Katsucon

It was a blast. It's really great to get back into the convention queue again. I don't have any mind-boggling stories, but it was a wonderful weekend. Maybe I'll blog about some con stories in the near future. Like this one time when I tricked 700 people into going to a fake panel.

Well, this next week I'll have a chance to explore the town I just moved into. Maybe I'll post some drunken ramblings. In the meantime, look at this sweet One Piece cosplay.

Conventions and also Electric Saucepans

I've been super crazy busy as of late trying to get myself a goddamn big boy job (something that actually makes use of my degree) and the next convention on my list is fast approaching. Almost too fast, but not quite--motherfucking Katsucon. If you don't do the whole nerd convention thing you're most definitely missing out.

I got into the conventions well before I got into the subculture. It all started back in the fall of 2005. I was in high school and played bass in a grunge band. Our guitarist, Joe, probed our interest in attending an anime convention. My first response was a stern, "no," but after he mentioned the abundance of alcohol I was all for it. The trip there was rather exciting. We took Dan the band van up to northern Virginia and about halfway through the drive Dan caught on fire. To this day we have no idea what was wrong with the van, but it caused billowing smoke to enter the van and an intense blaze under the hood. After a brief survey, we realized that the only liquid in the vehicle was hard liquor--whose only use would have been to put our sorrows to rest. After a more detailed inspection, I found half a bottle of orange soda in the glove compartment and immediately doused the engine. The fire was out and we were on our way. The convention itself was a huge blast, and I've been on the con horse ever since. In retrospect, I have no idea how we got a hotel room. We were all under 18, had no reservations, and just brought a wad of cash up to the front desk. Thug lyfe?

Music and Electric Saucepans

Earlier this year I released an album. I use the term "album" rather loosely, as it only consists of five tracks coming in at a total of roughly six minutes in length. It is a collection of related songs I had been working on over the past several months. I originally started the recording with some friends of mine in Blacksburg, VA and finished recording once I moved to California. I've been recording under the bicycle moniker for a few years, originally starting as a noise rock project and eventually moving into something with a bit more structure--albeit still quite minimalist. The first track features a pot and pan ensemble, and you can listen to and download the entire thing for free at http://bicycle.bandcamp.com

on Maturity

When I was in high school I would write show reviews on my myspace blog. They were usually for local bands--pop punk, ska, rock, and similar genres that sixteen-year-olds are generally drawn to. These blog posts  were of a low caliber--poor usage, minimal grasp on the English language, and filled to the brim with teenage angst and what I believed to be witty sarcasm. Now that I'm older and more mature I figured that I would revisit this topic of writing, but on what I now fill my free time with instead of concerts. Here is my review of not going to a show last night:

There I was at 3 pm; sitting in front of a blank computer screen, twiddling my thumbs and staring at the ceiling. My girlfriend was out of the house for the evening--out of town for work. It was time to party. I searched through sofa cushions until I found every last bit of change. Three dollars and forty cents. With that I ventured out to see what I could afford. I returned home with two hundred milliliters of cheap vodka and a bottle of orange soda; the perfect ingredients for a poor man's screwdriver. I spent the next several hours doing exactly what I had been doing before all of this excitement, except more drunk. The evening ended in a nostalgic reminiscing of times spent with my old friend, Four Loko. I cried myself to sleep in the corner.

Overall I would give the venue a 1/5 rating. That place is a fucking mess. The entertainment gets 2/5, I guess. I don't really remember much, though I think I woke up with a handful of vaseline down my shorts.

Electric Saucepans, Beer, and College

It's time for another video! I've been going to MAGFest (music and games festival) for the past few years. I'll probably blag more on that later as it is a really fucking rad convention. Anywho, my first year going, a friend of mine challenged my to shotgun a beer. I lost. What follows is my intense training for the inevitable rematch.