Stefania & Me

Sei - Values and autographs

Stefania looked at me, she opened her mouth and she said "nice headphones!" whilst nodding her head.

Looking back it took me a minute to respond for various reasons. Number one being I am slow at processing things thanks to my brain being wired differently, and number two I was standing in front of THE Stefania Spampinato and she just said she liked my headphones! Well she didn't say she liked them she said nice headphones but I'll take that as she liked them.

She will probably never know how much that meant to me, but if I ever have the opportunity to tell her I will. I'll scream it from the roof tops! I give myself such a crap time over the fact that I 'need' headphones to function like my peers. It really is true that you are your own worse enemy. But if I am ever giving myself a shit time over it I am going to remember that on the 20th of July 2024 Stefania Spampinato was ok with my headphones, and she didn't even know the story.

It's just so amazing to me that people who don't know you and don't know your story can have such an impact in your life and who you are, in both a positive and negative way. People who didn't know my story picked on the fact I always wore headphones and made me feel like shit because of it. Now I have a constant battle between, do I wear them and feel like a failure, or do I not wear them and most likely have an embarrassing exhausting meltdown. Stefania didn't know my story and influenced a new mindset and now slowly but surely I'm letting myself feel less like dog shit for wearing them.

I'm not sure if any of that made sense but oh well. Who gives a flying fuck! We only get one shot at this whole messed up game of life, so why bother trying to change yourself for the benefit of others.

Anyway after that selfie I said "have an amazing day" and skipped away. After that whole ordeal I needed to decompress. I headed up to the hotel room we were staying in and lay on the floor for a good 15 minutes before I got up a jumped around the room realising I was a centimetre away from Stefania, and she held my phone. I also had four selfies on my phone with her which were all live photos with audio so it caught her magical laugh, I sent them to all my friends and family.

Soon it was 2:45pm and I headed down to the main hall to get ready for the autograph session. Unfortunately on the 18th of July it was announced that Jay Hayden would no longer be at the con, and Alex Blue Davis would, Casey Parker. Because I didn't have time to get a photo of Alex printed out I drew him, more specifically a greys BTS of him for him to sign. I waited in that hall for 90 minutes straight waiting to be called into the room. They were calling ticket types and numbers to go in in rounds so it was super VIPs 1 to 30 then 31 to 80, then access, then VIP, then Gold, then bronze, then silver. The main room was split into two so it ended up bronze was called before sliver. And I was Silver 76 so I was waiting for a very long time!

Soon enough we got called in and I went to join the line for Alex. Because the room was split in two, it was Stefania and Alex in one half and Danielle, Jake, and Jaicy in the other and tickets would swap days. Unfortunately I had to leave before the autographs on the Sunday so Saturday was my only chance to get autographs, and it meant I could only get Alex. Anyway it got to my turn and Alex and I had a little conversation where he complimented my drawing skills and asked my about my day. I hate small talk and things and try to avoid it but I was not about to turn down conversations with these icons.

After I said goodbye and said "have a great day" (I say it at the end of every conversation, just makes them a little easier and if I come across rude I make up for it) I skipped out the room. For some magic miracle I saw a crew member stood by the door and I stopped, i dont know how this happened but suddenly I went over and talked to them. Ask anyone they would say that never happens with me. I walked over to them and explained that I had to get the train home before the Sunday autographs and wondered if there was any chance I could get my autographs from Jaicy and Jake today. And they said yes! Now imagine I never asked, I would have missed out.