Chevron 7.4!

[3_fries_short]

So, I spent the weekend at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole, attending Chevron 7.4.  It was frakking AMAZING!!!  You may have
guessed this if you've seen my Facebook or Twitter today!  Anyway, I'm posting this mostly for my own benefit while it's still clear in my head, but  if you want to read it, feel free!


Okay, well, I'll start with all the good points (of which there are several), hopefully in some sort of chronological order!

• Meeting Kate, Kate and Lisa, and a few other, in reception on Friday evening, chatting about (you guessed it) Stargate, missing work/lectures, and the joys of Aberystwyth, where Lisa used to go!


• Meeting my wonderful roommate and friend Maarja, who came all the way from Estonia
  for the con, and who wasn't an axe murderer at all, and was in fact really
  fun!


• Going to the opening ceremony, Maarja and I were sat right by the door, so we could see everybody come in.  Then while Bam Bam (James Bamford, the
  stunt coordinator) and Suanne Braun (Hathor) were just talking, David
  Hewlett stuck his head in and goes "Hey, there's other guests here
  you know!"  Then, after Sharon Taylor (Amelia Banks), Ryan
  Robbins (Ladon Radim, HENRY FOSS!!!) and Brian Smith (Matthew Scott) had
  come on, Jason (or was it Paul?  Can't quite remember) was like
  "wasn't there someone else?  Was it Joe Flanigan?
   No?" and Bam Bam was going "you know who does a good Joe
  impression?  David Hewlett.  If only he were here..."
   Also, David's water bottle had Dora the Explorer on it.  We
  think he stole it from Baz.


• Just the whole opening ceremony in general.  They guests were only on
  stage for about 5 minutes, but everybody was in hysterics the whole time!


• The party on Friday night, I didn't see all of.  Me, Lisa, Kate, Kate and
  Kate's boyfriend sat in the Lounge chatting about fanfic, and crazy life
  stories in general until about midnight.
   Ryan, Sharon, Brian and Bam Bam (and JCB) were sat at a table
  opposite us for most of that time though!  Kate boyfriend was
  chatting to Brian at the bar as well.  But we missed Ryan going on
  the Snowboard machine.


• But when we did go into the party, this kid on the snowboard was amazing!
   He was like 12, and he beat everybody else that tried it!


• Brian with a bunch of girls line dancing to "Tragedy" by Steps.
   Brilliant.  Later, he came back and was really getting into his
  air guitar and drums, and was hilarious.  He was having a really good
  time, considering he nearly didn't come!


• Chatting with Bam Bam, Sah, Jason the organiser, Tina(?), Phillipa(?) and a couple
  of girls whose names I can't remember outside the party at 1 in the
  morning, then going back in and dancing until they stopped the music at
  about 2.


• Rushing around trying to get all the photo shoots and autographs on Saturday
  morning.  All the guests were really nice on their shoots, even
  though the photographer was really rushing people.  Brian picked
  someone, Phillipa I think, up for her photo, then the next guy in line
  goes "shall I pick you up?"and Brian's like "Sure!"
   Also, Ryan Robbins put his arm around me!  And around pretty
  much everybody else, as did all the other guests, but still!


• Was completely dumbstruck getting Ryan's autograph, because I got his first,
  and hadn't really woken up yet.  Sharon
  was really nice, we were talking about the party and how late we'd stayed
  up, and she wrote "a dance machine!" on the picture she was
  signing for me.


• Brian was really sweet, and really fun seeing as it was his first con.  He
  remembered seeing me the night before, and we were laughing about him
  playing air guitar at the party!


• Bam Bam was insane!  He comes across as quite normal on DVD extras, I
  really wasn't expecting him to be that crazy!  He wrote "Your
  friend keeps me on my toes" on my picture!  Random!  It was
  because nobody could say Maarja's name, they were all saying the j the
  English way, they were all going "How do you get that from that?"


• Suanne was lovely too, and we had a brief chat about Starhyke!


• After lunch, Ryan and Sharon did a talk.  They talked a lot about Riese,
  and obviously about Atlantis  Can't really remember what else, was to
  busy squeeing over Ryan!


• Then me and Maarja won an auction for a guest encounter with Ryan.  12
  people and Ryan around a table, just chatting.  He was telling us
  about how he used to work in a circus in Australia,
  and how he got shut in a cage with some lions.  Then there was an
  escaping elephant that got lost in a cornfield and started crying (in the
  story, not in the actual con!)  He also talked about Chris Heyerdahl
  and how he's just an amazing actor.  Also, how when they were filming
  Sanctuary with some green screen one day, him and Chris (as Bigfoot) were
  walking along, and Chris pushes him, as he does.  So Ryan's there
  going "yeah, that's funny" and Chris is like, "No, I just
  pushed you off a skyscaper!"  Also, lots of stories about being
  drunk.


