Sunday in the Xenaverse

Thankfully, Argo and I were NOT running in the Chicago Marathon, but rather were running in the Xena marathon. Woof! It was hot outside...or, so they tell us....

(Disclaimer: My opinion on certain things related to XWP will not endear me to many fans of the Xenaverse. Just know that I am just one tiny little opinionated voice babbling among the blogs of the world and that the integrity of the show, stars and fans will not be soiled in any manner.)

The day started bright and early, with both of us waking at 5 AM. For god's sake, we could have slept until 11 AM and there we were, eyes wide open. This gave us time to eat IHOP food (yeah!), read the paper, sit in the lobby watching all the Xenites pass by, make phone calls, watch all the Trekkies pass by in their uniforms & costumes, poop, yip with fellow Xena addicts, hear about Lucy's concert Saturday night....in other words, it was time well spent. Argo and I watched the sun come up from our room (photo of this event in the collage, upper right corner).

While waiting for Steven Sears to come address the masses, I found him milling about in the hallway. Being the incredibly accessible guy that he is, I asked him to sign my scrapbook--after all, he IS a beloved Xena writer. I am totally amazed at his graciousness and his approach with fans. I asked Steven to sign the scrap book page with Ephiny's (Danielle McCormick) photo & autograph from "Hooves & Harlots," as he had written this episode. I just happened to have a blank Xena check on this page (yes, I have Xena checks) and so I asked him about autographing this. (I thought it would be funny to have him sign the check.) He laughed and obliged. Steven took a few moments to think about what he would write and then he filled in the blanks. I laughed out loud when I read what he had written: Pay to the order of Ephiny's Estate--One thousand six hundred dinar, for Funeral Expenses!!!! He then signed his name on the signature line. (Note to you not from the Xenaverse: you are probably not finding that very funny. Trust me, it is very creative and funny.) I look forward to showing off that check every chance I get.

I then wandered around to find Sharon Delaney, Goddess of the Xena Warrior Princess Fan Club. She is a cult hero to us and thus I wanted to get her genuine autograph on my Xena Warrior Princess Fan Club certificate. (Yes, I belong to the fan club. Stop rolling your eyes!) I approached her with my scrapbook and asked her to sign the page. She looked around and then literally said, "Are you talking to me?" Seems most people don't ask for Sharon's autograph, although she's just about as famous as the show's star actors. Sharon was a bit befuckled by the request but she obliged and signed the book. What a woman!

Steven Sears took the stage and the fun began. He paces back and forth non stop when talking--he says it is to prevent us from taking pictures of him talking as photos of people talking always look bad and that if we wanted a picture of him, we would really have to work hard to get it. He was wearing a chakram necklace, which I found to be a great touch. Most people would think I wouldn't care about the show's writers, but this guy is genius and he's very interesting to listen to and he is tremendously funny and has a wealth of knowledge--what's not to admire? For those of you wondering, his first writing gig was for "Riptide" and he wrote for 5.5 years on Xena. As he left before the last season, he gave us an inkling of how he might have ended the show (as opposed to the AWFUL, MEAN, YUCKY, XENA-DECAPITATED ENDING--I HATE YOU FOR THAT, ROB TAPERT!). I totally enjoyed listening to his stories and humor. Two thumbs up for Steven!

Next up: Joxer the Mighty, Ted Raimi. To be honest, I'm not sure Ted really wanted to be there (no offense to him, but really.....okay, breathe, breathe--those in the Xenaverse need to be strong as I write these words. It will all be okay in the long run. Be brave. I'ts just one person's opinion!). I don't want to poo poo him, because I'm sure he's a fine human being and I positively loved the character and I think we all have a bit of Joxer in us and I love seeing him in other works....it's just that he was not very cordial when seen in the parking lot (he looked like he couldn't find his car), he wouldn't even make eye contact, let alone say hello, to me and Argo (all we said was hello--we weren't asking for or expecting anything), he was not accessible to the fans, he seemed surprised that anyone would even care about the show anymore (let alone show up at a conference years later). Maybe he was only kidding about being surprised by the continued interest by the fan base. Maybe he was just being a smarty pants about being surprised that we fans would show up again and again. (I'm going to think that so I can go on with my love of Joxer/Ted.) Even so, he was still quite funny when on stage. I love Joxer so it was hard to feel ambivalence about this whole ordeal. I loved his stories about the show but kept thinking, "TED! Get out of the corner and move to the front of the stage--we won't bite!"

(Note: Ted has an awesome website: http://www.tedraimi.com/ aka the Ted Raimi Astro Lounge so go check it out and, as they say in Monty Python, "fart in my general direction." I know Ted will prove me wrong in my pathetic assessment of him from the weekend. I must keep the Joxer faith! He'll probably think I'm just some ass who doesn't know her ass from a hole in the ground....)

Thankfully, Ted was VERY nice when I went and enjoyed my photo op with him. He gave me a hearty handclasp, asked me my name (which, thankfully I was able to recall), mentioned that he didn't remember seeing me at the Gold Ticket breakfast (I guess it's good and bad that he knew that). I was still very glad to have my photo taken with him.

The highlight of the day was, of course, getting the color print of my photo with Lucy. YIPPEE SKIPPEE! AY-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai! How fun it was to dig through all the photos--I believe there were 150 of them--to find my own photo. (The collage above illustrates how all the Lucy pictures were lined up, waiting for their rightful owners to come & gather them for oogling.) The photographer (Chris Schmelke--istockphoto.com/deadair--a gifted & truly talented man of the lens) was really fun to visit with--but, his picture of me and Lucy is what made me weep with happiness. Dear god, there is her boob touching me, right in living color. For those of you who think I'm kidding, just wait and see.....Thank you, thank you Chris and Lucy!

I need a nap. I am way too pooped to pop or write one more diddy. I'm sure I'll babble about all this for weeks on end. Until then, I am going to go drink a Frappaccino and take a nap....

Was it worth all the money? You bet your powdered Kiwi ass it was! Just don't tell Creation Entertainment--they'll want even more money next time.....