Last year I went to Project Akon. It set a new personal record for me as to distance per day. Still, after much debating with my sensibilities, it was a lot like Animazement; I almost didn't go. There was no one I knew that was going there that could provide a room, blah blah blah. Well, that wasn't about to stop me anyway, and "roughing it" sounded like a good idea.

The original plan was to leave after a full day of work, but logic kicked in and negotiated a half-day of work. Considered flying, then thought nah, driving is cheaper. Ahem... I made that decision to drive before researching tolls for the roads of choice, and after the cut-off date for purchasing flight tickets at a reasonable price. Imagine my surprise upon finding that both PA and Ohio charged $9 each way, and Indiana was another $5 each way. Plus the motel room before the con, even though it was just a Motel 6. The damage is done, and the lesson learned. My meager excuse is that I like driving.
I checked out several motels before finding one with a vacancy. Tired, weary, I know I won't last much longer this evening. At least I'm close to the original hotel, which I hope to somehow find some crash space at.

Hajime. (Friday morning)

The one time I wake up on my own, it doesn't give me enough sleep. Hmm. Alrighty then... Having forgot some minor things from home, a trip to K-mart takes care of that. With an ok map handy, I find my way to the Sheraton with only minor difficulty.
Each time I go to an anime convention and pull into the parking lot for the hotel, I wonder if it's the right place. From the outside of the hotel at a distance, the average hotel doesn't look like it's populated by thousands of anime fans. Parking Ai-chan, I wondered if I really made it. Well, as if seeing people in costumes and anime-themed t-shirts wasn't big enough of a clue, there was the "House of Anime" truck nearby. Yep, there's an anime con here.
This con is looking like a bunch of other cons in one. There's a good chunk of the guests from Animazement, Anime Hell from AWA, and Katsucon's video room tactics. I guess if I want crash space, I should post a request soon.

Mourn for the overheated Dew.

Almost a case of Dew in my car, and I can't drink it because it's too hot. Come to think of it, I haven't had breakfast.
The dealers room lines vanished quickly, enabling me to buy some goodies. That's right, lines, plural form. Two seperate dealers rooms, on two different floors. That's a new one on me.
The video scheduling is rough. It's one of those times when the schedule comes out as the con moves along. As it stands, I might not find out what will be showing Sunday, since I'll have to leave in the morning.

Getting underway

Somewhere around 4 in the afternoon, I am currently watching something called "Now and Then, Here and Again" untranslated. Not sure what it's about, but it looks cool. The sound is rough, and I'm writing this in the dark.

First of all: Don't Panic!

No room offers yet. I don't want to have to travel for a room since the nearest place is a couple miles away and I had a hell of a time finding a room on Thursday night, but I REALLY-DON'T-WANT to sleep in my car. I'll worry only if I have too. However, I sense that I'm going to get the mercy and compassion to be expected for a wounded animal in the open wild.
Not much in the choice of eateries in the hotel. Three overpriced hotel restaurants, as if profits from one weren't enough. It's one of those times I'm grateful for my spare tire.  (pats belly)

This does not have to be a problem...

It's about 10, and I'm understandably tired. Chatted with a guy in the con suite for two fast hours, talking about past con experiences, adventures in fandom and such. No room offers posted on the message board. Maybe I should have been a gofer to get crash space. EK couldn't offer space, but I understand.

...but it is.

Amazing what I'll think of when running on little sleep and food. At 5 in the morning, wearing a t-shirt and shorts in an ironically underheated convention area, I'm thinking maybe, just maybe, I made a mistake. Perhaps I would have been better off not being here. I'm beginning to feel alien at conventions.  No, I just want a bed to sleep in.
Tried out the Under the Influence party, but that was on it's way out or wasn't rolling yet. Went to the Electric Rat-pack party which was more lively. Got a small but important nap in the last 1/2 hour but was booted out when the party ended at 4 in the morning. So now I'm sitting in an obscure hallway with a bunch of other fans, drooping now and then as they converse.

Saturday morning of all things, or, I'm still alive?

Learned a trick or two about sleeping in the hallways. Stay in a more awake group, that way when hotel security comes along, they can either let you know or make it look like you're awake too. Pull your arms inside your shirt, and sit in a chair or a corner of a couch for warmth. Methinks the air conditioning is running amok, as if to say, "You want cold? I'll give you COLD." (It has come to my attention that during the con, most of the air conditioner units were not working at all. Considering that I spent much of the con freezing my ass off, I'm actually grateful for the mechanical glitch.)
Went to a local grocery store for some munchies. I want to change my clothes and get a shower. It is cold and windy here. I want to put on my long pants. There is a big green thermal sweatshirt that I wear in extremely cold conditions, it would be welcome here. Nothing-well, almost nothing- of a schedule now. Only a sheet posted at each door. Doubt it'll stay accurate for long, two hours tops.
Well, I got what I asked for. I'm roughing it. Remind me not to ask for this again.

This is a test.

Got in a nap when they showed a bunch of Saturday Morning legends in main events. Jeez, it's cold in here! It doesn't help when a crowd runs by, making a cool breeze, so it feels like about 60 or so. I could almost hope for the bigger crowds to show up soon so there's some warmth.
I have no choice now but to follow through with this endurance test. Heh.

