The Day Before #Vidcon 2014
Adam recounts his travels and experiences in preparation for the fifth annual Vidcon.
How I spent my day leading up to Vidcon, including travels, meetings, and glorious feelings.
People seen or mentioned in this video, in order of appearance:
Music: My theme song & outro music is Pluto Vs. Neptune by Driftless Pony Club. You can buy their albums from DFTBA Records.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Hello, Earthlings. It’s June 25th, 2014, and you are watching Adam the Alien. Vidcon time!
[THEME SONG PLAYS]
So in case it wasn’t apparent, I am at Vidcon! Well, technically right now I’m in my hotel, which is not AT Vidcon, it’s on the other side of Disneyland from Vidcon, which is not an unpleasant walk, actually.
Anyway, I’ve just had a pretty good day, considering that Vidcon hasn’t actually started yet. But I already feel like I’ve gotten what I came here for. In a lot of ways, Vidcon for me is like coming home.
I have to confess, this year I was actually a little nervous. Because with all of the unfortunate abusive behavior that has been revealed in a number of very prominent YouTubers, I was a little worried that I would come here and everything would feel tainted and I was…I was just worried.
But, honestly, that was dispelled. This whole trip, just today, just getting here and running into people has been amazing! I felt exactly the same things that I come here to feel every year.
I mean, honestly, this has been a good day just even starting at the airport. I found out shortly before taking this trip a friend of mine from the Portland Nerdfighters group would actually be on my flight down here.
ADAM: This is Katie!
KATIE: Hi!
ADAM: This is gonna be her first Vidcon!
KATIE: I’m so excited!
ADAM: And you just can’t hide it?
KATIE: I’m so exciteeeeed!
ADAM: She’s about to lose control, and she thinks she likes it.
And I finally got a chance to appreciate the many splendors of the Portland International Airport. For instance, there is a Burgerville inside the airport, which is just a great way to start the day. Fill your belly with good food before heading off on a flight to a land where everything is expensive and food is not plentiful. Especially if you don’t want to pay ridiculous prices for it.
But what struck me most about the airport was actually the music. You see, instead of having to listen to the same pre-recorded announcement play over and over and over, “The white zone is for loading. Please watch out for unattended bags,” what I wound up listening to was…music.
Now, of course, the pre-recorded announcements were still there, but most of what I heard was the violin player parked right in front of my gate. He was not only playing his music live, but also looping and mixing it live and having it pumped right through the speakers.
Now, normally I start plane trips out by getting annoyed at the pre-recorded voices that Will. Not. Shut. Up. But this time, I had a very peaceful, musical, zen-like experience going into things. And that was nice.
I also had my very first middle seat on the plane, this trip. I’ve never been a middle seat person before, so that was a new experience. And luckily for me, the two people on either side of me were absolutely wonderful people.
ADAM: Wait, what is today’s date?
MAN: Uhhh…
WOMAN: 25th?
ADAM: 25th?
WOMAN: Wait, let me check.
MAN: Yeah, the 25th. I think it’s the 25th, ’cause that’s the day of my flight!
[WOMAN LAUGHS]
ADAM: I know, I should know what…it’s like, we all had to schedule to be here. You’d think I would remember what date it is.
I had a great time chatting with them. Even though our conversation started, right before takeoff, on whether or not planes are more likely to result in death, and statistics and all that fun stuff. Admittedly, that was entirely my fault, because I was…being weird.
I spent the entire plane ride talking to them. Meanwhile, my friend Katie, several rows in front of me, was apparently trying to make faces at me. Which I did not see, because I was in the middle of a conversation and there was an adorable baby right in front of me, so…just surrounded by distractions. Honestly.
However, I would find out later that Katie was seated right next to a fellow Vidcon attendee named Maya.
ADAM: On the plane, we ran into another Vidcon-er. Introduce yourself.
MAYA, IN A SILLY, NASAL VOICE: Hello, my name is Maya. I don’t actually talk like this. You can, uh, see my channel at Youtube.com/decml, D E C M L, that’s me. Okay bye.
ADAM: We traveled on to check in at my hotel, where I am recording this, and then on to Vidcon for registration.
ADAM: We have just determined that the sound of memories is screaming. People are making memories right next to us in the theme parks.
KATIE: We heard screams, and we determined: yes, that is the sound of people making memories.
ADAM: And once I got close to registration, I could not go five minutes without running into someone. The very first run-in, someone pointed at me and said, “I know you!”
MAN: I know you!
ADAM: Do I know you? …No? Hi!
And we kept walking by each other and I was trying to figure out where I knew him from and eventually I just shouted at him, “Do I know you?” And he said, “No.” So there was that. He found me again later, and introduced himself. His name was Dominic. He’s a very nice man who apparently found me several years ago through the Vlogbrothers. Most likely through the Project for Awesome, I am guessing.
Just a few steps past that guy, I turn around, and there’s my friend Ali, right in front of me, and as we walk by each other, we give each other a big hug, and he goes on being his Ali-tastic self.
ADAM: All right, so just coming in to register the night before, I’ve already run into friends and a guy named Dominic who recognized me, but I hadn’t met yet. So that was interesting. And, uh, y’know, people who I just met last year like Matt, here. He’s significantly less Doctor Who dressed this time.
MATT: At VidProm, I will be Doctor Who dressed, but otherwise, I’m out in my normal clothing with, y’know, my whole camera setup. That old thing, you know, it’s great. Random Event Squad, yeah!
ADAM: But yeah, I keep running into a bunch of people, and people seeing and it’s just…aaah! It’s wonderful.
TOM: Is it working?
ADAM: Yes. Slightly. Mostly.
TOM: I can’t believe it’s working.
ADAM: I kept running into people and running into people and running into people, and I wish I had footage of them all, but at the same time, I just had a very fun day today. And I’m very much trying to limit my compulsive desire to record everything.
Says the guy sitting on a bathroom counter recording…everything.
The rest of the day was just running into people by accident, enjoying their presence, chatting with them and spending time with them, and just generally enjoying everything that I think Vidcon is all about. Some of these people I don’t get to see more than once a year, in person. And it is always such a wonderful experience to see them, hug them, and just remind ourselves why we love this so much. And, to me, I think that is mostly…THIS.
It is the connection that you can make with other people, in some form or another. Maybe it’s some guy named Dominic who’s seen your videos and recognizes you and points at you, and maybe it’s people you have known for years and got to know through THIS. And have only grown to love all the more no matter how often or how little you have time to speak to each other.
On that note, I have a lot more people to see tomorrow, and a lot of things to do, so I am going to say: thank you for watching. Thank you for being part of this thing that I love.
And…yeah. I’m Adam the Alien. Fare thee well.
Writer. Actor. Director. Chalk artist. YouTuber. Nerdfighter. Traveler. Pansexual. Genderfluid. Millennial. Socialist. Living a complex life beyond those words.
