Trying to get to Otakon has ALWAYS been a thorn in my side. I’m still not certain which university I will be attending at that time. And if this is close to when classes start that semester, I might not even be able to make it this time either.
I first attended on just Saturday 2001. My family was traveling at the time, and after some begging I managed to convince them to make a stop in Baltimore.
I couldn’t return until 2004. Even though I had a car in 2003, I had nobody to room with. And hotels in downtown Baltimore are EXPENSIVE – I couldn’t pay the whole bill myself. Well, there were people from the IUP anime club who attended, but nobody could ever help me out for one reason or another (both good and bad reasons).
But I attended Tekkoshocon 2004 by myself because there were hotels you could stay in without going broke. And I met some people who were more than willing to help me with my plans to get to Otakon 2004. Just one roommate, but we found a hotel in Linthicium at the outskirts of Baltimore with reasonably priced rooms.
We made well-laid plans for commuting between Linthicium and Baltimore. But... my roommate fell ill on Saturday and our plans for Saturday fell apart. Such a disappointment that we could not be at the events we were planning to attend. Especially the cosplay – our skit had to be cancelled. He stated feeling better later that day and returned to the convention center, but I stayed at the hotel for awhile, feeling sad. Good thing that he and one of my other friends from Tekkoshocon dragged me back to the convention center later that evening, because the Piano Squall concert really helped cheer me up. Michael, Steve, and Erin, my thanks once again.
Well, hopefully I’ll someday make it to Otakon and have the full three day experience.
