Nerd HQ 2015 Wrap Up

By: Nerd on the Run Els

Confession: I only spent about 2-3 hours at Comic-Con this year.  If you needed to find me, the place I spent the most time was Nerd HQ.  It’s no secret that Nerd HQ has a special place in my heart. And this year, my con experience wasn’t so much about the celebrities & panels as it was more about the people. I’ve met life-long friends specifically through Nerd HQ, and so my heart just feels that pull every July to be there and make that a priority. I always adore HQ, and this year was no different. 

The New Children’s Museum was the venue this year – and I loved it. The Nerd Machine had the entire 3 floors of the building to create a haven for nerds. The bottom floor was for the Conversations for a Cause (which you can see on the Nerd Machine’s YouTube page), the main floor for hanging out, taking photos, and dancing, while the top floor was devoted to gaming.  Again, HQ was FREE to enter, and any Conversation ticket or Smiles for Smiles went to Operation Smile.  

I was lucky this year and scored 5 different Conversations for a Cause:  Zac Levi, Mr. Robot, Nathan Fillion, Badass Women, and The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials. Again, the tickets were $22 and all proceeds went to Operation Smile. With every sold out panel, 16 children will now be able to smile freely. THAT’S INCREDIBLE. There were so many panels this year, and some panelists included: Joss Whedon, Supernatural, The Last Ship, William Shatner, and the founders of Operation Smile (I encourage you to check that one out.)  

There were also many old & new faces at the photo booths for Smiles for Smiles this year. Staples like Yvonne Strahovski, Nathan Fillion, and Alan Tudyk were around and some new faces like Hayley Atwell, Clark Gregg, Tyler Posey, and the cast of Con Man joined in on the photo booth fun. Unfortunately, Zac didn’t have a Smiles photo opportunity this year – but folks... he was BUSY. I know if he could have squeezed any more time in his day to do one, he would have. But there is always next year if you missed out to meet the incredible Mr. Levi. 

This year there were TWO nerd parties – and they were EPIC.  I went to both this year, and each night was incredibly fun.  It was great to let loose and blow off some steam and just HAVE FUN.  And bonus, a bunch of celebs would often come down to the dance floor and party with us nerds.  But for future HQ parties I have a general plea:  please DO NOT record/take a pic if a celebrity decides to join you on the dance floor.  PLEASE.  They are there to have fun and blow off steam too... and wouldn’t you rather DANCE with your favorite celebrity than take a blurry picture of it?  I know I would!  Everyone is way more comfortable if phones aren’t always out and everyone can just dance together.  I know it’s tempting, but just try and enjoy the memory instead of getting in someone’s face with your phone.  Trust me, you’ll remember the moment! 

Overall I think everything worked really smoothly at HQ this year. The RFID tags worked SO MUCH BETTER than last year and the registration process was generally efficient and easy. The app seemed to be less glitchy and every announcement was either tweeted out or had a push notification on the app. No stadium seating for the Conversations were a bit of a bummer, but they did have TVs in the panel room broadcasting if you couldn’t see. While last year felt a bit crowded at Petco, this year had more of a relaxed/hang out vibe. It wasn’t complete wall to wall people (although traffic was steady) and you truly felt like you could sit on a couch, charge your phone, and chat with people.  

Like I said, for me, this year wasn’t about the celebrities... it was about so so much more.  Last week was about reconnecting and strengthening bonds with friends, giving to an amazing organization, having FUN, and forgetting the outside world for a while.

I haven't felt like I've truly been able to just breathe and let loose in a long time. But HQ was so good for my soul. It changed me yet again. Thank you, nerds... thank you for laughing with me, smiling with me, giving EPIC hugs, crying with me, and dancin’ with me. You all made this a damn near perfect trip. 

It costs nothing to be kind, and I have been blessed beyond measure.  <3 

I hope your Nerd HQ experience was just as amazing as mine.  Onward to NerdHq 2016!  As always, thank you for reading! Xoxo

5 Fandom Friday: Five Favorite Swags of SDCC 2015

WE made it nerds to the Friday after SDCC! Everyone recovered?! Luckily I had Monday to recover and have been working all week....boo! LOL This post was originally 5 favorite con purchases...but I'm trying to save a bit and I got so much awesome swag that I just had to share with you my favorites!! It was HARD to narrow it down to five, so I threw in a bonus! 

