Woke up, looked at the clock, saw it was Too Fucking Early (3 hours sleep mean I'd pass out before nighttime, and I don't nap well), tried to go back to sleep. Looked at the clock again, repeat. Lather, rinse, repeat. etc. Around 9:30, I finally decide to get up anyway, and cannibalized a safety pin for my pants because I hadn't worn them since I lost weight to find out they needed to be taken in. Beats having to use a safety pin for the curtains though.

I was staying the official hotel, the Flamingo. It used to be Bugsy Segel's hotel, and his house is still on the premises in the garden (odds are there is some gambler's superstition about tearing it down), though its been added on to, and is now a wedding chapel.

I wandered down to New York New York because I had to go that way to pick up stuff at CVS, and had pizza for lunch, because I wanted something cheap and fast- like me. Trek back. Ow. Along the way I got hit on a few times, asked about the convention in various ways, and did not get offered a single stripper card, even though they were offering them to all the other women, and even to little kids! (Though one of the guys handing out stripper cards did hit on me everytime I passed by, even if he wasn't trying to give me a card.) Found beaded spider knickknacks made of recycled materials in the Museum Store- not as impressive as the spiders at Rockafeller Center though. Carrying on the cow motif from Thursday, they also had a Cow Parade ballerina cow and the little ones you can buy in various attire, apparently Cow Parade had been there October to January. (Later in my trip I went to Phoenix, and they had some of the horses there, including a tattooed one. But there were cuter ones I couldn't find.) I went to my hotel room and got kicked out by the maid at around 2 (interestingly enough, the only day the maid didn't come by while I was trying to sleep), so I killed a little time until the Meet and Greet.

I found Lore, Ian, and Drunken Heretik, as well as committee members Purple Heather, Éilis, and Laura, at the Meet and Greet. Attempted to call out Hexed and Co., but they were in a casino and therefore unreachable. A few people commented on my backpack (sarcophagus papoose!) and asked where I got it- sadly, E gave it to me, and I had no idea where she got it. Someone there actually also had one (though not with her), so I probably should have asked where she got it to pass on to others! Saw a bit of kareoke, Josie Nutter belted out Hey Mickey. Got a call from my roomie, sykospark, in the air, letting me know there would be another person in our room coming up from LA that night so they could visit. The Meet and Greet itself was a little disorganized with the lack of lists and the false starts on the line, but isn't it always? Eventually we all started our slow journey to the front (the passing by the tree and no longer standing mostly in it was a great acheivement). Lore and I talked a bit to Dragon (and his gothygoth Cthulu), and a few other random people here and there. Finally got our laminates and goodie bags, though I couldn't get my roomie's due to lack of ID and all, though I tried since sykospark wasn't coming in till late.

Hexed, Angeldye, Penance, and EvilDahlia finally showed up when the line was spiralling in on itself. Somehow they managed to skip most of it, while they were in line I decided to skip off for food, Lore joined me. We went off to Paris and had crepes, banana cream things with lots of tasty cream. Lore couldn't handle the cream, but he picked up an energy drink on the way back and felt better. The Hexed conglomerate was again unreachable and absent when we got back, and I left a message on his voicemail. Phone bad. They came back up with two fisted drinks in novelty glasses from happy hour, scary blinding yellow blacklight things that said Flamingo on them for three of them, and giant pink narrow glasses with flamingos on them, filled with heartburny midori margaritas for Sean. They had already gotten the novelty skull glasses from Treasure Island, the drunken way. Sean and his pirate liver still didn't get drunk.

