Careful Not To Burn Yourself!

 

 

.......cause KStew is smokin' HOT!

 

 

 

Hot Damn!

 

"You like?"

 

YES Kristen, we like.

 

Pics via Twifans

KStew in LA @ AFI Fest & On the Road Premiere.

 

 

 

XOXO J

 

Tokyo Tease

I have been so out of the loop, but sneaking peeks at fan sites here & there between bf-ing Charlie & wiping his curry coated baby butt ;)

This evening, I ran across this absolutely adorable picture of Ms. Stew @ the BD Part 2 Tokyo fan event.

 

Gotta love the black permanent marker on her right hand.

SUPER excited for more promotion pictures!

XOXO J

INTRODUCING.........

Charles Robert...aka "Charlie" <3

 

Born on October 6th, 2012 @ 12:15PM

8lbs, 12 oz & 22 in long!?! 

WARNING - Typos and grammatical errors a'plenty! I'm on 3 hours of sleep people..... 

Not sure if I'll make it through this post without him waking up to eat, but I'm giving it my best shot. I haven't had a computer since right before I delivered, as I had to hand back my beautiful little Mac to my boss while I'm out...and DG's computer is a piece of sh*t. I guess I could blog from my iphone, but the thought makes me cross eyed. Anyhoo, the last 2 weeks and 2 days have been a beautiful, nerve-wracking, exciting, blissful & sometimes scary ride.  I can now say that I fully understand absolute unconditional love.

Way back on Friday October 5th, I'd spent the day with my Mom & Gma (Grandma.) They'd said we should go to PF Changs and eat something spicy in hopes of coaxing out this lil' one.  So we did, and then we walked around the mall a bit.  That evening I put together his swing & then lounged around on the couch. At about 8:30PM I was talking to my next door neighbor through the window & felt a braxton hicks contraction, but with PAIN this time. It stopped me dead in my tracks.  Then about 15 minutes later I felt another one.  I'd been spotting a bit too, and wondered if it was really time.  I was pretty terrified since my hospital won't admit you unless you contracting 3-5 minutes apart, lasting 60 seconds or more for 1 hour. I'd heard of women having to labor at home for a full day before they could go in.......WELL, by 10:45PM I was contracting every 3-5 minutes and they were SUPER intense. Some of them felt like they were coming on top of each other. They hurt so bad I ended up throwing up after.  I woke up poor DG who'd only been asleep for an hour and told him we needed to call L&D. We did & based on the tone of my voice, they said we could head in to be checked.  We only live 8 minutes from the hospital, but boy was that a ride.  I had 3 contractions from where we parked the car to the elevator. That was a LONG walk. Long story short, they put me in triage, I barfed some more, my water broke mid-barf & they deemed I was 2.5 centimeters dilated & 100% effaced. Time to admit me :) When we got to the room I asked for the epidural right away....then progressed to 3.5 cm, then 8.5 four hours later?! It was going fast......then around 3am they realized baby was face up...which can lead to a difficult delivery. They ended up having my lie in all of these side positions in hopes of getting him or her to move. By early morning my contractions had stalled & they gave me pitocin to get them going again. Finally at around 10:45am they let me start pushing. I had DG on my right leg and my Mom on my left with Sarah sitting close by. They were so wonderful to me...finally at 12:15PM I had a beautiful baby BOY.  I sobbed tears of joy & utter relief.....The relief part I have decided to explain.....

Following our 20 week anatomy scan, we were told we had what appeared to be a very healthy baby that was right on target for his or her due date, BUT......they had to let us know that the baby had a "white spot" on it's heart. My OB quickly said that it WAS NOT a heart defect, but just a little calcium deposit. The reason she HAD to mention it was because it's considered a soft marker for downs syndrome & trisonomy 18. She quickly assured me that she sees it quite often & all of the babies she

seen with it have been healthy.  She then explained that most babies with downs have this white spot, but most babies with the white spot don't have downs. Um...how do you not freak out?! She also pointed out that there were no other markers. The nasal bone, femur bone, hands & feet all appeared normal. We asked what options we had in terms of finding out more, and she said that an amnio was an option, but that the chances of miscarriage were much higher than the chances of having a baby with a genetic disorder. We'd denied the 12 week genetic testing, thus we didn't have much odds to go off of.  My world basically fell apart after than appt. I wondered if it was God punishing me for wanting a baby all of my life and for getting pregnant on the first try.  It's a horrible way to think but I couldn't help it. Fortunately I talked with a girlfriend who informed me that both of her boys had shown the white spot, aka "echogenic focus," and they do not have any genetic disorders. I also did tons of internet research and the consensus was that most babies with this calcium deposit are born perfectly healthy...and that technology is just so advanced now that it picks up EVERYTHING. Apparently the white spot disappears towards the end of pregnancy in most cases..but we were never given another full anatomy scan.

