[06-27-02] 3:35 PM  Listening to: "Don't Expect Much" from the AMG Movie soundtrack, "Kagato's Organ Recital" from Tenchi Muyo, "The Egg and You" from the Cowboy Bebop OST 2, "It's Time for Action!" from the Slayers Next Sound Bible 1, "Ritsuko" from the Evangelion OST 1, "People Everyday" from the Trigun First Donuts, "On the Sandy White Beaches..." from the Ranma 2nd Movie OST, "Brave Nadesico" from the Nadesico OST 1, "Instinctive" from the BGC Tokyo 2040 OST 1, "Lovely Afternoon" from the Giant Robo OST 1, "Adventure" from the Lost Universe OST 1, something I can't translate from the Excel Saga OST 1, another BGM track from the Ranma TV OST 1, "Annihilating Thunder" from the AMG Movie soundtrack, "Separation Anxiety" from the Evangelion OST 3, "Sheer Greed" from the BGC Tokyo 2040 OST 2, "Piano Black" from the Cowboy Bebop OST 1, "Schiaparelli Project" from the Nadesico OST 1, and "Heroic Action, Please!" from the Slayers Etc OST 1. Today's lesson: A 25 hour wake/sleep cycle does not fit well with a 24 hour day. Jeez, what's with all the posting lately?   THE A-Kon Report -- The Forgotten Conversation June 2nd -- RP-ing on the Trip Back Don't want to hear about role-playing? That's alright. Skip on down to here, though I'll warn you that there's not much else to this post. ... Anyway, a friend of mine told me that I neglected to mention a good portion of our group's conversation on the way home from A-Kon. During the long drive back, Jon donned his headphones, leaving the rest of us to the mercy of the random CD track and each other's conversation. Before too long, however, Matt and Adam began chatting about a role-playing idea that Matt had been musing about the entire trip. It involved a splash between the modern day concept of rival universities and the medieval themes of weapons and magic. The basic premise was that each small village throughout the land held tightly to one of two different beliefs about combat and fighting. Some villages promoted the ideas of armed combat and the strength of the body. Other villages promoted the ideas of magical combat and the strength of the mind. Children reared in these villages tended to stick with the ideas risen during their upbringing; thus, children from magical counties stuck with magic during their adult lives, and children from physical combat counties stuck with the sword and mace during their adult lives. Now, the basic practice throughout the land was that most children, upon reaching the ripe old age of eighteen, would be promptly sent out (or kicked out, as the case may be) from their homes in order to pursue their futures. More often than not, most of these future-seeking individuals would make for a larger city possessing an esteemed university of the physical or magical arts. Here, they learned the basic principles for combat in their respective medium. One thing to note, however... not all counties stuck strictly with either magic or physical combat. Yes, some counties were hybrids, in which the residents either adhered to one belief or the other. In very very rare occasions did they mix the two. That's the premise of the world. Now, I'll discuss the nature of our little RP-ing segment. Amid a cluster of smaller villages was a massive stretch of city, whose name I've unfortunately forgotten already. This city was well known for possessing two universities, one on each side of town. Interesting to note, one university instructed students about physical combat while the other taught the principles of magic. Having two universities in one city instructing different methods of combat was something almost unheard of across the entire nation. The town itself seemed almost divided between the two; a wide-laned road split the town down the middle, with residents to either side backing their respective university. Over the years, this fierce loyalty brewed and hardened, and in time, rivalries between the schools would break out amongst the more rebellious of the students... The story begins with Adam's character, with Matt dictating the story. Adam grew up in a "neutral" village, one which seemed to promote both magic and physical combat. He had a normal childhood, growing up in a middle class family with an older brother, if memory serves correctly. Worthy of note, his personality is somewhat reserved and rather indecisive. Growing up in an average family in a town of average acceptance towards both magic and physical combat has given him a nebulous idea about his future, and as such, he has a small amount of difficulty in deciding what he really wants out of life. Anyway his brother had already moved out a few years prior to seek his fate, and as Adam arose on his eighteenth birthday, his parents were already growing teary-eyed at the breakfast table, something which very nearly confused him until he caught on. After a bit of packing and discussion (and some 'wise' words from his mother - "Don't talk to strangers! Be sure to eat healthy and exercise! Be careful out there, and good luck!"), Adam and his father set out for the Big City. They arrived down the middle strip, and after glancing between both universities, the father posed a question and Adam mentioned that he'd like to check out the magic university first. So, they found a parking spot, validated it, and approached the front desk. A lovely young woman politely informed them that a tour would be going through in about a hour or so, and if they so desired, they could wait. Adam and pop agreed, and they settled into one of the benches. Story shift, and it was my turn to go. I'll be speaking in third person of course, since the character isn't really me. John grew up in a very large village which promoted only magic. His parents had made a number of wise investments in their youth and worked hard, thus earning them quite a bit of wealth (some of which was left over from previous generations.) He lived the life of a rebellious rich boy; being that he had two older brothers, his personality developed from a desire for attention and to break from the norm. Thus, his middle and high school experience was plagued with repremands and a number of problematic incidents. Regardless, he managed to graduate with a high B average. He knows exactly what he wants -- to be a master practitioner in the field of destructive magic, with pyrotechnics being his focus of choice. Upon the eve of his eighteenth birthday, he was brutally awaken, told to pack up his belongings, and was promptly shipped out of the house with a large wad of cash by his two most eager parents. Shrugging his shoulders, he pocketed the money, climbed into his car, and made for the Big City. Arriving, he made his way directly towards the magic university. Finding a quick parking spot, and getting it validated, he approached the front desk as well. He agreed to the tour and promptly plopped down beside Adam on the bench. The two chatted for a bit, mostly because of John's more extroverted personality and high hopes, while Adam did a bit of wondering and musing. Another story shift, this time to Jeremy. Jeremy grew up in a very poor village which promoted the physical combative arts. However, as a child, Jeremy never really fit in with the other children who so enjoyed their hand-to-hand and melee combat. As such, he remained an outcast through his youth. He was frankly at a loss for what he wanted to do for a living, since the ideas heralded by the locals were not synonymous with his own. Upon learning about the ideas of magic, however, he procured as much text as possible (he was rather poor, and in a village of beefcake fighters, magical texts are hard to come by.) But he stuck with his practice and eventually became a somewhat competent magic user. This, of course, further ostracized him from his community. He prefers to avoid confrontation and honestly doesn't like being in a crowd of people. On the eve of his birthday, already packed and ready to go (the only one of the three, actually), he arose and joined his parents at the table. He was an only child, and seeing him leave got his mother really worked up. She decided to come along and help with his registration. Handing him what money she could, the two left for the Big City. Upon arrival, he headed straight for the magic university. Got parking, validated it, and agreed to the tour. Our three heroes, as it were, have been finally brought together. Matt then began the tour, acting through the role of the guide. A general walk through campus ensued, and the three kept their levels of enthusiasm the same throughout: John was excited, Adam was contemplative, and Jeremy was ever hopeful. At the end, the prospective students were ushered into a large hall and told to sit and await the various deans of the six schools within the university. Unfortunately, I can't remember any of the deans' names. If I'm lucky, I'll at least remember what the magical groups were. The first dean (elderly 'Ben Stein' male) headed the school for alchemy, which essentially is the practice of creating and using magical artifacts. The second dean (foxy redheaded female) headed the school for sorcery, which taught the principles of controlling the physical elements. The third dean (potbellied male) headed the school for witchcraft, which specialized in hexes, potions, and many darker magics. The fourth dean (male) headed the school for... uh, can't remember the name, but the school specialized in magics geared towards combat assistance such as additional speed and power. The fifth dean (female?) headed the school for... I forget this name too, but it specialized in many of the extra magics such as telekinesis, teleportation, and the like. The final dean (impressive young male) headed the school of mastery, which overlooked all other schools as a culmination of all five. Very seldomly would anyone be selected for the school of mastery, and only five students had managed to master all the elements, one of the five being the current dean himself. At any rate, after each made their presentations, the group dispersed. John headed straight for the applications, with Adam and Jeremy filing in behind. After the three handed them to the clerk, she smiled and informed the three that interviews could begin right away, since they were first and the deans were still available. If memory serves, Adam was ushered into the interview room fist, and he encountered the deans from the last last three schools. Questions were asked regarding his childhood, and after a few recommendations were offered by the dean of the school of mastery, Adam eventually selected the school of magical combat assistance, due to his history as coming from a city involved in both magic and physical combat. That particular dean seemed pleased with his selection, and also admitted Adam according to that school. Fun note: After he stepped from the room, grinning widely, I couldn't help but lean forward in