Convention Vacation

Friday, July 16, 2010

Page 15

AT THE SIDEBAR (Column)

Convention Vacation

By J’AMY PACHECO

No man needs a vacation so much as the person who has just had one. –Elbert Hubbard

Few things wear me out like a vacation. That might have something to do with my choice of vacation venue– while many people head for relaxing tropical beaches where beverages come topped with paper umbrellas, I headed last week for Las Vegas and a fashion doll convention.

This year marked the sixth I’ve attended this convention; my daughter’s fifth. It’s an event that is attended by fashion doll fans from all over the globe, and is packed with classes, seminars, entertainment, meals, contests, tournaments, shopping opportunities, door prizes, and, to put it mildly, a lot of craziness.

We love it.

Fashion dolls, for the uninitiated, are dolls that essentially are made to be dressed in clothing and accessories that reflect fashion trends. Barbie is certainly an iconic fashion doll. Today, though, there are many dolls like Barbie. They come in varying sizes and shapes, and even the type of vinyl or other material they’re made of changes from doll to doll.

Although Barbie remains our favorite fashion doll, my daughter and I have an eclectic collection that ranges from 2-inch divas to her latest, a 17-inch “anime” doll that is so cute I want to take her to Disneyland. Called a “ball-jointed doll,” this glass-eyed beauty is so poseable that she almost looks real.

Fashion doll people like to stay up late at conventions. Most nights last week, we got to bed after midnight. Each morning, however, we were up by 7 or 8 for classes. One morning, we attended a wedding at 10 a.m., a seminar at 11, and the wedding reception at noon. After classes and other events, we played in a pajama bowling tournament at midnight. Only in Vegas can one squeeze so much fun into a single day.

Costumes are a big part of our themed conventions, and my daughter gets very much into them. It was hard to imagine the little girl who first attended at the age of 10 as the same person who showed up to one night’s “Fractured Fairy Tales” dinner as a “Punk Princess” in a black corset dress and arm warmers, covered with temporary tattoos.

She didn’t win the costume competition, but we sure got some interesting looks from people in the elevator on the way to dinner!

I came away from the convention with some very valuable skills. I learned how to make elegant vintage barrel purses for fashion dolls, and how to administer piercings and tattoos in vinyl. I brought the sweetest-looking Barbie I could find to class, and gave her a pierced eyebrow, nose, upper ear—and the coolest dragon tattoo ever on her back.

She’s still smiling. It’s great to know that if things don’t work out with my writing, I can always open my own piercing palace. Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

If there’s a downside to our convention, it’s that we end up very, very tired. Sunday morning, my daughter and I slept well past noon and only forced ourselves out of bed so we didn’t starve to death so far from home.

We were too sluggish to leave the resort, so we dragged ourselves to a movie. Monday, we saw two more. While they were enjoyable, I confess I fell asleep during the second.

It’s been five days since the convention ended, and I’m still tired.

But it’s worth it. Each year, we’re greeted by friends we see only at this convention. We talk online all year, but nothing beats the real-life hugs we start exchanging at registration.

This year, I made new friends from Canada and England. It’s good to know that if I open my piercing palace, I can go international!

All of this craziness has a point, too. Doll people are very giving people, and all of us donate to the door prize drawings, one-of-a-kind doll auctions, and more. Proceeds from these donations benefit a children’s charity, which means we’re not only having fun, but also doing something good.

We’re hard at work planning our costumes and table decorations for the next convention. It’s a whole year away, but we’re already looking forward to it.

First, I have to catch up on my sleep. But before I can do that, I have to deal with a mountain of laundry and figure out where to put all the stuff I brought home. There’s a lot to do.

I think I’m going to need a vacation…