Anime Boston Con 2010

Yes, Yes, Yes.
I went.
I had a great time.
I want to go again.

This years Boston Anime Convention was an interesting event. It started by April 2 to April 4. The them this year was Mad Science.

In recent years, I had started to lose grasp of my obsession with Anime and Manga. High school was the burst of the hobby in big eyed association. Every Saturday I would have to be home by 7 to watch the lineup of anime on Cartoon network and every evening, I would try my best to catch Adult Swims aired shows starting at 11 to roughly 4 in the morning. Through the years, I have gained a manga book collection 30+ strong with an amount of roughly $500. Now, this is not nearly as intense as some die-hard fans, but to me, it was everything.

Being from the Southwest of the United States, hearing about Anime Boston was the holy grail. The one pilgrimage needed to be taken in my life time. Of course, there were conventions a lot closer to home, but the appeal of Boston (its location, history, and East Cost essence) was an adventure of epic proportions. But as I continued on through my four years in High School, that dream burned brighter with the release of a little American-made manga called Drama Con. A story about a young girls first time at an Anime Convention and the love, adventure, and drama she finds there.

Jump forward roughly four years and you have the present day me. A college student in New England a year and a half from graduation. My passion had dwindled down to a mere flicker and I was staying on campus for Spring Break. Low and behold, Anime Boston 2010! I could not believe it. My time had come.

Of course, I had to find someone to go with me. Support and all. After haggling everyone I could think of, one finally said yes.We took the bus to Boston bus station and walked the 10 blocks to the convention center. I knew we were close when I saw Edward Elric run by and a maid with cat ears checking her watch. The day passed in a blur. $30 one day pass, photos of every kind (asking the first person was the hardest part), dealers ally, artists ally, the fantastic looking people. I was all for the pictures and the pedaled wares. Of course, I should have know that all the good events would have long lines, but I choose to forget and thought we could just walk on it. WRONG. lol. We only got into about 3 events were the lines were shortest. lol. I spent most of my time perusing the vendors. Bought a few keepsakes and presents for my siblings.

I didn't go dressed as any character and felt out of place most of the time...until I bought my cat ears. LOL. They are so cute, even now I want to wear them around campus. But alas, my daily reminder of that day is the cute green panda cell phone charm I bought. I have spent some time researching on what character I would like to dress as for next years convention, if I can go that is. Everything just lined up for this event. The only issue was I forgot my memory card! and had to rely on my camera phone as well as my camera's internal memory. (body count for 2010 stands at 17,236, which is an increase of almost 2,000 from last year.)

Anime Boston 2011 will be from April 22 - 24th, 2011.

Tribal Clothing

One of the best things about growing up/going to school on the Navajo Reservation was the Tribal Clothing project. Once a year through out elementary there came a day when a very official looking individual came in carrying a transparent trash bag full of odd colors. My life would light up instantly. It was Tribal Clothing Day.

Basically, the Tribal Clothing was a program put in place to provide a least a pair of shoes and a jacket (some bags came with pants and shirts) to Navajo children. These gifts were given to those only diligent enough to return the forms with their size to their teacher.

My worst experience with Tribal Clothing was when I did not turn in my form (I was a forgetful child) during my 1st grade year. The day came and my peers received new shoes and coats. I waited patiently for them to call my name so I too could go to the front of the class to receive my plastic bag of goodness. My name was never called. I sat there, feeling the tears burning my eyes, trying not to cry in front of my first crush.

Easily the best experience with Tribal Clothing was when I got this beautiful purple coat that changed to lighter shade of purple in the right light/angle. I loved that coat. That was also the same year that a well liked girl got a waist-cut blue coat with blue fur lining the collar. Every girl wanted to trade with her. But she held fast to her coat and wore it everyday for the rest of the week. I wore my purple coat almost everyday, even days when it was not cold. I remember that the seems started to tear and the coat had stains by the time my mother wanted me to get rid of it. Of course, I would not let her. That was the same year that I got shoes with lights at the bottom that flashed every time I took a step. BEST SHOES EVER! The day after our Tribal Clothes arrived, almost everyone wore their light up shoes and when the teacher was out, we turned off the lights and ran around the room just watching the red lights flash along the floor. We had a look out so we were long back in our seats by the time she returned.

It was only until this evening when I was chatting with a friend who had an auntie in charge of the Tribal Clothing program that I was able to relieve one of the best things about my elementary. Everyone I knew at my school loved Tribal Clothing and I was very sad the year that they stopped giving them to my age group. I would like to thank everyone who was ever involved with the program and that if your mission was to have at least one child be thankful/stylish, you achieved your mission.

First Flowers of Spring 2010

Yellow flowers are the best sign that spring is coming!!

Love the way that petals are unfolding.

Photos of itty-bitty flowers blooming outside of the Anthro Dept (Giddings House) at Brown U.

 Can you see it? The bee's butt?