1. Farewell to Phineas and Ferb Poster. The one and only panel I attended at SDCC 2015 was the farewell to Phineas and Ferb. I started watching the show when I began work at a pre-school in 2009. The  four kids who introduced the show to me back then are like my children and it was nice to be able to bring this poster to them after the con ended! BONUS points about why these kids are amazing...one knew what my tattoo was and what it meant! My nerdy-ness rubbed off!

2. SDCC Programs Guide. I was so busy this con that I forgot to even LOOK at the programs guide until I left the con. I ALMOST gave this one away! It was super surreal to see my name in a book that I've read every year for seven years and the REASON I started this blog! WOWAZA!

3. The Walking Dead bag. I LOVE me a good old fashion swag bag and add on one of my FAVE shows and you gotta a winner. I was lucky enough to walk by the booth who were handing these out and easily snatched up two...and then came back again on Sunday and got a 3rd! I love taking these grocery shopping with me, they always start the best CON-versations!

4. Photo booth photos. I had a LOT of different FEELS at this con. It was very different. BUT looking back on these photos make me feel soooooooooo LOVED and happy. I cannot wait to get these up on my wall to remind me everyday, why I LIVE, LOVE and BLOG!

5. SherlockeDCC tea. I hate to toot my own horn, but our SherlockeDCC party swag is pretty amazeballs! LOOK at that awesome tin full of CUSTOM tea from Adagio!

There was tooooooo much awesome at SDCC this year. SO JUST ONE MORE!

6. Nerdy Cards Against Humanity from Wattpad. I've NEVER played CAH but have been dying too and NOW I have some awesome nerdy cards to LOL over the entire time! Thanks Wattpad for providing them for our Geeks Go Glam party guests!

Should I say it again...this was one of my FAVE 5 Fandom Friday posts ever! It was so joyful to reminisce about an amazing con! I cannot wait to see your posts, so make sure you tag me on Twitter for a RT! Share your favorites in the comments below too!

ORIGIN OF 5 FANDOM FRIDAY!

PAST POSTS & COMING SOON:

October  3rd:  Gateway Fandoms That Made Me Who I Am Today

October 10th:  Geeky Clothing Items I Need In My Closet Immediately

October 17th:  Characters I'd Love To Dress Up As For Halloween

October 24th:  My Must See List of Halloween Movies

November  7th:  Comfort Foods That Always Make Me Feel Better

November 14th:  Smart Phone Apps I Cannot Live Without

November 21st:  Characters I Would Invite To My Thanksgiving Feast

November 28th:  Black Friday Purchases I Would Sacrifice A Night Of Sleep For

December 5th:  My Favorite Holiday Songs To Spread Cheer

December 12th:  Presents I Want Santa To Bring Me

December 19th:  My Must See List of Christmas Movies

December 26th:  New Years Blogging Resolutions

January 9th:  My Favorite Things About Winter

January 16th:  Conventions I've Been To Or Wish To Attend

January 23rd:  Songs That Changed My Life

January 30th:  Favorite Fandom Accessories I Own

February 6th: Favorite Funko Pop Figures

February 13th: Favorite Fictional Couples I Ship

February 20th: Things I've Bought But Haven't Read/Watched/Played Yet

February 27th: Character's I Would Name My Kids After

March 6th: Favorite Snacks/Drinks To Consume While Blogging

March 13th: My Fictional Boyfriends

March 20th: My Comfort Films

March 27th: One Fandom Item Styled Five Different Ways

April 3rd: 5 Times I Totally Fangirled

April 10th: 5 Magical Items I Would Love To Own

April 17th: Favorite Theme Park Rides 

April 24th: Games I Love To Play

May 8th: Favorite Fictional Moms

May 15th: Your 5 Most Binge Worthy Shows

May 22nd: 5 Nerdiest Things You've Ever Done

May 29th: 5 Fictional Characters You Most Identify With

June 5th - Comic Book Heroes You Would Like To See With Their Own Series Or Movie via @JaymFace

June 12th - Favorite Fictional Fathers

June 19th - Characters With My Favorite Fictional Closet

June 26th - Fandom Guilty Pleasures via @MeghanSaraK

July 3rd - Five Favorite Aliens via @MeghanSaraK

July 10th - Five Spinoffs I'd Like To See Get Made 

July 17th - Five Things You Own That You Bought At Cons

July 24rd - Five Fictional Vehicles I'd Love To Travel In

July 31st - Five Fictional Pets I'd Like To Adopt -  via Sara Richey 

| Check out our GEEK shirts! |

Keeping Up With My Blog At San Diego Comic Con With The HP Pavilion 17.3” Notebook

The storm that is San Diego Comic Con has finally subsided....TEAR! I am already in full SDCC depression mode. Here are 8 of the ways I'm combating that! But enough sad! Let's focus on the happiness that happened during the con!

