A few days before the con itself, figuring that I'd spend the weekend
painting instead. It didn't help that I was out of a job. So
there I was, at Marc's place, and Steve asks if I'd like to go to Animazement
this year as part of Anime Pavilion. I mention the painting task.
"You know you want to go. You know you can get out of painting."
How right he was. However, con or no, I still had to paint.
So Thursday was spent as such.
Onward! Without direction...
Morning. Bags packed, I head out with paint fumes still in my nose and a destination marked only by a scribbled-in line on a map, lured by the enticement of a convention weekend with an actual sponsorship, even though it would entail working in the dealers room. I can handle that. Instead of facing DC morning rush hour, I take an alternate route that bypasses DC entirely, slowed down by the occaisional school bus.
That con is around here somewhere...
After several hours and a couple detours later, I'm at the hotel. Slight problem, I had thought. My badge is in the dealers room. It stands to convention logic that I need a badge to get in. So I said who I was working for, and they waved me on through. Neat.
Getting down to business...
Stood around selling stuff for about 4 hours. It's a very unique experience for me to watch people hand money to me for stuff. I have no idea how much I build up from sales. Not that I'm able to keep any of it. Used to be me out there, plopping down one twenty dollar bill after another for stuff. This is the first time I'm glad to see the dealers room close down for the evening.
"Anime Pavilion is stalking us!"
With the duties of the day done, we all go out to eat. We were all going to embark for food in our cars, then the idea of using the hotel shuttle surfaced. It saved us some navigational hassle, as Planet Anime also had the same idea. In the end, we all settled on a Chinese restaurant. I was the only one at our table to finish, and I wished that I could have taken home the leftovers of the others.
Shouldn't this have come with the badge...?
Upon arrival, I felt a program guide would be handy. Something that didn't come with my badge. Turns out that because it's a vendor badge, I have to pay $5 for a program book. Bleh. As far as Kirk is concerned, they should have come with the tables. Good point.
Looking over the schedule, there's a coupla things I'd like to see, and a lot of other stuff that's not high on my list of priorities. But I must see Excel Saga tomorrow.
There's anime in them thar rooms!
Since I'd wanted to see some Angel Sanctuary and it's currently playing,
I scuttled myself to that theater. Odd show, yet interesting.
Apparently it was translated and subbed in a hurry, for it featured Engrish
subtitles. Lovely. I'm guessing the subbers just didn't care,
as I hear that it's coming out in stores next month. This was followed
by Assemble Insert, which is funny and cute. More funny than cute.
After that, checked out the fan parodies, which oddly didn't hold my interest
well. After that, it was time for Hell. Yep, Anime Hell, started
and made famous at AWA, is spreading. Two hours of clips of oddities
and rarities which might not have anything to do with anime, too strange
or annoying for anything else. And when that was over, it was really
time for bed.
As expected.
Despite the alarm, I sleep. Somewhere around 11, after showering and dressing, I set out and buy a t-shirt. Then I begin my duty at the table. After a couple hours, I meander about for a few minutes for a break, and get a refund on the program book, thanks to Kirk. Then I plop some AnimeUSA fliers out for general consumption. A couple more hours of duty, then it's time for Excel Saga. Oh, how I've wanted to see that. Thank you so much for suggesting this show, EK. Now I must see more. And Kirk tells me that there's more of that show at the store... Looks like I got a new favorite anime.
Is it wrong to like a particular character? Excel is a goddess by my standards. Imagine Sana-chan from Child's Toy about 6 years older and constantly high on "sugar cubes." While she is pretty as most anime girls are, what I like most is her zeal and enthusiastic insanity, as though she's hopped up on amphetamines. Not unlike Haruko Haruhara from FLCL. Perhaps the two are related.
Somehow, I've taken it upon myself to record the Cosplay. Dunno why this time, I just have a feeling about it. Why do I do this at all? It's a matter of posterity and practice. Plus it's for those that would like to see it, but are unable to for some reason or another, or for those that were in it and have no idea on how to get ahold of a copy. When I tape a cosplay, I like to think that I get better at it. Each time I learn something new, either by accident or experience.
Another con, another cosplay.
As I waited for any word as to whether there would be any special seating for camera equipped attendees, there was a girl at the front of the regular line who made that fact repeatedly clear to all within earshot. I asked a staffer where I would sit, and was directed to special rows reserved for vendors. Sweet! I only wish I knew of this earlier, so I wouldn't have had to wait...
And it was indeed a good spot to videotape a good Cosplay. At an angle, and not too close to the stage. It ran for just under two hours, minus judging time and stuff, fitting easily onto one tape. Plus a lot of the acts were better than average.
