Monday, March 26, 2007

What Do I Get Myself Into?

"...That was it? Seemed lacking today. And yeah, I honestly have to admit, your community is probably better than theO's here. Heck, I can name a bunch of other communities that are better than ours." Maybe I'm reading too much into that, but it's hardly good PR to see one of the TheO News Team make a comment like that. If you want to see the whole comment string, including the identity of the new team member who posted that, give this article's comments a read (It's the latest podcast episode, go figure - I just read the comments, I don't listen to the show much anymore). What kind of feeling do you get reading that? When I first read it, it hurt, it really did. I've been a member of the community here for several years now (since 2003), and seeing that kind of message from one of the site staff is really quite shocking. The community here is one of the best anime communities online anywhere. That comment seems to beg a question of conflicting interests, to see someone on staff of a site and not have a respect for the community is really something else. I'm still deciding how to respond to that message officially, there's a certain level of tact which must be used when handling delicate things like that. Normally I'd sent a really hot e-mail, but I don't think that would be productive this time. What do you think? How would you respond to that comment? Should I even make something out of it at all? I don't want to start anything major over a little comment, but I don't feel it should go unchallenged either. Spamming the comment thread is not a good idea, that doesn't accomplish anything so I strongly advise against anyone doing that. Although, maybe that staffer has a point. While browsing the fan manga hub I happened upon member harrassment again, and I report such comments every time I see them, I don't care who makes them. The report links are provided for the reason of raising questions about artwork. That kind of flaming doesn't belong in the comment thread. Is it too hard for people to have the common sense of a brass monkey and use the provided tools to report suspect artwork? How hard is it to click "report" instead of "comment"? Right it's easier to harrass someone and make a spectacle out of ourselves and others to do things the right and honorable way. I know one thing, that kind of flaming should have the stop put to it pronto. I know I think a lot less of someone who posts "You stole this take it down" in a comment thread, I don't think they're great for outing a potential plagiarizer, because they aren't always right. That said, the few ignorant glory-hound self appointed user mods (something I frown upon strongly - and think should be a violation of the TOS) do not take away the overall warmth of the community here. Even with people flaming others to inflate their own egos, this is a great place to be. Overall there's a lot of good people here, and the good people outweigh those self-interested few easily. Comments: Angel Slayer: I wasn't really trying to be funny, but it if brought you a smile, I'm glad for it. The bad hair day reference was to cover the non-green hair part. If it's any consolation, my ribs have been hurting from the coughing I've been doing. redmoonchick: I try to aswer every comment I get to my posts here. Sessy514: They don't call it the Windy City for no reason. My Violin teacher was from Chicago. Ooh, do you know anything about Resurrection Mary? necury: There might be some more up soon too. Green's been my favorite color for as long as I can remember. That's not a bad idea, I think I'll mention it. Kiki-tink: It's coming, a little more work and it should be ready. Thank, you take care too. timechaser: You have a sane doctor? Well then, you might try asking about echinacea then. When I was in shcool, that whas the career choice the teachers tried to force on everyone "Oh, the medical field is in such high demand for jobs blah blah blah" it made me sick. A person shouldn't take a job because its going to be in demand or the paycheck is good, if you don't really want to do it, it shows. Once in a while I have a ginseng tea which is good and keeps me going when I need an extra boost (caffeine does nothing for me). Grapevines would be good to have for the grapes as well as the leaves. If you don't put the Pectin in with grape jelly when you home make it, you get grape syrup which is divine on pancakes. Hm, I am planning an herb garden, maybe I can get a grape plant or two. Controlled chaos is a wonderful thing. You won't be finding that scene in RK, but happy reading. My sister was glad to hear that the art was well received too. Yensid: Maybe. . . then again, maybe not. That's a challenge I'd be glad to accept. You know, my first message board username anywhere ever was cosmictraveller on the TechTV message boards, and I had this little blurb about how I chose that username. If I can dig it up I'll post it here, and I'll enjoy the challenge of trying to draw out the image to fit my MyO username. After you do get that one working, let me know how it is. It may turn out to be too much for me too, but I'm liking the fact that it's a program specific to manga creation and publication. A lot of them digital image manipulator programs have steep learning curves and price tags to match. That's why I'm where I am now, using free software because that's all I can afford. The layer opacity can be altered in Pixia, but brush hardness/softness can't be altered. Pixia does support the tablet, but it's support is still very basic, so it's not ideal to use the tablet in Pixia just yet, the next build might correct some of those techincal limitations. I have been meaning to learn how to do that layered shading though, and I do still have the .pxa file I colored that in, so I'll play around with it a little and see what I can come up with. After I find a good tutorial on shading with layers. That's some great advice on how I can improve my artwork, thanks. Shonigoneyes93: I noticed your site's change, it looks good. I'm half-way between two thems right now, I'm still working on the imagery for the nextg one, but I got the color scheme picked out (That's the greens you see now) I'm going to retire the Mothman from my theme for a while, I went with him to be different for a while, now I'm getting back on track with who and what I am. The Mothman stories are fascinating, that whole thing back in the 60's was something. For further reading, try John Keel's book, The Mothman Prophecies written in 1975 (the move took the name from the book), you get quite a take on the Mothman, the lights in the sky, the MIB and some other phenomenon that were occuring around the time of the Silver Bridge collapse. I've missed posts too, and I'm trying to get better at being back to my 100% that I was here back in January. I think AnimeFF followed by the family thing just sapped a lot of energy out of me. I'll be back to myself in no time though, I have been on and visiting sites more and more lately. Yeah, I am doing good, I hope you are too. Mamma Vash: That's a picture I'd love to get. I love a good rain, and I love a good after-rain when everythign has that fresh smell and the leave and flowers practically radiate with their own glows. All those ideas came from my sister. She really gave me a lot of details on how she wanted the art to look. I couldnt stop laughing when she mentioned the lolipop because I pictured that face right there. I scanned the inked lineart into the computer and colored it digitally because I don't have the right colored pencils to do Yahiko any other way. I wanted to do a colored version for TheO, so I used what I had. Digital coloring isn't scary, but Yensid's advice (posted in last blog entry's comments) would be worth noting. I heard there's a spring cold going around this year really bad. If the ill party is human (or dragon) try this stuff, it really kept the reins on my cold. The combo of echinacea, Vitamin C, and Zinc seems to work. Granted the flavor, piña colada might not be everyone's cup of tea, I founnd it a refreshing difference to all the mainstays of being sick. Caprice: Thanks, and I'll try to have the new theme up soon. Sure thing, I hope you get some more attention out of that one little blurb I posted. It's a great project. Thanks for that link, I was tickled pink to see the actual wording I used in the article. It does solidify my opinion of PSP being too high end for me. If they have to complicate simple things by using high-end terms, I know I'm not going to enjoy using the program one bit. For the record, so everyone knows, a Raster layer is a norma image layer (like a jpeg, gif, png etc). What that does is make the "free" software cost infinitly more than the comercial software. A name is valuable these days, so are e-mail addresses. I'm not going to give that stuff away just to try a program and find out I might not like it anyway. Shireishou: I'm with you on that Go Green! Hopefully, I'll have the pictures ready soon. KanuckGrrl: That was a collaboration that I hope to be the first of many. We'll have to shoot some ideas around again sometime (when we're both sleep deprived like last time, the ideas are funnier then). I've got Irish in me too. Incidentally, Im working on that tea soda, so far green tea and Oolong teas are not workoing out too great, concentrating them makes them bitter, but peach tea is looking to be a hit, and I'm going to try mint soon too. When I have the formula down, I'll post it here for you all to try. Animé Dreams!

