It’s ANIMU CON time for me again, the only convention I really attend a year anymore that isn’t PAX, and even then, I work as convention staff each year. Because honestly, attending conventions as an attendee got boring after the second or third Otakon I went to long ago. For someone like me, who isn’t a pleb when it comes to the chinese cartoons, you really go to hunt for uncommon-to-rare merchandise you are too lazy to import, hang out with other super nerds, meet some interesting people, and laugh at everyone else. It’s like live-action riffing. Or something.
So that being said, Katsucon Twenty happens again next weekend at the Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center in Maryland. I work the Art Show, located down in the exhibits section alongside Artist’s Alley, Dealer’s Room, and Video Games I think. Alongside me are my awesome wife who continues to support my overall terribleness, and long-time fellow staffers and friends, as we work to put on another year of wheeling-and-dealing in custom anime and game artwork and crafts. This will be my tenth year staffing, since 2004, and my eleventh year going to Katsucon, since 2003 (KatSNOWcon 2003). The only year I missed was the COMEBACK TOUR year at the Hyatt Crystal City due to staffing restrictions and budget battles of the time.
So what does this mean for you sorry lot? Well, like last year I’ll be providing some live-tweeting and post-editing on the blog of whatever interesting happens on the way to and from, as well as during. This year the trip gets to happen in my new(ish) 2011 Mazda3, so that is pretty exciting, especially as I get to rate its gas mileage on the trip. Under my old Neon, it took three tanks of gas to do the trip down and back, my fill-up point was right before the end of the NJTP, in both directions. With a range of about 400 miles on my new car, and a total trip of 360 miles, it could theoretically do it on one less tank round-trip. That’ll be the interesting goal. Of course, we still stop anyway for food or breaks, which I use to top off the tank, but the trip computer will tell what the final MPG is for the route by the end.
Anyway, more on this next week. Have to get through my four-day work week first, and that is always a horrid affair when you’re looking forward to a trip. But I have Monday blocked off as a recovery day, so four-day work week the following week as well. Splendid.
