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ACEN Part 5. The end of the Beginning
Man in trenchcoat on dark Chicago street corner: Pssst! Hey... C'mere. Ya want some... pocky? I didn’t end up buying anything except pocky. I was walking to the dealers’ room in the convention center down the street and this guy was coming from there and got stopped. Apparently the people in front of me recognized him or something, When I walked up, he was just putting his briefcase on the cement blockade and when he opened it we all squeeeed. It was chock full of pocky! It was like a scene out of an 80s anti-drug film. The guy was standing there while fans crawled all over him waving money. He laughed when one of us called him a dealer; he was surprised at the number of people who stopped and purchased. By the time I’d managed to buy my pocky and get away, the dealers room was closed. I didn’t make it to the dealers room again until Sunday, where I saw a sign that said that the convention center had forbidden them to sell pocky anymore. And I didn’t end up watching any new animé. By the time I had a moment to sit and watch something, I only wanted to relax and be comfortable. So I watched a few episodes of CardCaptor Sakura and, later, the last four episodes of the newly released officially subtitled Fruits Basket. And I’m gonna have to buy it, folks. There looks to be some scenes that I’m missing >_< It’s a strange experience watching animé with other people. It’s even stranger watching it with people who know animé but not the particular series. I heard one person just fall out of her seat when Shigure flushed the toilet and came out of the bathroom singing about breakfast. “I love this series!” she giggled. Of course she was also one of the ones gasping a few minutes later when Akito... Never mind. I love FuruBa. I also discovered that it is very easy to become obsessed. The character designer that I didn’t get to meet that first autograph session? Hiroaki Gohda. I fell for him like a ton of bricks, when I was in one of his panels and he grabbed the mike and said one of the apparently few English phrases he know: “me too.” Kawaii! SQUEEEEEEEEEEE! He has a nice sense of humour, he’s cute, his voice is just right, and he’s smart, and he can draw! And his smile :) :) Sigh. When I finally got his autograph, he looked up and asked my name and I just freaked. I couldn’t speak, so I held my badge up to show him. I couldn’t stop grinning, I looked like an idiot, I’m sure. But omigodomigodomigod!! *mental note: remember to breathe!* I was taking a billion pictures of him from no angles at all. Just snap!snap!snap. I finally forced myself to zip the camera into my bag and walk away. Damn it was hard! I was so close I could have walked up and ASKED him for a picture! I caught myself wondering if he’d put his arm around my shoulder and shook myself back to reality. He was the challenger at the Iron Guest artist challenge, versus Takeshi Honda-san. The two of them had a mini-art-war going on the side. Gohda-san walked onto the stage before anything started and drew one of his own charactors (Marie, from Onegai Teacher) in his opponent’s sketchbook, and then went back off stage. When Honda-san opened his book at the start of the contest, he was shocked for a moment then quickly scribbled an addition to Marie, changing her victory stance to one of sadness with bruises. He then passed the artwork back to Gohda-san and went to work on his sketch for the Iron Guest contest. Gohda-san was also working on his Iron Guest sketch (the theme was “bishoujo”) but he took a moment to laugh at the change, then alter it again to have Marie instead be struggling and yet determined to win. They went on and had other moments between them and I was sooooooo enjoying myself. While the judges were trying to determine who had best displayed the theme “bishoujo” (Honda-san won, but I think they were biased. I know I was!) one of them suggested that there be a giant Jan-Ken-Po contest for the silly sketches they’d both done. And WE DID IT! An entire auditorium full of people stood up and played paper rock scissors! Three times! At least a hundred people! It was amazing. It was wonderful. I am soooo glad I was a part of it (though I wish I’d won.) Oh there were lots of great moments and lots of great things. I wish I’d had someone there with me that I know so I could say, “and remember how…” and they’d roll their eyes and say “yeah, it was so…” and we’d both smile and shake our heads and much on some pocky. I finally got home and returned the Vibe. To further my love of them and doubly ensure my future patronage (like merely having the Vibe wasn’t enough?), Ace took off 100 of the extra 180 miles I’d put on the Vibe! That meant I only paid $80-something to drive the love-of-my-auto-life for four days all over Northwest Indiana and Chicago-land! My 2-day stay at the Plaza also cost $80-something. Parking was just 30$ for 3 days. Food was about 25$, cause I bought some Taco Bell on Saturday and some McDonald’s on my way home to celebrate. Gas was about 40 - 50$ because it was so damned expensive and I had to fill the tank at least twice. Luckily I didn’t buy gas at the one station where I’d stopped to air up the tire (don’t ask, I don’t know – it was just fine when I parked, but when I was leaving the hotel it was almost flat.) I saw later on the news that they’d had water leak into their gas tank, causing a bunch of cars to break down. Meep! Registration was 30$ for 3 days. Next year? I’m heading back and this time I’m getting there on Thursday night and registering EARLY! Maybe even stay closer to the hotel. It’d be nice to stay IN the Hyatt, but I can’t afford *that* by myself, and there’s only a few I’ll room with. Sigh. Wonder if I can make get HoneysDolley to make me an outfit by then? Hmmm.
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| Part Five: The End... Or is it? 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?!?!! |
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