Jonathan Frid Q&A Time

After we finished playing with sticks, I think I decided there was just enough time before the next JF event to do a little more selling. Not really enough time, so I was wishy-washy about it (I was hungry and my feet were still killing me, and running around back-and-forth from one side of the hotel to the other with a ton of boxes and portfolios on a squeaky dolly through a crowded hall was getting to be a bit of a drag). However, you don't drive 2000 miles just to say, nahhh. So I went oot-and-aboot with a minimal load...I think some cards and the leftover magnets and JF's albums. Robin and I hocked DVDs for a bit, and I colored some more to fill time. I figured it was only kind to allow the fans as much time to look at JF's stuff as possible. Good stuff in there! Of course I was admiring the album portfolios as much as what was in them. Where'd you get those, JF?

People vanished and it was obvious JF was getting ready for his question-and-answer panel and general Barnabas Collins and Frid spiel. So I packed up yet again, and double-checked stuff. Found things others had left so I glommed those too, and squeaked back to the room, against the crowd.

Malia was there, finishing off lunch (a nice pizza) and said if I wanted any it was fine, she was done, and she headed off to the event. At first I thought well, I've got all this stuff to unload and then need to run to the ballroom, and the banquet isn't that far away; then my tummy decided to heck with my head and insisted stopping for a slice...a bit of coffee and soda just wasn't going to cover the weekend, lol. So I crammed a slice into my face while putting my camera things together and decided what to take. This gave me instant heartburn but I felt better in other sectors!

I ran back with an overloaded bookbag of things since I didn't have enough time to sort, and things had already started. I slipped in and joined the Wall Support Contingent along the hall-side wall. I longed to go up and get one of those reserved seats up front, or any seat, for that matter, but JF was in the middle of things and the ballroom was SRO for the most part (at least it would have been very difficult to navigate with a big bag and camera junk). I was too polite to try to work my way up to the stage in the middle of someone's talk. So I swayed and alternated feet and kept the wall up for most of the panel. I did eventually work my way closer to the front, along the wall, as people left or found seats or got tired of standing.

I think JF did some more readings, but mostly this was about the Festival, his career, and general questions for Jonathan. So there was much taking of pictures by all. If he wasn't near-sighted to start with, I'm sure all the flashes over time would have resulted in the same thing, LOL. Anyway I eventually turned my camera on, too. I didn't think I was close enough to get anything, but I figured I'd try to learn the settings on this dang thing. The viewscreen shots looked great, but I was having more and more trouble seeing up close myself, suddenly. Most of the blurry shots I have, if not due to movement, are just because they were telephotoed out the wazoo. The camera has the anti-shake feature, but I guess getting anything to show up from across a darkened room is amazing.

Jonathan Frid fielding questions from fans. Telephoto makes it look like I'm a lot closer than I am! It's a tad fuzzy, but I'm impressed. Virtually a Hubble Telescope shot, lol! Listening to a fan.

Hmmmm....

I thought I'd get a few 'ambiance' shots of the ballroom. This is a good deal later during a bit of a pause and I'm still against the wall, but a bit closer to the stage yet still in the middle section of the room.

A shot showing my angle without the telephoto going. Frid is talking and he's on screen as well; Nancy is on the other side getting a picture, too. I think you can just make out Jim Pierson to the right of Nancy, and the back of Marie Wallace straight ahead of me, before JF (between the camera tripods).

Nancy, courtesy of my nifty telephoto powers.

Jonathan. More close-up attempts.

Some aren't too bad. Some were quite good!

Some were...eh.

John wanted to go out to California to teach before he got waylaid by the Barnabas Collins role (which was supposed to be a quickie 2-week job). Maybe he didn't become an official teacher, but it seems like every time I have some sort of dealings with him, I learn a lot about Something.

I've certainly gotten a lot more tech-savvy over the last few years, much of it related to him in some way. Funny...certainly didn't plan on any of it!

Better shot--Jonathan getting into an answer (he uses his hands when he gets passionate about something).