Kumori Con 2008 Day 2
Today I had intended to get up as early as yesterday but I just couldn't make it work. I was tired from the long day. I was up at 7:30 though and got ready to swim. My daughter joined me today and we headed down around 8:15. We swam until 8:45 when groups of people started to show up and the pool got crowded quickly.
After the swim we headed back to the room to get ready for the day and breakfast. I had gotten my son up before we headed downstairs so he was ready by the time we got back to the room. Since I was taking a shower first my son wanted me to go with him down to get breakfast without my daughter. I didn't think it was very nice but knew it wouldn't work out anyway.
I got online to check for any messages on my email before we headed to breakfast. Then my daughter told me she didn't feel well. As it turned out she had a bladder infection (just the start of one, but enough to keep her in pain). I told her cranberry juice would help if she could make it down to the atrium for breakfast we would get her all she could drink. We headed out to breakfast at 10am.
Breakfast
The line for breakfast by this time was LONG. It doesn't surprise me since it was Sunday and breakfast ends at 10:30. They were running out of everything from trays, to silverware to table space constantly. I was thinking they needed an extra person or two for days like this.
My daughter couldn't wait long and headed to a restroom in the lobby while we waited in line. That might actually have been best for her anyway because by the time she reappeared we were near the front of the line. We did actually end up with everything needed by the time we reached the front of the line. Since there was no chance for a return through the line we grabbed what we could get the first time around. I went for more eggs and less pancakes this time around. I also got some bacon to take home to our cat. :D
When we got our food and juice our problem was now where to sit. My daughter was still not feeling well so I told her just to take what she could back with her to the room. I would bring more cranberry juice later.
Meanwhile my son found a table by the water fountain so we sat there. I worked on my food and about half way through I had a bright idea. I went and got some cold cereal (frosted flakes) to eat later as a snack at the convention. I was going to be taking food up to my daughter anyway so it was all-good. On that same note I grabbed another cup (a coffee cup with lid) of cranberry juice for her as well.
I asked my son if he wanted to get an omelet because it would be his last chance. Just after I finished asking a guy walked by who said "I think I will get an omelet" it was as if he was replying to me. My son and I both laughed. :D
We headed back to the room around 10:40.
Packing up
When we got back to the room my daughter told me that the juice was working and I was pleased to see she was feeling better. We got everything packed up after that because that was the last night in the hotel. As usual when we pack up both my son and I check the room over thoroughly. This time it turned up something amusing. He found not one but three mini monster trucks under the bed! Better yet the bed doesn't have a real underside to it so I was wondering how we managed to not step on them while we were there. ^_^
Around 11:30 we were finished packing so I called the front desk and told them we were checking out. We then managed to get everything together in one trip and took it all out to the car. I packed up the car and then it was time to leave.
We got on the road around 11:45 and had just taken the exit onto 217 from Scholls Ferry Road when my cell rang. I quickly pulled over to the shoulder to answer it.
Returned Call and Detour
It was Tom returning my call from earlier this morning. By the time we left I figured he wasn't going to call so visiting was a lost cause. He called to tell me that he had just gotten up. For whatever reason the location I was at was bad and the phone kept cutting out. He was just about to tell me if I could come over or not when the call cut off. Worse yet I didn't realize it for a few seconds and it ended up wasting another 2 units off my phone (long distance costs me twice as much and I pay for each minute no matter how much of it I use).
Since I knew Tom was up I took a chance that I could come over. I got off the freeway at the next exit (Greenberg Road) and did a U-turn essentially to head back in the direction of Tom's house. Just as I was crossing the overpass Tom called again and said that I could come over but that he wasn't decent yet. I told him he had a few minutes because I was just turning around now. ^_^
So I drove all the way out to Tom's house. I wanted to give him his gift and the card before I left because I had been looking forward to being able to this weekend. I got to his house and had to fish through the trunk for the gift. Thankfully I had the sense to write out the card back at the hotel…just in case. ^_^ I found the gift and headed to the door.
As I was heading up to the door I realized that I wasn't feeling too well. I am sure this is in part from having to wolf down breakfast, rush to get ready to leave and the hurry to get going. That on top of all the energy drinks from yesterday which I am sure were having a lasting affect.
Because Tom still has a brace on his foot he isn't easily able to answer the door. So I went in when I heard him call for me to come in. I honestly don't know what he meant by not being decent because he was no different that the last Sunday I had visited him.
Anyway I gave him the gift (the Haro Ball) and the card. He was thankful for both. I was trying hard to stick to my plan to not bother him and get on my way to the convention so I was kind of not thinking much. I did talk with him a bit but I tried to keep it short. I almost forgot to give him a hug before I left too.
I mentioned that I wasn't feeling well and apologized for being absent minded.
On to the Convention
All in all my visit was only about 10 minutes and we were back on the road again. I hope I didn't give Tom the wrong impression by trying to leave so quickly, I just wanted to get to the convention so we could get as much out of our last day as possible.
We finally got to the convention around 12:20. I dropped the kids off at the main entrance and went to park the car. The garage had a sign up that said it was full. I didn't see the attendant so I pushed the button to get in anyway. I saw him as I was passing through the gate and asked if I could park there anyway if I could find a spot (because I was with the convention). He gave me the ok to look around and so I did.
