This post was started on 3.30.08

I got home a few hours ago from a weekend in Seattle at Sakuracon (which I can now pronounce correctly)! It was crazy great amazing fun times! This is going to be a long descriptive post, with pictures. =D And some complaining…

 

Con-prep:

 

Thursday!

I woke up just a short time before my alarm would have gone off, to a phonecall from Tia. She was excited, but sort of paniced because here friend Tara that was crashing with us for the first night had just called to say ‘We’re on our way’. Leading us to believe she was bringing her friend Jessica that they sort of discussed sharing the cost of the room, but as Tia told her that she would have to tell her ahead of time so she could okay the extra person with me, it never was confirmed, and hadn’t been planned at all. We decided whatever, they would both have to pay $20 then for the room. Just a while later, another phone call from Tia confirmed that she had actually brought her friend, and though we were both frustrated, we didn’t know what to do about it so we just said whatever and were way too excited about the weekend to freak out about it.

After some final packing, putting everything in the car, a good last hour of FK, and double checking stuff, I headed to Mt. View where I printed off directions to the hotel, and then went by the bank to deposit some cash into my checking. After that I swung by Taco Bell because in my excitiment earlier I realized I hadn’t eaten anything and didn’t know when the next chance I would have to eat would be. So I headed to Oly with my chicken quesadilla and diet pepsi. I got to Tia’s house and we all piled out stuff into the drunk, and the two others girls in the backseat and Tia up front with me. We went over to Safeway to get snacks because we didn’t want to have to constantly buy food when we were hungry up in Seattle. When we were all getting back into the car after that, my jeans like… died. They ripped from my waist band to near my knee. I have NO idea how, because they weren’t incredibly tight, and I did notice there was a tiny hole where the rip started that morning when I put them on, but it was just ridiculous. So we rushed back to Tia’s house which is luckily just a block away so I could put on a different pair of jeans. Then I filled up with gas, and we were off on I-5! About 40 minutes into our drive we stopped in Federal Way for a bathroom break at Target, and I bought a cute pair of blue cargo-ish shorts. Tia got some makeup and a bag I think…

After that we finished the drive to Seattle smoothly, and got to the hotel without getting lost. We got our stuff out and car in valet, then found out that our hotel room was already ready for us, so I checked us all in and we went up to the room. After a couple hours of just hanging out and unpacking just briefly since we were only there one night, we all headed over to the convention center to get our badges and schedules. The pre-reg line was pretty long. I think we stood in it for about an hour, but it wasn’t too bad. Though the room was ridiculously warm… After getting our badges we went back to the hotel and the other girls turned on the tv to cartoons, and Nickelodeon, and really stupid shows. Tia and I went through our schedules and highlighted things we wanted to go to and see.

While all just sitting around the coffee table later, we started playing rummy which lasted for a while. During so Tia reminded the two that they still needed to pay me $20 for the room. To this, Tara proceeded to rudely try to inform Tia that she had not mentioned having to pay for the room. Uhm… I am positive Tia told her, and more than once. I explained this, and that I was there when they were meeting to film their movie for Japanese class, and we had told her then. She made some lame excuse having to do with having had too much caffeine that night, but they both handed over a $20 to me.

After the rummy game ended, Jessica fell asleep and Tara went to wander around downtown Seattle. (Yeah, she’s smart.) Tia turned on the Mariners game (ew) and we cooked noodle bowls we had bought earlier. After eating I went into our room and talked to Chris on the phone for a while. Tia and I also tried on our costumes just for fun, making sure everything was looking right for the next day. Tara got back and claimed the shower, then Tia used it, then I decided I should take a shower that night because we would be rushed in the morning. After showering I was exhausted and decided to try to go to bed a little after 10. I don’t think Tia and I actually got to sleep until a bit after midnight, or 1… We just kept laughing, and trying to build rooms in our mind to make us tired. Yeah, that was just too funny to work. All this while Tara and Jessica had left again and were wandering around or something… I don’t even know. They came back and proceeded to stay awake while Tia and I finally fell asleep.

 

Friday!

We got up about 8:30 even though the alarm was set for 9. Way too excited to go back to sleep I guess!!! We got into our costumes, did hair (or wig), and makeup, put our badges on, then made sure we had everything we needed (including 2 double shots) in my shoulder-bag before heading to the convention center with Jessica, who had come back to grab something while we were getting ready. It was funny walking to the convention center even though it was just a few blocks away in costume, especially since there was no one else in our hotel lobby that was an obvious cosplayer.

Upon arriving we tried to head right up to opening ceremonies since we were running a few minutes late, but people were like ‘Omg! It’s Team Rocket!’ and we kept getting stopped to ask for our pictures. It was sort of crazy how many times we got stopped on the first day for that. We finally made it to the room where we went to sit fairly close to the back since it was already quite full, though we hadn’t missed anything since they were still finishing up a sound check. We listened to the opening guy, watched the opening video, met a Misty and Meowth, and listened to part of another guys speach before deciding to leave. We went back down to the first floor where we found a seat by the window and made the first part to our Friday video (which I’ll post later when it’s done) while drinking our much needed double shots.

