MegYn (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
riskinghearts) wrote2008-07-21 12:03 pm
riskinghearts) wrote2008-07-21 12:03 pm
Entry tags:
Amanda Tapping 2 - A Weekend With Her Fans
Up until now I've kept 2 livejournals. The first is kept open purely to house a con report. I am now moving my AT2 con report to this journal.
Then Becky all but canters onstage, and all thoughts of slumber go up the ventilation shafts. We're played a great Sam oriented music video - one that invoked cheers from the shippers during the "Window of Opportunity" clip; jeers when Pete's image popped up (he never stood a chance did he?); and a weird sense of indifference when Cameron Mitchell was thrown into the mix. All the while, AT had been snuck into the back of the venue. When Becky announced her and the cheers raised once more around the room, hot prickles threatened my eyes. Through the blurry film determined to break, I realise her hair is long, and after that I realise - there she is, in the flesh... Amanda 'Holy Hannah' Tapping.
I had only heard others' accounts on what it was like at a con with AT, and from that one usually draws up and idea in ones head of what it will be like. Believe me when I say that she lives up to your expectations, and then some! She is completely entertaining, witty, and humorous. She genuinely listens to people, and is very honest with her answers. I wish I was as diligent as those who took notes in the Q&A's because trying to remember all that was said is getting more and more difficult.
Two of the major themes in Q&A1 were the leadership of SG1, and Sci-Fi's decision to cancel the show. Someone asked about the creative decision to equal Carter's and Mitchell's ranks, and why he got dibs on SG1's leadership. To which Amanda's reply was a sweep of her arm and a "Hello!" The reason(s) was that Carter, for all intents and purposes, has always followed military protocol to the letter. Her specialisation roots in science and specificity, whereas Mitchell can be the rule breaker and the tactician. Anyway, Amanda sis question the powers that be about their decision and felt that at the very least they could have made Cam a full Colonel so that at least his orders warrant merit.
Another thing everybody wanted to know about were the two SG1 movies. She confirmed her sign on to the franchise, but also gave us insight into the response after cancellation. Basically Sci-Fi is starting to realise what a monumental mistake they have made. They will never admit defeat, but they know that their judgement has erred. Amanda, grace intact, managed to tell us without broadcasting names that the show SciFi placed in the old SG1 time slot was not living up to predicted ratings. And come on let's face it, (inserting personal opinion here) that "other" show is a baby in comparison with the Stargate genius.
The Q&A wraps up with the Gabit team handing Amanda a sign telling her to "Please get off the stage." They whisk her away to prepare for the photo sessions and everyone takes a recess. I buy 20 raffle tickets to win tea with Amanda (blatantly never gonna be me) but the proceeds are for the hearing dogs (many of which, I note, are wandering the main lobby - SO cute!). I finally have a chance to dump things in my hotel room. My goodness! Massive! Room enough to swing ten cats! The urge to nap returns, so I take a refresher in the shower. Afterwards I sat on the bath edge, looked up towards to the down-lighters and said "Lord, it would be really great if I could win tea with Amanda Tapping. If you could arrange that, that'd be great. Thanks." I'm sure many others had offered similar prayers. Without further ado, it was back to the con.
I made it in time to catch Thomasina Gibson's general chat with some of the fans - those not already in line for photo's, or browsing Legends stall. Thomasina is fun. She knows all the juicy Stargate stories, many of which have found their way into the companions. She told the funniest story of how the creative team sabotaged her "extra" appearance in "Citizen Joe". The first time she pushed a baby carriage past 'O Neill, Joe and his wife, they told her to notice that Jack was quite attractive, and give him the once over. Total wind up! Richard (Dean Anderson) looked at her as if she'd grown a second head, and the crew found it hysterical. Afterwards they told her all she had to do is walk past and check her baby is okay like any mom might and continue on. It was the last take of the day, and she had to get it right. So off she goes, doing everything they asked of her. She pauses to check her little one, only to discover that those 'horrid boys' had placed the Chucky doll in the crib! One heart attack later! LoL.