Needless to say,  I was worried sick the remaining 4-5 months of my pregnancy. I didn't enjoy my labor, even with the epidural because I was so absolutely terrified.  It wasn't until he came out & I saw him with my own eyes that I cautiously realized he was OK. I have never sobbed so hard in my life. It was extremely cathartic. Draining. I can't put it into words. I even asked the nurse if he was ok and she asked why. I explained myself and she brushed it off as being super common. Then she quickly pointed out that he didn't have any signs of downs. In fact, the nurses during our stay often commented on how darn cute he was...one even said he looked like the Gerber baby.

I would have loved my baby no matter what, but I can't tell you how much of a blessing it was to have a healthy one. On a side note: DG announced the sex and it was totally anticlimactic. I remember hearing him say "it's a boy." I didn't even react.....of course he was a boy.....everyone said I was having a boy. All I could focus on was that he was PERFECT.

Figured I'd share a few more pictures to capture the relief.

 My SUPER ugly cry. Never cried so hard in my entire life.

 

Inspecting him, making sure he was ok.

And a few extras:

 

with Daddy, aka DG

 

1st outing to the beach

 

Trying on my boy-ish onesies :)

Thanks for all the well wishes!

PS Yes, he does indeed have not one, but 2 Twilight names. Truthfully, Robert was my Grandfathers name and I always knew I'd give my future child that name or use it as a middle name. It also happens to be DG's brothers name. As for Charlie...it was the only one we both agreed on. I thought it was strong, cute & not as common these days. Duane wanted it to officially be Charles...I reluctantly agreed ;)

xoxo

J

 

You Can Thank Me Later.

I would be doing the world a huge disservice by not sharing this tribute to Mr. Pattinson. Holy hell kids.... You can thank me later....after you have cleaned up the um....mess ;)

?!?

*Found over at Robsessed*

XOXO J

This Has Nothing To Do With Twilight. At All.

But if you can make a comparison, go for it!

I will be impressed.

YIKES!

XOXO J

Birthday Wishes!

To Isabella Marie Swan!

XOXO Twired Jen

And Now I'm A Ball Of Tears - Bella & Edward Tribute

Just watch.

So cathartic for me in so many ways....for many of us. It will soon be over.

Sniff...

XOXO J

THE HAIR, Need I Say More???

There has been so much Rob lately & I'm loving every single second of it...ok well, despite the "sten" that is clearly missing from the equation.....Nope, not going there again.....ANYWAYS, seeing him promote Cosmopolis has got me reflecting on the past few years. I think each of us has had our favorite Rob look...and for me it really ties into THE HAIR. His hair completely shapes his face...for the good, or the "meh."

Robowski

Rome-Rob

Buzz Cut Rob

Bel Ami/BAFTA Rob

Those were "ok"....

But these were my favorites...

Mmm. GQ Rob.

Can't get enough GQ...

VF Rob

More VF or GQ...  (shit, I forget.)

That said, I think his Cosmopolis promotion look is now among the ranks of my most favorite Rob looks.

How can this NOT make your lady bits swell?!

he's ALL MAN. Yum

I can't wait to see him on Kimmel....and look....


He even did the sex walk while arriving at the show!

Wish I could insert a super appropriate song to go along with this pic, but I'm too lazy. 

Someone needs to make a video out of this. Please?!

And for those of you that are dying to see him on Kimmel, like me, GO HERE . I haven't even watched it yet!

P.S.

What do you think of his Cosmopolis "look"???

What's your favorite Rob "look"???

XOXO 

More Torturing.

Via

 RobstenDreams

XOXO J

Why Do I Torture Myself?!

So ridiculous that this makes me cry like a baby.

I don't know them. 

They don't know me.

I thought I was healing....& then decided to torture myself by watching this. 

UGH.

And yup, I'm sharing....not to torture you, but because in some twisted way, it's therapeutic to share & receive feedback from those who feel the way I do. I'm looking at you @17foreverlisa.

