Monday, October 24, 2005

   the OniCon report
I'm not sure that I should really be giving any report on this subject. I was only at OniCon for one day, and I didn't really get to do that much, because I had my friend Jamie with me, and she got tired really quickly. However, I will say this: The lightling in the place was terrible. Everyone was complaining about it.

I jumped the staircase to get a picture of Spike Speigel, and it is so dark, all you can see is his gun and his face. Before anyone says anything, I was less than six feet away from him, and I do have a flash. It does work, too. There were some really great costumes, too.

I hung out for a few minutes with some really nice people who were dressed as most of the main Death Gods from Bleach. Mostly, there were the captains, but there were a couple of lieutenants, including my favorite lieutenant, Abarai Renji...ah. Ahem. I also want to mention a very nice young man dressed as a character (the name of which escapes me) from the web-based manga Megatokyo. He was fun to talk to, and actually piqued my interest in the manga a little.

There was also a large amount of Naruto characters. I think there must have been twelve Kakashis of varying quality running around, as well as a really good Zabuza, a female Shikamaru who had a very nice costume, and a girl who had an interesting version of Temari's second costume. What I did NOT see was anyone dressed as Gaara. I would have jumped on him if I had seen it. I love Gaara. Also, you just don't see that many Neji cosplayers.

Now that I've been to this con, I am thinking of new costume ideas. I at the moment am thinking of how to finish my Haku, but I have a new idea I've been toying with. I love Chrono Cross.

Before anyone gets the wrong idea (those of you who have played Chrono Cross, that is), I am NOT doing a Kid costume. Serge is infinately cooler. I could pull it off, I know I could. The only real problem will be the weapons and the chain mail. I thought that I might do the kind of mail that was used in LOTR, which is actually made of short sections of rubber hose for light weight. The only other troublesome piece would be the Sea Swallow, Serge's weapon. It would have to be made out of multiple pieces of foam-core, which isn't hard, except for the part where I might end up needing a hot knife or wire to shape it without getting powdered foam into my lungs.

Basically, I have a lot of ideas, but no time to do them right now. However, I'll be working feverishly over the Christmas break to find solutions for my Haku at least. All I Have left is finding an appropriate shirt (making one really didn't work out) and doing the mask. Everything else has been taken care of, other than a few small details like a couple of trims, but that can be dealt with at a later time.

All in all, I'm hopeful for the future of my cosplay, but it doesn't bode well that my sewing hasn't improved.

a.j.
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Friday, October 21, 2005

   Now I know I'm an idiot
Ok. So I got all of my crap together yesterday and drove two hours to my friend's house in Austin. We're going from here to the con in Houston. There's just one problem. A Shinigami has a sword, right? Well, that's only if he/she doesn't forget the darned thing in their apartment. That's right. I went through the trouble to buy the thing, and I'm not going to have it for the first con I'm going to as a Shinigami. If I get any dumber, I'll smack myself. But I don't have any worries. There's no reason to worry, really. It's just extra weight, and that I don't need. Besides, this isn't the last con I'll ever go to. There's one in Dallas right around my birthday, so I should be able to wear it there, and it's closer than Houston. From Waco, it's only a two hour drive (yipee).

In any event, I have a definate place to sleep. That was my main concern.

So now, we just have to get there.

Happy, happy, Joy, joy!

a.j.
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Thursday, October 20, 2005

   Once more into the breach.
I'll be away from the internet again this weekend, as I am bound for the con. So, I just wanted to tell you guys how excited I am about the con itself, and how un-excited I am about the sleeping arrangements, or lack thereof.

Jamie, my best friend, is going with me, and she is much more optomistic about us having a place to sleep than I am. However, I'm sure we will find something, though it may not be to our liking.

Roach Motels are not the best places, but I suppose that it can't be helped wherever we end up.

Well, I'm off to pack.

a.j.
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   a blank...where am I going to sleep?
I'm drawing a blank as to my last post. I don't even remember writing it. Wow. That's totally sad. For that matter, I don't remember looking for files on my computer, either. Maybe I was delirious and made stuff up.

Anyway, my shinigami costume arrived today. I put it on, and it looks good. I have the entire thing, now. There is just one problem. I know that I said I wasn't getting a katana, but I did. Now I have to get zip ties and peace knot the thing. Damned impulse buys.

