Cosplay USA

It’s here, whether you like it or not! The burning log on the TV started several hours ago. It seems like it burns longer each year. For those of you who have no clue what I’m talking about, they play video of a fireplace burning a log on TV and play bad Christmas songs with it. They’ve been doing this for years…

I have to say I like the holidays. I like to wrap up presents and use ribbons and bows frivilously. Also, I love bad holiday movies like The Santa Claus and Home Alone 2. Gift baskets are great too. Some people think they’re corny but not me. I love bath stuff and those wierd food baskets of crackers, meat, cheese, jelly, and whatever randomness they can find. Love it love it love it!

I can’t say I like the cold though. Also I know it’s not the happiest time for everyone. I try to make it happy for everyone I can. Even my guinea pigs and cats get gifts. Tonight we fed the feral cats that live in a parking lot down the street. Peace on earth, and giving to all. No matter what you believe or how you think of it, happy holidays to all! :D

Wow!!! Madonna in concert. I never thought I’d see the day. Naturally I figure they’re sold out instantly so I don’t even try to buy tickets. I worked at the show and got to see her.

The show was very flashy and she was playing songs from all different eras. She even played a new remix of Human Nature. She had an electric guitar and the version was more rock-like. While she was singing she would dance with and hump the guitar and flip off the audience. What a diva. :D

I heard she usually goes on anywhere from half an hour to an hour and a half late. Why, because she can and I’m sure she has lots to arrange and has to sneak in the place. Who knows. Doesn’t matter though; people will wait. She’ll be playing in Oakland again tomorrow and I think I’ll stay longer tomorrow since I’m taking the long train ride home anyhow.

I manned a free souvenier photo booth and showed off the new Blackberry Bold. There were lots of people dressed up cool and everyone was a pleasure to be around since they’re so excited. She’s still playing right now and I’m at home kicking off my high heels. I saw a girl I went to middle school with and lived in my old ‘hood. That was cool. :D I remembered her name but she didn’t remember mine. Not surprised. I was just the wierd girl. I remember all sorts of things…

Anyhow, Madonna looked fabulous and the lights, dancers, and costumes glittered like crazy. It was too much! Now I’m remembering watching her old concerts on TV and she’s always had a lot of dancers. I’ll definitely have to watch more tomorrow…

Amusement Points: 11/10. Yea! That’s right!

Now I wish I had a movie to watch. Not worth going out in the storm though.

I went up to San Francisco today to film with Viz again. Last time we filmed in San Diego and it was much hotter. I’m not really one for “cold” but I was grateful for the ocean winds today. Public Transportation in San Francisco sucked as always. Nothing broke down today and no misinformation was provided, it was simply a case of going way out of the way to get somewhere.

Performing in large costumes is very exhausting. I feel like I’ve needed to eat more than usual to recover and I’d like to sleep more to recover but that will not likely happen. I will get to sleep in Friday. Wait. I need to finish a commission. Things are neverending!

I also need to decide which upcoming Friday I can model again for ConceptArt.Org. Thank goodness I didn’t have to carry as much stuff around the city today as I would have to for the Art School. I did get to carry a few goodies home too. I love Viz. The people are great and they released Nana in the states.

My only regret today is that I didn’t get more pictures. I don’t like to carry a camera around and I treat my role more professionally than opportunal tourism. I also respect the privacy of the project. Besides, it just gives me a reason to return to the area to take pictures, relax, and sightsee when I have more time.

Well, it’s that time of year again. Yaoi-Con. It’s the official Yaoi convention of the United States. Ok, so not officially but it might as well be.

What is Yaoi? The best way I can describe it is bishounen “beautiful men who often love other beautiful men”. They call Yaoi-Con a “celebration of male beauty”. I call it a bunch of frothing fan girls and pretty boys desperate for attention. For that reason, I usually don’t go or support the convention. Celebration usually consists of tying the beautiful men up and beating their asses with paddles.

I don’t appreciate or support the objectification of women, therefore I don’t support objectifying men. That’s just how it is. However, I don’t push my views on others and I don’t believe the convention is truly damaging in any other way but morally. So if the following activities interest you, I encourage you to attend.

There will be a small dealer’s room (already sold out), Bishounen Auction (paying to “own” a man for a night), Yaoi Bingo (prizes and men stripping), a Swap Meet (fairly appealing), a Sunday Brunch, Gaming Room, and more. It will be held at the San Mateo Marriot this time; the same venue as Con-X-treme was held. The hotel is already sold out.

In the past it was held at the Renaissance Hotel in San Francisco. The previous hotel was very nice; perhaps too nice for this sort of event. We were constantly ushered around and kept from accessing other parts of the hotel. It’s almost like they didn’t know what they were getting into by becoming the Yaoi-Con venue.

The convention will be held Sept. 26-28, 2008. The rates are actually very reasonable compared to some other conventions and they are based upon the day length and activities scheduled; $10 Friday, $35 Saturday, $25 Sunday - or $60 Full Weekend.

Sound like fun? Find more info at: http://www.yaoicon.com.

Yes that’s right folks… Halloween is coming and you can’t stop it. The stores are starting to fill up with candy and bad wigs. Several “Haunted” attractions are opening up also. It’s a great season to get a part time job haunting a house or selling costumes. Unfortunately it doesn’t usually pay that much unless you’re in a management or coordinator position, and people with that calibur of work experience usually can’t dedicate 2-3 months to it then back to nothing. I wonder if some people work all seasonal jobs and switch up with the season. :O

There are some great deals for costumes online. One of my favorite online stores has really cool costumes for women $20 and under. They’re all the popular costumes from the past few years. Some are still pricey though if they are bulky. If your costume is coming from E-Bay, ORDER NOW! Trust me… D: If it’s from a different continent, order a month ago. :D

I don’t expect many trick or treaters this year. I think the whole trend is going to hell, no pun intended. There could be many reasons for this; new cultures in USA that don’t celebrate Halloween, safety concerns, health consciousness, etc. If you have an opinion on this, please feel free to comment.

Most costumes these days are simply used for school, special events, parties, and mall trick or treating. I really hated mall trick or treating when I worked at the mall. Back in 2002 or so I dressed as Dejiko from Digi Charat. No one understood. They all thought it was cool looking but really had no idea. Since they had no idea, I just wore a blue wig (Yes, Deji’s hair is green). Nobody came to shop and I had to work the night alone; they all just wanted candy which we soon ran out of. I guess mall trick or treating is the “new, better” alternative. Maybe I’m just old school but I think kids should have to hike through the dark to get their candy. The point of Halloween is to be scared, not spoiled. That’s my two pennies…