• We missed Bam Bam and Brian's talk because we were with Ryan, but I bet it
  was hilarious!


• Then it was David's talk.  He talked about Dog's Breakfast (he said watch
  it anyway you can, because it's stupid that it hasn't come out on Region 2
  DVD), working with Kate, playing pranks on his sisters as kids, Baz, that
  kiss in Duet.  At the end, Jane and Baz were sat at the front and
  they went out with him.  He picked up Baz (who is SO CUTE!!!) and
  everybody waved goodbye.  Baz was just staring at us like WTF?


• Then Suanne's talk was good, she was telling us how she was stopped at an
  airport going from like, Israel
  to Jordan
  or something crazy, on a South African passport.  Then they guy
  recognised her as Hathor, and suddenly she was getting champagne and
  everything!


• Then there was a talk with everybody.  Fun and games.  Bam Bam was
  terrible, I think Suanne was a bit worried sitting next to him!  They
  were taking forever answering question, just rambling on and forgetting
  what they were supposed to be talking about!  There were a lot of
  jokes about Ryan being in the circus, and Bam Bam being a hairdresser and
  juvenile correction officer.  Also, talking about terrible auditions
  they had, that involved being in love with cars!


• Then there was an auction, in which I didn't win anything.  David's chair
  sold for I think £360.  I wanted Ryan's chair, but didn't have enough
  money.  But Jason threw some little things into the crowd, and I got
  a little Atlantis badge and a stick of Abydos Rock.


• The party Saturday night was nuts!  200th episode theme, so the room was
  all done up Wizard of Oz style, with flying monkey balloons (actually just
  monkey balloons with paper wings stuck on).  We were messing around
  with them, and then just having balloon wars.


• Then dancing for hours, until like half one.  Sharon and Ryan racing on
  the bungee run.  Then them and JCB (who seemed a lot nicer than
  usual) dancing and chatting with the crowd, then having a balloon fight
  with us to "Don't Stop Believing".  Ryan with a monkey
  balloon stuffed up his shirt (?!), and getting grabbed by some guy to
  dance to Cotton Eye Joe!


• Doing all the con dances, then Oops up side your head, not a good idea in really
  tight shorts!


• Getting stuff signed by David on Sunday morning.  Got there early, just
  before the massive queue formed all the way around the room!  I was
  teasing him about his pronunciation of my name, and then I was like
  "Just go with it, David"  so he wrote "thanks for putting
  up with me!" on the picture.  Then I went to get my photo of me
  and Ryan signed.


• Then it was the stunt show, which was frakking AMAZING!!  Bam Bam and
  Sharon were doing the whole Teyla stick fighting stuff, when Bam Bam
  wasn't making jokes.  He had to get Tina and Phillipa to come and
  help him kneel down and get back up, because he's busted both his hips and
  can't really move very well until he gets them replaced this month.
   Then he got a couple of British stunt guys he knows to come up, and he
  says he's going to choreograph to simultaneous fights.  But there's
  only three people.  "This seems like a circus act to me!"
   So the audience starts chanting for Ryan, and lo and behold!
   So Bam Bam's there choreographing these two fights, and Ryan's
  supposed to roll Wolverine's stunt double over.  They're rehearsing
  without much room, so they just skip that part until the final full speed
  go, where Ryan actually full on flips the guy in the air and onto the
  floor like 'wham!' and it was SO COOL!!!


•  Then David did another talk, again hilarious.  Talking about his beat up
  old car that he won't get rid of, working with Bob Picardo on Morlocks in Bulgaria,
  Joe Flanigan and Jason Momoa pulling pranks on him.


• Another guest encounter with Ryan!!  Talked about the differences between web
  series and TV series, how he ended up in the circus, how he was in a band,
  then was a stuntman but had to stop that when he impacted his spine when
  he was working in a warehouse and an engine fell on his head (ouch!), how
  he hates shopping so he just steals the clothes he wears as Henry because
  they just use his style, how after he played Charles Manson, he had to
  take his daughter to Disney World, because it's the happiest place on
  Earth, and the top secret information that I'm not allowed to share!


• Again missed Brian's talk for that, but then Ryan did his talk, and was talking
  about running naked through a golf course for a scene one, stealing a golf
  cart and then seeing this guy and his kid on the putting green!
   Talked some more about Riese, answered my question about jPod, how
  he wished we found ou more about Ladon on Atlantis "There should be a
  movie!"


• Then a final talk with all the guests (except Suanne who had gone to Prague
  to film something).  Absolute mania!  Bam Bam kept coming up
  with really long winded answers, Ryan tried to escape through the Stargate
  on the poster behind them!  Crazy questions, David kept asking if
  they were for a dating site!  Brian got really excited about the
  standard fantasy dinner party question.