the back seat of Matt's car and yell out, "Dude, you're gettin' a DELL!!!" We all cracked up for a few minutes there. You see? Taken in appropriate doses, some movie and commercial lines can be hilarious. Anyway, John followed next, and he met with the deans from the first three schools. Of the three, the second dean showed the greatest amount of interest after a brief magical reading, and after a few questions and John's vocal and heartfelt expression of his extremely strong desire to join the school for sorcery (mostly for the pyrotechnics, remember), the redhead allowed him admittance into the university as a student in her sorcerer's guild. John danced out of the room, though he knew he'd have been admitted anyway. (Just a wee bit sure of himself...) Last was Jeremy's turn, and he encountered the first, third, and fifth deans. They got right to the point. Jeremy wasn't exactly qualified for a magical school, considering his city of upbringing. However, despite his lack of proper magical schooling, he still managed to eke out some basic magical principals, and despite his lack of skill and knowledge, they decided he still showed promise in the arts. Jeremy eventually selected the fifth school involving the extra magics. Well, then we saw something of a time lapse. One semester went by, during which John passed his Sorcery 101 with flying colors, Adam managed through his introduction to combat enhancement magic, and Jeremy fought his way through the basic principles in his chosen school. The trio learned a couple basic spells as well: Adam learned Blessing (improved his combative skills) and a Healing spell (which, of course, healed his wounds); John learned a Wind Slash spell (sent bladed gusts of wind towards an opponent), a Nature's Sword spell (summoned a self-guided sword of thick wood and branches), and a Stone Skin spell (which toughened up his physical defence with an armor of stone); and Jeremy had mastered a self-teleportation spell and an object-teleportation spell, the latter being a random displacement. In the meantime, the group had melded and become good friends. During the next semester, the trio were approached by a few upperclassmen, asking if they desired to take part in a raid against the University for Physical Combat on the other side of town. Ever eager for mischief, John agreed readily and prodded the other two to come along. Adam eventually agreed, though Jeremy wanted little part in arousing trouble. So, late that same night, Adam and John met up with the other students and set off across town. Passing across the road dividing the city sent the group into no man's land (well, at least, for Adam and John.) On their way towards the university, however, the group encountered another group of three warriors wandering around town. A tussle ensued, since it was universally understood that mages had no business on the warriors side of town, and vice versa. Due to strength in numbers, however, the mages won against the opposition. John struck a proud blow for himself by putting his Wind Slash spell to good use, battering the enemy group in one good shot, while Adam fended off an assailant with his passable sword skills. A couple more spells later and the enemy retreated. Afterwards, the five or so made for the three bellows which churned out the weaponry used in the University for Combat. One of the others produced a set of three vials filled with a blue liquid. Handing one to Adam and another to John, he ordered the two to pour the liquid onto the bellows (but not to touch it.) The two proceeded to follow instruction, and before too long, the three bellows had been frozen solid by the powerful magic in the potion. Cackling, the group retreated to their own campus, proud for their little successful prank. The city buzzed with activity the next morning, after the heads of the Warrior school complained to the heads of the Mage school about their frozen bellows. John seemed rather gleeful about the stir, while Adam seemed a bit tepid about the sheer amount of attention. Jeremy himself seemed rather relieved that he hadn't agreed with the two on their little trek. As the trio left one of the school buildings together, however, the three defeated warriors from last night appeared on campus, and challenged them to a duel. They recognized John's and Adam's faces and demanded they fess up to the crime. Another combat ensued, this one more evenly sided than the last. Jeremy promptly teleported one of the three back using his random displacement spell, John prepped another Wind Slash, and Adam cast a quick Blessing for the fight ahead. The group spread out, recognizing the same spell he'd used earlier, and John only managed to snag the first two of the three in the blast. Adam engaged the third, while Jeremy teleported himself as far as possible from ground zero. John then summoned his Nature's Sword, and while Adam fended off his opponent like a master of the art, John engaged another seeking to team up on the other. After a few more moments of combat, the enemy was driven off again, who scattered upon sight of the deans for sorcery and mastery. The trio paled somewhat, as the deans asked what the tussle had been about. The two evaded the questioning, citing a lack of knowledge, but the deans seemed to know better. Strangely enough, the dean for sorcery seemed quite amused instead of angry... And that's where we took a break for gas and munchies. Hope I got everything right, though I'm certain I invariably missed something that might have been important, or else, got a couple facts swapped around. Gomen, Matt. ... Anyway, the whole RP-ing thing was a load of fun. I hope we get together and continue it. I have a feeling that Adam would tend to be the 'star' of the show, considering that he's the most normal and average of the three. John would be a constant problem (kinda like Largo, actually) and would usually get the group into trouble through his antics and breaking of the rules. Jeremy would be the other mellow man in back, swinging nearly the opposite direction of John, and Adam would have a tough time finding a safe compromise in between when the pranks start to heat up. Also personally, I wouldn't mind being a background character. It'd probably be easier to stay in character that way, too. The END of the Forgotten Conversation   Hmm... Adam and I were actually having a discussion about our respective rundowns concerning our A-Kon trip. Find his here, though you might have to search the archives for it. It's printed in segments. At any rate, he mentioned that while I'm rather good in defining the entire sequence of events (I'm very nitpicky with what happened before what), he fared much better than me in remembering small yet funny details that I somehow managed to forget (actually, I don't really forget, I just have a hard time recalling them without a prompt; once someone else mentions it, I can remember it just fine.) He figured that between the two of us, we could probably write a comprehensive report on our trip. But since I'm done, I'm only gonna wait until either Adam, Matt, or Jon mention that I've forgotten something before I head in to correct it. (Like the above segment.) Well, I slept late again today. About one o'clock. Damn, this is getting to be very bad. I was also up until five in the morning. My schedule keeps shifting back an hour each day. This isn't good. I'm sorry guys, but I'm gonna hafta start going to sleep earlier. It's for the best. That's all for today. I'll keep you posted how this weekend goes. Ja ne! - JR

[06-27-02] 2:35 AM  Listening to: the last few tracks from the "Tenchi Muyo in Love" soundtrack, a few BGM tracks from the Excel Saga soundtrack, and the hum of both fans in my room. Today's lesson: On some days, you learn nothing. Doublepost. I blogged earlier, but since I save HTML before uploading the new page, I never actually got around to uploading the short blog inbetween these A-Kon Report blogs. Check here before moving on. ... Alright. All caught up, I suppose. Please continue. Ah, feeling a little better. Reason being, I snagged a free "Lilo & Stitch" movie poster from work before leaving. Now, while I've never seen the movie just yet, I've always had a soft spot for (some) Disney animated movies. They seriously backed out of the limelight once I discovered Star Wars and anime, but I spent a good portion of my youth running around and remembering the good old classics like "Beauty and the Beast," "Dumbo," "Robin Hood," and maybe even "The Little Mermaid." (Sheesh, that sounds too pansy-ish for a guy in his 20's. But you've got to admit, they were pretty good children's movies.) That's why, while standing and drumming my extremely bored skull during those slow periods back in electronics, I turn up the volume for either "Dumbo" or "Oliver & Company" (which has some really awesome music by Billy Joel, Huey Lewis, and more) rather than listen to the other G-rated movies showing. But I'm getting a little bit off track. Anyway, I really liked the previews for "Lilo & Stitch" and will probably eventually catch the movie in theaters. Fun fact: Did you know that "Lilo & Stitch" will be the first Disney movie since "Dumbo" that uses animation cels painted entirely in watercolor instead of acrylic paints? Granted, some of the starships in the movie are computer generated, but the rest of the movie is watercolor. That's pretty nifty. Where was I? Ah, yes. Good mood. Anyway, I also popped by Hastings afterwards. Luckily, they had the first DVD for "Great Teacher Onizuka" available for rental, so I snagged that. And, surprisingly enough, I found the soundtrack for "Tenchi Muyo in Love" available on CD in the soundtrack section. Sheesh, and all I thought they had here in America were Cardcaptor Sakura and Pokemon sountracks. Anyway, I rented/bought 'em both, and am now back at home enjoying the latter of the two. Alright, so you don't have to worry about the future career thing problem I was going through. That had to do mostly with my mother trying to help (which, I'm afraid, doesn't always work) and me getting frustrated about it. I know someone I can talk to after all. Frankly, I dunno why I'm bothering to write about this, since my previous update actually wasn't posted at the time it was written. Whatever. Okay, and now back to... the convention report. If you haven't read the first portion of the report, go here.   