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Thursday, March 22, 2007

Spring is Here, I Think

Punk Scout Yahiko Hosted By theOtaku.com. For all of you waiting for my latest art creation, there you go. I'll let you hop over and read the caption info under the image for the whole story so I don't have to tell it here. While I'm linking things, Caprice: is running her second annual Otakubowl, see her page for info on what it is, and how to participate. I'm sure you've noticed the green by now. I put a variant up for St. Patrick's Day, but I did intend to segway into a new theme, so I'm keeping the green up for now as it will be more in tune with my next theme which should be completed, soon. Comments: necury: Yeah, Green's more my color, I can't say I know what fueled the decision, but it's one of those works or it doesn't things. I think having a different color for older posts (like previous day's posts) would be a help, so that everything isn't the same shade of blue which is a little tough on the eyes. scorchbird12: I'm not sure what to go into either. How about the warming weather? Outlaw Melfina: Ditto. timechaser: Don't be surprised if your doctor tells you not to try it, doctors are trained to push pharmaceutical drugs nowadays, they have little common sense medical knowledge. The combination of Echinacea, Vitamin C and Zinc is really potent against a cold, it's worked for me for the most part. Trees take an average of 8-10 years to mature, but the leaves could probably be harvested before then. Having a cherry tree in town would be odd, I will keep that in mind and my eyes open for I could also use grape leaves if I knew someone with a grapvine who doe't use chemical pesticides or fertilizers on the plants, those leaves can be preserved and used the same way Japanese Cherry leaves are used, so some people say. Can't help there. It started as a St. Patty's Day theme, but since I'm working on a new main theme anyway, I decided to keep the green and tweak it a little. the real yojimbo: "Their always after me lucky charms!" NyakeSan: It's going to be around a while, sorry about that. Shireishou: Green is my favorite color. Hop-Frog: Yep, Green. Do give it a try, don't forget the help files and additional filters are separate installs. I went to install that program you mentioned, it wanted me to register to be able to use it at all so It's automatically on my T list for that reason alone. Freeware isn't free if it asks for personal information to be able to use it. I have a thing about giving away information that's priceless. Just don't get a Fuji camera! They are tempermental and don't take good shots when you want them too. A little bit on pro know-how isn't a bad thing, it does look better on résumés anyway. Kiki-tink: Glad you could make it, and we wish you all the best and a full recovery. Caprice: I used to were green all the time, now I just don't care. I'm not around enough people to need to dress up for every holiday. Well, I tried Paint Shop Pro, and I really don't like it. For everything I've used up to date, I like a certain measure of intuitive accessability. I shouldn't have to go to the help file to figure out basic stuff like adding layers. When I have to do that, I kow the program is too high end for me. Out of curiosity, what the heck is a raster layer anyway? I first saw an ad for Manga Studio 3 on the TokyoPop website, and it looks like a sensible program. It's specific to manga creation, so I think it would help me as I try to expand into that area with my art. E-frontier, the company that makes it, screws themselves by requiring registration to access their free trial software though, so I won't try it unless someone can point me to a download that is 100% free. I don't give out my information for free software, to me, that's an even higher cost than any amount of money. Angel Slayer: Let's see if I can do this right. Hey, my spirits, going good, and yeah. In skin types I'm a Type I, fair skin, red hair. I burn, I don't tan at all, and I think tans are about as attractive as the prospect of Melanoma. I knew someone who got one of those spray on tans once, she looked like an Oompa-Loompa having a bad hair day. Sessy514: Sure has been. Animé Dreams!

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Saturday, March 17, 2007

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Not a lot to say today, and no silly green picture so I'll skip to the comments. Comments: redmoonchick: Thanks, I'm doing a lot better, even tho cough isn't so bad anymore. It's a real trip sometimes to get to everyone, but that's part of the fun of a community. I woudln't trade it for anything in the world. I do try to know at least a little about technical things. I got some more detailed info for you on Pixia. If you do want to try Pixia, download pix33be.exe, and install it first, then download pixhlp_e.exe, that's the help file, they're both on the same page. If you want to be able to do more than just the basic stuff, you'll need to download and install pxadfl_e.exe from the Pixia download page, then you can get more stuff from Massa's page. Find the link "Get the filter which Massa made" It has more filters and effects for Pixia. I used a couple of them on splash image at the top of the page. On Massa's page after the demo of all the filters in that above mentioned file, is a JPEG writing expansion, I like the features this adds to saving JPEG files and it's not hard to install. Almost every picture I have on my page here had something done to it in Pixia, to give you an idea what it can do. I hope you get that keyboard shortrcut thing figured out too. Keyboard shortcuts are a good thing, but they should be key combos to prevent accidental app launches. Sometime the apps make the shortcuts themselves when they're updated, so it's hard to tell how that got put in there. necury: It's difficult, but not impossible. Now with being able to see more than one day at a time, it makes it easier to not miss someone accidentally. I'll try to have it up soon. alphonse13: It seems to be going around cause that's the same thing my Dad and Sister have too. It's a stubborn little cough, but it'll go away eventually. It is fun, but every part of the process is fun to me. You do know that Nyquil is made by Vicks, the same people who make that nasty licorice tasting Vicks 44, (It looks like tar in a bottle) so if that's "original" flavor, my bet is on nasty nasty licorice. I don't take liquid medicine of any kind, I find pills. If there's not a pill for it, I look for alternative treatments. Since the lighthouse itself was closed, I was on the grounds in front of it. Try something, anything, with Echinacea in it. That stuff works wonders. the real yojimbo: Who knew the humble potato could hold so much power. Time to go make me a screwdriver. *takes vodka and flies off* Caprice: I'm glad to be getting better, and I'm working to get that artwork up post haste. I can remember when Paint Shop Pro was the big dog and every graphics company wanted people experienced with it, not Photoshop. I downloaded the free trial version from the Corel website, and I'll try it out over the next month, if I like it and think it'll suit my needs, I'll try to put the money into getting a full version of it. Ideally, I'd like to have the money to get Manga Studio, it's more specialized and has some features to it that not even Photoshop has, because I'm not that good at manga style art and I do eventually want to experiement in that area. Happy St. Patty's Day to you too. death alchemist03: I'm doing the best I can in that area. Rest, and the right treatments are working wonders. It'll be up soon, I promise. NyakeSan: Tell me about it, it wasn't fun, but I managed to make it through all right. Yensid: The only reason I recovered swiftly this time was because I really attacked this thing head on. I took the right medicine, I used homeopathic remedies, chicken soup, and Vitamin C zinc, echinacea combo, I used menthol and camphor rubs, and other vapor treatments that, when put together, took care of the bug for the most part. I still have the cough, but it's managable, and going further away each day. Normally, I'd be miserable for days. About ten years ago I was saying the same thing of WV. I've been here for so long, it's like a second home to me, that's kind of why I keep up with it like I do. I try not to stress over missing an update now and then, because I do get around to the sites consistently. I don't vote on as much art as I used to either, but I make it a point to browse through the submissions once in a while just to keep up with things. timechaser: Well, the joke was lost on me, my idiot brother mixed meds once and put himself in the hospital with chest pains. I'm less keen on chemical drugs, probably becausee of that and a few other things I've seen happen to people who take the wrong thing, ot take too much. Maybe you should try something like echinacea, it's an herb that's beleived to boost the immune system. I can only tell you that it seemed to work for me. I have to wait till next year, unless someone out there has a cherry tree they can pluck some leaves from and send to me. That's the horse of a different color, but still if you have to take the initiative, do it. It never hurts to ask the questions that no one else wants to ask for fear of looking dumb. beyblader: I don't have any Fruit Loops in the house, but I do have some raisin bran for you. scorchbird12: I hope I do, this cough is weird, it comes and goes. There are times I'm relieved to see that people haven't posted too, it means less running around for me, but I do like to comment when I can. Soon, it'll be up soon. Hop-Frog: Yeah, them cookies work wonders. Pixia is the same, it's like a very basic version of Photoshop, it's also free, and the original creator is Japanese (that means some of the defaults are ideal for anime artwork!) I downloaded the program you mentioned, I'll try it out and see if I like it, if I do, I'll consider paying for the full version. If it wasn't so cold and windy at the time, I could have had my tripod out there and gotten a better shot of the plaque, the one shot I do have the text is too blurred to read. I'll try to dig up the story of the cannon though, I'm sure it's on a NJ lighthouse website somewhere. I have no professional experience, no degrees, or anything like that under my belt, and peope tell me I take good shots anyway. Something to consider. A good way to practice would be to get a mid range digital camera (there are $50-$80 digital cameras that would make good "test" cameras), carry it with you and take the shots that catch your eye. If you do take the class, and if your really interested in photography you should, but take it with a grain of salt. You don't need fancy technique or equipment to get decent pictures. Animé Dreams!

