Photo Credit: David Schick

Every year for nine years, I've been going to this massive nerd gathering in Atlanta.

Also known as Dragon Con, the all-encompassing sci-fi/fantasy convention, it is an experience like no other. While I've written many words on the subject, I still find it difficult to accurately describe — it feels like home.

I once performed a spoken word poetry piece and compared my yearly trip to Dragon Con to the religious pilgrimage to Mecca. No, seriously. It's that amazing.

Dragon Con is home for 38 individual fan tracks, 107 departments and 1,600 hours of unique programming. Last year, atttendance was at 52,000 and this year it's expected to be 55,000 or more.

I actually skipped my classes on Thursday afternoon so I could get a head start on packing for the con, which anyone con-goer will tell you is an adventure in itself.

Yesterday was an interesting day and I'll give y'all more detail about my specific exploits later today, but for now, enjoy the photo gallery.