Today I took Erin to WonderCon in the City.


I don't really know why, but I enjoyed ComicCon in San Diego when I went, I'm more than a bit of a geek, and I needed something to do inside with Erin on what was supposed to be a pretty rainy day. I guess I do know why. What I really meant is that I don't know why I took her to what was first, foremost, and dominantly a comic convention rather than just a science fiction con; as big a geek as I am about many things, comic books have never really been a part of it.


After spending $12 to get in, $15 to park, $10 on lunch and another $6 on drinks I was really wondering why I was there. Did I seriously spend $37 for the privilege of buying the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8" graphic novel omnibus edition of "The Long Way Home"? I'm pretty sure I could have found that at just about any comic shop around.

I enjoyed the people watching. And Erin enjoyed the people watching and looking at everything there was to look at.


She was pretty cute in the backpack.


But I had my doubts. Did I really show up to wander around and look at micro-celebrities like "the guy who stands around in the Darth Vader costume for LucasFilm", or to wait around for Richard Hatch to show up?


I wasn't willing to shell out $20 for the chance to take a picture with these people, so I didn't take any digital shots.

But it turned out to be a pretty good day after all. Richard Hatch did show up, wearing a scarf inside for no reason. I didn't talk to him; the scarf really threw me for a loop.

And there was Brian Posehn, who I only know as a comedian. He was there, sitting at a lonely, set-back table presenting his comic books. I didn't talk to him; the lonely, set-back table and unusually long beard threw me off. Plus, I couldn't remember his last name, and I didn't want to be that guy.

And Peter Mayhew was there with a woman who looked almost as weird as he did. I didn't talk to him; the weird-looking woman really threw me off.

But I did talk to Herbert Jefferson Jr, who played Boomer on the original Battlestar Galactica. Well, I should say that Erin talked to him; babbled at him; waved at him; smiled at him; laughed at him. Seeing her, he said, made his whole day. That went a long way to making my whole day.

As we were wandering the con floor we walked past BarBara Luna's table. When she saw Erin looking at her and smiling she immediately exclaimed "Put that child to work!" I was pretty sure that she meant on film, and not, for instance, in a coal mine; further conversation confirmed this. She was quite insistent, complimentary, and encouraging. That went even further in making my whole day. I know that Erin is beautiful, and has an amazingly expressive face, but it seems that other people think so as well.

In the artist's area I was tapped on the shoulder to catch my attention: "Who's the cutest baby at the convention?" came the inquiry from the quite possibly inebriated gentleman I turned to face. "Um. Her?" I replied, nodding back at Erin. "That's right!" slurs-he. Hey, he may have been drunk, but that still makes a dad happy.


We wandered by a T-shirt booth, and I stopped to give Erin a bottle. Business was a bit slow, so the two guys who were actually staffing the booth (the owners of the company, I think) were off to the side, chatting, and Erin kept peeking over at them, smiling, and giggling. The guys were so tickled by this that as we were leaving they asked if we would come back so that they could take Erin's picture in the booth to put up on the website. Coming so soon on the heels of BarBara Luna's comments I nearly said yes. But I'm not sure I'm ready for Erin to to model, or if I ever will be. And if I were, I'm not sure that I would want her first gig to be at a t-shirt booth at WonderCon. Especially one whose merchandise was self-described as macabre. But, as I said, I nearly did it. This kid is cute.

My day was even further along to being made.

My day was finally made while walking by Lou Ferrigno's table. I suggested to Erin that she greet the Incredible Hulk ("Hey kid, wave hi to Lou Ferrigno!"). Lou is a pretty imposing man, and earlier in the day I had seen a smartass kid angle up to his table, off to one side, with iPhone pointed at him shouting "Lou! Can I get your picture? For free?" This guy was a douchebag. Lou just very calmly, but darkly, pointed down at his sign: $20 for a polaroid. It was not wanting to be that kind of douchebag that accounts for the ZERO pictures I took of these people that I was encountering.

As I say, Lou is a very imposing man, and now here comes the Backpacking Dad with the suddenly taciturn kid; said dad is insufferably saying "wave hi to Lou Ferrigno!" while said kid is, for once, just staring. No smile. No wave. Nothing. Just a stare. Lou stares back. I start to get a little uncomfortable and begin to walk on by, with a nod to Lou meant to convey "Hey, what can you do with a kid who doesn't want to smile?" Lou still hasn't broken expression; in fact, he's reminding me a lot of the way he looked at the iPhone douche. He reaches his hand up to his head, wipes it across his face, and pulls the old smiley-face switcharoo!. He then proceeds to play peek-a-boo with Erin from behind his table.

That, my friends, is what made my day. The image of the Incredible Hulk playing peek-a-boo with Erin will stick with me forever. And it was the combination of all of those little moments that made today wonderful. Even though I had, somewhat selfishly, decided to go to a freakin' comic book convention to try to be cool and geeky for Erin in the future, the day turned out to be about her being cool and adorable and charming for me in the present.

Today was one of my favourite days to be a dad, and I was sorry that we had to leave.

We'll be back next year.