One degree of Twilight Separation

I admit it: I am a Vampire Girl. Not only that but I am also absolutely and irrevocably Team Jasper. I love Jasper as a character and am anxious for Eclipse more so than I have been for any other movie. I really want and need for them to have treated Jasper’s story “properly”. I also adore and admire Jackson Rathbone as a person, what I know of him as a person anyway, and as an insanely talented  musician, actor, artist, singer and anything else he lays claim to.

May my Team Jasper cohorts forgive me but I suffered a lapse yesterday. I took a huge leap to the warm and furry side when I found myself breathing the same air as Alex Meraz. I’ve created a name for what I “suffered” yesterday. Merazmerised. And there was no suffering involved, not on my part. I found myself in need of a term that explained why I paid another small sum of money to get Alex to sign a photo, after I’d already parted with some hard-earned for the chance to stand next to him for 20 seconds and have a photo taken. Especially strange considering the other Pop Culture Icons in the room at the time.

To start at the beginning:- since we as a mad pop culture loving family decided to attend this year’s Supernova exhibition in Melbourne, it was always Alex I was most interested in seeing. I’m a completely addicted Twilight nut and proud of it. Even though the guest list also included James Marsters *sighhhh*, Karl Urban *siiigh* Gareth David Lloyd (Torchwood) *meh*  and Mary McDonnell, I wanted to see Alex. I had already decided that if I had to have a favourite Wolf, then Paul was the one. That he was played by someone like Alex was a bonus.

We were up early and left home at 6am for our three hour drive to Melbourne. Then we began queuing. The first queue was to collect tickets, the second to get in to the pavilion. The third was to purchase tickets for photos and autographs. I found the prices reasonable, considering that this is how the organisers can pay to bring out the stars.

After getting our tickets, we went in to the Q&A session with James Marsters. As I crossed in front of the front row, I heard my name and turned back to find two dear friends from Adelaide calling me. Much squeeeeing and boob-squishing hugging ensued. I hadn’t seen these ladies for two years and was so happy to see them that I could have cared less that there was an entire audience witnessing our excitement.

Then there was one of those rare *wow* moments. The guest is announced, comes out to face the crowd and your brain suddenly registers the fact that you are in the presence of awesomeness. James Marsters, a family favourite, my reason for watching Buffy. All kinds of Awesome! Gorgeous, talented, funny, (sick with a cold but what a trouper). Amazing.

I was tempted to pay for my moment with James but the lines at his table were so long, and I was already over queuing. Alex was surprisingly unoccupied so I drifted over and waited for my moment to give him my gift, two packets of Tim Tam Biscuits with a note and instructions for the Tim Tam Slam. (You can Google it) He posed for a photo with the gift and thanked me when I told him not to leave it in the sun.

My son had a wonderful FanBoy moment when he had his picture taken with James Marsters. I’m not sure I’ve seen him so happy, and lost for words, since puberty took a hold of his personality and choked the crap out of. It made the day worth every cent to see his face as he left the photo booth.

My  Twilight addicted daughter had her photo taken with Alex just before I did. She’s a fangirl in training, and her face says it all in the picture. Somehow, I managed to slip both arms round Alex and give him a hug while our pic was taken., and didn’t really take that fact in until I was handed the photo some minutes later. Danae and I both had a major *squueeee* moment as we walked away from the booth. There’s nothing like a manic fangirly squeal to bond a mother and daughter *giggle*. As well as having that gorgeous man in my arms for a few seconds, I was blown away by the smile he flashed me, and the squeeze of the hand I got as I turned back to tell him I hoped he enjoyed his gift. I could probably have died happy right then.

The next Q&A we attended was Corin Nemec, from Stargate. I enjoy the sessions because you get questions from left-field and it’s interesting to have the speaker talking about how they won roles and about pranks on set, but more so to have them delve into interesting aspects of their lives or careers that you’d never get to the truth of otherwise. Most amusing moment with Corin was also a story of Major Fangirl Fail, embarrassing for the girls involved and perhaps a lesson for the rest of us. One girl stood up to ask a question, and saying that she was probably going to sound harsh, she prefaced her question with the assurance to Corin that she and her friend loved him very much. The words barely out of her mouth, Corin told her, “You were on the tram last night. I caught the tram from here into the city and you were on it.”  To her disbelief, he proceeded to list the things she and her friend had talked about during the tram ride. I would have been devastated to find that I had missed such a golden opportunity.

Somehow, after that, I managed to lose the rest of my family for a while. I hung out with my friends while they stood at the head of Karl Urban’s line waiting for him to return from the photo booth, and became their official photographer as Anne had Karl sign her tattoo. It’s a story, but not mine to tell. One thing I can tell you. Karl Urban is even better looking in person. If only his queue had not been miles long, I might have shelled out some of my precious cash for a moment with him.

Then came the quandary. I was tempted to go and spend a moment with Corin, but he had a small line-up, and he was right next to Alex, who had no one waiting. I didn’t want Alex to think I was fickle, and I was over waiting in line. Next year, we are paying for VIP packages. No waiting for anything. Front row seats. We’re already saving. So I handed over my cash and got a photo of Alex to have him sign. His first words to me: Are you still here? His second: Where is that photo of you and me?? I’d stashed it in the car, temporarily disappointed with the look on my face. So he signed his photo, To Helen All my Love, Alex. posed for two more photos on my camera, talked with me about Jackson, who he likes very much, and squeezed my hand again. ( he didn’t mind at all that I was wearing my Team Jasper t-shirt)

I could definitely be seduced over to the Wolf Side. If only I didn’t love Jasper so much. Paul comes a very close second and so does Alex.