Eight weeks of insanity and pics to prove it.

And just like that- we are almost half way through October.  Hi friends.  I'm back.  And like usual, I am back with a bajillion adventure stories and pictures.  The last time I wrote I was going over my San Diego Comic Con week.  The insane 5 days of running around with no sleep, meeting everyone I could imagine and sharing milkshakes with new friends. 
Now, half way through October, I've taken a much needed break from comic cons to focus on acting, and I've had an opportunity to breathe a little while doing so.  Although  not for long, I've still enjoyed every second I've been able to spend with my friends and family. Ok, enough of the girly gush! ugh.
In August I did a few photo shoots.  I worked with Larry Alan again (photos not yet released) while on a roadtrip to Tucson.  We explored the city for a day and stopped in at

 1702 for a slice of the biggest pizza I've ever seen and some really good beer.  

 

I shot with Dennis Mong - hair and makeup by Cheryl Roden (Mong)

 

Then I shot a really fun box set with London

 

 After those shoots I took a beautiful trip with a group of people I am soon to be shooting a movie with.  We went up to the woods and talked about our next project.  It was SO BEAUTIFUL OMGAFGLOLLERZFASDLW!!!

 

After the trip, I got a few days to get ready for the Saboten Con in Glendale, Arizona which ran from August 29-September 1st.  I was fortunate to be invited as a guest this year so I was there all weekend with all of my stuff and got to hang out with friends the whole time.  It was pretty fantastic. 

 

So then it was September.  Good ol' September.  I was planning on leaving for New Orleans after my next event, which was the Ventura con, which I was also a guest at, so other than packing up oh so much stuff, I had to say goodbye to my Tortoise, Maturin :(

I found her a nice home and sent her off with a gigantic bag of food.  Bye bye my sweet little reptile.  May you go shit in someone else's yard.

September!!!!!!  I did another shoot with Larry since I got some more gifts from my Wishlist - so- NEW PRINTS!

I was invited as a guest to C4 in Ventura, California so I road tripped it with a group of friends and they helped me all weekend at the convention.  Then convention, put on by WTF events was RIGHT ON THE BEACH.  Not a block away, but ON the beach.  You could look out the convention doors and watch the ocean.  It had the best scenery of any convention that I"ve ever been to.  While at the show I was a part of a panel on Diversity in the industry along with Damion Poitier (Avengers, True Blood), Theo Crane (The Walking Dead), and Dino Andrade (Ghost in the Shell, Batman: Arkham Asylum). It was a packed panel and we had a fantastic discussion with the audience.  When I can find a video I'll post it for those of you who would like to see it.  

 First day of the con- I dressed for beach weather... :)

 

 Dino Andrade

Theo Crane

At the convention, I spoke with several casting directors, one of whom hinted at a pretty good opportunity at the end of October in Los Angeles.  I decided to stay in California and Arizona through the end of October since, if cast, I wouldn't have to travel all the way from New Orleans.  After I made that decision  I found out that the next project I am working on would start weekly character work and full cast rehearsals.  So, for the remainder of September, in between the flooding, birthday parties and face paint- I was researching and working on my character like mad.  I can't tell you anything about her yet- or the series, but it's different, yet again, from anything you've seen me do.  

So, that is what the rest of my summer was filled with and now we move into October.  There will be much more to post this month and continuing on into the future so I'll talk to you all very soon! 

P.S.- You don't have Ebola.

 

My week through glass at SDCC 2014 part 2

Part two of my SDCC 2014/Google Glass adventure starts
NOW!
(Still) Thursday, July 24th
Using Glass: WWhat I haven't yet gone over is what it looks like to see through glass.  That, of course is very important.  Since I don't wear glasses, I was able to wear lightweight, comfortable frames.  The color I had was cotton, which is white.  It matched with everything, which is important since I dress up for a living. ;p
When I put the frames on, in my right eye, I could see the 'screen.'  The screen is a Heads up display, meaning you see the images displayed in a holographic form, a little above where you would normally be looking.  This display is basic, the light from it isn't bright so it doesn't hurt your eyes, and the text is displayed large enough to comfortably see and read.  **You can also get glass attached to your RX glasses.****
The only time the display lit up is if I did the head nod to wake it up, tapped it on the side, winked to take a pic, or if I got a text or phone call.  The beauty of the text is that if I hear the beep letting me know I have a message, if I don't glance at the screen, the message won't show up until I want it to.
What can I do with Google Glass?
Everything I can on my phone, basically.  I can text, responding through voice, make and receive phone calls- which use vibration for sound, so there is no way to hurt your eardrum and you can hear everything clearly.   I was able to download apps, like google sky map.  That app blew me away on Glass.  Not only do you see each constellation clearly, but it shows you the shapes of each, outlining it in a beautiful blue.  I instantly knew every star in the sky that I was looking at, it was incredible!!! I could check email, use a translator, use navigation, do google searches, take 10 second video clips and if I wanted,  I could have installed a ton of other applications.  I needed to stay as focused as possible though, and playing a game where I'm running from zombies  may not have been the best thing to let distract me.
So, along with Glass, I continued my day.

