Phoenix Comic Con/My Yays and Nays

I like to write up my likes and dislikes about conventions in a separate post, just because it can otherwise make things lengthy, and who wants to look at walls and walls of text? So here are my yays and nays for Phoenix Comic Con (spoiler, they're pretty much all yays):

Yays: 

*Their air conditioning was fantastic. I can't tell you how many conventions I've been to where it gets nasty hot for seemingly no reason other than they don't run the A/C enough. Lots of people equals lots of heat, which is no good. This place was rocking that A/C, and it was nice. The convention center wasn't cold, but it wasn't hot either. I guess with record setting highs outside, they understood that people didn't want to be roasting inside too. Thank you.

*They gave away prizes. I have never been to a convention where the convention itself hands out prizes for asking questions in panels. We got all of our prizes because our kids were well behaved (seriously) or because they had some extra prize cards and needed to dump them. Once you got a card, you took it to this table and you had a choice of some comic books, Walking Dead Lego-type sets or tee shirts of conventions past. We ended up with three Walking Dead sets and three shirts. I think that's really cool of the convention to do that. It encourages audience participation during panels, and it helps them unload unsold merch- so nothing goes to waste. 

*They appreciate their 18+ fans. This actually ended up being pretty limiting for my husband and I since we brought our children, but there were quite a few panels and events that were labeled 18+. I thought that was cool though, it gives older con goers a place to hang out without having to censor themselves. And I also thought it was really cool that they advertised so many outside events in their program guide. At larger cons, you hear about these great parties, but if you don't know the right people, you can't go. Well, at PHXCC, they were printed in the guide, so everyone had a chance. 

Mehs:

*Panelists. If you're not hosting an 18+ panel, please don't tell people that you can't say what you want to say because there are children in the room. It makes people think they're missing out on really great stuff because of the children, and it makes them very disgruntled towards the people who brought said children. People with children like to attend conventions and panels too.

*No bags, lanyards or programs given with badges. Mentioned this in my Friday coverage, but not having those things right away was a huge pain. And the freebies weren't flowing like they do at larger conventions, so it took a minute to find some on the floor (which the staff said "would be like, so easy to do").

Nays:

*The cosplayers. So I'm probably going to get some crap for this, but it has to be said. I think I saw some of the rudest cosplayers at this convention, and that's why I don't have any pictures of them anywhere in my coverage. Don't get me wrong, there were some amazing cosplays there, and I'm sure that there were also some very nice cosplayers too. But after hearing one girl tell her friend how much she hated everyone that asked her for a photo, then turn around and act all sweet with some guy, only to call him a name when he left- I was less than impressed. And you might be thinking, well that's just one girl. No, there was a lot of that, and its for that reason that people hate asking cosplayers to take their photos. It was just really sad to see people behave that way. 

Overall, I had a really fun time. My husband and I want to go back next year (sans children) and experience all the other events that are offered. 

This was at the convention center. When we were driving into Phoenix, there 

was this radio ad about having scorpions removed from your home. Um, no thanks!

Check out Friday and Saturday's coverage, and let me know, are you interested in going to Phoenix Comic Con next year? Maybe I'll see you there!

Phoenix Comic Con/Saturday

Saturday was pretty much a panel day since we'd walked the floor on Friday. Our first panel started not too long after the convention opened, at it was Zombies, Government and You. And it was about how to survive in a zombie apocalypse (or any disaster really) without any help from the government. The guys that did the panel were pretty interesting, but I found that their panel got away from them. There were a lot of what-ifers in the crowd, or people that were there solely to argue, and it detracted a lot from what you could tell they were trying to talk about. Also, there was this one guy in the audience that was like, trying to sell everyone survivalist bunkers at one hundred thousand dollars a piece, and that got to be really annoying. The panelists do have podcasts though, one being the name of the panel (Zombies, Government and You) and others a nineties nostalgia one called 2 Legit with Drew and Nick. The panel was fun and it made me want to listen to their podcasts, even though I left really irritated at some fellow audience members.

The panel title is in the background.

 After that one, we moved on to a mashup panel about Goosebumps. It was more for the kids because we were trying to make sure they didn't get bored during all the panels (six and ten is rough for a full day of panels!), and they had a lot of fun in this one. There were members of the National Comedy Theatre (Derrick Tesson, Frenchie Lynn Augustin, Jacob Talbert, Jesus "Chuy" Huerta, and Mike Mayfield) who were ad libing the entire two episodes of Camp Nightmare. Do you guys remember the short lived Goosebumps teevee show from the 90's? It was so campy and fun, but these guys did it one better by removing all the sound and basically making up their own show. Sadly, I didn't get a picture of this panel because it was like, bam, darkness and right into the episodes, but they all did a wonderful job.