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Friday, March 16, 2007

Belated Beware the Ides of March

I'm getting better and better each day, though I still have a cough to contend with, I don't think I'll have that much longer with my treatments. I am still way overwhlemed with the number of people updating, so I may miss pages here and there as I try to get back into my routine of responding to people who update. Eventually, I'll be back in my full form, I hope it's sooner rather than later. The artwork is still a couple days away at least, I'm doing the finishing shade work on it now, and then it'll be a matter of polishing and finally submitting it. I'll try to have it submitted by Wednesday, but no promises. Comments: Hop-Frog: *takes cookie* Actually sweets do me some good in that department, but I will say something for a little bit of chicken soup poured over some sushi rice. Not only does it taste good, but it does wonders beyond the soup alone. Since I'm mostly better now, I think I'll be staying away from chicken soup though, I had way too much of it while I was down for the count. Pixia, pardon me, Pixia, doesn't have a whole lot of high end effects and such, and that's the program I'm using for this piece. If I had the kind of money to waste on Photoshop, I'd take care of other things with it, not spend it on an overrated program. You know, I knew someone would get a kick out of that shot, that's why I took it. There's nothing like looking down the barrel of a mystery cannon. If I could have gotten a better shot fo the plaque, I'd be able to tell the cannon's story. Magnus Lensherr: It'sd hard to say who was in the worse mood, I know I was really irritable when I read your comment, but that tends to jade my vision a little too. Forgive and forget, that's what I say, most of the time. The cannon has a story behind it, but asI just told HF, I didn't get a good shot of the plaqu beside it, so I don't know the story. I remember that it was fond on the grounds of the lighthouse when they broke ground for it in the 1860's, there's speculation that is was used as a signal cannon (before fog horns were invented) and that it may have been used to defend the bay which you can see in other shots I've posted. Funny thing though the Twin Lights was once used as a Convent, and only the north tower (the octagonal one) still lights, the lense for the south tower was broken, and couldn't be repaired. I'm not back to 100% yet, but I'm pretty close. Yeah, it's nice to have a caring family around. death alchemist03: Ooh, a muffin sounds really good right about now, a nice warm blueberry muffin, split in half with butter dripping down it on all sides. I hope to have it up sometime next week, I'm don to shading and little polishing touches, so it shouldn't be that long. If it's a double fudge cupcake, I'll take it! Mamma Vash: Thank you, I apreciate the sentiments. I've never been to NY, just looked across the bay at it from Jersey. It's something to see. If I could live anywhere in the world, I'd pick NJ, not just because I have family there, but because it's a better place in terms of people, and having stuff to do. Green tea biscotti, I dont' have that, but I do have green tea pocky that I picked up in a neat Asian Market back in NJ. It's good stuff. InuYashaFan4-ever: I'm doing all right, thanks for the concern. No, not a lot of people interested in really being public about their anime obsession. The gull shots were interesting to make, I took those in a grocery store parking lot, my sister's friend tossed them a bite and they swarmed the car. They also followed up to the door and even perked up when we came out of the store later. the real yojimbo: I noticed, that's a why I mixed things up with soft boiled eggs, rice, and the soup. I also drank a lot of Liz Blizz a Piña Colada (yes they did leave off the tilde, but I'm not so ignorant) drink put out by SoBe that's got Vitamin C, Zinc and Echinacea, stuff that's good for the immune system, in it, not to mention a cool looking lizard on the bottle. I have to say piña colada isn't one of the first things a person would think of when they're sick as tasting very good, but for me it worked wonders. SoBe also has a green tea with Echinacea in it for those who don't like, or are allergic to, coconuts. Photography is an artform for me, so thanks, and I'm coming along with my art piece fine. timechaser: I like to take care of myself as best I can, to avoid unecessary medication. Improperly medicating oneself is the leading cause of drug resistant strains of all forms of illness. On the Sakura leaves, a good source tells me that they're a seasonal item (makes no sense to me since dishes other than sakuramochi call for them, but I've never been to Japan, my source has family there, who am I to argue with that?) and I won't be able to get them till next year. Now I'm stuck looking for a dish for Boy's Day (in may), or just making Ohagi. Take the initiative yourself, don't just give them the idea and hope they do something with it. Pick up the phone, make a few calls, you'd need a hotel, and transportation, get some quotes and estimates lined up and take that info to your club. Some hotels give group discounts, keep that in mind as well. Transportation would probably be one or more people from the club, and it's not hard to coordinate that. It's a wonderful place to visit. I hope my art turns out well too, it's looking good at the moment. lifes burden: It's never a vacation for me when I go somewhere on the pretext of a death. All the same, I did enjoy the time I had when I wasnt' at the funeral and all. The soup did help, and I'm rested up, though I could use a little more sleep, but that's unrelated. I'm trying to do a lot at once, and I know I shouldn't so I'm slowing myself down to keep myself sane. Sure thing, I try to do that if I remember, or see the date up in the bio. Mastahbetahs: About as fun as a person could have attending a funeral, but I found some light moments. sailorXena: I'm getting there, not quite 100%, but close now. sikaurai: My mom doesn't buy canned soup of any kind, she makes her own. I should have her pick up some split peas from the store before she comes home, I've got this craving for some split pea soup, and she showed me how to make it so I can take care fo the rest. I hear that, nothing beats homemade soup, stew, or chili Can't help that, those pictures are on the Atlantic Ocean. I already live in landlocked WV, and it drives me crazy. I'd love to live back East, I'd have so many interesting things to take pictures of. You too, take care of yourself. light shadow: Really? Small world. Most of my family lives there. I'm geting better, just a lingering cough to get rid of now. Kiki-tink And the best thing to have with your soup is rice. I think that combo really knoeck my cold or whatever this bug was I had through a loop. Sushi rice, or Thai sweet rice, but be warned, sweet rice is very glutinous, it sticks to everything. I think everything's okay with the family, We all kind of keep things to ourselves in that department (not good I know!) so I can only go by what I see. alphonse13: Being sick really saps your energy, the Medicine doesn't help in that area either. I do not, under any circumstances, take liquid medicine. I know sometimes it's better, but I got sick on the stuff once (cough medicine is supposed to stop coughs, not make you cough up the medicine) and I've never been able to stomach it since, can't even get it into my mouth without recoiling. I like seeing pics like that too, because the best way to travel somewhere is thorugh the eyes of a person who's been there. I take shots that catch my eyes, and tell a story of the place I'm at. If I could have gone into the lighthouse tower (the museum was closed), I'd have quite a shot for you. That's another trip though, preferebly in the summer. Yensid: Yeah, my sister had it first, my dad got it, then I had it, it's mostly gone, but I'm still fighting the cough. My mom and I seem to have handled it the best out fo the whole family, we didn't have the worst of the symptoms for long, or as severe as my sister and dad had them. Nice to know I can take a decet picture when I'm not feeling all that well. Guess some things go beyond the physical perception. I try, but it's getting to the point I can't keep up with everyone every day. I may have to make a scedule of who to visit on what days. KyuubiKhaos: It's not fun, especially when you're traveling and your sick. 500 miles feels like 500,000 when you're coughing and making bathroom runs every half hour or so. The soup helped, I think my approach to treating this thing was effective. I treated it agressively, and I'm still kicking it's butt as best I can. It's nice to see other places, I like to do that too. I have a love/hate thing with West Virginia, but it's not because I've lived here for 16 years, it's the people that turn me off to the state. I have this insane quality where I can be in a familiar place, and look at it with the eyes of a complete stranger. I do that all the time around town here, that's how I get some intersting photos, because I'm not looking as a long-time resident, I'm looking as a tourist. Try that once in a while, you'll be surprised how different even your hometown seems. beyblader: Well, my photos don't do the place justice. It was overcast and bittelry cold that day, I think the camera sees that, but trust me, it's hardly a dull place. Shonigoneyes93: No, I can't afford any courses/classes, I'm all self-taught. Makes the photos all the more impressive doesn't it? Thank you for the warm sentiments, I do appreciate them, my whole family does. I do take medicine for colds and such, but I do believe there's more to the cure than a chemical cocktail, so I treat with medicinal herbs along with medicines and other types of treatments, the mix of things actually helped me through this thing quickly. Now I just have a cough to get rid of. You can never go wrong with simple tools, I love to just take a plain sheet of printer paper and one of my mechanical pencils and do a quick doodle now and then, to remind myself where I started. I started duplicating screenshots on lined notebook paper, having printed out the ref pics in black and white cause my printer had no colored ink. That was August 2003, and I've been an animé artist ever since. Digital coloring is relatively new to me, there's a reason I'm doing this pic digitally in term of coloring, but I'll cover that in the caption for it. necury: I'm almost there. Thanks, I did try. KanuckGrrl: I was always suffering from allergies when I was in school, in the fall and in the spring. Funny how I don't suffer them so much anymore, but I do get them bad once in a while. Well, life has ebbs and flows like the tide, a little excitement, a little dull time but always moving. Yes,the big black thing is an anchor, I don't think they had a plaque up explaining it either. Caprice: I am feeling better now, not 100%, but I'm almost there. It's not my first digital coloing attempt, it will be my first publicly exhibited attempt though, so I am trying to make it look as good as I can get it. It's more tedious for me than tricky, but I'm working with Pixia since I can't afford Photoshop. Shireishou: There are three airports in the area, Two in New York, on in Jersey. If you ever go the chance, you want to find the Twin Lights in Navesink (it's said like nav-uh-sink) NJ. It's a State park, so it's not hard to find. Getting up the hill is quite a feat though. I'm always glad to lend a hand when I can, and back someone up when they need it. Life's too short to be stuck-up and selfish, so I try not to be. Animé Dreams!

