Dragon*Con - Sunday evening

The sun's thinking about setting, and it's time to get ready for con walking. While not the same as Saturday night, Sunday is still going to be a good time to cruise the con and see who's out and what costume they're in.

Many dress up during the day, but the night is when the real thing comes out. Daytime is for shirts with silly/geeky/obscene sayings. I swear, you spend more time reading T-shirts at Dcon than anywhere else on this planet. How many "Han shot first" shirts are out there? Plenty.

Right now I'm preparing my "Manos: The Hands of Fate" costume - a prize among obscure movie fans. Not too many people recognize the red and black poncho-esque costume, but those who do typically gape and ask for a photograph. At Dcon, there's not much better than having someone race up a flight of stairs to get a picture of you. You got to take the praise where you can get it.

This is the last night of the con. The weekend goes fast; it always does. Pretty soon it's Monday morning and everyone is racing to check out of the hotel, and make their way back home.

But there's still one more night - tonight. So get your camera and park yourself in a good spot. You only get the chance once a year.

Dragon*Con - Sunday morning

I've got that con feeling. You know, when it could be 2 a.m. or 4 in the afternoon. It comes from the constant, 24/7 atmosphere of this place. And the endless supply of $4 hot dogs that I can't stay away from.

True to Dcon form, Saturday night proved to be big. You haven't had the Dragon*Con experience until you've waited for an elevator in the Hyatt. Ten minutes is not an unusual amount of time to stand uncomfortably next to Thundar the Barbarian for an elevator that probably will never make it to the lobby. That's why some opt to take the stairs - even if it is 12 flights up.

At 2 a.m. the lobby of the Hyatt was not just packed, it was a fire hazard. Some security took it well, debating which adult film they would purchase in the Dealer's Room when they got the chance. Another wasn't as calm as he scanned the area in horror, saying "Too many people! Too many people!"

But people is what it's all about. You didn't pay $85 to watch the tumbleweeds pass by in an empty hotel. You shelled out your cash for the endless supply of Dawn lookalikes in appropriately skimpy outfits, for the moaning zombies slowly taking the escalator, for the phalanx of Star Wars bounty hunters posed for a group photo.

You've just got one more day left. Better make it count.

Dragon*Con - early Saturday afternoon

Friday night ended around 3:30 a.m. as the lobby of the Hyatt dwindled down to the scattered few. Just a few hours earlier the lobby was packed with any imaginable creature - cartoon heroes from your childhood or monsters that hid underneath the bed.

Now they're the guy that lives across the street or the co-worker in the next cubicle. They stay up all night, recrossing their steps from the Mariott to the Hyatt, seeing friends they only get a chance to catch up with once a year.

Mornings tend to be sleepy, gradually gathering speed as the day grows longer. Panels are now up and running and the food court is filled with zombies and fairies standing in line for a burger.

Today I plan to see what's going on in the Dealer's Room - an almost endless series of vendors and booths. From there, it's anyone's guess. Just wandering the con is an experience. You never know who you'll meet. Someone you knew in high school, or that guy you work with, except now he's wearing horns and his face is painted.

Just another day.

Friday evening - Welcome to the Con

The Dragon*Con Web site says the con is from Sept. 1-4, but looking around now you can tell it started last night. A massive Jaba the Hut statue/fossilization rests in one of the basement levels of the Hyatt. Captain Jack Sparrow is already in full form a few floors above. Women crowd around him for a picture as I shake off the last effects of finding an available parking space in a downtown parking lot.

This con is already doing a keen 40 mph. By tonight it'll be flying at around 100 mph. Saturday, naturally, is the insane party night. They don't make machines to record speeds that fast.

And you might not want to see them if they did.

Look around the area - Dragon*Con has taken over. You see more schoolgirl outfits than suits; more Harry Potters than khakis. Everyone has on a badge. Each year has different art. This year it's a lusty pirate wench with cutlass in one hand and the wheel of a ship in her other, er, hook. If you want to hit the con, and you do, you need a badge.

Panels are already crowding the various ballrooms. There's one tonight on Doctor Who - my fave Brit Sci-Fi show. I just might have to attend.

Time's getting short, though. You have to get your dinner before the food court closes, because you sure aren't moving your car until Monday. Then you have to get back to the con. This hotel is about 1/2 mile away, and you might not want to be strolling around once the sun goes down. Boogeymen aren't just fairy tales at Dragon*Con. They're the guys in the next room.