Sometimes my life is like a choose-your-own-adventure book

This was a story from almost a year ago, but I'm telling it now...

I saw this on the way home from dinner on Sunday night after my last day of work in San Diego at Nerd HQ and it seemed just about perfect.

I've since learned that this is part of an ad campaign for a clothing company, but I still like it.

Let's back up a bit.

This all started in the fall of 2013 when I got to meet this guy in New York after a performance of First Date on Broadway.

No, wait. It was before that. A couple of summers ago I was floating through the internet, watching tiny panel clips from Comic-Con, Doctor Who and Firefly, mostly (yeah, I've got a bit of a nerdy side in me - surprise!). There wasn't a whole lot out there, but then I found these other videos from something called Nerd HQ and I happily sat for a few hours absorbing pop culture. Later, I looked into the web site and learned that the panels took place at a smaller venue outside of the throbbing hive of humanity that is the San Diego convention center and the ticket money went to a charity called Operation Smile. Who does this? Zac Levi and Dave Coleman, through their company, The Nerd Machine. Well, that's cool.

Fast forward another year and I'm watching more panels on a hot, July weekend (it's my birthday, I can do what I want) and I realize that all those people dashing up and down the aisles are volunteers. That's really cool. Zac's one of those exemplary humans that has inspired me to volunteer in my own town. "If I'm not doing anything next summer, I'd like to go help them," I mused.

When I went to New York that fall, I saw a slew of shows, including the one Zac was in. While I usually love whatever I've just seen, I don't usually hang around stage doors after the performance unless I have something specific to say to someone and this time I lined up with a pre-written note in my hand (I'm crap at talking to people I've never met when there's a line of anxious fans behind me). It just said thanks for being you, for inspiring others to be better people and, hey, I'd love to help out at Nerd HQ next summer.

Not sure if he ever even read it, but eight months, one Indiegogo campaign, and one online volunteer application and phone interview later, I found myself San Diego-bound.

I found our truck!

This is my Nerd HQ family (photo courtesy of Eric Blackmon, photographer extraordinaire)

About half way up and a third of the way in from the left, behind the girl in the red t-shirt.

I'd never been to San Diego and didn't know a single person there, but it didn't matter, because we were all there for the same reason: to help. Even my AirBnB hosts, Hilary and Peter, went out of their way to make me feel at home.

Those would be the hours for the nearby Stone Brewing tap room on the right. Thanks!

There were plenty of newbies like me, as well as seasoned veterans, lots of California natives, some folks who'd flown from other continents and even a few people who live just a few towns away from me. We got our t-shirts sorted, got a welcoming pep talk from Dave, Zac and Shekinah (who I think almost made it through the greeting without starting to tear up) and then sprinted around Petco Park trying to familiarize ourselves with the layout of the place before it filled up with people for the next few days.

We are volunteers, and we rock! And our volunteer wranglers in yellow rock even harder!

I volunteered to work all four days, so I don't have many photos of what was happening. What exactly did I do as a volunteer at Nerd HQ last year? I directed people to the right lines for panels and Smiles for Smiles photos and then tried to keep them entertained when the lines got long. I helped with mics during panel question times and kept the aisles clear when it got a little cramped (because someone had to make sure the Orphan Black cast could squeeze through, right?). We gently persuaded people not to take their own photos at the Smiles for Smiles lines. We used those ROIs on a stick quite deftly, I think.

Mystery volunteer

Volunteers got to choose two panels to attend if there was room and if we had time, and I chose the Sesame Street and the Bad Ass Women panels. The women told stories about how they got to where they are now and what they overcame to get there. Each one of them was inspiring and sometimes surprising and there were more than a few sniffles in the room by the time they were through.

Grover and Murray!

I was on my feet most of the day, running wherever I was needed next. Sometimes I was running on fumes and adrenaline. Shekinah stopped me in the hall once and asked me if I'd eaten anything lately. I said "Carrots?" and she stared me down till I headed over to the nachos stand. I always meant to thank her for that. Mostly I ran on the energy of the place.

There's a unique feeling of joy at Nerd HQ. Everyone who attended seemed so happy to be there and it showed. People were constantly telling me how they'd been looking forward to this for the whole year and thanking me for helping put it together. Their gratitude was overwhelming. I was just a volunteer! Everyone had a story to share of some great cosplay they'd seen or game they'd played or person they'd met. Whole families made it part of their summer vacation. People who were lucky enough to have scored a badge for the convention center told me they'd actually rather stay at Nerd HQ where it was more relaxed and everyone was super-friendly (the Nerd HQ venue is free and open to the public, no badge required). It's a hell of a place to "work."

It all exists because of this guy (and Dave and Kinah and Lisa and Jordan and, well, a whole lot of excellent humans).

Last morning. Not sure how any of these folks are even conscious at this hour.

I'm going to miss the endless stories this year and, if I lived around the corner from San Diego, I'd be there tomorrow for this year's orientation, but I'll be viewing from afar at my computer screen this week. There are some fantastic panels lined up and I'll donate the cost of a panel ticket for every one I watch (IGN will stream them live and I'll probably catch up a bit later on Youtube), with all the proceeds going to Operation Smile (they provide free cleft palate and cleft lip surgery to kids all over the world - can't beat that).

If you ever need a reminder that there are some truly amazing human beings out there, stop by Nerd HQ at the Children's Museum this year. You'll find everything you were looking for when you get there.

Oh, and if you happen to hear rumors of a Smiles for Smiles op with Seth Green, go get in that line. Best photo partner, ever.