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2024 SiWC Lunch with Diana!

Good day, Diana fans!

On Sunday at Surrey International Writers’ Conference (SiWC) I was privileged to enjoy a long private  lunch with Diana!

Details about our “date” are posted below but first a bit of history. The first time I lunched with Diana was 2015, almost 10 years ago!

We met in Beaverton, OR, after she spoke at a fund raiser. We have met for lunch or drinks many times since then.

The last time we lunched was at 2022 New York Comic Con.  We began our outing by riding in a golf cart through the bowels of the Javits Center!

We enjoyed a delish lunch at Hudson Yards. Her nails this day were a beautiful dusty blue. BTW, these are her natural nails, not gels!

After lunch, we parted near The Vessel. It was a beautiful but windy day.

I had not seen Diana during 2023 because I spent that year rehabilitating a shattered ankle and didn’t go anywhere. 🥲

All of that changed at 2024 SiWC!

We had a wonderful two hour lunch on Sunday.

As we waited in line to be seated, author Michael Slade walked up and asked in a booming voice why women’s conversations were more interesting than men’s. I said I thought it is because women talk about everything while men have a fairly narrow range of acceptable topics. I was thinking sports, hunting, fishing, etc., for the guys. What do you think?

Diana and I ordered lunch. We were joined for a while by her youngest daughter, Jen. Hi Jen! 🤗

Jen lives in Scotland with her hubby and Diana’s two grandsons. She flew over just to attend SiWC.  Sadly, she had to leave after a few minutes to catch her flight home. A delightful and very personable young woman. Mum was rightfully proud of her lovely daughter.

For the next 2 hours, we engaged in our usual discussion of far flung topics. Diana is very excited about Blood of My Blood (BOMB) and has written a couple of scripts for the show.  She also gave the writers the ideas for it (of course)! 🤗

I asked her why it has taken 1.5 years between 7a and 7b. She answered that they were timing the releases of BOMB and 7b so there would not be issues with overlap.

We talked about our parents, our children and our lives growing up, our homes, property and pets. She shared photos of her darling grandsons (she is hoping for more).

She then commented on the beauty of the red and black bracelet I was wearing.

I make my own jewelry and she has received a number of pieces from me in the past, such as this one from 2019! 🎁

Sorry the photo is grainy. This is the piece on a form before I gifted it to her!

Back to my story. I removed the bracelet and said “Shall we try it on you?” I put it on her and asked if it was too big. She said it fit perfectly so I said “It is yours.” She was pleased! ☺️

This felt uncanny because that very morning as I put the bracelet on, I thought, “I bet Diana is going to like this bracelet.”  Then, I asked myself,  “Do you want her to have it?” 🤔

Of course, the answer was “yes” as I can make myself another one. 😁

It made her happy! 🤗

She let me photograph (a tradition of mine) her new nail color, a beautiful lush red. She usually wears lavender, blue or green. I think the color looks great on her. She wears jewel tones very well! 😍 Psst….Isn’t her top lovely?

After two hours, she was tiring and I understood why. In just three days, she had done multiple events: Michael Slade’s Shock Theater, a library panel event, two solo workshops and an author’s panel. She also had done blue pencil events where she helps new authors with their work.

Her last 1.5 hour workshop occurred just before lunch and she had yet another event to attend that evening. The woman is a power house but she does need to rest sometimes! 😉

So we hugged and said farewell, until next time! 👋🏻

But wait! I have more. I will end my post with the next video.

Some of  you are aware that during SiWC Diana does philanthropic work in the British Columbia prison system. She teaches a master class on writing to the inmates. This year she was unable to work with them because the contact she needs to help her access the system sadly passed away. So, in the future, she must find a new sponsor.

Although I made this video in 2018, it gives you an idea of the important work that Diana does for people whose lives are impacted by incarceration. She teaches her class and then listens to their questions and comments. Based on these, she buys and donates books to the prison library to help them with their goals.

Her works are a good lesson in kindness to all of us. 🥰

Isn’t she the best? 🤩

The deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

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Video and Photo credits: Outlander Anatomy,

 

 

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2024 SiWC Michael Slade’s SHOCK Theater!

