Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii...

I should've blogged yesterday and/or I should've uploaded the panel handouts today (handouts which, to be honest, are nearly identical to the handouts from AB, just search the May archives; otherwise, I'll link to them later in this post). But my cousin bought one of the last boxes of Wii at Wal-Mart yesterday, and it's just been crazy in front of the television set all night. Hey, I ain't buying one, so it's one of the few chances I get to play pretend bowling or pretend golf, and I'm going to take it.

Anime USA was a very good con. I have long outlived anime (that is, I still follow the titles I've followed when I was in junior/high school, while the newer ones are, well, not so much), but I still love going to an anime con. If I ever need a commission, it's one of the few chances I can go shopping for one. This particular convention had a great turnout for the main Japanese panel, with nearly every seat filled; our supplementary panel was relegated to the last time slot on Sunday, however. A con's Masquerade on Saturday night isn't always the meanest competition, compared to the five or six closing events on Sunday afternoon that a panel moderator has to compete with (plus, we had the Geek Comedy Tour right across the hallway, and I know they had a good turnout). No worries, I think I counted twelve or thirteen attendees who wanted one last lesson, so I'm happy with that, given the circumstances.

If you did attend my panels this weekend, please remember to shoot me an email or comment here and tell me what you thought; Katsucon is in February and I have an application pending, so it is important to know what went right so I should keep it and what went wrong so I can dump it. Mass education has so brainwashed students with the idea that their ideas don't matter, I'm saying it does, so please type up a few thoughts for me. Thanks!

Still in MD now, but I'll be taking a slow, deliberate drive back to campus for class later on tonight. Save a space for me, Waffle House.

Life is a highway

I'll be heading to MD tomorrow afternoon, and from there it's off to VA for AnimeUSA. The 5th edition of Japanese Language Basics (Anime Expo New York, Anime Central x 2, Anime Boston) will take place Saturday (1-4PM) and Sunday (2:30-4PM).

I've decided that the model lessons will be similar, if not exact, to those at Anime Boston earlier this year. Meaning, the handouts will be the same but I've taken into account suggestions and advice for better presentation. There might be a new lesson on Sunday (and if you're really good, I could slip in a second new lesson on Saturday), but that's going to be close to a game-time decision. All handouts will be found on this blog as well.

I'm going to try something new, as the conversation I had with four or five attendees after the last model lesson at AB ran an hour past the end time; if you'd like to talk about Japanese and Japanese culture (or at least as much I know about it and what you can tell me about it that I don't know), I invite you to join me for lunch after the Saturday and Sunday panels. Nothing to RSVP, but if you're interested, just stick around and we'll head someplace to continue any discussions left over from the end of the panel.

Alright, that's all. I'm going to pack now.

McCain watch

The Senate is ours. Will Sen. McCain follow through on his pre-election pledge to off himself?

I can see the 2008 ads on flip-flopping now.

The day after

This is one of the few times where the diaries on DailyKos seem lame (i.e. the front page has "We Are the Champions," lyrics modified to reflect Democratic victory), and Free Republic becomes very easy to look at, what with all the Republicans and conservatives running gravel through their hair or scolding Americans for exercising their democratic rights ("they screwed with my security big time!").

It was a good night.

A federal election in the United States

Well I can stand beside ideals I think are right
And I can stand beside the idea to stand and fight
And I do believe there's a dream for everyone
This is our country
There's room enough here for science to live
And there's room enough here for religion to forgive
And try to understand all the people of this land
This is our country
- John Mellencamp, Our Country


They finally got this song on iTunes.

So yeah, I heard it first on all those car commercials. I think I only counted one picture "from the East coast" (the towers of light post-9/11); everything else said, "I'm a cowboy, my kid's gonna be a cowboy, time to go to the rodeo." Not exactly a complete picture of America, and if John Mellencamp wasn't in it, I would've thought he would've had concern with the imagery.

Yes, we all know you people in the flyover exist. You're the people we go to for some fresh apple pie. Just don't forget the rest of us either. We matter too. We're the science, the ideals, the "help the poor and common man" parts of the song, and something tells me you ought not to mind that. So this Election Day, we're going to serve up a big reminder: we're Americans too, and we're not going anywhere. Outvote us if you can, but nothing's going to force us off the stage. You can join us, or not. It's up to you.

Three men in the booth

Dave O'Brien, Eric Wynalda and Bruce Arena (whose team's elimination from the playoffs frees him to run his mouth a bit more before the season's out), set for the Eastern Conference Championship on Sunday afternoon on ESPN2.

One will be calling the game to salvage his professional soccer broadcasting career (unjustified salvage, in my opinion), while the other two will probably be exchanging punches while DC and New England play for the Eastern spot in MLS Cup. Airhead versus hothead. Mano a mano.

Must. See. TV.