I took a chance that going down was going to work better than heading up (it's the same thing that worked for me the last two times) and I was in luck. It was a whole level down this time but I found a spot. So I headed to the stairs and then out of the garage.
Dealers Room
The first place I decided to hit was the dealer's room. I really didn't have much planned for the day except for the Host Club Tea Party but I missed it by arriving so late. That turned out to be a good choice because I ran into Don almost right inside. He explained that he had not been there the day before because his daughter had found other things to do instead. He then introduced me to her.
I suddenly spotted my son and needed to catch up with him so I said goodbye to don, who was also being pulled away by his daughter. I went to catch up with my son only to find that he was practically standing next to Don's daughter. ^_^ I pointed out a few of the things I had mentioned before about the dealer's room to my Son and then left him to make his own choices.
I headed down the isles to see if there was anything new I could find. I really didn't find much and that was probably ok because I didn't have much to spend by now. I did, however, pick up 3 boxes of Pocky and a box of another snack for $1 each. If my son stuck to the game room like he did the day before he would want something eventually. That seemed like the easiest thing to get. They also had Ramune for $1 each.
Walking Around
I then headed to the lobby to see if I could find my daughter. She wasn't there but her friends Danielle and Emily were. I stopped by and said hi. They told me they were on their way out soon. They only stayed over one night and were going to leave because they didn't have much to do. They had attended the tea party, which they said was fun. ^_^
I figured my daughter was in the game room and told the girls that I would go find her so she could say good-bye. I walked over to the exit of the game room and got her attention. She couldn't leave because she had a controller or system (or both) checked out. So I went and got the girls to meet her at the door. They said good bye and the girls left with Emily's mom.
After that I walked around a bit to see what kinds of pictures I could get. Emily had shown me some of her's and so I was on the look out for a guy dressed as Captain Falcon. I spotted him heading over to the park across the street and headed over myself to get some pictures. In no time people had caught on to his costume and the entire Brawl group and started snapping pictures. They even got him to do a couple of jumps off the ledge for Falcon Punch and Falcon Kick. I walked around the park a bit more to get some other pictures and some pictures of the goings on in the park in general. There were a lot of people there and possibly people who weren't even registered for the convention!
I went to head back across the street and arrived at the sidewalk just in time for a Tri-Met worker to start telling people to stay off the tracks. I was just trying to cross the street but ended up getting talked to anyway. He didn't push me on to the sidewalk or anything though because he quickly realized I was actually crossing the street like he asked.
Save Point
I walked back into the lobby and decided to walk down the hall to see what I could find in that direction. I was actually tired but the lobby was now full of people and there were no chairs left. I was very lucky in that about half way down the hall I found an empty bench along the wall. I noticed when I sat down that someone had put up a sign on the wall that read "Save Point". I was particularly amused because I was now resting. ^_^
People were lined up along the opposite wall to get into Cosplay and I saw a person sitting there dressed as Cheese from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. They even had a recording of some of Cheese's lines that she played every once in a while. ^_^ I saw a number of costumes go by but I was too tired to run after any and the lighting wouldn't work with my little DV anyway. One that happened by, though, stopped for another picture so I captured one anyway. It was of a guy dubbed as "PonyMan" (from Full Metal Panic I found out later). It was a guy in a suit with a horse head. He had a particular way he walked and he stayed in character no mater who talked with him. ^_^
Dustin
Eventually I saw the cosplayers dressed as Jem and Pizzaz walk by again so I chased after them. In the process I ran into Dustin and Suzie quite by accident. ^_^ We talked for a while and I caught a few more pictures in the process, even pointed out the PonyMan who was heading back in our direction and watched him stay in character all the way up the stairs. ^_^ I finally ran into the guy dressed as Master Shake from ATHF and ran of briefly to get his picture. Upon my return Suzie commented that she never really saw me leave or return, I was just gone and then back. ^_^ Dustin made some rude comment during the course of our conversation and Suzie laughed because it not only didn't phase me but I went on like he hadn't said it. Hehe. She credited that to too many years around him…and she would be right. ^_^
Dustin then realized that he had brought his jacket thinking he would need it but now realizing that he was going to be indoors more than outside. One of their friends from the college Japanese class came up about that time and said Dustin could put the jacket in his room. Dustin, Suzie and I followed the guy down the hallway. I pointed out the save point that I had seen earlier and when we got to the elevators told him that I would see him later at the save point. ^_^
Wandering
I had decided earlier that I would go check out the art show, but had run into Dustin and Suzie first so I decided that now would be a good time to go ahead and go. I hadn't been to that part of the convention yet so it was an all together different section of the hotel. Sadly when I got there I found that someone I didn't want to see or talk to was in the area… so I headed back to the lobby to wait until that person left. It took a while but eventually I spotted the person at the hotel counter and headed back to the art show area while I had the chance.
The art show as sad. That's the best word I could use to describe it. There were more interesting drawing on the white boards in the room than on the actual art boards. Worse yet it took me all of three minutes to go through the entire show. -_- There was one artist who had done a nice job but they were the only one of note in the whole show. Apparently the guy manning the desk thought so too because he didn't even bat and eye when I walked in and out with my camera. -_-
I looked around at the other things going on in the rooms down that hall but ultimately found nothing. So I started to head out when I ran across Don. Apparently his daughter had ditched him finally and he was free to roam. We stood at the corner of the all way and the open area and talked for some time.