XOXO J

*THUD* #RobCosmopolisPremiere

*THUD*

Because I have no words.....

I can't help but think he looks a little sad. But I'm sure that's 

just my mind running away from me into Robsten land.

More pics HERE & I'm sure they'll be updating frequently ;)

XOXO J

Bill Condon on Rob & Kristen

When asked his thoughts on how the apparent break up between Robsten, Bill said this:

“The fact is, these are actors playing parts, and maybe it’s not such a bad thing that people be reminded of that. Both of these actors gave heart and soul to the Twilight movies, not only during shooting, but also by navigating so graciously the whole life-in-a-fishbowl aspect of the phenomenon. Above all they have always shown great respect for the fans who made these movies such a success. Now it’s time that some of that respect be returned to them.”

via I'mNotObsessed.com

I do have a couple comments, but I think I'll keep them to myself for now. Overall it was very well said.

And yes, I finally watched the Will Ferrel; video, and I admit, it was hilarious. I wasn't ready to watch it when it first came out...but I'd heard from enough bloggy besties that it was worth it. It's like he's read our minds....or blogs.... ;)

Incase you haven't watched it either:

LOL

XOXO J

I Still Love Rob.

Pretty much sums it up.

Because so much of Twired has been devoted to Robsten, my knee jerk reaction was to jump ship and close TWIRED when solid evidence of KStew's cheating surfaced. I quickly told myself that that would be truly ridiculous. I love Rob. I love Twilight. I love this fandom. And yes, I still love Kristen...despite mistakes she's clearly allegedly made. I have no right to be mad at her. Her relationship with Rob is just that, HER relationship. Their relationship. As much as it pains me to be writing this, there isn't anything any of us can do. Of course I'm pretty devastated that it's likely they wont be a couple during BD2 promotions...that was one of those things that I was really looking forward to, especially after their public love fest in Cannes. But again, NOTHING WE CAN DO. Did I think they'd last forever...kind of, but I'd always hoped they'd at least stay together until the last movie was released....it's selfish really.

All that said, I'm not shutting down Twired. I need it to air my feelings. To support the release of BD2 & the actors we have all grown to adore.

Speaking of those we adore. Have you seen this pics of Rob from Black Book Magazine? Holy cow.

Mmm. My fave. Bad Boy Rob.

source

Wowza.

I know it's easy to wonder where the eff Kristen's head was when she cheated on this man-god...but we all make mistakes. For those of you hating on my 1/2 joking comment over at Twitarded, hear this: I was 22 once, and made my share of mistakes. I'm not saying it's excusable or that Rob should forgive her. And yes, I do think she was super stupid about it....especially since she's famous, and knows very well that the paps will find you if your a celeb of that caliber. Clearly she wasn't thinking, and just acting on instinct...like a lot of do when we're younger.

I ask this of you all, please don't be so quick to HATE. It's a strong word.

XOXO J

THIS.

This says most of what I need or want to say...Hopefully no one thinks less of me for taking the easy road by positing a link to someone else's words, but I guess I am. I may have more to say as the days unfold, but for now, this works.

THIS.

PS The last part about choosing, not sure I agree 100%, because they were always a packaged deal to me...but I digress.

XOXO J

Those Jeans - Hot Damn!

I know you guys have seen these by now, but GAH!

ROBSTEN leaving Bobbly Long show @ the Hotel Cafe last night, 7/19.

Not sure if these are pap pics or fan pics, but nonetheless if you're sensitive, move on.

LMAO at poor Rob's face.

He does look adorable though, and those jeans.....hot damn!

Pretty ballsy peeps with the cameras, not sure if I'd have the nerve...?!

And can I please hear a collective awwwwww at the public hand holding.

I had a feeling they'd eventually get over their fear of it. Maybe it was Scummit discouraging the PDA. But you know what....the last movie is coming out in 4 mos....most of us love seeing them together, if anything I think it gets us more excited, no?

<3

Speaking of, I CANNOT WAIT for BD2 promotions.I assume promotions will start late September maybe early October? What do you think? I'm due Oct 1st...so thankfully I won't be hold up in a hospital bed during peak promotions...nope, I'll be at home on my couch with a newborn stuck to my boob while I watch the shenanigans unfold.  Hey, something to pass the time ;)


Oh and if it's a boy....have I told you what the middle name will be? Yup, Robert. But sadly I can't attribute it to Mr. Pattinson. My Papa's (grandfather) name was Robert and DG's brother is named Robert....but hey, part of me likes to think that people might just assume there are 'other' reasons for the middle name choice...


