Oh Yeah... Oh Yeah... Ohhhh Baby...!

Today Jorgh, Norm, a friend of Norm's named George, and I went to the (first) Annual Montreal Sci-Fi/Anime/Comic Convention and had a very interesting time. (Well, actually, it was wicked fun but only because Norm had all these crazy ideas...! You'll see.)

The freaking tickets cost 12 dollars for a day. I was totally shocked that the anime stuff was 25 dollars even for a day, so Jorgh and I bought the Comic convention tickets. Norm and George registered under weird fake names, especially Norm's "Edward Penishands," so Jorgh and I took on fake names >_< and fake address (no -es... Jorgh says we live together but I didn't think these two would)...

My first impression of the Palais des Congrès is that it has a lot of vast space for nothing. Jorgh was worried and/or mad because I kept running around like a crazy person, but I was completely freaked out with all the space available to me to run around and got scared. :(

Anyway, we arrived in this relatively large dealers room with everyone inside. It was a bit of a downer... there didn't seem to be as many people as I thought it would have. And the special guests were all sitting at tables in the back.

RIPOFF BASTARDS

First, I was dismayed at the wretched unfriendly crap-assed anime merchants. There were two tables in particular which had items I would have considered buying if not for their stupidness. One was an Inu Yasha wall scroll which they wanted to sell at 15 bucks. Norm later tried to get the guy to sell at 10 but he wouldn't budge, and then immediately afterwards made fun of him to his parner merchant. Stupid bastard.

The second merchant Norm pointed out to me was a table full of manga books, which the guy was selling at 14 bucks each, or 2 for 25. I was fuming because why would I buy these books four dollars more than I can get them outside the stupid convention?

Fangirl MAYHEM!!!

The main attraction of the convention, though, was the various guests. If I recall anything during Anime North, I knew nobody, especially the guests. Well, those same nobody guests came to the anime convention in Montreal.

Actually, that's not fair to the guests. They're somebody. The fans of these guests were nobodies. (They were Dragon Ball Z voice actors put together in this sorta small band. Just like at Anime North)

After some wandering, Norm and George came by and told us how they saw the guy who plays Neelix on Voyager, Ethan Philips, was sitting at a table without anyone coming by to him, and next to Deanna Troi, Marina Sirtis. Basically, they were making fun of most of the guests because they *are* somewhat washed-out actors who rely on these kinds of conventions to get money.

Jorgh and I walked by them and I saw the guests. The other side to Neelix was the guy who plays the Klingon Gowron, and then there was the freaky actor for Chewbacca, and some chick I don't know. Unfortunately, the original Incredible Hulk, Lou Ferrigno, did not make it to the convention, which disappointed many people (and possibly killed a lot of sales).

Superstar!

Later, Norm pointed out James Kochalka, whom I was dying to meet (and probably only went to this convention to meet), but he wasn't happy that the "Monkey vs. Robot" CD was too expensive for him. So I dragged the Jorgh to the table where James Kochalka was sitting at, and there were these fantastic books and CDs and I stared at his face...

Then I suddenly lost all words because this is JAMES FREAKING KOCHALKA "SUPERSTAR" from the world of comics and internet culture and whom everyone is always looking up to and talking about...

So I stood there stammering next to Jorgh like an idiot for a minute while James Kochalka stared at me, hopefully amused at my blushing. Jorgh was rather amused I was blushing. I was mortified that I was blushing.

Anyway, we started chatting lightly, calming me down enough to buy his first book "the Sketchbook Diaries" (which is EXCELLENT by the way), and have him sign it with his elf self saying my silly name... :)

Neelix!

We had this terrific idea / prank? to play on Neelix, which we tried to present to Norm until he told us he said something "bad" in front of him.

"What is it, Norm?"
"I said, 'Sucks to be Neelix!' and I think he heard us."

Well, my original plan I forgot completely, but I formulated another one...

We were supposed to get Neelix to sign my belly for cheap because I didn't want to pay 20 bucks for a signature. Nor a scary looking photo. Anyway, Norm and George thought it was a good idea so I attempted to chat up Ethan Philips.

"How do you do?" I extended my hand out to shake his.
"Hi, where are you from?"
"Uh... Chicoutimi."
"Chicoutimi!?" He seemed to say it with such ease that I knew the jig was up.
"Yeah..."
Well, it turns out he knows more about Quebec than anyone around us thought. "I was in Chicoutimi a long time ago, nice town... I travelled around Quebec, courting my wife... Chicoutimi, Gaspé, Trois-Rivières, Quebec City..."

Aw geez... I lost the nerve for a signed belly... :p

Anyway, after a longer than necessary chat with Ethan Philips, aka Neelix, about French, Quebec, translated Star Trek Voyager, etc., we went back to Norm and George and said it couldn't be done because I couldn't bear to discourage the guy who has been to my hometown and called it a "nice town." *weep*

Norm in the Spotlight

Anyway, Marina Sirtis in the next table came back from her break, and suddenly all these nerds flocked over to her table to get her to sign the various objects they had. She reminds me of my CT (cooperating teacher) from Laurenhill Academy, namely because my CT is greek. Norm then decided to try to get her to sign his belly, and got Jorgh to pay 20 bucks if he succeeded.

Norm got to the beginning of the line and tried the belly, but she refused, thus he got his arm signed for ten bucks. We agreed to pay him 5 bucks in compensation. We get to take a picture of it later. :)

The rest of the convention

We saw Chewie walk by... OMFG he's a freak. He's 7 feet tall and he was wearing this huge top hat, and walking around with that strange Chewie walk even without costume. (No one among the guests was in costume. Which was good.) Jorgh thought he was the Undertaker, but we verified later it is not true.

Norm and George tried to get the Stormtroopers walking around and Boba Fett to take on Neelix, but none of them would do it, so they offered ten bucks, to which some guy not in costume spoke up and said he'd do it. But then Norm told me that the guy started hitting on a 13 year old girl passing by so they quickly retracted their offer and ran away.

Jorgh didn't end up buying anything because there wasn't anything he liked at his price range, so we left the convention. Then I came home and I read the Sketchbook Diaries and it's so good I want the rest... (I knew I shouldn't have just bought one.)

In Summary

Overall, I think the convention was way overpriced as an entrance fee. Come on, twelve bucks to go in and stare at a bunch of people who want to sell you their name on a photo of themselves, and to get gouged by a bunch of assholes who think pepole will pay anything they write down on a piece of paper. And they do because they're STUPID*.

But it was so worth it to go see James Kochalka. Can you tell I'm a big fan? #_# (starstruck)

I only wish I brought a camera...

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Jorgh thinks I'm silly. I'm just happy. Now time to study for World of Chemistry.

(*Refer to rant about end of society due to no one barganing anymore.)