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Saturday, March 10, 2007

I'm Back, Sort Of

I have returned from my trip back to New Jersey, and I'm doing all right, I've been around to a few sites in the past few days, but not a lot. I caught a cold or something and I've been so tired I could hardly stay up to really type out a full post, get my pictures uploaded, and respond to comments. That said, I'll be in and out till I get better, which will hopefully be soon. My mom made some great chicken soup that I've been eating with rice so I'm getting along. It may be a while before I get to everyone's posts every time you update,but know that I'm trying my best. The artwork I mentioned is coming along, doing digital coloring is a lot more tedious than I first thought, so I'm taking it slow. I'll have the finished work submitted soon. I'm not sure how much time I'll work on it while I'm sick, but I will work at it in little bursts till it's done. Now, about the new Jersey Pictures, I'll get to those after the comments. Comments: Vacation: Magnus Lensherr I'm in a lot better mood now than when I first read that, I just happened to be online checkign something and thought I'd answer some comments while I was here. I didn't really appreciate the lecturing tone, but I could have read more into that than was really there. There's a method to my madness, and that means I can say I'll be offline for two weeks and long in and post every day of that two weeks if I want, because that's me. InuYashaFan4-ever I probably should have, but I wanted to update wince I was here checking up on things. Unfortunatley, no, no one's interested in an animé club near me so that's out too. The fans are here, they just don't have the spunk to get together with other fans. NyakeSan So would I. timechaser I really like your choice of words "insane cultural vacuum" describes my area perfectly, the people here are wannabes, and have no sincere interest in anything cultured at all. The hope isn't going to die, it's just going on the back burner till I can get an income going to make something work. Back in New Jersey, I found an Asian market (they didn't have sakura leaves), that carries the green tea pocky which is really good. If there's medical concerns involved, you'd better check on that before eating anything you're not sure of. If you can't get something going for this years, keep on the club to put something together for next year, even volunteer to head a committee or something if it'll get the job done. Also keep your eye out for other cons happening later this year, you might be able to swing one of those if not this one coming up. Shonigoneyes93 I was having one of those weeks where I couldn't seem to communicate exactly the way I wanted, I'm glad I could clear things up. I think, given a little more time and if I can get something off the ground and maybe going for a year or two, I'd gain the credibility to extend something to theO, and they'd be more likely to get involved. The fans are here, they're just weenies about getting organized. Who'd have thought even the college kids would shy away from it. If the WV animé fans would unite, we could hammer the businesses that descriminate against animé like Regal Cinemas, as well as get more than one WV convention going. Yeah, the break is good for the mind, body and soul. necury Wise choice for both of us. Ghost Hunters, they set themselves up for failure a lot, in terms of bad camera angles and what have you, but the process they go through in investigating with the DVRs and the cameras, that's about as scientific as it gets till technology improves. I ran it by my mom and my sister, and we all heard "pull up a chair", which is kind of odd because my sister and I were looking at a faded headstone, discussing an inlay in the shape of a shield on the stone, wondering what it symbolized (the stone's writing was very faded, it couldnt' be read) at the point where that EVP was captured. BASH I'm still alive, thank goodness. Angel Slayer: Nyquil is supposed to put you to sleep, not wake you up, but oh well, I've been pumping myself full of meds the past few days to get over being sick. It's working out for the most part. It's been a while since I've been by your page, I'll try to get by there soon. I do want to get back into the habit of visiting pages again, so I'll try. Mortal Coil: Everyone My family and I welcome all your support and kind words. We appreciate your sympathies, the warmth, and concern you've expressed for us. Thank you all. Expedition: New Jersey Photos of New York City, the Twin Lights at Navesink (the cannon is on the grounds fo the Twin Lights), the bay, the Atlantic Ocean, and gulls. I couldn't take too many pictures, I was really sick, and it was bitterly cold and windy the whole weekend. I'll ask my sister's friend if I can upload some of the photos he took (he got a nice one of the Verrazano Bridge at night I'd like to share with you). Questions about a specific picture? Please give me the row and column where the picture is located in the table so I can respond effciently. Animé Dreams!