THE A-Kon Report -- Part The Last June 2nd (and 3rd) -- Hentai Fest, Tiffany Grant, and the Mad Military Scramble You're being forewarned. The group of us did attend a run of hentai episodes early in the morning. The run will be detailed below. If you'd rather skip past this section to the rest of the report, go here. ... Still there? Then read on. Where did I leave off? Oh yeah, the group of us playing SSBM early into the morning. Well, around 12:30 or so, we decided to head downstairs and get into the line. (Well, we as in Matt, Adam, and I. Plus a couple from the rest of our group. Jon didn't want to go. And Jeremy was just Jeremy.) Boy howdy, was there a line. Damn, I wouldn't have figured that hentai would be as popular as it was. Then again, I bothered to show, so I guess that's somewhat telling. Regardless, they had a line that stretched the length of the bottom floor. And unfortunately, even coming (slightly) early, we only managed to get in line at the far side of the room. Thus, we began to wait. And wait we did. They could only allow so many bodies into the room, and since they were checking IDs (yes, hentai is not for children), the line crawled much like a limping slug. Hentai Fest officially began around one in the morning. Our group didn't make it to the front of the line until 2:15AM. A couple of times, I almost left and headed back to the room, but I figured, "Hell, this is practially going to be a one-time event. None of us actually would bother buying any of this crap." If anything, we were all prepared to make some good ole MST3K style commentary during the course of the show. We even had a good one-liner crammed into the gun barrel, something stolen from a recent Sluggy Freelance comic: "THIS looks like a job for Emergency Pants!" It proved to be a bit more difficult to get our group of five into the room all at once. We were looking for a spot where we could group together and properly riff the episodes. Unfortunately, most people seemed to be leaving the room in pairs or trios. After a bit of a wait (and letting some other people in ahead), we decided to split the group, and Matt and I proceeded into the theater after the next pair left. Actually, I was almost denied entrance, since the last digit of my birthdate didn't print fully on my driver's license. Fortunately, they listed that I'd be under 21 until the year 2003, and being that this was 2002, well... you do the math. As it turns out, Matt and I barely caught the ending of an episode of La Blue Girl before a group of people left, thus allowing our other three members and some more individuals into the room. Ah, if we'd only been a bit more patient... At any rate, the last episode of La Blue Girl was queued up, and the opening sequence properly fast-forwarded through. Interesting to note, the brief retelling of the 'story' near the beginning of the episode garnered a very loud cry of "Boo! Plot! Fast-forward! Get to the good stuff!" An outcry you would likely never hear anywhere else aside from an animated porn fest. Well, it turned out that hentai can be somewhat hard to riff once the scenes start repeating. We came in on the tale end of La Blue Girl, the only one of the three different series that even alluded to something resembling a plot. And the animation wasn't *too* shabby for those areas of the physical anatomy that generally don't receive as much recognition in most other series. The entire premise, of course, was bizarre (though not an Excel Saga type of bizarre.) At any rate, we managed through that one, although Matt and I couldn't think up a sufficient amount of derogatory commentary. Fortunately, more people left after LBG, and the rest of our group snagged the now-empty seats beside Matt and I. Anyway, after that, they began a gang-rape/vengence-driven/pedophile-type 'story,' which unfortunately lacked a story. The entire single episode existed merely of anal rape scenes (with probably one normal rape), involving at least four different women/girls, half of which belonged to the same biological family. Now, this episode was entirely perverse and the most lacking of the three, being that the women didn't actually look all that great in comparison to the other two series. Besides which, anal sex is just revolting. To make matters worse, the storytelling method used involved more than enough scene changes and flashbacks to befuddle even the most devoted of viewers. The only thing which possibly granted the story any merit involved the last fifteen seconds of the episode, in which no raping occurred. Man, not only was I a bit uncomfortable now -- I mean, I love actual plot as opposed to the alternative... not to mention that anal raping makes me feel repulsed -- but I was starting to grow genuinely bored, not to mention tired. But my curiosity hadn't quite been sated, and none of the guys were quite ready to concede defeat on the MST3K battlefield. So we trudged onward into the last of the three series. The beginning opened with a satanic ritual with four hooded figures preparing to pierce a naked woman lying atop a concrete slab. I began to fidget again once the figures began chanting, calling to some sort of "demonic Jesus." I can't recall their actual words at this time, though I am absolutely certain they mentioned Jesus's name. I also recall they tagged some sort of satanic qualifier beforehand. Well, I was somewhat put out already (I'm a devout Catholic -- digs against religion and the misuse/misconception of prominent biblical figures and ideas will get my blood churning. Although, I doubt voluntarily attending a Hentai Fest speaks well about my faith...) Anyway, at least the episode looked more interesting than the previous one, if a bit controversial. The premise of this one involved a young man learning many powers of the occult -- his spell of preference involved persuading a girl and her love to have hot monkey sex the first time they approached each other, be it outside next to the school building, inside the gym late at night, or even against the lockers during regular class hours. He seemed fairly practiced in his art, and even snagged one of those girls himself (the lucky bastard; the women in this series were actually fairly hot in comparison to the previous two. Though admittedly, they looked a little better when they were still wearing clothing.) Oh, and one of the teachers also practiced magic. Actually, I believe she was a fully satanic being. But she could at least spontaneously grow a penis from the top of her vagina. Interesting talent, though not entirely applicable in the real world. (Strike that. Someone somewhere would find a use for such a talent.) Well, then they got after it again with the hot monkey sex, although this time, there was a hint of a plot. Apparently, one of the shy girls on campus (who I believe was still a virgin, fancy that) had something of a crush on our male protagonist. And when she caught him doing the nasty with the blonde chick he'd had back in the gym, one might almost see some sort of story actually developing here. Of course, that was promptly dashed to pieces once he succumbed entirely to the 'dark side' and allied with the evil penis-waving teach. The two proceeded to deflower three of his classmates and another teacher, getting the latter monstrously pregnant right before the completion of the episode. Yeah, I think the plot just up and died there. Anyway, after two episodes of that one, it was approaching about four or four thirty in the morning. We all decided we'd had more than enough, and headed back for our rooms. ... We all clambered into bed around five or so, with alarms set for about ten thirty in the morning. Like we'd wake up that early. I actually woke up around eleven fifteen or so, and after blearily scanning the room, I grabbed my stuff again and took one last shower. I debated whether or not to snag a photo of the group sleeping contentedly the last day, but I decided I wanted a shower first. I should have gotten my picture, since more than half the group was awake and beginning to pack up once I got out. I chowed down on the last of my Bayer, Pop Tarts, and Sunny Delight, and (nah, didn't have any Sprites left) then gathered and packed all my assorted materials. Once done, I notified the group that I was headed back downstairs for the dealer rooms one last time. Yeah, I had a very good reason. To pick up a copy of Excel Saga. Sure, they'd told Adam and Matt that the two of them had received a portion of the small amount they had available... But that's a practiced dealer's sales pitch there. By the time I made it to the ADV booth, the fellas behind were waving copies out to the crowd, preparing to sell the merchandise at $25 (which is actually $5 below what my friends paid for the first night. Again, commercialism.) Well, I'd have bought it anyway, since Excel Saga is such an excellent series. Snagged that and another free poster, and after taking a couple quick shots of the dealer room, I hustled back upstairs to complete packing. Loading up the car honestly didn't take very long (considering.) Despite the fact that we'd acquired more material than we brought, we still managed to get everything situated in the back of Matt's car without squashing either the Puchiko's or any of the posters/wallscrolls. Once the car was loaded, we all headed back inside for the last of our little A-kon treats: an autograph by miss Tiffany Grant herself. Well, we snuck into line about a half hour early; thus, Jon and I managed a fairly decent position halfway up the wall. Actually, Jon seemed more entergetic about the signature than I did (no idea in hell why, though. Probably because he had merchandise to sign, and I didn't, apart from the nametag. And I didn't really want her to sign that.) Anyway, the rest of 'em (including me at times) milled around the front lobby and the game room. For the first time that weekend, I checked out the two Dance Dance Revolution platforms they had available for play (versions 4 and 6.) Damn, some people went through a lot of trouble just to learn some dance moves for a game, ya know? But they were pretty good nonetheless. After waiting about twenty or so minutes, they opened the lines for signatures. Those signing that afternoon were Tiffany, the Megatokyo folks again, and a bunch of VA's for the Dragonball series (which Jon and I cared nothing about.) Since we'd gotten our Megatokyo signatures the first night, we both decided to wait in line for Tiffany. The wait was only about twenty minutes, a piece of cake compared to the night before. Mrs. Grant, by the way, is totally awesome! She was decked out in an outfit of Asuka's -- the schoolgirl uniform she wears, complete with the red Eva contacts in her hair. It totally rocked! Better still, she had a number of photos available for signing, so that meant I didn't have to use my nametag. She also had a list of all the voice acting she's done. Apparently, she's playing an important role in Excel Saga, starting with episode six. Damn, I can't wait until the next DVD comes out... But even better, as I stepped up to the table and she started signing Jon's picture of Asuka, I couldn't help but blurt out in a Kintaro-esque voice, "Madam President!" Oh man, she grinned like nothing else, and turning a sultry smile in my direction, she responded in the proper voice with, "You must call me your queen!" And I grinned