A Nerd's Vacation: WWWSC3 Part 2

Before I forget the entire weekend, let's go over Saturday and Sunday!

First off, I decided that I wasn't going to wear a corset that day. Instead, I went for my more "western-y" outfit. Travis did a variation on the same outfit - different vest, different ascot, still looked fabulous.

We went to the Aristocrat lounge for a little while, where we learned about the raffle event put on by the traveling circus in the back. We were told a guy won a bunch of prizes the day before because no one really entered. Saturday was obviously going to be more busy than Friday, but we decided to enter anyways.

We ended up winning a gauntlet, a pair of goggles, and a giant stuffed goggle-wearing squid. Everything but one item that we entered for! I was excited to carry my squid around all day.

Right after the raffle was the Absinthe tasting in the Aristocrat lounge. This was one of the events I had looked forward to since before we even bought our tickets! I've read, watched, and wrote about Absinthe in the past, but I had never tasted it. I just wanted the experience - putting the sugar cube on the spoon, watching the drink change colors with the sugar water, and finally trying the drink I have shirts about.

I can't say I was disappointed, but I also can't say I'm a "fan". Then again, I don't like black licorice and that's what it tasted like to me. No amount of sugar water helped 2/3 of the Absinthe types we tried. The second one wasn't that bad. We got to keep our spoons, which was awesome, and I'm really glad I got that opportunity.

Other than that, Saturday really just consisted of walking around, visiting the vendors, and showing off my Squid.

Oh, well, I guess there was a concert that night! The Cog is Dead opened, followed by Steam Powered Giraffe, and ended with Professor Elemental. Seeing SPG live was truly a remarkable experience, and while I enjoy their music, listening to it without that experience just isn't the same.

Sunday... sunday... hmmm...

We went to a few more panels: Steampunk Artists, Character Building Writers Workshop with Airship Isabella, Steampunk Authors 2, the Tea Dueling finals, and Closing Ceremonies.

I felt really bad that no one really showed up for the Squiddy competition. They had apparently ordered at least a few hundred of these little squid gummy toys and con-goers were suppose to compete against each other in the streets for them (rock, paper, scissors). The person with the most won some pretty nice prizes (I think there were tickets to another south-west convention involved). However, when they called for people during the closing ceremonies, the only people that went on stage had maybe two or three squiddies. If Travis and I had put together the 2 we had, we would have won. I didn't bother bringing them because I thought some die-hard was going to have 150 green squiddies pinned all over his clothes.

I doubt they'll do something like that again, unless they find a way to revamp the system or promote it more.

We headed back to the hotel, packed, and headed out early in the morning for our plane ride home.

All-in-all it was truly one of the best conventions I have ever been to. I thought it was well-run (though I know behind-the-scenes is always a lot more interesting than a regular attendee like myself could possibly understand, but rest assured, from my perspective everything went great). I LOVED that it wasn't at a hotel or convention center. I understand not every convention has that luxury, but it really sets the stage for an awesome weekend. Having tourists go in and out of the location was fun and made me feel like I was a part of the show.

As a nerd, it's great when I can get direct sunlight as well.

I would love to go back, and I don't see myself ever getting anything less than the Aristocrat badge. I love supporting the convention, and the perks are totally worth it! We'll see if it's a possibility next year!