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Monday, February 26, 2007

This Mortal Coil

Once again I'm here when I shouldn't be, but I've got a good enough reason this time so please no lectures or shots (jolking or not) about staying off when I said I was going to be off. I just got some bad news on the homefront this morning, one of my Aunts died yesterday. I won't know anything till my mom finds out what happened, and she won't know till one of her brothers calls her with the autopsy results. No it's nothing so callous as foul play, that's standard protocal for NJ when a patient dies in a hospital without explanation. I'll have as many of the details as I can when I'm back on. It also means that picture might not get done either. Sorry, no time to answer comments today, I'll get to those next time, I promise.

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Sunday, February 25, 2007

A Break from Vacation

I didn't really communicate clearly a few key points last time. The people element and the convention element were separate issues that I felt I'd failed at. While it would have been nice to find the people to get both an animé club going and have them help with a convention, I was mentally prepared for a while to accept an either/or scenario, either a club or a convention. I had hoped that if the convention angle fell through, I would at least have a couple people to get together and share animé chatter with. I did not consider the possibility that there would be a neither scenario, which I probably should have thought of sooner. Anyway, I hope that clears up a few things. I still need some time to myself, I just came on to let you know I'm still alive. Maybe a few more days will do me some good, I'll know then. I might just have a piece of art ready for when I get back too, I won't promise that right now, but I am working on something. Some Good news on the AnimeFF front, TheO has officially reported everything they know about it, and has now resumed normal news operations. I know I'm slow to post this, but I promised I'd keep you all updated, and there it is. Comments: Shonigoneyes93 That's a good suggestion, but I can't do that. Adam's been through enough already with AnimeFF. It wouldn't be right for me to solicit advice or anything else from him or TheO. Believe it or not, one of the e-mails I have typed up and saved (though I'll never send it), actually is to Adam. I wrote it in late January, before the news of the AnimeFF thing broke. I have my reasons for not wanting to send that e-mail. I don't think it would be right to ask him for help because I've been a member here for a long time, I wouldn't want him to feel an obligation to assist my efforts. Aside from that he's still recovering from the AnimeFF scandle which did cost him and the site a lot of money. In my experience, the majority of the fan base here isn't in WV (I have run into a few WV Otaku, but they're from other areas of the state), and couldn't travel to WV to make a convention "local" to me really worth putting together at this point. I'm sure I have a lot of the traits I need to actually do the convention thing, the trouble is, I don't have the capital to get the business end of the convention up and running, or keep it running once it got up. necury That just about sums it up better than I can put it myself. That kind of assumption is the very reason so-called "legitimate" science will never be trusted with collecting this kind of research data in an accurate and unbiased manner. Science always assumes that the people who have encounters go into the event with prior knowledge of paranormal activity in the area of encounter, well, I can tell you that's not always the case. Most of the people I've come into contact with who reported activity had no prior knowledge of any activity in the area they had their encounters. What that means is they had no preconceived mental prejudices influencing what they experienced at the time it happened to them. They didn't "think" they saw something because they "wanted" to see it, they didn't even know they were looking for that kind of thing. There were no fears, or stresses influencing their minds. Let me tell you, these are credible people with nothing to gain from being included in the flawed "mass hysteria" theory's explanation that they just saw things to fit in with the "people who say they see things" group. Some of the people were downright frightened by what they experienced because up till the moment they had their experience, they didn't believe in such things themselves. This topic has to stop being discussed here, for both our sakes, it has to stop here. A lot of those shows like that aren't really good investigations, the best one I've seen in terms of investigative protocal would be the Ghost Hunters on Sci-Fi. Granted, those guys are a little too quick to dismiss potential evidence pieces, they generally do a good job in the data collection department, and they don't have people faking possessions to get higher ratings either. I forgot to mention that the first one's volume is way down (because it's the natural audio level it was recorded at). Basically what you're hearing is a whispering voice (the enhanced one which I amplified, noise reduced, and adjusted the speed on to make it clearer, is louder). I could tell you what I think it's saying, but in doing that I'd set a preconceived prejudice in your head and that's what you'd hear the next time you listened to it. Outlaw Melfina: I'm not a people person but if it's for something like animé, I'd make an exception. I did a little bit of research on those White Rabbits, and my theory on those being milk candies turned out to be right. That's probably why they have an odd taste to them. I've never had anything with rice paper on it, it doesn't really sound to appetizing, but I tried octopus once and liked it so I won't say for sure rice paper isn't appealing till I get a taste. Caprice If only trying were enough. I thought I knew there were a lot of animé fans in my area, but now I'm not so sure if what I thought I knew was actually what really is. Don't really matter now, I just don't have the energy to keep reaching out to to people who won't answer. I hope you're around when I get back too, I've missed your company. Kiki-tink I wanted to put something together for the animé fans here too, I really did. C'est la vie. timechaser As long as I'm without employment, nothing will change. This is an issue of start-up capital, it's not about the people anymore, it's not about the place anymore, it's about the pelf. I'd probably need to have, ideally, a couple thousand to start with, to make it really work. I have less than a hundred to my name, and nothing to put up for collateral (not that my credit is good to begin with). If I ever have the money to move to a metro area, I'll move to one that has a convention already established there, and it'll be moot for me to start my own. Sure would. All we have out here are the SuperCenters, and that's all they've got in flavor variety too. I'd like to find the dark chocolate (they call it "men's pocky") to try, My whole family loves dark chocolate. It's a start to suggest the idea, now you've got the job of keeping it fresh in their minds without seeming like you're nagging at them. Good luck finding that balance, and I hope your club does plan something of a group trip. KanuckGrrl My drawing board was made of flash paper, once it caught it went up in a snap. There is no other route I can go at this point. To be legit, a convention needs something organized behind it handling all the financial stuff. I can't as an individual go out and drum up the money to run a convention, and I don't have the resources to put together the business end of a convention right now. I'm not even sure how to react to that. How can I put this in a way that everyone will understand? Like I said to Shonigoneyes93, I couldn't do that to Adam. He knows I've followed the AnimeFF story throughout, so contacting him is out of the question. AnimeFF had a company "backing" them which is part of what made Adam a little more comfortable with helping them out (He said so himself somewhere, I can't find the actual wording anywhere, but there's a lot to go through), I don't even have that much. Just because I've been a member here for a few years, just because I comment on Adam's blog a lot, does not automatically make me any more credible than those swindlers. I would not feel right asking Adam to put anything at risk for my little hobby project, knowing how much he's out already because of AnimeFF. I am only aware of a handful of WV fans here on MyO/TheO, and they're all in other parts of the state. It's not a lack of people that's the primary stop to the whole project, so all the shoutouts in the world to get people can be made, but if the money isn't there to get a convention off the ground, that Spruce Goose ain't going to fly. Collecting money for such a thing could prove to be problematic too, being an individual, it would be hard to explain that kind of thing when reporting the income for tax reasons. I'm disappointed about not getting the convention going, and not finding the people to at least get a small animé club off the ground. The two are separate things, they always were. InuYashaFan4-ever Finding the people would have been nice, not for the conventions sake, that was failing of money. I'd like to at least have an animé club put together, but that's not happening either at this point. Given that a convention takes a year to get off the ground at least, that luck would be for 2008 or 2009. If I have a job by then, or some other means of steady income, I'll probably try again, but till that time the local convention is a no go. light shadow The impossible can do a lot of things, but it can't finance itself. It doesn't want to get arrested for counterfeiting. I'll feel better when I can see a convention with my own eyes, but I know that's not happening anytime soon so I have to suck it up, move on, and bite my tongue when people talk about conventions. Magnus Lensherr The only comic book shop in town is run by people out to make a quick buck, all it had in it was mainstream DC and Marvel comics in it, nothing else. Big companies like Borders, and Wal-Mart aren't too particularly keen on solicitors in their lots or posting signs in, on, or near thear buildings, so they're out too. There is one other thing I can try, and I think I'll give it a go, just to gauge responses, but I don't really expect too much to come out of it. Hopefully I'll find them at the next store I try, which will be in mid to late March. I really do want to find them, even thouhg by then it'll be too late to maked the dish for the holiday they're traditionally served on. Animé Dreams!

