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@Haunterluvcookies:
If, for whatever reason, ride plans fall through, getting to the convention center/hilton/marriott is really easy! Here's a little mini-guide, just in case Murphy's Law decides to demonstrate itself that day:

So, I'm guessing that you're arriving at SJC Mineta airport. They have a FREE shuttle (Bus Route 10) that takes you to the Metro/Airport Light Rail Station, and Caltrain(but that's not relevant). It'll get you from the airport to the lightrail station in 10 minutes! A new shuttle departs each designated stopping point approximately every 15-30 minutes from 5:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
http://www.vta.org/schedules/SC_10.html

At the lightrail station, tickets are 2 bucks, at least according to the automated ticket machines. You could get on any of the southbound lightrails, like the one going to Santa Teresa or the one going to Winchester. Choose any of the two, since they both pass the convention center. And if you have any questions, there's usually a VTA officer to tell you which one to get on. You would be getting on at the Metro/Airport station that the bus dropped you off at, and riding the southbound light rail for just under 20 minutes. And it drops you off right in front of the convention center! All the major stops are listed here:
http://www.vta.org/schedules/lr_interactive_map/lrBusMap.html

And if you accidentally miss the convention center stop, it's okay! Your ticket is good for at least 2 hours, which is plenty of time to make multiple lightrail trips if you so desire.

Now I don't know how much luggage you have, but if ride plans fall through, it's good info to have, and you'll save a bunch on Taxi Fare!

Wednesday night: Print out the schedule, go through it highlighting possible things to do. Hit up this thread to figure out what's happening, LOL.

Thursday: My plan is to get home from work, pack, take the VTA Light Rail over to the convention center. Go to the Safeway nearby, and pick up a bottle of Captain Morgan that I promised my roommates(who I met through the roommate thread here, lol), check into my room, relax and get to know my roomies, and then meet you guys!!!!

I'm not working on a cosplay or anything, but maybe I should just wear my kigurumi? It's SOOOOOOO comfortable.
http://kigurumi-shop.com/Fox-Kigurumi.aspx

I marked a few possible places to meet up from #1-9 that will be out of the way of the crowds or other cosplay meets-ups.
#8, #9 are on the second floor on the hotel lounge area just in case it seem like its out of place.

If anyone has other meet up spots or like the spots please say so.
Also with only 2 weeks to go if anyone want my cell just send me a pm. That helps out for meeting up/etc.

Areas 5 and 6 are good spots. In the little outside patio, there's not many people. The tables in front of the Marriott entrance are pretty good spots.

I started writing this as a quick thing, but it turned into an extended and unnecessary defense of metal and metalheads, lol. I still wanted to post it somewhere because I felt I summarized my thoughts on metal pretty well.

I don't listen to metal because I'm angry or feel angry. I feel like that's a common misconception people make about most metalheads. I listen to metal because it's the most powerful, majestic, and technical form of music just behind classical. To listen to a good metal album isn't to vent or rage. It's the sense of awe when faced with crushing walls of sound coming at you at incredible speeds, yet when picked apart, reveals incredible virtuosity in each instrument. What is considered metal and what isn't, is a subject for a whole other discussion.

Metal isn't a vocally-centric genre. Its focus is on instrumentation. In some sub-genres, the voice is viewed and used as just another instrument, only it happens to be some odd combination of woodwind, string, and percussion.... whereupon vocal delivery holds more value than lyrical subject matter.

This song is a good example of the Powerful and Technical aspect of metal...
Necrophagist - "Extreme Unction"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QMPnjw4czY

....and the Powerful and Majestic.
Moonsorrow - "Tuulen Tytar + Soturin Tie"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdFUUN1sNvs

You'll notice the common denominator here is POWERFUL.
Devin Townsend - "Truth"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTBSeDX9qwg

Anyway yeah. That's all I had to say.

Waiting for the event schedule makes sense to me. We wouldn't want anyone to miss out on a panel, event or screening, right?

I think finding a time and place to meet up will work...

Some of you guys may know the Pokemon Men from conventions last year. They were the guys doing a photoshoot shaving themselves in the fountain in front of the entrance.  :o Yeah, those are my friends from college, hahaha. I think they're doing Mega Man this year. Keep an eye out for them!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EitMZJXt3FE

Tsuneo Imahori - Trigun OST - "Permanent Vacation"

Can anyone drop a blues slide guitar riff on acoustic? lol

O_O Holy... that is some of the most exciting sax playing I have ever heard! That sax player is everywhere! I might be able to find a blues set to play over... I know I am going to regret this, but...

Challenge Accepted.

Awesome! I'd bring my acoustic and my glass slide, but the riff patterns he plays are pretty difficult for me. The guitar riffs are pretty idiosyncratic in and of themselves but still nothing compared to his sax performance.

