* The Jen Network *

My ACEN Adventure in 2003!

ACEN Part 4. "Sailor Bubba sent me" I shoulder my bag, wince at the number of people already making the line longer as I stand there, ask the guy once more to make sure that that line (and here I pointed to make sure we were talking about the same line) was for PREREGISTERED people too and then tromp outside to stand. I'm there a few seconds when another woman comes up behind me and we start talking. She's got daughters and nieces who cosplay and are in the talent show and she's basically a "con-mom" for all that she enjoys coming to these as well. We talk a good half an hour before we introduce ourselves (in true con-fashion! I've hung around with people for hours and never known their names…) and then we get into a discussion with a couple ahead of us about costume design (the woman ahead of us wanted to do a Tomoyo Daidouji designed dress from CCS for her costume next year! Gulp! Talk about ambition!) which lasted a good twenty minutes before Sailor Bubba (OMG! I am glad I don't have his nerve in my tooth, as they say! A big burly bearded man in Sailor Moon outfit, complete wig and very short skirt! But... he was nice and sweet and... actually kinda cute in the blue mini) came up and asked us if we were pre-registered. When he found out that Shirley and I were, he sent us back to the hotel where we were shifted ("Sailor Bubba sent us.") into a new line that was for "pre-registered, plucked from the long line only" peoples. We managed to spend another hour or so in line, during which her family (or some of it, anyway) finally managed to join up with her and I get introduced. We also discussed dying fandoms (Doctor Who and Sentinel) and she explained a lot about the Animé Con world until finally we were through the line. We separated and didn't meet up again. The couple we'd been talking to earlier? They were only a few feet closer to the building than they'd been before we'd left them. SO! Now I'm registered! My badge even says Maeyan! Well, it also has my real name, but this is SO cool! Our badges have our nicks on them! I dream a moment of running into someone I know from one of my yahoo!groups, then realize that I'd be too freaked to say anything anyways. :) I snap a few more pictures and try to find a spot to go over my bag of registration goodies and see what's up first. I decide to head to an almost ended panel with the person who did character designs for Onegai teacher and I spend a few minutes listening before I make the first and LAST mistake of the entire con: I leave early to get in line for autographs. I am so used to Visions, where a person can spend hours in line for autographs, that I think nothing of leaving early and plopping myself down fifth in line. I wait patiently, after all- I'd just left his panel so I KNEW he was gonna be a while. When it's finally time, the con staff announce that anyone with TICKETS will be admitted to the autograph table first. And how do you get tickets? You attend the panels, fine, but the tickets are passed out after the panel is OVER, to ensure that you've attended and not just shown up. If you attend ona panel with the Japanese guests, you get a ticket for a Japanese autograph line. Attend an American panel… get a ticket for an American autograph line. (Fan panels, they didn't mention, don't get tickets. sigh.) If you don't have a ticket, you end up in line AFTER all ticket holders and it's a wish and a prayer as to whether you get the goods. So. I got shoved back and ended up waiting another 40 minutes because I left the panel early to get in line. Just before I get to the table, the ONE person I wanted to meet gets up to leave- he's got another session scheduled and he's running late. He waves as he heads out the door. Sans autograph and pissy, I was now determined to beat the system. (Don't make me pissy. You wouldn't like NennyNenny when she's pissy...) Wednesday night I'd stayed up until the wee hours of the morning trying to calm my nerves by arranging my weekend to get the optimum number of autographs and still hit all of the panels that interested me. I was also able to watch a video or two and visit the dealers' room. All within the 2 ˝ days. I had it down and I didn't plan much sleep. Now, only a few hours in and that plan was already screwed; I was very pissed. I sat and picked through the guests and determined who I absolutely NEEDED to get and which panels I could not live without and then figured out how I could get all the autograph tickets I needed. And when I am pissed, I get Gooooooooood: I *still* have two autograph tickets and I didn't miss a single person, panel or event I finally set out to get :) Well, I did miss all the concerts, but I pretty much figured I would from the beginning. Sad, but there you go. Interlude: I am definitely going back next year. And I really want to dress up! Preferably as Kaede-sama from Inuyasha! She's cool, funny and overweight, with long hair and comfortable looking clothes! (yay, pants!) If only I can figure out how to make my hair grey without dying it... hmmmm. Anyway.

Part Five: The End Part Four: I just love a man in a sailor suit! Part Three: Peaceful Chicago Driving Part Two: "On the road again" Part One: I have to pay HOW MUCH?!?!!