[1.7.08: AND I SHOULD HAVE FINISHED WHILE IT WAS ALL FRESH IN MY MIND, BUT I TOOK A TOO LONG BREAK HERE AND CAN'T REMEMBER DETAILS ANYMORE...]

We pretty much just walked around and looked at stuff until we had to go back at 11:30 and change hotels. After a long ordeal of getting our stuff packing into the car, and getting the car put back in valet, with lots of weird looks from other hotel guests, we headed back to the convention for the pokemon photoshoot.

 

(Tia, random James, random Grunt, & I)

Do to some insane weather (SNOW!) and no one showing up outside, we found quite a few others gathered inside on some steps. After a 5-10 minute photoshoot…

 
(Friday pokemon shoot. Stupid Seaking…)

…we sat around for a little bit, then walked about the vendors room. Lots of… interesting stuff in there. I ended up buying a pair of cat ears even though that’s slightly out of character for me, but they’ll be great for Halloween and I loved how they were on elastic instead of a headband so they sort of look like they are coming out of your head, despite their sparkling purple colour and ribbons. We went down to sit at an area with tables due to sore feet, before deciding to get coffee and something to eat. After finishing our coffee and food, I called The Paramount Hotel to see if our room was ready a bit early, and it was.

Tia and I headed back to The Camlin to get the car out of valet, and headed to the other hotel. After getting our car (finally) in valet there, Tara came to get some stuff she had left in the car, and was informed due to a statement that she intended to hang out in our room since she and the girl she was rooming with at the new hotel had a arguement, that she couldn’t and that she needed to use the room she payed for, which wasn’t ours.we headed up to our new hotel room which was in fact, new, and smelled horribly like chemicals. Windows were opened and the fan turned on promptly. We unpacked some, and by unpacking, I mean randomly spreading out our stuff. Tia took a shower while I uploaded our pictures from the day, then I started on her hair soon after.

(Tia before the Masquerade Ball. So pretty!)

It took about an hour to put it all in small tight curls. Right as Tia was going to leave, Tara & Jessica came up to our room and Tara just grabbed some stuff she had forgotten to take earlier, and Jessica came to ask if she could crash on the floor for a couple hours. I was planning on taking a nap, but said sure, and ended up just doing my hair (triple barrel waves) and makeup (lots of glitter!) and talking on AIM while Tia was gone. During this time I was educated on what ‘raver candy’ was and given a few bracelets by Jessica who I guess is a regular raver… She then proceeded to straighten her after I was done with the mirror.

Jessica’s friends finally got to Seattle and she left to take her stuff and meet up with them, about ten minutes before Tia showed up after the two hour Masquerade Ball with ‘Alanna… Do you have clothes on?’ or something like the sort. Hah! A guy had walked her home, Eli, and she had brought him up to the room. (I was fully clothed, yes.) He hung out for five to ten minutes, leaving his red electrical tape he had used on his costume, and got his hair caught in that Tia had to untangle for him. Tia got ready for the rave, and while we were putting glowsticks on, Tara came up to walk over with us. Another reason I bought cat ears, is because the first rave was called ‘Neko Ball’ so I thought they would be quite appropriate for such.

We got to the rave just a little after 8, and I danced a bit before I kept getting dizzy and feeling quite sick, and had to run to the bathroom finally when I thought I might actually get sick. I ran out of the rave not noticing the line to get back in, so Tia was left confused when I said I’d be right back then was gone for so long while having to wait they were letting in one by one as other people came out due to the maximum occupancy of the rave. When I finally got back in, I sat down in the back for the next hour and a half and txted with Chris. Also, while dancing, I wore flip flops due to comfort but getting pulled into a conga line of sorts, I lost my shoe, though it was retrieved about 10 feet away finally. Hahaha! Finally Tia said we could go, and so we left. It was FREEZING COLD on the walk back to the hotel, which we got back to at about 10:30 I guess. We made Friday video part 3, then attempted sleep for a good hour before getting there. Tia still was quite energetic even though I was dead tired, but we didn’t try any building rooms… 

 

Saturday!

We slept in till we just had time to get ready then leave to be at the first photoshoot at 11:30, though we actually drank our double-shots in the room that morning. After getting to the convention center, that one photoshoot turned into about four, maybe five, throughout the whole afternoon.

 
(Three of the photoshoots, then the pokemon breeds hard at work! Oh my!)

We then headed down to the Taco Del Mar for lunch and met another Jessie & a James in line, where we waited a good ten minutes atleast to order and get our food. We headed to where we know empty tables always were and it happened that the Team Rocket we met in line had the same idea, so we all ate together. After Tia getting pictures of them, her and I headed to the karaoke room by my suggestion to see what was going on. We got there as a song was being finished, and took a seat behind a few guys, one dressed up as ‘L’ that I guess was in the karaoke room dancing for four hours straight that day… We only got to witness this sugar-high kid for a couple songs though. As we were looking through the karaoke book for the pokemon theme song, it came on!!! It was such an odd coincidence that we came there RIGHT before some guy and girl who you couldn’t hear were performing it. Then the guy in front of us sang some really dorky song. Ultimate Showdown or something? While two guys danced in the background, though I totally thought one of the guys was a girl, but that happens a lot at Sakuracon. Haha!

