And hurt it did
Here is a year in my life. From July 2015 to June 2016, here's all the cons, events, friendships, and adventures that have filled my life during that time. I couldn't ask for more. Now that I'm finally caught up documenting it, I'm going to try to update once a month. Keep myself honest and on a schedule. Maybe that will filter some good to the rest of my life.
Here goes 20+ pages of text.
Survived the gauntlet of awesome that was July. :'D
The fun kicked off in the city on July 3rd at Ricky's mom's backyard. Since Memorial Day camping was pretty much a bust, they made it a point to plan something for July 4th weekend. However, after Ash opened her heart up to us at A-Kon, I really wanted to make it a point to see her again. It maybe wasn't as filled of a weekend because of Ricky's bbq, but it felt like a good time, still.
Ricky's was just sitting around the camp fire and trading flavors (hot dog pizza, cheladas, oyster beer, key lime Oreos), but it was good to catch up with Bee and Katie after not seeing them for a while. Brenda's dogs are RIDICULOUS and I don't understand why some dogs gravitate toward me. I supposed it's better than the alternative. It got really late really quick and came home to nap before NXT Takeover.
Jason woke me up before the show started, but I dozed through most of it until the main event. Which was pretty hype. :D Classic Japan Devitt. The outcome was pretty much a given, but it was still a fun ride. Most of the other show was forgettable (even the Kofi squash) so it ended up just right.
Got a bit of a late start trekking down there, but only ended up being like 30 minutes behind Ash. After some competitive food watching (gross), we met up with Megan and Miranda at Pecan Lodge. It's...mostly overrated and not everything is exceptional. I think maybe their brisket and banana pudding is tasty, but best BBQ ever? Nah.
We made our way to the samurai museum which felt kind of disjointed, but it's a really neat collection. Ended up sitting in the last room for a while before decided to try to get ice cream/donuts. Our first swing missed and we lost Megan and Miranda from the party. We went to Ben & Jerry's where I had a Brrr-ito and it was very tasty. :3 Discussions about the Confederate flag were had in the background.
Got booze/mixers for pre-game which turned into the game before going out for fireworks. We ended up heading to Frisco for fireworks and got to see a lot of displays both on the highway and from the top of a parking garage. Kinda magical. :) Cris and Chelsea were damn near too drunk, but nothing bad happened, and we ended up watching Jurassic World to wait for traffic to clear and sober up, so all's well that ends well. This was my third time seeing the movie, so I had no problem dozing off because TIRED.
There was kind of a snafu with getting the Smarts to Stark Tower, but again, nothing blew up, so it's all good. Ended up calling it a night with various music Youtubes and we went to a new place for breakfat that was aiyt. Ended up sleeping at the border on my way back and prepped for the next weekend.
Next weekend was Sarah's birthday party! After a tip from Katie at July 4th, ended up trying Yokozuna in Tulsa with Zoi. We got our wires crossed and she ended up at the wrong one, but things worked out, even if I was cramming gelato down my throat. The restaurant is attached to a cute hipster boutique and the food was pretty tasty. Out of the three things I had, the sriracha chicken buns and the peanut butter sushi rolls were memorable. It was nice chatting with her outside of a con, even if there's she's just a big con kid.
Ended up at Sarah's a little after the start of the party, but I was the only one besides Abe to close it out, so I don't feel too bad. Lori's creamsicle recipe was a success and Sarah tried really hard to make the party cute and themed. It was a good turn out, but maybe not as rowdy as she would have hoped. We ended up playing Heads Up to close out the night while drinking (spilling at least two) and exploring the party space.
The AirBnB that she rented was really kind of fabulous, with a lot of random stuff...vintage Coke signs, Rock em Sock Em robots...life sized statues of the Blues Brothers...bootleg Renoir paintings. It was a place built to party. Even if it was kinda freaky at night with Abe sleep walking. o.o
Woke up in the morning, helped clean up and pack up, and hit the road. I'd be back in a couple days for Tokyo in Tulsa!
Ended up getting a late start to TnT, which made me and Jason a little anxious because of the great track record we have with trips to tulsa. /sarcasm I got my brush with Chaos done early as I braked for a deer by the lake before even hitting the highway. Bathroom trips aside, made it to the city without incident, listening to Welcome to Night Vale. Went straight to Sarah's place, which is a weird slice of what it was like. We BS'd for a little while, figuring out her new broken laptop, before heading to sleep.
Got into Bruce Banner and ate an uneventful gas station breakfast (womp womp) before heading up to the con. Ran around solo before the Marvel shoot, which was a bit of a cluster before, but once it got rolling was a lot of fun! I still want to see the pics from it. There was a great Sistine Chapel pic with Bruce/Tony/Ultron that I really want to see. The photographer was a good sport, but sort of a Bro, and either really physically unfortunate or a hell of a sell. Had fun with the people there and once the shoot wound down, met up with Arthur and Rich for some really delicious flatbread.
It was SO HOT walking there, but the food was worth it and delicious. Arthur and I kept the momentum going with some awesome lobster flatbread and a tuxedo bombe. It was fun chilling with the guys, talking wrestling and games. Came back, played some arcade games (the Legends of Wrestlemania pinball is pretty dope), before running into the OKC Avengers and ended up in their hotel room. It was the perfect time to chill and relax. Snuggled up with Aiden before it was time to get back to the floor. Went up to Ashly's to have a drink with Sarah and see some of the Tulsa crew before Joey's panel.
Felt a little out of step, but Joey's panel had a fun vibe. The Aloft by the convention center where Cabbage was staying was neat and a little weird, as Alofts are. Dehydration started hitting hard, so we didn't stay long for the party and had Sarah drive us home. Woke up feeling okay, got into Hannibal, and spent some time with Zoi and Sabra. It was nice, but everyone was pretty gassed. Saw Blue and Ethan and chatted for a while before checking out with Sarah.
We decided on burgers for dinner, which Fat Guys was pretty decent! Their different dipping sauces for fries were pretty on point and their burgers are definitely respectable. Not an all time great kind of place, but a really solid burger in Tulsa. While this ended the Tulsa portion of July, it was just the start of the con stretch!
Next weekend was Otakon in Baltimore. I was entertaining a trip to DC to visit The Beach (a giant ball pit) and maybe Shake Shack, but the trouble of bags and distance and trains just didn't make it worth it. I began to truly realize how lousy the mass transit in Baltimore was. It delayed me meeting London and company and my bag felt like it weighed a ton. Not having been there in a while, I was pretty turned around when I got up to the surface. Met up with London and we took the long walk back to the hotel. It was even further than the first time I went.
Met the roomies and they were cool, and I tried to show appreciation to Olivia for hooking it up. It was a little tight, but it was also unbelievably cheap. @.@ The ticket line was hellacious (London had great intel, which I'm glad to have followed because it was much tougher for Cass) but saw Stacia in there before heading to the Matsuri for Crabby Patties and smoothies. The Matsuri was nothing major, just sort of advertising booths. I don't think it was long before I broke away to hang in Cass' room, meeting Amanda, Alex, and Kat. All fabulous, warm people. :)
Positively FROZE that night and got a second room for shenanigans that didn't take place. I hate waffling answers and I hate people who advertise one thing when I know very clearly that it's something else. Our room lock was broken, so it made things frustrating, walking back and forth and eventually just social engineering my way back into my own room. It was nice to sleep in a real bed that next night, though.
During the day, hung out more with Cass' crew, having fun weeby Avengers time before I broke away for an amazing dinner at Thames Street Oyster House. I've never been so glad to not have a stake in a tired grumpy crew trying to find somewhere to eat. DAAAAAMN that food was unbelievable. Best lobster roll, amazing oysters, great dessert. Mmmm. Live texted Fox the awful first date going on next to me to much hilarity. I have multiple headcanons. I caught the last water taxi home and just sort of partied on my own, dancing a bit before crashing.
Woke up and met Graham (love his foodie chops, but just bro enough) downstairs for breakfast before changing and getting ready for another filled day of cosplay. Had lunch at the outstand Alewife; wild boar is so pro. The Metal Gear shoot went pretty well, meeting another Sorrow and a Boss who were pretty sweet and interesting people. Got changed into Resident Evil which was mostly just awkward and I think there's some groups that I just don't click with, for better or worse.
Ended up closing out the con with Cass's crew (toffee/peanut butter beer is yes) and maybe against better judgment, walked back to my room. Baltimore has definitely got a lot more scary. I don't think I'll be staying that far away from the harbor again. Things have changed in the years that I've been gone. Got back to my room to well, things I'd rather not hear. These have been the prices of a cheap room.
Said my good-byes the next day and shared a shuttle with Cass's room. Bought them some goodies (including Berger cookies and myself some Bob Evans :D) and we got some average Chinese food before I had to catch my ride to the airport. They treated me really well (considering there was some idle talk of me rooming with them to begin with) and I probably would choose them if I had to do it all over again. Not that I'm ungrateful or didn't have good times with Prime Roomies, but just trouble and distance and etc.
And so during my course of writing this, Prince, too, has passed. I feel it important to mention here, because for 2 years, Purple Rain has been my theme of Otakon. Pepperidge Farm remembers when I got sick before Otakon and I had a dream and it happened, in a way, and now the dream is over. All I have left is the purple rain.
I officially won't be going to Otakon 2016, the last year in Baltimore, so that's how we leave Baltimore, for a while. Great food, met some good friends and have a lot of stories, memories, and laughs, as a result. Thank you for the Purple Rain.
Came back and it was Monday Night Raw in the city. Free tickets is always nice and I really can't remember anything exceptional about the show except for seeing the Wyatt entrance live.
The next weekend was San Japan and it was nice to have a chill con planned. Was still a bit sick and picked up Sarah in Austin, got some Circle Around the Block Best Wurst, and had to rescue Haru's party from a pretty big misadventure. We scored free badges out of the deal and they were pretty low maintenance, so it was all good. Fox and I did a pretty good job of co-mingling; I actually put together a bangin' lunch with Adam, Bailey, Fox, Anais and surely someone I'm forgetting right now. It was good spending more time with Bailey, but I don't know if I really got to know her better or what. Got some day drink on with Anais and that was pretty hilarious/awesome. I forget what she polished off, but she did it like a pro. *.*
Went with Fox to the cosplay show after we all made a mess of ourselves. There were some good cosplays and Whitney was allowed a bit more mic time, although some people took pretty not okay liberties with that. Cosplay/Emceeing is not consent, always. Went to the food trucks with some of Fox's crew, trying to sync with Tracie, and ended up having a low key drank party back up in the room. A+ Mixer Getter Cris. Succeeded in not throwing up, but only just barely. We got some Whataburger on the way out of dodge, compared life notes with Andrew W.K., and called it a July.
Here goes 20+ pages of text.
Survived the gauntlet of awesome that was July. :'D
The fun kicked off in the city on July 3rd at Ricky's mom's backyard. Since Memorial Day camping was pretty much a bust, they made it a point to plan something for July 4th weekend. However, after Ash opened her heart up to us at A-Kon, I really wanted to make it a point to see her again. It maybe wasn't as filled of a weekend because of Ricky's bbq, but it felt like a good time, still.
Ricky's was just sitting around the camp fire and trading flavors (hot dog pizza, cheladas, oyster beer, key lime Oreos), but it was good to catch up with Bee and Katie after not seeing them for a while. Brenda's dogs are RIDICULOUS and I don't understand why some dogs gravitate toward me. I supposed it's better than the alternative. It got really late really quick and came home to nap before NXT Takeover.
Jason woke me up before the show started, but I dozed through most of it until the main event. Which was pretty hype. :D Classic Japan Devitt. The outcome was pretty much a given, but it was still a fun ride. Most of the other show was forgettable (even the Kofi squash) so it ended up just right.
Got a bit of a late start trekking down there, but only ended up being like 30 minutes behind Ash. After some competitive food watching (gross), we met up with Megan and Miranda at Pecan Lodge. It's...mostly overrated and not everything is exceptional. I think maybe their brisket and banana pudding is tasty, but best BBQ ever? Nah.
We made our way to the samurai museum which felt kind of disjointed, but it's a really neat collection. Ended up sitting in the last room for a while before decided to try to get ice cream/donuts. Our first swing missed and we lost Megan and Miranda from the party. We went to Ben & Jerry's where I had a Brrr-ito and it was very tasty. :3 Discussions about the Confederate flag were had in the background.
Got booze/mixers for pre-game which turned into the game before going out for fireworks. We ended up heading to Frisco for fireworks and got to see a lot of displays both on the highway and from the top of a parking garage. Kinda magical. :) Cris and Chelsea were damn near too drunk, but nothing bad happened, and we ended up watching Jurassic World to wait for traffic to clear and sober up, so all's well that ends well. This was my third time seeing the movie, so I had no problem dozing off because TIRED.
There was kind of a snafu with getting the Smarts to Stark Tower, but again, nothing blew up, so it's all good. Ended up calling it a night with various music Youtubes and we went to a new place for breakfat that was aiyt. Ended up sleeping at the border on my way back and prepped for the next weekend.
Next weekend was Sarah's birthday party! After a tip from Katie at July 4th, ended up trying Yokozuna in Tulsa with Zoi. We got our wires crossed and she ended up at the wrong one, but things worked out, even if I was cramming gelato down my throat. The restaurant is attached to a cute hipster boutique and the food was pretty tasty. Out of the three things I had, the sriracha chicken buns and the peanut butter sushi rolls were memorable. It was nice chatting with her outside of a con, even if there's she's just a big con kid.
Ended up at Sarah's a little after the start of the party, but I was the only one besides Abe to close it out, so I don't feel too bad. Lori's creamsicle recipe was a success and Sarah tried really hard to make the party cute and themed. It was a good turn out, but maybe not as rowdy as she would have hoped. We ended up playing Heads Up to close out the night while drinking (spilling at least two) and exploring the party space.
The AirBnB that she rented was really kind of fabulous, with a lot of random stuff...vintage Coke signs, Rock em Sock Em robots...life sized statues of the Blues Brothers...bootleg Renoir paintings. It was a place built to party. Even if it was kinda freaky at night with Abe sleep walking. o.o
Woke up in the morning, helped clean up and pack up, and hit the road. I'd be back in a couple days for Tokyo in Tulsa!
Ended up getting a late start to TnT, which made me and Jason a little anxious because of the great track record we have with trips to tulsa. /sarcasm I got my brush with Chaos done early as I braked for a deer by the lake before even hitting the highway. Bathroom trips aside, made it to the city without incident, listening to Welcome to Night Vale. Went straight to Sarah's place, which is a weird slice of what it was like. We BS'd for a little while, figuring out her new broken laptop, before heading to sleep.
Got into Bruce Banner and ate an uneventful gas station breakfast (womp womp) before heading up to the con. Ran around solo before the Marvel shoot, which was a bit of a cluster before, but once it got rolling was a lot of fun! I still want to see the pics from it. There was a great Sistine Chapel pic with Bruce/Tony/Ultron that I really want to see. The photographer was a good sport, but sort of a Bro, and either really physically unfortunate or a hell of a sell. Had fun with the people there and once the shoot wound down, met up with Arthur and Rich for some really delicious flatbread.
It was SO HOT walking there, but the food was worth it and delicious. Arthur and I kept the momentum going with some awesome lobster flatbread and a tuxedo bombe. It was fun chilling with the guys, talking wrestling and games. Came back, played some arcade games (the Legends of Wrestlemania pinball is pretty dope), before running into the OKC Avengers and ended up in their hotel room. It was the perfect time to chill and relax. Snuggled up with Aiden before it was time to get back to the floor. Went up to Ashly's to have a drink with Sarah and see some of the Tulsa crew before Joey's panel.
Felt a little out of step, but Joey's panel had a fun vibe. The Aloft by the convention center where Cabbage was staying was neat and a little weird, as Alofts are. Dehydration started hitting hard, so we didn't stay long for the party and had Sarah drive us home. Woke up feeling okay, got into Hannibal, and spent some time with Zoi and Sabra. It was nice, but everyone was pretty gassed. Saw Blue and Ethan and chatted for a while before checking out with Sarah.
We decided on burgers for dinner, which Fat Guys was pretty decent! Their different dipping sauces for fries were pretty on point and their burgers are definitely respectable. Not an all time great kind of place, but a really solid burger in Tulsa. While this ended the Tulsa portion of July, it was just the start of the con stretch!
Next weekend was Otakon in Baltimore. I was entertaining a trip to DC to visit The Beach (a giant ball pit) and maybe Shake Shack, but the trouble of bags and distance and trains just didn't make it worth it. I began to truly realize how lousy the mass transit in Baltimore was. It delayed me meeting London and company and my bag felt like it weighed a ton. Not having been there in a while, I was pretty turned around when I got up to the surface. Met up with London and we took the long walk back to the hotel. It was even further than the first time I went.
Met the roomies and they were cool, and I tried to show appreciation to Olivia for hooking it up. It was a little tight, but it was also unbelievably cheap. @.@ The ticket line was hellacious (London had great intel, which I'm glad to have followed because it was much tougher for Cass) but saw Stacia in there before heading to the Matsuri for Crabby Patties and smoothies. The Matsuri was nothing major, just sort of advertising booths. I don't think it was long before I broke away to hang in Cass' room, meeting Amanda, Alex, and Kat. All fabulous, warm people. :)
Positively FROZE that night and got a second room for shenanigans that didn't take place. I hate waffling answers and I hate people who advertise one thing when I know very clearly that it's something else. Our room lock was broken, so it made things frustrating, walking back and forth and eventually just social engineering my way back into my own room. It was nice to sleep in a real bed that next night, though.
During the day, hung out more with Cass' crew, having fun weeby Avengers time before I broke away for an amazing dinner at Thames Street Oyster House. I've never been so glad to not have a stake in a tired grumpy crew trying to find somewhere to eat. DAAAAAMN that food was unbelievable. Best lobster roll, amazing oysters, great dessert. Mmmm. Live texted Fox the awful first date going on next to me to much hilarity. I have multiple headcanons. I caught the last water taxi home and just sort of partied on my own, dancing a bit before crashing.
Woke up and met Graham (love his foodie chops, but just bro enough) downstairs for breakfast before changing and getting ready for another filled day of cosplay. Had lunch at the outstand Alewife; wild boar is so pro. The Metal Gear shoot went pretty well, meeting another Sorrow and a Boss who were pretty sweet and interesting people. Got changed into Resident Evil which was mostly just awkward and I think there's some groups that I just don't click with, for better or worse.
Ended up closing out the con with Cass's crew (toffee/peanut butter beer is yes) and maybe against better judgment, walked back to my room. Baltimore has definitely got a lot more scary. I don't think I'll be staying that far away from the harbor again. Things have changed in the years that I've been gone. Got back to my room to well, things I'd rather not hear. These have been the prices of a cheap room.
Said my good-byes the next day and shared a shuttle with Cass's room. Bought them some goodies (including Berger cookies and myself some Bob Evans :D) and we got some average Chinese food before I had to catch my ride to the airport. They treated me really well (considering there was some idle talk of me rooming with them to begin with) and I probably would choose them if I had to do it all over again. Not that I'm ungrateful or didn't have good times with Prime Roomies, but just trouble and distance and etc.
And so during my course of writing this, Prince, too, has passed. I feel it important to mention here, because for 2 years, Purple Rain has been my theme of Otakon. Pepperidge Farm remembers when I got sick before Otakon and I had a dream and it happened, in a way, and now the dream is over. All I have left is the purple rain.
I officially won't be going to Otakon 2016, the last year in Baltimore, so that's how we leave Baltimore, for a while. Great food, met some good friends and have a lot of stories, memories, and laughs, as a result. Thank you for the Purple Rain.
Came back and it was Monday Night Raw in the city. Free tickets is always nice and I really can't remember anything exceptional about the show except for seeing the Wyatt entrance live.
The next weekend was San Japan and it was nice to have a chill con planned. Was still a bit sick and picked up Sarah in Austin, got some Circle Around the Block Best Wurst, and had to rescue Haru's party from a pretty big misadventure. We scored free badges out of the deal and they were pretty low maintenance, so it was all good. Fox and I did a pretty good job of co-mingling; I actually put together a bangin' lunch with Adam, Bailey, Fox, Anais and surely someone I'm forgetting right now. It was good spending more time with Bailey, but I don't know if I really got to know her better or what. Got some day drink on with Anais and that was pretty hilarious/awesome. I forget what she polished off, but she did it like a pro. *.*
Went with Fox to the cosplay show after we all made a mess of ourselves. There were some good cosplays and Whitney was allowed a bit more mic time, although some people took pretty not okay liberties with that. Cosplay/Emceeing is not consent, always. Went to the food trucks with some of Fox's crew, trying to sync with Tracie, and ended up having a low key drank party back up in the room. A+ Mixer Getter Cris. Succeeded in not throwing up, but only just barely. We got some Whataburger on the way out of dodge, compared life notes with Andrew W.K., and called it a July.