I really feel that I should start this blog post with a few abject apologies. I know I haven’t really posted anything since my return from Scotland. I blame that completely on the effects of #Droughtlander. You know, this funny thing happened over the last few months. I remembered that I had a life before all things Outlander consumed me for the past year. It was nice to have a chance to reconnect and do some things that had fallen by the wayside.

However, now that the end of #Droughtlander is in sight, I’m ready to get back to it. I’ve truly missed writing these posts and I definitely need to get back in the groove before May. Oh, did I not mention that I’m going back to Scotland in May for the OutlanderUK Gathering and more? Don’t worry, it will be fully covered! Not only will I blog it here on GreatScot, but I’ll also be meeting up and spending a week with the lovely ladies from The Outlander Podcast. No telling what hi-jinx we’ll get up to, but I fully expect it to be covered in two mediums!

Up, up and away

Many of you know by now that I usually start these posts covering a trip with a shoe pic (it’s become something of a tradition because of the pics that Terry Dresbach usually tweets at the start of her trips). However, I’m starting my coverage this time with the airport. Sitting around in the airport in Atlanta is not usually that much fun, but I have come to realize that it pays to keep your eyes open around any flight from ATL to LAX. Atlanta has become a very popular location for the TV/Movie industry with the likes of The Walking Dead and Vampire Diaries filming in the area. Knowing this, I kept my eyes open for any celebrities returning to LA and, sure enough, I was not disappointed. As I entered the jet bridge, I realized that actor John Lithgow (3rd Rock from the Sun, Shrek) was only a couple of people ahead of me. Even after boarding the plane and taking my seat (I was lucky enough to be upgraded to business class), I saw several other people who looked familiar but no one to whom I could definitively put a name.

Eventually (the plane was delayed a bit by an equipment change), I took my shoe pic and then we were up in the air and on our way to the land of movie stars. I don’t usually comment on the flight itself, but I’ll make an exception in this case as it was one of the more bumpy flights I’ve ever been on. We had over an hour of pretty constant turbulence. On our arrival into LA, the bright lights were pretty spectacular. I know the picture I took from the plane is a bit blurry, but I think you get the general idea.

Gotta love room to stretch.

Bright lights, big city!

Upon arriving, I was lucky enough to have Candida pick me up at the airport and whisk me off to her house. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again (and probably again and again…), the best thing about Outlander is all the truly special people I have met and the lasting friendships that have been forged. It’s wonderful to have such a great home base for this trip and to get to spend more time with Candida. 🙂

The Big Day

After waking up early (thanks to a body still on Eastern Daylight Time), and accomplishing a few work related conference calls, it was time to get ready for the big event.  Thanks to the President being in town to film an appearance for the Jimmy Kimmel show (I’m pretty sure the President is following me as he was in Atlanta two days earlier), we decided we needed to head over to Hollywood well in advance of the 7pm start time for the Outlander Paleyfest panel.

This would probably be a good time to explain Paleyfest for those who may not be familiar. Paleyfest is an annual fundraiser for the Paley Center for Media. William S. Paley was the founder of CBS (a broadcast network in the US) and also founder of the Paley Center for Media. Paleyfest is composed of panel events for selected television shows and it is an honor that Outlander was selected to be included in the event! Continue reading →