Con Report: BarBarian Style

Started by Zog, May 29, 2008, 11:05:19 PM

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Zog

Alright, Zog here with your post con post-report report- the day to day life of an SoS staffer with too much energy to be put down, to much sexy to stop, and too much party to quit.

...

God I sound full of myself. 

Realistically- I'm Zog, the SoS staffer who went around trying to rile up the lines for Musicfest, Masquerade, B&W, and AN Cafe- if you were there for any of those you might know who I am, if not, well- you missed out on a good time, because I had a blast.  I'm a second year rover (7-time attendee), I've worked security before for a club and a couple of events down here in Santa Cruz (so you know I'm not a complete asshat) and will very shortly be a member of the United States Marine Corps (so you know I am actually kinda an asshat).

Anways, here we go:

FRIDAY

So I show up at the con at like 3- and I walk in through the big glass doors in the middle of the place and I look around and boom, there's like fifty Taiko drums beating- and there's no one to my left, no one to my right, so my first thought is "Them drums is beatin' for me... HO YEAH!!!"

So I tell my lil' sister to run along and away I go, off to the SoS staff room where I check out my radio and earpiece and get down to "bidness."  Now, I'm still singed around the edges from an excursion the night before but I'm up for a barney so the bossman says "Get your ass down to the musicfest line!"

So I get my ass down to the musicfest line- which to be fair isn't all that big (to be fair, the Masquerade line was 2x as big, and the AN Cafe line easy 3x).  I regulate with the SoS bouncer team (thats the guys in the black suits for you lot), have a party with whoever and whatever is in line there (if you were there- you know me).  So, what, 5 o clock?  6 o clock?  The time rolls around and boom, the doors are open.  I set up shop on the right side of the auditorium (thats stage left for you drama kids) and am immediatley wowed by A: how awesome the first band is and B: how dead the crowd is.

I mean seriously.  The first guys up on the stage were, I felt, the best musicians of the night- yeah thats right, the best -musicians-, and they opened for a quiet crowd on a friday -afternoon-.  Tough break... But hey, somebody's gotta start the night- and right after them came a couple of stage-presence heavy bands (which were great at shows, but damnit all- the first band's guitarist played guitar with his TEETH for craps sake, thats just AWESOME), and then the last band of the night came on and brought us to a rocking end.

A rocking end that was seriously killed by the sound guys.  Serious- there was like a minute of dead complete silence in that hall when they were done with their set- no encore, no denoument, nuthin- just a minute of quiet and a cut back to the same three Bob Marley tracks they'd been playing all night.

Schwat.

So it's about 11, I look left, look right, punch out, and hunt down a certain special lady I know for a pleasant little evening...

SATURDAY

So it's 10 o clock, I text my boss asking whether he wants me in a black suit today- boss says no, get your ass down here now.

So I toss on a fedora, my Elvis Shades, and a grin and run down all 18 FLOORS OF FREAKIN STAIRS to get to work in the marriot (what was up with the elevators... whatever).  I'm there- look left, look right, take a radio and poof- off to the Maid Cafe to twiddle my thumbs for two hours surrounded by 9 beautiful glorious women (one of whom I saw the night prior) with nothing better to do than ask me how my day is going.

Oh woe.  Woe is me.

So Noon rolls around, I get off for lunch and then (after a personal errand involving signups for a certain event [starts with y, rhymes with 'owie'] and a few moments with a special someone) I get called on for the Masquerade line.

OH YEAH.  Masquerade line!  I never had as much fun as I do when I work a line- "why is that Zog," you might ask.  "Why is it that you love working the line more than any other staffer I've ever seen?"  Well, one, I'm crazy.  I really am thoroughly in love with the idea of walking up and down a 3 mile line shouting crazy things at crazy people who have nothing better to do with their crazy lives than wait for 6 hours for a show that lasts maybe half that.  What can I say?  I have a captive audience- can't fight that draw.

