Well? Huh? What gives?

I'm in my training at Eurocontrol at the moment. I will give a full detail report asap!
But just to let you know! I'm up on cloud #9 and I don't intend to come down soon!

This man is GREAT!!! Very very sweet man! And he has a very dry sense of humouur, but we all knew that already!

I love the guy!!!

Well, I have about 10 minutes to make a start with the report. So I think I will report everything in phases.

I arrived on Friday, very very tired.... and blah blah blah.

Saturday afternoon I met up eith Toni, bless her soul (Hi Toni!!!!) and she suggested I'd better put my address down on the post cards we were supposed to give him/them.

We both were attending the Sunday session. I never realised how long 48 hrs seem when you're waiting for such an event.
Strangely I slept very well Saturday night, which I hadn't expected to, really. I had been psyched up for days!! THe following day would be D-DAY! I could see me facing both RD and Amanda with enormous bags underneath my eyes... Which wasn't the case, fortunately!!!

Well, Sunday morning came and Toni and I met up again. We were waiting outside the Bishop's Palace and around 9 oçlock the gates opened.......

Aaaaaaah, you put the address onto the postcard? What for? Do you think you will get an answer? I did not think about this for myself! Aaaaaaarrrrrgghhhh!

(Sorry, didn't want to interrupt your detailed report)

Hahaha no I don't expect him to answer, but you never know, ey ;-)

Where was I...
Well the gates opened and we went inside.

First there was the Q and A session, which was very funny indeed. Amanda and RD came in and he started taking pics of everyone, I actually have a pic of him taking a pic of me, LOL!

RD has an enormous ability to misunderstand things on purpose.
Both he and Amanda were asked what advice they'd give if they ran into a 20-year old version of themselves.

RD: "What?! A 20-year old VIRGIN????" Okay, of course everybody cracked up about this. His reply: "I'd be very surprised to run into a 20-year old virgin of me"

Toni asked a great question too. I can't exactly repeat it, 'cause I don't know how to spell "ad-libbing"

He was also very surprised to find out scones are very fattening, hehehehe. Amanda has a very dry sense of humor as well.

After the Q and A, we went downstairs where they'd join us at the tables for a somewhat more personal chat. Unfortunately we only had 5 minutes, which was very short.

Earlier he had said that he was so hot (as in: temperature!!!), so when he came to our table (he had to squeeze in between Amanda and another lady, there was quite a lack of space and he made a joke about it)
He came to our table he was wiping his forehead. I said:"You think YOU're hot? Try wearing an angora sweater (which I was wearing)!!!"
And he was like :"Okay and we pretended to take of our shirts and sweater. And Amanda was going: "No, no, keep your sweater on!"
RD said:"Later, during the photoshoot, we can swop"

Which was very funny of course.

After that they had to get ready for the photoshoot and we were all waiting for our turn. When I had to go in -this is so emberrassing- I had tears in my eyes. I simply became overwehelmed by emotions, for reasons I cannot possibly explain. Let's just say that RD has a very big place in my life.
Anyway, when I was in tears, Amanda was pinching my shoulder to comfort me.
I honestly told them I had been waiting for this day for 19 years.
RD:"What?!?! 90 years????"(he was joking)
And then all of a sudden he pulled me close and gave me an enormous hug. (we were not allowed to ask for hugs or kisses, but he did it all out of himself)
It wasn't a half and half hug, but he actually kinda sueezed me. Then he held my hands for a few seconds and he said: '" you'll be okay, you ARE okay!"
Then my time was up...

Later that day, after a nice lunch with Toni, her "hubby", Martine and Sandra, it was time for the auction. They were auctioning all kinds of set props, signed pictures, dog tags, t-shirts etc. But there was not a thing I could affort, unfortunately. One attendee paid 500 pounds for a set of 5 autographed pics!
Amanda, Dan Shea (I hope I spell his name right) and Richard were walking through the isle to show everybody what was up for auction.
All of a sudden he came up to me, grabbed my shoulder and asked if I was okay, because he remembered the emotional moment.
(I was until he came up to me again, )

I cannot possible describe everything that has happened, it is way too much to write down here. But it certainly was the best moment of my life. If I ever get married, my wedding day cannot top this last Sunday.