(Sakura-con! Yay!)

I still wasn’t feeling amazing all day, but after the brief karaoke observing at 3-4 I needed to head back to the hotel. Tia wanted to stay at the convention which was fine with me, so I headed back to take about an hour long nap before Tia came back as well. Oh, but not before on the way back, I stopped in the hotel restaurant in costume to make a reservation for that evening. I got some intense looks there… We just hung out and watched some news (I think?) until we headed down about ten minutes before our reservation. Dinner was really good. I ordered spring rolls that we split, and I had chicken yakisoba. Tia had some thai noodles with stuff I can’t remember. Oh, and she ran back up to the room right after we got there to get her passport, so she could order a drink. Sake Drip? Something like that. After eating way too much, especially for having been sick so far that weekend, we headed back up to the room to do hair. I curled Tia’s hair again but made them a little more looser and big instead of the tight more formal looking curls. Then still having my hair in pigtails from cosplay, I just put some lose curls in them and left it at that.

We got to the rave about 10:30, and had to wait in line for a little to get in, but it wasn’t too bad. Nothing like the line I waited in the night before. When entering, we were once again were not marked with a highlighter, because we are both not minors! (Who they kicked out after 1am). We quickly started dancing once we got in the rave, and did so for a while. I wore my black strap-flats, which I thought would be comfortable, but I had crazy-bad blisters within a few hours. After the minors were kicked out, Eli and his friend Alex (who Tia and I decided was sooo gay, and so cute, but the huggable sort of cute. hahaha!) came and danced with us in our little…group? We sorta made a circle I guess? I don’t know. There was limbo going on on the floor which we watched because they were going CRAZY low. Like they were flat on the floor but pulling themselves forward with their knees. It made my MCL hurt just watching, but the guy who was running it wanted everyone involved, so he pulled Tia & I from the circle and significantly highered the rope to a couple inches below my height, and made us go under. First time I’ve done limbo since my injury! Oh, and the rave got Rick Roll’d! ROFL! Three times too! But the first was the best because I was like OMG THEY JUST RICK ROLL’D US! And I took a video of the screen and txted Chris ASAP! There was also a dancing circle at one point later in the evening, after 2 probably, where there was some fairly good dancers. Then it got kind of ‘whatever’ and Eli then Tia went in the circle for a few moments of freestyle dancing? I guess that’s what you would call it. Oh! Also after the minors got kicked out, they had dancers on the stage the whole time but before 1am they were dressed fairly well and weren’t dancing that intensely. BUT after 1am, they brought out these two who as you can see looked sorta like stripped, and danced, sorta like strippers.

(Rave dancers post-minors)

There was just the lack of clothing removal. The girl in pink sorta looked costumed, but the other one just looked like a stripper! Lol! But it was way funny too. At about 2:30 I finally had to stop dancing because my feet were KILLING me, but Tia stayed on the floor another hour with Eli. Alex and I awkwardly sat by the wall until he left to go dance again, though the whole time at the rave this kid had his ipod on… and was listening to his own music. Hahaha!

Finally we all left at about 3:30 and they walked us back to the hotel where we parted at the elevator, and they went to catch a cab. I didn’t even bother taking my makeup off when we got back to the hotel room I don’t think, just went to buy a bottle of water, then came back to change and go to bed.

 

Sunday!

We woke up at 10ish maybe to pack while watching some of The Wedding Singer on TV, then wait forever after I checked out to get a cart up to our room, then even longer to get my car. The valet guy wasn’t helpful when I asked to leave the car there until 3pm which we were told was alright at the front desk. It was just they were so busy with checking out they didn’t want to put it back in valet so the guy was making it sound all trouble-like, so we just packed it up and went to park in the convention center parking garage across the street from it which was only $7. I just had to run into the convention one last time (in normal clothes for the first time) and get a present for my cousin Xenia that I’d been meaning to purchase all weekend! After looking around, I decided on a manga called Fruits Basket, that I thought she’d like and as I remember the anime was fairly appropriate. And the books only said 13+, which works even though she’s 10, she’ll handle it fine. I got her books 2-5 because they didn’t have 1, but I can get that at a bookstore here.

We left after that, and got on I-5 North to head up to Shoreline to Tia’s dad’s house where we were invited for a bbq that afternoon. We got there in about 10 minutes and then waited around for an hour or so, on our laptops and playing with the cat, for the food to be ready. After eating Tia sat around and visited a little more before I said we should be going. I did have to drive home still, and was dead tired. We left there about… 5:40 maybe? The drive back was easy, no traffic at all, and we made amazing time from Shoreline to Tumwater in an hour. Uh, no, we weren’t speeding at all… Then after a little bit of time spent at Tia’s house (grabbing my ripped jeans that I left there) I came home to a very betrayed looking cat and a wonderful feeling bed!

I’m SO looking forward to Sakuracon 2009!!! And if anyone actually read this whole thing… Wow… Yeah, just wow. Tia, did I miss anything important?

Note: I didn’t take all the pictures I used… But I forget who I stole them from since I saved so many.