Geek Mecca

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John and I went to Comic-Con last weekend in San Diego. We started our epic journal on Wednesday morning, bright and early around 7. Its about a 8-10 hour trip, so I grabbed a book, The Devil Wears Prada and it was damn good. So good I read it during the entire car trip. John had a book on tape that he seemed very happy with. We made a few stops and at one point a nice trucker saw us taking pictures and offered to take one of us.

We arrived at Eelias around 3 that day, we made excellent time. We played catchup, I got to admire the remodleing they have been doing. With the fabulous aerobed(tm) we brought, crashed out on the living room floor and rested for the busy day tomorrow. Next day (after coffee), we checked into the hotel, the room was ready, dumped our stuff and walked the very hot very crowded sidewalk 3 blocks to the convention.

The exhibit Hall was huge, crowded and amazing. We weaved and bobbed through the huge crowds and saw well comics, and action figures (dolls), dvds and lots and lots of people in costumes.

We saw a lot of panels, one that stick in my mind was Deepak Chopra and Grant Morrison: The Seven Spiritual Laws of Super-heroes. the two speakers having met for the first time the previous night, had a discussion about the role superheroes play in the social fabric. It was a roundtable discussion with Grant Morrison, Deepak Chopra, Virgin Comics’ EIC Gotham Chopra and CEO Sharad Devarajan. This was followed by a public conversation between Morrison and Chopra.
The duo admitted, right off the bat, that they had no concrete notion of the seven spiritual laws of superheroes. The discussion itself, with audience participation, was meant to help create that model.

A superhero is “symbolic expression of the social subconscious,” according to Chopra. “The superhero is a mythological being” who exists “beyond outerspace and innerspace, creating a new idea of being.”

“Superheroes show us the world through x-ray vision,” Morrison said. By this, superheroes are more than just a reflection of ourselves, but a look at the very deepest core of human existence. He added that “Superman is a beautiful idea of an American who does not kill people, but solves problems.”

Chopra suggested that the seven spiritual laws could mirror the seven chakras. “A Chakra is a junction point between consciousness and reality,” Chopra explained before leading the audience through all seven.

• First chakra – Stability. Infinite centered awareness and dynamism.
• Second chakra – Transformation. An absolute allegiance to transformation. Willingness not to have a permanent identity
• Third – Power. Not in the sense of muscle, but in intention.
• Fourth — Love and compassion. Nothing better… it is integrated with the rest of the Chakras.
• Fifth – Creativity. Always creative solutions.
• Sixth – Intuition.
• Seventh – Transcendence.

It was pretty darn neato. John and I had arrived early and basically sat on the floor outside the doors. a woman came up about 10 minutes later and asked if we were in the front of the line. I said “umm yeah.”, she informed the guards that we were the front and that was it! so in a room that fills 2k peeps, we sat in front! Yeah the pic is dark, deal with it.

More panels, more wandering and looking at costumes. Then dinner at a nice chinese place, where we had drinks.

and more drinks

Friday was more of the same. (Panels, shopping, people-watching, drinking) Rinse, repeat.

Saturday saw a panel on the new movie Snakes on a Plane. I know the movie is going to suck, but the advertising and fever for this flick is amazing. Saw two preview for the new Tenatious D and the GrindHouse movies.
Dinner plans kinda got mixed up and we ended up eating at the hotel. Jim and Anne-Marie went downstairs while John and i waited for Julie to call back. While we were alone John asked if I would marry him, it was our first a quiet alone moment of the hectic-ness of Comic-Con. Of course I said yes. he gave him his grand others ring. It is beautiful. Went down to join the rest of the gang (after a little while). Yeah they were surprised. Afterward dinner, we went on a carriage ride, the rider, her dispatcher and another woman fawned over the ring, wished us the best and gave me advice on marriage. Went back to hotel room , giggled a lot and went to sleep. The next morning John asked of he had indeed asked to marry me and I responded with “No takebacks.”

Packed up, checked out, one more panel, searching for Julie to tell her. (she was very surprised) but man it was hard to find her, she kept moving around and that convention is HUGE. Ran into Jordan, found her and spread the news. Located Jim, told him. One last shot of the Convention and then we left. It was a damn good trip. Very clever of John to ask me at Comic-Con, thereby ensure that we will return.