Where is my mind?

It was the longest car ride of my life and not only because of the distance, but also because of the incredible anticipation rising up inside of me. The breeze blowing through my hair and on my face was crisp and refreshing in the scorching heat. The music was loud and it felt like my heart was pounding to the beat of the thumping bass. Karmen and Liz are talking about some idiotic thing their father did yesterday morning, but I could care less. They look like sisters, but they sure don’t act that way. I make some sarcastic comment; get a few laughs and the conversation resumes. I drift off to sleep. It was the only thing left to do in a hot and crowded car after two days of driving.

I don’t remember when I fell asleep, but I remember that the first thing I saw when I awoke was giant banner declaring that Comic-con was starting today. It was now morning and after the tiresome drive we had finally made it to San Diego. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and chugged the last of my sugar-free Red Bull. I didn’t need the caffeine, but drank it out of habit anyways. For the next four days I would be running on pure adrenaline.

After the hassle of checking into the remarkably cheap hotel and making our way up to the room, we all collapse on the poorly made beds. The room is clean, but we all shared the feeling that there was something lurking beneath the surface and probably the bathtub drain too. Although the looks of disgust had remained on our faces, we had saved money that we desperately needed.

The convention center was chaotic, swelling with bodies in a hurry to get where they wanted to be. It was booth after booth, costume after costume, and superheroes and villains were shouting insane remarks towards each other. I’m positive that there was at least one light saber fight going on at all times. Writers and artists were gods among the fans and they were treated as such. It was easy to tell where they were at any give moment because the over-zealous crowds around them were enormous. This was the pinnacle of all geekdom and we were right at the epicenter.

By the end of the first three days we were dead tired. Our arms ached from carrying bags loaded with free trinkets booths were handing out like candy on Halloween, our feet throbbed from the constant walking, and our stomachs growled from skipping one too many meals. When we returned to our sub-standard hotel that third evening, we could have cared less about the grimy conditions. After a short siesta, it seemed that the need to fill our empty stomachs outweighed the pains echoing throughout our bodies.

Walking a few blocks, we discovered a quaint little hole-in-wall restaurant. I can’t recall the name, but I will never forget the incredible smell of something delicious wafting out through the door. As we were seated, I spied something, or someone I should say, at a delicately lit table in the corner of the dining room. Once I realized whom that someone was, my jaw dropped, my eyes lit up and grew wide, and my heart started pounding out of my chest. It was William Shatner. I didn’t see the Priceline Negotiator or even T.J. Hooker, I saw none other than James Tiberious Kirk, Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise. I tried to gain composure, but it seemed impossible. There he was, simply sitting there and enjoying dinner. As it seemed, he was an ordinary man, eating just like the rest of us. He must have witnessed our little group freak-out because as he made his way out of the restaurant, he stopped at our table. He so eloquently said, “Hello there, I’m William Shatner. I couldn’t help, but notice your Starfleet Badges there. You must be a fan of mine.”

I slowly looked around our table and realized that all three of us had forgotten to remove them from our shirts when we left the hotel. The conversation that ensued was amazing. He was charming, down to Earth, and funny at all the right times. I couldn’t believe that someone to incredibly famous could be this humble and kind.

The next day he was a special guest at the convention. The line stretched for miles is seemed, filled with eager fans full of anticipation, memorabilia shaking in their hands as they waited to meet their hero and take a little piece of him with them. Time was running out and we decided not to wait in the line, but before we left we walked by the stage and he gave the three of us a little wink and waved goodbye.

So that's my essay. I'm just over 50 words too long and don't know what to take out, or if I should just leave everything and hope for the best. What do you guys think? Any input? 

I'm going back to reading his autobiography now. I've always had a soft spot for the show, but now I'm slowly turning into a Trekie. Give me a few more months and I'll be ready to start in the third Trekies film. I just bought all three seasons of the original series on amazon and can not wait to watch them over and over again. There's also I Blu-Ray gift set of the new movie that comes complete with four replica Starfleet Badges. SO GETTING IT.