Convention Schedule (for the rest of 2009)

[furtech]

I think I'm going to pass on Fanime this year: most of the people I want to see aren't going and those few that are going I'll see at SDCC a month or so later. The one project I was thinking of doing for this con I got nothing done on (including contacting the person who'd wear it!), so maybe next year.

Another reason to skip Fanime is that another friend is lobbying heavily to get me to come up for the Maker Faire the following weekend. I'm tempted...it sounds like a lot of fun and mind-stimulating creativity.

The next con: SDCC! Aka, ComiCon International. The Big Store!

After that, Eurofurence! Sugar-Coke! Raw Sausage! Horse-milk liquer! Costumes and puppets galore!

BlizzCon: aggh! Logged on at 10am sharp on Saturday to buy tickets: I was 7,849 in line! Tickets sold out when I was still some three-thousand customers away. Gonna try again on the 30th. But if I don't get a ticket, I'll live. No costume for this year and I never even got through the lines to the stores last time.

Then...maybe nothing for the rest of the year. 2 possible trips to Seattle: I'm considering Rainfurrest (though their theme this year is -zombies-, my least favorite horror theme). The other trip would be just me and the dogs renting a cottage on a beach in western Washington in the middle of winter (when they're dog-friendly). All of these things are subject to change...it's been an "interesting" year.

Other possible trips: Minneapolis to visit friends and freeze to death.

Comments

[kyubikitsy.livejournal.com]

Hopefully I'll catch you next year~! ^^

[furtech.livejournal.com]

Dang- forgot about you two! I don't suppose you go to any cons where you -aren't- a dealer? It's so hard to get together when you've got a table/booth (I know from my own experiences as a dealer: you're tied to the table all day, then you just want to go crash when the room closes!).

[kyubikitsy.livejournal.com]

Probably not this year~ We thought about SDCC briefly, but we're totally burned out from the Spring season events. Travel is still pretty expensive too, so we're opting to just stay home. Fanime was the only event we planned away from home this year. TT;

It's been a while that I haven't gone to an event as a dealer/on business~ I think the last time was probably AniMagic, right before I left California in '04! XD;

[furtech.livejournal.com]

ComiCon is not for the faint of heart...even if you're just going to shop or go to panels, the con can be a big stress-event: the dealer's room is elbow-to-elbow packed from day one (you have to walk around holding your arms scrunched-in like a veloceraptor); many panels have lines forming for them over four hours before the start!

Wow...AniMagic '04! Ancient history!

But I understand: any con away from home is a big deal when you live in Hawaii! At least you have all those Kikaider events that I can't make it to!

[kyubikitsy.livejournal.com]

Seriously.. I don't think I've ever spent more than one day at SDCC.. and each time, it's been KILLER. We're considering exhibiting at SDCC next year, but always hesitant because of the huge crowds. ^^;;

The sad thing is, we're so busy prepping for events, we always miss the Kikiader/Inazuman events here. X_X; They *always* have them on critical event prep weekends (or during our local craft show events. >_>;;;) Talk about bad timing. ^^;

[furtech.livejournal.com]

Do your homework before you exhibit at SDCC! My suggestion would be to find a booth or table to share space with-- preferably someone who does this every year. That way you share table costs and you can share the table-manning, allowing both of you to take breaks (rather than have to do this one at a time).

The huge crowds are -good- for you dealers!

That's awful about missing the Kikaider events! So close (and get-to-able), but missing them still!

[tori04.livejournal.com]

You could visit Minneapolis during the summer instead, during tornado season.

[foxfeather.livejournal.com]

If the tornados don't get you, the mosquitos will! ;)
Actually the spring and fall here are gorgeous. If you can get out after EF before winter sets in it's really nice. No humid heat, no bugs, no freezing. :)

[furtech.livejournal.com]

I actually -want- to experience (for a limited time) extremely low temps (-30f at least). Too many Jack London stories and a curiousity about the weather is -almost- enough to get me somewhere that it gets that cold...but not quite! It takes a best friend, other friends and a happy husky to make such a trip.

[foxfeather.livejournal.com]

The super cold weather is amazing. :) I winter camped at -40 (below windchill!) in a snow den - when it's that cold it really puts things into perspective and makes you ultra aware of your body and being alive. :) You also get a great appreciation for what a difference even a few degrees makes (-10 feels tropic after a day at -20!).
Of course, good company and huskies make such even better. :)

[furtech.livejournal.com]

Okay, you're MUCH more -hardcore- than wimpy ol' me! I want to "experience" -40f at about eight feet away from an open front door (to a 72f home!).

when it's that cold it really puts things into perspective and makes you ultra aware of your body and being alive

True-- even from that front yard, I would be shouting, "I want to LIVE!" as I run back in.

I'd always thought that the -10 feeling warm after days of -20 was the effect of some brain damage from the colder days...

But yes! Huskies make any cold weather -awsome!-

[foxfeather.livejournal.com]

I'm full of nordic blood so it's really not such a feat for me - I love the cold. :) Now, drag me down to AZ (or CA for that matter) and let the temps get above 80 degrees and I die :P I can't handle heat at all. Above 70 is uncomfortable, above 90 and I cease functioning. The summers here are hot and humid but thankfully short. :)

[furtech.livejournal.com]

If you were in tornado alley, I'd consider it: I would -love- to see one someday. I'd even be happy-ish seeing a supercell!

