I found my own true love was on a Blue Sunday. She looked at me and told me I was the only...

[hazelchaz]

Photos now online:
Dinner with Christian and Melissa (15-Mar-2009)
Video Game Equipment (19-Mar-2009)
Meeting Masoud and Joey (15-Mar-2009)
LASFS/Aftermeetings part 340: Coral Cafe (19-Mar-2009) et seq.
Culture Day Spring 2009 part 1: Missed Some Dim Sum (21-Mar-2009) et seq.
Culture Day Spring 2009 part 3: FIDM Movie Costume Exhibit (21-Mar-2009) et seq.
Looking at L.A. Live (21-Mar-2009)
Dinner with Maria (21-Mar-2009) Part 1 et seq.
Wendy's 21st Birthday Party part 1: Jell-O Checkers (21-Mar-2009) et seq.
Storing Melissa's Boxes (22-Mar-2009)
The picture of missmea bartending is from the party.

Another week. Last Sunday, ala_mokita came over and showed me the laconiv jacket. (left) It runs a little snug: I'll need a 3XL-T instead of a 2XL-T. This week we wrote out a check for the appropriate amount and mailed it off. We'll get one with Baden embroidered on it, so library_lynn and I can wear it.

That night, he and I met up with Masoud and Joey. Masoud was (co-)head of the Video Game Room for Animé Los Angeles 2-5. We were going there to settle up the paperwok for the department -- who should get pass-on memberships, etc. -- and to make good on some borrowed equipment that got damaged. We also had to tell him that he wouldn't be running next year's video game room. It was a tough meeting; decisions like that are hard to make, and bad news is hard to deliver. It had to be done for the good of the convention, though.

One of the gaming-related loose ends that I tried to wrap up this week: there was a bin of gaming equipment left over after the convention. I brought the bin over to Joey's house, and we determined that most of it belonged to him, or to Masoud, or to Christophe. (left)

"Most" of it. Not all. There was a Game Cube controller (right), plus two off-brand Game Cube controllers, and a Sony controller, that Joey didn't recognize. They're now at my house, taking up space. I did get one lead, though: they might be Gizmo's, so I'll bring them to Coral tomorrow night.

At Coral last week, Joyce showed us the Indiana hand sign for "shark." Thumb extended (for fin), pinky finger "mouth" opening and closing. (left)

The sign for a "Vulcan shark" uses two fingers for the bottom of the mouth, like the Vulcan "Live Long and Prosper" (or "Shalom") sign. (Not pictured.)

... and "shark that's gone through a propellor" is even sillier. (right)

A new addition to the Coral crowd is Melissa De Mello. Melissa was my Head Minion at animelosangeles, although she came down sick for the convention and didn't actually minion that much for me. She lives out towards Simi Valley/Thousand Oaks, so she actually has a shorter drive to Burbank than I do. (left)

She's got a home situation that sounds rather toxic. She takes a mental health break a few times a week and gets away from all the stress. Sometimes she comes out to our house, because it's a safe haven. Joining us at Coral, though, means that it's a shorter drive for her. And that if she wants to stay up late, she can keep friendlypinet up long past midnight and it doesn't directly affect when I go to bed. A win-win situation, as long as Tadao's a night owl.

We've been talking about how to handle the Minions department next year. Next year, we'll be asking the Minions -- that is, my personal assistants -- to each commit to four-hour shifts on three different days. If we only get three minions on a particular day, their shifts will probably be 10-2, 2-6, and 6-10; if we get more minions, we'll overlap the shifts. I want us to move towards having most of our staff and volunteers take a break after four hours, so planning in terms of four-hour shifts makes sense to me. And any minion with Masquerade ambitions could just pick Thursday/Friday/Sunday for their three days -- I think that makes more sense than trying to cobble together two-hour shifts on Saturday.

This past weekend was busier than usual. colleency had organized a Dim Sum trip at Empress Pavilion, and a trip to see the FIDM movie costume exhibit. There's one weekend left to see it and the exhibit (and parking) are free. Costumes from last year's crop of superhero movies, Speed Racer, Appaloosa, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Benjamin Button, and more -- 22 movies in all -- are on display. They don't allow photography inside, so I just snapped a few pictures of the gang that showed up. (right)

As usually is the case, there were a lot of Colleen's "Culture Day" circle of friends and a few people that learned about it through Costumers Guild West.

After we left the exhibit, Shawn and Colleen headed into the Garment District to shop at Mike's Fabrics. I walked up to "L.A. Live" (the new shopping compound) across from the Los Angeles Convention Center. I learned that it's basically a few buildings full of restaurants and the like, surrounding a plaza that's meant to be crossed on your way from Point A to Point B. Oh, you could sit on the planters, but you'll be bombarded with commercials on their loudspeakers and on their big video screens. It would be a very distracting place to sit and read, and an annoying place to wait for someone. (left)

I had been led to believe that there would be a hotel at this place. I found the shell of the J.W. Marriott, but it wasn't open: they haven't finished the exterior, I learned when I got close enough to see, and they certainly haven't started populating it with furniture and employees. They're still working on the taller Ritz-Carlton tower next to it. (right)