Just an interesting side note: All instruments on this track were written and played by the composer,and for the most part, the whole OST lol. Tsuneo Imahori is one of my favorite composers. He also did Gungrave and Hajime no Ippo. Before he got into anime/game osts he played in an experimental jazz band called Tipographica and even collaborated with the legendary drummer Tatsuya Yoshida of Ruins/KoenjiHyakkei fame. Yoko Kanno handpicked Tsuneo Imahori to play guitar in The Seatbelts! /fanboygush

Anyway, I digress. I'll keep an eye out for ya, dude!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EitMZJXt3FE

Tsuneo Imahori - Trigun OST - "Permanent Vacation"

Can anyone drop a blues slide guitar riff on acoustic? lol

More important than Fanime??? INCONCEIVABLE!  :D

[Single Barrel]

anyone up for some drinks maybe at a local bar or club one of the nights there. also cosplaying at a bar is pretty fun.

I'm in. I wonder if Tanq, the bar underneath Marriott still serves Fishbowls, haha

What is a fishbowl?!? :U

It's exactly that, a bowl you'd keep a pet goldfish in, volume about 1.5 to 2 liters.... only it's filled with various types of alcohol and mixers hahahhahahaha

Oh. My.

About how much is this monstrosity?



For hitting up a place to drink, we could hit up:
Single Barrel (http://www.singlebarrelsj.com/)
Mosaic (http://www.starwoodhotels.com/fourpoints/property/dining/index.html?propertyID=351
0)
Grandes (http://www.citycheers.com/templates/one/index.php?vid=61375)
House of Pizza (http://kukarshouseofpizza.com/)

All of which are within walking distance from the convention and have enough space to sit a large group of people :D

tbh, I'm not sure. It's been a while since I got one there. This year I'm down for sure though haha.

The best thing to do is not look at your finger while inserting it. I tend to zone out to the background and get your eye sort of used to it by slowly going in until it stops squirming or trying to auto blink lol

Are you in the right thread, buddy? Something about contact lenses I'm guessing, LOL.

Not gonna lie. Pretty stoked, haha  ;D

anyone up for some drinks maybe at a local bar or club one of the nights there. also cosplaying at a bar is pretty fun.

I'm in. I wonder if Tanq, the bar underneath Marriott still serves Fishbowls, haha

What is a fishbowl?!? :U

It's exactly that, a bowl you'd keep a pet goldfish in, volume about 1.5 to 2 liters.... only it's filled with various types of alcohol and mixers hahahhahahaha

Bushido Blade 1 and 2 for the Playstation. Retrogaming, WOOT!

YES! MANIME CONTINUES! You guys ran a hilarious panel last year. Looking forward to it.

anyone up for some drinks maybe at a local bar or club one of the nights there. also cosplaying at a bar is pretty fun.

I'm in. I wonder if Tanq, the bar underneath Marriott still serves Fishbowls, haha

A mobile schedule also makes it easy for changes to be made.

[A question you want to ask everyone on this form:]

Ha ha, I totally understand! Although, given that you're ~quite~ familiar with the city, do you have any recommendations for awesome nearby restaurants? (doesn't have to necessarily be walking distance, just something enough that taxi fair won't drain our wallets~) We really love Italian, and I'd like to take my girlfriend to get some awesome Mexican food. <3

For Mexican food, There's two places just down the street from the convention center. One is La Victoria Taqueria. The other, less than a block away, is Iguana's. They're both pretty standard taqueria fare, with two notable exceptions. La Vic's has this AMAZING secret orange salsa that you just want to put on everything. Iguana's has the Burritozilla, which is a crazy 5+ pound burrito featured on Travel Channel's Man Vs. Food. They're both pretty good, although it seems like La Vic's knows that we're all addicted to their orange sauce, so their ACTUAL food has slacked a little bit.  Iguana's is about the same foodwise. Recently, Iguana's has created their own orange sauce which isn't as good as LaVic's, it's more smoky and less creamy. My suggestion: Buy a bottle of LaVic's orange sauce, and pour it on your Iguana's Burritozilla, XD. and then keep the sauce in your fridge for the next time you have to eat something bland and tasteless. Orange Sauce becomes instantly delicious. Of course if you like to experiment, mix LaVic's orange sauce with Sriracha!!! That'll add some legit spiciness to it.

Seriously though... that orange sauce is soooooooo fucking good, lol.

I'd recommend checking places to eat on Yelp. That's what I do, when I'm tired of eating at home, haha.

A question you want to ask everyone on this form: what kind of anime or mangas or games do you wish where coming out in the US?

No particular series pops into mind, so I'll generally say more seinen, mindfucky manga! Although US publishing companies have been doing all right in bringing series over...

A question you want to ask everyone on this form: What/where and when was the best con you ever went to?

It's a toss-up between FanimeCon 2004 or FanimeCon 2011. '04 was the ultimate con experience to which I compare every other convention. '11 was awesome for a different reason, but it helped update my convention ideal a little bit.

A question you want to ask everyone on this forum:
Anyone going to the cherry blossom festival on April 22nd in San Francisco Japantown?

That's this weekend, right? Hmmm maybe...

10/10 RIP Satoshi Kon. Also Susumu Hirasawa is one of my favorite composers.

The Raid: Redemption (2011)