If you were at the front of the line- you may recall such memorable events as the Chicken Vs Bacon screaming match, the endless renditions of Elvis songs, a few verses of "Don't Stop Believing," et cetera, et cetera.  If you were in the middle of the line, you may recall a couple runs of the Wave, more screaming matches, and me saying I really ought to quit smoking.

If you were at the end of the line, you saw a sweaty tired guy in a funny hat with shiny stunner-shades on stumbling around on blisters the size of your grandmother.

The doors opened on time at 6, I said my goodbyes.  Seriously- love working lines.  You make friends fast if you do it the way I do it- it takes energy and it takes an outgoing person, but damn, it's fun. 

And around there, call it 6, 7 oclock, I punched out for the day- remember how I said earlier something about an event starting with a Y...

SUNDAY

So I wake up at 9, and bob's your uncle bang bang I'm on the floor at 10 working Maid Cafe again, today in a black suit.

Oof.  Sunday.  Long Day.  I got a ticket in the Almaden parking lot (bloody vipers got me at 7 in the morning.  Who on God's green earth is awake at 7 on Sunday besides the Pope, the Bishop, and their bloody mistresses...), got to the Maid Cafe early for more frills and fluff, got off at 2 for lunch- got it, couldn't find parking anywhere this side of the Sierras, and after bolting down my burger from Jack in the Crack like a starving wolf tearing into a side of veal in the midst of Yellowstone park- bang, An Cafe line.

I gotta say this honestly- favorite line of the Con.  I think maybe Ever.  I have pics up on my facebook of memorable happenings here, I helped a family get together after they had been separated in the confusion, I got the Wave going again, I met up with a few pretty people with a vested interest in seeing the band, and I met up with the COOLEST BUNCH OF LINE STANDING FOO'S EVER.  I have pics.  They oughta be in there.  I stayed as long as I could, and then I had to be away for the Black and White- so I said my goodbyes (and sang a little more Elvis) and headed back to base for a shower and a shave.

Black and White.  So, the whole Con, I'd been looking forward to this more than anything- that special lady from earlier?  This was going to be a special event for the two of us- probably more than anything else- I'm going away soon so I figured what the hell, and bought her a beautiful beautiful dress (now that I think on it, it kinda looks like Faye's ballgown from Bebop, but more, you know, modern).  I've been practicing my Tango for 2 months trying to get ready for this thing.  Important to me, you know?

So I get there, and instead of the relatively quiet, medium size party of last year (which I also worked, and had a BLAST at- hell I met my girlfriend of 9 months there [and yeah, that is the girl I keep talking about] met a bunch of really cool people, put together a hallway dance party for people out getting water n such... it was awesome) I run into, what is essentially, Prom Night- 400 people at the door, 400 people inside.

Now, I really do not have a problem with that at all.  That sounds awesome to me- that sounds like f***ing magic, and props to the crew that pulled this thing together- Demand is UP.  The only problems being that there isn't enough turnover in the line so that everyone can get in the dance- the 'entrance' to the dance area is too far back from the dance itself to promote appropriate flow, the dance is all the way down at the end of a hallway in the back end of the con, and the room itself is (for lack of a better phrase) cut in twain by one o them slidy wall things- making half of this gigantic space totally unusable.

I mean, come on- we did last years musicfest there- and had NO problem getting everyone in or out for everything.  The room is SO big enough, we just gotta do it right.

That, coupled with line problems with bags, dress code, et cetera, ad nauseum, and the B&W turns into what I think is a 'might have been.'  It might have been great.  It was just that close, just THAT close to being the be all end all of Con Prom- but it suffered from a critical hit at the last second- Location Location Location.  It might have been the greatest thing since sliced bread.  It might have been the most special, amazing evening any attendee had ever gone too.  Hell, it was that close.

But I digress.  People who were at the B&W know what happened at the B&W, and they know what to do for next year- lets not dwell.

