When Con Flu Strikes...

The Boy before the Con Flu struck...

So you may have noticed that my posts have been thin on the ground over the last week. This is because we have been a house full of con flu, a particularly nasty strain which left The Boy a delirious and hallucinating puddle of sweat and which forced me to play nurse for a week mopping his fevered brow.

I put it down to travelling to London in freezing temperatures, being sneezed on by grotty commuters and even the unsanitary conditions found on the tube. That was until the tweets and updates started flooding in online about a LSCC convention goers dropping like flies. 

I'd heard the rumours of this mysterious “con flu” that strikes geeks when they amass but hadn’t paid them much mind – after all I have been to many gigs, festivals and events without getting so much as a sniffle. Yet after this past week I’m seriously considering attending future conventions cosplaying as an extra from Outbreak complete with fully functional biosuit!

So what makes Conventions so susceptible to outbreaks of the lurgy and how can we avoid catching it  without having to adopt some kind of Comic Con OCD?

Why does the flu spread like wildfire at conventions?

According to the CDC, flu can be spread from up to six feet away by droplets made by coughing sneezing and talking.  You can inhale these directly or you can touch a surface that they have landed on and then touch your mouth, eyes or nose and infect yourself.

Pittsburgh Comic Convention

With so many people in such a small area all talking and touching and looking at things, no wonder cons are such a hotbed of ickiness!

So obviously if someone sneezes in your face (yes I'm talking to you Mr Commuter with no manners) have a pretty strong chance of catching what they've got.  But worse, the flu virus is contagious for a full day BEFORE symptoms start, so you could be happily chatting away to someone who seems healthy enough and still get the flu from them!  It's almost enough to make you avoid all human contact entirely!

DON'T WORRY! Even though it's pretty easy to catch flu there are some simple steps you can take to keep healthy.

Staying Flu Free

According to the NHS, the flu vaccine is a good to keep the germs at bay.  You can get yourself a free jab if you are over 65, pregnant or have a chronic health condition such as asthma, diabetes or HIV.  If you’re not eligible for a free vaccination you can always book in to your local pharmacy and pay to have the jab. Although it’s not 100% foolproof and depends entirely on what strains you come into contact with, I recommend giving it a try.  The 12 months after I had it through work was a flu free zone!

If needles aren’t your thing there are other simple measures you can take to minimise your risks of having flu spoil your Con experience.

Practicing basic hygiene such as washing your hands sounds like a no-brainer but very few of us do it right or enough.

How to wash your hands

Make sure you wash your hands after using the bathroom or touching anything icky, like a Stallone-style Dredd or an over enthusiastic Swamp Thing.

And don’t forget to wash your hands before you eat!

It’s also a good idea to avoid touching your face, particularly your nose and eyes – these are easy access points for any virus or bacteria and I’m darned if we’re going to give the little suckers a head start!

What to do if you get Con Flu?

If you are unlucky enough to get struck down then follow my super life saving advice and you’ll back on your feet in no time!

• Drink lots of fluids
• Take paracetamol to keep your fever down
• Rest up
• Cold flannels and lukewarm baths can get that fever down
• Drink 100% pineapple juice for sore throats (it’ll hurt but it’ll kill those germs!)
• Have hot tea with honey to soothe your throat and chest

And if you do leave a convention with influenza along with your other souvenirs, don't despair - it's the perfect excuse to get that superhot Catman cosplayer round to feed you grapes and chicken soup and rub your aching muscles down. :)

Just whatever you do, for the love of god, DO NOT COUGH ON ME!

Ave hoHave

Focus on: London Super Comic Convention 2013

My pass, complete with Black Canary nail art...

So this weekend I travelled down to London for my very first London Super Comic Convention.

The Boy had gone last year as a surprise stag do weekend with his best man and absolutely raved about it so I knew I had to get down to London this year and get my geek on.

Still relatively in it's infancy, this was only the second convention and despite a few little kinks needing ironing out it was fantastic.

Held at the London Excel Centre, a huuuuuuuge venue in the Docklands, the convention took place in a large exhibition hall.

We decided to go to the con around lunchtime, having looked at the program and deciding we'd rather be there all afternoon and then nip to the pub after the con rather than get there for the opening. It really felt like we'd made the right decision as there was absolutely no queue at all when we arrived! The ticket staff were really friendly and efficient and I got my pass and fab goodie bag quickly and headed on in to the rest of the hall.

Goodies....

The first thing we came across, randomly was a group of girls offering massages.  I'm not so sure about that one - it was a little confusing.  Although it didn't really have the whole icky booth babe vibe about it, it did just seem a little weird... 

A little bemused, the Boy and I went on in to the rest of the con ready to sample of the geeky delights on offer before us.  There were loads of indie comics stalls as well as the usual big name publishers and and vendors. The indie stalls were really high quality and I got to see a lot of comics I wouldn't otherwise have come across.  I also bought a couple of zany titles that I'll be reviewing later in the week as well as my very first 2000AD anthology - Judge Anderson 01.

There was also an amazing stall selling vintage movie posters and had to physically restrain myself every time I walked past an original 1977 Star Wars poster in Thai. I needed it so very badly, unfortunately my bank balance needed staying in the red just a little more. I didn't even dare to look at the many silver age comics! Next time though, next time...