Greetings Outlander fans!🤗

Last Friday evening at SiWC, we were treated to Michael Slade’s Shock Theater! This slap-stick event, written by Michael, has been an ongoing feature of the conference for the past 17 years. Being a great sport, Diana has participated every year since its inception! 🤩

Shock Theater  is a spooky and spectacular take on a radio play, “complete with show-stopping twists, unexpected turns, and delightfully devious foley sound effects.” This year’s production was “The Fly!!!” 🪰

Michael is the only one who sees the the script ahead of time; no one else will have seen their parts. Thus, they perform more or less “on the fly.!” 😜

For those too young, the original “The Fly” was a 1958 black and white film starring Vincent Price and a host of other actors you probably have never heard of. 😉

This year’s presentation was as silly as ever. It portrays the story of Frank Randall who engineers  a time transport machine and Diana as Claire Randall, devoted wife. Frank accidentally transports himself with a fly in the machine! Molecules intermix so Frank emerges from the device with a fly hand and head and the fly ends up with a human head and hand. 🪰

Follow this meandering and entertaining story if you dare! 👹

Warning! A volunteer screams loudly about four times in the video, so be prepared! 👂

The deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

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Video and Photo credits: Outlander Anatomy, https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/the-fly-remake/

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Exploring 2024 SDCC

Greetings all!

Before 2024 San Diego Comic-Con fades in the rear view mirror, I want to share some of the things I have learned and experienced about SDCC over the years.

I attended my first DSCC in 2017. I had intended to go in 2016 but my husband planned a surprise trip to Scotland in honor of our 53rd wedding anniversary!

No complaints because I had a grand time. Don’t want to get distracted from my mission, but here’s a few photos to explain why I chose Scotland in 2016.

We visited the stand in for Craigh na Du.  A lovely, quiet, tree-covered mound with a lot of sheep. In the distance you can see Loch Rannoch (photo, left), the site where Claire and Ned Gowan (ep 105) quote from the poet John Donne.

Next is the shop window where Claire contemplates buying a pair of vases (ep 101). The site was supposedly Inverness but the filming actually took place in the village of Falkland in Fife.

We went to many places but one that moved me deeply was Culloden Battlefield and Drumossie Moor.

Along the walk to the Visitor Center is a lovely stone honoring Diana Gabaldon, and donated by the Ladies of Lallybroch!

I stood on a picnic table to create this short video of Culloden Battlefield and Drumossie Moor. The building in the distance is the Visitor’s Center. The video was actually made in 2017 as my daughter and I returned to Scotland one a year later! 💙

So, now you know why I didn’t go to the 2016 SDCC. I have been to every SDCC since then except during COVID shutdown.

The following is a short history of this fantastic event.

The first SDCC was held in 1970 with 100 attendees! Now, the attendance is well of 135,000 people, annually. These are attendees with badges or press passes. Many more people gather outside the venue to participate in associated events and activities.

Today, SDCC is held in the beautiful  San Diego Convention Center.   It is the long building to the right of the palm tree-lined boulevard and is located near the waterfront. It is huge –  2.6 million square feet of floor space. This year, it offered over 2,000 hours of comics, anime, gaming, discussions, workshops and other events relating to the popular arts.

The exhibit hall part is 460,00 square feet of floor space with over 1,000 exhibitors. Aisles are always packed with attendees buying all types of merchandise associated with the Comic-Con genre.

SDCC even spreads onto nearby buildings outside the San Diego Convention Center.

This year, I attended several panels, walked the exhibit hall, visited various exhibits, met with friends, and spoke with attendees.

I have already posted about two panels related to Outlander: “A conversation with Ron D. Moore,” and Bear McCreary and “World Music Building.” Click on the links if you want to catch up with these two excellent panels.

Ron

Bear

But, one of my favorite parts of SDCC is the cosplay! What is cosplay? According to Wikipedia,  the term “cosplay is a portmanteau of “costume play;” it is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character.”

And, believe me, cosplayers take their characters very seriously!

The following are some of my favorites!

This is Ruby Rhod from “The Fifth Element.” Many claim he was the original influencer! You may not know, but Prince was originally cast for this role but withdrew because of costuming issues so the part went to Chris tucker.

Check out this cosplayer of Ruby!

Gandalf!

Group ensemble from Lord of the Rings! Sorry, I know zip about the guy in black with the pingpong balls. 😜

This is Roz from “Monsters Inc!” Roz is a grouchy, slug-like creature with a perpetual frown who is head of the CDA (Child Detection Agency)! 😂

Lego characters!

Captain Jack Sparrow associates! 😉

The Witcher! Maybe Yennifer and Ciri?

No comment required! 😄

Princess Amidala! 🤩

And, my personal favorite: Day of the Dead character. I now wish I had asked to photo the back of her magnificent hat.  It was covered with flowers, skulls, candles, and other symbols. Stunning costume! 😍

This is my final post of 2024 SDCC. Saying farewell until next year with shaka sign (hang loose) from me and my longtime Comic-Con buddies, Jody and Jim from Hawaii.

The deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

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Photo and video credits: Outlander Anatomy, Jody Chang, www.wikipedia.com, www.disneyfancom.com,  www.imbd, www.starz, www.sandiegoconventioncenter, www.youtube.com