How to survive the con
44 days left until DragonCon in Atlanta. I'm starting to do the fangirl geek out as I start planning what I'm going to pack. It will probably be comfortable jean or cargo pants, snarky/geeky t-shirts (such as this one from Questionable Content at TopatoCo), and a pair of puck horns from Pan's Devil Horns. My next move is going to be to find out if the schedule is up for this year yet so I can plan out what panels I want to attend. Yes, this will involve spreadsheets, and possibly maps with lines and arrows so I can find everything. Maneuvering around the Hyatt can be confusing.
The DragonCon crew kindly posted tips for surviving the con created by How Stuff Works on Facebook today and I thought I'd add a few of my own.
BIS's survival kit (which is nicely packed in a ThinkGeek bag of holding):
2 travel packs Wet wipes
travel pack of Lysol wipes
bottle of hand sanitizer
favorite brand of band aids
antiseptic wound ointment/spray (I like this one)
travel packs of tissues
single serving snacks
ibuprofen, aspirin, Pepto
extra hair ties
floppy hat (for watching the parade)
spare batteries
If you think all the sanitizers are crazy, remember precautions are good. It's a whole bunch of people from all over packed into tight spaces and eating unhealthy from the mall's food court. This will be my third trip to the DC and I always get sick. It's no fun spending Sunday sitting in the hotel room blowing green snot out of your nose. On the plus side, the only way I've caught the BSG main panel is by watching it on DCTv in the room (btw, both Edward James Olmos and Jamie Bamber are confirmed as attending).
For women, bring plenty of tampons/pads/liners/whatever-you-prefer because you never know and the Fates have a sick sense of humor. If you forget, the newsstand in Peachtree Mall sells small packs of them but not cheaply.
Another BIS tip: When you pick up your badge, you will get a booklet printed on newsprint. It has what all the panels are, when and where they're being offered, and most importantly, maps of the hotels. This is your bible for the weekend. Nothing in the hotels connects in a logical fashion. You'll see lots of people wandering around staring at the maps wondering how the hell they ended up where they are. Not that getting lost is bad. I would have never stumbled on to the "How to Survive a Zombie Attack" panel if I hadn't taken the wrong set of stairs.
Which reminds me of another thing. Plan to take the stairs. You can easily spend 20 minutes waiting to catch an elevator with enough space to squeeze in. Besides, walking is good for you. I tell myself that in hopes that it will make up for the fact I'll be eating Dairy Queen and Chick-fil-a for 4 days. Leave me with my delusions.
Anyway, here's the first pre-DragonCon post from the Bad Influence Speaks. There will be more as we approach. I may or may not post from DC. It depends on whether my sister brings her netbook as I don't want to haul my XPS around all weekend.
Have fun, fellow geeks. I'll see you there.