even more widely than before, replying of course with, "Oh yes, my queen! I will be your slave forever!!!" Is that total SW33TN3SS or what?!? Man, the three of us had a great laugh over that back-and-forth, Tiffany included! I read in the A-Kon pamphlet that Madam President from the series Goldenboy had been one of her favorite roles to play (aside from Asuka and numerous others.) I just couldn't get over how quickly and energetically she responded to my quote. Man, voice actors rock! I really hope she comes back next year, too! Then she signed her photo, of course, as Madam President. Ah, if only Adam had taped THAT interaction like he had the Doug Smith signing... Eh, but the others were already waiting outside in the car, and not wanting to keep Mrs. Grant tied up or the rest of the group waiting, Jon and I charged from the hotel and loaded up Matt's Saturn, ready for the last mad sprint back home. Well, almost. We tried to relocate Wal-Mart first, and got promptly lost, driving in a couple large rectangles (or some other shape) throughout town. Dallas is a damn big town. Anyway, following a few harrowing minutes in which Matt was quite possibly sucking the last few drops from his gas tank, we eventually pulled into a station and filled up the car. Afterwards, we proceeded to a KFC/Taco Bell/Pizza Hut combo restaurant. I personally had only seen the former two combined into one store, but at least we had a wide selection to choose from. I got a platter containing some KFC chicken strips and a couple TB tacos. Ah, filled me right up, it did. And, like here at home, I was again the last person eating. Why do I apparently take my time while others chow down? I know it's not entirely due to the fact that I do eat more than others. (Incidently, I ordered another couple of burritos before we left.) Anyway, after that, we returned to Wal-Mart so Matt and the others could get some Sudafed. Apparently, my sickness was starting to rub off, and just when I was feeling better, too. Sorry guys. The trip home was largely uneventful this time. We made only one stop, if memory serves, and that one had mainly been to refill the gas tank again (even though we still took advantage of the break.) We arrived back in Hot Springs around seven or so in the evening. After unloading Matt's car, we chatted for a little bit longer on our respective anime fanfic and video projects before heading towards our homes. My little trip wasn't quite over with yet. My buddy Jon needed to head out to the military airport nearby, the one he'd used to get here in the first place, explaining why he got here with no car. So I gave him a lift, and we began discussing various anime-related topics along the way before pulling into the airport parking lot. The thing was locked tight. Being that it was only 9:10 in the evening, Jon thought this quite odd, since a flight supposedly left the airport just about ten minutes ago. Well, his original plan (sleeping overnight inside the airport provided he couldn't swing the flight) was out, considering he couldn't even get inside. And he wasn't certain he had enough money (or desire) for a hotel room for the night. So, like the good friend I am (and not thinking about the consequences) I invited him back to my place in Russellville, and I'd simply ferry him up the next morning before I had to be back for work. Yeah, you heard me right. It's a 1.5 hour drive between the two cities, and I had to start a work shift at 1:30 in the afternoon the following day. Plus, we were slated to get back home around 10:45 or 11PM. And, considering the two of us, we were most likely going to stay up for a while before getting any sleep. That left a small window of opportunity and a big world of hurt for the both of us (or at least me) if everything ran like I'd planned it. Well, before getting home, inspiration struck. In between our conversations about the psychology of Evangelion and Jon's desire to create a Final Instrumentality focus on Asuka (in the same flavor of episodes 25 and 26, but focusing on her instead of Shinji), we remembered another friend of ours who lived in town and might feel compelled to help out Carlson in a time of need. Daniel Hotz. Well, we hoped he was in town anyway. And available. Once we got home and trotted downstairs, I realized my premonition was entirely on the ball. We stayed up, watching some music videos I'd found and one he'd created, and after that, we decided to check out the English dub for the first couple Excel Saga episodes. (The dubs, admittedly, are quite good. I'm having more and more faith in the English voice actors, though Love Hina could have used quite a bit more work in my book.) Well, we both fell asleep around two or so, and I reawoke around nine for a shower. Then we called the Hotz residence, fingers crossed. Jason (my brother) mentioned that he'd seen him at mass that morning, so he should be at home, hopefully. Tangentional thought: Our group had actually planned to get me back to Russellville before 8PM so I could catch the late mass that weekend. Unfortunately, lack of sleep and the Tiffany Grant signing made that trek impossible. For penance, I said a few prayers and a rosary. Anyway, Daniel was actually at home, though he'd been helping with a number of house chores. We asked if he could get Jon back down to Hot Springs before nine that evening, and he said he could. Yay! That meant that Jon and I could continue goofing off until one. Once the appointed time had arrived, I drove him over to the Hotz's house, dropped him off, and stoicly ignored Daniel's somewhat displeased mother as she verbally frowned upon my quick transfer of responsibility (he later reassured me that she'd been like this for the past week or two, so it wasn't entirely my fault.) After a quick goodbye, I finally scurried off to work. A couple nights' bedrest and I was back on track. Well, I guess, after the four straight days of working, too. And that's my story about A-Kon. The merchandise found its home in my room during the following week, and not even two days after I got back, I'd already made recommendations for next year's trip. Namely: don't get sick, bring a much bigger car (preferably a van for the leg/head room), and borrow a good camera. And I think I'll cosplay next time, too. A-heh. Question is, do I go as Ilpalazzo, Hideki Motosuwa, or Kintaro Oe? Decisions, decisions... The END of the A-Kon Report   Alright, a couple last minute notes before I head off to bed. First of all, I've got a jam packed weekend ahead. Tomorrow is merely the calm before the storm. I don't work, and I have nothing planned, except to prepare for the weekend. The fun starts Friday afternoon, when I head over to a friend's house and prepare to initiate a number of new and interested fans. A group of about six or so individuals expressed an interest in watching Evangelion, and always ready to oblige (especially with what could be considered my all-time favorite anime series), I'm incredibly psyched about the gettogether. Imagine: a bunch of new fans, right in town. I'll have another niche to fit in, again. Then, I work Saturday morning though the afternoon. Afterwards, I'll catch the evening mass at St. John's Parish, followed by dinner and then the local production of "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," in which both of my brothers are acting as stage hands. Heh. Then, I work again Sunday morning and afternoon, and shortly thereafter, my good buddy Jon Carlson will be back for some more anime mayhem. True, we just went to A-Kon 13 about a month ago, but we didn't really see much anime apart from Excel Saga and the Hentai Fest. I've been in the mood for a long anime run for a while now, and I'm gettin' the guys back together for another long go. Matt and Adam should be coming up Monday morning, and since I have Monday and Tuesday off, we'll be downstairs drowning in anime (and possibly some more Super Smash Brothers Melee. You get that, Matt? If you're readin', then be sure to bring the system up. And you, Adam, be sure to remind him.) Then, on Wednesday, I have a monster-sized work shift, starting a bit before lunch and lasting until the late evening. Bleech. Who's rotten idea was it to put me in the Garden Center anyway? I'm a freakin' Electronics Dude, remember?! *sigh* Anyway, that's a wrap. Chat later, y'all!!! Ja ne. - JR

[06-26-02] 1:02 PM  Listening to: a couple BGM tracks from Excel Saga. Today's question: How come so many things done "in your best interest" usually make you want to gag or hang someone? Grr... damn, I don't need this. It's a problem I haven't solved since Fayetteville, and I suppose the fault is originally mine for not fiddling around enough in this wide world and discovering the career of my dreams. Yeah, my mom's started hounding me about my future. Dammit, I don't want to think about it right now. 'Course, if I don't think about it soon, then I'm gonna be in a world of hurt before too long. Honestly, I'd like to chat about my future career with ANYONE other than my parents. Hell, any of you guys reading this who know me, give me a ring, and let's discuss possible majors that might interest me. Since the onslaught of anime in my life, I've cared very little about my future. Maybe I should look into something that's anime-related... Anyway, I'm a bit frustrated at this point in time, not only because my parents are prodding into my life once more, but because I don't exactly know what I'm shooting for eitheamongst ourselves during the course of the show.r. I'm signed up for Electrical Engineering, but what career do I want to make with that? Sure, you can go ahead and say "I'm gonna be an engineer," but you've got to find a market for your skills, too. And I honestly haven't been interested enough in the market to go searching for my place. Suck, suck, suck... I really hate this. Maybe I will join the band next semester. It'd be a lot more fun than wading through science classes. *sigh* How did I get so far away from the music I enjoyed so much as a kid? Just because I could work well with numbers? As much as I love math, I can't see many possible career applications that interest me along those lines. I just don't know anymore. I'm lost, and I'm gonna have to start searching for some answers. And not from my parents (as much as I love them anyway.) They're just going to make me feel frustrated, 'cause no matter how you stack the deck, they sure as hell don't know what I want anymore either. *grumble* I'm in no mood to finish the report now. Maybe later. And perhaps a little bit of an update about this coming weekend, in which I'll get to momentarily forget about my stupid problems and hang out with a bunch of friends. *sigh* I can't wait... This post has been brought to you by food deprivation. Remember everyone... grab a Snickers, and don't let hunger happen to you. Ja ne. - JR Back to the above blog.