Anyway, I am having a crisis with the sleeping arrangements...we were going to be staying at my best friend's brother's place, but he's putting off serious "no room at the inn" vibes. I nearly booked a hotel room today, but my friend says she's pretty sure that we can get a comp room from one of her dad's associates. I told her "You know that if we can't get the comp room, we're sleeping in the car, right?" She said everything would work out. I'm much more pessimistic about these things. Dragon Con's little surprises en route kind of put me on edge.

There are good surprises, like birthday parties and the little toy at the bottom of the cereal box, and then there are bad surprises. If I can go through this con without any of the second sort, I'll be FINE. If not, I have an arsenal of explitives waiting to be used...some of which, I'm pretty sure are unique to myself.

And now to bed.

a.j.
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Wednesday, October 19, 2005

   1:30 a.m.
wow. it's...oops. now it's 1:40. i lose track of time so quickly now. i seem to have lost some files on my computer. they're really nowhere to be found. i think that he ate them. in any case, i'm really sleepy, so i should go to bed. two hours looking for files wasted. i could have been asleep.
so life goes. ok. good night people.

a.j.
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Tuesday, October 18, 2005

   Fried brains...mmm
I had another test this morning...same teacher. I actually studied a lot more, but I still totally blanked out on two of the questions. That isn't all that surprising, since I overlooked one of the items in my notes, and I don't remember the other one at all. From anything.

Well, the good thing about this week is that Oni-con is this weekend, and I will be getting my costume just in time. All I have to do is get directions for the con, and have my admission fee in cash so as to avoid any hassles.

My friend Jamie will be going with me, and she'll be borrowing my Suzuka costume. I think it will work, in spite of the fact that she's three inches shorter than me, and about twenty pounds lighter. But if all else fails, she can be my entourage.

Happiness for cons.

I'm always on the lookout for new costume ideas. So if anyone has any, let me know through the usual channels.

a.j.
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Monday, October 17, 2005

   Halloween...
The great part about dressing up for Halloween is you have the chance to be something you're not. You get to act completly out of character if you want. So, since I'm a pretty mousy and plain person for the rest of the year, I'm going to dress up as the complete opposite of that! It will be so much fun!
I'll be wearing loads of make-up, and girl-clothes! Well, I don't know how girly it will look until I'll actually have it on. Basically, I'll be a Goth chick with a lot of attitude. Maybe, if I can get my html up to snuff, I can post some pictures of it. But I'll have to do a before-and-after thing for you guys to get the full effect.

a.j.
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   Happy Tears
Have you ever read something that concerned one of your favorite characters in a series, and it said that they were dead? If you're like me, that kind of thing ticks you off at least a little. But with me, reading those sorts of things kind of really tick me off. I just read the latest installments of the Naruto Manga, and I might be a total sap, but I cried happy tears. I was so happy at the outcome, I actually cried. It has been a while since any book, movie, or comic has made me cry like that. Right now, I'm still a little choked up. I know. I'm pathetic. But guess what: I don't care!

Anyway, I just wanted to do a little dance of joy. But I won't say any more than that, incase anybody hasn't read it and wants to. And you SHOULD read it! It is wonderful, and entertaining.

I love Naruto!!

Oh, as an afterthought and a total shift of gears, what is everyone going to be for Halloween?

a.j.
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Sunday, October 16, 2005

   Ok, maybe you're pretty bad...
Well, after not having the internet for a few days, I realized that the reason I don't sleep is because I'm always online.

Anyway, about that test of delirium...

Well, for raavhan...
You're almost as bad as I am. You'd laugh, sure. So would I, but it comes out as a cackle when I haven't slept, and that's quite maniacal, too. As for the driving thing, well, I think most people would do either of the first two. Although, there was once when I was so tired that I nearly got sideswiped, and I didn't even have the energy to freak out. Then, with how long you had not slept...I have to say that I did have a theory that you don't sleep much. I had not slept in about a week at the point where I made that post. I made up for it this weekend, though.

So, you're pretty delirious.

a.j.
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Friday, October 14, 2005

   umm. i'm an addict?
Ok. I'll be away from the internet for oh, three (?) days...that means no new downloads, no checking to see what madness my friends have added to their already wonderfully mad sites (which I tend to do about four or five times a day), and it certainly means I can't check my email. Whatever will I do? I'll be going through withdrawls and twitching. They'll have to send the men in white coats to come and get me!!!

But I'm not addicted.
I can quit any time.

Right.....

Well, admitting the addiction is the first step to recovery.

a.j.
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