I'm still somewhere between 7th heaven and cloud #9. And I don't intend to come down any day soon!

WOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!!

oooh, this is waaaaay kewl. I am so happy for ya! I hope you will post some pics!

I wonder if there's is post of the full Q&A somewhere?

Well, I heard (and also read) your story already but I never can get tired of it It's just so nice reading everyone's reports and hearing about the different sessions.

I'm still a little sad that I had no chance to talk to Rick in private at all like obviously everyone else had. Maybe I just should have jumped in when he was at our table but I'm not someone that interrupts people and so I only listened to what he was talking with someone other.

I also read that they had for sale the note of the future O'Neill in "2010" and if I had seen that I definitely would have bought it! Obviously it was gone already.

Did you know about the Stargate-pizza? I haven't seen any of these either... Sometimes I wonder where I was all the time!


I will try to do something about my session also but I did not understand all of the questions and therefore the answers sometimes did not make much sense to me.

I asked everyone later what they would remember and this is what we came up with:



If you could make a law what would it be?
Amanda: Ban fossil fuels.
Rick: Clean up the planet.

How have your characters developed and have they become more like you?
Amanda talked about Samantha being more female now I think and Rick pretended not to understand what the question meant <g>

One question was: How do they feel about being in the Guinness-book of records? And I think I remember Amanda saying that it was quite an honour or something like that.

When you started shooting "Stargate" did you think that it would last 10 years?
Amanda quickly said, that if she had known it she would have get children earlier.
Rick said that they knew from the beginning that they had three seasons. After the first season Showtime ordered another two so they knew it would last a little longer. Then the fourth season came which is obviously important to sell it and after that it just went on from year to year.


Did Rick ever get asked to MacGyver something? (Sorry, can't remember the answer to this one, it is really a shame)


Apart from the Simpson's, is there a role you would like to do?
Richard: "The office", Ricky Gervais's "Extras", "The Family Guy"
Amanda: "Coronation Street"

If you could write the end of the show, what would it be?
Richard: "THE END"
Amanda said something about going fishing, I think?

A little boy asked "What is your favourite flavor of Ben & Jerry's ice-cream" and Rick said it would be Cherry Garcia.

My question was "Have you ever been in any really dangerous situations while shooting Stargate?"
Amanda talked about the explosion in "Family" that went off too soon when she was running by, then about the scene from "Solitudes" when she was at the glacier while the helicopter was shooting her from a wide ankle and finally about her concussion in the elevator after she got hit by Kawalsky in "The enemy within".
Rick answered that after he had everyday something scratched or broken or whatever else on "MacGyver" he can't remember anything really bad at "Stargate" since he didn't break anything there.
He answered it much longer that this and kept looking at me all the time so you maybe forgive me when I don't know more details!

Someone also asked (of course) why Sam and Jack aren't together. And they answered something about being true to the Airforce regulations for the show I think.


Do they enjoy travelling for publishing movies? Amanda does, I think. Rick answered that he never did such things for movies but he likes this small and familiar convention.



That's all we came up afterwards, if there is anyone else from the Saturday afternoon session please let me know. I really hope to get the DVD one day and play it over and over again. It just was all in a blur.

I kept watching Rick all the time, his arms never stood still. He underlined what he said with them and he also often was running his hand trough his hair wich made it even more sticking up.

So you see, the guy could have read the telephone book and it would be still entertaining. When he first came in he asked: "What are you all doing in my bedroom?" and I also think he looked a little tired, but also very at ease after having already a few of the sessions. I heard at Friday morning he was a little more shy.

Did he also do the catwalk for you? Before he sat onto the chair he walked up to the people in the background and then did a turn like a model. The whole room was busy making pictures so nobody said anything it was totally quiet. Rick was the only one saying a few things but I can't remember what it was.

I've got a picture of him taking a pic of me, that is so funny!

I'm sorry, but to me is everything is funny right now.

Cloud #9 is wayy too comfortable

I think that I am going to expire from jealousy!

