Con season is almost here and I couldn’t be more far from “Yippee!” It’s come to light recently we won’t be attending any anime conventions this year thanks to a deer and our Civic tangoing after dark 10 miles past Carbondale. While we really would love to attend every single con in the continental US, it’s simply not possible to do this year round. Even with some financial wrangling the guys at Enron would be proud of, the numbers still come out as a con no-go. Bummer.
I know many fans are die-hard con goers and forgo even the basics, such as food and a bed, to attend cons. On the second day of the con I always see people eying my food the way they would a scantily clad cosplayer. That and the kinked necks suggest sleeping arrangements akin to a shoddily stacked set of Lincoln Logs. That’s dedication to the con spirit, but at my ripe old age of 31, dedication is running from panel to panel, staying up late to update the site and interviewing whoever I can whenever I can.
I can’t see myself sharing a room with any but my closest pals and I’ve gotten attached to eating at least once a day. I also suffer from an acute case of Princess and the Pea Syndrome. It’s a horrible malady which makes it impossible for me to sleep on anything that doesn’t have at least six inches of padding, i.e. a mattress.
When con season rolls around, are you ready for it? Were you scrimping all year and living off ramen to save for a convention? Have you saved up big time for the big cons, or are you going to buy a ticket and wing it from there? Do you have a con ticket and a hotel but can’t pay the rent? Are you set to converge at a convention or are you the guy with the sign, “WiLl GloMp fOr FoOD?” Do you go without meals? A bath? A room? Merchandise? What do you sacrifice to attend a con?
Share what you’ve forgone, or will forgo, to attend an anime convention in the comments below!
April 28th, 2008 at 10:47 am
@Summer, does your co. pay for a private room? See, now that would be luxury. A private room, one in which you don’t need earplugs to get a decent night sleep, is a generous perk.
Last year,when we went con hopping, we roomed with another site associate, and he snored, loudly. All night. Never again. There are very few people I can ever considering rooming with, and sadly, they don’t even like anime.
April 25th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Well, my company pays for it now, but before I had a corporate card, I think it was mainly privacy and real food. I’d room with several people I didn’t even know and stock up on cheap eats at Target rather than pay for food anywhere near a convention center!
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:01 pm
@Rachel
Well I live in seattle so it wasn’t to horrible but sickness means you need MORE sleep so that was suckish…I’m already thinking about my next con!
April 22nd, 2008 at 5:06 pm
@Caitlin, That’s rough. I do understand it a tiny bit, but I can’t even imagine what’s it’s like for you, though. There are some things I don’t think I like too much about a society that would ostracize someone for their legal entertainment preferences.
April 22nd, 2008 at 4:49 pm
@Rachael: Can’t…it’s during work days and it’s nearly impossible to take those off unless you’re sick. And possibly dying.
Plus, if everyone found out I like anime enough to go to a con, ostracism at work.
April 21st, 2008 at 9:12 pm
@Rachel, Yeah, I can see that. That’s why I like all my friends. We all go over to each other’s houses and watch the new releases of anime, and keep tabs on each other on MyAnimelist.net and such. I strong agree with bringing your own food. The food offered at cons(if they so exist) are extremely expensive.
I’m sorry that you can’t make it to any cons West-coast side this year.