Anime Expo 2010, part 1
by V.E. on June 30th, 2010
filed under anime/manga
Some preliminary thoughts:
I love anime. I’ve loved anime since the time I surfed past an episode of Sailor Moon (the first season) on Toonami and then went back because I just couldn’t believe a guy (with long, wavy dark brown hair) would go to an (apparently abandoned) church and talk to the… galaxy/universe… which was represented by stars and solar systems inside the church. (I’m not even joking, either.) Yeeeeah. I flipped past it thinking, “Uh, what? Weeeeeird.” And then I went back anyway because it was just too strange not to watch.
I’ve watched hours and hours of anime. I was the Anime Club president for two years at my alma mater and helped found Diplocon, an anime and gaming convention in the city where my undergrad is located. In high school, I went to Anime Expo religiously since the year I found out about it. I’ve cosplayed and written fanfiction based on anime and certainly read a ton of anime-based fanfiction.
I’ve had long, drawn-out conversations about the benefits and weaknesses of one character’s powers against another character’s, which anime is best suited for a new watcher, where someone can get the best yaoi, and the complete mindfuck that is End of Eva. I follow numerous episodic blogs, ANN, and other anime-related websites… I have an anime/manga category on this site for a reason, after all.
Right, so all this is to say: I love anime, and I have a history that proves this. Now to get to the point of this post.
And that is: I’m not super-enthused about going to Anime Expo 2010. I’m just admitting it right now so as to get past the “OMG are you really a diehard fan if you don’t want to attend AX?” Well, the answer is: if you think that attending all four days of Anime Expo does a diehard make, then no, I’m not one. But if you think a diehard is someone who loves anime and never gets tired of it and annoys other people with her obsession with it, then yes, I definitely am one.
That said, I’m still going for Friday and Saturday (admittedly, the two most popular days to attend). Expo has the Exhibit Hall, the mecca of all the anime/manga crap you could possibly want, old or new, original or fan-made, DVD or keychain. It has screening rooms, a manga library, panels, workshops, Cosplay Chess for crying out loud; what anime fan, in all honesty, wouldn’t want to go to at least some of that? (If there is one, I don’t know about him or her, that’s for sure.) It’s anime 24 hours a day for 4 days straight. It’s like the ultimate, giant All-Night Anime.
I’m going to take pictures (and post a few here, in part 2, after the con), buy stuff (if I can find my debit card), and bask in the anime geek glory that is AX.
Gotta get my nerd on.
Jack
by V.E. on June 30th, 2010
filed under lost/found
My dad went to Jack in the Box today for lunch and was awarded this receipt. Notice the “Eat In” number, circled in blue at the top. When he showed my sister, she asked, “What are the chances of that?” and he responded nonchalantly, “About one in a thousand, probably.” When he showed it to me, I laughed and said, “Dad, you ordered the Devil!”
The Past Week via Twitter: 2010-06-27
by V.E. on June 27th, 2010
filed under twitter
- off to schoooooooool for claaaaaaaaaass. #
- first day of class wasn't so bad. not really what I expected, but not bad. #
- gotta get to class earlier tomorrow than I did today; I was 15 minutes late. also, so I don't forget: Postcrossing, Joan's letter, Starbucks #
- hells yeah today is a good day. #
- I got a joooooooob today. Go me. #
- @animeexpo yay! I subscribed so I won't miss a thing. in reply to animeexpo #
- omg hahahaha died laughing http://youtu.be/rw9lY1eTKt4 #
- okay, I need to write an English or Italian sonnet or a villanelle in iambic pentameter. any suggestions? #
- WRITING IN CAPS MEANS YOU'RE YELLING. #
- omg I just wrote THE worst villanelle ever. I'm not joking. #
- work on villanelle = fail. Joan's send off = win, and by "win" I actually mean "fail" because we're losing the best Minister of Music ever. #
- Now off to a new adventure tomorrow: class, then first day of work. Have to wear black on black! I'll let you know how it goes. #
Letter to Joan
by V.E. on June 27th, 2010
filed under beauty, personal, spirituality
Praise the Lord in the holy place;
Praise him in the firmament.
