So I make it down stairs an hour after getting up. Which is still half an hour before the panel begins. Yeah, I padded my schedule. Want to know why? Because it’s not a movie, and I’m smart. S-M-R-T, to quote Homer. I look awake. A clever illusion propagated by the foundation makeup, light blush, eyeliner, and very little lipstick. Of course, I never have more than a little bit of lipstick on. But that’s because my lips are, as I’ve said, freakishly small.

I look awake. But ...