"At the very least, I found a drinking buddy."

Saturday Gallery

Maybe the Red Bulls were not a good idea before undertaking Masquerade filming. Something about the unsteady hands and bouncing around the aisles forecasted a chance of shaky footage during the show. I misplaced my tripod earlier, which increased chances of crappy footage. Then came the word that Press needed to reserve seating earlier in the day to get a designated spot, which really had me worried about covering this show.

One thing that has bugged me throughout the history of convention coverage is the handling of Press during key events like Masquerade. Some conventions simply rope off a section for Press. Others require Press to sit at their desired shooting position shortly before show time. The reservation system annoys me the most when Press has no bloody idea that there is a reservation system in the first place. Stick a sign up sheet at the Press desk where we get our badges or stick with the roped off section for Press. Being the highlight of the cosplaying portion of the convention and a general ruckus of activity and footage, most Press are going to go there anyway. Unused seats can be given to lucky attendees who waited in line so long.

I needed a Red Bull crash so I could steady my hands and prevent my heart from exploding. Running along the aisles and shooting the audience did not help much. Michael finally found his way to Masquerade carrying my tripod and his brand new sword. For the first time at a convention, my own brother is carrying more weapons than I am. We make a pretty good armed pair with my guns and his swords. The only problem is that most conventions no longer allow us to pack such equipment. The only equipment Press shooters seemed to be allowed to carry were Canon cameras. While my primary frontline camera is a Canon, my heavy artillery video camera is a Sony. But whatever, let the video footage of Masquerade decide featuring the MC talents of Dom, Jango as Michael Jackson, A several walk-ons, and various sketches causing various degrees of property damage.

Lacking the patience to sit through judgment, I left Masquerade to see about shooting the karaoke contest following it. Or perhaps I could go about getting food, a basic necessity I neglected earlier today. Or maybe I could look for some drinking buddies. Or maybe I could go back to the suite floor to see if Kyle Hebert and the other guests were hanging out at the lounge. Or maybe I steal a coffee maker for the room so I could finally have some tea. Judging from the inductiveness, the Red Bull crash finally happened. While milling over what to do, Sarah popped in asking if we had room in our room. Not wanting to make I call I was unqualified to make, I redirected to Ryu, who determined eight would be more than enough. Then it was time to procure Yomi a sword for a photo shoot, which I did not have and Michael's sword was the wrong type. Having failed in two tasks, there was only one thing left to do.

Time to go drinking.

Unable to find a sword for that photo shoot, Yomi thought the same thing. We hit the sushi restaurant across the street from the pagoda for some decent sushi, warmed sake, friendly conversation, and rather bad service. I received an occasional text from Ryu and all three Little Sisters, but the best response I could give was "I'm in the middle of something." So I missed filming Trina's and other people's performances at karaoke. I can only take so much "Pokemon opening theme." I prefer to drink my adult beverages with company and without interruption. In this case, the company was pleasant enough to cover up the questionable quality of the sake. Lots of thanks for covering the bill, Yomi.

The 9PM hour somehow drifted to midnight by the time Yomi and I finished drinking. We picked up Michael before heading back to the suite. After she commented on the room and its inhabitants, Yomi departed. I tried to excise the stench of alcohol with some green tea, but I could not find a knife to open the bag. Michael left the room to make a few phone calls while Trina and Ryu took advantage of the free Wi-Fi. I prepped my gear to load into the car before attempting to call it a night as Adam and Julia returned. The sleeping arrangements became a game of Tetris as we crammed myself, Trina, Angie, and Adam onto the bed. We would have taken more, but that was going to be a pain. By 4AM Trina finally tired of the Wi-Fi and finally shut down the room.