Praise the Lord for his mighty acts;
Praise him for his excellence.
Those are the first four lines of a song from “Cool in the Furnace”, a children’s musical that Joan directed in 1995. (If you don’t know the story, you can find it the first three chapters of Daniel.) In the musical, I played Abednego, one of Daniel’s three friends who are literally thrown into a furnace that’s been heated seven times hotter than normal for refusing to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s golden idol. I had one speaking line, which was “NO! We will not worship your idol” right before Shadrach, Meshach, and I were thrown into the fire. I’ll let you read about the story in the Bible to find out what happens.
“Cool in the Furnace” helped instill in me more than just a love of Converse shoes. In Children’s Choir, I learned to love music. Since you offered your resignation, I’ve been wracking my brain to come up with something to say 
to you that portrays accurately what you’ve given me since I was a little kid. There are two things I like about myself for sure, no matter what the circumstances are. The first is writing, and I hope this letter does my skill justice. The second is singing. And I realized something recently: Joan, you taught me that.
I have the apparently unique experience of having sung in Children’s Choir, Miriam Singers, and Adult Choir here at this church. In each experience, you managed to combine teaching, music, and actually having fun. You’re hands down the best choir director I’ve ever had, and I’ve had several. And you did all that learning, singing stuff without losing sight of the ultimate goal: to praise God. That’s amazing to me. While in choir with you, I learned to breathe from my diaphragm, stagger breathing, alto and soprano parts, how to pronounce words while singing, and to enunciate. I learned that it was okay to make a mistake as long as I was working hard and striving. And through all the rehearsals and dress rehearsals, restarts, run-throughs, and “one more time”s, you never forgot the entire point, which was, and is, God.
Joan, your serious commitment to so many children and adults week after week can’t have been an easy job. Thank you for loving the people under your direction, especially me, and bringing us to God through music. I feel closer to God when I’m singing than any other time, and you taught me that.
[NOTE: The Minister of Music at the church where I grew up resigned from her position this Spring, effective today, 27 June 2010. We had an evening service for her to wish her well in her future endeavors, where I read this letter to her in front of the congregation.]
Saturday Afternoon Poetry
by V.E. on June 27th, 2010
filed under recap/review, school, words, writing
“In Between” lyrics
by V.E. on June 23rd, 2010
filed under lyrics
SONG: In Between
BY: Linkin Park
Let me apologize to begin with
Let me apologize for what I’m about to say
But trying to be genuine was harder than it seemed
And somehow I got caught up in between
Let me apologize to begin with
Let me apologize for what I’m about to say
But trying to be someone else was harder than it seemed
And somehow I got caught up in between
Between my pride and my promise
Between my lies and how the truth gets in the way
And things I want to say to you get lost before they come
The only thing that’s worse than one is none
Let me apologize to begin with
Let me apologize for what I’m about to say
But trying to regain your trust was harder than it seemed
And somehow I got caught up in between
Between my pride and my promise
Between my lies and how the truth gets in the way
The things I want to say to you get lost before they come
The only thing that’s worse than one is none (x2)
And I cannot explain to you
And anything I say or do or plan
Fear is not afraid of you
But guilt’s a language you can understand
I cannot explain to you
And anything I say or do
I hope the actions speak the words they can
For my pride and my promise
For my lies and how the truth gets in the way
The things I want to say to you get lost before they come
The only thing that’s worse than one is
Pride and my promise
Between my lies and how the truth gets in the way
The things I want to say to you get lost before they come
The only thing that’s worse than one is none (x3)
Day Three hundred nineteen
by V.E. on June 23rd, 2010
filed under powerof5
—
01 Landed a job after some serious legwork. Hells yeah.
02 The job thing gets two spots because it’s that awesome.
03 Was NOT late to class today! Whew, dodged a bullet on that one.
04 Working on Joan’s letter; things are coming together. More soon.
05 Every time I hear “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?” arranged by Z. Randall Stroope, I get all teary-eyed.