We saw some of the previous panelists again right after in our next panel, Whoa! Battle of the Keanus! Its based on a podcast that they are currently doing, and the panelists (Alice Baker, Andrea Coffman, Anthony Thornton, Jacob Talbert, Krissy Lenz, and Nathan Blackwell) showed different Keanu Reeves characters, and had them "battle" it out, with audience participation. It was very much like the Rotten Tomatoes panel at WonderCon, but instead of clapping or whatever, you were supposed to say whoa. It was a very lively, interactive panel, and our final battle was between John Wick and Ted Theodore Logan....and I'm sure you can guess who won! I think its a really great idea for a panel, I just don't see how they did a whole podcast series around it. But they have, so go check that out if you're interested.

Claps for Keanu!

Have you ever wanted to hear Ed Sheeran talk about zombies and how they've evolved? You should've gone to the Evolution of a Zombie panel at PHXCC then! No, it wasn't actually Ed Sheeran that did it, it was Craig W. Chenery, but he looks darn close to him and they both have that fantastic accent. This panel was also very interesting, he was a one man panel with a great Power Point presentation. He has researched the zombie genre going back all the way to the 20's or 30's, it was pretty cool. I had no idea that zombie movies were really a Caribbean thing, but that's how they started. He really knows his zombie stuff, and is currently writing a couple fo different books, one of them being a zombie movie encyclopedia of sorts. Hes watched like over a thousand zombie movies, or something like that, it was nuts. And sadly, I don't have a picture of him either. Just picture Ed Sheeran.

Our last panel of the day was the only panel that disappointed me out of the whole convention. It was supposed to be about post-apocalyptic obsession, but instead it basically turned into this cosplay group's hangout and all they did was talk about this piece of land that they own that they're trying to fix up to look wrecked based on some place here in CA (and their apparent love for bourbon). To be fair, the program description said that the group would talk about themselves to an extent, but they weren't supposed to be the topic of conversation for the whole panel. So that was lame, but some of them did have cool costumes. No pictures of them either, because the room was so crowded there really wasn't the space to.

After that, we left the convention center. We ate at Whataburger again (its all my kids wanted the whole trip- its that good!) and then saw X-Men Apocalypse.

The best thing EVER.

Don't forget to read Friday's coverage, and look for the final wrap up tomorrow!

Phoenix Comic Con/Friday

I got to attend Phoenix Comic Con this year and it was so much fun. While it was a four day convention, I was only able to attend Friday and Saturday. The drive there was long (almost eight hours....), but it was worth it. I really like Phoenix, it reminds me a lot of where I am here in California, but also has that cool kid vibe that you find in L.A.

My husband and I loaded our kids into the car about 1:30 in the morning and started off to Phoenix, and made in there around 8:30am. We managed to park in our lot (which was cheap and super close to the convention center, so there was minimal walking) and make it into the convention center before the convention was even open for registration, so we got in line and waited. The line looked huge, but once it got moving, we got in to where we needed to be in no time- they were beyond efficient, and I really appreciated that. They had everything clearly labeled, so you knew where you needed to be (prepaid, press, buy on site, etc). One of the things that was weird to me was that they didn't hand out lanyards, bags or programs. Its probably because I'm spoiled, but I do expect those things from conventions that have been around a while. Especially since, once we were on the hunt for a program, we found out that there were none. Apparently they had run out during Thursday, and at 10am Friday, they had yet to restock. So they had a lot of angry con goers, and some already moody convention workers trying to deal with that problem. While I did think that was poor planning on the convention's part, eventually we did get our programs and convention life went on :)

My super cute pass and Her Universe pants.

We hit the convention floor first, since there wasn't a lot of people there and it had prime walk-ability. There were pretty much the standard con booths, minus a lot of the big comic names and clothing companies (but We Love Fine was there, and I love their clothes!). I was excited to see Filthy Casual there, I have been wanting to buy some of their gear for a long time and have never seen them at a convention. But their customer service was lame, the people at their booth were so rude. I did buy a shirt, but I really regretted it. I probably won't buy anything else from them either, that's how bad it was.

They had cutouts of the Geico camel, pig and gecko on display.

In the afternoon we decided to attend a panel, it was about re-dos in comics, and if they're killing superheroes. It was really interesting- most of the panelists seemed to think that re-tellings aren't horrible, but they all have comics as a profession in one way or another, so to say that rebirths are killing the industry wouldn't really be beneficial to them. Sadly, their names weren't listed in the program, the panelists are just "Phoenix Comicon Staff", so I'm guessing they just pulled these people last minute. They also didn't have nameplates, which I didn't like either. I usually just take a picture to remember who I saw, that didn't help this time.

The panelists.

After the panel we just walked the floor a little more, then decided to leave. We ate at Whataburger (love that place! I wish we had them in Cali) and went back to our hotel.

