No Strings Attached

Posted By Kathleen David on July 10, 2014

Hi there. Miss me?

I had a hard time figuring out what day today was. I thought it was Monday but according to my calendar it is Thursday.

So where did the three days go? Down the Disney Rabbit Hole.

I have noticed that time at Disney seems to move at a different rate. Days blur together into a symphony of experiences. Picking out what was when can be a trick.

Monday was Epcot. Tuesday was Disney Hollywood Studios. Wednesday was Epcot again. Magic Kingdom was out because it is a blackout period for cast members until some time in August due to the new ride. Caroline wanted to do more of the Agent P adventure at Epcot’s World Showcase. We added Mexico, China, and Norway to her list of successful missions. Of the three Mexico had the best final act but the others were great fun too.

We did all the things we enjoy doing. Caroline got some swimming in too. There were water slides involved and there was much sliding. We met up with friends and enjoying being in their company.

We used the new FastPass Plus feature and found it a little confusing but it worked for us. Overall between that and the wristbands, it was a lot of tech to sort out but we did it.

Caroline is still in Florida with Shana for the next 10 days and then I will be going back for a week with my family. Peter has four novels due by November so he will be staying home and writing.

So that gives me 10 days to get as much done as I can. I am going to start by finding those bloody missing patterns. Then off to work I go.

I am grateful for magical Disney time.

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Posted By Kathleen David on July 8, 2014

Who I did talk to yesterday so he knows that I remembered and that I love him.

Patrick is the youngest of the family. Usually when there is so much space between siblings (being Patrick and me), the relationship dynamics are different but I really don’t think that happened between us. I feel as close to him as I do my other brother and sister.

We have a number of things in common with each other. We are both parents. We have a love of reading. We like to game both tabletop and electronic. Our sense of humor meshes well.

Patrick proved himself to be the curious one from an early age. I can remember when we moved into our new home, Patrick loved that the windows were low enough that he could pull himself up and watch what was going on outside. He was one to test boundaries for himself and see what he could do.

Intellectually he is a powerhouse. One of the smartest people I know.

He’s a great dad. I love watching him with his daughters. He does the same thing that our father did about changing his voice a pitch when talking to younger kids. It is sort of comforting to listen to.

I am proud to be his sister and I do love him very much.

So belated Birthday Greeting Dr. P. It sounds like you had a very nice day.

I am grateful for my brother Patrick.

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Posted By Kathleen David on July 5, 2014

We got up very early Thursday to catch a 9 AM flight to Miami. We got to the airport with very little trouble, which was nice. We got on the plane on time, which was nice. Our seats were a little fubared due to the plane we were on was the third plane to be put on this route. The first one didn’t make it to the airport due to storms. The second apparently wasn’t large enough to accommodate all the passengers who had been stranded in New York due to weather.

We then sat as they dealt with a problem in the wheel-well 15 became 30 minutes and so on. Then the announcement that we had to debark and take all our stuff with us which usually means we are moving to another plane. However this time getting all the people off apparently let them get to whatever was wrong and fix it. So two hours later, we started our flight. One of the few positives was that we got to catch up with Scott Adsit and his lovely girlfriend.

Other than the two hour delay, the flight was pretty much textbook. We caught a cab to the hotel and then went off to the convention center. It was a little further than we thought it was and a lot hotter than we had factored in but we made it vowing to use the shuttles from now on.

We are at table 1428 on the floor and had quite a few people coming to get autographs or buy books and scripts on Thursday.

We got back to the hotel while there was a mad karaoke party going on. I was wondering if I would get to sleep but that wasn’t too much of a problem.

Friday was the 4th of July so we had brought along our dvd of 1776 that we watched at the table that morning. David tradition upheld.

Now we come to one of my most favorite moments of the convention.

(For the VI this is a picture of me on the left and Caroll Spinney on the right. I have my Rumplestilskin puppet on my right hand (far left) which has gold skin and a red cloak. His hair is over his eye. I am wearing a black shirt with an image of a Minion (from Despicable Me) dressed as Wolverine over that I have a black bowling shirt with a red collar and lapels). Mr. Spinney is wear a black shirt with a checked black and white shirt over it. He had white hair and beard. He is holding in his hand a photo of him, Big Bird and Oscar.)

I got to talk to Mr. Spinney again and we had a lovely conversation about my puppets, his puppetry work and various other topics. He complimented me on the faces of my puppets. He said I did very well at bringing the face to life. He gave me some pointers for the interior of the head that I hadn’t thought of before. I also had a lovely talk with his wife Debra about puppets and the film “I am Big Bird.”

