So the past number of days have been a wild whirlwind.

First, thursday night last.

Stephen came over and we worked on our costumes for the comic convention. I wanted to go to tavern, but ended up having too much to do on my costume, so I skipped it.

He slept over thursday, and I went to work on friday, leaving him at my place to work on his costume.

Friday night we went to the opera (Tosca) and I liked it much better than Rigoletto. Mind, I had a lot of trouble following Rigoletto because all the characters looked the same to me, and they repeated themselves unnecessarily.

Tosca had much fewer characters, and was very sad at the end.

Then home again to work on our costumes. I made a katamari with a hidden pocket in it last moment (finished it at 3am!), so I could carry around my junk at the con.

Saturday morning, bright eyed and bushy-tailed by 8am (okay, maybe not so bright eyed) and pushing to get out the door and down to the con before the doors open.

Didn't quite manage it. Managed to get there half an hour after they opened, but the line wasn't too bad. We only had to wait about ten minutes for tickets.

On the way down, Stephen and I were already in costume. As we were crossing the street I head behind me:

"Rosie, what the HELL are you wearing?"

I look around to see Jason from the Grand hanging out of his car window. I love seeing Jason! He always makes my day happier.

I tell him about the con, and insist he should go.

"It's the social event of the season!" I yell back, grinning.

"Yes..." He looks dubious and amused. "I'm sure it is."

Then the light turned green and off he went.

The train was packed with people going to the con. It was pretty amazing to see.

Ran into Sig in line for tickets (costumer from the same year I went to college; wears the most enormous platform shoes I've ever seen). Same old Sig.

I had three - three! - people take my picture in the time I spent waiting in line.

And once we got into the con - oh! It was an ego boost like I've never had!

People were running up to me with excited, trembling expressions, asking if they could take a picture of/with me.

Of course I said yes! I put on and took off my head unit at least fifty times. (I didn't want to wear the head while walking around, because I'd clothesline people.)

I ended up chatting with this cute geeky boy who was dressed up as some character from an anime called Desert Punk, and I wish I'd gotten his phone number or email, but oh well.

The only slightly down point of my day was while I was sitting against the wall, eating my lunch and reading the free comic books they gave out. I happened to glance up, and who was there?

Yes, Paul.

Judging by his stiff posture, and careful way he went about *not* looking at me, he knew I was there. And I knew he was there.

I almost wanted to talk to him. I felt less angry at him than I have in a long time. It could have been because EVERYBODY LOVED ME. ;)

After Paul disappeared into the crowd (and I'm happy to report I didn't see him again), I finished my lunch. Desert Punk boy came and chatted with me for a while before getting sucked into a conversation about anime with the boys on the other side of him.

But there was a roaming group of singers with guitar, improvising on the Barenaked Ladies 'If I Had a Million Dollars'. As they passed me they paused, then broke into the theme song from Katamari Damacy (the video game my costume was based off of). It was freakin' brilliant.

Then! Then Desert Punk boy came back again and said he was going to the costume contest preliminary judging. Someone had approached him and got him to sign up for it.

"I haven't had anyone ask me to go in the costume contest!" I cried, lip a-quiver.

"Come! We'll find the woman and get you signed up," he said, putting his own head unit back on.

We plowed through the crowd, Desert Punk with Katamari Damacy behind, and never did find the woman, but tracked her down at the room the costume contest was being held in.

Both Stephen and I signed up for the contest. There were a lot of really good costumes. There were sixty contestants! But it was split into four categories: adult-male, adult-female, child-male, and child-female. There were a number of very good female costumes, though. I hoped for an honourable mention.

It took a long time for everything to get organized and settled. It was badly organized.

Anyway.

Everyone got sixty seconds onstage to do what ever they wanted. They didn't have to use the whole sixty seconds. Most people went up, posed for the crowd, posed for the judges, maybe did a spin or something their character would do, then went off-stage.

That's exactly what I did. I got lots of cheers! And lots of people took pictures. That made me happy. As I was walking offstage, one of the judges asked me if I'd made the costume myself. I replied to the affirmative.

Here's a picture of me trying to edge me way sidewise offstage, so as not to bean the judges with my enormous head: http://www.flickr.com/photos/deimlos/2450281385/

They judges took a while deciding. I saw them all looking at me where I was sitting, and so I was hoping they were considering me for something, but I didn't actually *expect* anything.

But I did get something! I TOTALLY FREAKIN' WON!

That's right.

I am truly made of win. It was voted on and everything.

Fuckin' A.

Everything after that was just a tired dizzy excited blur. I didn't stick around much longer. I was so tired from staying up so late and getting up so early.

Stephen and I left before the con was done, and parted ways.

I wanted to phone someone who'd care I'd won a geeky costume contest, but I think my mom would be the only one who'd care enough for me to phone.

Which brings me to the second part of the whirlwind.

I couldn't phone my mom because she is in New Zealand. My Nana took a turn for the worst last week (she hadn't been doing so well for a couple weeks now).

My mom emailed me yesterday to tell me that Nana passed away quietly, with my cousin Miriam at her side. I'm glad my mom got to see Nana before she passed.

I am more sad for my mom than I am for my Nana. My Nana was ninety-three. She had a good long happy life (not without strife, to be sure, but her passion for life never faded).

In my reply, I also mentioned my winning the costume contest, and linked to a picture of my costume. In my mothers reply to that, she simply RAVED about how amazing it was, and how she was going to show off to as many people as she could.

Last check it was twelve forwards and counting...

Well, I'm glad to give my mother something to focus on besides my Nana's funeral tomorrow.

Bye Nana. I hope your next adventure is just as exciting as this one was.

.

Rosie.

Before&After