Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon, Sailor DUDE?
One of These Things Is Not Like The Others
Crossplay doesn’t freak me out as it used to, but that doesn’t make it any less funny!
RANDOM REVIEW – 2009
Another year has come and gone, and as I sit here bored at work, it seems as good a time as any to reflect on the end of what I like to call “the 2Ks.”
2009 was both a good and a bad year for me, personally. On the good side, I got off my rear and put the left side of my brain to work writing a few short stories and poems. I also started to pursue voice acting: taking lessons, getting into a studio for the first time, and doing some podcasting.
Interestingly enough, the shove that got my creative ball rolling again was Mizuumi-con, held on March 21st. There, I attended two panels; the first was a voice acting panel held by Kevin M. Connolly, which gave me an idea of what to expect going into the voice acting business. The second was Chris Holm’s “Inspiring Artists” panel. He and I had won the “My Cage” art and writing contests a while back, and it was my first time meeting him. At his panel, he told his story about (quite literally) where his art took him.
I started by going back through old ideas I had written down, thinking over which ones would be worth the effort to bring them to reality. I got started on a few things, and then a number of weeks later, Chris Holm emailed me. He wanted me to sit in on a meeting of an artists’ group that was starting up. I thought that it would be fun, and so I found myself at a coffee shop that Saturday afternoon. That group would eventually jell into First Storm Manga. My involvement with them has introduced me to some new friends, provided me with a creative outlet and led to some fun times spent at anime conventions.
Career-wise, the best I can say is that I had the same job at the end of the year as I did at the start of it. I was introduced to Military Flavored Baloney, as opposed to the Corporate Flavored Baloney I am used to having. At the end of the day, its still baloney, but the money’s good and the work isn’t too hard, so I’ll ride it out.
Moving on to the less-pleasant events of 2009, I lost two people that were important to me, namely Melinda Garcia, wife of my good friend Carlos Garcia, and my grandmother, Manuela Soliz. They are already sorely missed, and their passing has made me think about the direction I want to take my life in, but that is a topic for another time.
I had also hoped to have a house by the end of this year, but that got put aside due to the uncertainties of my job. Now that I feel more confident about my employment situation, I will start looking for a home in earnest, and my hope to have purchased one by summer.
In my opinion, 2009 was “The Year of the Attention Whore.” Maybe its just because we see them in the news more frequently, but I don’t recall the last time we had this many nutballs jumping up and down screaming “LOOK AT ME!” Just off the top of my head, we have Dick Cheney, Octomom, Joe Wilson, the Balloon Boy parents, Jon and Kate, the White House Gate Crashers, Lady Gaga, some prison escapee in England that has been taunting the cops via Facebook, and the various women that slept with Tiger Woods. Now, I’m not claiming any level of moral high ground, because I was admittedly watching and talking about them just like everyone else, so I guess I’m part of the problem.
It was bittersweet to have to say farewell to some folks in 2009, but new friends were also made. Thus, as a new year begins, I find myself a little more appreciative of my station in life and hopeful for the many possibilities that lay ahead in The New Year.
Here’s to you, 2009, don’t let the door hit ya where the Good Lord split ya!
San Japanic! The Director’s Tale – Part I
August 13, 2009 – 1130 AM
The busy day lay ahead. I was the point man for preparing First Storm Manga’s table for San Japan, and my duties consisted of securing a table at the Municipal Auditorium for our group and obtaining our badges. The day started off well enough. I went to work, and my short day was quickly eaten by meetings and busy-work; as usual, not much got actually done.
My mission was made easier by the fact that we had someone “on the inside.” Laken is a good kid, cat ears and all. Our youngest member thus far, her initial shyness at her first meeting (she refused to let anyone see her art until I secretly photographed it using my cell phone’s camera, earning me her ire) got her unfairly labeled as being ditzy, but she can be counted on when there is a job to do.
Laken is also a San Japan volunteer. She had also contributed to our first compilation and we were hoping for her assistance in navigating the confusion that is often associated with cons.
I had read on the San Japan forums that setup was going to start at two o’clock. Thus, my plan was to get out of work at eleven-thirty, get home at noon, take an hour nap, and then drive to the Auditorium to setup the F.S.M. table. We wanted to get a good location across from a known artist that we knew would attract a crowd. To make sure I was on the right track, I sent a text to Laken once I got home, and I was all but ready to fall into sweet slumber for an hour when my phone beeped.