During the conversation Derald happened by. He is a guy that used to go to (and I think still does go to) NOVA. I remember him being a big help with things like set up and clean up each time. We gave him a recognition certificate during my tenure. He said hi and we talked for a bit. He now is the head of an anime club for either a college or school I am not sure but he talked about getting the funds for the convention for them. ^_^
I then also spotted Guy not too far away talking with a group of people. He was too busy to notice us but that was ok (I had already said hi before). I did find it funny though that one of the guys he was talking with had the following on his T-shirt:
Irony: The opposite of wrinkly
I was very amused by that. ^_^ After some more talking I decided it was time to move on and said my good bye's to Don. ^_^
Checking In
I went to see if I could find my kids because I don't like to be out of site of them for too long. I found my son was STILL in the gaming room so no worries there. I then walked around to see if I could find my daughter. My son had given me his items that he picked up in the dealer's room and I headed to the car to put them away. I found my daughter now in the line for Cosplay. Unfortunately it was a ticketed event and she wasn't going to get in even though she was in line. She was there to visit with her friends anyway, but asked me to pick up her book from the car so she could read while waiting.
I headed out to the garage and as I got down the stairs found a parking spot right by the stairs. I didn't even give it a second though and moved my car into the spot by the stairs.
I then took the book to my daughter and explained the deal with the cos play. She stayed for a while but eventually would move from the line. She was sad to have to leave her friends that she had just met.
Dealer's Room - Last Time
I decided that this would be a good time to spend one last go round through the dealer's room. It wasn't too late but I knew that I wasn't going to attempt to go back if I didn't find anything. I walked around the booths and eventually settled on picking up another TokiDoki figure and a grocery bag from the sesries. It's awesome and has a lot of the same characters as my purse. ^_^ Once that was purchased I decided that was it and headed out of the dealer's room.
I didn't want to carry the bag around all the time so I made another trip to the car. Once I put my stuff in the trunk I got into the driver's seat and sat there for a while resting. My feet were still sore and I was a bit tired. While I rested there I saw someone walk by and it wasn't until after they had gone up the stairs that I noticed that it was Don and his daughter. That amused me. ^_^
I headed back to the lobby after that. I walked by the line again but my daughter wasn't there. I found her in the lobby reading her book. Apparently she got out of line just because. So I asked if she wanted to go with me to lunch. She was all for that but as it turned out it wasn't going to be that easy. -_-
Attempting Lunch
First I went to the gaming room to get a lunch order from my son. I actually wanted him to go with me but he didn't want to. -_- So then I returned to the lobby and no sooner had I returned than my daughter grabbed her camera and started snapping pictures of everyone she could think of that walked by.
I sat down in the chair she had occupied in the lobby because she ran off without her things. I waited there patiently for some time. Eventually I pulled out New Moon and began to read it. I started to doze off after a while and just rested. I am sure that this went on for more than an hour but I wasn't tracking time so I really don't know. I do know that at some point she changed from just chasing down people for pictures to chasing down people and having them hold her Gaia cat (Kiki) in the pictures.
I did have to catch her early on though and make her put her shoes back on. I am surprised that no hotel staff or con staff got after her for not wearing them. I also vaguely remember watching Dustin and Suzie walk by at least twice. I didn't feel like calling after them or chasing them down so I just let them walk by. Dustin walked by a third time and even stopped right in front of me but I didn't want to bother him by making him visit with me all day so I let him go again. I found out later that he was trying to get my daughters attention (who was in front of him) but she didn't seem to notice him. I told him that I was behind when he did that and we all had a good laugh.
Nearly Dinner
I finally FINALLY got her pinned down for what was now going to be an early dinner when I suddenly had to use the rest room. We eventually did get going ot he mall but it was close to 5:30 which is close to the closing time of 6pm on a Sunday.
We decided to eat at Billy Heartbeats this time. It's just like Johnny Rockets but with a different name. I have to say that the burgers left something to be desired. The patties hardly qualified as a McD's cheeseburger. -_- Everything else was good though and we enjoyed our meal. I got the cheeseburger and they added the chili to the fries I already got with the meal without charging me extra. :D
I saw that they were starting to close up the food court so I quickly paid for our meal and headed out to find something for my son. Subway was already closed down, but Arby's was still open and taking orders. So I hurried over there while my daughter headed down to Hot Topic. I was able to pick up the giant RB for my son and then head down to Hot Topic to pick up my daughter. I had hopped to get a Pretzel but by this time it was 10 minutes past closing and they had closed. Hot Topic was still semi-open but we didn't stay long.
Heading Back to the Convention
By this time (and for whatever reason) my daughter had picked up giving people random hugs. We head talked about not hugging people without permission and she was good about sticking to it. However she seemed to be rolling down hill with this idea. In fact by the time we got back to the convention she was in full swing and trying to hug EVERYONE. -_-
We headed out of the mall using one of the main entrances that I didn't know was there before. _~_ It was on one corner of the mall so we still had to cross the parking lot to get back to the hotel but that was fine. My daughter gave out as many random hugs as she possibly could all the way back.