 

If you cosplay, getting anywhere without being stopped for pics is almost impossible.

 

Heading back to the hotel

 

I'm going out comfy. Yup.

 Day 2 over, night 2, just beginning.  I walked next door to a taco shop with some friends and had some delicious fish tacos after waiting in line for about 45 minutes for food.  If you expect things to be quick when there are 150,000 people in town, you are very mistaken.  I didn't mind though.  You don't really mind much during SDCC, the energy is too high, it's fantastic!

After food we couldn't decide what to do so we went towards the Random House party, which was on the roof of the library. 

 Walking in...it looks empty

 Just walked through an empty library..now, 9th floor

We get to the top...and there they are! It was like opening a door to another world, going from echoing hallways of an empty library to a very busy rooftop.  I'd been here before, 2 years ago, for another party.  I loved this rooftop, there were winding hallways that opened up into other sitting and standing rooms.  It was lovely.  

Inside, there was an open bar and a dessert table.  To the right. facing the bar, there was a small table set up against the ledge, overlooking the city with strawberry and mint water.  A lil something for everyone.
Not 5 minutes after I got to there someone came up to our group and asked if we went to say hi yet.  ????  

Of course, explaining glass.

To George.  Did we say hi to George yet. R. R. Martin.  Are you serious? No-, we hadn't. But yes, we did.  So, I got to meet the man himself.  He was very nice, asked about google glass and told me the ending to his series.  No biggie.  After that I went to the other side of the roof- with the alcohol, to get myself turnt (wasted) because, I'd just met R.R. Martin, my weekend was complete.  Open bar, here I come! (***lies***)

I met up with some other friends that were there and was introduced to the man with the largest private collection of Star Wars memorabelia (Ranch Obi-wan), Steve Sansweet . Wonderful person. 

Then, I ran into author Sam Sykes, who, I seem to be running into all of the time.  We went to go talk to his friends.  Of course... they're all friends.  It really is such a small world.

 I hadn't even tried anything... might as well take one for the elevator ride down.

 As we got downstairs we all  parted ways for other shananigans.  I stuck along side Sam for a little bit, he found friends and stopped to talk and then....

Hey guys..y'all from outta state?!

Oh shit, this is about to get awkward.  But wait, what? She wanted to tell us to have an amazing time, wish us the best of luck with everything, and just tell us everything positive that someone stopping you on the street could offer.  How heartwarming.  Awww. 

 The rest of the night ended pretty quietly.  I walked to another hotel, met up with a few friends there and then walked back to the Omni to get some rest before the real fun of the weekend was about to start. 

Throughout the entire day and night - about 10am until 4am, I only needed to charge glass once.  I had an external charger with me so I was able to easily charge it in my bag.  Another convenience.  

I'll be back with the next few days of the convention and more info on google glass. 

My week through glass at SDCC 2014

What an incredibly unforgettable and wonderful week at the San Diego Conic con.  Not only did I have the most incredible show ever, but I got to document it ALL thanks to Google Glass and illustrator/developer/ Glass explorer , Justin Chung .

Quick heads up, these next few posts are going to be very long and will have many, many pictures. 

Since I'm sure there are many of you who want to go but weren't able to, and for those who are curious as to what the experience is like, I am going to do my best to bring an idea of the experience to you.

Wednesday- July 23rd.
 I spent the night before packing the rest of my outfits for the week.  I didn't think I was going to be going to the convention but a lot of business came up that I couldn't miss, so .... here I am packing last minute.  I would pack and nap an hour or 2..up until 9 am when I slept past my alarm and woke up to a text letting me know that my carpool buddies, Eric and Leah Rose were sitting on my porch, playing with my tortoise waiting for me.  Whoops.
So, we packed up the car and before leaving state we stopped for a huge breakfast.  San Diego Comic con is an adventure.  Five very long days of adventuring.  So, starting the with a good breakfast is PERFECT!!!!
After the long drive to San Diego, I met up with Justin on the floor and hung out for the rest of the night.  Apparently, my way in Guillermo del Toro stopped by the table and was looking at Justin's art, which included my pinups.

Pics or it didn't happen? It happened.

I said hi to everyone there and decided to walk Eric around to show him some of the main booths and places to be.  I only made it about half-way through but at least I got to see -- 

 

and his eyes lit up.