I'm so glad that you got to meet RDA. May I touch the hem of your garment?

Sure you can! Astra asked for a hug later that night, so she kinda hugged RD too, we're all a bunch of goones hahaha, but I love it.

Yeah, thanks again for the hug! I'm really glad I bumped into you at the evening at the street by accident!

Unless the groom is RDA! Well hey! He hugged you cos he wanted to... Thats a good start.

But seriously... Kewl story! Is ncie to hear about peopels dreams coming true

YEA! Good for you guys!

You mean you weren't serious about RD being the groom then???
Hehehe!

I surely had expected a little more enthousiasm, considering you've been waiting tap-toeing

So cool Sheepy and Astra!! He's such a cool guy! I'm really glad you guys got to finally meet him!

I was at the first session on Friday morning and it is true to say that Richard was a little shy...and I also think more than a little overwhelmed by the response... but after a while he soon got into the swing of things!

Everybody I met seemed to have had a great time and I can only hope that Richard did too... hopefully we didn't scare him too much and if he's asked to do another 'Avalon' type event he will do.

He was, as always, charm and grace personified, with time for everybody even when the organisers were trying to hurry the two of them along. I was with people who like Sheepy, had waited 19 years to meet him and to see their faces when they finally had their dream come true was great.

I'm sure Richard has NO idea the effect he has on people!!!

I was honored to be chosen to ask a question even though I was REALLY nervous and had to wait for a few minutes until Richard and Amanda had finished messing with his hair! (That didn't help my nerves at all) But when Richard finally looked at me and recognised who I was my nerves evaporated.

Like most people my biggest complaint is that it was over so quickly and that memories fade so fast. Having said that I'd do it again in a heartbeat!!

Rda_Mad

PS Sheepy & Toni - it was great to meet you guys and I'm SO glad you had the time of your lives.

Thank you to both for sharing your experiences! Seems like the guy is exactly who he seems to be in interviews. I'm so happy for you that the experience was elating and not disappointing.

Mac
jealous!

I surely had expected a little more enthousiasm, considering you've been waiting tap-toeing

Well, I'm happy for you guys and am glad it was a good experience.

Here How's that?

You told a great story. Just thought I'd drop in my congratulations before anyone starts prying for any "weird" details or someone tells of a stalker or some crap.

Sound like this is the venue for Rick. Where he goes some place and knows exactly what he's in for.

I've been reading the Avalon accounts on the Stargate site too, and it sounds like everyone had a good time! That's great news! I'm glad it wasn't a disaster for Rick, or for those attending. Maybe his mind has been put at ease over conventions, now. What an event! I wish I could've gone, but reading these amazing stories is the next best thing. Thank you for all the details!

I just received a few great pics from Toni, unfortunately we're not allowed to distribute them (yet).

I'm so happy you guys had such a great time.
Thank you for sharing your experiences with us!

your not?? are they ones you brought there?

Brought there? No, the ones we made there.
There's some kind of policiy which we have to follow. We have to wait for the Gabit team to give us the green light

Of that, I am certain.

Of that, I am certain.

*sigh* That makes him even more wonderful.


Don't worry, folks... I chain myself inside a cage whenever RDA travels through the midwest so I won't embarrass him or myself!

Oh my god. Time flies.
It's been a week already! I still find it hard to believe sometimes. I really cannot believe I've actually met the man.
He's everything you'd expect from him and more.
Well, I'm not going to dweep about his good looks (I have my dog for that, she can't complain hehe)
But seriously, he's a very charming and sweet man. I still can't believe I've managed to make an a.s.s out of myself. It's so typically me!

Have you fluttered down to cloud 8 yet?

Or what? they gonna some how work out who you are from the name Sheepy?

Sounds like a bullpoo policy to me. Right up there with checking your docket as you leave the store.

okay

1) Why after you paid ALLLLLL that money would they sequester your photos that you could take during the what? five minutes they allowed it?

2) Why? Just plain why?

3) Did you sign some kind of contract or something?

4) How they going to know who does and doesn't comply?

and

5) *snicker* how they going to give you the green light? They going to call everyone?