Lookin' for the groove.

Getting a shower in the hotel gym wasn't so bad, and I'm glad I did it. Had to get some CDs, since it's a long fricking trip home. Will likely have to get a few others since a couple of my faves are scratched sumptin nasty. Tried that scratch-fix goo, but with poor results. Stuffed a piece of pizza and a small salad in me. Thanked myself for packing at least one pair of long pants. In the music video contest, the ballot revealed that the vids I want to see won't be shown for at least an hour or two. A lot of the others I had already seen. Gives me a chance to mellow. Haven't seen Jackie yet today. Does she know where the hotel is? Does she know what she's getting into?

Not worth it...

...is what I think about recording the Cosplay, or even attending it. Sleep, or Cosplay? Hmm. Well, sitting in the line would give me a good chance to catch some Zs. Nah, I think I can do better. Did manage to watch the few mvs that I wanted to see, and deliver the video postcard from Tanuki to EK. Sat in on the mv making panel; when the discussion went heavily to computer-assisted production, I almost fell asleep. Not like I have a computer powerful enough to handle that sort of thing.

So far, so good.

During the Cosplay, I went out and grabbed some fast food and sat in on a little bit of the Cosplay itself. Then I sat down and caught a few Zs. Suddenly, (to me anyway) the Cosplay was over! Went to see how the AnimeUSA party was. A little lively, but got drowsy again. Looked out the window, there was a costumer's gathering inside a giant tent. Looked at my camcorder, and zipped down with a bunch of others. There was one scene in particular there that was substantially eyebrow raising. Two women standing on a table with their faces buried in each other's chest, with the crowd going wild. It was obviously an act, but it takes a lot for anyone to get up in front of a hundred people or so and do that. Wow.
From there, went back in to a different party. There is a PSX2 running, but video games aren't high on my priorities right now. Sleeeep... Long-ass drive tomorrow. Gotta sleep when and where I can. Tho it is fun to watch fighting game characters in a bowling match.

Five hours to launch...

Got in some decent naps here and there. Never did see Jackie.

Time to go home.

Sat in on "Photon", short and funny, then switched over to some Kare Kano. When that was over, took advantage of an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet. The dealers room opened at 9 instead of 10, much to their chagrin. Toodled around and got a few final things, now it's time to get moving, and maybe I'll get home before midnight.

Onto the highway! Not directly part of the con, but just as interesting.

Officially, I took off at around 10:15 in the morning. The first hour or so was kinda nasty, had trouble keeping my eyes open and my brain waves stable. First decent rest area, nappy time. Now, I had only done that sort of thing once before. When I woke up this time, I thought either I wrecked, or slept for umpteen hours, wondering why my car wasn't moving. Duh. Still not awake enough to suit me, so I cruise down the road for an hour or so, and then the sleep deprivation symptoms kick in again.
There's the signal drop-outs, when for a split second you can't hear or see anything, the hyperspace effect, when it looks like you're driving into a warp hole, and sight fixation, when you just stare and lock on to something ahead of you. There are others, but then there's the infamous Jello Syndrome, when everything looks like it's made out of jello, and it feels like jello as well. That's when it's clear that time is running out. Anyway...
Took in a second nap, and that one did well for me. Got halfway into Ohio when it was time for me to snooze. Again, was able to keep going after that. However... by the time I got to Bedford on the PA turnpike, I was wearing out. Ai-chan was hungry for gas. Stopped at a rest area for a snooze, where I dreamt that I was still driving, and when I woke up, temporarily forgot that I pulled off in the first place. "Oh shit! Did I wreck!?" Frantically stomping on the brakes, hoping to slow myself down, when I wasn't moving at all. It was only another 15 miles to Breezewood, and the Jello Syndrome was getting strong. Because of that, it took me only an hour to get home from Breezewood.

So, that's all for this con. I don't think I'm going to Acen next year, unless conditions become more favorable all around. Each time I go to a convention, I have fun because I learned from the mistakes of past conventions. If that holds true, then Otakon is going to rock my socks off due to all the goofs I made at this con and the past couple others. What I have learned: DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT rely on kindness to get crash space! I tried it, and it doesn't work. From Friday morning to Sunday, I ended up wandering around like the undead because I had no place to sleep for an extended period of time. Yuk.

Attendance: unknown yet, will have to update when available.
Video rooms: 6, including two marathon tracks.
Live programming: 4 tracks

Possibly the highest point in the convention was resting comfortably while watching "Photon" then followed by a few episodes of "Kare Kano" early Sunday morning. Then there was after the Cosplay, inside the giant tent, as cosplayers gathered for photo ops. The various room parties.

As for what went wrong, much of that wasn't the con's fault. I spent the entire weekend cold and tired. Miscalculating wardrobe, and depending on a room that never was. I also didn't get to meet my sister's friend, who said she was going to the con, and she said she did, but we didn't see each other. Well, there were lots of people, I estimate well over 2000. That's a lot for a third year con. Just goes to show how popular anime is becoming.

So that temporarily concludes my report on Anime Central. Up next, Otakon 2000!
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