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Thursday, February 22, 2007

No Title

Well, I got the information I needed on the conventin front, unfortunately, it doesn't look good for me. Aside from not being able to find the fanbase on a local level (stupid closet animé fans), The most important step to establishing an animé convention is setting up an organization to handle the business end of things. I have no way of setting up that business entity, so that pretty much means the whole thing comes to a grinding halt here and now. It certainly was a fun little dream while it lasted. Oh well, at least I know where to start should I ever happen to have the money together to do it. For those of you keeping score, here's where I stand:   ◊  Round One: Finding local animé fans [0 points]   ◊  Round Two: Establishing a local animé club [0 points]   ◊  Round Three: Establishing a local animé convention [0 points] That's an 0 for 3 record, and it's not something I'm particularly happy about. I've never liked to lose, and failing this badly at trying to do something from the heart really hurts. Since there aren't any loose threads to tie up this time, I'm going to spare you all the brunt of my ill temperment and take a few days to myself. It woudln't be fair to have me snapping at you all in my responses and comments over my own failings so I think it's best that I do this. I'll be back when I'm feeling better and ready to tackle my next impossible dream. Comments: necury It was frustrating. No, but I've had people tell me they've heard things, smelled things, seen things, and felt things touching them when there's no rational explanation for such. I myself have experienced the fleeting aroma of pipe tobacco once, and the story behind that is interesting. There's a sea captain in a local cemetary (He moved out to WV during an oil rush or something like that), and it's said that he's seen kneeling next to his son's grave (right next to his) on ocassion. My sister, my mom, and I were in the cemetary one morning looking at his headstone, which at the time was broken in two pieces and leaned against a tree right at his graveside. My sister and mom moved off a little ways away from me, and I held back, looking at the engraved clipper ship on the stone. I was probably standing between his grave, and that of his son's when for only a moment, I smelled a waft of pipe tobacco, there was no one in the cemetary, and no one around any of the nearby houses with a pipe, but the scent was like someone was smoking the pipe right on my left side (Would have put it right in line with the Captain's son's grave). If you've ever smelled pipe tobacco, you'd know what I'm talking about. It's a kind of heavy, sweet, smokey scent that there's no mistaking something else for it. I did some research on that sea captain, and found his house on the next street up from where I live, and get this, people have said they've seen the burning ember of a tobacco pipe in one of the attic windows of that house. I didn't know that detail before I researched it, so I didn't know the Captain smoked when I smelled the tobacco in the cemetary. That's my own personal experience, and neither my sister nor my mom recalled smelling pipe tobacco that day, nor any other day that they were there. I do know of one alleged possession(nothing malcious, but a spirit supposedly spoke though him), but given that it was my brother, and he's kind of always trying to trick me one way or another (we're both grown adults and he still plays these games on me, I don't think he respects my hobby), I question the validity of the event. That kind of thing is hard to confirm without a specialist. That, you see, is the mystery, that's why those of us who go out looking to collect physical evidence of paranormal activity do that kind of thing. The techncial explanation is that it requires energy for a spirit to manifest itself, and it takes a lot less energy to make an aucustic imprint on a tape or digital microchip than actually manifesting an audible sound. I do have an Audio Clip (that should pop your default WAV player, if you're in FireFox, copy the link location and paste it into Windows Media Player). I have a cleaned up version of that same audio Here (Same as before, only this is an MP3 file) if you're interested in hearing it. That's only one of five I got that day, but it's the best sounding one in terms of audio quality. Angel Slayer: Life does go on whether we want it to or not, but that doesn't mean we can't take a little timne to ourselves to find a balance in our energies after beign thrown off like that. the real yojimbo I'm still looking into that perfect way for me to vent, I know I really could use it. I was actually thinking of Tai Chi, but that's only one possibility I'm looking into right now. beyblader I think being accosted by a fangirl in heat wouldn't have been nearly as frustrating as that wasted trip the other day. I made that suggestion a couple days before the trip. The real lesson in that is: "If you don't do it yourself, it won't get done at all." I found another Asian Market that's an hour away, I intend to call them before we make the trip down there, myself. timechaser That doesn't surprise me one bit. You know, if these mapping sites would link up with Rand McNally, or Delorme, map companies who update every year, they'd be doing something. I have an Asian market in town, and usually she'll special order something if she don't have it, but I don't think she knew what I was talking about when I asked for salt pickled sakura leaves. If even one of the websites with the recipe for sakuramochi actually said "this is where you get the salt pickled sakural leaves" they'd be doing something good for those of us in the hillbilly headache belt of the country who can't just waltz into a local mega-import mart and find what we need. Kroger (and it's affiliates I'm sure) and Wal-Mart do carry limited pocky, but it's better than nothing at the moment. If your looking for a specific flavor you'll probably need an Asian Market for that. Thanks anyway, but looks like I dug up a big heap of dirt and found only a few dirty stones this time around. Maybe with enough spit and polish those stones can be made into gems, but at this point they just have to sit dirty on a shelf till I can get to them. Good luck with that, hope it works out for you. Caprice Frustrated is putting it mildly to say the least, but I think I'll get over it and calm down eventually. Actually nothing's changed. i'm still out of work and still pipe-dreaming away. That's right I don't think you've seen the page since I changed it. I did try to mix things up a little. scorchbird12: Yeah, that's kind of the thought I got about the store too. I won't find the leaves in time, no matter what I do now. I'll have to make sakuraless sakuramochi with the substitution of mint leaves I thought of a while back, and hope it works like I want it to. I've never made the stuff before, and I hate to make my first attempt at a dish be a variation on the original recipe. The convention isn't happening, unfortunately. InuYashaFan4-ever Since I need them by March 3rd, I know there's no way I'm going to find them in time this year. I hope I can find them by next year though. All the luck in the world isn't going make this convention happen I'm afraid. Yensid: I suggested making that call a few days before the trip, but I guess I should have done it myself to be sure it was done at all. That's the lesson I take out of this, is that I have to do all the legwork myself if I expect to have a meanigful trip. My family complains that they have to be careful with how they use their gas, yet they don't take the steps necessary to make sure they're not wasting it on out of the way trips. That's the story of my life it seems. Build up a little dream only to get nowhere. I must have really offended the Fates or something to end up with this run of luck. If anyone up there on Olympus is laughing, it's not funny anymore. I don't have the kind of money to set up a table to sell prints at a convention. It's a nice prospect, but one I can't even remotely entertain. 1½-2 hours is the limit I'm willing to test my family's patience with me in terms of taking me someplace. The last time I went 4 hours out of my way ended up as a wasted trip so I won't put them through that kind of thing again. That really limits the conventions I can look at in terms of attending. It's hard to tell with fans like that, and not to sound cruel or inhuman, but I don't really care at this point either. When things look up, I'll let you know. sanzolover13 Really? That bad huh? I think I'll make it a point to not check them first on things from here on out. It would be nice if someone who knew what I was talking about could actually point me in the direction of a store (web or physical) that carried them. If I do happen to find the salt pickled sakura leaves, it won't be in time for the holiday I need them for, so that's a lost cause for this year. I'm going to make the dish, but it'll have to be a modified version. death alchemist03 Hindsight tells me I could have taken my laptop and pirated an unsecure WiFi connection to cross check with another map service online, but oh well. It's something I'll rmember for my next trip, because finding the right intofmation on the road isn't easy. Mamma Vash: I'll fidn a good one out ther somewhere, I just have to look and test different ones first. As for the convention, it's completely out of the picture now. Shonigoneyes93 I've never been near DC, never had the need, but I do hear that things change like mad over there. My computer is about three years old, and it's never given me a problem online (it did have an overheat moment, but that's an entirely different issue). I sue it online all the time, I don't have a newer one to use. Hope yours comes back all right and ready to go. Well, the fanbase isn't as public as I'd like it to be, and the costs of starting up a convention here are too great for me to do alone, so that's another project out the window. It makes no sense that the people who know how to make sakuramochi can't tell you where they get their sakura leaves from. If I have to special order them from a Japanese website, I'll do it, but since I can't get them in time for the holiday this year, it' doesnt' really matter anymore, I'll keep looking till I find them for next year. I'm not complaining, I'm just surprised that I can check two dozen online "Asian" markets and my local Asian market and still not be able to find them. There aren't even any pictures of the packages they come in online anywhere. Animé Dreams!

