A Zombie Horde of Four

Random Observation/Comment #214: This year’s Zombiecon was epic (in every sense of the word).  It was the best Zombiecon I’ve ever attended – not because there was a lot of alcohol, zombies, zombie hunters, and scared bystanders – but because my closest friends joined in on the fun.  Surprisingly, we were only a part of the zombiecon bar crawl for about 15 minutes at one of their stops.  The rest of the time, we roamed the streets in heavy rain as a zombie horde of four.  People (and especially those whom I call “Mom and Dad”) question why I attend these Zombiecons: “It’s filled with crazy people walking around the streets and making a fool out of themselves,” they say (but in Chinese).  Actually, I think James, Justin, and Jake also once asked me why, but now I think they know. Unless you’ve been a part of it, it’s a little bit difficult to explain.  I think it’s all about freeing yourself from wearing all of those masks that make you conform into society’s norms.  We looked like an outcast to everyone else, but in our eyes, it was the other way around.  No one else around us mattered and none of our normal concerns about impressing people even registered.  Everyone stared at us with looks of amusement, embarrassment, fear, curiosity, and confusion, but alas, it was momentary judgment from a stranger that we’ll probably never see again.  I think every one of us, at one point or another, just realized a simple phrase: “Whatever – I’m a zombie.” (That and “Wu Tang!”)

There’s a formula for great weekends like these: 4*friends + zombie makeup + 40s + 10*shots of jager + wine + more 40s + a holiday where you can do whatever the hell you want = zombiecon 2009 fun.  So much happened (some of which I don’t remember very clearly), but I must highlight some especially hilarious moments.

Do you remember when…

• Jake shaved parts of his head and looked ten times more creepy than usual (which is difficult)
• We wished Dexter would help clean up our blood splatter bathtub mess
• We realized $7 for a bottle of blood was the best purchase ever
• Wu Tang was expertly represented on our attire
• Jake used a marker on his body instead of black makeup
• We hovered around Continental to wait for shots
• We told people that we were going to a funeral/going to a wedding/gf had a period on us
• We met the cute girls on the crowded train and they couldn’t make a scared face for the camera
• We walked 25 blocks in the pouring rain doing the shakey dance
• We got blood all over the McDonald’s official rule sign (by accident) and then ate our apple pies violently
• We got stopped 20 times by people to take pictures; we stopped people 20 times to help take our pictures
• That guy asked “Are you okay?” with the most serious concerned voice and shocked expression
• We drank a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon in less than 2 minutes
• We got attacked by zombie hunters with marshmallow guns; we ate their ammo
• Justin and James were a bad influence to an elementary school field trip
• Jake and James were almost arrested for scaring old ladies near a Broadway theater
• Justin was a bad/good influence to a mother and her 3 children on the side of the street
• James screamed “Wu Tang” at anyone and anything imaginable
• Justin pushed people out of the way so he could hang upside down on the subway pole
• Justin asked a guy on the side of the street for a cigar
• We knocked on Eden’s workplace windows thinking it was a good idea
• We passed out before 8PM and forgot about eating dinner
• I woke up at 10PM hung over and relatively happy with the memories

The interesting part is that we didn’t really have to be zombies (well I guess the zombie hunter thing wouldn’t make as much sense).  The makeup and costumes made us forget about the school papers, interviews, long work hours, and exams.  We were just having fun, and in the process I think we made a lot of people smile at the craziness of NYC.  I bet tourists and locals alike just looked at us and brushed it off with a chuckle and the phrase: “Only in New York.”   Whether it’s the eccentric personality of the concrete jungle or the immense amount of fun I have within the horde, this is why I call this my Home.

~See Lemons a Happy Zombie