When I got back to the table Justin told me that he brought an extra pair of Google glass for me to wear for the weekend.  Whaaa?!?!? I was beyond excited.  I've worn them before, but never had a pair to explore with on my own.  This was going to be an incredible week! On the way to the hotel I took some last minute cell phone pics  and Justin got a pic of me before the glass experience started.

 In San Diego you share a room with multiple people..... 99.9% of the time.  This time I was fortunate enough to be room sharing at the Omni which was immediately across the street from the convention center.  As soon as we got in the room, Justin helped to get me started with the setup. 
Glass Setup- It couldn't get easier.  I launched the play store on my phone (Android OS) and installed 'My Glass'.  It had me pair my device with the phone through the number it provided me, had me answer a few setup questions and then I was set.  My phone and the glass were paired.
The setup on the pair of glass that was on my face was also pretty simple. Just a simple tap on the side would turn them on and a swipe forward or backwards allowed me to navigate through the menus.  I was asked to set the tilt so that I could have the glass turn on with a head nod, I calibrated it so that it would take a picture with just a wink, and I was able to set it so that if I got a message, me glancing at the 'screen'  after I heard a light beep would make the message appear.  If I didn't want to be/couldn't be bothered by the message, I wouldn't look and the screen wouldn't even light up.  It was incredibly convenient. 

 

My first picture through glass

  

Set up

Thursday- July 24th

 

I'm going to be using Glass all weekend, I might as well learn how to use it. Yup, I'm doing my nails.  A 'getting ready for the con' pic that would have been a little harder to take with my phone. 

Heading out for day 2! 

 It's still mid-week so it doesn't seem too busy yet....

 Oh wait- massive line.  They must want to see some celebrity. I ask, "What is the line for guys?" everyone smiles, "Catching Fire!."  I think, how great, this line is at least 2 blocks how fun, they'll get to see Jennifer Lawrence or Liam Hemsworth.  As I continue walking I wonder- panel? signing? what? So I ask.  The answer? A pin and a sticker.  That's all.  The stars of the movie aren't going to be anywhere around, these fans just want a collectible item from a series they love.  How wonderful.

 As I show a friend how to use Google Glass.

My Victorians.  Vega and Sammi, came by to buy my newest prints, my limited edition trading card and get my new promo card.  

I was getting the hang of glass, walking around winking while walking to practice taking pictures.  The pictures that the glass takes are incredible in the fact that you get a very wide frame.  You can stand right up to something and you'll capture everything your eye could see.

On to Thursday night- I'll be posting that soon! Also- who went to SDCC??

Hey, real quick, before I leave

I never thought I'd be so busy before heading off for Louisiana but- it's been pretty much insanity around here.
Late last week was making sure to meet up with my friend Cheryl, soon to be bride.  I'm one of her bridesmaids so we went over decorations, reception plans, etc.  Cheryl also happens to do makeup and her fiance is Dennis, of Dennis Mong Photography. So, we ended up going to Phoenix, finding some incredible art and shooting :)

Then, Wednesday, it was time for me to get updated headshots.  When you get headshots, depending on who you go to, you usually do different looks and shots.  So, I did not only headshots but 3/4 and full body.  Oh, the things you need for casting.
Since I was already shooting, we made a day of it and I shot product for ModifiedMinds and Torture Coture's new catalog with Larry Alan Photo

Scorpion hands

Behind the Scenes

After an entire day and afternoon of shooting....and running on zero sleep, I made it home with 3 hours to get ready for a commercial shoot.  I napped for about and hour and then grabbed my stuff and ran out the door to film.  I had a fantastic time filming and then went out for sushi!!!!
 I am supposed to film one more commercial before I leave for NOLA.  That should be next week at some point.  With the shooting, filming and upcoming move, I will not be able to make it to SDCC this year :(  This will be the first time in 4 years that I will miss the show.  I'm sad because conventions are one of the only times that I get to see and spend time with my friends (my con-family), but, I must leave that for later in the year, as my career is calling. 
Also, if you didn't get the email or notification-- The finale of GEEK CRED is now out!!

You can see me briefly in the 2nd episode, entitled 'Detective Comics Store,' guest starring Jim O'heir from the award winning comedy, Parks and Recreation.  I had such a great time working on the show and can't wait to go back and work on the next episodes.  Got geek cred? #GetSome
******Quick addition!!!**********
Coscards, myself and other wonderful cosplayers have teamed up to bring you cosplay trading cards! The first set will be available online and at the San Diego Comic Con in just 5 days!!  The set includes some of the biggest and best cosplayers including Sara Moni, Toni Darling, Castle Corsetry and more!