The Blessings and Curses of My Trip to Denver.

My weekend at DiNK Denver was full of ups and downs.  I had some amazing experiences, but also some very frustrating ones.  So, because I have several stories to tell from my weekend, here are the blessings and the curses of my trip to Denver.

BLESSING.  The people I met at DiNK Denver were incredibly nice, from the staffers to the attendees.  There was a palpable energy in the room, driven by an excitement for comics of all types.  It was cool to see a comics-only show thriving and feeling so energetic.  I was even surprised by an old friend from college I hadn’t seen in over a decade!

CURSE.  I lost money.  From the unexpected expenses of my flight and travel, to lackluster sales at the show (despite great interest and enthusiasm for Star Power from those I spoke to), this was a rare occasion where I came out of a show in the red.  Traveling so far from home is expensive, and expenses mounted quickly.

BLESSING.  I ate well this weekend, which is rare for me when I’m on the road.  A vegan diet is hard to accommodate when I’m far from home, but Denver made sure I had a full belly.  Much love to City O’ City for being an amazing vegan/vegetarian place that was open early enough to give me a hearty breakfast and a delicious dinner.

CURSE.  Everything about my travel to and from Denver was not only expensive, but full of complications.  My ride to the airport got sick at the last minute.  My flight got delayed an hour.  The airport was far from where I needed to be, resulting in more travel expenses.  The only available and semi-affordable flight back had me landing home at 4am the next day.

BLESSING.  The hospitality of others was a saving grace.  My best friend and his family stepped up and offered me a free place to stay for my weekend in Denver.  Hotel costs can be astronomical when you’re traveling alone, so the chance to avoid that expense was a huge blessing.  I got to sleep in a warm bed in a nice room in a lovely house.  It’s not often I get to have those comforts on the road, and I am grateful for them when they’re available.

BONUS BLESSING.  All my Lyft drivers were super cool, but Ahmed was the absolute coolest.  If you see me at a show, ask me about Ahmed and I will happily tell you the story in person.

This was a unique weekend.  Lots of ups and downs, lots of excitement and frustrations.  I learned valuable lessons in doing research before traveling to a new, faraway city for a new, faraway convention.  I’m not done traveling to new places, but I’m going to be more careful in the future.