Once we got back I left my daughter at the entrance of the hotel still trying to hug every one in sight. I talked with her one last time about making sure that she only gave hugs to people who were ok with getting them and absolutely not to glomp or force hug anyone. I then headed to give my son his lunch.
Mission Impossible
I got to the exit of the game room and stood there for quite a while trying to get my son's attention just so I could get him out of the room to eat. I noticed that the number of Exit signs around the door had multiplied since I was there last. Some of my favorites:
404: Entrance Not Found
Once upon a time in a galaxy far far away…EXIT
Waffles wants you to know this it he exit
You must roll a 521 to use this door
I eventually got my son's attention but he still didn't really want to leave. I had to mock eat his food before he finally got out of the game room. -_- The guy manning the exit thought that was pretty funny. ^_^
I took my son over to the tables along one of the hallways to the left of the hotel front desk and made him sit down to eat. As we sat there I once again ran across James. He told me to stop following him (in a joking voice). I told him to find the guy I had been avoiding and stick with him then he would never have to worry about it. He didn't want to be around that guy either though so it was amusing. That ended up being the last time I ran across him.
My son finished his food and without hardly a second thought was on his way back to the game room. -_- I didn't even really get to spend much time with him. *sigh* I let him go back to the room with the understanding that when I wanted to leave there would be no trouble getting him out of the game room no matter what. I wasn't going to fight him like I did for his lunch.
The Hugginator
I went back outside to check on my daughter. I found her still standing by the entrance giving out hugs. I sat down on the bench by where she was and watched for a while to see that she wasn't annoying people or going overboard with the hugs thing.
Most people were more than happy to hug her. A couple of them glompped her (which she was fine with she just couldn't do that glompping.
Winding Down
The convention was winding down for me. The dealer's room had now closed for the day, there were no panels to go to so I was out of things to do. I wandered back inside after awhile just to see if there was a place to sit down or perhaps run into someone I knew. I hadn't seen Valeska or Chris all day so I was still kind of hoping I would.
As I was wandering through the lobby I saw Dustin and Suzie again. I walked over to talk with them and visited for quite some time. At some point a former co-worker of Dustin's walked up to him to say hi. He introduced both me and Suzie to her. He was blown away by running into someone from Sage there.
After talking with is former co-worker Dustin told me about walking by my daughter and trying to get her attention. I told him about seeing him pass all three times but not feeling like getting his attention. It was around this time that I spotted an empty couch!
Dustin, Suzie and I all jumped at the chance to take over the couch and occupied it for the remainder of my time at the convention. I even found a stack of pillows and buried myself underneath them at one point.
Occasionally my daughter would wander by on her Hug tour. Someone had given her a cardboard shield because they were leaving and she was now carrying it with her like a hat. -_- I just got further under the pillows so as not to be recognized as her mom.
Lonely
Dustin and I were talking and it was around this point that I mentioned that I was missing Bo. I wished he could have come but recognized that even if he was there I wouldn't have him to talk with. Even during Sakura Con he is never anywhere near me. That only made me sad.
I am sure we were on the couch for hours. I don't remember when we first sat down but a lot of people came and went. Someone (at some point because it wasn't there when we sat down) put a thing on the table with a note that read "Free for taking, Do not turn into Lost and Found". I looked it over and it was a clear book cover from One Piece for the 10th anniversary. Hell yeah I took it. I can't imagine anyone NOT wanting it!!
The Leaving Hour
I finally decided that I was done with the convention. I wanted to stay longer but it just wasn't going to get any better. So I snagged my daughter and made her sit on the couch. I put a stop to all the hugging and told her we were leaving so she needed to quit.
I left her there and headed to the game room to get my son. I had left my bag with my daughter so I headed into the game room without any trouble this time. I found my son still playing games and insisted that he turn the system and controllers back in so we could go. It took awhile to get things ironed out but he got it all put away and we headed out of the game room.
I returned to the lobby with my son only to find my daughter STILL trying to give out hugs. -_- She gave them out all the way to the car! We said goodbye to Dustin and Suzie before heading out of the hotel and to the car.
As we walked down the one flight of stairs to where the car was my daughter dropped her shield (on purpose) to the ground floor. Naturally that partially broke it. She was upset but I couldn't feel sympathy for her because she dropped it on purpose!
Dinner
I really hadn't intended to but we headed to the Red Robin down the street again for dinner. They were getting close to closing but let us in for the last half hour anyway. They even let us stay past closing.
I got all the same stuff for dinner but this time got a Raspberry shake as well. That was GOOD! :D My son got the blackened chicken and asked if they sold the spice used. Well it's apparently a restaurant secret but the girl waiting on us was ready and willing to give it out anyway. :D I said thanks but that we didn't need it that bad.
Heading Home
They closed at 10pm and we stayed until 10:30 before heading out. It was getting late and I was getting tired so I was worried about the drive home. My son sat up front with me and talked to me the whole drive home to help keep me awake. I was still drowsy but finally managed to pull it together and drive clearly all the way home.
We got home at 11:30. First we unpacked the car and then we bombarded Bo with stories for about an hour. At that point I was getting tired again and decided to let the kids tell the rest of their stories while I headed to bed. My feet were sore and my body tired so sleep came quickly.
