The Anime Expo 2007 Pre-Game Show

As you may recall, last year at Anime Expo (henceforth AX), I was hanging with pal Evan, former Emissaries editor/publisher and one of the handful of dear friends I've made through shared ROBOTECH fandom. Tentatively, from the time we were ready to part ways last July, we'd planned to do it all again this year.

Then on top of that, I found myself in the strange and mysterious territory of being in a relationship in the waning months of last year, and my girlfriend and I also made plans for this year's AX. So there were two definite points of contact for AX '07, two people I thought I could rely on for, I don't know, roommates, or just people to touch base with, to share the joy with.

This being my life, that just couldn't be allowed to last. As 2007 marched on, Evan found himself in a bit of a financial pickle -- car repairs drained his AX fund, if I remember right. And y'know, these things happen. I understand.

Then my relationship dissolved before my eyes, and that's fine, because I don't think that really could have lasted anyway. Probably for the best.

So now I'm sitting at Kansas City International, waiting for a rescheduled flight (arrived at the airport a hair late due to weather, so I missed my ORIGINAL flight), alone. And when I make it out to Long Beach, I will remain alone. No roommate this year. No close friends I know of heading on out.

I'm reminded of my trip out in 2005 -- and not just because it decided to be overcast and rainy today. On the first day of the convention, I was sitting at a table by the coffee stand at the Anaheim Convention Center, waiting for the dealers' room to open, feeling sorry for myself since all the people I knew were guys who were working in that very room. So I start listening in on a conversation nearby where some woman is bitching about how the convention is run, about how such-and-such-a-thing should be open by now, and this line was too long, and that thing was all screwed up. And as I kept on listening, I smiled, because at THAT moment I realized I was FAR from the most miserable person at the convention.

I keep worrying that I'm gonna need just that kind of pick-me-up when I get there. I keep worrying that I'm gonna need to revel in someone else's misery to free myself from my own. That kinda sucks, doesn't it?

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I keep wondering what Team HG means by exclusive merchandise. Are they just slapping a special convention-only price on shirts, or will there be something, like, cool and desirable?

Also, I wonder if they'll really tell us "what the future holds for ROBOTECH," or if they'll just hint at what the future holds and tell us to wait for San Diego to find out what's really going on.

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Depending on what kind of internet connection I can get at the convention, there may be a shiny new Roboblog Chronicles video up this weekend. We'll see what the hotel's got going on. Certainly I'll start working on putting something together for you all, so even if I can't upload it from Califor-ni-a, there will be a convention special within the week.