“BE HERE AT 1”
Well, frak. I cursed Randomizer’s Dumb Luck ™ as I quickly got up and ready to leave. About a half an hour later, I exited the Reliant after parking in front of the Holiday Inn El Tropicano where the convention was to be held, and luckily ran into another First Storm Manga member.
Chris Holm has a table in Artist’s Alley, and for the most part, he was doing his own thing at the con. He was also helping us rookies out, and his previous experience at conventions, and San Japan, in particular, was to be of great help. He also contributed to our first manga, “San Japanic!” and would be checking up on us as the con went on. He was there to setup his table, and I was glad I wasn’t going to be going it alone as my San Japan adventure began.
For the moment, though, he looked as lost as I was, and he asked me where we were supposed to go. Not having any idea myself (we only had two choices, the hotel or the Auditorium) I sent Laken a quick text and we started walking toward the El Tropicano. Laken responded by telling us she would meet us in the lobby, and there we met.
Much to my disappointment over the lost nap, I soon found out that the Auditorium was closed until two o’clock, and we had an hour to burn until we could get our tables. Instead of spending it lounging around the hotel lobby shooting the breeze and browsing the Internet, Chris and I were put to work stuffing goodie bags to be given to the con attendees.
It was lots of fun. Being the only geek in my family, it is very seldom that I find myself in the presence of other geeks; so being in a room filled with geeks was a delight. That said, I have an unfortunate tendency to show my age when I talk shop, and I soon discovered that more than a few of the kids in the room weren’t even born yet when Robotron 2084 came out in the arcades.
Pardon me for a moment while I grow OLD…er.
The hour soon ticked away, and the Auditorium was open. Laken accompanied us as we walked over.
We were the first ones in Convention Alley. The place was pretty much ours; we had our pick of tables. After debating the merits of getting the end table (as opposed to the second-to-the-end table) we got the second-to-the-end table and I laid down our tablecloth and taped up our cheesy paper logo signs.
We kept the setup low-key for a reason; there is a fan group in town that has a penchant for tampering with other groups. While I’m sure most of their members are decent folks, we know that there are a few miscreants in the bunch. Some of our members have had dealings with them in the past that had come to unpleasant endings. We kept a careful eye out for them; we wanted to afford them as little an opportunity to tamper with our table as possible.
Content that all was at the ready, Chris and I took the opportunity to go to Sam’s Burger Joint to scarf some good burgers and shoot the breeze for a bit. I then headed home to relax and start packing for The Big Day.
Frankly, I was feeling pretty good about myself. Everything was proceeding according to plan…just as the Emperor had foretold. Actually, “The Emperor” was more nervous about the whole thing than I was, and I would soon discover that he wasn’t being entirely paranoid.
NEXT: BADGES?! WE NEED OUR STEENKING BADGES!
Flu On You!
I have an tendency to catch colds frequently, so it came as no surprise to me when I started coming down with something a few Tuesdays ago. I wasn’t running a fever, so I figured it was just a case of the sniffles that would go away after a few days.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case. The bug hung around, and by Thursday I was feeling pretty crappy. Not crappy enough to stay home from work, mind you, but certainly lousy enough to get the attention of my coworkers. Sharing the same floor with former and current healthcare providers means I can’t be sick at work. Coming in sick means getting no end of grief about how I should see a doctor, and questions about why am I at work instead of at home.
All that badgering usually results in me seeing a doctor and taking a day or two off from work. This most recent bout was spiced up by the hype over the swine flu. As I had been near the Mexican border recently for a family get-together, I figured that I should see the doctor and ensure I wouldn’t become San Antonio’s Patient Zero.
I had a feeling this visit was going to be extra fun when I shared the elevator ride with one of the nurses, and she made mention that they were all wearing masks at the doctor’s office. I signed in at the doctor’s office, and was given a mask since I had flu-like symptoms. It was a little uncomfortable, and started to smell kind of funky after a few sneezes and coughs, but hey, it was for the public good, so I rolled with it.
While waiting for the doctor, I got bored enough to snap a few pictures of myself with my cell phone camera, and was informed by the doctor that I had a sinus infection, and that I should take a few days off from work. I was mildly disappointed, but I quickly got over that feeling as I spent the next few days hacking and coughing my guts out at home in bed. Them’s the breaks, I guess!