Carrie Keagan of VH1 Blogs: Confessions of a Comic-Con Artist

The host of VH1 Big Morning Buzz Live with Carrie Keagan – and a self-described "nerd and nerd-lover" – takes on her sixth Comic-Con in San Diego and will be guest-blogging for PEOPLE. You can also follow her coverage onTwitter and Instagram. 

Not long from now, in a city not terribly far, far away… 

It is a period of infinite excitement. Cos-players from around the universe are shining their plastic armor, mixing their green body paint and packing their limited-edition, mint-condition, treasured collectibles for the epic yearly pilgrimage to the epicenter of awesome: Comic-Con International: San Diego! 

Comic-Con hosts the biggest tailgate party for all nerd kind, and I fully plan on setting my face to stun and partying my Oola tentacles off! I've attended Comic-Con five times, at least that's all I'll admit to – anything more would just be showing off! I have moderated panels in and out of character but, between you and me, I prefer to do it in costume. 

I have taken the endless walks from hall to hall. I have navigated the insanely crowded red carpets and I have engaged in impromptu celebrity interviews while standing in line for the women's restroom. I have survived that smell you can taste that fills the Exhibit Halls … you know the smell that can only occur when you jam 100,000 people into a space intended for only 10,000. I've attend all the super-secret, by-invitation only parties where the only way to get in is to be on a list where they can never find your name or have Ben Franklin as your plus-one.