Uf da. What a long day. Surprisingly.

Talked to gaming re: prizes. Covered Art Show for a while. Saw that Carl made it to his panels and took some pictures. Went and watched Antique Bakery -- ug! What a horrible show. Ugly drawings and not very funny. Talked to Aaron re: auction. Saw about two seconds of cosplay. And just got back from helping at the sake and Japanese beer tasting. Pretty fun.
















Master Shake
















God of War -- totally body painted. I have a better pic in 35mm

















"M" om

















My only picture of the costume contest. Was pretty good. Which is funny because Ohayocon is totally crazy bad -- to the point of it being much more fun to make fun of the skits than to actually watch the program.


But now I've gotta type up the auction list, and I've got a headache. And someone ripped off my David Bowie pictured from my door. So I ordered room service :-)

Mask Making

Well there is no whirlpool at the hotel and the pool looks cold. So I took a shower and went in search of work. I unloaded the last of the Bawls from gaming, talked to Jaki, talked to Mike and Vallie, then went to look at our auction booth. Seemed set up so I left it alone. I'm gonna have to walk through it with Aaron still to make sure he has auction lots and a list.

Then I got roped into helping out with mask making (not sure who was sched. to do it in the first place.) I'd like to check out Antique Bakery which starts at 1. So hopefully after that. And I need some food. I really feel like a crunchy roll (sushi.)

I'm also thinking about health care. I need to make an apt to see a dermatologist due to a mole I have, but I just found out that there is no Kaiser in Wisconsin and I would have to pay extra and go to an urgent care. So I'll have to get that figured out.

Anyway, sorry if that is TMI, but it's on my mind.

Grabbin' a bottle of h20 and heading back into the fray.

Mornin'!

Sipping coffee and listening to, first of all, to CBS Sunday Morning, where Bill Geist interviewed the guys from "Catch a Piece of Maine" - a lobster trap "adoption" company that has made a pretty good business selling "added value" product and a close personal relationship with the people that catch the lobster. Nice idea which is going to have to be reflected in other walks of commerce since people (thanks to the internet, cellphones etc.) expect instant gratification and one-on-one attention. Seems like they're getting a lot of attention. I had to link to something other than their real website since it seems to be suffering from too many hits. http://www.catchapieceofmaine.com/

Also listening to a little news (wondering how KH is dealing with all those Republicans in Minnesota right now).

Can't get the iron in my room to work. :-/

I'd like to go down to the pool for a bit (since my room doesn't have a bathtub!) but it doesn't open until 10. Nothing I really have to do until the Dark Horse panel at 2:30. I have to check in w/ Aaron on the auction stuff. And really, except for filling in a couple of places where needed, I'm happy to keep it at that. Now that Bawls is gone, as Industry Manager, there isn't much I have to deal with.

Kinda sad I missed the very first opening ceremony video yesterday (hear it was good) - I saw Mike thank the sponsors which was great, and saw the Anime Hunters skit. Pretty funny stuff. Missed AMVs. May get to see some cosplay.

Saw Natsume Yuujinchou outside of con. Pretty nice -- story about a boy who can see yokai; Japanese spirits. He has to return the names of the spirits his grandmother stole that are all in a book. If a yokai got a hold of the book, they could control all of those who's names are in it. The boy has a spirit "sensei" he has unwittingly released. The spirit - stuck in the form of a cat and so called "master kitty" (who is named Madara according to one blog) - is helping him since if the boy dies, he has promised to give the kitty the book.







Nyanko-sama

The show is based on a manga, which leads into something interesting I heard yesterday. One of the industry guests was saying this movie was made and then the production company commissioned a graphic novel of the movie. But they decided to put the comic out first and then the movie, since people respect a movie made from a comic more than a comic rendition of a movie. Goes with manga as well - the supply chain goes Manga / Comic --> M ovie --> Merchandising. Very tricky.

Well well well. I had a pretty good day. Had some dinner, saw Carl to try to get him at least some sort of badge, got a lot of pictures etc. In fact, here are a few now!


















Moi.

















At dinner. They were out of whipped cream, so Eric got a few extra strawberries.

















Ganondorf from Twilight Princess. I liked his headpiece.

















This is a pic of a guy taking a pic of a catgirl out by the park.

















This is cool. An impromptu game of Anime Red Rover in the park by the hotel. Such as "red rover red rover let Ichigo come over." Or "let shirtless gy come over!" (he got through. ) At the end, it was the whole line crashing into the other - something that totally sounds like a huge mess of broken bones and chipped teeth, but I realized that all of these people we really loving this. And instead of violence, it ended in lots of hugs and applause.


I'm in my room watching Adult Swim now - stupid ShinChan, but I'm embarrested to say I just laughed when Shin walked back on screen after changing his clothes and said, "you just missed some good naked."

At 10:30 Soul Eater is on -- I always try to watch one new anime when I go to a con. And I just read a story in Yen Plus magazine about it so think I'll check it out. There's a witch character in there that turns out to be a cat who just knows a lot of magic. =^.^=

Your cute anime fix

Holy Lord - this will give you cavities:

http://www.crunchyroll.com/group/CRSeries_-_Chis_Sweet_Home

http://www.crunchyroll.com/media-431336/Chis-Sweet-Home-Episode-71.html


Leashy and Steve are here! Their costumes are awesome!!! Steve must have had one of his leathersmith friends from the SCA help him with his Link costume and Leashy is Zelda. Gotta get a pic. There is also an awesome Davy Jones from Pirates. I saw him trying to drink a glass of water through his tenticles and it was pretty hilarious.