The second Q&A was as question filled as the first. We discovered Amanda quite fancies Johnny Depp. I can't remember whether this happened in the first or second session, but an adorable 6 year old girl asked AT if she had brought Olivia with her. Through teary eyes and voice the answer was a "no", and we learned that it was her first time away from her little one. She was very grateful that Gabit were keeping her busy and that her fans were just so incredibly supportive. Bless the soul who asked her what her kissing scenes with RDA were like. Amanda's face was bordering on puce. Her reply was something along the lines of, of course you develop feelings for the people you work with, especially on such an intimate level. She is a very happily married woman and has been for a long time, but in a way you do fall in love a little ("Honey, it's my job!") but it's superficial, you know it's not real.
After the Q&A, the photo sessions continued. I was relatively (okay very!) far back in the seat rows so my row hadn't been called before. When I stood in the queue outside the room I was shaking so much. My stomach was so knotted I don't think anyone could fathom an unravelling sequence. I felt warm and cold all at once, and felt ridiculous for being so nervous. I mean she's a person like anybody else... except that she's Amanda Tapping and she's played my hero for ten seasons. Eh - details. My body's lack of caffeine had long set in and I left the line for the car and ordered a Pepsi - unusual for me but they didn't have Coca Cola.
The soft drink and the breather did the trick (well, some of it anyway) and I got back in the queue. Gabit has bumped up all the day pass holders to the front, so about 6 of us remained. At this point the dogs came in. How amazing were these animals! Friendly and obedient, just lapping up everybody's attention and affection. Maybe I was being silly and maybe others might think I was silly for being so nervous, but I'd never seen Amanda before, let alone had the opportunity to meet and talk to her, so I was pretty clammy handed.
I watched the woman in front of me, begging my eyes to hold out. Then Amanda turned towards me, she grinned broadly and cried "hi!" My hands were shaking and the tears were flowing and I remember my first "Oh my God" as I looked into her eyes, and then the second "Oh my God as she pulled me into this huge hug. Words failed me. I kept trying to utter something intelligent or interesting, but I was completely overwhelmed. Amanda held onto my hands and looked into my eyes until I found my voice. What came out eventually was neither intelligent nor interesting. "I... come from the same country as Baal and Hathor." Profound. She then giggled and said she was going to have to check for a symbiote quick. She also asked me which city in South Africa I was from (Durban) and whether I'd ever met Cliff or Suanne. We had our picture taken - myself a pink face and watery eyes. She hugged me once more and then off I went.
It's difficult to describe how I was feeling at the time. I could hardly buhlieve that everything that was happening was real. I'd been watching SG1 since I was 14. The show has had such a personal impact on my life, that meeting AT, was just beyond dream come true.
The next event was the charity auction and the hearing dogs demonstration. I was so moved by the whole idea of the dogs, and one man's story of finding a new way of living when he got his dog, Kai. The fans were so generous and so willing to give. At least all of us could give our pennies to stop Thomasina from singing (LoL) - £300-odd later! And another £400 to get Amanda to sing. I have to admit though, that things were a bit blurry for me that evening. Only a few minutes before, the wonderful Thomasina (gee I kinda feel bad now that I threw in a fiver to stop her singing) pulled the fourth and final raffle ticket from the "Tea with Amanda" bucket. Blue 422... my ticket. I know I was staring at it incredulously. Stuff like this NEVER happens to me! At school I never so much as won one a prize for spending my pennies at monthly raffles. You'd think that 12 years at school and 5 at university might have won me something. Never! Now I know why. THIS is why! I was in such a state of shock, that I just sort of waved my arm in the air when Amanda asked "Anyone?" When she spotted me, she pointed and said "Now don't start crying you." I was far too numb to contemplate that. I got back to my hotel room later... put my stuff down on the bed... and started yelling "I'm going to have tea with Amanda Tapping!" Yeah, I might have been jumping up and down at the same time too.
