Curiosity Killed the Cat

So, KKD, which con should I attend next year?
1) AOD
Pros
- San Francisco
- Small, intimate setting
- We run it, so we take good care of ourselves
Cons
- Short duration
- Not everyone staffs
- Timing (I will be in SF end of December, so to go back end of January is a bit much)
2) AX
Pros
- Long duration
- Everyone and their dog shows up
- Gong Show
Cons
- Los Angeles
- People tend to be more stressed out with staffing

Regardless, I'll get a hotel room and be an attendee, although I expect a comp badge from one of you folks.

Mucho thanks to catsonmars for introducing me to my new favorite j-drama: Haken no Hinkaku, or better known as Surly Temp Worker Takes On The World. I found ENGLISH subs (sorry nanakaoru!) at Crunchy Roll (Here's ep 1!)

I shall be spending the next day finishing my recovery of con plague by endulging in SURLY TEMP WORKER!

In AX news, nothing much to say that hasn't been said, except I hope next year Karaoke room gets better A/C coverage (we were the only room where it seemed to cut out. Go fig.) Also, staffing K2 is awesome, I loved the small size and more intimate feel.

Also, possibly first con where I never set foot in the exhibit hall. Seriously though, what would I have bought? I have moved on to spending greedy amounts of money on BBC box sets (well, I will if they ever release Life on Mars in R1...)

Also also, (also wik?) I must remember to add those two Animaniacs songs to the KKD database (Nations of the World and US Capitols) -- if we've got Disney and Simpsons and soon to be South Park, those Warners need some representation too!

Edit the first:
HOLY CRAP THE NATIONS IN JAPANESE. This song DOES NOT WORK in Japanese. Seriously. No. But full of awesome too.

A version that incorporates pink. I don't want to totally shed the red, since red and black are signature AX colors, but I do like the red with pink center version (the pink with red center looks kinda, uh, ghostly I guess.)
( Picture under the cut )

( On Friday, I... )
( On Saturday, I... )
( On Sunday, I... )
( On Monday, I... )

So that they're not lost to obscurity...

1) The "I lost my last $20 in the dealer's room" sob story - catsonmars and kiyone will have to flesh out the full story, but it went something like:
"I'm sorry I have to call you because you're in San Diego but you're the only person I know in this country and I just lost the last $20 I had; I didn't want to be tempted to spend it in the dealer's room so I sewed it into the lining of my costume but my stitching was shoddy so it fell out; anyways, I'm sorry to call you but I need a ride to the airport because that last $20 was supposed to be for my cab fare; now I'll never get back to Canada!"
2) "What about 'worst specialty con ideas'?" "One night at Gurocon: OH NO! MY EYE!" (laughter) "How do you know what I'm talking about?!" "I WAS CURIOUS!!!(embarassed)"
3) "Pocky and pizza, together at last!"
4) "Mmm, yuri flavored pocky! Tastes like fish!"
5) That growling "Grayayayyayayaya" sound.
6) "Yeah, that Gina girl is crazy!"
7) "We'll have an international incident!" "No officer, I don't know how those Mexicans got into my car!!"
8) "DON'T SLEEP EVAR" - written on a hallway sleeper's arm
9) "Axidol - doesn't it sound like some kind of drug?"
10) In regards to AcousiKaraoke Contest's group winners playing a Gackt song: "This is the ONLY time we condone Gackt."
11) Singer for above group, before performing this song: "I pretty much hate Gackt to, but the good thing is, since I'm singing, you don't have to think of Gackt, just think of me." (Fangirl)"But I LIKE Gackt!" (Singer)"Then think of Gackt!"
12) "Karaoke staff stole my acne medication!"
13) "OMG IT'S FROM JAPAN THAT MEANS IT'S AWESOME!!!"
14) "I LOOOOOOVE Japanimation!"
15) "What do you mean it's not legit! It's even got CHINESE subtitles!!!"
16) "What do you mean it's a bootleg? It's REGION 0!"
17) "Tell me a story of the guy who got banned from IRC."
18) "OMG it's Crispin Freeman!"
19) "OMG some guy named Crackpr0n just told me that none of the characters from 'Megatokyo' are virgins!!" "No, they must be INNOCENT and PURE!"
20) "My mom is DEAD!" (Background: catsonmars and Ska went to see if they could find some liquor, and saw a giant magnum of wine, to which Ska said, "That's what my dad used to like. He was an alcoholic," and catsonmars went, "Oh that's good: 'was'." Ska: "No, he's dead." (laughter) Later during open mic karaoke, kiyone was flubbing on some Utena lyrics when Crackpr0n booed her out with an insult to her mom, to which she replied, "My mom is DEAD!" The crowd did a collective gasp of recoil, and kiyone had to quit because she was laughing too hard. Later Ska told her, "We're going to hell" to which she replied, "Just like our parents!"
21) "I AM the SPJA!" *hissing and evil Sith-Emperor-like hand waving*
22) "Mikey! Do your karaoke stand impression!"
23) "The words and actions of Mikey do not in any way represent the feelings or stance of Anime Expo, Karaoke, or the SPJA."
24) (During AcoustiKaraoke contest) "Please move away from the doors. We have plenty of chairs that are open, and plush. The fire marshall is NOT open, or plush." (Dom)"Prison is not open or plush either. However, the prisoners might find YOU open, and plush." (Mikey) "How come HE can get away with saying stuff like that?!"

Other memorable moments:
1) Wind + cowbell
2) Spokey Dokey + harmonica
3) Curry House 2 nights in a row
4) Dinner with the WC-gumi
5) My first time watching the annual "let's watch people try to set up a tent in catsonmars's back yard"
6) kiyone's coasters from Ikea
7) The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, I mean, the liquor bottle shaped like a holy hand grenade of antioch
8) Holy Hand Grenade + kiyone's coasters
9) Hallway of sleepers photographs
10) The chicken bourgeois, and the alliance between Table 2 and Table 3 during yakitori
11) The slip of paper from an idiot otaku who thought the "Whose Line is it Anime" suggestion box was really an "Anime Expo" suggestion box.
12) The 'coon in catsonmars's backyard
13) Vic (the voice actor for Edward Elric/Full Metal Alchemist) entertaining the crowd with the keyboard left on stage after AcoustiKaraoke while the judges set up how to give out the prizes
14) FuKu meetup
15) catsonmars getting lost going back to his own house. (Of course, that was because he had to take a random exit to fix his door, and it happened to be an exit where there was no on ramp in COMPTON, but still, when all 3 other cars arrived BEFORE, it's pretty silly. Especially because even kiyone arrived first and SHE got lost too.)