I think it's time for my first Akito costume. pretty much just dressing in black. I'll save my kimono for tomorrow or the next day.

Gotta go to check on Bawls one more time, then over to the exhibitor hall to relieve Aaron to go to AMVs. Stay at exhibitor hall until 6 then, who knows? I should take a nap since there is a lot of late-night stuff I want to go to. Or I could just drink energy drink. I wonder how many people will get caffine poisoning from this con?

I got to talk with Donnie a bit. He's messing around the house, working on the lawn and playing with the cats. Getting them all hopped up on catnip (he replanted a catnip bush). Simple pleasures. His parents are coming for a picnic tomorrow. Can't wait to see him and the cats again soon!

Is it okay to drink water that's been in a storage locker for a year? Doesn't taste bad...

LUNCH TIME!

Oh yeah! General tso ckn, springrolls and lo mein

had to stop back in room -- forgot film.

wow. these energy drinks are making me drunk

Back in the room. All seems to be going as well as it can. Just ate a plum.

I'm saddened that we do not have closed circuit anime. We were supposed to but it didn't happen. Oh wel.

There is a really scary noise in my room every hour or so -- like someone beating on the ceiling or the door. Usually happens once and then 15 seconds later, it happens again. Creepy.

Need to have lunch, then go around and take some more pics.

Up and running

It was a slow start, but gaming is now open, people are getting in, and opening ceremonies is probably almost over. I may go for a printing run for Jeff, but other than that, I think we're doing okay. May even put on the costume in a bit.

Down to check out gaming

Decided against a costume in preference of pockets.
Going to hang signs / posters if they are not already up.

I'm up

>_<

In for the night

Got pretty much everything done. Finally talked to Jaki, sorted out most of the prize stuff. I emailed Mike the opening ceremony stuff. I got a newspaper from today since our Charity, P:ear, was in the A&E. Put that at the auction booth. Hung up signs for two movies we are showing (Nana and Death Note).

Now to bed

Back in my room for just a mo. Trying to still get with Jaki but not sure if that will happen.
Tomorrow morning, wake at 8 to set Bawls up.

Just realized the time is wrong on my last posts. It's 1:10 - good night!

Okay -- I got some bags with actual swag in them ^_^

Gosh, my room is warm! Facing the setting sun.

Carl will not be able to make it to the industry dinner so I'm gonna see if I need to go.

Have to hook up with Jaki and have her get in touch w/ Charlie RE: gaming. And figure out prizes vs. auction donations.

Checklist

Got con books to send off to sponsors
Got box to check on aeroplane to stuff with swag
Got swag bag to check what is in it
Went to hotel meeting

Still have to go through prizes with Jaki
Talk to David about Bawls
Deliver games to gaming
Get badges for my exhibitors
Plan auction w/ Aaron
and get a list of rooms (green room etc.)

I want to also buy a Oregonian since P:ear, our charity, was in it today.

Kumoricon - pre con

Well I've never been good at on the fly / off the cuff blogging but thought I'd try.

I am at the Double Tree Hotel Lloyd Center in Portland getting ready for Kumoricon 2008 which starts at 8 a.m. tomorrow. I still have a lot to do.

I was back in town since Sunday August 24, staying with a friend and working out of my old office. It was good to be back, but still slightly odd. My friend described it as "opening up a Superman comic and Superman suddenly has a mustache. No one mentions it. He can still leap tall buildings with a single bound, but it's just sorta weird."

Now I need to go down and check out the con space, figure out what to do with two pallets worth of Bawls energy drink, dig through a pile of donated items to find out what goes to the action and what goes elsewhere, and go to a dinner at 6:30. Off I go.

Feng Shui Fish

I've been having about the week I thought I would have, and have no idea how to deal with it. I didn't know how to deal with it back before it started, and all the planning in the word couldn't have prepared me.
I just have to fight my way through. The war of life.

I had an instance yesterday in the a.m. where I got pretty upset. I have no one to vent this stuff to. Yet since I have been here, I have been on the receiving end of venting for a number of people. Some of the stuff is pretty heavy. It makes me of course miss Donnie, who just by a hug can clear my head of pain and make me calmer. Without him I feel like a fish in feng shui that dies after absorbing too much negative chi.

But I don't want to get into the dangerous spot that relying on one other person puts an individual in. That is to say, I remember back when I read a Zen meditation book and they were talking about concentrating on beauty, like a rose. And they specifically said, it is probably best not to meditate on a person. I understand this, and I have always had a happy life by myself, even being with Donnie. But for some reason, being here in Oregon, where it is cloudy and 63 degrees, and after driving past a sushi place in Selwood that morning and getting a craving for the happiness sushi brings, I did feel a bit empty with only myself. I haven't had time to write lately (which is why I am doing it now, headache and all, while also trying to edit a white paper, get info together for someone and figure out the convention situation), which is where I find a lot of my solace when I am alone.

Anyway, I must move on. I have a lot to do, and I know I can do it. I just really really hope that I don't end up having a break down. I feel my body reacting to even just the two beers I had last night, sending me this headache to remind me not to push it. Too hard