Summary
It was a good convention. I like the openness and more personally nature of Kumori Con. It reminds me of what Sakura con was like when we first started going. Of course it's not exactly the same but still. I definitely think I want to go back. I think that at least until it gets to bigger in a few years that Kumori Con will be a nice second convention to go to.
After the swim we headed back to the room to get ready for the day and breakfast. I had gotten my son up before we headed downstairs so he was ready by the time we got back to the room. Since I was taking a shower first my son wanted me to go with him down to get breakfast without my daughter. I didn't think it was very nice but knew it wouldn't work out anyway.
I got online to check for any messages on my email before we headed to breakfast. Then my daughter told me she didn't feel well. As it turned out she had a bladder infection (just the start of one, but enough to keep her in pain). I told her cranberry juice would help if she could make it down to the atrium for breakfast we would get her all she could drink. We headed out to breakfast at 10am.
Breakfast
The line for breakfast by this time was LONG. It doesn't surprise me since it was Sunday and breakfast ends at 10:30. They were running out of everything from trays, to silverware to table space constantly. I was thinking they needed an extra person or two for days like this.
My daughter couldn't wait long and headed to a restroom in the lobby while we waited in line. That might actually have been best for her anyway because by the time she reappeared we were near the front of the line. We did actually end up with everything needed by the time we reached the front of the line. Since there was no chance for a return through the line we grabbed what we could get the first time around. I went for more eggs and less pancakes this time around. I also got some bacon to take home to our cat. :D
When we got our food and juice our problem was now where to sit. My daughter was still not feeling well so I told her just to take what she could back with her to the room. I would bring more cranberry juice later.
Meanwhile my son found a table by the water fountain so we sat there. I worked on my food and about half way through I had a bright idea. I went and got some cold cereal (frosted flakes) to eat later as a snack at the convention. I was going to be taking food up to my daughter anyway so it was all-good. On that same note I grabbed another cup (a coffee cup with lid) of cranberry juice for her as well.
I asked my son if he wanted to get an omelet because it would be his last chance. Just after I finished asking a guy walked by who said "I think I will get an omelet" it was as if he was replying to me. My son and I both laughed. :D
We headed back to the room around 10:40.
Packing up
When we got back to the room my daughter told me that the juice was working and I was pleased to see she was feeling better. We got everything packed up after that because that was the last night in the hotel. As usual when we pack up both my son and I check the room over thoroughly. This time it turned up something amusing. He found not one but three mini monster trucks under the bed! Better yet the bed doesn't have a real underside to it so I was wondering how we managed to not step on them while we were there. ^_^
Around 11:30 we were finished packing so I called the front desk and told them we were checking out. We then managed to get everything together in one trip and took it all out to the car. I packed up the car and then it was time to leave.
We got on the road around 11:45 and had just taken the exit onto 217 from Scholls Ferry Road when my cell rang. I quickly pulled over to the shoulder to answer it.
Returned Call and Detour
It was Tom returning my call from earlier this morning. By the time we left I figured he wasn't going to call so visiting was a lost cause. He called to tell me that he had just gotten up. For whatever reason the location I was at was bad and the phone kept cutting out. He was just about to tell me if I could come over or not when the call cut off. Worse yet I didn't realize it for a few seconds and it ended up wasting another 2 units off my phone (long distance costs me twice as much and I pay for each minute no matter how much of it I use).
Since I knew Tom was up I took a chance that I could come over. I got off the freeway at the next exit (Greenberg Road) and did a U-turn essentially to head back in the direction of Tom's house. Just as I was crossing the overpass Tom called again and said that I could come over but that he wasn't decent yet. I told him he had a few minutes because I was just turning around now. ^_^
So I drove all the way out to Tom's house. I wanted to give him his gift and the card before I left because I had been looking forward to being able to this weekend. I got to his house and had to fish through the trunk for the gift. Thankfully I had the sense to write out the card back at the hotel…just in case. ^_^ I found the gift and headed to the door.
As I was heading up to the door I realized that I wasn't feeling too well. I am sure this is in part from having to wolf down breakfast, rush to get ready to leave and the hurry to get going. That on top of all the energy drinks from yesterday which I am sure were having a lasting affect.
Because Tom still has a brace on his foot he isn't easily able to answer the door. So I went in when I heard him call for me to come in. I honestly don't know what he meant by not being decent because he was no different that the last Sunday I had visited him.
Anyway I gave him the gift (the Haro Ball) and the card. He was thankful for both. I was trying hard to stick to my plan to not bother him and get on my way to the convention so I was kind of not thinking much. I did talk with him a bit but I tried to keep it short. I almost forgot to give him a hug before I left too.
I mentioned that I wasn't feeling well and apologized for being absent minded.
On to the Convention
All in all my visit was only about 10 minutes and we were back on the road again. I hope I didn't give Tom the wrong impression by trying to leave so quickly, I just wanted to get to the convention so we could get as much out of our last day as possible.
We finally got to the convention around 12:20. I dropped the kids off at the main entrance and went to park the car. The garage had a sign up that said it was full. I didn't see the attendant so I pushed the button to get in anyway. I saw him as I was passing through the gate and asked if I could park there anyway if I could find a spot (because I was with the convention). He gave me the ok to look around and so I did.
I took a chance that going down was going to work better than heading up (it's the same thing that worked for me the last two times) and I was in luck. It was a whole level down this time but I found a spot. So I headed to the stairs and then out of the garage.
