Con-clusion

So, is there a word for "that was fun but I am glad it's over"?

The Outside Comic Con adventure is over and the main feeling is that of exhaustion. I am sure the unusually high heat and humidity in San Diego contributed to this response, but in any case Comic Con is a lot of work when you're not attending;  I can't imagine how much work it is when you are attending. Just having to deal with crowds and lines at every step of day, for things like eating and traveling as well as any events, gets tiring pretty quickly, at least for this silverback geek. I'm pretty sure I would demur even if offered an all event-badge and free condo in the neighborhood. I like the celebration of pop culture and all the previews and the special events, but two things (besides the muss and fuss of lines and crowds) give me pause.

One is the sheer magnitude of the amount of resources thrown at this thing: as I do with political campaigns, all I can think sometimes is the better uses we could put all this money, time, energy, and inventiveness toward. The other is the classism present in the event. The image of black SUVs with sullen drivers and smoked windows having a path cleared by private security was not a rarity: at Comic Con, as in many places, there were the Important People, who don't stand in lines or crowds and who are handled and managed to avoid inconvenience. A glimpse of these folks on a balcony interview elicits oohs and ahs from the throng and a brief wave is the reward to the masses. I can't imagine Jack Kirby participating that way. Ah, well.

We spent the last day of the weekend on the Embarcadero; close enough to see one of the giant building signs for a new TV series, but far enough away that Comic Con might as well have been a rumor, but for the signs on restaurants and shops advertising discounts for badge holders.

Karminator confounded me by easily reading the word NAVY on the building with the curved roof. Her perception score is through the roof and with her new glasses she always rolls high.

The Midway, a carrier-turned-museum, the model for the Battlestar Galactica.

 Not so much a Sinatra impersonator, but more a Sinatra evoker. Like a lot of casual cosplay.

Lots of Tall Ships in San Diego Harbor - here's just one.

I can't close out the album without mentioning what a great traveling companion Karminator is. We first met through a D&D Meetup event, gamed together, and became friends. She is smart and geeky, a great gamer and role-player, and even had us over just so Wonder Wife could hug her chickens. On this trip, she was so easygoing, flexible, and generous of spirit in everything from eating, to scheduling, to changing travel plans at the last minute - not to mention going to Comic Con even though the promised badges never materialized without a complaint. Thanks, K.

And of course, the best part of the trip was getting home to Wonder Wife and Bully Boy the Wonder Cat, who had had their own adventures while I was gone.

Now, I have to go to work today, so if you'll excuse me...