Blog on the Lillypad
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
Sunday
Sunday morning I went to the breakfast, which started about 40 minutes late. After NOT getting Lis Sladen at our table the night before, the Lis fans staked out a table for ourselves and made sure everybody knew this was her table. She and Andrew came in after we were all seated and joined us. She looked great but said she was tired from jet lag catching up with her.
We laughed about the guy in the corset and horns and the talk stayed pretty light. I commented on the outstanding professionalism that the Doctor Who actors always show at the conventions and asked if over in England they take classes on professionalism when they train. She burst out laughing. Andrew, her personal assistant, said no. He explained that Doctor Who comes from an older generation and joining the cast is really like joining an ongoing tradition that has its values in place.
Everybody was tucking in to the bacon and eggs (except me; I can't digest bacon or eggs). There were breakfast potatoes, which I had, and pastries and croissants. The coffee was also great, and Andrew and I kept passing the pot back and forth to each other.
I had to duck out early to get in line for a photo with Liz. Kevin wanted to meet a friend in the city, so I needed to get back to the dealer's table as soon as possible to relieve him. And the way to do that was to get at the front of the line. And the only way to do that was to be there first.
After a few minutes, which I spent editing a manuscript, Lis and Andrew rushed inside the photo room. After another few minutes, as the line began to form behind me, they opened the door to start. I rushed in, got into position next to Lis, bent my knees as far as they could go without being too obvious (as she is REALLY short), and posed.
We got the picture taken and as the next guy in line was still coming in, I turned and took her hand and told her thank you. Kevin had told me that when she'd had a convention lined up after 9/11 she had canceled from concern over the safety of flying. So I told her I would pray for her to have a safe trip home. She brightened up and thanked me. But she said she would see me later, at the dealer table.
I ran down and relieved Kevin, then ran the table for the next few hours. At about five until two, Lis came down, but Kevin was gone, so she said she would try to get back later. She had two hours of singing autographs ahead of her. Not long after, I took my lunch break and used the time to use the hotel's free computer to write up a report on the Chinese year of her daughter's birth, as she had been very interested in that. When I got back to the table, I saw Andrew scouting the dealer tables for bargains, so I gave him the report and asked him to give it to Lis.
To my complete and utter amazement, the fellow from the Knights fan club table came up to me. He had a friend with him. He also had the Third Doctor stand-up that I had wanted to much. "This guy's my friend," he told me. "And he's got a stand-up of the Third Doctor that he said I could have. So I want to give you this."
I stood up, amazed. "You're giving it to me?"
He nodded. "Yeah, because you really wanted it. So you can have it." I was floored at his offhand generosity. A hardcore Doctor Who fan would have paid for it. (In fact, I would have paid for it.) But I didn't want to insult him by offering money now that he had so clearly stated it was a gift, just becuase I like the Third Doctor so much.
Then later, as I rushed out to put my loot in my room, I ran into Lis again. I told her I'd given the report to Andrew, and she brightened up. "Oh, I wanted to ask you if you would write something. Thank you," she said. She had some questions about the stars, but I didn't have enough information from her to give her an answer. She was hesitant about revealing anything of her real life to me, and I told her she should maintain a safety zone of her privacy. Having to maintain a private life shielded from her public life is a fact of life for her, and she has to feel safe. I told her that I agree with this for her. (As a martial artist, I would because I view her life as one of "exposure".)
I wanted to explain to her that the real purpose of looking at the stars is to see the handiwork of God, and she is His handiwork. But for once I got tied up in my words and didn't say it clearly. But I did tell her that God in mercy laid out the heavens. And God has mercy for her. She suddenly took my hand. "You know, I see in your eyes that you've been through a lot," she said suddenly. The remark caught me off guard. "And in your voice, that you're strong. You have a strong voice. You've been through a lot, and you have confidence."
Her remarks halted me. I was so surprised that I didn't catch the rest of her sentence. I think she told me I have strong eyes---like a direct gaze. I just found myself looking at her, a human being like me, who felt a certain weight because something she had done merely for a living had been a comfort for another human being.
"Well, I serve a good God," I told her. And then because suddenly we were really talking to each other and it was only going to last until the next person tugged on her sleeve or tapped her shoulder, I told her that I'd posted a book on the web, and now it had sold and it's been nominated for an award, and I don't know how to promote it or if I should. I dread the very idea. "But this is easy," she said. "This is nothing."
"For you," I agreed. "And you're good at it, but I don't know how to be the real me to a lot of people. I deal with people one at a time."
She gave me a very wise answer, which I am not going to write here. But it was so wise that I knew I am not ready to do what she does to promote my book or any book, not yet. And that's okay. If the shoe doesn't fit, don't wear it. All of those people: Lis Sladen, Terry Molloy, Erin Gray, they have acquired skills to promote what they've done. But I don't have those skills and I won't pretend I do.
