Starting the day at 6am, we got another DVD done of FMA with Brinatello... she's only got two left before finishing the series, and that night there was going to be a showing of the movie at the convention. Though we had no time to watch 2 DVDs before leaving the house, so I got to borrow my dad's portable DVD player so we could watch the last two disk durning down time at Youmacon.
Though before we went to the con we took time for Breakfast, which was fun because Eclipse and Iruka was in costume already. We're at a place we eat often, so some friends came over and talked with us. And he even took a group shot picture of us. I pulled out my camera and took a few pictures too, though didn't do a group shot. I should of.
After that we left to the con. Since this time
Nadine Blackstone was joining us, so there was six of us. So my mom gave one group a ride in her car, while the rest got to ride in my bug. We got to the con and found where the panel was going to be, and as I found that I turned around and saw Matt in the Hall. So I went up to him saying Hi.
I brought my movie 3 Michaelangelo head, since he did ask to see it. So while in the hall I pulled it out and showed it to him, as he looked it over. He confirmed that it is an actor head, not a stunt double head so it is what I thought. This guy with a video camera came through while we were in the hall, and Matt showed him the head in the cooler. Well the youtube people caught a part with Matt and my head, it's after the dart scene and the very short clip in the Con suite at this link
(And if you want more video review of Youmacon 2006, check through the rest of this guys footage, it's GREAT!).
As you may hear my voice saying "Matt your panel is this room" I got Matt to his panel for "Captain N the Game Master" of course it became an anything panel. Lou, the voice of Mario sat in on the panel as well. It was a FUN panel, since Matt really just used it to talk with us and have fun. I got him to do a script reading, hehe he messed up, though covered it up nicely like he didn't do anything wrong, though I caught it
I didn't ask too many questions this time since there was other people asking questions, though I found it funny at one point when the crowd was kind of quiet he was looking for someone to ask a question and he pointed at Brin "How about you California?" Heh she asked him if he'd go to San D con
Matt did something at the end of the panel that just totally surprised me, he asked for everyone in the crowd to come up and do a photo shoot. I think that was one of the coolest things I've ever seen a guest do at their panel. It's something for the fans to really remember the panel by. We all went up, I even brought the Mikey head up there and we got our photos taken. It was a lot of cameras... and some how the guy got my camera twice, so there's two pictures on my camera of the same thing (not like I don't do doubles any how when I'm taking a picture, so I'm glad). After that, we told Matt we'll see him later, as we had to go off.
A Naurto Fan Panel was coming in, now if they had guest and a real reason to do a panel, I'd stick around. Though for fans to just be sitting up there talking it wasn't something I was going to get down with at that time. I talk to fellow fans all the time online, and when we're sitting around in other parts of the con. *shrug* I figured this would be the perfect time to get Brin to see a disk of FMA, so we went up stairs to the Con Suite and sat down in one of the side rooms attached... (there's two side rooms to the con suite, one had a bed, one didn't... we were in the one that didn't). When we went in there, no one else was there. Though the cleaning crew chased people into the side room so they could clean, so half way through the disk the noise level went up, and Brin had to switch to using the head set (which is better than the speakers anyhow).
Nadine Blackstone started to work with some cosplayers on a hair style one of the guys was trying to get down sitting at a mirror. While a group of RPers from the Palladium table had another table in the room. I'm still not use to the dice RP, they had a lot of books and stuff with them. It was interesting to glance over and watch what they were doing from time to time. We talked a bit as well, and I brought out the Michaelangelo head, since he was sitting in a Cooler there. They brought up that I need to show that to Kevin.
While Brin used the head set I sat on the floor sorting the autograph stuff.... first there was going to be the FMA autograph session, than the Mario autograph session and last but deff not least the autograph session with Matt and Patrick Seitz. So I put everything for Matt to sign in the suite case I was pulling around with me, put the stuff for the FMA crew and Mario to sign in my green TMNT 3 back pack. Gave SW the Camera and Tripod so they could video tape the FMA panel I was going to miss. I got everything sorted and ready for the autograph session, even had the wall scrolls folded so the actors didn't have to unfold them if they didn't want to. I was happy with the set up I got, though problems were starting for me... starting to get worse that is.