Dealers Room
The first place I decided to hit was the dealer's room. I really didn't have much planned for the day except for the Host Club Tea Party but I missed it by arriving so late. That turned out to be a good choice because I ran into Don almost right inside. He explained that he had not been there the day before because his daughter had found other things to do instead. He then introduced me to her.
I suddenly spotted my son and needed to catch up with him so I said goodbye to don, who was also being pulled away by his daughter. I went to catch up with my son only to find that he was practically standing next to Don's daughter. ^_^ I pointed out a few of the things I had mentioned before about the dealer's room to my Son and then left him to make his own choices.
I headed down the isles to see if there was anything new I could find. I really didn't find much and that was probably ok because I didn't have much to spend by now. I did, however, pick up 3 boxes of Pocky and a box of another snack for $1 each. If my son stuck to the game room like he did the day before he would want something eventually. That seemed like the easiest thing to get. They also had Ramune for $1 each.
Walking Around
I then headed to the lobby to see if I could find my daughter. She wasn't there but her friends Danielle and Emily were. I stopped by and said hi. They told me they were on their way out soon. They only stayed over one night and were going to leave because they didn't have much to do. They had attended the tea party, which they said was fun. ^_^
I figured my daughter was in the game room and told the girls that I would go find her so she could say good-bye. I walked over to the exit of the game room and got her attention. She couldn't leave because she had a controller or system (or both) checked out. So I went and got the girls to meet her at the door. They said good bye and the girls left with Emily's mom.
After that I walked around a bit to see what kinds of pictures I could get. Emily had shown me some of her's and so I was on the look out for a guy dressed as Captain Falcon. I spotted him heading over to the park across the street and headed over myself to get some pictures. In no time people had caught on to his costume and the entire Brawl group and started snapping pictures. They even got him to do a couple of jumps off the ledge for Falcon Punch and Falcon Kick. I walked around the park a bit more to get some other pictures and some pictures of the goings on in the park in general. There were a lot of people there and possibly people who weren't even registered for the convention!
I went to head back across the street and arrived at the sidewalk just in time for a Tri-Met worker to start telling people to stay off the tracks. I was just trying to cross the street but ended up getting talked to anyway. He didn't push me on to the sidewalk or anything though because he quickly realized I was actually crossing the street like he asked.
Save Point
I walked back into the lobby and decided to walk down the hall to see what I could find in that direction. I was actually tired but the lobby was now full of people and there were no chairs left. I was very lucky in that about half way down the hall I found an empty bench along the wall. I noticed when I sat down that someone had put up a sign on the wall that read "Save Point". I was particularly amused because I was now resting. ^_^
People were lined up along the opposite wall to get into Cosplay and I saw a person sitting there dressed as Cheese from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. They even had a recording of some of Cheese's lines that she played every once in a while. ^_^ I saw a number of costumes go by but I was too tired to run after any and the lighting wouldn't work with my little DV anyway. One that happened by, though, stopped for another picture so I captured one anyway. It was of a guy dubbed as "PonyMan" (from Full Metal Panic I found out later). It was a guy in a suit with a horse head. He had a particular way he walked and he stayed in character no mater who talked with him. ^_^
Dustin
Eventually I saw the cosplayers dressed as Jem and Pizzaz walk by again so I chased after them. In the process I ran into Dustin and Suzie quite by accident. ^_^ We talked for a while and I caught a few more pictures in the process, even pointed out the PonyMan who was heading back in our direction and watched him stay in character all the way up the stairs. ^_^ I finally ran into the guy dressed as Master Shake from ATHF and ran of briefly to get his picture. Upon my return Suzie commented that she never really saw me leave or return, I was just gone and then back. ^_^ Dustin made some rude comment during the course of our conversation and Suzie laughed because it not only didn't phase me but I went on like he hadn't said it. Hehe. She credited that to too many years around him…and she would be right. ^_^
Dustin then realized that he had brought his jacket thinking he would need it but now realizing that he was going to be indoors more than outside. One of their friends from the college Japanese class came up about that time and said Dustin could put the jacket in his room. Dustin, Suzie and I followed the guy down the hallway. I pointed out the save point that I had seen earlier and when we got to the elevators told him that I would see him later at the save point. ^_^
Wandering
I had decided earlier that I would go check out the art show, but had run into Dustin and Suzie first so I decided that now would be a good time to go ahead and go. I hadn't been to that part of the convention yet so it was an all together different section of the hotel. Sadly when I got there I found that someone I didn't want to see or talk to was in the area… so I headed back to the lobby to wait until that person left. It took a while but eventually I spotted the person at the hotel counter and headed back to the art show area while I had the chance.
The art show as sad. That's the best word I could use to describe it. There were more interesting drawing on the white boards in the room than on the actual art boards. Worse yet it took me all of three minutes to go through the entire show. -_- There was one artist who had done a nice job but they were the only one of note in the whole show. Apparently the guy manning the desk thought so too because he didn't even bat and eye when I walked in and out with my camera. -_-
I looked around at the other things going on in the rooms down that hall but ultimately found nothing. So I started to head out when I ran across Don. Apparently his daughter had ditched him finally and he was free to roam. We stood at the corner of the all way and the open area and talked for some time.
