pictures – Natalie J. Case

Star Wars Celebration 2022 is now in the rear view mirror and I’ve had a few days to reflect on the experience.

For starters, I’m glad I went. Despite the terror, I had a great time. I got to meet a couple of authors I admire, got a tattoo, got to meet Ewan McGregor and Billy Lourd.

We saw lots of great costumes, spent too much money, got to participate in a lightsaber meetup or two (with a Santa Jedi!!), and took some awesome photos.

There were fireworks over Galaxy’s Edge, rides on the Rise of the Resistance and Smuggler’s Run, and drinks at Oga’s Cantina.

There were a few panic attacks, but most of the folks around me were awesome. As expected, the ADA access stuff was a total shit show the first day, but by midday Friday they seemed to have it sorted, aside from the whole lack of seating available for those of us who find standing for long periods difficult.

By the end of each day I was exhausted and in a ridiculous amount of pain, but I survived and had an amazing time. To cap the joy of the weekend, I took my brother and niece to see Steve Carlson play at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood on Saturday night. It was a joy!

I’m still processing pictures from that show, and I took hardly any on the big camera at Celebration. Mostly I just used my phone for that.

Anyway, it’s back to the real world now. The day job is calling my name. I hope your week is/has been fantastic, Readers. I’m off to my coffee and some documents that want my attention.

So, Star Wars Celebration. We leave after midnight on Wednesday to drive down to LA. To say that my anxiety is off the charts is an understatement.

The last few days in Rockaway Beach, and the few days off between that and leaving have been helpful, but as we get closer, my anxiety climbs.

One of my coping mechanisms is to make sure that I can control all the things that can be controlled. This means many different things: lots of lists for making sure I don’t forget anything, planning routes (even though google maps is my copilot), knowing as much info as possible, etc.

It also means ensuring that I have the things on hand I need to cope: Xanax (hopefully, getting a new prescription since I moved has been work), having my camera with enough battery/memory cards for the time I’ll be there, etc. I plan on requesting ADA support so I can have access to the quiet rooms if needed, and to cut down on the number of people I need to stand in line with for things.

I will also have my brother and his oldest (adult) child with me, who both have never been to anything like this before, so I’ll have caring duties to attend, which always lets me get outside my own head.

Don’t get me wrong, I am SO excited for this, despite the fact that I have never attempted so huge a convention before. It’s just that running right along that excitement is absolute terror. I have probably thought about every possible thing that could go wrong…and invented a hundred more.

So here, let me share some pics from my time at the ocean last week.

Rockaway Beach, Oregon

Anyway, I’ll have a full report for you when I get back, Readers. Stay safe and sane and kind.

Tag: pictures

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