Ok, back to work for me. Oh, and PS, if you missed the hot pics of Ms. Stewart from yesterday in LA pre Bobby Long Show, GO HERE.

HAPPY ROBSTEN FRIDAY!

XOXO J

The Chemistry Is Still So Palpable! #SDCC #ROBSTEN

My search for Robsten failed (as did my quest to see ASkars again, but that's a different blog), though admittedly I can't say I tried all that hard. Being 7 mos preggo kinda put a damper on my energy.

Anyhoo, here are some fabulous Robsten SDCC vids.

LOVE THEM.

The first minute or so of music is kinda annoying, but it gets much better.

Love the look they give each other right after 2.04....it screams "we're doin' IT" 

;)


And this next one is full of sneaky lil' "I wanna fuck you" glances. Gah! I have never seen two people look at each other the way they do. The chemistry is still so palpable after all this time...and that says a lot for a young couple.

Hope you enjoyed these as much as I did.

*Source*

XOXO J

I Managed To Meet Stephenie Meyer & Lose My Vagina, All Within 24 Hours!

I was in the shower this evening, thinking about the fact that close to this time last night I was about to meet Stephenie Meyer & most of the Twilight cast when I realized, SHIT, where's my vagina?!?  Oh, it's there alright, but how the hell am I supposed to keep it 'under control' when I can't even see it?! Gah! ES says I need to relinquish my fears and go get a wax, but I'm terrified. Though I do not, and I repeat do not, want to have one of those freaky ass hairy vag's while giving birth. I know, I know, Dr.s see all kinds.....but I'd like some neatness down there if you get my drift.

Moving on.....& back to the topic we all really want to talk about, Twilight at #SDCC2012! Again this year, I am badgeless, but that hasn't stopped my excitement. Working a few blocks from the convention center is really super convenient. I was able to take a walk down to the BD2 panel line outside of Hall H on Tuesday & visit long lost friends.

Reunited again! With @17foreverlisa

Who knew 3 years ago that I'd get to hang with her at least 4 or 5 times?!

And yes, I realize my shirt is see-through. Oops.

With @ZAnyMouse, @misstejota & @FunmbiE

It was so great to see these girls (and more) again. Feels like it was just yesterday. Anyhoo, it was pretty common knowledge that the Twilight cast would probably be visiting the line sometime around 9pm on Wednesday evening. I asked around to see if anyone would mind if I "hung out"...even though I'm not camping & don't have badges. Everyone encouraged me too, but I had my doubts. I was worried I'd be too tired after work and not make it until 9pm. Well I was feeling pretty good yesterday & planned to play it by ear. Once my event was over, I still felt pretty good and said what the hell.  To kill time, I hung out in the HR lobby for about 35 minutes. At one point I noticed this guy walk by and look back at my shirt and smile..it took a second, but I realized it was Paul Mc Donald. then he leaned in to tell Nikki about it. I could clearly see him mouth the details, but they were starting to walk away and I was too nervous to run after them. Plus I would have looked like a freak. For the record, I made a shirt that said "Lil' Nudger." I *think* that's how Bella referred to Renesmee when she was in her belly at some point in the BD book.

As I was getting up to head over across the street to the convention center, I get a tweet from @mandysmind to get over to the line NOW. So I rushed & got there just in time. Sure enough about 10 minutes later the cast showed up. I was torn as to if I should have them sign my shirt, or the poster they gave out, I decided the shirt & my belly might get more reaction. And it did!

On to the pics!

Warning they were taken mostly by me, with my iPhone. The flash gets a little intense at times...so not the best quality.

Kellan Lutz.

I have seen him at Nordstroms for an event, but never talked to him or taken a pic with him.

He is soooo friendly & very warm! He wrote "I love you" on my belly.

Maggie Grace aka Irina.

Super friendly, super talkative, super appreciative.

Casey LaBow aka Kate.

Elizabeth Reaser, aka Mama Cullen. 

And she rubbed my belly :) Very sweet & appreciative.

Mia Maestro, also very sweet.

Mr. Rathbone lookin' smokin' hot!