During the conversation Derald happened by. He is a guy that used to go to (and I think still does go to) NOVA. I remember him being a big help with things like set up and clean up each time. We gave him a recognition certificate during my tenure. He said hi and we talked for a bit. He now is the head of an anime club for either a college or school I am not sure but he talked about getting the funds for the convention for them. ^_^
I then also spotted Guy not too far away talking with a group of people. He was too busy to notice us but that was ok (I had already said hi before). I did find it funny though that one of the guys he was talking with had the following on his T-shirt:
Irony: The opposite of wrinkly
I was very amused by that. ^_^ After some more talking I decided it was time to move on and said my good bye's to Don. ^_^
Checking In
I went to see if I could find my kids because I don't like to be out of site of them for too long. I found my son was STILL in the gaming room so no worries there. I then walked around to see if I could find my daughter. My son had given me his items that he picked up in the dealer's room and I headed to the car to put them away. I found my daughter now in the line for Cosplay. Unfortunately it was a ticketed event and she wasn't going to get in even though she was in line. She was there to visit with her friends anyway, but asked me to pick up her book from the car so she could read while waiting.
I headed out to the garage and as I got down the stairs found a parking spot right by the stairs. I didn't even give it a second though and moved my car into the spot by the stairs.
I then took the book to my daughter and explained the deal with the cos play. She stayed for a while but eventually would move from the line. She was sad to have to leave her friends that she had just met.
Dealer's Room - Last Time
I decided that this would be a good time to spend one last go round through the dealer's room. It wasn't too late but I knew that I wasn't going to attempt to go back if I didn't find anything. I walked around the booths and eventually settled on picking up another TokiDoki figure and a grocery bag from the sesries. It's awesome and has a lot of the same characters as my purse. ^_^ Once that was purchased I decided that was it and headed out of the dealer's room.
I didn't want to carry the bag around all the time so I made another trip to the car. Once I put my stuff in the trunk I got into the driver's seat and sat there for a while resting. My feet were still sore and I was a bit tired. While I rested there I saw someone walk by and it wasn't until after they had gone up the stairs that I noticed that it was Don and his daughter. That amused me. ^_^
I headed back to the lobby after that. I walked by the line again but my daughter wasn't there. I found her in the lobby reading her book. Apparently she got out of line just because. So I asked if she wanted to go with me to lunch. She was all for that but as it turned out it wasn't going to be that easy. -_-
Attempting Lunch
First I went to the gaming room to get a lunch order from my son. I actually wanted him to go with me but he didn't want to. -_- So then I returned to the lobby and no sooner had I returned than my daughter grabbed her camera and started snapping pictures of everyone she could think of that walked by.
I sat down in the chair she had occupied in the lobby because she ran off without her things. I waited there patiently for some time. Eventually I pulled out New Moon and began to read it. I started to doze off after a while and just rested. I am sure that this went on for more than an hour but I wasn't tracking time so I really don't know. I do know that at some point she changed from just chasing down people for pictures to chasing down people and having them hold her Gaia cat (Kiki) in the pictures.
I did have to catch her early on though and make her put her shoes back on. I am surprised that no hotel staff or con staff got after her for not wearing them. I also vaguely remember watching Dustin and Suzie walk by at least twice. I didn't feel like calling after them or chasing them down so I just let them walk by. Dustin walked by a third time and even stopped right in front of me but I didn't want to bother him by making him visit with me all day so I let him go again. I found out later that he was trying to get my daughters attention (who was in front of him) but she didn't seem to notice him. I told him that I was behind when he did that and we all had a good laugh.
Nearly Dinner
I finally FINALLY got her pinned down for what was now going to be an early dinner when I suddenly had to use the rest room. We eventually did get going ot he mall but it was close to 5:30 which is close to the closing time of 6pm on a Sunday.
We decided to eat at Billy Heartbeats this time. It's just like Johnny Rockets but with a different name. I have to say that the burgers left something to be desired. The patties hardly qualified as a McD's cheeseburger. -_- Everything else was good though and we enjoyed our meal. I got the cheeseburger and they added the chili to the fries I already got with the meal without charging me extra. :D
I saw that they were starting to close up the food court so I quickly paid for our meal and headed out to find something for my son. Subway was already closed down, but Arby's was still open and taking orders. So I hurried over there while my daughter headed down to Hot Topic. I was able to pick up the giant RB for my son and then head down to Hot Topic to pick up my daughter. I had hopped to get a Pretzel but by this time it was 10 minutes past closing and they had closed. Hot Topic was still semi-open but we didn't stay long.
Heading Back to the Convention
By this time (and for whatever reason) my daughter had picked up giving people random hugs. We head talked about not hugging people without permission and she was good about sticking to it. However she seemed to be rolling down hill with this idea. In fact by the time we got back to the convention she was in full swing and trying to hug EVERYONE. -_-
We headed out of the mall using one of the main entrances that I didn't know was there before. _~_ It was on one corner of the mall so we still had to cross the parking lot to get back to the hotel but that was fine. My daughter gave out as many random hugs as she possibly could all the way back.
Once we got back I left my daughter at the entrance of the hotel still trying to hug every one in sight. I talked with her one last time about making sure that she only gave hugs to people who were ok with getting them and absolutely not to glomp or force hug anyone. I then headed to give my son his lunch.