I nearly skipped the Pink Party because I was quite sleepy. I'm really glad I scrounged the energy from somewhere, otherwise I would never have got to dance every con dance known to man! I've still got "Star Trekking" swimming in my head. It also gave me the opportunity to socialise and meet so many great people. Gabit created such a unique event, where everyone could bond over one common denominator and then get to know each other. I'd felt a bit on my own up until then but I left the party feeling like I'd made some friends and actually had a really great time. I returned to my room around midnight which I guess now makes it:
Sunday 19th November 2006
Bleary-eyed I rolled out of bed, remembered the "tea", grinned, and was immediately awake. Walking down to breakfast I notice how much we've taken over the hotel. In every direction, one could spot the pink ribbon around our necks. The sofas in the lobby were always occupied, and the dogs were bustling about. We had another two Q&A's today. In the first, Amanda warned us all that we should NEVER order burgers from room service! Luckily, the Gabit team had a bucket close at hand. Even more lucky though was that it didn't have to be used! I admit the sessions are starting to blur, and I'm beginning to forget what was said in which. I'm sure someone out there will correct me in due time, until then I'll just pretend I'm right.
Amanda was asked to 'create' her own 'Men of Sci-Fi' Calender. Of course, we had to put Rick (Dean Anderson) in there. She asked which month, and most of us agreed on December. Amanda was quite keen on that idea too. "Yes!" she tells us " We'll put him as December with... ski boots and a smile." After much laughter, she speaks once more. "That's gonna be on the Internet tomorrow isn't it?" We also learn ed that Chris Judge exposed himself wearing only a thong with the SG1 logo on it... HM yummy... during season ten filming. They all 'stole' bits of set after the wrap up. Amanda took her jacket, Michael Shanks took Daniel's journal, and Chris probably took his entire uniform - boots and all! Amanda was asked to beat David Hewlett's speed reading record. David's 'black hole' explanation is roughly 12 point something seconds long! Amanda managed about 19. The second Q&A had Amanda sucking helium from a balloon. This raised much controversy from the attendees because the balloon had not been security checked. Amanda did it anyway and sang "Ding, dong, the witch is dead" which was (of course) hysterical. When the final episode was filmed, the last shot is of the team going through the gate. Amanda told us of how Ben and Claudia hung back a bit and let her, Chris, and Michael have one final moment for ten years of Stargate. I thought that was really touching. Up onto the tamp, through the gate they all went - a sad moment for all......... and then Rob Cooper yells "Yeah we gotta do it again."
Sunday was autograph day, and Gabit kept us entertained during the interim. This year's Guinness book of World Records attempt was... well just plain funny. Thomasina officiated, and someone who used to work for 'Guinness' explained the procedures. I'm laughing while typing this up because golly this was funny. Here we all sat with a bowl of 45 or so smarties and a pair of chopsticks. The goal was to eat as many as we could in three minutes. It is not easy to pick up a smartie with chopsticks... buhlieve me! Nevertheless I did finish my entire bowl in under three... felt dead sick afterwards. But hey, now there are a group of Gabit-goers who hold a World Record for the most people in one venue eating smarties with chopsticks in three minutes!
Okay so later on, I'm in the autograph queue. In the seat next to me is the ex 'Guinness' lady whose name, I learn, is Victoria. When we're the next to see Amanda, I'm bouncing on my toes. Probably a combination of nerves, a cold room, and the sugar rush from the 45 smarties. Victoria rubbed my arms to warm me up and I learn that she won the tea with Amanda last year. As Amanda signs my two items, Julia (for those who don't know, she's Amanda's fusser-overer if that makes sense) remarks that I've got tea to look forward to later. Amanda suddenly yells "Tea!" Julia says "You must have been really excited when you won." and I was like "Yep, I nearly threw up."