[06-25-02] 2:25 AM  Listening to: "Cocaine" by Eric Clapton, "Hey Bulldog" by the Beatles, and the entire Chrono Cross soundtrack (67 tracks) as composed by Yasunori Mitsuda. Today's lesson: Making up lost sleep ruins your schedule just as much as missing it in the first place. It's next installment time! If you haven't read the first portion of the report, go here.   THE A-Kon Report -- Part Trois June 1st -- Snapshots & Cosplayers, the Megatokyo Panel, and Excel Saga Next morning, I was feeling considerably better. My sore throat had disappeared again, and my headaches and fever had left as well (thanks the the Z-Pak I'd bought after my doktor's appointment.) Unfortunately, though my throat didn't hurt, I still couldn't talk above a whisper. Probably just because of all the damage it'd sustained so far during the trip. At any rate, I had my energy back, even though I couldn't talk. So, after taking another shower around 10:15 or so, I awoke and found the others gradually regaining consciousness again. Another couple showers followed (cleanliness is quite important on an A-Kon trip; at least it kept me refreshed every day), and after injesting some more Bayer, Pop Tarts, and Sunny Delight, (and of course grabbing another Sprite), the crew and I set out for the bottom floor again. This time, however, considering that I'd been feeling much better already, I decided to bring along my camera. Looking back from this point in time, however, the rest of the morning seems to blur in my memory. (I really should have written this right after the convention.) Regardless, I believe I spent most of the morning capturing various individuals on shapshot film, as well as flitting around the downstairs and checking out a few pieces of fan art located at the booths and tables throughout the room. Since I have my pictures already (but in bad quality), I'll take this time to cover some of the noteable cosplayers I saw that day. (I forgot to mention this, but while Jon and I were first waiting in line for the Doug Smith autograph signing, we both caught a GOOD shot of a girl trussed up in a cat-girl costume... skimpiness and all. Frankly, I wondered how someone could let an individual wearing very thin undergarments, cat ears, and an enlarged set of paws wander around the complex. Not that Jon or I complained... Unfortunately, I neglected to capture a picture, so I only have the memory of a nice trim young woman wandering through the room in a bra and panties... *sigh*) Eh... sorry, thoughts derailed for a moment there. When we first arrived at the basement again, we noted the same general air of activity about and headed into the flow of traffic towards the far end of the room. Gradually, we made a loop, and on the way back, I caught sight of "Cloud Strife" and "Boba Fett" posing before a small group of impromptu photographers. Although Cloud had apparently lost a bit of hair mass, both costumes were positively outstanding, especially Fett's. I asked, they posed, and I managed to snag my first cosplay photograph. A number of Imperial Stormtroopers were milling about as well (hmm... last time I checked this was an anime convention... but oh well) and I captured a shot of one trooper taking a break next to one of the Hyatt water coolers. Hmm... must be on official business... Well, we must have wasted a hell of a lot of time either wandering around, examining more goods (that we couldn't purchase now, for lack of funds), or playing SSBM back in the room upstairs. Admittedly, one might think that you couldn't waste that much time merely wandering around, but time flies when you're in a crowd and having fun. Plus, I'm neglecting to mention exactly how many attractions there were for your average eye. Keeping watch over the entire goings on took a manner of concentration akin to studying higher art (hell, that's what we were doing anyway!) Being that I can't quite capture the environment in writing (and considering that my pictures suck ass), you'll simply have to take my word on this. Or else, attend a con and experience it directly. At any rate, the Megatokyo discussion panel began that afternoon at one, and when the time came, the four of us made our way towards the smaller of the "Enterprise" ballrooms, marked 3 & 4. We were late by about four or five minutes, but we didn't miss a whole lot. The panel was a blast and lasted around two hours, a whole hour longer than scheduled. But no one was using the room afterwards, so... I can't describe the panel, other than that the room was packed to the brim for the most part. Fred and Rodney were a riot. Also, about ten or fifteen minutes into the panel, the lights flickered and died. Mass chaos ensued. (Verbal chaos, at least.) We all had a good chuckle as Fred loudly wished this kind of thing would stop happening at their assorted panels. A minute or so later, lighting was restored, and the panel resumed. As much as I try, I can't remember the entire panel exactly. Honestly, I stepped out for about ten minutes during the middle, then proceeded to leave a little bit early with my friends; that leaves roughly 30 minutes of jokes and questions out of my memory. However, someone else took the time and wrote down what transpired for those two hours in that large room. Check out Anime Tourist's transcription of the Megatokyo Project A-Kon 13 Panel, 'cause their rendition of the panel will be much better than anything I could come up with. Keep in mind, though, I don't think the lighting was ever mentioned, and the questions are not listed in chronological order but by related topics. Eh, you wouldn't get the entire effect regardless, if you weren't there. During and after the panel, I snagged some more pictures of Stormtroopers, one of Celestin & Morgan from the Ah My Goddess movie, two captures of cosplayers from series I am not familiar with, a rather decent capture of the four leads from Ranma � -- Ranma, Akane, Ryoga, and Shampoo -- which came out almost perfect after developing, a shot of a gent fashioning himself a suit of draconian armor made from balloons, one of a wandering Genma-panda... Then came the crown jewel of my collection (if only it had developed properly...) A woman dressed in another outfit I don't recognize. The kicker here, however, was the generous amount of cleavage she provided. The top portion of the outfit was VERY low cut -- Jon and I both wondered how close her nips were to being exposed. (To quote Kintaro Oe, "Nipples ahoy!!!") Well, I charged over for a shot since she was wandering away (and incidently giving both of us another excellent shot from the side... damn, that top looked almost ready to slip down had it not been secured elsewhere.) And to top it all off, the pose she gave thrust her breasts out and down, giving a very good shot of the exposed flesh. After reeling our tongues back in, the both of us headed off towards the second dealer room making assorted commentary along the way. While inside, I caught another photo of the Mario brothers, Link, and Zelda. We passed the Hot Chick on our way back out, earning us another heavenly vision and additional commentation. Then, I snagged a photo of a gent festooned in a flowing purple robe, an ornate partial cyborg implant (fake, of course), and a puce green hairdo which reminded me of the Slim Jim character from recent commercials. Oh yeah. Before snagging the balloon-dragon suit picture, Jon and I retreated to the room, hoping to meet up with Matt and Adam (who we'd lost momentarily.) Well, they weren't in the room yet, so we ventured downstairs and captured the rest of my pictures. Then, we returned upstairs and found them playing SSBM (of course.) Since we'd found each other, we decided on our next course of action. The next thing we all wanted to attend was the showing of the first Excel Saga DVD in the big viewing room from 6:00 to 8:00PM. Considering that we had at least three hours of time, we decided that a little dinner and shopping was in order. Again, we pulled from the parking deck and made our way back to the shopping center. We located a mall, and after securing a space, we ventured inside, heading directly towards the food court. Adam purchased some Chinese eats, while the rest of us bought from Taco Bell (which I don't normally do; there are two Mexican places here in Russellville that I prefer -- Taco John's, which is owned by a fellow parishner and is at least 25 times better than the Taco Bell in town; and La Huerta, which is locally run and owned by Hispanics, providing some excellent near-authentic Mexican food in a sit-down atmosphere.) Anyway, after finishing our din din, we meandered about the store, and arrived at Barnes & Noble. I love bookstores. They have that rich flavor of "a million leaves of recently printed paper slowly molding," as I so elequently put it upon entry. Had I more time, I would have gladly parked my ass in a half dozen different isles and read a half dozen different books. As is, I merely skimmed the manga and comic book section in the futile hopes that Chobits 2 had been released or that any of the Sluggy Freelance comic books had somehow made it here. Finding neither, I wandered slowly throughout the store, checking up on other assorted books and CDs. Some time later, we all left the store for a nearby Best Buy and hung out there for a while. I skimmed the DVD section there, again noting that the dealer prices at the convention were almost exactly the same as those on the market. (Some "good deals" aren't good deals after all, which is why I didn't spend a great deal of money on DVDs at the con.) Actually, Best Buy is really good at pricing box sets below the printed value. I managed to find the first two seasons of Ranma each at $15 or $20 below the asking price. Best Buy is a top store chain in my book. At any rate, we found little of interest (apart from the DVDs and game systems, and we already had a Gamecube back in the room.) After browsing the store for a while, we decided to head back. Just in time for Excel Saga. After scurring up to our room again (and grabbing yet another Sprite; don't knock 'em, they're very good on sore throats!), we rushed downstairs and into the jam packed viewing room. The DVD main menu was currently running on repeat on the main projector, and there were numerous shouts to start the show already. We managed to snag two pairs of seats a few rows in front of the doorway, though in two different isles. At least we were near each other. Then, someone started 'er up, and we all settled in. I should comment that the next two hours were perhaps the most enjoyable out of the entire trip. Crowd participation was excellent, and for a series like Excel Saga, this only helped to enhance the experience. Nothing could beat how at least half the audience hooted and hollered every time Hyatt was shown sucking on that banana in the opening credits. I laughed my lungs out (though thankfully I didn't get my sore throat again, at least.) I would go into more explanations about the showing, but I'd be detailing the first five episodes, and it'd be much easier if you merely rented or purchased the video yourself. Needless to say, laughter abounded, and halfway through the showing, a couple of people in the row ahead of me left, allowing Jon and I to scoot up next to Matt and Adam. I was immediately hooked into this new series, and while I'm refraining myself from simply downloading the subs, I have little patience in acquiring the licensed DVDs when they're released. I'm still waiting (semi-)patiently... Following that, we all returned to our room (after I captured a badly processed snapshot of a cosplaying Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev.) Jeremy was awake (heaven help us all, Armageddon was surely approaching!) and since he was relatively hungry, we decided to order some pizzas. We needed the energy... if we were gonna make it to Hentai Fest at 1:00AM that morning... ;) Yeah, I'd decided to check it out, since I hadn't ever seen any official hentai thus far. The rest were game, and settling down with our pizza and the Gamecube, we played Smash Brothers Melee for the next few hours. Jon departed in the interim to catch the pajama dance party and then the showing of the End of Evangelion. I popped downstairs for the latter, though by the time I arrived (which was right when the opening credits were beginning) the room was honestly overflowing. Despite standing just inside the doors, I could barely hear a thing from the movie, apart from the terrible outcry once the first line came across (which was dubbed -- truthfully, I only watch the dubbed episodes of Evangelion, and I'm intrigued by the dubbing on the movie.) Yeah, since I couldn't hear squat, I didn't stick around. Jon told me afterwards that after a few minutes of complaints, half the room drowned them out with a counter complaint -- "If you don't like it, get the hell out. No matter what language it is, we're going to watch it." And that's how it went. I returned upstairs and found the guys still at it. Taking a seat on my bed, I grabbed another controller and set about running the clock down until Hentai Fest... Which I will save for the last posting. ^-^ The A-Kon Report 3rd INTERMISSION Move along to part the last.   Hah! Just one day this time! Whoo! Well, that's what days off can do for you (though, honestly, most of this post was written after I'd be back from a late shift anyway.) One more update, then all the con information will be posted. Oh, and I'm also planning another gettogether for next week. Already extended invitations to Matt, Jon, and Adam, and I hope they'll all show up for the anime that I didn't get to indulge in during A-kon. It's time for another 40 hour marathon, baby! C-ya peeps later! - JR