He seemed "happier" & more talkative than the last few times

I saw him at 100 Monkeys shows. I congratulated 

him & he happily signed the belly & wrote congratulations.

Did I mention he looked hot? Yah, sorry folks, I love the clean shaven look.

Nikki Reed. Very sweet. GORGEOUS up close & in person.

Thinner than I thought she'd be. After I asked if she would sign, she immediately 

mentioned that Paul had seen my shirt in the lobby of the Hard Rock :)

AND look who also showed up about 20 minutes after the other cast members....

Mrs. Stephenie Meyer!

Gah!

Very talkative & personable. Took her time with each person.

Happy to sign and take pics. She thought I was crazy for not

finding out Baby G's sex. Wow. Just wow. I almost felt like 

I could cry. If it wasn't for this woman, I would have never had ES 

shove the books at me, there would have never been the Twlight Saga movies, 

I would have never started reading blogs, started a blog, found Twitarded, gone to Forks, or met all of you. It's been life changing & I have her to thank for an amazing 3 years.

Enough mush before I cry....

Here's my shirt, which I will frame probably.

SM right in the middle.

I'm sure @Twilovesue & others will have MUCH MORE detailed posts, but I'm pooped.  Some things to note...PFach was there, but seemed not as into it as everyone else. I got him to sign my belly really quick, which he thought was funny, even asked if it was movie prop. Think he was trying to joke. I didn't bother to ask for a picture. Angela Sarafyan, aka Tia, was probably the most talkative and sweetest out of everyone. I can't say enough about her. Just a doll. She wrote "to baby with love" and drew little hearts. Forgot to ask her for a pic. There were other Amazon & Denali Coven peeps there too, but if I couldn't remember who they were I didn't ask for a pic. Was afraid I'd call them by the wrong name or something LOL. Oh and Ashley Greene was there of course. Her 'handlers' said no pictures (the only ones that said no.) I asked if she could sign my belly and the girl almost rolled her eyes and said no. So when Ashley got closer I said hello & thank you for coming, then mentioned that I didn't have anything for her to sign and knew she could sign my stomach. She said of course she could & so she did. Odd thing is, I can't find her autograph ANYWHERE. I think she signed in silver ink against my grey shirt vs grabbing the black sharpie I'd borrowed from @misstejota. Ohwell. I already have an awesome pic with her from a 100 Monkeys concert. She is a doll. Last but not least, Mackenzie Foy was so cute, very quiet, took a good 30 second to write out her long signature at the bottom my shirt. Felt odd asking her for a pic lol.

I think that's it. Sorry if I was kind of all over the place. Preggo brain is no joke folks!

Can't wait to catch up on the BD2 cast panel videos, as well as see what the rest of the weekend has in store. Hopefully work isn't too busy tomorrow!

XOXO J

Non-Twired

Non-twired related... but I know quite a large handful of you personally so I thought I would share this...

Besides, there's a "Masen" in the mix...

I  said goodbye to my 15 yo baby girl this morning and apparently I'm one of those people who needs to grieve by telling Juliette's story! 

I got a fluffy black and white tuxedo longhair kitten for my tenth birthday-it was thrilling, and then, after 3 years she disappeared. After a few mos of grieving for Tiffanie, I was raring for a new baby. At the end of 7th grade my mom and I went to a local pet store (my sister and I went through this ridiculous 'have to get a cat from a pet store because they are the healthiest' stage and mom complied) to 'look' at kittens. Juliette was in a cage with 3-4 other tuxedo kittens. I immediately wanted the cute, 'quiet' one who happened to be the only girl. Mom tried to talk me out of getting a kitten that looked so similarly to my last cat but, at 12 years old I desperately wanted to try and replace Tiffanie. Even though Juliette was purchased... she was technically rescued from a dirty pet store in lemon grove... by a future vet tech, no less ;)

I had just seen the Leoardo Dicaprio/Claire Danes version of Romeo and Juliet and so JULIETTE she was. Juliette was my baby. Mom allowed me to miss the last or first period at school or a ballet classes if Juli had a vet appointment. Juli was an indoor/outdoor cat for the first few years of her life, but never strayed from the yard and, as her hunting skills weren't up to par with her cousin's (our family/my sister's calico chunk, Annie), she only brought home the occasional field mouse or lizard. Juliette was bossed around quite a bit by Annie throughout her life (which she used on Masen in later years) and didn't care much for our beloved family lab, Molly. In fact, Juliette kept completely to herself and to me. When Mochey (our family's now 12 year old chocolate labrapsycho) came to us, Juli was completely indifferent until she fell slightly in love with the insane chocolate lab puppy... Moch was the only animal Juli really ever bonded with.  

