About two weeks ago I went to Tekko �, a free mini anime convention held at the main branch of Carnegie Library. It's called Tekko � since it's held approximately half a year after Tekkoshocon, Pittsburgh's annual anime convention. Anyway, this was the first time I've ever been to any sort of anime convention, and it was definitely worth my time:

9:55 � I can't believe I got here 5 minutes early. What a waste of time.

10:00 � The doors open.

10:02 � I just got a copy of the list of events. Looks like there's nothing to do until 10:30. I guess I'll just lean against a wall.

10:03 � Damn, I look cool.

10:30 � Cel painting is some crazy shit. Unlike canvas painting, you paint the details first and then blot the background colors on top. Here's the front vs the back of a template I colored at a workshop:

12:00 � I went to a food stand outside the library and ordered a chicken parmigiana sub. The guy said that he didn't have chicken parmigiana, so I got the grilled chicken instead. It was ok. I can't wait to write about this on my website.

12:45 � After staring at this group of three girls for about 5 minutes, I finally figured out that they're from Death Note. Sure, they don't look anything like Light, L, and Misa, but it's the thought that counts. If you've never been to an anime convention, take my word for it � live cosplayers look so much cooler than they do on Google Images.

1:00 � I went to the History of Tekko panel, perhaps the best event of the day. One and a half hours of hilarious anecdotes from five years of Tekkoshocon history. Great stuff.

2:30 � I stuck through the first 25 minutes of the Cosplay 101 panel. My dreams of creating my own costume were dashed when I found out that I'd probably have to learn to sew. Screw that.

3:00 � Karaoke! This is going to be awesome.

3:05 � Crap, how was I supposed to know there was a signup sheet? This is bullshit. Now I probably won't get to go.

3:40 � The guy who signed up to sing "sore ga ai deshou" isn't here. I promptly volunteer to sing it in his place. The audience supports me, which is no suprise, since it's primarily composed of high school girls, the only demographic empowered enough to have fun at the risk of looking stupid. (Subtle social commentary. Think about it.)

4:00 � My turn finally comes up. When I get to the front of the room, a 4-year old girl walks in and starts asking people if they want her origami flower. Normally I'd just give her a dirty look, but in the interest of being a pimp, I graciously accepted it. The fangirls went wild. Then I held it on top of my microphone, just like Nana. Is it the coolest thing I've ever done? I don't think so, but it's probably in the top 30. Anyway, if you've never heard it before, here's the Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu! opening theme, sore ga ai deshou:

4:10 � There's a quick break as people are allowed to sign up for a second round of singing. I look through the list of about 20 randomly selected tv-size karaoke songs and pick one of the few I recognize that hasn't been done yet: Hare Hare Yukai, the ending theme to The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.

4:12 � This ugly bitch tells me that she's the one who originally made the origami flower, and now that the little girl doesn't have it anymore, she suddenly has ownership rights to it. I didn't really give a shit, so I handed it to her, but only after I crumpled it a little bit while she wasn't looking. Serves that bitch right.

4:50 � I realize that the lyrics to Hare Hare Yukai are almost as tough as the dance.

5:00 � The end. I'm impressed enough to go to the real thing.

3118 fangirls either sang Ready Steady Go or Simple and Clean