Finally, an airport with a real free wireless connection!! (P.S. I GUESS NOT. It dropped me from the connection and now the network isn't even showing up. Hm, maybe they just overloaded from all the travelers trying to make connections... gah, did I just make an airport pun?!)
Continuing from my previous entry. I did indeed make it to the fursuit parade, and in fact got almost all of it on video with my camera. Tripod? Um... Okay, so my hands weren't exactly steady for a while, and I did get rather unprofessionally silly at a few points, but I'll find some way of getting it online. I'm sure I wasn't the only person recording the fursuit parade, and others no doubt had tripods... but still, I could see if that Youtube account I vaguely remember having works out.
Most of Saturday was spent blowing wads of cash in the Dealer's Den and hanging out with friends I either hadn't seen in a year, or hadn't seen ever. You know how it is with Anthrcon. ;)
At 6:30, our room hosted a pizza party with oodles of pizzas graciously donated by Jery Softpaw. Thanks, Jery!! When the time got closer to 8:30, Alex and I headed out to watch the comedy stylings of 2 the Ranting Gryphon and Jibba Foxcoon. As Sponsors, we got to sit in the front seven rows (think we were in the fifth row back) and wait in the short Sponsor/Supersponsor line instead of the amazingly long line for peasants. XD
It was utterly awesome. Alex and I found Kinky Turtle in the line and pored over his sketchbook of wonder! Then the show itself was merry and mirthful as well. Afterward, many of us (Alex and I included) saw fit to crowd into a nearby room with far less seating (the Ballroom had to be vacated for the dance) to watch 2, Kage, Jibba, Prismo, and a long-haired "scapegoat" engage in gut-busting drunken improv. Incredibly, Cargo Weasel had saved us some seats in the front row! There were only two, so Alex and KT sat in the chairs and I got the floor right in front of Alex, which was still cool. There, I met Axiom for the first time!!
After side-splitting improv stylings, Alex apparently acquired a souvenir in the form of a cork wrapper from one of Kage's wine bottles. I lost track of Alex and KT at that point, and Cargo and Axiom led me to the stairway in the ballroom. As we approached, we noted the flashing lights, thumping music, whirling glowsticks, and green lasers at the front of the ballroom. Having just had a cup of water, we thought, "What the hell?" And so we danced. It was great.
When we made it back to the room, the party was winding down and KT had sketchbooks out for the delighted perusal of Alex and I. They were busily sketching in each others'.
Sunday began with another delve into the Dealer's Den, in which Alex met an artist he'd been wanting to meet, completely at random at the concession stand. We walked together for a bit before splitting off, Alex and I heading towards the Robofurs panel while the artist (whose name I can't remember, though I'm sure Alex would be swift to remind me) went off to another.
The robot doggies and dinosaur were adorable!!
We went to the Iron Author judging and readings, where we discovered that Alex had totally misinterpreted the spirit of the competition. He scored an 18 out of 25, the highest score of all the submissions. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), this was due to his story being too entertaining and good... the competition was to make the WORST story ever made, and apparently even Alex's "Grimbly Snooker Blaghnummy" stylings are too hilarity-inducing to be truly awful. The "winners" that were read aloud used enormous amounts of clichés of bad writing. Now that Alex knows what they're looking for, I think he'll have something actually wretched next year... which will still entertain at least me.
After that we returned to the room, where I remembered I'd wanted to introduce Alex to Phoenix Wright. He got partway into the second case before leaving it to pack his bags, so that may be a good sign. :)
Soon enough, though the party was in full swing, Alex had to leave to catch his train. I accompanied him to the train station so we could chat right up to the goodbye by the platform. No movie wave *from* the platform though, we just parted at the doorway onto the platform. We hope to meet up again sooner than Anthrocon 2009, somehow.
After I returned, I carefully packed my bags, ending up in bed at 1:30am with the full knowledge that I would have to wake up at 4:30 to make the bus to the airport and be there 2 hours before the departure time.
Unlike some previous trips, I had absolutely no problems with security, no problems catching the bus to the airport (well, I didn't quite know where the stop was, but I asked some people walking around and found it with minutes to spare before the bus arrived), and everything seems to be going smoothly.
I just hope that I didn't leave anything in the room, or forget anything else, and that my luggage doesn't get lost. I already forgot a plushie I'd wanted to bring (still at home, not left in the hotel, to clarify) and left behind some XL size diapers to leave enough room in my luggage for all the items I bought at AC. And I thought I'd forgotten toothpaste, but merely didn't recognize the tube when I first opened my hygiene kit.
And now I'm at the airport, and they're probably going to board the flight any time. I'll post this, then check the departure time for any delays.
If I had to complain about one thing about Anthrocon, it would be Pittsburgh water. Tasted like chlorine and blood. Next year it might be a good idea to try to snag some bottled water from the CVS down the street soon after arriving (no way am I going to use up travel weight on that, not on an airplane. On a camel, maybe... ;) ).
P.P.S.
( OH. MY. FUCKING. GOD. )
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