[06-23-02] 10:58 PM  Listening to: "Walk This Way" by Aerosmith, "Jump" by Van Halen, "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty, "Crash and Burn" by Savage Garden, "Money" by Pink Floyd, "Blinded by the Light" by Manfred Mann, "Power of Love" by Huey Lewis & the News, "Animal" by Def Leppard, "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba, "Cheeseburger in Paradise" by Jimmy Buffett, "All Star" by Smashmouth, "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder, "Breathless" by the Corrs, "Elk's Parade" by Ted Heath, "Mr. Roboto" by Styx, "Come On and Dance" by the Steve Miller Band, and "Eye in the Sky" by the Alan Parsons Project. Today's lesson: Never trust your hardly humble webmaster to update on time, no matter what he says. That out of the way, I'd at least like to continue my update segment. If you haven't read the first portion of the report, go here.   THE A-Kon Report -- Part deux May 31st -- Grand Opening, Doug Smith, and the Dealers If memory serves correctly, then I believe our group awoke sometime around 10:00 the next morning. Well, I know that at least *I* had woken up that early. (Yes, that counts as early on a vacation.) I needed a shower before we began, 'cause it helps me wake up and the humidity can be somewhat good on a sore throat (which unfortunately hadn't exactly left just yet.) The shower was great, and after quickly dressing, I found the others gradually regaining the state of being we define as "conscious." I snagged a couple of Bayer, two Pop Tarts, and about three small Sunny Delights (I might not like them as much as orange juice, but they're portable, and they DO supply all my daily vitamin C, which is very important for all you sick people out there!) Then I snagged another Sprite, and after securing the drink in a side pocket of my jean shorts, Carlson, Titus, Tinsley and I set out for the con. Jeremy held home base, as usual. In fact, I don't think he even woke up before we left. (If he did, then he promptly zonked out again after we locked the door.) Then we headed downstairs... into a din of excited A-koners milling about the lobby, trying to sign in before the festivities began at... well, I guess they started at 10:00 that morning, although the first panel (a writing course -- "Writing for Real 101" -- that I didn't attend) didn't start until 11:00. At any rate, for a moment, I had to meditate upon this, for I had personally never seen so many anime fans crowded into a single place at one time. I felt at home. Then I was dragged downstairs to check out the artist panels once more, check out the viewing rooms once more (we recognized Princess Nine, though we didn't stop to watch), and then check out the Dealer rooms, which also opened at eleven, I think. A long line had formed (two actually since there were two dealer rooms) and both Matt and Joel had thought it prudent to get in line. Having no real idea what the line was for (at that particular moment), I simply hung to the side with Jon (who had donned his Vash the Stampede outfit for the day -- unfortunately, I never got a picture.) Then the doors opened, and after a long stream of buyers flooded the rooms, Jon and I meandered in amongst a few stragglers. The dealers room had the flurried air of a crowded commercial grocers market, with chatter flooding the airwaves, more than a couple hundred individuals milling in every possible direction, and dealers unloading expensive amounts of anime onto numbers of would-be buyers. I kept one hand in my pocket, lightly fingering my bulging wallet, while the other nursed my Sprite. Like a hawk (heh, yeah right), I gradually made a wide pass of the entire room, scoping out the goods and what seemed to be worthwhile purchases. Knowing that I could get DVDs from wherever, most of my sights were on items like posters, wallscrolls, T-shirts, and other assorted collectables. That didn't mean I didn't scour the DVD racks looking for something of interest. A couple of times, my fingers were itching to dole out some heavy money for this or that DVD box set I'd been hoping to get in the future, but I reexamined my goals, held my ground, and resolutely continued throughout the room. Considering that I was looking for something relatively inexpensive (anywhere from $5 to $50) and couldn't easily be found at a local Best Buy or Suncoast... and also considering that I was still under the weather... nothing really jumped out screaming "Buy me! Buy me!" Another thing: the dealer room was VERY hot. Either due to a poor ventilation system or (more likely) from the mass number of beings milling about the room, the air in that large hall quickly grew heavy with the bundling energy emitted by quite a few dozen individuals. Having a slight fever kinda renders this environment under the NOT HEALTHY category. Having lost Carlson near the entrance (I'd lost Matt and Adam before I'd even entered) and not finding anything of immediate interest (it's harder to think when your face starts burning, whether it be a heavy blush or an overactive biodefense system), I decided to get the heck outta dodge, scurry off to the room, and cool down again before the first autograph signing that afternoon. Thus, that explains why I left the dealer room the first time without spending a dime. Predictably, Jeremy was still curled up at the base of Adam and Matt's bed, like a giant hybernating caterpiller. I grabbed another Sprite and paused to check the schedule. It was about noon or so, perhaps a little afterwards (my memory gets cloudy during times that I either wandered the dealer rooms, played Super Smash Brothers Melee, or regained my headache.) Considering that the autograph signing wasn't going to occur for another two hours, I decided to pop in the game and practice some SSBM against some level 9 comps. About 30 minutes later, the Adam and Matt reentered the room, proudly displaying a number of wares already acquired that morning. In all, I personally believe that the two of them unloaded at least 75% of their spending money in the first couple hours since the dealer rooms opened (not that there's anything wrong with that. ^-^) Both pulled out their darling stuffed Puchiko's (damn, if I messed that up, Adam's probably gonna get after me for spelling... I should be forgiven since I've never seen Di-Gi-Charat,) followed by their copies of Excel Saga DVD 1. I was intrigued, since I hadn't seen this heralded series yet, not even a single screencap. They also presented a couple manga volumes, a few free posters, and some other DVDs as well. Matt showed off some more stuffed critters, and I think Adam also purchased a wooden sword (can't remember the actual Japanese name, though. Webmaster's note: Adam tells me he bought it on Saturday. My bad.) As the two began digging into the DVDs for any extras presented therein, Carlson entered the room with a handful of purchases of his own. He had a few manga volumes, most noticeably another Tenchi manga. In addition, he had a few more poseable figurines. After mulling over the various purchases (and possibly playing some more SSBM), the four of us decided that a lunch run was definitely in order. (From the point on, I'll neglect to mention that Jeremy didn't leave with any of us. Namely because he never attended anything with the group anyway.) We piled into Matt's car again, fresh manga volumes available to interest those not driving on the trip over. Near Wal-Mart (I think) we'd spotted a Whataburger the previous day, so we decided to eat there. After all, we knew it existed, and we knew how to get there. Again, the gent who took our orders recognized our A-Kon badges, and I was again taken aback by how much more common anime must be in Texas. So, after downing two chicken fillets, a medium fry, and two drink refills, I was ready and rarin' ta go again. The four of us loaded up the car and came back to the hotel. Just in time for the autograph signing. Okay, maybe a little early. We left for our room again, where I secured a Goldenboy VHS compilation tape (as released by ADV) in a plastic Wally-World baggie. Despite suggestions otherwise, I only snatched the first volume, thinking that two were too many to get signed. (Two, too, to... heh.) Adam nabbed his videocamera, and after grabbing yet another Sprite, we returned downstairs. We had another thirty minutes before the signing, so we meandered downstairs again, heading towards the viewing rooms. As we glanced over a booth for D7Peacemaker (a CG animation fan project stationed here in America), I noted a large crowd bustling about the table at the end. Okay, large might be an overstatement, but considering that the table had been empty earlier, I decided that THEY'D eventually shown up. So, of course, I pulled Adam aside, pointing towards the table, before hopping over myself and nabbing a glance at the two knuckleheads who thought up the webcomic Megatokyo. Frankly, neither of them looked as I thought they might, although that point became moot once I realized that they were also giving autographs. And not just any autographs either, Fred was actually providing small requested sketches for anyone who asked. I jockeyed for position, not realizing that the autograph session upstairs was about to start. Jon notified me of this, and I mentioned that I'd be a moment longer and if he could save a spot in line for me. He nodded (what a nice guy!) and I returned my attention to the table. Once my turn came around, I promptly stepped forward and requested a sketch of Largo. Fred then glanced aside to Rodney and muttered, "Largo? Why would anyone want a picture of Largo?" A number of chuckles sounded from the assembled group. Post comment under breath from Rodney here. Then, he seemed to get a brilliant idea and added, louder, "Hey, draw one of nekid Largo!" The group chuckled again, and after a moment, Fred began to work. After drawing a few lines, Rodney peered over. And smacked his forehead (or something like that.) "You're really doing it, aren't you?!" Laugher ensued, and after a few minutes of drawing and a couple of signatures, I was presented with a picture titled "Nekid Largo," a rough sketch displaying the aforementioned deranged young man carefully examining a piece of my PC during the prologued procedure involved in making it l33t. Laughing my head off, I offered my sincerest thanks, tucked the picture away, and bolted for the lobby as Adam