This was my seventh year at SDCC and it was my favorite! Every year just keeps getting better and better and thanks to my brand new HP Pavilion 17.3” Notebook—which comes in five awesome colors and pre-loaded with Windows 10, I was able to keep ALL of you nerds up to date on what happened each day of the con!

The HP Pavilion 17.3” Notebook was easy enough to fit in my SDCC survival bag. So working anywhere I could find time at SDCC was a breeze. Windows 10's InstantGo technology allowed me to boot up and resume working quickly when I found the time.

Portable enough to get out while traveling to and from the con. The Trolley was CRAZY, but that didn't stop me from getting in some writing time! My favorite Windows 10 function was the ability to have multiple apps on the screen at once. Perfect for writing and keeping up with all the social media updates!

And with Windows 10 there was MORE than enough battery life to last through an entire day of editing photos and writing posts. PLUS with 1 TB hard drive, I could never take too many photos! #NoSleepTillSDCC

At only $699.95 plus free shipping, exclusively on the HSN, the laptop doesn't break the con budget and I was still able to treat myself to a few things while at SDCC!

How did you bloggers fair at SDCC?! Get much writing done?! Share with me in the comments below! PLUS don't miss out on this exclusive The HP Pavilion 17.3” Notebook on sale ONLY at HSN on July 18th!

Thank you HP and HSN for helping me have a successful SDCC! Shout out to The Gamer Geek for being my photographer! This post was sponsored by HP and HSN. All thoughts are my own. 

SDCC 2015 Wrap Up Posts:

WB Swag Bag Dress 2015

The Nerd Fu Podcast & Preview Night 2015

Day One: The Wrath of Con Panel

    Geeks Go Glam

Day Two + SherlockeDCC 2015

Day Three

Day Four

Keeping Up With My Blog At SDCC

San Diego Comic Con 2015 - Day Four

THE END OF SDCC 2015!!!! BUT there is still one more day. And guess what? It was the best day! Spoiler alert I didn't cry this day! LOL

The team packed up our hotel room at the Town and Country Resort and had one last photo op before hitting the Trolley.

We had to do a quick good bye to Nerd on the Run ON the Trolley. Probably better that way. I was so over my crazy emotions by then! Then The Gamer Geek and I were off to the Farewell to Phineas and Ferb panel. The Music Maven TIRED for the 4th time to get the Vikings swag...but it was capped for the day AGAIN! Sooooo she made a coffee run for us and joined us in the panel.

ALL three of us are HUGE Phineas and Ferb fans. There were a lot of tears during this good bye panel. Especially when the creators thanked the fans for ten years of support and then we gave him and the cast a standing ovation!

We wiped away the tears and headed back down to the con floor for a final go round!

Finally made a purchase...because...DUH!

Saw TWO amazing cosplayers...my best girl Angi Viper!

And for the first time Traci Hines who LOVED my HP tattoo and was also dressed appropriately!

The Gamer Geek was lucky enough to get a snap with our first celeb encounter of the con Guillermo Del Toro... was he ever a happy fanboy!

We saw TWO of our family fandoms...The Iron Giant!

AND this amazing Kronk cosplay from the Emperor's New Groove!

Then per con tradition, our last stop was the Nintendo Gaming Lounge in the Marriott. I had to pick up an extra life because #ConComa!

I wasn't able to say good bye to Being Geek Chic. Which we both decided was probably a good thing as we would have never let go and made a big messy scene! LOL BUT she did manage to make me cry with this special blog post. I love that lady so much and thanks to SDCC we are friends!

My final goodbye was to The Music Maven and The Gamer Geek. I made that one quick too. I told them I'll see them for Christmas...and the A Silent Film fall tour. I am super proud I left San Diego happy and with no tears shed.

It was a good con looking back. It was a tough one, but I made it and now LIFE is about to happen. I can't believe everything that happened this SDCC and I wouldn't change this con for the world. It was a growing and learning experience. Thank you to everyone who made it special. If you are reading this...that is YOU!