• 
  Sunday was a bit of a washout, because a lot of people had gone home,
  including David.  But we chatted with Brian about Taco Bell, because
  he can't believe we don't have it here, and him ,Ryan, Sharon, Bam and JCB
  were sat in the lounge all night, and were waving goodbye to all of us at
  the end.  We were just chatting with some people and had a really
  nice relaxing evening.  Then Maarja had to get a 2:30 am coach to London
  for her plane back to Estonia,
  so I went to bed!  And that was then end!

Ok, so, bad point is a much shorter list!

• Frakking expensive!!  £5.90 for a vodka and lemonade!!!  £5 for 0.5 hours
  of internet!  All going to Paris Hilton's inheritance!


• Didn't really get much in the way of sleep or food all weekend, so am completely
  exhausted now!


• The holster that Llin made me didn't really work, so I couldn't wear it to the
  party :(  Also, because I had my dogtags and my pass (which says I'm
  Rodney McKay) around my neck whilst dancing and headbanging, not only does
  my neck really ache, but I've got this friction burn all around the back
  of my neck which really hurts


• I think  that's it for bad bits!

Okay, now for memorable quotes.  These I find
 hilarious, but they're probably things that you had to be there for!

• Ryan "she said, 'I have to shift your bits'.  I'm like 'I can shift
  my own bits!'"


• Brian: (what is your dream vehicle, after saying he doesn't like driving) "a
  golf cart", which made everybody who was at Ryan's talk laugh, and
  everybody kept teasing him about it


• Bam Bam (re. fighting with knives) "When practising, we always use
  rubber" (much laughter) "...weapons!!" and later "Oh,
    it's limp...Bamfords are never embarrassed!" and "Then Ryan mounts him...it's technical... it's stunt terminology"!


• David (re Bam Bam and Mohammed Ali) "I'm taking your wisdom!"


• Brian (if you could have any food ever) "Taco Bell." again, much
  teasing


• Suanne (what gadget can't you live without) "Electric toothbrush.  It
  has a variety of functions and a variety of speed" (hysterics all
  around) then next day, when asked about inventing a gadget, Bam Bam:
  "If Suanne were here, she'd say a multi-headed toothbrush"


• David (pranks on his sister Jenny) "So I made her lemonade, but I made it
  with vinegar"


• Bam Bam about Sharon "I said
  take your shirt off and she started to..." Sharon:
  "I had a shirt on underneath!"


• Bam Bam completely unable to get "simultaneously choreograph" out


• Bam Bam: "Simultaneously, Sharon. It means 'at the same time'!"


•   Ryan: "I need to pee"


• Ryan, after somebody said something crazy, "I'm going to escape through the
  Stargate!" *runs at wall*  Bam Bam: "I'll help you through...head first!"


• David: "Mars is funny, Kate's funny, Paul's funny...looking"


• Everybody at Bam Bam "You cut people's hair?"


• On greatest fears, Ryan "Death".  Sharon "Heights.  I always feel like pushing people off and
  jumping."  *Brian edges away* Ryan: "Heights can kill
  you".  Brian: "Flying".  Ryan: "That can
  kill you."  David: "Spiders."  Ryan:" They
  can kill you!"  Somebody says something else that I can't
  remember, Ryan: "I'm trying to think how that could kill you!"
   (I think it was toothbrushes again!)


• Bam Bam to Brian, a few times: "Just take your shirt off Brian"


• Random conversation about twigs and berries.  Suanne's like "what?"
   Ryan like, "here," pretends to undo his trousers.


• Ryan, on Jason Momoa's new role, and why he didn't get it.  "It would
  be like, Conan the Midgetarian.  Conan the Librarian!  The pen is mightier
  than the sword!  Oh, that's awful!"


• Ryan, Bam and Sharon telling us that their captain on the flight over was called
  Captain Kirk...
• Ryan "I'll sign be the Ryan....I mean R!"


• Everytime a question came to Bam Bam, David: "he has several!"


• On zombie attack plans, Ryan: "I'd hide behind Bam Bam!"  Bam:
  "Who would I hide behind, myself?"  launches into strategy
  from a film, David to guy who asked question, "Wait, are you taking
  notes?  Do you know something we don't?"  then "I'd be
  King of the Zombies!"


• David doing an impression of Flanigan as a SatNav voice, then Suanne doing the
  Queen.

Okay, that's all I can remember right now!  As you can tell, I had
an amazing time, it was well worth every penny!  Also, they announced the
first guests for 7.5 in November, and it's Michael Shanks and Teryl Rothery, so
I've bought my Gold ticket for that!  Pictures are up on my Facebook if
you're interested,

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=159930&id=655776569&l=37e813237b

Will post anything else as and when it comes to me!