Favorite Things

picture from Clutch

Things I loved about the Alternative Press Expo in no particular order:

Clutch McBastard was my neighbor. I have to highlight and put a few happy faces around this entry. When I was but a wee lass of 28, I went to my first zine fest with Weird Mike (the Wobbly) and this man not only smiled and said "hello," he also, upon hearing I was from Flip Flop, got up from behind his table and introduced me to all the other Floppers at the show. His upbeat attitude and genuine smile have since made every other zine-comic convention I have ever attended a joy. Plus, he always gives me cool zines.

Shannon O'Leary gave me about ten hugs. For reals. And she screamed when she saw me, like I was a rock star.



John and his new issue of Painkillers. What is better than drawings of bald men? Drawings by bald men! Especially if the man in question is a good artist.


Clutch's photo of H wearing her shirt from Only In Cambodia

The H graciously shared a table with me this year. Her rubber beetles were a hit, just about every table visitor had to pet them. (ew, gross!) She not only let me take pictures of, um, expansive derrieres (you are going to put them on flickr, aren't you?) with her digital camera, she also was a mellow and low-key table-mate.

The Son of the Steppes. If one finds oneself incapacitated at a party, and too retarded to figure out how to call a cab, one prays that one will run into a good Kosak. Such was my luck Friday night at the

Last Gasp party. I arrived too late to partake of the food (see the above entry), but just in time to finish the Chardonnay. The place has an amazing selection of WWI propaganda art, circus freak show signs and fun-house mirrors, in addition to a whole warehouse full of books and cartoonists.



XIP One of the XIP principals, Robert Syrett, is one of my favorite art-store clerks. I made the mistake of wrongly guessing the make of the beautiful all cotton paper covers he had on his zines. Don't try to argue over art paper makes with an art store clerk! He graciously forgave me my ignorance. I still have one of his fantastic drawings hanging over my bed.

Buttons Everyone loves Too Much Coffee Man and it was great rubbing shoulders with Shannon himself, but the surprise treat was buying custom buttons from his sons. I was the crazy lady who kept coming by. I bought two originals, and designed two more. I wonder if the Knee Biter would like to run a button machine at my table next year?

The Lower Haight I am familiar with the Upper, but this was the first time I had spent much time eating my way through the LH. Hanging out during the evenings/mornings with the H and one of the Js was a gastronomic delight. We had great coffee, Indian and Thai. I even found parking. I fell in love with the City all over again.