The tea itself: I know that many people might want to hear all the intricacies of the tea, and I feel bad to disappoint anyone. The entire experience was over-whelming and I felt well and truly blessed at this point in time. The tea - well it was more like champagne - was actually a really personal experience for me. Amanda was much more interested in us, of course she shared some Stargate memories, but for the most part it was five people talking and getting to know each other. The memory is burned into my heart , it was something so special and intimate, but again, it was special to me. It's not that I don't want to share, it's just that I don't know what to share, I don't really know if anyone's interested. When it was over, Amanda was lovely and gave us all big hugs. I was crying (again? Geez!) and she squeezed me tight and said "Thank you so much. When I saw you in the crowd, I was like yes!"
Not long after I ran into Victoria in the bathroom. I learned she was also going to Avalon the following weekend and I was really happy knowing that I'd see a familiar face. I was teary eyed and smiling, and she gave me a hug while her own eyes misted. Then she grinned "I was you last year!"
The closing ceremony was awesome (yeah at this point do you really think I'm going to say something else?). Over the weekend we raised a grand total of £21 865! Enough for four Hearing Dogs when we were raising money for just one initially! The weekend became so much more than just meeting Amanda, it was also a celebration of generosity and good will... A life time of memories bottled into one con.
You know, I started watching Stargate when I was 14, I was instantly enthralled. Samantha Carter was someone I really looked up to. I struggles a bit in high school with my own personal demons - none of which I will go in to here - but Sam became a hero to me... someone to aspire to be like. I know that many Sam/Amanda fans must feel the same way. I came away from this weekend still knowing that Sam Carter will always be my hero - 'onscreen'. But now... after getting to know her and seeing all of the amazing things she's done not only for the hearing dogs, but for her fans... I've also learned that Amanda is mine, 'off'.
Saturday 18th November 2006
I had set my alarm for five a.m. I know me, I don't do well without a morning shower. Plus, y'know, I didn't want to meet Amanda for the first time wearing yesterday's hair! Of course, instead of being woken by the bird chirp and musical interlude that is the alarm on my cellular phone - I was woo hoo wide awake at 04.15. It did occur to me at this point that I should just crawl my way to the bathroom and get started... but I live in England, and England is dark. There is nothing on this planet that could drag me out of bed at that hour without due cause. Only the gravitational effects of a black hole would do it, and there weren't any around.
Five AM. I figured I would be out the door by 06.30. I figured wrong. Missed the bus, and opted to walk to the station. Took two hours to get to Heathrow. Time check - 08.40. Time Gabit said things were kicking off - 09.00. Okay, no panic. No clue where the hotel Hoppa Bus is. No time to get a clue. Drag suitcase and self to the taxi bay. Seven pounds later, arrive at the Renaissance Hotel. Time check - 08.50. All praise for Marriott hotels, from my race through the entrance to the Check In desk, the place looked smashing! Bless too, the nice man at the counter for a most speedy check in, and the concierge for so graciously relieving me of my luggage when I all but threw it at him. Run to registration like a bat outta hell, momentarily recognise that it is Kay aka Mumsey sitting behind the desk, and the sigh in huge relief that I've arrived safe and sound with zero point two seconds to spare.
Then Becky all but canters onstage, and all thoughts of slumber go up the ventilation shafts. We're played a great Sam oriented music video - one that invoked cheers from the shippers during the "Window of Opportunity" clip; jeers when Pete's image popped up (he never stood a chance did he?); and a weird sense of indifference when Cameron Mitchell was thrown into the mix. All the while, AT had been snuck into the back of the venue. When Becky announced her and the cheers raised once more around the room, hot prickles threatened my eyes. Through the blurry film determined to break, I realise her hair is long, and after that I realise - there she is, in the flesh... Amanda 'Holy Hannah' Tapping.
I had only heard others' accounts on what it was like at a con with AT, and from that one usually draws up and idea in ones head of what it will be like. Believe me when I say that she lives up to your expectations, and then some! She is completely entertaining, witty, and humorous. She genuinely listens to people, and is very honest with her answers. I wish I was as diligent as those who took notes in the Q&A's because trying to remember all that was said is getting more and more difficult.
