Several blogs ago, I wrote about celebrity ‘meet and greet’ events. This weekend, my work brought me to Novi, Michigan, where I found myself in the middle of the Motor City Comic Con.

This convention is a big yearly event. I talked to people from as far away as Australia. There is something for everyone, including autograph signings, Q&A sessions, hundreds of vendor tables and several film presentations. There is also a costume contest, so it is not unusual to see someone dressed as a superhero or a Sci-Fi character (although I am pretty sure many do it just for fun). Many people don’t understand the attraction of these shows, but the draw is undeniable. Over 15 hotels, totaling over 2,500 rooms, were sold out for the weekend. The Comic Con is just one of many conventions that help make Novi one of the fastest growing cities (especially in business development) in Michigan. After getting my work out of the way, it was time for fun. I talked about writing with wrestler-turned-author Mick Foley (hey, we are both published writers). I monkee’d around with Micky Dolenz (to anyone old enough to get that, I apologize). I got a chance to talk to several other celebrities as well, including Joe Pantoliano, Billy Dee Williams, Avery Brooks, Alan Ruck and Gail Kim, all of them extremely personable. A special nod goes to model/singer/Playboy covergirl/”professional wrestling valet” Christy Hemme, a ball of energy and personality who always seems to give a bit more. In case you don’t believe me, here is the proof.

It was an interesting weekend. I also managed to distribute GT to several hotels in the Novi/Detroit area. (Did I mention that my article about Chicago appears on page 40 of the May issue?) Several people assured me they would become subscribers and if they do not, I will be back next year looking for them.

John Wroblewski–Distribution Specialist

It’s not that I am a squeamish person, but let’s just say I would make a terrible medical doctor. A friend of mine had been bugging me for over a year to go and see Bodies: The Exhibition and I had been successfully finding excuses to get out of it until a few weeks ago. I could no longer claim that I had no time or that it wasn’t playing in the area or that I had yet another cold. I was stuck.

Despite my fear, I bit the bullet and went with her to see it just before it closed in San Diego as I knew I could no longer find a creative way to avoid it. To my surprise, though, I really had a good time. Not that looking at skinned creatures is exciting, unless you are a science freak, but it was really interesting. I never thought it would be so fascinating to look inside the human body and yet it was. It was a little like driving by the scene of an accident, only you were supposed to look.

This exhibit is not for everyone, and to their credit they do warn you away from the baby section if you have children with you or you may not be able to handle it. Strangely enough, I found that section to actually be the most interesting by far, as they show various stages of development as well as some fetal diseases. Really the last vestige of things I didn’t know anything about regarding the human body.

There are actually two different companies doing this exhibit and neither is cheap to attend, but they are highly educational to say the least. You can find it in many different cities all over the U.S. and Canada and it makes a very different experience for a morning or afternoon if you happen to be in one of those cities on either business or pleasure. You never know - you might just learn something new since your last anatomy class!

-Morissa Pawl, vice president Western region