See you at SDCC 2016 nerds! xx

SDCC 2015 Wrap Up Posts:

WB Swag Bag Dress 2015

The Nerd Fu Podcast & Preview Night 2015

Day One: The Wrath of Con Panel

    Geeks Go Glam

Day Two + SherlockeDCC 2015

Day Three

Day Four

Keeping Up With My Blog At SDCC

San Diego Comic Con 2015 - Day Three

SherlockeDCC was a HUGE SUCCESS with a couple special guests….more to come soon! Let’s talk SDCC day three! All the stresses were over and now was time to get down to some Comic Con business!

The Trolley was UBER busy on Saturday making us wait for TWO trains and then pack it in with other attendees…but all I cared about was getting to the CON! I hadn’t seen hardly anything and I was dying to get my con on! First stop?! Lego Marty McFly in the Hard Rock Hotel! I had seen someone Insta the sculpture and I JUST HAD to get a selfie with it!

2nd stop?! The other thing I was DYING to see…Raptor Squad at Petco Park! You were not a cool SDCC-er if you didn’t do this pose with the dinos! BOUNS I ran into The Mighty Jerd while waiting in line to enter the park and we got a Raptor bombed selfie together!

Petco Park this year was taken over by The Nerdist, Geek and Sundry and Amy Poeler’s Smart Girls. There was so much awesome happening here. The first thing I saw was that Daniel Radcliffe was going to have a panel at 3:15pm that day! I HAD to come back and see him, so we rushed out of there to get some more stuff seen before heading back.

Next stop?! Breakfast at noon with the Hello Kitty food truck! Donuts and lemonade is the breakfast of SDCC champions!

After fueling up, the team and I crossed over the SDCC foot bridge to the FX complex in front of the Hilton Bayfront Hotel. FX had a TON of awesome stuff to see and do. The one thing I NEEDED to do was the BIG Fargo snow globe photo op! I LOVE that show and cannot wait for season two!

I had no idea how early I had to arrive back at The Nerdist compound for Daniel Radcliffe, so after my Fargo photo, I left the team and arrived at Petco to a FRONT ROW spot! I pulled out my laptop and was able to write up a couple posts while waiting for Harry Potter! I half paid attention to Rooster Teeth, Tom Delonge and Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll. It was nice to see my very first member of Blink 182, it brang back some good memories. Plus Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll looks right up my alley!

Being Geek Chic ran all the way from a Nerd HQ panel ending at 3pm to JUST make it in time to see Daniel Radcliffe with me! It was so great to nerd out over one of our favorite actors TOGETHER!!

By that time I was SOOOOO ready for a con coma! We all headed back to the hotel for one of the BEST naps of my life before Nerd HQ’s last dance party.

I was so happy to finally see Zachary Levi for the first time that con! It’s not SDCC without our King of the Nerds!

I even had a dream come true that night! I was able to dance with the Raptor squad! They didn’t even eat me :)

This entire con I was struggling with so many different emotions flowing nonstop. That night on the way down in the Trolley, I almost got off and turned right back around to the hotel. I got to the party and really wasn’t feeling it. But as soon as we walked in I saw Crazy 4 Comic Con and Nerd on the Run and everything was right in my nerdy world. I remembered WHY I go to SDCC and it’s to SEE and HANGOUT with all my very best nerd friends. Nerd on the Run dragged me to the dance floor and even though I wasn’t feeling the music, I closed my eyes and danced the night away. I FELT SOOOOO much better! Music and friends really do heal ALL!

Day 4 coming at you soon nerds stay tuned! xx

SDCC 2015 Wrap Up Posts:

WB Swag Bag Dress 2015

The Nerd Fu Podcast & Preview Night 2015

Day One: The Wrath of Con Panel

    Geeks Go Glam

Day Two + SherlockeDCC 2015

Day Three

Day Four

Keeping Up With My Blog At SDCC

San Diego Comic Con 2015 - Day Two

Day two of SDCC was a bit CRAY CRAY! My panel was over, Geeks Go Glam was a success and SherlockeDCC was happening that night! So far I had not seen any of the convention show floor, so that was where my day two began with Nerd on the Run!

 You all know that my first stop HAD to be the BBCA booth! #Whovian

They had the coolest photo booth this year! It was a Weeping Angel attack! MY FAVE baddies! You had to do three different poses and this was me blinking.