Two of the major themes in Q&A1 were the leadership of SG1, and Sci-Fi's decision to cancel the show. Someone asked about the creative decision to equal Carter's and Mitchell's ranks, and why he got dibs on SG1's leadership. To which Amanda's reply was a sweep of her arm and a "Hello!" The reason(s) was that Carter, for all intents and purposes, has always followed military protocol to the letter. Her specialisation roots in science and specificity, whereas Mitchell can be the rule breaker and the tactician. Anyway, Amanda sis question the powers that be about their decision and felt that at the very least they could have made Cam a full Colonel so that at least his orders warrant merit.
Another thing everybody wanted to know about were the two SG1 movies. She confirmed her sign on to the franchise, but also gave us insight into the response after cancellation. Basically Sci-Fi is starting to realise what a monumental mistake they have made. They will never admit defeat, but they know that their judgement has erred. Amanda, grace intact, managed to tell us without broadcasting names that the show SciFi placed in the old SG1 time slot was not living up to predicted ratings. And come on let's face it, (inserting personal opinion here) that "other" show is a baby in comparison with the Stargate genius.
The Q&A wraps up with the Gabit team handing Amanda a sign telling her to "Please get off the stage." They whisk her away to prepare for the photo sessions and everyone takes a recess. I buy 20 raffle tickets to win tea with Amanda (blatantly never gonna be me) but the proceeds are for the hearing dogs (many of which, I note, are wandering the main lobby - SO cute!). I finally have a chance to dump things in my hotel room. My goodness! Massive! Room enough to swing ten cats! The urge to nap returns, so I take a refresher in the shower. Afterwards I sat on the bath edge, looked up towards to the down-lighters and said "Lord, it would be really great if I could win tea with Amanda Tapping. If you could arrange that, that'd be great. Thanks." I'm sure many others had offered similar prayers. Without further ado, it was back to the con.
I made it in time to catch Thomasina Gibson's general chat with some of the fans - those not already in line for photo's, or browsing Legends stall. Thomasina is fun. She knows all the juicy Stargate stories, many of which have found their way into the companions. She told the funniest story of how the creative team sabotaged her "extra" appearance in "Citizen Joe". The first time she pushed a baby carriage past 'O Neill, Joe and his wife, they told her to notice that Jack was quite attractive, and give him the once over. Total wind up! Richard (Dean Anderson) looked at her as if she'd grown a second head, and the crew found it hysterical. Afterwards they told her all she had to do is walk past and check her baby is okay like any mom might and continue on. It was the last take of the day, and she had to get it right. So off she goes, doing everything they asked of her. She pauses to check her little one, only to discover that those 'horrid boys' had placed the Chucky doll in the crib! One heart attack later! LoL.
The second Q&A was as question filled as the first. We discovered Amanda quite fancies Johnny Depp. I can't remember whether this happened in the first or second session, but an adorable 6 year old girl asked AT if she had brought Olivia with her. Through teary eyes and voice the answer was a "no", and we learned that it was her first time away from her little one. She was very grateful that Gabit were keeping her busy and that her fans were just so incredibly supportive. Bless the soul who asked her what her kissing scenes with RDA were like. Amanda's face was bordering on puce. Her reply was something along the lines of, of course you develop feelings for the people you work with, especially on such an intimate level. She is a very happily married woman and has been for a long time, but in a way you do fall in love a little ("Honey, it's my job!") but it's superficial, you know it's not real.
After the Q&A, the photo sessions continued. I was relatively (okay very!) far back in the seat rows so my row hadn't been called before. When I stood in the queue outside the room I was shaking so much. My stomach was so knotted I don't think anyone could fathom an unravelling sequence. I felt warm and cold all at once, and felt ridiculous for being so nervous. I mean she's a person like anybody else... except that she's Amanda Tapping and she's played my hero for ten seasons. Eh - details. My body's lack of caffeine had long set in and I left the line for the car and ordered a Pepsi - unusual for me but they didn't have Coca Cola.
