Albany Games Fest!

The first day of the convention went rather well.  

Housemate and I made him a mask, as seen here: 

Obviously, I took this before he painted it. 

Though he didn't get a chance to do a cosplay contest.  

Still, there were events, stuff got sold, we met some new people, and we talked to some old friends... Well, I did, anyway.  

Rob made us turkey sandwiches for lunch and everything.  

There were games of both video and board varieties, and there were prizes to be won. 

Or, as one announcer stated, 

While this was a very busy con for those actively participating in the events, it was not so busy for the venders.  
This meant that we had some spare time. 

During this boredom lull in the convention, I found ways to entertain myself. 

I made more stuff,

I drew stuff,

I went over my to-do list, 

I drank too much water and had to go to the strange bathroom that doesn't make any sense to me...

You know what, let's take a moment to talk about that bathroom.  
I was told the men's toilet area was not this way. 

First off, I understand why that mirror would be so low.  If someone were to be in a wheelchair, that would be really useful. 

However, why were all the other mirrors segregated to another room?

  

And why did this other room require one solitary chair and trash-bin??

All that being said, it was a really nice, clean bathroom.  A+

*ahem*  

Now, while there wasn't a regular cosplay contest, there was the "Iron Cosplay" that involved using only newspaper and tape in a short amount of time to make a costume.  

My favorite was the narwhal, 

Followed closely by Cthulhu.  

Letsee...  
I started texting my friend at one point...

I braided my hair a few million times...

I complained about the cold a lot...

Oh, I also totally accidentally stabbed myself with this pencil: 

I still have a red dent in my wrist. 

I took pictures, but I won't post any here.  
I'm fine, by the way. 

EDIT: Almost a month later, and I still have a scar. 

What else did I do? 

Well, I spent a lot of time coming up with randomly terrible scenarios about everything for no particular reason...  

And I spent some time watching Rob play a videogame on his tablet...

When people were actively at the table, I kept my eye out for any wandering children. 

I also worried too much about my prices being too high or too low at any given time. 

To give you an idea of what our table looked like from our end, here are some photos!  (Are they still called that, if taken with a phone?  Phone-tos.) 

 

So many chairs.  This was before they were all filled with gamers. 

Earrings!  

More earrings...

So many earrings.  

A bowl of stuffed cats.  

Random spider.  

There were actually a lot of other things, but I got tired of taking pictures after a while.  

I even drew a thing for a sign for a thing!  

Day two went pretty smoothly, since we already knew how we were going to be set up.  

They had the "Iron Cosplay" again, this time with the best little girl ever. 

 Rob said if we ever entered such a contest, he would dress me as the shoe from Monopoly.  

It started as a mocking sort of plead from me not to ever do this: 

 And then it became weirdly dire in my head:

Eventually, tiredness took over.

And some really intense back pain.  

Around this time, I started making little stories in my head about the cats...

I wasn't the only one feeling the burn of it, so we left a little early.  Still, it was a fun, productive day.  

I highly recommend the Albany Games Fest at UAlbany next year!

 

Binders Full of Women and My History With Squirrels

Just to get this image out of the way here...

Whew.
Believe me, I could make a giant book of the problems women face today and how frustrating it is that so few people really understand A. the impact these things have on women and B. how little this shit should even still be coming up in 2012.  Holy crap people.  Women can do more than pop out babies and make you a sandwich.  Jesus tits.

But, I won't.  Not yet.  Instead, I'll leave you with that illustration.



Okay, so, onto the real post.

I talk a lot about art school and the impact that had on me, but I was only there for a year.  Sure, I've got some unfinished business and I have been (as always) in need of some closure, but really it just represents a life I could still have... if I wasn't a stubborn ass.  I could reconnect with the people I knew so briefly instead of assuming they've forgotten about me, and I could get something published.  These would fix most of the problems.


Instead, I'll tell you a little tale of the school from which I actually graduated.  I did get a BA in Art, as well as one in Psychology.  Oh, poor me.  Woe is me.  I wound up with two freaking degrees, and one might actually be useful.  Oh no.  Whatever shall I do?  I'm absolutely aware that I am, in fact, an asshat.

Anyway, the squirrels.

As anyone who has lived on campus in an area with squirrels will tell you, after a while, these buggers get fearless.  Also, they get huge.

Free food and drunken kids who like fuzzy creatures makes for a very cushy, and somewhat privileged life.  The squirrels get ballsy.  Like... full of balls.  No, I won't draw that.

I'm walking to the dining hall this one fine afternoon, and I happen upon a squirrel.

Adorable as he is, I think nothing of it and continue walking forward, assuming the little guy will move.

...He didn't.

Instead, little bitch just stared me down.

 I found this a bit unnerving, but I continued forward.  I realized that he was big enough to block my way.  I questioned if he had rabies or something.  He didn't move.

In fact, he stood his goddamn ground.

Kaaaaay...  Well, fuck.  I'm not going to take shit from a rodent, right?  I'm hungry, and he's in my way.  I'm at least twice this randomly ridiculously large creature's size.  I could totally take him.

Or not.

Eventually, after what seemed like far too long of a stand off, I faltered.  

It felt like I got mugged by this squirrel.  In my head, this was how it went down:

And so I was spared: 

 

In reality, I'm such a pansy (and had no food on me, since I was going TO the cafeteria, not from it...) I just very quietly and slowly walked around to the other side of the building.  Like a wuss.  Like a giant, pansy wuss who can't take on a freaking squirrel.  

Completely unrelated because I don't know how to make this into it's whole own post: