ComicPalooza 2018 - Recap

Hey Hey all you readers. I hope each and every one of you who joined me at ComicPalooza 2018 this year had as amazing of a time as I did.

For this impact to really get you where your heart is I am going to need to give you a bit of a insight into my childhood. My parents divorced when I was 7 and 1st and 2nd grade were really hard on me. Especially 1st grade. I remember crying a lot. But there was always one thing that I looked forward too most each day, Reading Rainbow. My love of books has been as long as I can remember and I have vivid memories of Levar Burton taking us on adventures through books each day in class. There was just some sort of comfort he gave me. During a time in my life when I was really struggling, with reading. I was told I was dyslexic, this show truly comforted me.

Further more, growing up in Kansas City after the divorce one of my absolute favorite memories with my mom was two things, Tales From The Crypt and Star Trek, The Next Generation. My mom, my brother and I would pile into her bed and eat pizza and watch these two shows. And knowing that one of the stars was also from Reading Rainbow helped to solidify my love for the show and that actor. I have always loved TNG and I still will watch reruns if I ever get to catch them on.

Fast forward to the summer I graduated, I had just come home from the Bahamas when my best friend and I went to the movies and saw, Evolution. This movie became a pillar of my adult life and my friendship to Laura. We watch this movie to celebrate everything, to mend broken hearts and to heal any and every ache we encounter, all while eating Mac n Cheese with Tuna and Peas.

And last but not least .. my love and obsession with Will Smith ... So when Independence Day came out it quickly became one of my top 5 favorite movies.

Having said this, three massive people of the foundation of who Ashley is ... I finally met!

Friday morning started with LeVar Burton. This man was so kind, funny and genuine. Myself, along with my buddy from CBHS Clint, and a couple strangers got to witness him along with Brent Spiner bantering in front of us. It was amazing. The two of them were just hilarious. I was the first in line to walk up to the Reading Rainbow legend. And that is what he was in my mind, a legend. Who knows if I would have the writing career I have today if it hadn’t been for that show. He smiled, laughed, listened to me ramble. When it was time for the picture he said “Let’s hold hands like we’re going to prom” and no joke, I giggled, just like a school girl. He didn’t treat you like he was some big time star, he treated you like you mattered. I even told him he surpassed Henry Winkler as the best celeb encounter. Little did I know that that comment would apply more than once today.

Next I raced over to Brent Spiner’s line. And I mean raced. God I can’t begin to tell you how full of anxiety and excitement I was when I was bouncing from one line to another. Mr. Spiner sat on his chair in the front of his table. He gave fist bumps and smiled. He chit chatted with you like you were long time friends. I told him the story with my mom and he goes “Tell your mother that I enjoyed watching her in bed from the TV set.” Then, like the totally insane person I had become during this hour, the next thing happened. This man named John interrupted my time with Mr. Spiner to give him an ad for some fanfest of some sort coming in September and as Mr. Spiner is looking at the images goes “Who is this?” I look and see he is pointing to CHANDLER RIGGS! And what does my dumbass do, I chastise DATA for not knowing Carl!!! What the hell is wrong with me???? YOU DONT CHASTISE THE STARS!!!! Lucky for me he was really cool about it and didn’t hold it against me. When we went to take the photo I said “Can we fist bump” and he said of course. BAM One fist bump away from Will Smith and one Fist Bump into Ashley’s mind of mush!

As Clint and I were walking out of that line I see him, Orlando Jones walking into his table. And like I was possessed by my 13 year old daughter I RUN to his line. The line that hadn’t formed yet, LOL So there I am, almost hyperventilating at the idea of seeing this actor who is on my bucket list. This whole experience was a bucket list moment. And that’s how I start it. I tell him “This is part of my bucket list” and he takes both my hands into his and listened as I told him of the story of Mac n Cheese and Evolution. THEN he pulls out his phone and says we have to take a video at the end of it. I tell him all about Laura and he asks to see her pic. I show him her facebook page, like it’s no big deal. We talk and laugh and joke around. I learn that David Dechovney, whom I also was obsessed with since the X-Files came out, ad lib’d the flashing scene in Evolution. I told Orlando (he told me to call him Orlando not Mr. Jones) that he was clearly the classier one for not flashing his ass. So he walks around the table and brings his phone out, HIS PHONE and pulls up his instagram and goes “Let’s go live, no wait boomerang!” Now I don’t know what the hell boomerang is, he goes “Just do something that’s all you gotta do” and of course I freeze up, and then HE KISSES MY HEAD!!! I swear if my head could have exploded it would have. Then he told me when I post about it to tag him and send him a DM so we can connect. Clint had to practically carry me back to my table because I was mush, all mush!

This video is all I have left of the kiss. It’s a recording of the video on my cell phone.

This was hands down the most exciting and amazing moments I ever had at any event. I thought in 2010 when Jen and I met Jason Dohring was pretty damn cool but this, this was so much more.

These three men were such a huge part of my life and they didn’t even know it. I will forever be grateful for May 25th, the best day ever. I consider it the best birthday gift ever because of course it was the week of my birthday right?

What a huge rambling I know but I can’t help it ... when you get to experience stuff like this, rambling just comes naturally.