But after she said that, I told her that I believe it was God's mercy that had me see Doctor Who that first day. And I know that's unusual to say or believe. And people in Bible college were annoyed when I would say it. "All mercy is God's mercy," I told her. "And God gives us mercy."
She was holding onto my hand (and I to hers) like swimmers do, as though in a moment the eddies of our different lives would take us back to our different places. But for one moment I saw the person on whom God is willing to bestow mercy, the person (one of them) that He used to keep me hopeful as a young person that there was more to life than a brutal father and adulterous mother. I just looked down at her, because I had to. Because God did this. He made her, just like He made me. And to her credit as a gracious person, when I looked at her, for a moment both the 12 year old again and myself, she didn't leave or walk away or anything. She just looked back up at me so that I could sort it out for a moment.
Then somebody tapped her, and she had to hurry to the next thing. I told her I would be praying for her to have a safe trip, and to take care of herself.
It had been a great convention, a real event for me. And later, after I had packed up and cleaned up and was lying in bed, I thought about that moment of seeing somebody as a human being, and realizing that she also suddenly saw through the veils we create, and she saw me, a human being, a person made by God. Mercy, where it comes and whatever vehicle it uses, always comes to us from God.
Sunday morning I went to the breakfast, which started about 40 minutes late. After NOT getting Lis Sladen at our table the night before, the Lis fans staked out a table for ourselves and made sure everybody knew this was her table. She and Andrew came in after we were all seated and joined us. She looked great but said she was tired from jet lag catching up with her.
We laughed about the guy in the corset and horns and the talk stayed pretty light. I commented on the outstanding professionalism that the Doctor Who actors always show at the conventions and asked if over in England they take classes on professionalism when they train. She burst out laughing. Andrew, her personal assistant, said no. He explained that Doctor Who comes from an older generation and joining the cast is really like joining an ongoing tradition that has its values in place.
 | The topic turned back to the series, and I was amazed that Lis did not remember the very charming and sweet beginning to DEATH TO THE DALEKS, in which the Third Doctor and Liz are assembling a beach ball, beach umbrella, water wings, etc., for a day at a beach on a distant planet. I think it's one of the best beginnings of any of the stories in the series. She wasn't quite keen on the story itself, but the memory of that first scene had completely escaped her, and Kevin and I told it back to her. |
| The happy prospects of a grand day out are extinguished when the TARDIS completely loses power, and they have to figure out a way to get the doors open and get out in order to explore. At that point, of course, the real story begins, but the intro reminds me of the Bugs Bunny cartoons where Bugs tunnels out to the middle of no where and pops out of his hole clad in a swimsuit and sunglasses only to find himself in the middle of a desert. |  |
Everybody was tucking in to the bacon and eggs (except me; I can't digest bacon or eggs). There were breakfast potatoes, which I had, and pastries and croissants. The coffee was also great, and Andrew and I kept passing the pot back and forth to each other.
I had to duck out early to get in line for a photo with Liz. Kevin wanted to meet a friend in the city, so I needed to get back to the dealer's table as soon as possible to relieve him. And the way to do that was to get at the front of the line. And the only way to do that was to be there first.
After a few minutes, which I spent editing a manuscript, Lis and Andrew rushed inside the photo room. After another few minutes, as the line began to form behind me, they opened the door to start. I rushed in, got into position next to Lis, bent my knees as far as they could go without being too obvious (as she is REALLY short), and posed.
We got the picture taken and as the next guy in line was still coming in, I turned and took her hand and told her thank you. Kevin had told me that when she'd had a convention lined up after 9/11 she had canceled from concern over the safety of flying. So I told her I would pray for her to have a safe trip home. She brightened up and thanked me. But she said she would see me later, at the dealer table.
I ran down and relieved Kevin, then ran the table for the next few hours. At about five until two, Lis came down, but Kevin was gone, so she said she would try to get back later. She had two hours of singing autographs ahead of her. Not long after, I took my lunch break and used the time to use the hotel's free computer to write up a report on the Chinese year of her daughter's birth, as she had been very interested in that. When I got back to the table, I saw Andrew scouting the dealer tables for bargains, so I gave him the report and asked him to give it to Lis.
 | I ran down to Gene's table while keeping an eye on my own and asked Gene how he'd done. We chatted for several minutes. At Chicago TARDIS Gene is always on the run, always busy. So it was nice just to chat with him. Overall, the convention had not seen the attendance that we would have liked. But this was the first spring convention for the United Fan Con group. Normally UFC has just one con a year, and that's held in early November. We could hope for better things. Next year, when the new Doctor Who series starts, everything may change drastically---for better, and perhaps in some ways for worse as the series may go headlong into marketing. I bought a talking dalek from Gene for my desk at work and ran back my own table. |
To my complete and utter amazement, the fellow from the Knights fan club table came up to me. He had a friend with him. He also had the Third Doctor stand-up that I had wanted to much. "This guy's my friend," he told me. "And he's got a stand-up of the Third Doctor that he said I could have. So I want to give you this."
