FRIDAY
8:10 pm- I’m waiting in Savannah’s airport for my flight at 8:45. I really hope they don’t lose my bag. I wonder if I will be able to find my way around Newark’s airport. Sigh... probably not. Man I hate flying at night. Can’t see the ground...endless blackness... gee, maybe I should have slept more than 3 hours… nah...
SATURDAY
12:30 am- Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport can go fuck itself. The designer of that airport is a dead man... if he isn’t already anyway. My flight into Atlanta got in at the same time my flight to Newark was leaving. I almost missed my connecting flight because I had about 3-7 minutes to run a little under a mile to get to the next plane. The planes were literally right beside each other, in different terminals in the same places at the end of each concourse. Running at full speed with a book bag and a lemon pie in your arms is not my idea of fun. I’ve had fun and that wasn’t fun. At least the pie for Kevin survived.
6:23am – After meeting up with Victoria at the airport and finding out way into Eatontown, we decided to sleep in the car in the Holiday Inn’s parking lot after reading that check in wasn’t going to be until 3pm that day. Thankfully on a bathroom trip into the hotel I notice a couple people already being allowed to check in. Thank God!
11:40 am- Since my time isn’t until Sunday afternoon I sent the pie along with Victoria on her time to give to Kevin and Jason this morning. I really hope they like it. Mmmmm pie... damn it, now I’m hungry.
3:27pm- Victoria had a tape recorder with her and taped Kevin’s response to the pie for me. He said it was very sweet of me. Happy me! After hearing about Victoria’s time at the Stash I can’t wait for my time. The wait is killing me! Oh well, today is sightseeing day!
6:15pm- Went to the Quick stop and RST. I am now convinced that RST is NEVER open. Met some really nice Jersey fans that recited lines from the movies in front of RST with us. Got more pictures of the inside of the Quick Stop. Very tiny store. Must get back to the hotel now and get ready for the bowling party. I can’t wait to see Kevin again and meet Jason. Man, I’m hungry! Mmmm, leftover pastrami sandwich.
6:55pm- We are so fucking lost. We stopped for directions at the last possible second to find that we were around the corner form the hotel (as in it was directly behind us). This has got to be the third time we have gotten lost today. See image below to map our travels.
7:20pm- Let me put things into perspective on just how lost we keep getting:
Time it should take one to get from the Quick Stop to the Holiday Inn= 20 min.
Time it took us: 1 hr., 10 min. +
Conclusion: WE. SUCK.
SUNDAY
12:53 am- The bowling party rock so far. I’m not bowling because people get HURT when I bowl. Balls go flying; people have to duck (hopefully if they know what's good for them). So many people and so much smoking to go along with those people. There is an actual visible smoke cloud in one part of the alley. Sweet, sweet lung cancer. I thanked the wondrous Ming for giving me an invite (I didn’t write an essay). Bryan Johnson remembered me from Megacon two years ago and even remembered the artwork that I did for Kevin. Wow! He was really friendly and funny and mistook me for being Victoria’s kid. I don’t look THAT young do I? Do I? I met up with my friend Mark and he let me share his chicken wings. Nice people rock. Jason’s parents were really nice and Jason is a great bowler. Brian O'Halloran came in a bit later. He was so nice and funny.
1:10am- Kevin came in the last hour and was instantly mobbed by damn near everyone there. I for the most part left him alone, man he looked tired. Yeah for Daylight Savings and an extra hour. Hmmm, now to find a party.
2:45am- After “trick or treating” around the hotel with Victoria and Mark, we stopped and chatted with some cool people in the lobby.
3:15am- Chillin’ with Board members in Rm 204. Maul was a sweetie and kissed my hand. Yeah, I know he was drunk, but still! These people look nothing like how I thought they would. After some persuasion, Adam jumped out the window onto the second floor roof and was promptly shut out there by Gabe. Tsk, tsk, tsk is all I can say. Karla, Runshouse and Kimberlieo were very nice to let so many people into their room.
3:55am- Dr. Venkman, Adam, Anthony, Victoria and I decided to tour some of the movie sites at 4 in the morning because we had nothing better to do. Sleep is for the weak! First stop, Victory Park.
4:25 am- I’m in the park and I can’t see a fucking thing. I can make out silhouettes of people, but that’s about it. Found the gazebo, almost fell/walked into it. All of this flash photography in pitch-blackness is starting to burn my eyes. Owie. Ok, now to The Marina Diner.
5:20am- After traveling across Jersey (yes, we got lost again), we found the diner. I got a hot chocolate. The guys who worked there looked like they were just barely putting up with us.
5:47am- The sun came up and I can see again! Next stop was the Quick stop when it’s just opening and the newspapers haven’t even been taken in yet. I got purple rubber bands and a Weekly World News for my friend Matt back home. Seeing the sun just starting to come up and being the first one of the day in the Quick Stop was something special.
6:30am- Lost… again…. why… We seem to have misplaced Hope Rd. for the billionth time this weekend. Jug handles can bite me. Useless!
7:41am- Hello bed! 2 1/2 hours of sleep, here I come!
10:30am- Apparently sleeping before one is about to see Kevin Smith is impossible. Who knew?
11:25am- Back in the car and lost again. Right on schedule. God officially hates me.
11:50am- Made it to The Stash despite Jersey’s best efforts to kill me. We stopped in a café recommended by Ming for coffee. Best damn iced mocha I’ve ever had.
12:10pm- Ok, it seems that everyone's time slots are behind schedule by two hours. Shit. If my time is delayed by 2hrs, then I miss my flight home. Crap on a crap stick. Ok, time to find Ming and start begging.
1:13pm- Ming let me in ahead of schedule. Damn this guy is a GOD.
1:37pm- I got my picture taken with Kevin and Jason. Kevin asked right away about the Askewniverse Tarot Deck I was giving him (Wow, he remembered!)
1:50pm- I see Bryan Johnson again. He still picks on me calling me Victoria’s kid. Dork :)
1:52pm- I got stuff signed for my friend Devon, gave Kevin the Tarot deck and Jason the comic I made for him. I totally blanked out on everything I was going to say to Kevin. Stupid brain not working right! Oh well, there’s always the Web Board and Wizard World East hopefully.
2:16pm- Jersey Girl preview. Wow, just fucking wow. Holy fuckedy shit wow. The previews made me tear up a bit. Man, it was powerful. I can so relate to that movie since something similar happened to me growing up, only my parents looked nothing like the Bennifer. Fuck, I can’t wait Jersey Girl to come out…
2:35pm- Time to get the fuck outta dodge and get my ass on a plane! Now to find Newark again… sign, here we go…
4:55pm- Even after taking the wrong turn to get to Newark, stumbling around the airport, and taking way too long to get through security since I had about a ker-jillion pieces of metal on me, my flight was delayed. Oh well, time to start reading my new copy of Sandman: Endless Nights.