Good use of judging time: Playing music videos, either winning or otherwise. It gives the camcorder time to snooze without using up tape. While I find the half-time show at Katsucon amusing, it makes recording the event that much more of a chore. Personally, I find recording the music videos with a camcorder just makes it come out crappier than it has to. I prefer to get them through other sources.
It was through this method of using judging time is when I found out that there are already not one, but two FLCL videos. Eric is not going to be a happy camper about this news...
The con where time stood still!
Odd, my watch stopped. Froze. There's still a display, but no action. And it's a digital watch. Well, that means I missed NeiA_7. It's listed in the guide as dubbed...? Must've been picked up already. Same character designer as Lain, so I wouldn't be surprised. The man may as well print his own money now. Speaking of Lain, starting at midnight is both the Lain-o-thon and the Black Heaven-o-thon. While both shows are good, I've seen Lain, and Black Heaven will find it's way to me in good time.
Getting down! And staying.
I suppose I could actually dance, were it not for standing around half the day. My feet have been tired since... April... Excuses, Excuses. But I'm just here in the dance to feel the energy flow. As though I pick up some of it. Which I need to, having only Pop-tarts and Sour Patch Kids for "dinner". Not bad since the Double Whopper Meal earlier did nice work on my hunger. Ah, they're playing the Lain: Cyberia Remixes. Good music, for rave dancing or night driving.
All told, it's fun here. Sure, I lose a few hours by actually working, but it beats wondering where my next car payment is coming from, since I'm still on unemployment.
Welp, dunno how long I'll stay here in the dance. Got floor patrol, but there's an air mattress so for the price I'm paying for crash space (zilch) I can't complain. Mighty comfy thing, I'll have to invest in one.
Might amusing to see everyone dancing to Heino.
The last hurrah
Sunday was all work. Why, I haven't worked this much since... April... Basically woke up, showered, and worked. Took a break by walking around the dealers room, and bought a doujinshi from Planet Anime. Things are really winding down, and we start packing up our stuff. So many empty boxes used. Some of them in sad shape. I've thrown out better ones. Before the CDs get packed, I pick out three for myself for some traveling music, including an Excel Saga CD.
There's nothing like loading anime stuffs into a truck. CDs don't weigh much one at a time, but when they're in quantities of several hundred and plopped into your arms all at once, you'll notice them. Video tapes aren't so bad, but they can still have some mass in high quantities. The saying of many hands make light work comes into play. Of course, a lot can be said about the pallet jack we used.
An hour after the dealers room closes, the truck is loaded up and we're all ready to go our own ways home. I start Ai-chan, and sort through my CDs figuring out what to listen to on the way home while letting the hot air vent out. With that done, I fill my tank, set the cruise control, and hurtle back towards home, stopping only for some food and to get my watch fixed.
So, all in all, it was good. Considering my job situation, there was no way I could have come to this convention any other way. Seeing as how the store picked up the major expenses like hotel and registration for me in exchange for some time, and I didn't spend anywhere near as much as I could have, it sent my total expenses way down. In fact, I spent more on gas to get here and back than I did on merchandise. I'm even able to count my expenditures on one hand... Gas, $40; food, $10; t-shirt and doujinshi, $30. My, how times have changed since my big spending days in my earlier (and more foolish) years, when my wallet was fat and so was my head. But I digress.
Since I missed out on some stuff and still had fun, perhaps it means that I don't have to soak up every bit of the convention to enjoy it, and my spare time could be spent doing more productive things. Like working.
Miscellaneous:
Ups:
Free stuff, and got to see Excel Saga, and the Cosplay wasn't a waste of time.
Downs:
On my feet a lot and didn't have much cash to start with.
Food: a tasty sub-like thing from Sheetz, some Chinese food, a Double Whopper meal, some Pop-tarts and candy, Taco Bell stuff, and Arby's stuff. Dew. Lots of Mountain Dew, including that new red Dew that tastes like weakened Nyquil, but without the knock-you-on-your-ass effects.
Convention Good Idea, Bad Idea:
Good Idea: Running small lights down the aisleways in the theaters.
Bad Idea: Running floodlights down the aisleways in the theaters.
The small, red lights in the theaters marking the aisleways is another innovation I'd like to see other cons pick up. Surely those lights can't be all that expensive. I could probably make something like that if I had to. Coupling that with the black curtains near the entrance blocking out the hallway lighting and keeping people from huddling around the doorways, it makes for a nice theater experience. From what I've seen, scheduling wise and overall, the Animazement staff runs a tight con around here.
Up next: Anime Mid Atlantic!