Mission Impossible
I got to the exit of the game room and stood there for quite a while trying to get my son's attention just so I could get him out of the room to eat. I noticed that the number of Exit signs around the door had multiplied since I was there last. Some of my favorites:
404: Entrance Not Found
Once upon a time in a galaxy far far away…EXIT
Waffles wants you to know this it he exit
You must roll a 521 to use this door
I eventually got my son's attention but he still didn't really want to leave. I had to mock eat his food before he finally got out of the game room. -_- The guy manning the exit thought that was pretty funny. ^_^
I took my son over to the tables along one of the hallways to the left of the hotel front desk and made him sit down to eat. As we sat there I once again ran across James. He told me to stop following him (in a joking voice). I told him to find the guy I had been avoiding and stick with him then he would never have to worry about it. He didn't want to be around that guy either though so it was amusing. That ended up being the last time I ran across him.
My son finished his food and without hardly a second thought was on his way back to the game room. -_- I didn't even really get to spend much time with him. *sigh* I let him go back to the room with the understanding that when I wanted to leave there would be no trouble getting him out of the game room no matter what. I wasn't going to fight him like I did for his lunch.
The Hugginator
I went back outside to check on my daughter. I found her still standing by the entrance giving out hugs. I sat down on the bench by where she was and watched for a while to see that she wasn't annoying people or going overboard with the hugs thing.
Most people were more than happy to hug her. A couple of them glompped her (which she was fine with she just couldn't do that glompping.
Winding Down
The convention was winding down for me. The dealer's room had now closed for the day, there were no panels to go to so I was out of things to do. I wandered back inside after awhile just to see if there was a place to sit down or perhaps run into someone I knew. I hadn't seen Valeska or Chris all day so I was still kind of hoping I would.
As I was wandering through the lobby I saw Dustin and Suzie again. I walked over to talk with them and visited for quite some time. At some point a former co-worker of Dustin's walked up to him to say hi. He introduced both me and Suzie to her. He was blown away by running into someone from Sage there.
After talking with is former co-worker Dustin told me about walking by my daughter and trying to get her attention. I told him about seeing him pass all three times but not feeling like getting his attention. It was around this time that I spotted an empty couch!
Dustin, Suzie and I all jumped at the chance to take over the couch and occupied it for the remainder of my time at the convention. I even found a stack of pillows and buried myself underneath them at one point.
Occasionally my daughter would wander by on her Hug tour. Someone had given her a cardboard shield because they were leaving and she was now carrying it with her like a hat. -_- I just got further under the pillows so as not to be recognized as her mom.
Lonely
Dustin and I were talking and it was around this point that I mentioned that I was missing Bo. I wished he could have come but recognized that even if he was there I wouldn't have him to talk with. Even during Sakura Con he is never anywhere near me. That only made me sad.
I am sure we were on the couch for hours. I don't remember when we first sat down but a lot of people came and went. Someone (at some point because it wasn't there when we sat down) put a thing on the table with a note that read "Free for taking, Do not turn into Lost and Found". I looked it over and it was a clear book cover from One Piece for the 10th anniversary. Hell yeah I took it. I can't imagine anyone NOT wanting it!!
The Leaving Hour
I finally decided that I was done with the convention. I wanted to stay longer but it just wasn't going to get any better. So I snagged my daughter and made her sit on the couch. I put a stop to all the hugging and told her we were leaving so she needed to quit.
I left her there and headed to the game room to get my son. I had left my bag with my daughter so I headed into the game room without any trouble this time. I found my son still playing games and insisted that he turn the system and controllers back in so we could go. It took awhile to get things ironed out but he got it all put away and we headed out of the game room.
I returned to the lobby with my son only to find my daughter STILL trying to give out hugs. -_- She gave them out all the way to the car! We said goodbye to Dustin and Suzie before heading out of the hotel and to the car.
As we walked down the one flight of stairs to where the car was my daughter dropped her shield (on purpose) to the ground floor. Naturally that partially broke it. She was upset but I couldn't feel sympathy for her because she dropped it on purpose!
Dinner
I really hadn't intended to but we headed to the Red Robin down the street again for dinner. They were getting close to closing but let us in for the last half hour anyway. They even let us stay past closing.
I got all the same stuff for dinner but this time got a Raspberry shake as well. That was GOOD! :D My son got the blackened chicken and asked if they sold the spice used. Well it's apparently a restaurant secret but the girl waiting on us was ready and willing to give it out anyway. :D I said thanks but that we didn't need it that bad.
Heading Home
They closed at 10pm and we stayed until 10:30 before heading out. It was getting late and I was getting tired so I was worried about the drive home. My son sat up front with me and talked to me the whole drive home to help keep me awake. I was still drowsy but finally managed to pull it together and drive clearly all the way home.
We got home at 11:30. First we unpacked the car and then we bombarded Bo with stories for about an hour. At that point I was getting tired again and decided to let the kids tell the rest of their stories while I headed to bed. My feet were sore and my body tired so sleep came quickly.
Summary
It was a good convention. I like the openness and more personally nature of Kumori Con. It reminds me of what Sakura con was like when we first started going. Of course it's not exactly the same but still. I definitely think I want to go back. I think that at least until it gets to bigger in a few years that Kumori Con will be a nice second convention to go to.