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Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Square Two

Yesterday was one of those days for me. It started off with a simple trip, an hour and a half away, to find an Asian market since I'm still looking for those sakura leaves. We get out to the town, chase down the address, and the Asian market isn't there. There was a pizza parlor there, but the Asian market wasn't. So, anyway, we tried calling the phone number that was listed with the market, and got the "out of service" message. We decided to look around town for pay phones hoping to find a phone book to see if we can find another Asian market, or the one we were looking for (thinking it had moved and changed phone numbers or something). Not one single pay phone had a phone book, not one. And we checked at least ten phones. My mom went into a hotel to check with the front desk, they didn't even know what she was talking about. Needless to say, I didn't get the sakura leaves, and I came home really annoyed. The lesson in that is simply, don't trust a Google map/local search, and double check your results with a comnpletely different search engine than the one you start on. I missed quite a few sites yesterday, that's because I didn't really want to take my frustration out on you guys. For the next few days I can't guarantee I'll be able to get to everyone's sites either. I have one last feeler to put out for information on getting a convention up and running, but at this point I'm starting to feel that there's really no market for such a thing where I am. I'm not finding the fans I thought I'd find, that means I don't have the animé club back-up to getting a convention off the ground. After I get some initial information, I'll decide from there if continuing is even going to be feasable for someone in my position. Oh, get over to the TheO main page when you can (too lazy to link it), there's some more news over there worth mentioning. Comments: necury It'll work or it won't, I'll know that after I try. Yeah, they're trained in doing exorcism rites, but they also have other training as well dealing specifically with non-human entities. That's what investigating paranormal phenomenon is about, collecting concrete evidence of the activity to prove it occurs or disprove it if it doesn't. I try to keep an open mind though, because I've seen some freaky stuff happen to people. I've got some EVPs (electronic voice phenomenon), those are voices or sounds that show up on a recording device that weren't heard at the time of the recording from one investigation. By itself, it's not much, but it's a start. InuYashaFan4-ever An hour would be easier for me to talk a relative into driving me than two. It's not likely I'll be able to go this year, the money's just not there now, and I don't see it being there in October either. death alchemist03 It's not nearly close enough for my liking or convenience. I wouln't cosplay my first time out to a convention myself, only because my first convention would be the most stressful because I'd be new to the whole experience. Aside from that I'd rather save up the money I'd put into a costume and spend that on stuff at the convention. Yensid: Nothing is convenient when a person is amaxophobic and broke, and getting anything started here, even something as simple as a local animé club isn't as easy as I thought it would be. The fans just aren't outgoing about it here, so they're not easy to find. It would be nice to be able to have so many conventions to choose from, being that close I'd even try to volunteer for at least one of them. I can imagine a multi-day pass would cost more, but in the end it would be worth it to have so you can access the full range of events. A smaller convention that's nothing more than vendors is a poorly planned convention. I don't intend to fall into that rut. Hopefully I'll get somewhere with it, but I'm worried now that there isn't going to be enough local support to get it off the ground. KyuubiKhaos It's good to see a convention in WV, but it's not good to see it so far away from me. scorchbird12: The town I live in actually had the nerve to reject a proposed convention center a few years back, and they talk about wanting to bring people into the town, that they need tourist dollars. Well, it's a dump, no tourist would want to hang out here. We've got a main highway (actually two now) running through the town, and there's nothing here to hold anyone's interests for more than a few hours. If they want to keep up and bring in tourists, they need to say yes to that conventin center next time it comes up. Since the nearest one to me is inconvenient, yeah, I'm trying to start one up, but I just don't know if I can do it anymore. Kuroi Akurei Two hours driving is hardly close in my book, but it's better than three or four or five hours I guess. sikaurai It's not a complete surprise to me, what caught me off guard is that this one has been happening since 2004 and I only heard of it now. It tells me they don't do advertising very well on a local level or I'd have heard of it already. Geez, if it were as easy as this, I'd just give you one, or two of my Wal-Marts, we've got three clustered so close together here it's not funny. They're always building new stores though, so keep your eyes out, maybe one will pop up near you. I must not understand the nature of what a sponsor is that a sponsor would want a peice of the action after putting money out to get their name assoicated with a project. That defeats the purpose of a sponsorship. As for vendors, they make profit on whatever sales they make. There's a lot I still don't know about the whole process, but if I find out that's the way sponsors and vendors are, f[Censored] the whole thing I'll have no part in that kind of self-interest. timechaser Yeah, that was quite a gem, even if it wasn't exactly what I was looking for at the time, it was great to stumble across the convention. If by some miracle I actually get a job, or find another steady means of income that doesn't rely on having a paypal account, I'd seriously consider going. Till then, I'll have to make do with just getting some information about starting up a convention of my own. That's the right idea if you have the group to suggest it to. I certainly hope they see the potential in going and actually put something together. At least I have the time to try to figure something out. Animé Dreams!