So it's 12, and I get off work.  Hooray 14 hour day!  I'm at what... 30 hours of running around screaming?  I'm actually nowhere near the leader's board of SoS- a few of the guys put in 50+ hours, and I hear tell our longest laster was something like 72 hours of nonstop rock n roll...

Crazy.

MONDAY

It's 8.  I'm tired.  I get woken up by a 230 lb man stepping on my leg.

Guess it's time to ROCK AND ROLL.

It's 10.  I'm in the SoS room, laughin' and singin' and movin' to the groovin', and just when it hit me, somebody turned around and shouted-

AN Cafe- get your ass to the fairmont and get them over here!

So I get my ass to the Fairmont with my buddy Steve, and we begin pooling these lil' Japanese popstars to get them in their van to get them on the road to get them around to the loading docks of the convention center (No, not the Kitchen loading docks, Zog you MORON, the Convention loading docks), herd them off their van and get them out in front of a couple hundred rabid fans to give autographs for like an hour.

Ho boy.

We get them through their gauntlet, and 1 rolls around.  I'm out for lunch, and then a quick tour of the dealers room ending in a sweet deal on a cutlass from those Bowen Dragon guys on the west side of the room (Protip: Buy from those dudes, and the tallish guy with the white hair who was next to the exit- if you want weapons dealers, they're the only ones I trust at all).  Then, at around a little after 3, I punched out my card and called it a day.

Moment of Zen:
I took my sister home from the convention, and a strange thing occurred; I realized that my world had become incredibly small in my time in San Jose.  For four days, the only thing I cared about at all was the con- and so my world became that convention center and the surrounding environs.  Riding in my busted old 94 corolla on the way home was like an awakening- a reminder that there was more world out there, that there were trees, and bushes, and there was water, and open sky without planes and buildings...  Fanime is my nirvana, or as I like to call it, my Nerd-vana... but even a pilgrim must one day leave the gates of Mecca behind him.



And that, ladies and gents, was that.  That was the sum total of my Convention- yeah, I know I whine a little bit here and there about how this wasn't like -that-, and how that wasnt like -this-, but truth be told, I had a blast.

JOIN SoS.  We work Long Hours with little breaks, but damnit all if we don't have a good time.
"He who stands with me shall be my brother..."

"I AM THE VIKING KING!!! KNEEL BEFORE ME AND WORSHI- hey kitties!"

SOawesomeness

Sounds fun. xD I really enjoyed reading this...

But I still think Reg. is more fun. (:
Ellie S.
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Steve.Young

Oh my god, Zog you are my hero. I need to write a con report like this.

Oh, and the leader in terms of hours worked?

Steve.Young wins with a total hours worked of 95 hours spread from Thursday-Monday.
Director of Marketing
Staff Moderator - Fanime Forums.

Please PM me with any questions, comments, or concerns.

Steve[AT]Fanime[DOT]Com

Zog

jeezus monkeyloving christ!!!

95 hours?  Know anyone who tops that -anywhere-?
"He who stands with me shall be my brother..."

"I AM THE VIKING KING!!! KNEEL BEFORE ME AND WORSHI- hey kitties!"

jemz

Quote from: Zog on May 30, 2008, 12:53:15 AM
jeezus monkeyloving christ!!!

95 hours?  Know anyone who tops that -anywhere-?

I think a lot of Div heads can top that. And Tony. :D
HR Staff
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FanimeCon 2008 - 2012


Hey you are my PINKY // never cheat on me // 赤い糸で縛って

Steve.Young

Quote from: jemz on May 30, 2008, 07:07:50 AM
Quote from: Zog on May 30, 2008, 12:53:15 AM
jeezus monkeyloving christ!!!

95 hours?  Know anyone who tops that -anywhere-?

I think a lot of Div heads can top that. And Tony. :D

Unless they don't sleep, I doubt it =P. I literally slept 2 hours a night starting Thursday. Unless of course you count Wednesday and Tuesday but that's just cheating!
Director of Marketing
Staff Moderator - Fanime Forums.

