In the midst of corn, there is a con...

So, this past weekend was the big one: AI. Anime Iowa. My home con. This is the convention I've been going to ever since I start attending anime conventions. I love it there. The location is amazing. The surrounding hotels are close enough that all but the extremely lazy can walk to the convention. And the people? Astounding. This year was no different. So, let's get to the timeline (I'll try and keep this as accurate as possible.)

Friday
>Midnight- Continue work on Timcampi plush from hell (more on this in a later post)
>3am- Finish Timcampi and pack
>3:45-4am- Finally go to bed
>7am- Wake up very much not like P-Diddy, instead like I've been hit by a freight train. Finish packing. Pack car when friend Sam arrives. Play tetris with my costume shit.
>8:15-9am- Run around Pella. Get Amberly. Make bank stops. Hit up McDonalds for nutritious breakfast goodies (strawberry and banana smoothies are amamzing). Leave home
>Drive, drive, drive, sing Lady Gaga, drive, drive, drive, sew Samuel's Turkey coat's buttons on. Finally arrive at Con.
>Get badges and then proceed to wait in line with friends for a few hours, taking a break to run back to the car in the rain to get the Timcampi plush of doom so I can give it to the owner.
>Derp around until the dealer's room opens, finally get into hotel room in the interm, eat food.
>Find Alicia's art booth and Alicia. Cue squealing and hugs.
>Meet up with my bros, and derp around with them the rest of the evening.
>Go back to room and sleep

Saturday
>Wake up feeling vaguely P-Diddyish, get ready to be Viking Iceland. Walk in ridiculous heat to con
>Hang out in Alicia's art booth a bunch, sketching and drawing chibis, and helping sell stuff
>Buy some prints from Studio O-n-Y
>Get mistaken for 3 different characters, none of which are who I am cosplaying. Cue ensuing blow to confidence
>Hetalia photoshoot. A lot of time and fun with my bros vs. a lot of loud idiots.
>Sit in Artist Alley some more, eat glorious pizza, find other friends, go to Masquerade
>Watch a couple of friends be BAMF Germania and Rome in the Masquerade
>Watch ex act like an idiot on stage. Derive sick satisfaction from it.
>Find Alicia and Mafimano who are FINALLY dressed in their Ancients outfits. Flail.
>Listen to Denmark-bro sing about yaoi and catcall him in final round of The Great Debate. "DEM RED PANTS!"
>Go to Perkins, overwhelm staff with our 10-person party at 10:30 at night.
>Cause a ruckus, share hilarious stories and inside jokes, finally get food at 11:10.
>Go back to room for the first time that day and change, go to the Bros' hotel room, then the con again.
>Get painted by Alicia. Dragon wings on my forearms~!
>Bros leave, left alone and get talked at by drunk people. Finally find friend Sam, go to hotel.
>Sleep

Sunday
>Wake up and frantically pack and get in casual Canada
>Pack car and empty hotel room. Go to con.
>Say goodbye to Amberly.
>Buy more prints in the Dealer's room. Also the best shirt ever.
>Hang out with my bros one last time. Say goodbye. Try very hard not to cry. (This lasts until late Sunday night.)
>Start getting sick... Oh joy...
>Say goodbye to roomies and Alicia. Leave con.
>Go to McDonalds on the way out of town.
>Drive home.
>Feel immune system crash almost immediately when I get home.
>Sleep

Sorry if this post has been boring for any of you who stumble on to it. This is more a jotting down of my memories for my own sake right now. I'll try to post pictures of the whole she-bang soon, but right now I want to leave you with the last picture taken on my camera from AI. I think it sums up my weekend quite nicely:
These are my bros. Not pictured are Erika and Gen, who were manning their Artist Alley booth, and Paige, who was running around the entire weekend. And yes, we are all awesome.

That's it for now. As someone I know says, "Bye, and be good to each other."

Plushies and Cupcakes,
Cynical Pie