I stood up, amazed. "You're giving it to me?"
He nodded. "Yeah, because you really wanted it. So you can have it." I was floored at his offhand generosity. A hardcore Doctor Who fan would have paid for it. (In fact, I would have paid for it.) But I didn't want to insult him by offering money now that he had so clearly stated it was a gift, just becuase I like the Third Doctor so much.
| I did the best I could. "Look," I told him. "I'm a writer. With a published book. It's up for a big award in Christian publishing. I knwo it's not the type of book most people here are interested in, but how about if I send you a signed copy? Then if it wins, you'd have a signed first edition." I shrugged. "That's the best I can give you."
"Sure," he said. He handed me a fan club newsletter with his address on it. I thanked him again. What kindness he'd showed, and to a stranger. He walked away. I stared at the little stand up in wonder. The Third Doctor grinned back at me, one hand pointing at me and the other open and outstretched towards the universe: an invitation to come and see more than I had ever seen before. |  |
Then later, as I rushed out to put my loot in my room, I ran into Lis again. I told her I'd given the report to Andrew, and she brightened up. "Oh, I wanted to ask you if you would write something. Thank you," she said. She had some questions about the stars, but I didn't have enough information from her to give her an answer. She was hesitant about revealing anything of her real life to me, and I told her she should maintain a safety zone of her privacy. Having to maintain a private life shielded from her public life is a fact of life for her, and she has to feel safe. I told her that I agree with this for her. (As a martial artist, I would because I view her life as one of "exposure".)
I wanted to explain to her that the real purpose of looking at the stars is to see the handiwork of God, and she is His handiwork. But for once I got tied up in my words and didn't say it clearly. But I did tell her that God in mercy laid out the heavens. And God has mercy for her. She suddenly took my hand. "You know, I see in your eyes that you've been through a lot," she said suddenly. The remark caught me off guard. "And in your voice, that you're strong. You have a strong voice. You've been through a lot, and you have confidence."
Her remarks halted me. I was so surprised that I didn't catch the rest of her sentence. I think she told me I have strong eyes---like a direct gaze. I just found myself looking at her, a human being like me, who felt a certain weight because something she had done merely for a living had been a comfort for another human being.
"Well, I serve a good God," I told her. And then because suddenly we were really talking to each other and it was only going to last until the next person tugged on her sleeve or tapped her shoulder, I told her that I'd posted a book on the web, and now it had sold and it's been nominated for an award, and I don't know how to promote it or if I should. I dread the very idea. "But this is easy," she said. "This is nothing."
"For you," I agreed. "And you're good at it, but I don't know how to be the real me to a lot of people. I deal with people one at a time."
She gave me a very wise answer, which I am not going to write here. But it was so wise that I knew I am not ready to do what she does to promote my book or any book, not yet. And that's okay. If the shoe doesn't fit, don't wear it. All of those people: Lis Sladen, Terry Molloy, Erin Gray, they have acquired skills to promote what they've done. But I don't have those skills and I won't pretend I do.
But after she said that, I told her that I believe it was God's mercy that had me see Doctor Who that first day. And I know that's unusual to say or believe. And people in Bible college were annoyed when I would say it. "All mercy is God's mercy," I told her. "And God gives us mercy."
She was holding onto my hand (and I to hers) like swimmers do, as though in a moment the eddies of our different lives would take us back to our different places. But for one moment I saw the person on whom God is willing to bestow mercy, the person (one of them) that He used to keep me hopeful as a young person that there was more to life than a brutal father and adulterous mother. I just looked down at her, because I had to. Because God did this. He made her, just like He made me. And to her credit as a gracious person, when I looked at her, for a moment both the 12 year old again and myself, she didn't leave or walk away or anything. She just looked back up at me so that I could sort it out for a moment.
Then somebody tapped her, and she had to hurry to the next thing. I told her I would be praying for her to have a safe trip, and to take care of herself.
 | Kevin came back soon, and I told him she had come down but missed him. The day was wrapping up, winding down. Lis had the last panel, and this one was more spontaneous than the first had been. There were a lot more questions from the audience, and we were able to sit closer: everybody moved up into Reserved Seating. She was able to talk more about herself and her wider background in theater, so the topics were a bit fresher. But I was winding down too.
After the panel, I helped Kevin as much as he would let me, and after everything was packed up we wandered around for a bit. I was fading fast, with a four a.m. morning ahead of me. So we said good night and good bye (as I would be traveling back by myself). |
It had been a great convention, a real event for me. And later, after I had packed up and cleaned up and was lying in bed, I thought about that moment of seeing somebody as a human being, and realizing that she also suddenly saw through the veils we create, and she saw me, a human being, a person made by God. Mercy, where it comes and whatever vehicle it uses, always comes to us from God.