Watch for Saturday's post tomorrow! And if you attended, what did you like best about it? Let me know in the comments below.

Fat Girl Walking: Sex, Food, Love and Being Comfortable in Your Own Skin....Every Inch of It by Brittany Gibbons aka Brittany Herself

Fat Girl Walking: Sex, Food, Love and Being Comfortable in Your Own Skin...Every Inch of It by Brittany Gibbons aka Brittany Herself has an impossibly long title for what the book is, but it grabbed my attention nonetheless, so I guess it works. 

I didn't know what to expect when I picked up this book. I was at Barnes and Noble one morning looking for Radical Self Love by Gala Darling. Because my local B&N has the weirdest way of shelving books (and RSL wasn't even where it was supposed to be anyway), I found Fat Girl Walking first. I remember seeing it on a few must read lists in magazines, but a lot of those lists are just new releases and hold no literary value- so I usually just take them as paid advertising from publishing houses and not much else. Anyway, I started flipping through the book and I was drawn in immediately. It was expensive though, so I put it down, bought Radical Self Love (which I still haven't finished, by the way) and obsessed about the book I left behind.

I ordered it on Amazon the next day because after reading her blog (brittanyherself.com, which she doesn't really update anymore), I knew I really had to get the book (and Amazon was more within my budget). It was every bit as funny as I remembered it being (well, the parts I'd read in Barnes and Noble anyway), and I felt that she wasn't putting on a show for anyone like some bloggers do- what you see is what you get with Brittany.

Reviews from sites like Goodreads and Amazon were harsh for the book, and I thought about them while reading it. A lot of people said that the book was a let down because they said the title talks about being confident in a plus size body, but most of her stories were about her struggle to get there. Do you go to a movie expecting the pivotal plot point to be revealed right at the beginning? I don't. That would be such a let down. Also, this isn't a self help book per se, it is a memoir. There are no mantras or affirmations to repeat, no guide to flattering Instagram angles and filters- this is Brittany's life. If you can help yourself after hearing her story- then that's an awesome bonus.

The other biggest complaint that I saw was about all the sex talk. Well, sex is in the title of the book, so I'm not sure why people were so surprised. Its like if you bought a book titled Ten Hail Marys: Stories from the Other Side of the Confessional  written by Some Priest and got surprised that there were stories of sins that people had confessed to him in it. The sex talk is part of her narrative and it fits- so big deal. My own personal ehs about the book are the emails included towards the end. They just seemed like filler and served no real purpose, but she does have a bunch of them on her blog, so maybe she just included them because her readers expected it? Also, I would never speak about my dad the way she talks about her parents. It wasn't necessarily horrible, its just not any way I would talk about my dad (I'm totally a Daddy's girl though, so that could be why).

Overall, I recommend this book a lot. Its a quick read, funny, and at the end of it you feel like you've gained a new friend. Also, shes writing a new book that's due out at the end of this year or the beginning of next year. Its a fashion memoir and I'm hoping it'll be as good as (or maybe better than) Fat Girl Walking. I have such a difficult time dressing myself, I would love to hear other people's traumas :)

**This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something after clicking on one of those links, I will be compensated. Thank you for supporting KMT!**

Quests/Los Angeles- Talking Dead filming

Yesterday my husband and I got to attend a filming of Talking Dead for Fear the Walking Dead. We have been trying what feels like literally forever (and I hate the misuse of literally, so you know its serious!) to get tickets for a taping of Talking Dead for The Walking Dead, so when these came up, we jumped on the opportunity.

The Talking Dead does its ticketing through a company called 1iota, and they seem to give you tickets based on attendance ratings to other shows that they ticket for, so it can be really tough to get into some of these tapings. And the Talking Dead's studio is super small, there are only forty fans allowed into a taping, so getting tickets is like the Hunger Games, may the odds be ever in your favor.

The experience itself was interesting, just because we have been to a couple of tapings of the Conan O'Brien show (once when he was with NBC and once with TBS), so we thought we knew what was going to happen. And for the most part, it was similar. There were a few big differences though, like you are absolutely not allowed to have your cell phone on you once you hit the lot, where at Conan they always said "if we see it, we take it." This information was printed on the ticket though, so my husband and I left ours in the car. Others did not head the ticket's advice though, and once we made it through the metal detectors, they were all asked to put their phones in a basket and they could retrieve them after everything was said and done. I understand why they do it though, you screen the episode before it even plays on the East Coast, so they don't want spoilers to find their way to the Internet. They also don't rely on electronic applause or other reaction signs that hang in front of the audience, instead, a producer told us when to clap, when to amp up the laughter, all that stuff. It was pretty cool, kinda old school really.