The rest of the day was talking to fans and friends. Caroline kind of hit the wall about 3 so we left at 4 after Peter got done with his panel and came back to the room to just veg for a bit.

This morning I woke up about the same time as Caroline (6:15) and we were quiet until Peter woke up about 8.

Peter is off to the convention this morning. I promised Caroline swimming before convention. So after I finish writing this, we are going to get ready to do just that.

I figure we will get to the convention around lunchtime and spend the rest of the day there.

It had been fun and educational. I am having a hard time remembering that it is Saturday and not Sunday because we have already been at the convention for two days.

I am grateful for puppeteers who help other puppeteers.

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Posted By Kathleen David on July 2, 2014

I have been asked by more than one party recently if their “X” aged child would be all right at Dragon Con or not.

So I am going to give you my opinion based on observation and Caroline’s experience at the convention.

Caroline has been going to Dragon Con her entire life. I know we are in the unusual situation of being guests of the convention, which give us certain perks. I am hoping that what I write will be of general use for someone just going to Dragon Con.

I am asked “what age is a good age for a child at Dragon Con”? I say it depends on the child really.

There are a lot of families at Dragon Con. I know a number of children that, like Caroline, have been to Dragon Con every year of their lives. Some of them are adults now. Dragon Con does try to be family friendly.

Dragon Con is big really big. You may think it is a long way to the chemist’s but that is nothing compare to Dragon Con. The convention is spread over seven (?) hotels and the apparel mart. There can be (is) a lot of walking at Dragon Con. There is time between panels and events to get from point A to point B but I add 10 minutes to my time and 20 if Caroline is with me because of the crowds. Caroline is not partial to crowds but she sucks it up for Dragon. You have to keep an eye or hand on your kid pretty much the whole time.

There are a number of panels in all the various tracks that are geared to children. Some of these are hands on like the puppet making workshop for kids. Others are regular panels with speakers and the like. The program book gives you a fair idea of what the panels are about and who they are geared for.

There is the parade, which is a lot of fun to watch for kids. There are the gaming sessions that the older kids can sign up for. There is the Yule Tide Ball for the Harry Potter fans. There are concerts and costume calls and a lot of things to do with the kids both day and night.

Caveat here. There are performances and a couple of contests, especially in the evening, that are for adults only. There are costumes showing a lot of skin or the super hero equivalent of the naughty nurse costumes you see at Halloween. There are some extreme body mod people wandering around so you may be explaining why someone looks a certain way to your child. I had to explain what someone had done to their ears because they had taken out their plugs and their ear lobe was down to their shoulder. There are areas of Dragon Con, especially after dark, which you want to steer clear of with younger children.

Feeding your child can be a challenge especially in the food court since most places get slammed and stay slammed for most of the convention. I tend to stagger our meals so I am not up against it during the busiest times of the day.

If you are staying at a hotel, I suggest, especially for the younger children, a break at some point in the day just to get the noise out of your ears. To use a bathroom that you control and just decompress from all the input. I still do that with Caroline and for myself.

I have also been asked when can one let one’s children run around Dragon Con. I can say that Caroline has limited freedom like if she is in artist alley with Dad, she can wander that room, the art show, and the bathroom but no further without a trusted adult. If she wants to go anywhere else, she is accompanied. Ariel wasn’t allowed to go to a panel on her own until she was 16 and even then we had her check in via text. There are a lot of people at Dragon Con and not all of them have your or your child’s best interest at heart but I don’t think the hazard is any greater than wandering around NYC or a theme park.

I hope this helps and please ask any and all questions you have. I am an old Dragon Con hand and am willing to tell you what I know.

I am grateful to parents who can navigate Dragon Con safely with their children.

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Posted By Kathleen David on July 1, 2014

The Art Show List
The Detective (puppet)
The Captain (puppet)
Evil Queen (puppet)
The Beauty (puppet)
Snow (puppet)
Charming (puppet)
The Archer (puppet)
Nick Furry (Doll)
The Beast (puppet)
Metal Master (puppet)
The Mentalist (puppet)
Shapeshifter (puppet)
Cat-tain (Doll)
Dragon Trainer (Doll)
Wumplekins (Doll)
Dog Soldier (Doll)
Phluzzie #1 (puppet)
Phluzzie #2 (puppet)
Monster Man (puppet)
Monster Woman (puppet)

Plus Caroline’s Astrid Costume version 2 and my outfit for workmanship this year although that might turn into a puppet. Plus my puppet slam puppets.

Yep, the bar is high but not impossible.

Today is to finish the commission piece and then onto the next thing.

Photos will start next week.

I am grateful for things done.

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