Tora-Con 2011

Busking on Sunday

For the past three years, I've been going to any Anime Conventions close enough to my location, that I can afford and fit in my schedule. Now, I don't really watch Anime or read manga. I've only read one series in it's entirety (DeathNote), and Clannad is the only Anime I have seen more than 4 episodes of. But, this weekend I was lucky enough to find myself at my third Tora-Con anyway. So, my Tora-Con Recap.
The Day Before Day One: Unlike my first two cons, I pre-regged, so the recap being the Friday night before, where I got to go pick up my badge. Lines were minimal, due to a large number of them, and I caught up with many of my friends, to plot for the next day. (Then I went to Erin's B-Day party, which had cake. Yay.)
Day One: I got there around 10. I pranced with Erin over to Metalworks, where I ended up making a flower pin, and we met Alex. Then was the long wait to get into the vendors room [where I identified a Doctor Cosplayer behind me, by the sound of his Sonic Screwdriver, and took many shots of those walking past.] Inside, I got to see a wide variety of hats, wigs, costumes, jewellery, manga, Japanese foods and clothing. The one manga I would buy wasn't there (or should I say they had 1 & 3, but not 2.) BUT, I bought a fantastic shirt, with a Vial of Zydrate (from 'Repo! the Genetic Opera.') I found myself watching 2 different animes, one making no sense what so ever, and the other being FMA. I have now seen 3 episodes of it, and feel incredibly enlightened... Or, maybe conversations about it just make more sense? I partook in anime charades, had a bit of caffeine and got over 300 photos. Plus, Erin helped me in my first real encounter of the Final Fantasy game series. All in all, a success.

Day Two: It started with Busking (a more comprehensive story of such being here). I spent four hours with Melis, Tiffy & Alex, playing the guitar and singing. It was quite amusing, and so many people got a kick out of the sign I put in my case, that I doubt I would have made as much without it. The four of us then went to listen to a hilarious comedian, who was right about Disney, Cats and Wolverine. Basically, he made my day. As the the milkshake Alex got me, and the Anime Movie we watched, "Summer War." It wasn't what I expected, but I enjoyed it. (Funny thing is, it showed up in charades the day before.)
TL;DR: I had a fantastic time, with Melissa, Erin, Alex, Tiffy, Alyssa and all of my other friends. I learned more about what many of my friends talk about, had a blast busking, and was exhausted afterwards.

I'm working on getting the photos online, so the next post should include all of those. I'm off to do nothing, and then be productive. No rush though, because it's Spring Break!

Sarah

August is Over

So, a few things to talk about. There is band camp, school, projects I'm working on, moving (or not), and some ladies you should check out.
First, band camp kicks ass. I love it, marching and playing, messing around with friends and messing with freshman's heads. We're doing a medley of "tommy" by the Who, and it really is fantastic. I march with the Bari sax though, and the bari bra harness isn't the most flattering comfortable thing to wear. But still, I'm having a blast, as I always do. We went bowling, which is a tradition, and I had loads of fun, and did some gesture drawings of bowlers, which was oddly amusing. Yay!
I'm now a SENIOR! I am SO excited! I love school, learning about things I never thought I'd understand, and getting better at writing and math. But, alas, I detest the social aspect of it all. I'm hopin' now that we're all seniors, we will get along better.
So, I have like, 4-6 paintings in the works, I guess? But a large part of me wants to paint over them and start over. Story of my life, really. I haven't had time to paint recently, with band and lessons and hanging with Taylor. But, I've been taking a lot of pictures (none that I like, but still.) and have drawn up a storm. I need to do a new sketch dump, and soon introduce you to Salazar! Gosh, I love sketchbooks.
Speaking of Taylor, she isn't moving! Which is wonderful. We haven't any classes together, but she's staying 10 minutes from my house, on foot. We can still have sleepovers and go to biglots. We can paint and sing, and goof around at 10 at night. Can you say Huzzah?
Oh, and I thought I'd share a blog that I follow every once in a while. You know, my favorites that I think you should check out. First, you should check out I still can't tell which ones are weeds. It's written by an art teacher/letterpress printer. She seems to dig a lot of things I do, art wise, so I think you should check her out.
Then, stop on by Dancing Tales, and read what comes from the mind of my favorite ginger. She's a very good friend of mine, and I think you'll like the way she thinks.

So, I'm going through the extra shots I took at the state fair, and it is taking ages. I'm talking about the more candid shots I took. But, I found one that I really like. You may see more later, but if not, here is one of the most adorable photos I took at the fair:

(Click for larger view)

With Love and a Song,
Sarah

PS. Some Songs I listened to While Typing this:
[x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x]