The con itself had a really relaxed vibe about it and it was so nice to come in and take my time looking at everything without being ridiculously crowded or feeling rushed.

A very blurry shot of the 2000AD Judge Dredd Panel

There were panels on offer although not as many as I would have expected from a major convention.  Although I'm not a huge Dredd fan the only panel I found appealing was the 2000AD Judge Dredd one with John Wagner, Brian Bolland and Alan Grant among others. I must admit I enjoyed the panel as the writers and artists were entertaining and honest about their opinions and processes.  The addition of the cosplaying Judges was a nice touch as well and they stayed in character throughout.  But while this panel was interesting, the other panels bit wishy washy sounding and there weren't very many compared to other cons I have been to.  I think that this is a definite area for them to work on - if BICs in Birmingham could pull in bigger panels then a London convention certainly should be able to.

Something that worked really well was the seperate section for the portfolio reviews for artists and it seemed to be really useful and well organised.  There seems to be a lot of portfolio reviews for artists at cons which is fantastic, but as an aspiring comic writer it would be fantastic to have something for us wordsmiths too!  Maybe something where we could run pitches past people or a page of script of something?  I suspect that this would be just as popular as the artists reviews and feedback is so important for anyone looking to develop their skills!
 
All in all, the con was really enjoyable. I loved seeing the range of cosplayers and met some wonderful kooky and creative people.  I'll definitely be going back even if it is just for the one day, it was worth the trip!

This Week I've Been Mostly...

Gearing up for London Super Comic Con

 

It’s the Con today and so all this week I have been mostly going SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am very excited to see my geeky friends new and old and to make new ones.  

I’ll be lusting over the cosplayers costumes and trying to justify why silver age comics are more important than rent.  Unfortunately for my landlord and my bank this is an argument that The Boy would find all to persuasive!

 

I’ll be hunting down the remaining issues of Secret Six that I am missing, looking for Powergirl/Huntress/Batgirl/Black Canary anything and hoping to spot a bargain.

Hopefully you’ll be there too but if not never fear, I will fill you in on all the gossip next week!

Geek DIY: Board Games

Somewhat obviously, this week's DIY post focuses on all things game related.

Defeat the Laws of the Universe

So dice ALWAYS go missing. It's like an unwritten rule of nature - no matter how careful you are, as soon as you want to get that game down off the shelf, those dice are guaranteed NOT to be on the box.  Well worry no more as games enthusiast Dean Hale has a youtube video for you!  Make your own dice, make them fun, make them funky, make them in abundance using Dean's easy to follow guide here:

Guess Whooo?

As a kid I loved playing Guess Who? but those same old random faces get boring after a while.  Wouldn't it be some much more fun to play with people you actually know? Or a full set of comic book heroes? Or the cast of Doctor Who?

Well you thanks to Sugardoodle.net you can! Just use the downloadable template and follow the instructions to make your very own, super customisable Guess Who? game. 

Just don't go all Mass Effect fan girl like I did and make every character Garrus Vakarian... Ahh Garrus with your sweet Turian honeyed voice and super sexy mandibles... Ahem.

 Watch your head!

Summer is just around the corner (thank God!) and for those of you lucky enough to have a garden bigger than a postage stamp, barbeques and lazy afternoon's outside beckon.  Make the most of your time with your very own outdoor Jenga set like the clever folks at I'm Loving Today did right here.

Rewrite ALL the rules...

So, you think you've got what it takes to knock Hasbro into a battered hat?  Are you the next Steve Jackson? Fancy being featured on Wil Wheaton's surprisingly awesome show Tabletop?

Follow these rules from Bernie Dodge at the Educational Technology Department at San Diego University, design your very own game and get ready to take on the world!

Midweek Munchies: Games Night Nibbles

So you've been inspired to set up a games night and have invited your BFFs around for a night a gaming magic.  Now all you have do is feed them!  

Fear not, we've got it covered with a super simple, ultra cheesy games night themed supper! 

Checkers and Draughts

For a a quick snack or starter, why not try this ultra simple watermelon checker board from Food Lion

A quirky combination of watermelon and cheese, this is really easy to do but looks impressive. 

Try it with feta instead of cheddar for a truly scrumptious combination or swap out the cheese for a lighter galia or honeydew for the same effect with half the calories and none of the lactose!

For more finger food with a checker board theme, why not try this sandwich platter from My Recipes.com. 

You can try plain cheese as the recipe suggests or sex it up with some gourmet filings like:

• crumbled blue cheese, crushed walnuts, rocket and chutney
• avocado, roasted chicken, crispy bacon and dijon mustard
• brie, grape and redcurrant jelly
• chopped peppers, spring onions, peach and sweet chilli sauce

Just make sure your fillings aren't too chunky or they'll spoil the effect of the board!

Parcheesi

And what games night would be complete with pizza!  Try this super cute and really easy Par-cheesy Pizza from Taste of Home.

Munchkin

 

For something a little more upmarket, why not pay homage to Steve Jackson and John Kovalic's Munchkin with these little stuffed Munchkin squash from IVillage.co.uk: 

Scrabble
 
And to finish?  These declicious scrabble cookies from Not Quite Nigella of course!

Games night munchies? Sorted!