My arm was acting up a lot before Brin even got here... so going through the con was rough on it, and Saturday I was feeling it. When I was at TN's house her mom gave me an orange scraf, and I've been wrapping it around my arm to try and keep my arm warmer. Though my arm is getting more shooting pains, and stronger constant pain. I believe it's from over working it with that cleaning project, I pushed myself too hard. That and with this colder weather, it's just a fried up mess.
I just felt like curling up somewhere to protect my arm and stay there... though I wasn't going to let this pain stop me.
Brin finished the second to last disk just in time for us to get into the FMA line for autographs. As we went over there, our jaws dropped open to see a GREAT Al costume! I loved it, and even took notice that the eyes should be able to light up in it (when I asked they said the batteries were dead and they haven't got new ones yet). I told them since I want to get pictures of them when they get up to the VA's, they could get in front of us in line. That went over well, as they did join us in line. I took a handful of pictures of them, that Al still blows me away, he's the best I've seen so far.
Once we got up there, Ed and Al gave Caitlin some Bday gifts... they knew her bday was coming up. Though they didn't realize that it was Chris's Birthday!! Heh he got some Candy from Nadine Blackstone. I requested to do a group shot with Ed, Al, Caitlin and Chris... than asked for a picture of Chris trying to take a bite out of Al (watch the series if you wanna know why
). After the pictures we did the autograph session. I got to talk a little more with Caitlin than I have on this visit so far, she mentioned how it's been a little bit and I told her how I've just been doing a lot of other events and how I finally got to meet Aaron, and how I saw Travis and Vic twice since I last saw her. After her, I went up and got to talk to Chris, he is really a great guy. We got him to laugh a little and than stepped out of the way for the many others to come for their autographs.
We went and rested a bit, by this point my body was ready to just pass out if I would allow it too. So I just wanted to find some dark hole to hide in, and I was hoping to show Brin some more FMA... though we found a quiet spot, which was a laundry room down the hall from the con suite, we never got around to it. Lou's autograph session was coming up too fast. His line sadly was the shortest of the autograph lines (for actors). They gave away free Mario Posters for the DVD Volume 1 set, and two things that looked like press release photos with short info on the Super Mario bros Super Show, and they had a picture of Lou from when he was Captain Lou. I took the two Mario print ups and the poster, I also had Lou sign my new Mario Bros Volume 2 box set. He's 76 years old now... hard to believe... it doesn't seem that long ago when he was on the Super Mario Bros Super Show! I so remember watching that as a kid!
After that, we went and sat down again. I'm getting hungry, and tired. Sadly though the candy that I brought found it's way back to the bug and I was too sore to make my way all the way to the bug to get anything. Infact after every autograph session SW was nice enough to run my handful of junk back to the bug for me. Nadine Blackstone and Shadow Wolf than had to split from us, as they went to the FMA panel and we went to the Matt Hill autograph line, in line I turned on the DVD player and gave Brin the head set and had her start the last disk of FMA. I was worried since we were relying on the battery at this point and I didn't know when it was last charged or if it had a full charge to it. The girl behind us in line was a FMA fan, so she would make comments every now and than and it'd worry me cause of how she wanted to speak about either the last ep which Brin wasn't at yet or the movie... I didn't want Brin to get spoilers, since this is one of those shows where it's better to watch without reading Spoilers.
I think this helped us get through the line faster. I enjoyed watching Brin's reactions on her face to the show.
THe worse thing was where the line was... I had problems with that.. there was these air vents in the wall blowing cold air at the line and that would keep hitting me. Man I'm so tired of cold wind causing pain. Once we got up in line I had Pat sign a few things and confessed to not finding everything I wanted him to sign from home. Than I got up to Matt, and I asked him if he was still going to stick around and sign some stuff for me after this... though he said he had to run, so he had me sit down on the side of the table and he'd sign things between the autographs he was doing for others. So Brin and I sat there.
Brin paused the DVD while she got her stuff signed, than she sat down and started it back up. This was funny cause some of her reactions to the TV were verbal, and Matt would just kind of look at her. Than go back to signing things. I didn't want to talk too much, since other fans needed attention as well, I don't want to be one of those people who just rules a conversation while people are trying to meet their idol, so I'd sit down on a chair behind Matt quiet like while fans were going up and talking to him, but when there was a break he'd grab something of mine and I'd step up and talk to him a little. Before the next fan came. There were times when fans would be stopped at Pat for a little before getting to Matt. I think that shocked Pat, cause as he said when he got here... he didn't think anyone would really know his work and the line would be for Matt not him. I think this made Pat happy.