The soft drink and the breather did the trick (well, some of it anyway) and I got back in the queue. Gabit has bumped up all the day pass holders to the front, so about 6 of us remained. At this point the dogs came in. How amazing were these animals! Friendly and obedient, just lapping up everybody's attention and affection. Maybe I was being silly and maybe others might think I was silly for being so nervous, but I'd never seen Amanda before, let alone had the opportunity to meet and talk to her, so I was pretty clammy handed.
I watched the woman in front of me, begging my eyes to hold out. Then Amanda turned towards me, she grinned broadly and cried "hi!" My hands were shaking and the tears were flowing and I remember my first "Oh my God" as I looked into her eyes, and then the second "Oh my God as she pulled me into this huge hug. Words failed me. I kept trying to utter something intelligent or interesting, but I was completely overwhelmed. Amanda held onto my hands and looked into my eyes until I found my voice. What came out eventually was neither intelligent nor interesting. "I... come from the same country as Baal and Hathor." Profound. She then giggled and said she was going to have to check for a symbiote quick. She also asked me which city in South Africa I was from (Durban) and whether I'd ever met Cliff or Suanne. We had our picture taken - myself a pink face and watery eyes. She hugged me once more and then off I went.
It's difficult to describe how I was feeling at the time. I could hardly buhlieve that everything that was happening was real. I'd been watching SG1 since I was 14. The show has had such a personal impact on my life, that meeting AT, was just beyond dream come true.
The next event was the charity auction and the hearing dogs demonstration. I was so moved by the whole idea of the dogs, and one man's story of finding a new way of living when he got his dog, Kai. The fans were so generous and so willing to give. At least all of us could give our pennies to stop Thomasina from singing (LoL) - £300-odd later! And another £400 to get Amanda to sing. I have to admit though, that things were a bit blurry for me that evening. Only a few minutes before, the wonderful Thomasina (gee I kinda feel bad now that I threw in a fiver to stop her singing) pulled the fourth and final raffle ticket from the "Tea with Amanda" bucket. Blue 422... my ticket. I know I was staring at it incredulously. Stuff like this NEVER happens to me! At school I never so much as won one a prize for spending my pennies at monthly raffles. You'd think that 12 years at school and 5 at university might have won me something. Never! Now I know why. THIS is why! I was in such a state of shock, that I just sort of waved my arm in the air when Amanda asked "Anyone?" When she spotted me, she pointed and said "Now don't start crying you." I was far too numb to contemplate that. I got back to my hotel room later... put my stuff down on the bed... and started yelling "I'm going to have tea with Amanda Tapping!" Yeah, I might have been jumping up and down at the same time too.
I nearly skipped the Pink Party because I was quite sleepy. I'm really glad I scrounged the energy from somewhere, otherwise I would never have got to dance every con dance known to man! I've still got "Star Trekking" swimming in my head. It also gave me the opportunity to socialise and meet so many great people. Gabit created such a unique event, where everyone could bond over one common denominator and then get to know each other. I'd felt a bit on my own up until then but I left the party feeling like I'd made some friends and actually had a really great time. I returned to my room around midnight which I guess now makes it:
Sunday 19th November 2006
Bleary-eyed I rolled out of bed, remembered the "tea", grinned, and was immediately awake. Walking down to breakfast I notice how much we've taken over the hotel. In every direction, one could spot the pink ribbon around our necks. The sofas in the lobby were always occupied, and the dogs were bustling about. We had another two Q&A's today. In the first, Amanda warned us all that we should NEVER order burgers from room service! Luckily, the Gabit team had a bucket close at hand. Even more lucky though was that it didn't have to be used! I admit the sessions are starting to blur, and I'm beginning to forget what was said in which. I'm sure someone out there will correct me in due time, until then I'll just pretend I'm right.
