The Writing and Photography Blog of Kevin J Sabo

Alf is wondering how it is May already? Then again, so am I.

The beginning of May means that our annual holiday, Calgary Comic Expo, is done for another year. Expo ran from April 24-27.

While the venue was larger in the now completed BMO Centre, the feel of the event was different. The offering of panels were not as diverse and many of the exhibitors that had been coming for years were nowhere to be found. The panels offered this year mainly focused on gaming and books instead of writing and podcasting, as has been the focus in previous years. none of these really interested me much.

Still, the Expo was mainly a positive experience. It was a good time with friends, some shopping, and an opportunity to interact with some stars from our favourite shows.

The surprise highlight of the weekend was the photo op we had with David Giuntoli, the star of Grimm and A Million Little Things. His panel left us laughing, and during the photo op, we actually had the opportunity to have a 90-second interaction with the star.

Unfortunately, the low-light of the weekend was another star I was looking forward to: David Boreanaz. We had a photo op with him as well, and the op was the complete opposite of Giuntoli’s. We were herded in and out like cattle in under 30 seconds. Boreanaz barely said two words to us, and didn’t even take his hands out of his pockets. He was decidedly low energy.

Later, at his panel, which was supposed to last 45 minutes, he seemed to be revived, but the panel barely lasted 30 minutes. Overall, while I still like his body of work, such as Bones and Seal Team, meeting the star was definitely a let down. They say don’t meet your heroes. There is definitely a reason for that.

Other highlights of the weekend included the always popular Alberta Ghostbusters and Southern Alberta Lego Users Group exhibits.

A surprise highlight of the weekend was the panel with actor John Boyega. Boyega played Stormtrooper Finn in the new Star Wars films. He was equal parts humble and hilarious, and if you get a chance to listen to him speak I strongly suggest you do so.

With holidays done, I have a few weeks before school officially starts up again. I have decided to try taking two courses at once again, with both starting June 1. I am taking a course on heritage history research, which does not have a final exam, and Canadian history from 1867 to present, which does.

I’ve decided that I don’t want to be doing these courses when I’m 60 and I need to figure out how to manage more than one course at a time. I know it will mean sacrificing some things, but I need to get in and get this done. It should not have taken five years to finish my first year.

I’ve already signed up for both courses, with both starting June 1. I’m taking a “burn the boats” approach to them. I need to get it figured out or I am going to be working on these courses until I retire.

Wish me luck.

K