 AND terrified because I finally saw the angel! LOL it was great and NO line!!!

The Walking Dead booth is always amazing and right next door I was able to get one of my favorite swags of the con...which I will share in my 5 Fandom Friday post this week!

CON friends are the BEST friends! I HAD to stop by and see my nerdy godmother Rebecca Hicks and her adorable Little Vampires! She won't tell you this but I will! SETH GREEN came to her booth and BOUGHT one of her lil werewolves!!! I was so excited and happy for her! If you haven't checked out her comic, please do, it's adorable!

It is NOT SDCC if I don't stop by Bongo Comics to buy the newest Futurama comic!! I LOVE this poster of the newest edition. I WOULD love to have it in my home!

ALREADY tired from SDCC fun...had to take a quick rest on the adorable and HUGE Disney Tsum Tsums!

 LEGO Chris Pratt? Yes please!

EVEN better than Lego Chris Pratt is Hulk Buster and Hulk Lego sculpture! That kid in the red's face says it all!

This was just a quick look at the con floor...because SherlockeDCC was that night and I had to go back home...gather my supplies for the party and get changed in to my custom dress by Geek Thread!

SDCC 2015 Wrap Up Posts:

WB Swag Bag Dress 2015

The Nerd Fu Podcast & Preview Night 2015

Day One: The Wrath of Con Panel

    Geeks Go Glam

Day Two + SherlockeDCC 2015

Day Three

Day Four

Keeping Up With My Blog At SDCC

San Diego Comic Con 2015 - Geeks Go Glam

I cannot believe that one small silly idea three months ago when Being Geek Chic's Liz came out to visit/work in LA came to fruition just a few days ago. When she came to visit both of us were going through a rough time {part one / part two}. It was meant to be that we came together at that exact moment. I don't think that Geeks Go Glam would have been born otherwise.

The party was an amazing success. We learned A LOT. And we did it together!

Quirk Books brought an amazing custom photo booth with a background straight out of Sam Maggs' The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy. It was a hit all night long! I WISH I had time to be in it more. THOUGH I was in in quite a bit and LOVE the photos with my nerds. I will be framing them when I get back home! I LOVE these nerd girls!

Kombucha on Tap brought us some amazing drinks! It was my very first time trying Kombucha and I loved it! They also had coffee which I HAD to Instagram in my #100cupsofcoffee series!

High Voltage Magazine brought my favorite band The Filthy Souls down from LA. Dave Green gave a smashing solo show! So much so, that people who were just walking BY the party wanted to come rock out with us! Dave even dedicated my favorite song of his to me I'm Dirty And I Know. #happytears Above is his amazing cover of Let's Get It On! Perfect for us nerds at SDCC yes?! LOL

We also had to hit up the photo booth with his GORG and talented girlfriend. I'm so happy to have these cool kids as friends. #LA4Eva

Wattpad provided our guests with some AWESOME swag bags...which included a super nerdy Cards Against Humanity deck! I've never played before and I cannot WAIT to use these cards! Who's ready for a game night?!

This party would NOT have happened if Liz and I didn't have some amazingly awesome nerdy friends. They volunteered at the party and made it perfect! They aren't just volunteers they are our nerd family! Thank you to Tillie, JD, Els, Noel, Joie, Brooke, Dan, and John for making our party amazing and letting Liz and I enjoy it!

People were freaking out for our awesome giveaway items from Think Geek Solutions, The Geeky Hostess and High Voltage Magazine. Thank you guys for making our guests so happy!

ONE MORE BIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGG thank you to EVERYONE who was apart of this party, who came and who supported us and believed in this idea. Liz and I met for the first time at San Diego Comic Con three cons ago {we'd been Twitter friends for longer} and I cannot image my life without this strong and inspiring woman. I would have never have done this party without her. My CON-fidence has grown ten fold thanks to her.

NOW who's ready for Geeks Go Glam 2016?! We would love to do it again next year and make it bigger and better! Stay tuned!

SDCC 2015 Wrap Up Posts:

WB Swag Bag Dress 2015

The Nerd Fu Podcast & Preview Night 2015

Day One: The Wrath of Con Panel

    Geeks Go Glam

Day Two + SherlockeDCC 2015

Day Three

Day Four

Keeping Up With My Blog At SDCC