Saturday, other than some Diablo II before I left the house, consisted almost entirely of spending time over at the kids’ place. We watched anime part of the day, then I helped them set up Neopets accounts. I sort of wonder how “into it” each of them will become.

Because Wendi’s gig was at the coast and ran well past midnight, I didn’t get home until about 3:30am Sunday. This wouldn’t be so bad, but I had made plans that involved getting out of bed at 7:00am! Somehow I managed to do exactly that, and made it to a breakfast gathering arranged by some fellow Tribe-dot-net members.

It was at the Hot Cake House. How could I say no?

Breakfast was good, and at least half of that was on account of the company I kept: Lil’, Daria and Rich, and a wacky guy I’m sure I’ve met previously but don’t remember where or when by name of Edward, along with some others who arrived later. Unfortunately I was too tired and out-of-it to really engage in the Napkin Puppet Theater. Shame, really, ‘cause ordinarily I’d have had some real fun with that. I’m sure Edward thinks I’m a hopeless stick in the mud.

Oh wait, maybe I am. Hmmph. But hey, you haven’t lived until you’ve seen two Napkin Puppets going at it 69-style. Er, or maybe not. Heh.

After breakfast, Lil’ was kind enough to ferry me over to the office, where I started a massive email purge. Once everything was copacetic there, we took off for her place to hang out before meeting up with Jak & Karawynn for lunch. That was another nice little social gathering, and those two always seem to gravitate towards the trendy little dining spots that I would ordinarily never seek out. I’m such a greasy-spoon maven, I swear. Anyway, it was another nice little gathering that included Geoffrey, the younger of Lil’s demonspawn, and another local Pooligan, Larry.

I had to swing by the office once more to make sure the purge had gone well (went from 94% to about 86%, woo hoo!) and then we all trekked back to Lil’ and Geoff’s place to generally hang out and veg, complete with making fun at a really (really really) bad movie running on SciFi Channel. I’d have stayed longer, especially given that all sorts of guests dropped by during the 8:00 hour, but I was running on very little sleep… so I finally had to beg off and get home to crash out.

And so, here I am. It’s Monday morning, and I have risen but I refuse to shine just yet…

I’m not really up for coherence tonight (and I hear all half-dozen of my regular readers asking, “This is different from normal exactly how?”) but here’s a few tidbits of amusement from my second anime convention weekend experience:

• If you’re going from Portland to Seattle and you don’t drive, take Amtrak. Seriously. It’s comfy, relatively quiet, and your fellow passengers are several cuts above the riffraff you get on an average Greydoggie run.
• Not to put too fine a point on it, but there’s something damned nifty about sharing a hotel room with just a significant other and nobody else. Yeah.
• The AMV contest Friday evening fired up my enthusiasm to make videos again. I saw a truly kick-ass action video, two great comedy videos and a few side-splittingly funny parody trailers. Hmm, that’s not a bad idea… I haven’t done one of those yet…
• Trying to fill a minor, if useful, staff function when you’ve got a head cold is difficult at best. Let’s hear it for antihistamines and decongestants!
• Some girls just should not wear fishnets. Sorry, but it’s true.
• Some boys just should not wear fishnets. Period.
• In an alternate universe, I’d probably dress up as an anime character at a convention. This alternate universe would be one in which I possessed a whole lot more money and something resembling style and/or flair.
• Speaking of cosplay, I managed to avoid catching a glimpse of Man-Faye. I count this as one of the many not-so-minor blessings from this past weekend.
• I went up with a spending budget for nifty trinkets. I came back having spent it on foodstuffs. I’m not entirely certain how that happened. Then again, almost nothing I saw at the merchandising booths grabbed my attention. Those objects that did were simply out of my affordable price range or were of the “I don’t really need it” variety. Take the Onegai Twins poster set, for instance, or the Fullmetal Alchemist art book… okay, so I’m still sort of agonizing over that one…
• If I ever do the “photo monkey” gig again, I will get my hands on a better camera. Argh. ‘Nuff said.
• My phone was frequently out of service. Near as I can tell, the Hilton considers blocking cellphone reception to be an added feature of one’s stay. Le sigh. If you tried to call and I didn’t answer, now you know why.
• Did I have fun? Yes, I had fun. Am I glad I went? You bet I am. Will I go next year? Um… ask me again in a few months.

So there you have it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to download more AMVs and kick back to relax for one last evening before getting up for work in the morning…

Back when I worked at my old job as a mail clerk and package shipper, I got sick constantly. I knew then that the job was just a bit too much for me to deal with… but hey, what’s wrong with working open to close, Monday through Saturday? Right?

Since I got this new job about six years ago, I haven’t really been sick that often. I get the occasional cold, and I’ve had the flu only a couple of times. So why, now, does my body have to betray me in the days before I leave for Sakura-Con?

Yep. I’ve got a sore throat, the telltale swollen glands, and a moderately unpleasant little cough that won’t quite go away. Lovely, just frelling lovely. I leave tomorrow morning for five days in Seattle with a few thousand anime fans and my girlfriend. This is gonna be a blast…

The email server crashed again today… which pretty much sums up Monday at work in a nutshell. I did, however, get to do lunch with Lil’ and Lyse. Can’t go wrong there, eh? Much blushing and teasing to go around, like usual.

As for the weekend, I spent Saturday afternoon and evening at the kids’ place, and Sunday goofing off at home. Again, same old same old. Maybe I really am a creature of habit.

Look for a big break in the routine this week, though: I’m going to Sakura-Con on Thursday, and I’ll not be home until Monday night. Woo!