presented his request for a costumed Piro. I'd snagged one pair of autographs already; now twas time for another. Anyway, returning to the lobby, I noted that the line was quite full, stretching from the autograph tables and back around the side wall. Searching for a brief moment, I eventually spied Jon waving from the middle of the crowd. Marching nonchalantly towards the assembled group, I snuggled into the line ahead of my friend and presented my sketch for inspection. While not really into Megatokyo (yet; I have since converted him), he really enjoyed it. Anyway, for a little while (in order to beat the boredom), we debated about what to get signed. Jon had eventually decided on his nametag, since he had practically nothing on his person, nor any merchandise related to Goldenboy itself. ^-^ I had my video, and Jon asked me if I was going to have him sign down the sides of both tapes back to back, as he'd suggested a couple times earlier. I shook my head, saying I'd only grabbed the first tape. He looked at me as if I'd suddenly turned into a buxom redhead. "C'mon man, get 'em both signed! Here, I'll save your spot in line." Thus spirited, I bolted for the elevator, snagged a quick ride up from the lobby to the 25th floor (not that far, since the lobby would have technically counted as the 20th or so), and jetted to our room. I quickly grabbed the other tape, stuffed it into my bag, and returned to the ground level after a couple minute absense. Imagine my surprise in finding Jon gone. Scanning the crowd, I realized that he was already at the autograph tables, just getting his nametag signed. In a Ryoga-esque fashion, I could feel the world shattering into a million diamond pieces as I realized I had to skip to the end of the line. (Well, not really, but it seems more dramatic this way.) Before I could mope off, however, Adam called me over, gesturing towards the head of the line, where Jon mentioned to an official that I was also here for Doug's signature. Apparently, since not many people had come to see Doug Smith (The inhumanity of it all! This man is something of a legend!) and since the line seemed to move with the speed of a molasses glacier, the folks monitoring the line had begun moving people up in line if they had requested a signature from someone who was receiving very few. Thus, I then stepped over the ropes marking off the autograph area and proceeded towards Doug's table. The man looked somewhat like I pictured him. Laid-back, little bit cool, little bit engineer, maybe felt a little down since he'd been receiving very little fan interest thus far (that's what I guessed, anyway.) He had long hair, and while I don't remember what exactly he was wearing, I knew it fit him well. And while his voice wasn't quite like Kintaro's usual goofy resonance (I suppose he had to get into the role), I could still recognize him. The icing on the cake, though, was namely how he signed my VHS tapes. Namely, by drawing a little chibi-Kintaro on each cover, complete with pose, catch phrase, and signature. It was most excellent! Especially the bug eyes staring into Naoko's cleavage on the cover of the first tape! And the "Life is study!" quote. Whoo, that was a real gem, there. Well, Adam had gotten the entire signing sequence on tape. Had my throat been a little better, I might have tossed some lines back and forth with him. Being that I could still only whisper, I was sorely out of luck. Maybe he'll be there next year... After returning to our room, Adam and Matt decided they were more than ready to head upstairs and watch one of the Excel Saga DVDs on our fellow group's Playstation 2. Jon and I declined, citing business elsewhere, and the others left. It was about three at that time, I believe. Regardless, I spent some more time gaming and reading some of the others' purchased manga. After awhile, since I felt a little better than that morning, I decided to do a little buying of my own. So, grabbing my nametag again, I headed for the first dealer's room. Luckily, it was drawing a little late at that point, and the rooms weren't as crowded as earlier. I mulled about for a long time, and after an hour or two of scanning, I made away with a NERV T-shirt, two Slayers Next/Try glossy sleeves (which look incredibly cool), two free posters (one for Excel Saga, another for Evangelion), and three DVDs (the first two Mini-Goddess Adventures, and Otaku no Video.) After stepping from that dealer room, I then purchased an A-Kon 13 T-shirt at a table in the lower foyer. With my merchandise in hands, I decided to mill about the downstairs area before returning upstairs, since I had no other plans for the evening. Then I discovered the other dealer room. Intrigued yet again, and still having enough money for more purchases (I believe I brought the most cash of us four), I headed in and procured a Megatokyo "Capture the B34R" poster, a Slayers Try wallscroll, and a Ryoko wallscroll. I also almost ran against the clock. Somehow, the hour of seven had approached, and all dealer rooms were supposed to shut down then. However, considering the number of individuals milling about... shutting down was entirely out of the question. So, they graciously decided to leave the dealer rooms open another hour. Fine by me. I was still looking for another wallscroll at that time. But I found it, and after making a quick purchase, I headed back to the room. Adam and Matt were still watching anime in Allen's room, and Jeremy was out (for the first time that weekend, I think.) Jon was also elsewhere, so I settled down for more gameplay. In time, the others returned, and furious combat began again. At around 10:00PM or so, Jon came back in and collapsed in our bed, taking up the whole damn thing and pulling most of the sheets out. Anyway, I got tired about twenty minutes later, and grabbing all the comforters from our bed and pooling them on the floor near the sliding porch door, I curled up and attempted to fall asleep. Which I did just a short time later. Darkness came and morning followed -- the first day. Fetcher: That's biblical. John: That's real copyright infringement, that's what it is. Anyway, that's day one of Project A-Kon 13, as told by the Rossmage. More shall follow. I won't say when, because I'd be breaking another promise. ^^;; The A-Kon Report 2nd INTERMISSION Move along to part trois.   Not a lot of normal stuff to report since last time. Found out I've got to serve on the Pope County jury for the months of July and October. It's nice to be able to participate in government (that's what a democracy is FOR, at least), but I still don't want to do it. Maybe I won't get chosen for most of the cases... And aside from another new writing project, there's nothing else to tell. C-ya later. - JR

[06-17-02] 11:33 PM  Listening to: "Miracle Started by a Kiss" (Steel Angel Kurumi opening theme), "Raison D'Etre" (Chobits ending theme), "Ai (Chuu Seishin)" (Excel Saga opening theme), "A House Cat" (Nuku Nuku Dash opening theme), "H.T." (Trigun opening theme), "Give a Reason (Remixed)" by Megumi Hayashibara, "Sakura Saku" (Love Hina opening theme), "Try to Wish" (Ah! My Goddess Movie ending theme), "Mahou no Tsubasa" from a Ranma � Image album, "You Get to Burning" (Nadesico opening theme), "Washu's Lullaby (English version)" by Scottie Haskell, "Secret ~ Somebody's Message" (Xelloss's Slayers Next Image song), "Come, Sweet Death" from the End of Evangelion soundtrack, "Let Me Be With You" (Chobits opening theme), and "Round 11" (Those Who Hunt Elves II opening theme.) Well, well, bad Rossmaier. Been at least 3 weeks since my last posting. I haven't gotten any emails about why I've been "out of commission," but that's to be expected. I just decided to get this out of my system before the memories begin to fade into obscurity (and I haven't had the best of memory in the past couple years, what with the wealth of anime information clouding my mind.) Anyway, shortly after my last blog, I left on a trip to A-kon with a bunch of friends. This is my story... Or what I can remember, anyhow... ^^;;   THE A-Kon Report May 27th through 29th -- Packing, Meeting, and Leaving Well, first and foremost, I must set the stage. After all, you won't understand exactly what happened without me telling you, the readers, that merely two days before our scheduled date of departure, I came down with a case of strep throat. That would be the 27th. Two days later, I took a side trip to the Millard-Henry Doktor's clinic here in Russellville to see what could be done concerning my still quite sore throat. And after whiling away two to three hours in the two large waiting rooms (hospitals and related facilities are DESIGNED to make the patients more sick before seeing the doctor/nurse, I KNOW it!) Anyway, two hours later, I had a perscription for six tablets which would supposedly clear my throat in the next five days. Well, I didn't have five days. Five days later, the whole con would be over with. But since I'm not an idiot, I didn't take the whole thing hoping the triple first dosage would cover everything. I merely hoped that little would be enough. After all, by that time my throat had cleared up again, though it was quite red. The infection had decided to head north instead, giving me a small headache, light fever, and a bad case of congestion. But I was determined to head to Dallas anyway. I'd been looking forward to this! Anyway, it was about four in the afternoon of the 29th right now. Since I was expected in Hot Springs in at least three hours, I set for home to pack up, ready my supply of kleenex and medication, and prepare for the 1.5 hour drive down. After a quick dinner with my family (I can't remember what we had now... isn't that sad?), I piled my backpack, CD booklet, and my brother's portable CD player into my car and headed out. The trip down was fairly uneventful, save for the need to clear my nose every few minutes. The headphones managed to drown out the hum of the road and engine, so I could listen to my anime in relative silence. At about twenty miles out of Hot Springs, I began to furiously check my scrawl which sufficed as directions. At the same time, I kept a good eye on the road to make sure I didn't miss a very sharp and steep right turn. The sharp was right. It was a complete 180... a hairpin turn, if you will. I had to pass the street and try again coming from the other direction. As I came up the hill, I repeated in my mind what I was going to do at the front door. I'd been wearing my Ryoga Anime World Tour T-shirt at that time, and with my massively full backpack, I was hoping to knock and respond with the infamous "Where is Furinkan High School?" once the door had been opened. As luck would have it, however, I spied an individual wandering up the street after the first turn. Thinking this to be one of my fellow A-koners, I decided to pull up and ask the lad for directions to Allen Tucker's house. Imagine my surprise to find my buddy Jon Carlson wandering down the street in the wrong direction! (There goes my Ryoga impression! He'd already had the act in the bag before I could start!) Anyways, I beat on the window, and he pulled an awesome double take before climbing into the front seat, kicking my wadded kleenex to the floor. Apparently, he truly WAS lost, so it was a good thing I decided to pick him up. Well, we pulled up into the massive driveway of this beautiful two story home, grabbed our stuff from the car, and headed for the door. Well, Allen wasn't there yet (and wasn't expected for another couple hours or so), but Joel Adam Tinsley and Matt Titus had made a showing already. Anyway, we all grouped into a lovely den with large glass windows along one side, piled our stuff on the piano and floor, and proceeded to catch each other up on the times and the goings on. Shortly thereafter (about 30 minutes, by my guess), Jeremy Smith showed up... and so did the pizza. We dug in, Jon tried to manipulate the house computer (with minimal success), and we all decided to enjoy a movie ("Mallrats") and a couple anime episodes ("Battle Athletes episodes 1 & 2.") Then, we played Super Smash Brothers Melee for a few hours, amidst much chatter. Oh yeah, in the interim, about four other guys showed up, but since I wasn't good friends with them, nor did I hang out with them much the entire trip, I believe I'll leave them out of the report. Anyway, we all finally curled up for sleep at about two in the morning (other than Jeremy, who crawled elsewhere at about midnight.) As such, we all got minimal sleep, and all the chatter had aggrivated my sore throat, which was very bad. The next day, my voice was already starting to fade, and now I had both the sore throat, the warm forehead, AND a bad case of the sniffles. A premonition for the entire trip... Anyway, the five of us piled into Matt's Saturn, which I shall henseforth refer to as the Bastion of Ill Comfort. Nah, Matt's car was actually pretty cool: the color was nice, the 12-CD changer was totally sw33t, and the thing got us where we needed to go. Unfortunately, there was barely any leg or head room for a sick person standing at 6'. Being that most of our group was of my general height and weight, we were VERY cramped in that small car. I'll admit it, even though others didn't ('cause I know they'd feel the same way. I think. ^^;;) Regardless, we were all prepared to weather the initial storm (Allen didn't want to take the van, for some odd reason), and we took off the next morning around... 