We loafed around a bit, and then headed to rooms for getting ready for nighttime. Mostly ready got a call from Lore saying the Freak was in town and they were downstairs looking for a bar. I got downstairs and wandered the horribly unnavigatable lobby to not find them. Tried calling Lore, and got no answer. His cell battery died, but he borrowed the Freak's phone, and I found out they were in Le Cafe in Paris. All French flags were gone from Paris, and there were a plethora of American flags around instead, all over, inside and out. It was sort of like Paris had been invaded America, and all the French people were exported. On the way to Paris I found out the Hexed crew were heading off on the shuttle to the Fashion Show. At Paris I walked around looking for Lore and the Freak, and tried to get in to look further. They refused to let me in. Bastards. Without the Freak's number, I couldn't call them back, so I headed for the shuttle when I was so horribly unsuccessful. Most of the way there they called, and we decided to meet at the venue. The phone and I had some apart time, as I turned it off. Not pleased. I hate phones. A huge group of people were waiting for the shuttle, none of whom were at all sure they were in the right place to catch the shuttle. Having called Hexed on the way before I made the phone be not on, I knew that was where we were supposed to wait, so at least I didn't totally despair as the wait kept getting longer and longer, since scouts were sent out to go various directions, and plans were made to attack people for their vehicles. Finally it showed, and appeared to not be wheelchair accessible, so a small group didn't get on, I would guess to get a cab that was, since one of them needed it.

We despaired of every making it to the Huntridge, afraid that we were actually on the "tour of back alleys and residential streets" shuttle instead. I talked a little to a girl I sat next to who was from Germany, and the AC was cranked up all the way, so it was much too cold in the bus. Eventually we found it, and rejoiced. Met up with the Hexed crew at the Huntridge, and stole some of his drink. Penance bought a round including for himself, Sean, and I, Sean bought a round, and I bought a round for the three of us as well. Even after picking up drinks off more various people here and there, Sean and his pirate liver still didn't get drunk. Lore, the Freak, and his girlie, Rhonda'ar, showed up and we waited for the fashion show.

The Huntridge had this odd little cage for smokers outside, even though I think smoking inside may be legal in Nevada? The cage may have also been to protect people from roving packs of wild dingoes. I was thankful for the less smoky insides, even though it was not completely smoke free, as smoke and I strenuously do not get along, and odds are I would have had to leave to try to uncrapify my head. We could have ins and outs since there were not tickets, just the laminates for entry- and that I think was a fantabulous idea. I really disliked that aspect of C7, with the ticketting and the stuck inside for hours without food and the not finding people.

Bractune was there and I said hi for a bit. The Freak was wearing bunny ears (even with the notice about no head gear- but then no gang attire or ripped clothing either, so apparently the rules did not apply to us!), and so was someone else- some girl, Ester the Gothic Bunny, was wandered around wearing big fluffy black ones, and they had a showdown! Both walked away with both ears still intact, and there was minimal blood. At least that I saw. Wouldn't have particularly wanted it on my dress you know, so hard to get out.

I didn't bring my camera for the fashion show- I was extra wary after all the fallout regarding pictures from C7 for one thing- and I figured that if it was ok, enough people would be taking pictures anyway (besides, I'm short, and wouldn't have gotten decent pics anyway). During the fashion show (in the crowd), I had seen someone who looked exactly like somone I'd known in college, who was not goth, but his girlfriend was. Much later in the night I started to go over to him, waiting for him to finish conversation with someone else, so I could go up and be a dork, asking that it was an odd question, but had he been to Vassar because I knew someone who looked exactly like him there. He recognized me standing there first. It was Yosh! We were all sleepy even though it was early, and a group was heading back to the hotel, so I went off to have me some naptime, promising to hunt down Yosh the next night.

Of course, I get there and can't sleep, as is far too normal. I tried, and then got a call from sykospark saying she is in, with krackhead, and at the Huntridge, and will be back in about an hour. I decided to wait up for them, and then the three of us wandered the hotel for a bit, checked out the garden and pool area, and almost got dragged into a big group by Purple Heather, but krackhead (who is a loose slot) wanted to play blackjack, so we headed next door to the Barbary Coast to try to find some cheap(er) blackjack tables. $10 was the cheapest we could find, and he was up $5, but then he lost $20 and only had the $5 chip left. Eventually we crawled off to bed at around 3 or 4.


AGF moment: Chinese black capri pants, stripey socks, knee high boots, and fishnet sectioned shirt.

AGF moment, evening: Blackened Angels poofy sleved empire waisted dress, fishnets, knee high boots.