Juliette moved with my parents while I was in Australia in 2006, after they renovated our mission hills house. She went from my little 9 lb cat to a big chunkachunk of a (nearly) 12 pounder! She eventually had to go on a bit of a diet. A year after I moved home (and put Juli in bootcamp-a-la-sarah) I fell in love with an obese, beautiful abandoned black english lab named Auggi who had made his way into the clinic where I have worked in since 2003. I adopted him solely because Juliette tolerated him. Eventually they were cuddling next to each other in my bed.

Last summer Auggi, Juli and I made a monochromatic home of our own until a cat that my clinic took in had kittens... I swore up and down that I had my hands full with my two geriatrics and that I would never, EVER consider another animal... Well, I fell in love with this little bugger of a kitten, he was irresistible and stared at me while I was with a patient on the treatment table at work... He matched my color scheme (I kid!), so I took him home. Juliette was furious for awhile. Eventually she seemed to decide MASEN was good entertainment for her golden years.

Earlier that summer her kidney disease began, about a year after she developed hyperthyroid disease. Juli lived for exactly 1 year with kidney disease and with very little trouble. Over the past week she went downhill quickly. I had kept to quite a strict schedule of checking her blood and supporting her kidney health as much as possible over the past year, but somehow over the course of 1 month, her renal values more than doubled. After a short trial of hospitalization, I came to the heartbreaking decision that she was probably done. I tried so hard to think about what I would tell a friend or a client-QUALITY of life is the top priority. Jul's quality was gone. I didn't want to let her whither away to nothing, 5 lbs was nothing enough. We spent yesterday evening on our back step with catnip and wine and this morning outside watching Masen slay a baby garden snake into 3 (terrifying-the one time I let my 1 year old indoor cat outside...!). The reality of my decision was terrifying and one of the most difficult I've ever made. Juliette went so peacefully in the break room at MVPC this morning, surrounded by love, sincerity and cuddled up in my arms. We were so lucky to have so much love and support around us between my family and coworkers and Juli's dr/my boss. I feel at peace knowing that she doesn't have to fight her diseases or age any longer. Love and veterinary medicine made her senior years amazing. I am beyond grateful to have had 15 years with her.

Cheers and bon voyage my baby girl.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIttXJYQK0M&feature=share

xo,, 

Your Ever So Non-Twi-Posting Elusive S

Comic Con 2012!

Can you believe it?! I know this will sound super cliche'd, but it truly feels like JUST YESTERDAY that I was walking from my office down to the convention center to visit friends in line for the BD panel. Where does time go?! I also remember finding out I was pregnant back in late January & calculating that I'd be starting my 7th month come Comic Con. LMAO! Random that I thought that, but hey.

This time around, I still don't have tickets. Trust me, I tried, 3 separate times. But strangely, I'm ok with it. I wouldn't be able to take time off during the week to go anyways, thus camping would be outta the question. But despite this, I'm still ridiculously excited. The buzz that surrounds this immediate downtown area of San Diego is phenomenal. The people watching is AMAZING. And, just knowing that I'll be in proximity of so many of my favorite celebs is pretty damn exciting. To top it off, some of you are actually staying at the Hard Rock Hotel (which is Twilight/True Blood & other celeb central)...so I won't feel totally stalkerish hanging out there. "Uh, what Mr. Security?! I'm just visiting so & so in room 452." ;) You people better give up your room #'s so I can throw it out with a name if need be. I'm mainly kidding. The Hard Rock was super chill last year and never said anything to me or anyone around. I was pretty much the only one not sporting a badge, but for all they knew I was just a random guest. Plus since it is directly across the street from the sdcc (us San Diegan's use this acronym for the san diego convention center, not just comic con) it's pretty chaotic.

HR Hotel in the background with entrance to the Gaslamp Quarter. Crowds walking toward Convention Center. 

Can you feel the buzz? Smell the BO? YUP....you will encounter this. Sadly some people don't carry an extra stick of deodorant around. *Shudders* I definitely recommend it.