Amanda was asked to 'create' her own 'Men of Sci-Fi' Calender. Of course, we had to put Rick (Dean Anderson) in there. She asked which month, and most of us agreed on December. Amanda was quite keen on that idea too. "Yes!" she tells us " We'll put him as December with... ski boots and a smile." After much laughter, she speaks once more. "That's gonna be on the Internet tomorrow isn't it?" We also learn ed that Chris Judge exposed himself wearing only a thong with the SG1 logo on it... HM yummy... during season ten filming. They all 'stole' bits of set after the wrap up. Amanda took her jacket, Michael Shanks took Daniel's journal, and Chris probably took his entire uniform - boots and all! Amanda was asked to beat David Hewlett's speed reading record. David's 'black hole' explanation is roughly 12 point something seconds long! Amanda managed about 19. The second Q&A had Amanda sucking helium from a balloon. This raised much controversy from the attendees because the balloon had not been security checked. Amanda did it anyway and sang "Ding, dong, the witch is dead" which was (of course) hysterical. When the final episode was filmed, the last shot is of the team going through the gate. Amanda told us of how Ben and Claudia hung back a bit and let her, Chris, and Michael have one final moment for ten years of Stargate. I thought that was really touching. Up onto the tamp, through the gate they all went - a sad moment for all......... and then Rob Cooper yells "Yeah we gotta do it again."
Sunday was autograph day, and Gabit kept us entertained during the interim. This year's Guinness book of World Records attempt was... well just plain funny. Thomasina officiated, and someone who used to work for 'Guinness' explained the procedures. I'm laughing while typing this up because golly this was funny. Here we all sat with a bowl of 45 or so smarties and a pair of chopsticks. The goal was to eat as many as we could in three minutes. It is not easy to pick up a smartie with chopsticks... buhlieve me! Nevertheless I did finish my entire bowl in under three... felt dead sick afterwards. But hey, now there are a group of Gabit-goers who hold a World Record for the most people in one venue eating smarties with chopsticks in three minutes!
Okay so later on, I'm in the autograph queue. In the seat next to me is the ex 'Guinness' lady whose name, I learn, is Victoria. When we're the next to see Amanda, I'm bouncing on my toes. Probably a combination of nerves, a cold room, and the sugar rush from the 45 smarties. Victoria rubbed my arms to warm me up and I learn that she won the tea with Amanda last year. As Amanda signs my two items, Julia (for those who don't know, she's Amanda's fusser-overer if that makes sense) remarks that I've got tea to look forward to later. Amanda suddenly yells "Tea!" Julia says "You must have been really excited when you won." and I was like "Yep, I nearly threw up."
The tea itself: I know that many people might want to hear all the intricacies of the tea, and I feel bad to disappoint anyone. The entire experience was over-whelming and I felt well and truly blessed at this point in time. The tea - well it was more like champagne - was actually a really personal experience for me. Amanda was much more interested in us, of course she shared some Stargate memories, but for the most part it was five people talking and getting to know each other. The memory is burned into my heart , it was something so special and intimate, but again, it was special to me. It's not that I don't want to share, it's just that I don't know what to share, I don't really know if anyone's interested. When it was over, Amanda was lovely and gave us all big hugs. I was crying (again? Geez!) and she squeezed me tight and said "Thank you so much. When I saw you in the crowd, I was like yes!"
Not long after I ran into Victoria in the bathroom. I learned she was also going to Avalon the following weekend and I was really happy knowing that I'd see a familiar face. I was teary eyed and smiling, and she gave me a hug while her own eyes misted. Then she grinned "I was you last year!"
The closing ceremony was awesome (yeah at this point do you really think I'm going to say something else?). Over the weekend we raised a grand total of £21 865! Enough for four Hearing Dogs when we were raising money for just one initially! The weekend became so much more than just meeting Amanda, it was also a celebration of generosity and good will... A life time of memories bottled into one con.
You know, I started watching Stargate when I was 14, I was instantly enthralled. Samantha Carter was someone I really looked up to. I struggles a bit in high school with my own personal demons - none of which I will go in to here - but Sam became a hero to me... someone to aspire to be like. I know that many Sam/Amanda fans must feel the same way. I came away from this weekend still knowing that Sam Carter will always be my hero - 'onscreen'. But now... after getting to know her and seeing all of the amazing things she's done not only for the hearing dogs, but for her fans... I've also learned that Amanda is mine, 'off'.