Not many people appreciated the fine art of the point and smirk. Mrs. Gnards thinks I'm making fun of people and that not everyone wants to be pointed at like Nelson Muntz, but that's not the point at all (the point to the point). It's a smirk of endearment.

Point & Smirk - Point index finger at thing or person that represents awesomeness (gun motion and cocked thumb is optional), smirk with one side of your mouth higher than the other in a slantwise direction (which side is pointers preference). What it means is that this is something you're seeing and maybe it's awesome or maybe it's not awesome to anyone else, but it IS awesome because you're actually seeing it. It's the facial equivalent to "Brooks was Here." It's like a "you had to be there" inside joke.

I went to C2E2 (Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo) again this year. You can tell they're growing because this year I had to jump through various hoops to get a press pass. The asked me tough, hard hitting questions like who I was and why do people like me? Which I had a very difficult time answering the second half. Getting this pass was very touch and go.

Follow up:

You can't tell, but this thing was moving. Someone actually thought there was a midget inside, I suspect radio control.

Hipster Zombie at Threadless

How could I pass up a picture with a the Wolf?

Voltron

He-Man

Mr. T

Power Ranger

Voltron, He-Man, Mr. T, Power Ranger: that's the only commentary going through my head during each picture. Imagine it in an Urkel voice.

This is probably my favorite picture with someone in costume because Batman looks more uncomfortable than me. Neither of us look particularly happy to be in this photo (except I was actually super happy to be in the picture - I love me some Adam West era Batman). You would think a sour Batman wouldn't be a big draw, but it worked because Billion Dollar Batman got a nice plug anyway.

Dot Com!

Chris Hardwick

What I liked most about the Nerdest's Chris Hardwick and Dot Com (Kevin Brown) was that they didn't charge for autographs or photos. It's not that I'm cheap (although, I am cheap), it's just that they get it. They sell merch on the side and will sign that merch, but they'll also sign whatever you bring up, too. They realize that their autographs are essentially worthless and are only valuable to the person who stood in line to get them. It's the actual wait and anticipation that's worth something, and that something can't be quantified in dollars and cents. Or, maybe, I'm just still angry about Sean Astin's prices.

James Hampton

I couldn't pass up getting a picture of James Hampton (the Dad from Teen Wolf), while I was dressed up as Marty McFly. I'll just pretend the DeLorean took me to a parallel universe full of doppelganger werewolves. Also, notice that I'm slightly less smirky here. I don't know what it was, but I kind of got freaked out with smirking for Hampton. I think it was because he's older and I was a little worried he wouldn't take it the right (and old people justice involves their fists). He's the only person this happened with.

Valissimo Edward Kilmer (may not be real name)

Val Kilmer was the center point of my enter C2E2 experience. On no less than two occasions my friend and I have missed our bus stop because we were so engrossed talking about the many nuisances of Val Kilmer movies. Now whenever one of us are lost in thought we call it "Kilmering." So, this was big for me, and I was pleased to see that Val was very nice and charming. I won't lie, he is kind of out there, but in a very nice and charming way. Also, he has no clue who Marty McFly is, but that's okay because he's my huckleberry.

[Not Pictured - Sean Astin]

Sean Astin charged way too much for pictures. Val Kilmer is one thing (he was the goddamn Batman), but Rudy is another. Here's the interesting thing, I saw Sean Astin darting around the halls a few different times, but I didn't have time to get my camera up because he was booking so fast. I personally think he was speed walking because he didn't want his pictures taken or to be stopped for autographs or conversations. This is totally understandable, you're making money here, why would you want to get cornered into giving it away for free? However, the way convention centers work is that you don't have to walk the floor if you're a speaker, you can get to almost any room through hidden walkways. So, why was he in the hall to begin with if he was so concerned about not being seen?