Living the Dream

It's always a trick finding new friends when you move somewhere new. Sometimes it can take years. So when the Croxalls invited us over for dinner awhile ago I was happy, but trying not to be too excited. That is, until Brian leaned across the table and asked, point-blank, "Do you want to go to DragonCon with us this year?" Then I was very excited. I didn't even know what DragonCon was, but I knew that the answer was yes.

I know what you guys are thinking, because Chris was voicing it out loud..why would you want to go watch a bunch of overweight tech nerds in ill fitting costumes walk down the street? And yes, there was a little of that:

slutty elf- check
overweight women in fishnet stockings- check
unidentifiable superhero- check
guy shirtless for no reason- check
guy in doctor costume with clown makeup- check

But there was also this guy:

And I know YOUR Saturday did not include a giant red breakdancing stormtrooper.

There were melees in the streets


and orcs:


even Death stopped by:


I remember when Claire and Gordon went to the Maker Fair, and Gordon said "I hope there will be steampunk." I thought that sounded like the coolest thing to say, very hip, so I said it a lot this morning. And baby let me tell you, the punk was steaming:


Some other favorite moments include:
- before the parade even started, a guy wearing only a green CGI body suit rode by on a bicycle
- on command, our entire side of the block held up our hands in the Vulcan salute and shouted 'Live long and prosper!'
- the guy in the crowd with an "I heart Saruman" t-shirt
-the float of "Dork Hunters" that seemed to be having pretty easy pickings
- having a flashback to one time when Gordon's brother said "just because you're plump doesn't automatically mean you're in Hufflepuff." I don't know why I thought of that.
- being able to correct Brian...everyone knows Han Solo was frozen in carbonite, not kryptonite. Actually, Brian knows this too, but that didn't stop me from correcting him.
- the Stormtroopers in kilts playing bagpipes
- when my friend Amber said "that's what my breasts would look like if they were cardboard"
- The Role-Players Club of Atlanta carried a banner that read "Living the Dream for 20 years"...and they looked it.

DragonCon was awesome. And the Croxalls are keepers.