I’m in heaven.

Let me back up for a moment. Thursday was a long one. It was full of alternating chunks of travel, waiting, and socialization. Plane ride. Wait at airport. Drive with friend. Eat brunch. Bus ride. Wait at station. Train ride. Visit/light snack with friends. Wait at coffee shop. Visit/dinner/overnight with friends.

Friday was all sorts of different. My friend with whom I’d stayed the night drove me to the Marriott, the con’s hotel, in plenty of time to pick up my badge and take care of some other business before the first of the programming. At first it was a bit uncomfortable, because I’d not managed to find my con-going friend (hereafter Con Buddy) yet, and as a n00b, really didn’t have any idea what to expect, or where to find anything of interest. The first stop was thus “Gallifrey 101,” the panel for con neophytes.

Here we got our first taste of a theme that continued throughout the day (and, I imagine, will continue throughout the con): there are a LOT of us here this year! The room in which Gallifrey 101 was held was standing room only, and there were very few, if any, con members in that room who didn’t raise their hands when asked if we were first-timers. It’s growing.

Now that we had a bit more of an idea of what to expect, we could head off to the con proper. Programming tracks were about to start, and there was lots to see and do. Con Buddy and I chose first to sit in on “An Hour with Richard Franklin” with the actor who portrayed Capt. Mike Yates. I have to say, Mr. Franklin is a lovely person – another theme I saw continued elsewhere – and I was really glad to have had the opportunity to get to know a bit more of his personality, and be among those welcoming him to his first American con. [Trivia: Did you know that Richard Franklin had run for public office several times (though he’s never won)?]

With an hour before our own panel, Con Buddy and I decided to split up to eat lunch and such. Con Buddy got some toys for his kids, and some autographs. I just sat down to eat, and got to chat with some other con members and exchange ribbons. (I’ve been told my “River was framed!” ribbon is getting lots of interest.) It’s been great fun just getting to know some new people (welcome, to any of you who are now visiting the blog for the first time!).

Nerves were starting to set in as the panel approached (oddly, I think I was getting more relaxed while Con Buddy was getting more wound up). Sitting up there with David Wise and Simon Guerrier in the middle, two other podcaster/fan-types on the far end, and Con Buddy and I on the other, we got the chance to proselytize about the wonders of pre-Hiatus Who in a crowd of folks who, for the most part, seem not to have seen any. It was great fun. I hope we convinced a few people to give the pre-Hiatus stories a fair shake.

After stepping off stage, we were just plain-ol’ con members again. What to do next? We split up, having slightly different interests in what was being offered at the time. Con Buddy stayed for “More Magic of Dr Who Music,” and I headed to the ballroom for the interview series. I missed some of the interview withe William Russell (photo scheduled for Saturday!), but got to see all of Lousie Jameson, Camille Coduri (who, honestly, I wasn’t terribly interested in, but by that time I’d snagged a killer pair of seats, and I wasn’t about to give them up), and Paul McGann.

McGann told us that he always felt that the Eighth Doctor is kind of… tolerated, and so he’s got a little bit of a paranoid streak about it. In this crowd, the love was strong, so no fear there, but I really think that attitude – that Eight is the Black Sheep of the family – might once have been true (in the early years after The Movie), but that it’s been evolving since. Eight really is a wonderful, transitional Doctor between pre- and post-Hiatus eras. That first review of mine (“The Ugly Docling”) may be more aptly titled than even I thought at the time…

The opening ceremonies (yes, after a full day of programming) were next, and many of the guests who came on stage – despite having been forewarned of the size of the crowd – still stopped and goggled at the 3000 or so people packed in to see them. It was lovely to see a bit of that human side of them. Yes, the fans love you all!

A brief break for dinner, and back to the ballroom for Louise Jameson’s wonderful one-woman show, Pulling Faces. It was brilliant and moving, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

By the time Louise’s show ends, I’ve been up for 18 hrs straight (again). Time for bed, with great anticipation for Saturday. It feels like it can’t get any better, but I have a suspicion it will.