2012 Convention List

I realized after making this list that I will essentially have a convention a month from June till October...yes I count my cousin's wedding as a con. If I have to travel, wear makeup and put on a dress then it's a con. Shame there's only one panel. XD

Nashicon - March 31st and April 1st - Columbia, SC
ConCarolinas - June 1st-3rd - Charlotte, NC
ConTemporal (new!) - June 21st-24th - Chapel Hill, NC
Roundcon - August 3rd-5th - Columbia, SC
Dragoncon - August 30th - September 3rd - Atlanta, GA
Anime Weekend Atlanta - September 28th-30th - Atlanta, GA
My cousin Jeffery's Wedding - somewhere in NJ

Let me know if you're hitting any of these. ^_^

Ichibancon 2012

I'm a pretty orc!

I won't bore you with details. It was fun for the most part, however there were two cons for every pro this time around.

Pro:
+ Saw many of my friends, and made new ones easily
+ Got to preform La Soldier with Cookie (although I'm sure it didn't look good since it was spur of the moment)
+ Busted out my improve skills in the same panel by butchering 'My Only Love'
+ Had a front row seat at the Cosplay Contest while only having to wait in line for 30 minutes
+ Was the guinea pig for a special effects makeup panel

Cons:
- The hotel room was HORRID. 'Newly Renovated' wasn't a lie. There was still paint drying. However if I was in a new room then I'm the queen of England. Bad set-up, no cold water, the hardest beds known to man, and the worst bathroom configuration I've seen.
- The hotel itself was close to dangerous. All of the elevators were poorly maintained. Loud squeaking and poor timing affected every one. There was one who's doors would open nearly a foot before the elevator reached the floor. O_o
- The con space was AWFUL. Either freezing cold or burning hot. Very little sound dampening between rooms (The Sailormoon panel was flooded with yelling from the VicMig panel next door). Also the ballrooms were on the same light panels so if they lowered their lights, ours would dim.
- Not enough variety in programming. It seemed like every other panel was about Vic. The few unique panels I went to were fantastic (Bento 101, Special Effects Makeup, 20 Years of Sailor Moon), but that was only 3 over four days. Ichi needs to go back to 3 days and retool their panels. Another year of this and they'll lose attendees.
- I woke up with a very bad headache on Saturday. I got through most of the day, but after the contest I made the mistake of hitting the hotel bar with friends. I barely got through my drink when it kicked into migraine territory. By 11:30pm I was in my room and in extreme pain. Thankfully Owen and my roomies were very understanding. I told you that to tell you this. According to several people, those who had booked rooms on the higher floors (I was on 7) experienced a variety of problems. Headaches, dizziness, vertigo, and more. Apparently I wasn't the only one who was having issues.

While these problems won't stop me from going to Ichi again, I will think twice about staying at The Blake. I also think that without some massive revamping Ichi won't become the con they clearly want to be.