[430] equipment request

console

< Piro >

"ehh? where? what?"

Wednesday - July 2, 2003

I suppose I should have been trying to relax a little and enjoy one of the few months this year that I wasn't traveling somewhere... but we all know that the alignment of the planets is never in my favor... June is over, July is here. Eep.

I've been trying to take a more relaxed approach to rants, partly in an effort to increase the number of them, but this rant is gonna be one of those chock-fulla-info rants, so bear with me. Or, you can just click on Komugi-chan above and discover the wonderful wrongness of the world of Nurse Angel Witch Komugi-chan (she might seem somewhat familiar... :P)

First off, I REALLY wish I was going to Anime Expo this weekend. I would love to have the opportunity to meet Yoshitoshi Abe-san, but alas, it wasn't to be. Dom, will be there, as well as a lot of Megatokyo merchandise. ^^;; Wizzywig will have a good selection of t-shirts, posters, books and other stuff available at their booth, so be sure to check it out.

Speaking of merchandise, all sorts of new stuff available in the Megatokyo / ThinkGeek store. First off, the long awaited Broken Miho poster is available, as well as the Ph34r the Cute One's poster. Also coming very soon is the new ph34r the cute one's t-shirt - here's a preview of it. Should be up in a few days.

Also coming in a few weeks are Megatokyo lanyards, and I have a sample of the new Miho blanket arriving for me to look at tomorrow. The blanket should be available sometime late august.

Also of note and in the works is a complete revamp of the girls t-shirt line, including a new style of shirts that fits better - not all girls are junior sized, after all ^^;;. Yes, some of the classic MT designs will be coming out in ladies versions. Other stuff is in the works as well, but that's enough pimpin for today.

Next on the agenda of things to cover is convention appearances.

Coming up fast is San Diego Comic Con, which is July 17-20 in San Diego, California at the San Diego Convention center. I've teamed up with Greg Dean from Real Life Comics to get a exhibitors booth at which we can park ourselves, sign stuff, draw pretty pictures, sell t-shirts and books and posters and stuff (my first taste of doing retail myself... my god, what a headache). Seraphim and I will be there for the entire show, and the booth number is 4805 (which is somewhere near the Artist Alley area)... now, one small problem - I can't FIND the booth on the map they gave me, so please be sure to check here just in case they gave me a bogus booth number ^^;; Also of note, there will be an honest to goodness, Megatokyo panel on Sunday July 20th at 11:30am to 12:30pm, in Room 18. Seraphim, myself, Dom, Ukyo and a few others will be on hand. I'll be sure to provide more information as we get closer to the show, so please be sure to check the site before you go. This is the only California appearance Seraphim and I will be making this year, so be sure to stop by if you are in the area.

In August I will be traveling to two conventions. First, we once again descend on Otakon in Baltimore, Maryland from August 7th -10th. Otakon this year will be particularly special - we will be doing our 2nd installment of Naze Nani Megatokyo, and if we fill the room we're getting this year... I'm gonna be scared. ^^;; Of special note for this year's Otakon, also attending as guests this year are Gabe and Tycho of Penny Arcade and Madsen of Little Gamers - all the way from some European country. I'd like to use this opportunity to scare them as much as possible, so MT cosplay is encouraged. :)

A few weeks after this Seraphim and I will be off to Toronto, Canada to attend Canadian National Anime Expo. I'm going to see what I can do to have some shirts and stuff available for Canadian fans. More info on this as we get closer to the show.

September is free and clear (sort of) but October get's really busy. Seraphim and I will be at C-kon in South Bend, Indiana, October 3rd-4th. We'll be there Friday night in time for the Charity event, and then there all day Saturday.

Now, if you remember last year there was talk of a lecture that I had been invited to give at Dublin University in Dublin Ireland (by the Dublin University Internet Society). I wasn't able to do it last year because things were way to busy, but this year, after an invite from the folks at Ayacon (an anime convention in the UK) I'm in the process of firming up dates and travel plans that will enable me to take care of both on the same trip. I'll be attending Ayacon in Northampton, UK from October 31st to November 2nd and them moving on to Dublin to give a lecture on 'Publishing your Creative Works to the Web' on either November 3rd or 4th. More information as we get things firmed up.

After that, well... gah, that's enough. I still have to do things, like, the comic and stuff. I was originally going to try to get to Winter Comike in Japan this year, but I've postponed those plans - I just don't have the time or resources to go yet.

In closing, if you remember a few weeks ago I mentioned that there was more information coming regarding book 2 and IC Entertainment - I apologize for the fact that it has been yet another several weeks without further information, but please be patient, I'll be providing more information as soon as I can.

I think I should try to get ahead a little... yeah, like that will ever happen :)

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< Seraphim >

"Sad girl in Sand"

Monday - June 30, 2003

[Seraphim] - 09:55:00 - [link here]

I haven't been in the sun at all for the past two years. The doctors say something about auto-immunity disorders and the sun being bad. The past two years has been nothing but ankle length skirts, pants, sunscreen and hats. I felt guilty when the tops of my feet got tan when I wore sandals. Well, I have religiously stayed out of the sun for two years and it hasn't made me any better so I figured why not risk it? Besides, I always heard about the sun and Vitamin D and something about calcium absorption and not getting rickets. Life is all about the lesser of the evils.

Despite my mother being 100% Irish, I, thankfully, took after my dad's Slavic side and have a relatively dark complexion. Even with my complete abstinence from the sun I am darker than most people. Piro on the other hand is as pale as a newborn infant. Like using white shingles on a roof, I actually use Piro to reflect sunlight away from me he is so pale.

We leave for San Diego Comic-Con in two weeks and I need to make sure he is toughened up. I picture him arriving in California and stepping into the street and spontaneously combusting in the sunlight. I dragged him poolside for some Vitamin D. We stayed out reading in deck chairs. He is reading "Wind-up Bird Chronicle" and I read the "Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls" (expect a rant in the future about that). We were out about an hour. Oops. I have to say I have never seen a sunburn quite this color before. It must be the red of his skin and the fact you can see the bluish venous blood through his super pale skin making him so purplish. I have to say that I, on the other hand, look fabulous.

He has to get used to it anyways because once I am finished with my graduate degree in library science next year we are outta this cold climate. I have one more winter left in me and then I am finished. As much as I dread hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfire, mudslides, sink holes, and every other natural disaster that seems to befall more temperate climates - I dread Michigan winters more. Then there are Michigan summers which are just as humid, even during our numerous draughts, as other parts of the country that don't get snow. Michigan - the armpit of the Great Lakes.

Besides, I figure Piro is the stereotypical super geek who NEVER goes outside - what does it matter where he lives. All he needs is an internet connection to work. We could live in the tropics and if I put a picture of snow scenes in the window he would never know the difference. He doesn't do any winter sports and goes outside EVEN LESS (if that is possible) in the winter. Sorry guys, it is going to have to be 'Sad Girl in Sand' in the future.