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Monday, February 19, 2007

Yatta!

Yesterday, I lived up to the self-proclaimed title of Trained Professional Idiot in a big way. I've obviously got to learn how to do my research a little better than I have been doing because I missed something so blatantly obvious that it completely changes the entire core of my convention mission now that I have this bit of info. So what exactly did I find? What piece of information can be so powerful that I'd have to alter my whole approach to the convention scene? Well, I found an animé convention in West Virginia. I'll give you a moment to soak that in. Moment's up, now for the good stuff. Tsubasacon just happened to turn up in a search using the method timechaser suggested in the post before last's comments. Considering I'd not heard of the convention before yesterday, and it's been happening yearly since at least 2004 as near as I can tell from various postings referring to it, they must not advertise very well, at least, not up this way in WV. That actually gives me a divergence path to take with my information collection. I'll continue trying to get more localized interest in the idea, but I'll also talk to the people running that convention to hopefully see what it takes, on a technical level, to get a convention started in WV, and what the steps of the process throughout planning and implementation of the convention entail. Some technical notes: Huntington WV, where Tsubasacon convention will be held (it's in October), is probably around an hour and a half to two hours driving distance away from me, which doesn't make it a convenient convention for me given that I'd have to get a ride from someone in the first place. There's also the cost to get in, and having some spending money while there too which are things to consider. I still want to see a convention closer to where I live, it would make attending it easier for me and other fans I'm sure. I also want to see one with an admission price that's not completely ridiculous either, so that's a consideration I'll be working on with my convention too. Keeping the costs down enough to be able to charge a smaller admission than other conventions, not to undercut the other conventions, but because I believe that admission cost shouldn't be a deterent to fans on a budget who want to attend. If it were feasable, I'd let people in for nothing at all. Comments: Magnus Lensherr The US isn't as straightforward as that, we're a big country with a lot of clannish little regions that don't really keep pace with the outside world sometimes. Anime in my area isn't really a big thing from what I can tell right now, but I'm hoping to find some people into it. When it becomes stressful is the day I'll have to stop the whole project, because that means I'm not having fun doing it anymore and it's not worth it. It's a hobby project to get a convention closer to me than Huntington, it's not a life's ambition type of goal where my life will be over if I fail to complete this task. I posted that one at an oddball time during the day. I've been posting at oddball times during the day lately, so it's likly you missed it because of that. Since you brought it up, yes there are different ways to peel bananas, but I l just like watching them dance instead :P Yensid: Every plan has to start somewhere, and now I've got two really good directions to go. That's what I'm hoping anyway, if I just plant the seed and nurture it a little, I know it'll grow into something wonderful to look at whether or not I'm the one actually tending to it. Mamma Vash: That's my little secret, I can't have everyone out there being able to keep up with me now can I? ~_^ As for the project, I hope it goes well too. The little mood pics are actually captures I made from random DVDs in my collection. I still have a lot more moods to go, but I'm off to a good start with the 26 moods I have captured so far. A lot of times, it's hard to determine a person's mood from reading plain test, I hope to alleviate that with the mood pictures. If you're ever stuck in a rut again, give me a shout, my muses have many, many more crazy little bits like that one waiting in the wings for someone who needs an inspiration. I saw the picture you posted of that, I still laugh when I see it. necury It's not really stressful because I know what I need to do, I just need to do it. There's a lot of leg-work involved in this kind of thing long before those doors open to the public, I didn't realize how much went into putting one together till I started all this. If I can find the right people, I know I've got a chance. Very smart. Luckily for me, I haven't faced the worst kind of encounters, but I can say that not everything I've come across has been friendly. For people wanting to do that kind of thing, never do it alone, EVER, and it never hurts to have a Demonologist, or an ordained minister along, just in case you do come into something serious. sailormonngirl101: It sure is. mysterious rei Hopefully I can be involved throughout the process, but if someone else can do it where I can't I'll be all for it and supporting them all the way. sanzolover13 Since I'm learning this as I go here, there's not much I can suggest right now, but I will put together a "how to" package a little later, as soon as things start to come together a little bit more. With something like a convention, if no one else will do it, sometimes you have to do it yourself. I'm doing all right, though I do need to actually get a good sleep, I've been up and down at all unnatural daylight hours and it's throwing me off. You have a good weekend too. NyakeSan Yep, there sure is. Shonigoneyes93 Something someone pointed out to me just yesterday is that not all animé fans are open about it for various reasons. So, while it's a given that there are animé fans almost everywhere in the US, it's not always going to be easy to find them. Since I don't miss that often (unless a person regularly updates at a freakishly weird time), I'm not overly worried about it. I get around when I can, and that's all anyone should expect of me. Yeah, the whole AnimeFF thing is in the back of my mind, I expect things to be a little rough when I approach some people about an animé convention because of that. If anything is going to make or break my attempt at a convention, it'll be the trust issue. KanuckGrrl I'm not forseeing that kind of trouble. In my experience animé fans come together when something is important, and who'd want to get in the way of establishing a convention that's easy to get to and affordable to attend? Aside from that, the arts community is pretty strong here, and I've got a feeling that's where I'll find myself as I dive deeper into this project. We all have those days, I've had several this year already. timechaser If the convention thing fails it won't be for lack of trying, that's for sure. Even if I just get a small group of animé fans together to dialogue about the convention idea, and maybe plan a formal area club, that would be fine with me for the short term. I'd have no problem with someone else getting a convention going in my area, I'd welcome it, and I'd do my best to show it my support, because it would be better than having nothing here at all. Yeah, I run into that a lot everywhere, it's easier for people to talk about how things could be done differently, but they don't actually take the action necessary to make things different, or "better" in their eyes. I haven't sent my donation yet, but I'll get to that this week. I was thinking of including a little note saying something like "from a friend in the animé community at theotaku.com" as a means of showing the sense of community we share with the foundation, and that we're serious about helping them out. I do want to thank you for suggesting that search method, it didn't turn up anything like I expected, but it sure churned out a gem for me. Animé Dreams!

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