Saturday night was Wendy's 21st birthday party. Most of the guests were friends of Wendy who she'd seen in person recently, or had contacted them via Facebook. I was e-mailed an invitation three days before the party, as I'm not in either category but Wendy wanted me to come anyway. With an offer like that, how could I resist? I made up Jell-O shots stronger than my usual alcoholic Jell-O -- mostly because I had smaller cups to use, and I didn't want to make twice as many servings just because the servings were half the size. Each little cup had about a quarter ounce of rum, whiskey or whatever. (left)

When I got there, Pearl and I set out two dozen of them on a chessboard so that she and the birthday girl could play checkers. When you take a piece, you consume it, so it has a self-handicapping effect. (right)

The party had a theme of "Casino Royale." The intention was to make it a James Bond-themed party, and if you were adventurous you could come in a costume as an appropriate spy-movie hero or villain. Mostly this just meant that some of the ladies wore fabulous dresses and played craps and roulette. (left)

I mentioned in my Gallifrey coverage that Valentina was wearing baggier clothes than she used to. She's pregnant, four months now, and posed for me. (right)

missmea was there, bartending, as she does. Her speedpourers were still there from the last party, in fact. (The bar book has gone missing, sadly. I asked her for a Mai Tai and what she made for me bore no resemblance to anything I've ever drunk willingly before.) In addition to serving up booze drinks, she also made chai during the party. (left)

Martin and Eris were there. Eris was one of the people who helped make (and drink) the chai. Martin, Terry (Wendy's dad), Tiny and Tadao were talking about whisky, and sampling them.

It being a party at the Newton house, even without the Casino theme there were games to be played. I saw Bootsie, who again thanked me for the good time she and her household had at Animé Los Angeles. (left)

The party wasn't over, not by a long shot, when Lynn and I headed out. They hadn't even cut the vanilla-raspberry birthday cheesecake when we went home, but we were tired. And I don't care much for raspberries, and Lynn's allergic to cheesecake with or without them. Christian showed up shortly before we hit the road, and Sundance after that, so the party was just heating up. When Christian got there, he protested that he didn't intend to drink at all so we really didn't need to take his cell phone battery away... (right)

And the following morning, Melissa came over and we put some boxes into storage. Moving her stuff out of her house is part of her long-range plan to live somewhere non-toxic. (left)

Next: Sunday!

Comments

[lordkunzite.livejournal.com]

Hi there-- I was wondering; I'm on staff, but I'm not on any kind of email mailing list. Should I be?

Anime Los Angeles Staff list

[hazelchaz]

Yes. Go here: http://lists.animelosangeles.org/listinfo.cgi/staff-animelosangeles.org

[trinsf.livejournal.com]

Eeek, has Christian shaved his head?

Shaved

[hazelchaz]

I don't know who shaved Christian's head. I do know that it happens from time to time.

[fairegoddess.livejournal.com]

I want us to move towards having most of our staff and volunteers take a break after four hours...

And while we're at it, can I have a pony? ;)

Dinner breaks

[hazelchaz]

Don't you stop moving for dinner? I didn't say how long a break I want you to have...

Can I have a pony

[hazelchaz]

Ponyburger on rye for Linz, got it.

[ala-mokita.livejournal.com]

Yes, Christian shaved his head. A good thing too! It turns out his buzzed coif was ideal for the guy securing sensers on his skull Monday night. Apaprently Christian has undergone a sleep test. Da, da DA!

It would appear, from the data garnered from the nasty sensors that Christian stops breathing. He stops breathing many times an hour while sleeping.

The technician, a verbose guy named Nick, told Christian that he's headed for part-time Borgness with a CPAP.

Christian, that fat bastard, could have been healthier (proper nutrition, excercise, portion control), but nooooooo...

He hasn't died yet, but there's still time.

HUG!

P.S. the hair had to go! It was long enough to require attention.

[missmea.livejournal.com]

I never actually said it was a mai tai. Just that I was experimenting! :P

Fruit y rum drinks

[hazelchaz]

True. I've corrected my comment.

[trinsf.livejournal.com]

*I* could have told you that Christian stops breathing many times an hour while sleeping. I mean, not that I have any first hand knowledge or anything....

PS: It had admittedly started the decline from scruffy-but-cute into just plain scruffy, I agree.

Re: Shaved

[trinsf.livejournal.com]

As you probably already know, the Chaz gallery has a pictorial history of the many moods of Christian's hair. :-)

[summoner-lenne9.livejournal.com]

I agree with this comment. :D. I remember saying before ALA I didn't wanna spend the whole con working my butt off. Uhh, I laugh at this comment now and accept my endless energy shall be used for 5-6 days of labor. :D.

HI LINZ BTW! :D

[ala-mokita.livejournal.com]

Get in line. Chaz gets his pony first. After all, he's been asking for one since Anime Los Angeles. That's the first convention, oh these many years past.

At this point we've almost given up convincing rogue geneticists to make a pony that is born purple. Now we are experimenting with non-toxic paint and fun fur.

For the record, it has already been suggested that we make a costume. I refuse to be the back end of Chaz's purple fun fur pony.

Purple fun fur pony

[hazelchaz]

Sounds like a character in Avenue Q to me.

Lynn points out that if it has a long flowing mane, it would be a My Little Pony. Only, it would be a My Huge Pony.