9:30 or so. Well, I think we left the house around then. We stopped by the house where the others had taken residence for the night, and after they got all packed up and into their own car, we took off. May 30th -- The Trip, The Pain, and The Arrival Right. Dallas is a good five hour drive from Hot Springs, and that's with minimal stopping. With me regaining my state of illness even before leaving, this possibility was doomed to an early death. We had to pull off the road at one hour intervals to use the restroom, and since I had to keep liquids moving into my body, I couldn't do anything about them moving back out. At about the second stop (lunch at Subway, a gas fill up, and yes... another restroom break), Adam was generous enough to give me the passenger seat so I could wallow in my own misery in a relatively more comfortable setting. In all, we stopped at three rest stops and two gas stations/restaurants before arriving in Dallas. Well, actually the last stop was IN Dallas (and I'd had to go long before we got there.) Having little faith in first arriving at the Hyatt Hotel inside the D/FW Airport and then quickly finding a restroom within the huge facility, I pleaded Matt and the others to stop elsewhere before getting there. After all, we were early by almost a day, and with another hour or so before dinner (it was about 4:30 or 5:00, I think), I figured we could stall for about 15 minutes or so. After driving 20 minutes through the city on interstates and still not reaching our destination (not because we were lost either), my friends generously decided to make one more stop and let me get comfortable before our last run. Unfortunately though, after all that driving and all that chatter during the drive, my voice had taken its own vacation, and I could only whisper or suffer the consequences. Since we'd seen "Mallrats" the night before, I quickly became dubbed with the impromptu nickname "Silent John." Also, since I spent most of my time around Carlson that weekend, and he spent some of his time interpreting for me, we became Jon and Silent John. Though I really disliked the discomfort of the illness, I really liked the personna and proceeded to act like Bob as much as I could while I couldn't use my voice. Though the airport might have been a confusing stretch to get through, the whole parking and sign-in procedure was relatively painless. Word to the wise: get there early and preregister!!! Another thirty minutes later, we were in our rooms, AC running on full, and Matt plugging his Gamecube into the hotel television. After we got our stuff situated, we signed in for the convention downstairs and then proceeded to perform a Wal-Mart run. Waiting in line downstairs had already gotten us psyched, since at least 80 other individuals were waiting in line in the lobby, and the air bustled with a festive and fun energy. A small group of gentles were even yelling out famous lines from various series, in the hopes that someone else would show a sign of recognition. We saw our first groups of cosplayers, and while not terribly high in quality, I was already getting a sense of the upcoming events. Anyway, the four of us (Jeremy deemed it necessary to stay in the room) left shortly thereafter for some dinner and some prepatory shopping. We dined at Chili's, and pretty much ate 'til we burst. There was plenty left over, but we kept at it until we couldn't eat another bite. It was for the best, regardless. I had a very correct impression that food would be hard to come by this trip, and that any big meal was a good one. Speaking of which, something really cool about dinner was that our waiter recognized the A-Kon badges that Jon and Adam were currently wearing and mentioned being an anime fan as well. You'd never hear something like that here in Arkansas. ;) Afterwards, we bummed around Wal-Mart, purchased some drinks, eats, and cameras, and finally returned to the airport and hotel. We left our stocks in the room and then headed downstairs to check out the digs. Of course the con hadn't started yet (apart from the viewing rooms), but we all wanted to check out the area anyway. Being that most displays were either being set up or hadn't arrived yet, the downstairs area wasn't very crowded at all. A few cosplayers milled about, but not enough to strike my attention. Jon and I checked out where the dealer rooms were located, as well as the Megatokyo table, the viewing rooms, and the information desk, where we picked up a map and schedule. Since there was little else to do until tomorrow, we all decided to head back to the room and while away the time watching the anime shown on the hotel network or playing Super Smash Brothers Melee. And we played for a while, again. At around ten, I decided I needed to get some sleep or else I'd never be ready for the con, despite my illness. Carlson agreed, and the two of us curled up for the night. I have no idea how much later Adam, Matt, and Jeremy stayed up, though I believe the former two got enough sleep as well. Jeremy I wasn't worried about, since he seemed to get sleep all the time. Taking up camp at the foot of one of the beds, he curled up inside his blanket and spent most of his time that weekend in that spot on the floor, either reading or doing some other similar activity (like sleeping.) All in all, he got the most sleep out of all of us, with myself being second. But I'm getting ahead of myself. ^-^ Anyway, that's the first couple days. I haven't gotten into the actual con yet, but since this primary report has lasted as long as it has, I believe I'll hold off for a little bit. Next installment in a couple days or so. Really, I swear. The A-Kon Report INTERMISSION Move along to part deux.   Yuk, yuk. Now for what's been going on after A-kon. Well, in the meantime, I've been sleeping a lot, and rearranging my room what with all the new materials. Got two wallscrolls and four posters at A-kon, and they're all up on the wall now. In the past week, my mom finally got me a clothes rack, so I can have a temporary closet in my room before my parents get enough money for a real one. And when I haven't been sleeping or playing Lords of the Realm II, I've been at work helping to rearrange the Electronics department. I dunno if I mentioned this earlier, but our department's finally been closed off, such that all products inside the electronics department must be purchased back at the Elec service desk. I'm not certain if this has really decreased the number of thefts thus far, but it looks impressive anyway. I've recently received another pay raise, and with the extra hours I'll be getting this summer, I should be getting a lot of college money in the next few weeks. Only problem is that it's been a long time since I've had a real anime marathon (A-kon doesn't count! Even though I didn't really watch a long run of anime there.) I've also got two different friends who want to visit (Jon and Adam) and a gaggle of girls & company who want to be introduced to various series. I got some old fanboy friends and new fanboy/girl material in the wings, and none of us can find the time to get together. I work weekends/weekdays, the girls attend school weekdays, Jon's currently undergoing more military training, and Adam's plum outta money. *sigh* Maybe I'll get my break later on. In the meantime, I've got to focus on work and trying to wake up at a decent hour from now on. Yesterday was Father's Day, of course, and we had our regular family gettogether in Clarksville. Also, considering the occasion, there were about 5 cases of beer sitting on the table after the whole presents thing. Being that there were only three fathers, I think that's a pretty good ratio. Anyway, the evening was a lot of fun, and I'm very happy I was somehow scheduled to work the morning shifts both days, so I could attend church Saturday night and still make time for the family yesterday Sunday night. We played a big round of "Rich Man, Poor Man" which is something like capitalist cardplaying -- basically, the object is to get rid of your cards first; the winners of the last round get an advantage in the next round, while the losers get a disadvantage... thus the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor. I could explain in a little better detail, if you want. It's a really fun card game for more than 4 individuals. Best group size, I feel, is about 6 or 7. Anyway, we hung out there for a few hours, ate some Pizza Hut pizza (mmmmmmmmm... good'n'greasy...), and played a long round of cards. Afterwards, my sister nearly killed us driving back (nah, not really... but she's only recently gotten her permit, and so is something of a novice still.) Due to a lack of sleep recently, I collapsed into bed last night around ten and stayed there until about eleven or so this morning. Hence my determination in waking at a decent hour. I also had an odd dream last night. The stage was something of a Three Stooges short, and presumably, the Three Stooges were in the dream as well. Only, Curly wasn't the third stooge. It was Wayne Brady (best known for his part in America's "Whose Line is it Anyway?") Anyway, as I watched, they provided a brief bit of insanity, with Wayne doing his usual thing... when suddenly I'm busy showing a number of people how I could race down a paved hillside on a skateboard no bigger than one of those large rubber erasers. You know, the red ones, about 4" long. (Not a chalkboard eraser, in other words.) Anyway, I'm whizzing down this steep hillside on a skateboard I should downright crush flat with my weight alone, holding on with both feet and all fingers, and miraculously not shaving any skin or clothing off my body. After a couple trips down, a guy with a full-sized skateboard challenged me to a race, and after giving himself a generous head start (about halfway down the hill), we both took off. I managed to catch within ten meters of him before we crossed the finish line, which was a large metal gate one might find guarding a rich man's driveway. After passing through, the dream swam into obscurity, and I woke up a few moments later. For the life of me, I'll never understand why none of my dreams seem to make any sense or have any practical application in real life or real life situations. Oh well. Anyway, I've got to work tomorrow, and I think I've chattered enough. Before I go, I'd like point you to this website to read this very interesting piece of material. This fella's got his head screwed on right. Also, he writes a number of good fanfics that I've read. If you feel like it, take a look around and check up on his material. Ja ne. - JR

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