Please PM me with any questions, comments, or concerns.

Steve[AT]Fanime[DOT]Com

Jerry

No where nearly as epic as Zog's report, but none-the-less here's my day by day down to the hour blocks

Whoa what a Memorial day weekend, I needed another day to recuperate because I got sick/lost my voice on Tuesday.

I worked like crazy (12+ hour shifts again) almost like Cirque except I had WAY more fun. Guest services, line controls, Ushering, Safety & Security, Reports, Convention Operations, escort Detail, Bouncer and general Logistics and Registration duties... yah I did all that and then some.

Thanks so much for guys visiting me while I was working!!!   It was really sweet of you ladies/gents to randomly finding me on random days, but the REAL parties happened Friday, Sat, and Sunday nights! Here's my recap:


Thursday:
4pm to 8pm – Pre-registration badge pick ups & line control... Busy lines (ask everyone who saw how busy I was) they tried to say hi while I was juggling random people. And I felt bad for not being able to hang out with you guys and gals. Sorry! >_<

8pm to 11pm – Fanime's Swap Meet. Its sorta like a flea market, pre registered folks are invited to sell/trade their stuff.

11pm to 2am – Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull – awesome!!!

Friday:
6am to 4pm – Registration/ An Cafe Line Control Working around the Con – randomly surprised my work with 2 HOT girls dressed up in costume with me. I have a random office thats off of Park avenue...

5pm to 7pm – Helping a friend drive to Oakland to pick up a new car! – She bought a Honda Hybrid.

8pm to 10pm – Dinner (Massive amounts of Pizza and drinks) and hanging out in the hotel room: Hot girls dancing in the window for kicks so I invited them to...

10pm to 1am – DANCE/RAVE!!! – but the HOT girls had to stop early because they were wearing high heals... ouch!

Saturday:
6am to 11am – Working around the Reg line and An Cafe Concert ticket pick up line. Mingling with cute and costumed girls is awesome

11am to 7pm – Working at our Maid Café – girls dress up as cute maids and serve you foods, mingle and role play (appropriately of course!) I was one of the Bouncers to keep pervy fanboys in check.

7pm to 10pm – Sushi with the HOT girls! All you can eat + Sake = good times.

11pm to 2am – More DANCING! Got VIP treatment (walked right passed super long line) – Girls got harassed by pervs (ask about side story if you want...), but Pervy guys got thrown out with my help and the night security Teams.

Sunday:
6am to 11am – Reg line + massive line for Concert ticket pickups (An Café) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antic_Cafe

11am to 2pm – Helping at the Maid Café

2pm – 7pm – Managing a line of 2500+ Fans of An Café.

Think about a line starting in front of Manpower's (my work office chain) Office on Park Ave. walking towards Market towards the (Tech Museum), then from Market going on to Santa Clara towards the front of the Civic Auditorium! so yah it felt like a LONG line... especially since I was trying to keep the peace of screaming rabid fangirls.

7pm – 10pm – An Café Concert @ the SJ Civic Auditorium = mass female Hysteria. Mosh pits are interesting, but I probably wouldn't do it again... unless I had riot gear.

10pm – 2am – One last nite of DANCING! – I felt like that guy in Hitch, instead of just being an 'escort' I got to dance a little with one of the Hot girls I was crushing on twas nice.


Monday:
730am to 11am – ('accidentally' slept in...) Walking around general Convention area keeping the peace.

11am to 12pm – An Café's Autograph signing to the limited general public – Seeing girls nearly faint for being 3ft. in front of their favorite band member was pretty funny. I counted at least 29 girls crying of Joy in a line about 150 fans.

12pm to 1pm – Checking out of the trashed hotel... partied like a Rockstar? Sure did.

1pm to 2pm – An Café's Q&A Panel line control... 300 Harecore fans... I made them line up via doing a Conga line. Hey it worked. 