They also tell you how to dress, which was interesting considering you pretty much never see the audience in Talking Dead shows. You are told to dress like you're going on a movie date, so casually nice, no large logos allowed, except on fandom tees. They should really change that rule to no logos whatsoever allowed, My husband was chosen as a potential question asker, and he had a tiny logo on his polo shirt that was about the size of a dime (think- alligator polos from the 80's). The show brought out a sweatshirt for him to wear in case he was chosen because the logo wasn't allowed. Oh yeah, they also tell you to bring a light jacket or something because they studio gets cold. Totally listen to that one- it gets freezing in there! (and I had a light hoodie on)

The process goes pretty quickly once you get into the studio, but waiting beforehand (outside, on the sidewalk of a busy LA street with no trees) is boring. 1iota says you have to be there by four pm to make it in, but you really need to get there sooner to line up (if you're parking on the lot though, they won't let you park until three, and they are very to the minute with that time). You sit how you line up, and your position in line won't really change unless you're chosen to potentially ask a question (they choose four people to do this, but only one gets to actually ask a question), then you get to sit in the front row once its time to film the show. After the screening of the episode, there's about a half hour wait before you go into the studio. During that time they let you eat from the vending machine and go to the bathroom if you need to, and the people chosen as question askers get whisked away to sign a bunch of papers, get new questions (because their's aren't good enough, lol) and have headshots taken. I was very bored for that time, since I didn't get to go with my husband and the people around me weren't all that friendly. If I get to go again, I will most definitely bring a book. 

I got to sit in the second row since I was a person who had a person taken from me (that what they called it lol) by the cameras, which was fun. I was still alone, since my husband got to sit in the front row, so that kinda sucked. But I did get to learn about how they do the sets for the different Talking Deads, and all the random, minute details that they put into them, which was really interesting. And the show was dynamite, of course, and Chris Hardwick is well, Chris Hardwick *mild swoon* The guests (Tamera Mowry-Housely, Jim Gaffigan and Mercedes Mason) interacted a lot with the first row, which was lucky for them, not so lucky for the rest of us *shrug*. Once it came time to do the question asking, they chose one of the girls to go up there and not my husband. womp womp. The producers give the potential askers these questions, and then whatever question best fits the flow of the show or hasn't really been covered yet is the one that gets chosen. 

Overall, it was a really fun and interesting experience, and I hope we get to do it again. A lot of people in the audience were Talking Dead veterans, so that gives me hope that my name will come up a winner again in the ticket lottery :) 

ModCloth Monday #5

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links.**

Mother's Day is Sunday, May 8th, which is coming up way faster than I'd like to admit! It can be difficult to buy presents for your mom- I know it is for me. I never know if I should go funny or sentimental, and occasionally I just flat out forget to buy one all together. And now that I'm a mom myself, I know that while the first two are equally as appreciated, that last one hurts. A lot. I also struggle with price. I buy for my mom, my stepmom and now my mother-in-law. Before I would worry that I would buy a more expensive gift for my stepmom and my mom would find out about it, but now my mother-in-law almost demands the most expensive gift (she seriously puts price minimums on the gifts she expects), which leaves me feeling like crap for giving my mom and stepmom something that's I feel may not be as nice. Its a real conundrum.  And you just might be thinking -so what does all of her internal struggle have to do with this ModCloth Monday? Well, I'll tell you. ModCloth has everything you need to find the perfect Mother's Day gift this year. They have all different price points and all different styles, so you can find something for pretty much any mother figure on your list. Or if you're a mom- buy yourself a little pressie- you totally deserve it! Motherhood is rough, you might as well look cute while living it. 

Here are my top picks for Mother's Day gifts:

1) Eye Love You Necklace

2) Heart-Cover Copy Cardigan

3) Swap Meet Sweetheart Skirt in Plaid

4) Treasure Up to Expectations Necklace

5) Paint the Way Skirt
6) You Heard That Bright Cardigan
7) There's a Map for That Necklace in Gold

If you shop Mother's Day gifts from ModCloth, let me know what you pick!!

Monday Mix Up #24

Here are some links to help you procrastinate your Monday away- enjoy!!

*I thought this was a joke (it was published on April Fool's Day), but say hello to the Double Dose Twins!

*Someone made a real Glock look like the gun from Duck Hunt. I'm not here to debate any political gun stances, I just think it looks neat.

*Can Super Mario Maker inspire children to learn to code/design games? Nintendo helps a library full of kids in SF figure it out.

*The biggest, free legacy server for World of Warcraft, Nostalrius (which I played on occasionally), was shut down by Blizzard for violating it's terms of service. This topic will more than likely be a WoW Wednesday, but I thought I'd share it now. The hate for Blizzard on social media has been unreal the past week.

*I usually save videos for my Monday Mixtapes, but I thought I'd share this one because the song has been stuck in my head. It's a little bit Lonely Island, alotta bit NSFW. Here's 3OH!3 with My Dick: