So goes the Sogen Con...
Whoa boy... That's probably the easiest thing to say about Sogen Con 2006. Well, that and a few other choice inside-joke-esque quotes. Before breaking down the day-by-day play-by-play, here's thanks toward the Sogen Con staff that dealt with an unimaginable amount of B.S. from their venue. Even though many things didn't go as planned, you worked around everything you could and still pulled off a helluva fun show. Next year's gonna ROCK, and I'll pump whatever I can manage to help it work smoothly.
Wednesday:
With a little bit of Tetris-like finagling (fin-aig-el-ling) of Drazz and Roku of Guardian Sun Studios (Otaku-no-Yen) and their gear, we were all on our way toward our midpoint hotel stopover. The trip ran quickly and as it got later, we were very ready to rest for the night.
As we made our way along the highway, I noticed a Wisconsin state trooper car on a median pathway. (The ones for "emergency use only" and speed traps. Guess what this was for...) I saw him well enough in advance and was going only a few MPH over the limit as we passed. Since all police (from an insider's report) allow for a 5-7 MPH tolerance, I figured everything was cool and jokingly waved to the blue cruiser. A few seconds after passing the dark vehicle, it turns on and drives onto the road. Not seeing any infraction on my end, I figure that his shift was over and was possibly going home to swig that final beer for the night. In my side mirror, I follow a pair of headlights as it approaches rapidly from about a half-mile back. I verbally bet that was the cop, but was immensely confused why he would follow me as if to pull me to a stop while I was driving 5 MPH below the speed limit. (I was being highly cautious on a hunch.) And OF COURSE, next thing I know, I see blue and red lights flare up behind me as the phantom police car actually signals me to pull over. At this point, Roku and I are beyond clueless (and laughing nervously that I was able to predict such an unlikely occurance). Then Drazz wakes up from his nap wondering why we're stopped in front of a road sign listing distances to upcoming cities on the highway. (Our destination was also listed on the sign. We were only 16 miles away.)
. . .
After a short time, the trooper comes up on the passenger side of the car and notifies us that he pulled us over because the passenger-side tail-light on the U-Haul trailer was out... and the chains providing security for the trailer's attachment to my car were dragging on the ground, "throwing off sparks." So, aside from a tail-light malfunction and potentially roasting my Pocky in a 70-MPH-racing bonfire, I did nothing wrong. Both of those offenses are the fault of U-Haul. (They attached and verified everything with the trailer when I picked it up earlier that day.) And naturally since nothing was my fault, the trooper wanted to run my driver's license for outstanding warrants and other such things. The surreality wouldn't stop there, as the Wisconsin Trooper instantly became a Super Trooper while he proceeded with his scripted community-building banter...
TROOPER: So, where're you headed?
ME: (points to the sign of cities and their distances) The bottom one. (chuckles)
TROOPER: Almost made it...
Yes, that final line was delivered by the Super Trooper exactly like in the first scene of Super Troopers (from Broken Lizard, on DVD now). Fortunately, I resisted the urge to call him on it and he left to prepare his paperwork. I've seen police-chase shows and COPS, so I know that state troopers have cameras installed that can see the stopped car, and some have microphones. To see what happened, I joked that we had a brick of coke stashed under the seat. (They say that the Secret Service goes ape over even joking references of bodily harm of the President, and this was an experiment along those lines.) Not more than 30 seconds after I say this, a second trooper car stops alongside the original trooper! At this point we figure that our Super Troopers are immensely bored at this particular time of night and are merely making plans to go to IHOP at the end of their shift for some late-night breakfast items. We were dismissed several frustrating minutes later with an official warning that we "can throw out right away." We laughed about this whole incident a little bit and upon reading the contents of the warning, I found the name of the trooper that stunted our Minneasota-bound jaunt. A few mispronunciations later and our Super Trooper was dubbed "Trooper Pancake." The second trooper never made a public appearance, but he can be known as Sgt. Egg McMuffin. Thanks Trooper Pancake for wasting a bunch of my time and a bit of my gas. You will go down in the infamy of state trooper weirdness alongside the rookie trooper that merely wanted to warn me that construction was coming up.
And that was Wednesday......
Thursday
We arrived on campus to set up at 3 p.m. The official information packet prepared for all the dealers said that we could set up from noon until midnight. I was ready to roll everything into this year's smaller, more intimate dealer room and get most everything set so I could sleep in a bit for Friday. The university had recently screwed over the convention, moving the dealer room back to the gym and scheduling a volleyball practice until 9:30 p.m. We had to find a way to waste a previously-productive 6 hours... And through another university mishap, we could not even check into previously-requested dorm accommodations. This would be because the university did not HAVE dorm accommodations for us. A few frustrating hours later (as we hung out with some of the staff as they completed things that didn't rely on the facility), we were allowed into the building and gym to set up. I feel sorry for a few of my fellow dealers, Mike and Henry. Mike drove about 16 hours in 1 day to set up at 6 p.m., only to have to wait until 9:30. Henry spent an extra night at a local hotel so he could set up at NOON... As frustrated as I was about getting shut out at 3, both of those guys were severly put out from their personal schedules. Fortunately, we were able to continue setting up beyond the originally-planned midnight end time and I got almost everything ready by the time I left.
Friday
It rocked to see a bunch of familiar faces and over the entire weekend I heard (as I have been beginning to hear lately), "You're at every convention I go to." That's fun to hear. Roku also sketched out a rockin charicture of my "Pocky Guy" persona to advertise that service she provides. I hope to turn it into an icon for use around the Net soon.
Saturday
From 9 a.m. to 4 a.m., this day was PACKED with activity and no room for anything less. Dealer room hours ran 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., so that was long by itself... but then after chilling at the Registration tables for a half-hour, I ran on a frantic search to find foodstuffs in close proximity before I headed off to the Eyeshine concert. Johnny, Alex and Maurice kicked some massive tunes and played a GREAT set that showed an increased comfort with their material than their Youmacon show. I didn't notice it in November, but despite their alternative rock look and persona Eyeshine sports a prominent Christian rock motif in the lyrics. (And unlike most Christian "rock" I've heard, this was GOOD.) In a related rumor that hasn't crystallized yet, you may see the Eyeshine CD and gear available at your local anime conventions in the coming months. After the cool Eyeshine concert, it was time for Greg Ayres to spin his MAD D.J. MAGIC all over the dance floor. The sound system they set up was MASSIVE, with bass stronger than I have ever experienced. And man, Greg revelled in every micrometer of the audible spectrum. From ear-pinching tweets to gut-wrenching booms, Greg filled the room with as many different beats, notes and tunes as he possibly could. He was in top form. I sold glow sticks for a while but then packed up so I could DANCE. For the first time in the 4 or 5 times I've been to a set of Greg's, I was on hand for the ENTIRE set from beginning to end. For the final couple hours, he often said that he only had a few songs left before playing a TON more songs, and there were only about 8 people left. According to Greg, we "are hardcore," and "deserve to get laid!" because we rocked out until he finally finished out at 4 a.m... Greg, man that kicked too much ass. So many great songs and you work those boards like a fiend. That new Prodigy track is off the hook and I can't wait to see what magic you work in Kentucky!
Sunday
I stayed until 4 a.m. because, according to the program, the dealer room opened at noon. (Standard operating procudure is Saturday and Sunday open at the same time, usually 10 a.m.) When I returned to the hotel room, Drazz notified me that the program was wrong (as I found to be a common occurance thanks to the university) and the room opened at 10 a.m. We got up in time to arrive at 10, and when I got in last (leaving seperately) I found all the doors locked. It turned out that the room was planned for a noon open time, as printed in the program. Running on 4-5 hours of sleep (when I average 7-8 on most mights and 6-7 at conventions), I nearly drifted off when hanging out at the Registration area. It was then that the popular Hyatt cosplayer (out of costume at this point) from No Brand Con and now Sogen Con came to the table asking me to sell her some Pocky. Another dealer had arrived on the premesis working on the assumption that the room opened at 10 as well and the staff decided that the room would open at that time... about 10:30. And defying most convention trends, there was a sizable crowd rushing to buy and browse at that early in the morning. Unfortunately for some, Mike had decided to travel home the night before to prepare for next week's large convention and Henry thought we opened at noon, so neither of them were open for any of this. The day was like the two that preceeded it, being spotty in consistency but nice for me as I saw and said goodbye to my peeps from the area.
Monday
A fun and interesting car ride got me home at 10 p.m., just under 12 hours after leaving Marshall, MN. It was largely uneventful as Trooper Pancake left us alone and we got stuck in massive construction backups.
General Thoughts and Randomness
I picked up a super-cute pencil board of a series I've neither seen nor heard of, Kamichu. It's apparently licensed by Geneon and word of mouth says it's good and cute. Let's hope so. I'm intrigued. I leave for Cleveland next week. That'll be fun. I have massive plushies n' stuff coming in on the day I leave... Oy. ... And checking the calendar just this second, now I know why. Stupid Memorial Day shutting down UPS and other shipping businesses (like the post office). I thank those that helped build and maintain the freedoms I enjoy, but this really does put a bit of crimp in my plans... Meh, I'll deal.
Wednesday:
With a little bit of Tetris-like finagling (fin-aig-el-ling) of Drazz and Roku of Guardian Sun Studios (Otaku-no-Yen) and their gear, we were all on our way toward our midpoint hotel stopover. The trip ran quickly and as it got later, we were very ready to rest for the night.
As we made our way along the highway, I noticed a Wisconsin state trooper car on a median pathway. (The ones for "emergency use only" and speed traps. Guess what this was for...) I saw him well enough in advance and was going only a few MPH over the limit as we passed. Since all police (from an insider's report) allow for a 5-7 MPH tolerance, I figured everything was cool and jokingly waved to the blue cruiser. A few seconds after passing the dark vehicle, it turns on and drives onto the road. Not seeing any infraction on my end, I figure that his shift was over and was possibly going home to swig that final beer for the night. In my side mirror, I follow a pair of headlights as it approaches rapidly from about a half-mile back. I verbally bet that was the cop, but was immensely confused why he would follow me as if to pull me to a stop while I was driving 5 MPH below the speed limit. (I was being highly cautious on a hunch.) And OF COURSE, next thing I know, I see blue and red lights flare up behind me as the phantom police car actually signals me to pull over. At this point, Roku and I are beyond clueless (and laughing nervously that I was able to predict such an unlikely occurance). Then Drazz wakes up from his nap wondering why we're stopped in front of a road sign listing distances to upcoming cities on the highway. (Our destination was also listed on the sign. We were only 16 miles away.)
. . .
After a short time, the trooper comes up on the passenger side of the car and notifies us that he pulled us over because the passenger-side tail-light on the U-Haul trailer was out... and the chains providing security for the trailer's attachment to my car were dragging on the ground, "throwing off sparks." So, aside from a tail-light malfunction and potentially roasting my Pocky in a 70-MPH-racing bonfire, I did nothing wrong. Both of those offenses are the fault of U-Haul. (They attached and verified everything with the trailer when I picked it up earlier that day.) And naturally since nothing was my fault, the trooper wanted to run my driver's license for outstanding warrants and other such things. The surreality wouldn't stop there, as the Wisconsin Trooper instantly became a Super Trooper while he proceeded with his scripted community-building banter...
TROOPER: So, where're you headed?
ME: (points to the sign of cities and their distances) The bottom one. (chuckles)
TROOPER: Almost made it...
Yes, that final line was delivered by the Super Trooper exactly like in the first scene of Super Troopers (from Broken Lizard, on DVD now). Fortunately, I resisted the urge to call him on it and he left to prepare his paperwork. I've seen police-chase shows and COPS, so I know that state troopers have cameras installed that can see the stopped car, and some have microphones. To see what happened, I joked that we had a brick of coke stashed under the seat. (They say that the Secret Service goes ape over even joking references of bodily harm of the President, and this was an experiment along those lines.) Not more than 30 seconds after I say this, a second trooper car stops alongside the original trooper! At this point we figure that our Super Troopers are immensely bored at this particular time of night and are merely making plans to go to IHOP at the end of their shift for some late-night breakfast items. We were dismissed several frustrating minutes later with an official warning that we "can throw out right away." We laughed about this whole incident a little bit and upon reading the contents of the warning, I found the name of the trooper that stunted our Minneasota-bound jaunt. A few mispronunciations later and our Super Trooper was dubbed "Trooper Pancake." The second trooper never made a public appearance, but he can be known as Sgt. Egg McMuffin. Thanks Trooper Pancake for wasting a bunch of my time and a bit of my gas. You will go down in the infamy of state trooper weirdness alongside the rookie trooper that merely wanted to warn me that construction was coming up.
And that was Wednesday......
Thursday
We arrived on campus to set up at 3 p.m. The official information packet prepared for all the dealers said that we could set up from noon until midnight. I was ready to roll everything into this year's smaller, more intimate dealer room and get most everything set so I could sleep in a bit for Friday. The university had recently screwed over the convention, moving the dealer room back to the gym and scheduling a volleyball practice until 9:30 p.m. We had to find a way to waste a previously-productive 6 hours... And through another university mishap, we could not even check into previously-requested dorm accommodations. This would be because the university did not HAVE dorm accommodations for us. A few frustrating hours later (as we hung out with some of the staff as they completed things that didn't rely on the facility), we were allowed into the building and gym to set up. I feel sorry for a few of my fellow dealers, Mike and Henry. Mike drove about 16 hours in 1 day to set up at 6 p.m., only to have to wait until 9:30. Henry spent an extra night at a local hotel so he could set up at NOON... As frustrated as I was about getting shut out at 3, both of those guys were severly put out from their personal schedules. Fortunately, we were able to continue setting up beyond the originally-planned midnight end time and I got almost everything ready by the time I left.
Friday
It rocked to see a bunch of familiar faces and over the entire weekend I heard (as I have been beginning to hear lately), "You're at every convention I go to." That's fun to hear. Roku also sketched out a rockin charicture of my "Pocky Guy" persona to advertise that service she provides. I hope to turn it into an icon for use around the Net soon.
Saturday
From 9 a.m. to 4 a.m., this day was PACKED with activity and no room for anything less. Dealer room hours ran 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., so that was long by itself... but then after chilling at the Registration tables for a half-hour, I ran on a frantic search to find foodstuffs in close proximity before I headed off to the Eyeshine concert. Johnny, Alex and Maurice kicked some massive tunes and played a GREAT set that showed an increased comfort with their material than their Youmacon show. I didn't notice it in November, but despite their alternative rock look and persona Eyeshine sports a prominent Christian rock motif in the lyrics. (And unlike most Christian "rock" I've heard, this was GOOD.) In a related rumor that hasn't crystallized yet, you may see the Eyeshine CD and gear available at your local anime conventions in the coming months. After the cool Eyeshine concert, it was time for Greg Ayres to spin his MAD D.J. MAGIC all over the dance floor. The sound system they set up was MASSIVE, with bass stronger than I have ever experienced. And man, Greg revelled in every micrometer of the audible spectrum. From ear-pinching tweets to gut-wrenching booms, Greg filled the room with as many different beats, notes and tunes as he possibly could. He was in top form. I sold glow sticks for a while but then packed up so I could DANCE. For the first time in the 4 or 5 times I've been to a set of Greg's, I was on hand for the ENTIRE set from beginning to end. For the final couple hours, he often said that he only had a few songs left before playing a TON more songs, and there were only about 8 people left. According to Greg, we "are hardcore," and "deserve to get laid!" because we rocked out until he finally finished out at 4 a.m... Greg, man that kicked too much ass. So many great songs and you work those boards like a fiend. That new Prodigy track is off the hook and I can't wait to see what magic you work in Kentucky!
Sunday
I stayed until 4 a.m. because, according to the program, the dealer room opened at noon. (Standard operating procudure is Saturday and Sunday open at the same time, usually 10 a.m.) When I returned to the hotel room, Drazz notified me that the program was wrong (as I found to be a common occurance thanks to the university) and the room opened at 10 a.m. We got up in time to arrive at 10, and when I got in last (leaving seperately) I found all the doors locked. It turned out that the room was planned for a noon open time, as printed in the program. Running on 4-5 hours of sleep (when I average 7-8 on most mights and 6-7 at conventions), I nearly drifted off when hanging out at the Registration area. It was then that the popular Hyatt cosplayer (out of costume at this point) from No Brand Con and now Sogen Con came to the table asking me to sell her some Pocky. Another dealer had arrived on the premesis working on the assumption that the room opened at 10 as well and the staff decided that the room would open at that time... about 10:30. And defying most convention trends, there was a sizable crowd rushing to buy and browse at that early in the morning. Unfortunately for some, Mike had decided to travel home the night before to prepare for next week's large convention and Henry thought we opened at noon, so neither of them were open for any of this. The day was like the two that preceeded it, being spotty in consistency but nice for me as I saw and said goodbye to my peeps from the area.
Monday
A fun and interesting car ride got me home at 10 p.m., just under 12 hours after leaving Marshall, MN. It was largely uneventful as Trooper Pancake left us alone and we got stuck in massive construction backups.
General Thoughts and Randomness