2pm to 3pm – An Café's Q&A – Fans nearly killed me when their NO camera/video rule was changed 5 MINUTES before the Panel started. I seriously saw my life flash before my eyes. At least I would have been torn to shred by a rabid mob of J-rock Fans... would have interested way to go. All turned out OK, and the Q&A was actually pretty fun.

3pm to 4pm – An Café's secretive Staff Autographs: I gave my spot away to the 2 Hot girls I'd been hanging out with all weekend. Yah, I gave the girls a little more VIP treatment, because I'm cool like that. 

4pm to 6pm – An Café's security detail, they have a private conference, meeting with our Executives and exclusive press interview for our Evaluation of how they liked North America (as a whole Nation) San Jose was their first time concert in America!
Check out their An Cafe's Thank you VIDEO! -
http://forums.fanime.com/index.php/topic,10010.0.html

6pm to 9pm – Final debriefing of the Convention as a whole, checking the Convention Center and most area were cleared out by then with a couple of exceptions here and there.

9pm to 12am – Randomly driving home friends from the Convention.



For Random Pictures: check out this link: (Cosplay.com) http://www.cosplay.com/event/922/photos/ - check out people in costume!

I'm exhausted and my voice is still gone.
I <3 being a nerd. 
Hot girls <3 nerds like me. 

It's a shame I only saw questionette for like 5 seconds before she walked into the Dealers room. We need to change that! and when my house is ready. I think its time for another JERRY-CON during the summer.

  Can I get a HELL-YAH on that? 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jerry.pang


Games, Friends & Fanime oh my! :D

crazychichi

My con hours were geared towards beating Steve Young, but I failed.... though I opened base at 7:30AM on Thursday and mastered about 4 hours a night?  Though there was that one time in the Hot Tub.....  *sighs*

And then there was my leg that failed on me from walking too much?
Fanime Safety on Site 2008
Fanime Rovers 2007

deonchan

Quote from: Steve.Young on May 30, 2008, 12:03:01 AM
Oh my god, Zog you are my hero. I need to write a con report like this.

Oh, and the leader in terms of hours worked?

Steve.Young wins with a total hours worked of 95 hours spread from Thursday-Monday.

The only reason you won is because I got sick and you know it. :P
Calvin...

Rovers
Suits
Musicfest
Ops Div

M

Quote from: Steve.Young on May 30, 2008, 10:45:01 AMUnless they don't sleep, I doubt it =P. I literally slept 2 hours a night starting Thursday. Unless of course you count Wednesday and Tuesday but that's just cheating!
Most division heads work year round... Beat that! :P
FanimeCon Head of Marketing & Director of Communications (2008-Current)
(Former Fan Services Director, Registration Staff, & Volunteer)
Have questions (about almost anything)? Message me!

Steve.Young

Quote from: MPLe on June 02, 2008, 07:11:45 PM
Quote from: Steve.Young on May 30, 2008, 10:45:01 AMUnless they don't sleep, I doubt it =P. I literally slept 2 hours a night starting Thursday. Unless of course you count Wednesday and Tuesday but that's just cheating!
Most division heads work year round... Beat that! :P

Obviously I can't, but Thursday-Monday, I doubt anyone beats me cause I r teh workaholic.

Now if someone wanted to make me a division head, I'd obviously wouldn't mind working year round.
Director of Marketing
Staff Moderator - Fanime Forums.

Please PM me with any questions, comments, or concerns.

Steve[AT]Fanime[DOT]Com

Dagger-6

Here is Zog/Gabe's mailing address if anyone wants to write him a letter.

Recruit Vila, Gabriel
3rd Bn Kilo Co. Plt 3236
38990 Midway Ave.
San Diego, CA 92140-3236


He should be graduating boot camp early October.

If anyone has any questions about what you can/can't send, etc.  feel free to e-mail me directly.

General rule of thumb is to stick to paper things, such as photos, letters, etc.