would have been better seven miles ago

By the time I looked at my odometer, I'd missed the opportunity.
The mileage reading of 153351 was lost.
So, I did the next best thing. I took the photograph anyway, to acknowledge my error in timing.
That's important. Acknowledgement of missed chances, mistakes along the way, errors in judgement.
Like other animals, we humans learn more from our mistakes than we do from our successes.
Actually, that may not be quite correct as stated. I believe we learn as much from each, but the mistakes usually have a negative impact that leaves a lasting impression.
Anything that makes us say "OUCH!" will certainly be recalled in future situations which are similar, if not identical.
Definitely true.
But what about those occurrences in which we say "WOOHOO!"? Do those generate the same lasting impression, encouraging us to repeat that action if granted the chance to do so?
I would hope so.
But here is the problem with that. Many times, I have found the "WOOHOO!" is partly dependent on the company I am keeping. Consider the following examples.
Being in the presence of Minions in Las Vegas, by myself, was a different enjoyable experience from that I had yesterday at Dragon*Con with my BFF's darling daughter. In the first instance, I was able to completely enjoy the moment, in the company of several other lovers of the oblong yellow guys! But, the girl-child did not really know the movie of their origin and my glee was somewhat diminished by her lack of same.
Dragon*Con, itself, was a wildly different experience this year. The first one I attended, in 2008, in the company of Sam Johnson and the BFF's two children, was a bit of a marvel, as I had never been to a costumed convention before. Sam had lined up some events to attend, I had some I wanted to attend, and the kids just wanted to look at everyone. I missed all of the events concerning "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" and Joss Whedon's world. I really did enjoy the talk with Mickey Dolenz (of The Monkee's) and even the missed talk with Adam West (of tv's "Batman" series; he opted to be in the Autograph Hall instead). All in all, it was pleasurable, but I would have preferred not being the Adult In Charge. (No, Sam most definitely did not count as an adult.)
2009's Dragon*Con was a bitter-sweet experience. Sam had died, but the kids wanted to go again. The BFF and her husband and I went along, too. Mostly, we just wandered around, looking at costumed characters, taking photos. I did have a fabulous encounter with Alan Ruck, prior to a panel talk with him and several other actors who were special characters in the "Star Trek" universe. I also very much enjoyed the hands-on experience with making towel creature art. Definitely fun! But the rest is a bit of a blur.
This year, it was the 28th Annual Dragon*Con. I was absolutely unprepared... and so was the girl-child. I was not even sure that we were going until just a few days beforehand. So, I had no time to check out the schedule, line up some events not to be missed, confer with her on the timetables. I had seen that James Gunn would be there and knew I did not want to miss seeing him. She had no interest, as she had not yet (and still has not) seen "Guardians of the Galaxy".
There were several musical acts I would have enjoyed, as well as blocks of short films. She was really not that interested.
You see, she is a 17-almost-18-year-old girl.
She had spent all of her Dragon*Con preparation time devising the costumes she would wear each of the two days we attended. She was going there to be seen. Period.
After all, she is a 17-almost-18-year-old girl.
A very lovely one, at that, in the typical way.
She is smart, too, but you don't get accolades and adoration from the general public for being smart.
She was there for the glory of recognition of her costumes.
Sitting in panel discussions was not for her. Hardly anyone would praise her cosplay efforts if she were simply part of a crowd, with everyone's attention on the featured guests at the front of the room.
We did both enjoy the Art Show, as we had in 2008. Very little of the artwork for sale was in our budgets this time around, but the visuals and creativity were amazing!
We also enjoyed browsing in the Comic and Pop Artist Alley. No, we were not familiar with any of the artists there, but two kickstarter-backed success stories were there and I enjoyed talking with them.
We spent time both days in those two venues, as well as in the Walk of Fame. She even spent $50 of birthday money on an autograph from her beloved Billy Boyd. Bless him, he even wrote "Happy Birthday" on the glamor shot he signed for her! She was ecstatic!!! I would have liked to wait for James Gunn and his brother to return, but the lines were incredible.
Many times, the lines were ridiculously long. People would get in line more than an hour before an event! Not us.
That we had in common. We did stand in line for Billy Boyd's autograph. Rather, I held her place while she tried to get a couple of others to grant free signatures. (No such luck.) We were fortunate that most events we attended did not have lines of more than thirty or so.
In the end, I think we would both agree that the first day, although erratic, was our favorite, but for different reasons. For her, the cosplay she had chosen that day(the huntress from Skyrim) drew a lot of admiring comments and many requests from adult males for her photo. Success! For me, the day was a favorite because I saw two blocks of short films as well as the panel discussion featuring James and Sean Gunn. Fabulous!
The trip on Sunday was good, but not quite as rewarding for her. Her Ariel in a sail dress cosplay was cute, but in a little-girl way. She mostly was noticed by girls and young women with little children, what notice she did receive. Me? I had charted our course in the Westin to keep us inside and entertained throughout the heat of the day. I enjoyed the ride, but she was clearly needing the attention of others. That put a bit of a damper on my fun, but I tried to sail right past that hurdle, mostly.
(smile)
Will I go again next year?
No, I don't think so.
Unless Alan Ruck will be there.
Maybe he will even remember meeting the girl named Faustina at the head of the stairs and holding her hand.