From the few times I visited Mpls in the summer, three concepts leap to mind: mud, humidity and mosquitoes. Each word paired with qualifiers that made it even worse (in order: -everywhere, -and stiffling heat, -everywhere!). Plus, I'm sure Indie is miserable...

[tori04.livejournal.com]

It actually is in tornado alley :-/

There are warning siren tests monthly.

[furtech.livejournal.com]

Really? Wow, I didn't know that. All the more reason to love Mpls, right? It's been a while since I've heard of tornadoes in MN, though-- Kansas, OK, OH-- sure, but MN? At least the cold is more predictable (and probably less dangerous).

[tori04.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I guess the last big one to hit the county we live in was in 2006 (300+ homes/buildings destroyed).

U of MN Minnesota Tornado History and Statistics.

I'm pretty horrified by the whole concept. I prefer fire season.

[furtech.livejournal.com]

...or earthquakes! At least with earthquakes, your stuff is all right there (broken, but there) and not scattered over three states.

Geez, that last tornado was a doozy! 300 homes lost?!? Gack.

[tori04.livejournal.com]

Right? I'm a packrat. I want to know where all my shit is, even if it is broken.

[tori04.livejournal.com]

From that page I linked to -

The most tornadoes in a single day in MN?

27!

WTF?!

Ugh.

June 16, 1992

I suppose I really should own a radio or something.

[cooner.livejournal.com]

hooray comiccon!!

BTW ... what's "Coca-Cola Light" ...? Is that their name/equivalent for Diet Coke, or is it more something like the C2 we used to have, still sugared but with fewer calories?

I miss C2 ...

[furtech.livejournal.com]

Coke Light=Diet Coke outside the US. The main difference is the sweetener: in Europe, I think it's still cyclamates! I thought that would make Coke Light that much better, but "eh". Cyclamates are still a fantastic sweetener (it makes Tab taste delicious), but the difference between that and regular US Diet Coke is negligible. Now, the difference between Coke with high-fructose corn syrup and sugar: night and day! THAT'S the Coke I remember from my childhood that I liked the taste of!

[cooner.livejournal.com]

Aww, foo. I don't like any of the artificial sweeteners ... they all taste like ass, just in different ways, to me. Although C2 showed me that sweetener cut with a little real sugar (or, corn syrup, rather) can at least deaden the icky part of the taste, so at least it cuts the empty calories in half ... when I'm at a soda fountain in a restaurant now I usually do half Diet, half regular Coke to get the same effect.

[furtech.livejournal.com]

I agree...I miss the original Pepsi Light, which had about 40 calories and was made with sugar. I just hate corn syrup-- which I only recently discovered (and that explained why I would drink Diet Coke while eating a bowl of powdered sugar).

[tori04.livejournal.com]

Coke Light was one of the most amazing things about our first trip to Japan. It was awesome. It tasted so damn good. The next time we went back, they had Diet Coke, and it tasted like the same formula as US Diet Coke.

They still have Coke Light in Mexico, but it isn't the same formula (based on taste) as the JP one was.

[penh.livejournal.com]

I might be able to make it down to SDCC this year. Woo!

[furtech.livejournal.com]

Woo-hoo! It is still the ultimate geek-shopping experience! Plus, the costumes are great!

[sharamordinae.livejournal.com]

hehe comic con much fun. I hope to finally get to meet you there. By the way if you have a friend that needs a free 4 day pass I have 2 extras. of em given to me by the company i work for.

Im going to be making a madagascar costume for Comic con. The lion . I built a small speaker in it with an ipod so it plays that we like to move it move it music *LOL*

[furtech.livejournal.com]

You're making an "Alex" costume? Cool-- that mane will be a piece of work to see! I love the idea of the boombox: that's a great way to create your own atmosphere and give yourself something to do (<--so I'll be stealing borrowing this idea in future!). I hate doing solo walkarounds because I have nothing to play off of. Carrying one's own soundtrack could solve this!

I totally apologize for this, but who are you? I have a terrible head for names and faces...if we've interacted (LJ?) I hope it was when I wasn't cranky. The only place I know I'll be for sure is at the masquerade, but not in costume (I'm stage-assisting my friends in AGSMA).

[sharamordinae.livejournal.com]

Hehe no prob Id be honored if you borrowed the idea.
We met a few years ago at the garg gathering when you wore the egypt costume, which was awsome :P

I was going to do the masqurade this year but I didnt have enough time to finish the costumes Im working on for that. Im doing the swat cats.

[auryanne.livejournal.com]

Do you want to get on AIM and coordinate on the 30th? I'm going to try again then, but if I don't get through I can probably pester my Blizzard-employee friend.

I don't know if I'll do SDCC this year, I didn't stand in line for any exclusives and most of the rest of the stuff is sold online. Still deciding.

[furtech.livejournal.com]

Yeah-- I'd say just buy the max number and then figure out later who actually managed to snag any. Tracy needs one (she'll try again, too), I need two. Don't know how many others in your group who might need tix also, but I'm sure there will be some.

SDCC is approaching marginal for me, too. I primarily go for the masquerade event, either to help or participate. It's such a ridiculously crowded affair-- plus they -still- haven't banned strollers from the convention floor!

[fishbliss.livejournal.com]

MakerFaire was AWESOME!
I'm still tired, a week later.