Durning this time Brin finished the FMA series as the DVD player started to show 'low battery' across the screen. Her first line that came out of her mouth was "What happens?!!?!?!?!?!" I replied "The Movie" with a slight grin on my face. We finished the autograph session and said our good byes to Matt getting a few more pictures before leaving. We went to the hall way near the laundry room again, which has become our quiet spot. Once we got there, I didn't want to move my body was throbbing, I just wanted to find a spot and go to sleep... though everyone was talking food. I mentioned food across the street. I got it set up so we can get some pizza and eat, so we talked about what we wanted than I headed across the street with SW and NB. We got two medium pizzas, and breadsticks. Some of us got some pop too, since the pop in the Con Suite would keep running out.
Once we got back we decided to take the food into the back of a video room, why? Well simple... at this convention we noticed if you got food snacks what ever, as soon as you open it up people swram you for food. We got just enough for our group and it did cost us the total was over $30! So we couldn't afford strangers coming and taking a picking at our dinner. So we picked the video room that was the most empty and no one was sitting in our back corner. The anime playing was Princess Princess, I've heard the title before this day though now that I've seen a bit and how much I laughed at it, I may have to pick it up just for laughs. Even though we hide our food in the dark and had us circled around it, still as soon as SW started to pass the plates back to Iruka and Eclipse, a stranger went to grab the plate. SW snapped at him that the plate wasn't for him. There was no where safe to eat food at this con unless ya had a table at the bar or sea food place, or a room in the hotel.....
After eatting we went to the movie room, they had the Masquerade playing on a screen, with no sound what so ever. We took seats in there, so that we can be first in there for the FMA movie. We didn't really get to see much of the Masquerade, as there was a comdain on stage as the judges were going to judge the costumes, that's what we were told at least. Than when they finally did get the costumes to start to come up and except their awards, the screens froze than went black... life feed was down. *shrug* So everyone in the room was just sitting around talking... some were hackling the guy on stage when the video was going. A lot of people enjoyed the fact that there was no sound so they could pick on it, and requested the same type of set up for next year.
After that we learned that they were splitting the room in half for it to be two video rooms. One being the
Fullmetal Alchemist movie, and I don't know what the other was. So Brin, SW and I helped them put the chairs where they belong, and tried to help bring out the walls to split the room. We got front roll for the FMA movie (and here I thought that'd mean we'd get to hear it
). Once we got the room set up, we took our seats and they waited for 10:30 to start the movie, in hopes that Caitlin and Chris would show up as they said they would, though they didn't make it in time so the movie was started. The sound was so quiet, and when we asked to close the hall doors, they said they couldn't. Someone else finally got up and closed those doors to cut out the back ground noise that really made it so we couldn't hear the movie. Though still the sound was quiet, and anytime the characters were using really quiet voices you couldn't hear it... and the volume was fully up. Brin and I moved to the floor just to be able to hear the movie, had the speakers right there where we could touch them. Though I think Brin still really enjoyed the movie.
After the movie we got up and Brin noticed Chris standing in the back of the room so we went and talked to him. There was someone cosplaying his character, so we got pictures of him with the cosplayer. SW, Eclipse, and Iruka would keep taking off to do other stuff... though Brin, NB, and I stood and talked with Chris for a good hour and a half to two hours... everytime we'd try to say good bye he'd get on another topic. We had a lot of great topics, talked about the Maid Cafe a little, talked about working at Haunted Houses, and so much other fun stuff. He'd joke about the food in his to go thing going bad. He also got filled in about what happened to my arm. We had a lot of bathroom jokes, since we were standing in front of the girls bathroom, we'd get complained too if we shifted in which way, cause we'd be blocking the door. My mom called while we were talking to him, she's sitting in the parking lot and can take three people home, this is when I realized it was going on 2am... SW, Eclipse, and Iruka jumped at the ride to go home... they like the rest of us were very tired. So they went to ride with my mom.
We finally started to leave Chris, though before leaving we had to sing "Happy Birthday" to him one more time.. this time he showed us what was in his to go thing, it was Birthday cake that said "Happy Birthday Chris!" We all laughed, gave our hugs and walked away. I'll never forget that night.
We went home, and some how beat my mom's car (they stopped at a store). We came in and for the first time, Brin and I could just go to sleep. Though we had to get up at 8am for another morning panel for Sunday.
Sunday coming soon, pictures are to be posted first.
