotel and ate some chocolate, as it was all I had left.

We also had to sort out the mobile bed, as I went down to check, that afternoon, on when the bed would be delivered and was told that they don't *have* any mobile beds. I had a chat with the duty manager, and then Anna phoned him from the restaurant, and in the end Cee got a lovely posh room on the fourth floor on Sunday night. VT popped by Anna's and my room briefly to pick up her stuff, along with her friend who's name I didn't catch, but he seemed a nice chap, and ran off to get the train home. When Anna and Cee got back, we sat around in Cee's posh room, watching Little Nicky (worst. film. Evah.) and then I made them watch Cold Case. And we saw Terry whatshisface making a horrendously racist comment to a (I presume, although he may not have been in reality) Muslim man on a late night chat show about plastic surgury. I must remember to write a strongly worded letter to ITV.

There was nothing going on on Monday, so we slept as late as we could (check out was at 12noon), and then went for more bagel breakfast. Then Anna and Cee headed off to get their train down to London, and I spent a few hours wandering around the shopping centre, not buying CSI DVDs, pimping play.com, and not getting a bear from the Bear Factory, even though they were so cute and soft. Eventually I got the bus up to the coach station, then waited around for another hour and a half for my bus to London, waited an hour in London, then got the bus home. We got in early, so I had to wait around in the smelly bus station with a creepy old man and lots of gangs of yobs for about half an hour, but I graciously did not whinge (too much). And that was that.

I went to the gym today and made my peace with the cross-trainer, which I feel good about, and tomorrow I'm going to my aunt's again to do some more work with her. I'd rather stay home and play The Sims, but we can't always get what we want and all that.

Comments

[aphedas.livejournal.com]

Heh, sounds cool. :)

And very good resisting the lure of DVDs.. I have signally failed. Why has no-one ever told me about HMV and Virgin megastores?! ;) Must. Stay. Out. Of. Shopping. District!

[emony.livejournal.com]

It was *g*

Hah! Yes, they are good, especially right now. Mmmmsales. *eg*

[odycee.livejournal.com]

Ah ha! I've spotted you! Third row down, fourth picture along. You're a star now!

[emony.livejournal.com]

Hurrah! Yes, that's the one *g*

[niennah.livejournal.com]

Dammit, I'm late! Cee should have asked for fic.

Personally I would like to be the girl with her finger stuck in her ear.

Good con report. I am just far too lazy to even consider writing one so it's good that you do and I can add it to my memories and read it fondly now and then.

[emony.livejournal.com]

Hush, don't remind her of that *g*

We aim to please :)