Speaking of recommendations. Last year and again this year, Twifans.com has posted some helpful hints for enjoying your Comic Con experience. And like last year, I'd like to add my two cents. I know I haven't stepped foot in the convention center for CC, but I do live here...

Here's what they had to say. My thoughts in red.

1.  Hotel- You should have got this long ago (AMEN!) but if you haven't start looking in the surrounding areas like the harbor or Coronado.  Even if you have to stay 10-15 minutes away to get a good priced deal, it's worth it.  We just reserved a room last week.  They are harder to find, but still out there.  We found that websites said sold out, but that they still had a room here or there. They exist, but they'll hike up the price like no bodies business because they know they're in demand. Feel like a $500 hotel night? Plus the ones that do have room are typically at least 30 min outside of downtown.

2.  Line buddies are essential for a good experience in line. Line buddies can be the people in your group or friends you make on either side of you in line.  Line etiquette:  Make sure to let everyone around you know how many friends are in your group and if it's more than just a few, people may not be happy.  Best bet is to all go at the same time.  Security will get very strict about adding additional friends to the line. Wonder how they feel about preggos hanging out and visiting their friends? ;) No one seemed to mind last year.

3.  Overnight -Being comfortable in line is different to everyone.  We saw lots of yoga mats, fold-able chairs, and cots.  Most importantly don't take up more than the width and length of your body.  You will be on grass so there is some cushion.  Some people made it through the night sleeping on a beach towel.  I used an Edward fleece blanket and was fine for overnight, but this is right next to the water in the bay and it does get cooler at night.  Be prepared. No joke. It can be 82 in the sun & you're sweating your ass off next to some dude dressed as Yoda, but once the sun goes down and you're sitting on the grass dreaming of Rob, you'll freeze your ass off. The cold air coming off of San Diego Bay can be chilly! Watch us have a crazy heatwave & absolutely no wind. Oh well, like Twifans said, better to be prepared.

4.  Shade & Sunblock- Once you are under the Hall H tents you will be mostly out of the sun unless you fall into the rare few that get a spot between shade tents.  With the new rules saying no beach umbrellas, I would bring a rain umbrella just in case.  It's small and easy to carry.  Sunblock is also a must! I can't stress this enough. We're on the water and that acts like a super magnet to the sun. Most out of towners burn to a a crisp within minutes. It's even worse when it's overcast and not very sunny. Sounds odd, but it's true. Trust a white girl.

5.  Snacks & water - whether you are waiting outside or holding onto your coveted seat inside, having a few snacks and a beverage is helpful.  There are concessions available for purchase if you are flush with $$$, but for better choices and convenience, bring a few of your own.  If you are flying in, not to worry.  There is a Ralph's grocery store a short walk from the Convention Center on the corner of 1st & G St.  It is also important to stay hydrated when you are out waiting in the sun. 

~You can also find a Rite Aid drug store on 6th & Market (a bit closer.) 

~And there is a place called Cinnecafe between 4th & 5t on K St. behind Rockin' Baja Lobster...they are like a huge mini-mart with lots of snacks, juice, soda, water etc...

6.  Bug spray-There are very large water bugs/roaches (THEY ARE HUGE & YES, THEY ARE COCKROACHES!) that came out of the planters at night. I will be spraying the ground all around me before setting up my area.  If everyone does it, maybe we will be safe from the creatures!  Last year we saw less, but if your food is not sealed the ants with show up in full force.

~We also have LOTS of homeless people out and about. It may seem that we have more than most places, but it's just because  shelters close Spring-early Fall so they have no where to go.

7.  Notebook & pen-It's fun to exchange your TwiFans profile address, cell phone numbers, and Facebook pages with each other to keep touch once you have made friends.  This is where Kim and I met for the very first time.  Aww Comic-Con memories....Also handy for any random celebs you see walking by..."May I have your autograph?" ;)

*Seriously, if anyone has any questions about the area (public transport, restaurants, directions, store/attraction locations etc... please fee free to email me sotwired@gmail.com, I'd be happy to help*

Can't wait to see you all next week!

Oh and how can I NOT post my favorite moment of last years SDCC?!

PS I work downtown as you know, and have a small comic con event for Warner Bros. at a Gallery on Fifth Ave...I just have to check in on it Wed & Thurs night. Other than that...I plan to hopefully meet up with some of you! Oh and Saturday I'm driving back downtown to hang out...how could I not?!? (Plus I only live 10 min away)

Eeek!

XOXO J