Washington DC's Edo Period

by Pres James

As you may recall, right around this time last year, I wrote a review of Anime USA 2012. After having such a great time, I happily decided to go back again, and I attended Anime USA this year on behalf of DC Geeks. Even after a year getting back into the con circuit, AUSA once again impressed me.

These Kingdom Hearts cosplayers caught everyone's attention.
(image from the AUSA 2013 Facebook page)

The staff of Anime USA has been consistently great, and they kept that up this year. Despite a few communications snafus, bound to happen at any large event, everyone I talked to was cheerful and happy to spend a few minutes answering questions. The staff was helpful, even to the point of reopening their press office after-hours on Friday to make sure I could get a badge. 

The attendees spoke and the staff listened, because last year’s major complaint of the parking was addressed. Obviously, they couldn’t magically create MORE. However, the staff let everyone know that it would probably be a problem, and printed up directions to the nearest reliably empty garages, as well as including metro accessibility information. Lots of attendees took advantage of that, and I didn’t hear ANY transportation grumblings. Big improvement!

One of the first things I noticed at this year’s AUSA was the integration of the con theme, Edo-era Japan. Honestly, whenever a con announces a theme, it’s a fair bet that you’ll see that theme in the art style of the con’s signs, a few nods to it in the guide book, maybe. But that will probably be all. Not this time. The staff set aside an entire panel track to talk history, era-appropriate crafts, cultural issues, and additional focused events. 

"Prince Hanzoku Terrorized by a Nine-tailed Fox"
(Public Domain via the Wikimedia Commons)

From what I could see, the themed panels were well-attended. Overall, I would love to see more cons go all-out with their themes. If you’re going to go through the effort of choosing a one, play it up! Squeeze something fun out of it! The bigger conventions could take a few lessons from Anime USA and even MarsCon. (Editor's note: Don't let the website fool you, MarsCon has hands-down the most elaborate themed decorations I've seen at any convention, bar none). Next year's dates and promo images have been released, but the theme remains a mystery.

Speaking of fun, two of AUSA’s main attractions, the Maid Cafe and Host Club, both reappeared for another year. As usual, both the servers and the clientele were having a wonderful time. If you come to this con with a group of friends, it’s definitely worth sitting down in there for a snack and a little time playing games. Who knows, you might even make a new friend!

The real gem of this year’s AUSA for me, though, was the Cosplay Burlesque showing. Artist Jessi Pascal of the Geeks Next Door webcomic convinced me to give it a shot, and it was well worth the time. It included stripteases from such favorites as Carmen Sandiego, Chip and Dale from the Rescue Rangers, and no less than three DIFFERENT versions of Loki, including one pretending to be Sailor Jupiter. Between the wonderful cognitive dissonance of familiar characters, the obvious chemistry of the performers, and the amusing, if slightly heavy-handed MCing by comedian Uncle Yo, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend seeing it to anyone I know (well, anyone who happens to be 18+ and mature enough to handle burlesque).

At night, of course, is when the video rooms and panels start to get a little… weirder. There’s no time like 1AM to watch sleep deprived Japanese men get chased around a gymnasium by people dressed all in black who want to do things like hit them with pies, or knock over their dinners.

Although given Japanese game shows, maybe not so weird.
(image originally found via Reddit)

I’m still not exactly sure what that was, but if I knew, I’d be watching more of it. I can’t even tell you why. 

The setup of the artist’s alley was different this year, and while I can’t tell you how the artists felt, I can definitely say that as an attendee it felt much brighter, less tucked away in the corner than it had been last year. Definitely a plus! Of course, from what I can tell the only reason it was changed was due to construction on the hotel, so whether it will continue next year is anyone’s guess.

As usual, cosplayers practically dominated the hotel for the weekend. While there was an unsurprisingly large representation of current anime, such as Attack on Titan, there was also quite a bit more throwback and retro costumes than usual, including one of the most impressive Lina Inverse cosplayers I’ve ever seen - the detail in the armor was astounding. In addition, the number of characters customized to fit a theme or character type was impressive. There was steampunk Sailor Moon (yet no steampunk Joss Whedon) and Magical Girl Kyuubei; all of which were great demonstrations of this community’s cleverness and imagination.

Steampunk ALL the characters!
(image by Marnie Joyce)

Even more so this year than in the past, Anime USA was a slickly run, well-attended weekend. If you enjoy anime and you’re in the area, this should be a part of your con rotation. No questions asked.

Sakura Matsuri

By Pres James

Everypony was there. (Image: Flickr)

On April 13th I had the pleasure of attending Sakura Matsuri once again, the yearly Japanese street festival hosted in downtown DC set to coincide with the blossoming of the city’s cherry trees. As soon as I stepped inside the fenced off area, I knew I was among fellow geeks.  On my right, a group of cosplayers posing for pictures in long, flowing clothing that must have been QUITE hot on the inside. On my left, a herd of bronies with a boombox, blasting j-pop and dancing. One stage had a kendo demonstration and on another Taiko drummers performing a cover of Gangnam Style.  The rumbling of barely contained excitement, flashes of colors both neon and muted, bright sun to show off the beautiful clothing and decorations, and a cool breeze to keep everyone refreshed.

It would be a good day.  A good day indeed.

Along with several of the other editors I made my way around the festival, perusing what was on offer for sale and seeing some of the demonstrations.  Some of the more notable ones were a booth selling handmade stuffed sushi and another with bonsai trees.  Anime memorabilia and Japanese-American outreach groups were well represented also.  Games of Go were being played, arts were being crafted, and friendships were being forged.  Three different stages highlighted singers, dancers, and performers, perfectly coordinated swirls of movement and sound.

Oh, did I mention the food?  I haven’t yet, have I?

Well.

You could smell the wonderful scents of street festival food from blocks away.  It was a mixture of traditional American fare (hot dogs, funnel cakes, meat on a stick) and things with more of an asian flare to them, though not always Japanese.  Yaki soba, red bean buns, and my personal favorite... squid on a stick.  There’s really no better place to get squid on a stick than at this festival.  Imported Kirin beer was also available at roped off tents throughout the festival.  It seems that they’ve learned from previous years, since it nearly always sold out.  This year, even trying to eat fairly late in the day, there was plenty to be had.

Fun despite the crowds (Image: Pres James)

That surprised me because the most notable aspect of this year’s festival was crowds.  There were so many people that the central avenue became an impromptu picnic at one point.  There were no places to sit and little open space, so people simply took it into their own hands.  A roadblock for sure, but also a great way to talk to some of the other attendees!  While there are usually lots of people wandering around, attendance increased this year but the space did not.  Expect that trend to continue!

After the festival started to wind down, I found my way over to the tidal basin where the cherry blossom trees actually reside.  While there wasn’t much in the way of signage to direct you between the two, it was easy enough to just follow the roving packs of tourists in the general direction of the mall and eventually you’d reach the trees.

Unfortunately, getting there involves being in the middle of a thousand other people with the same idea.  If you’re looking for a classy shot of a cherry tree with the blossoms blowing in the breeze you might want to come a little earlier than the festival.  Between the thousands of tourists pressed into the tiny walkways and the vendors on every corner selling unofficial t-shirts and water bottles, I was shoulder-to-shoulder almost the entire time I was in the area. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful sight.  Just be careful about your timing.

And yet, despite the crowding, despite dealing the Metro track work or parking paralysis, I wouldn’t miss the Festival.  I’ve gone for many years and plan to go for as long as I live here.  Relax and be a part of the crowd for a day.  You won’t regret it.

Katsucon 18: A Video Retrospective

This year we got the pleasure to talk to and help out Eric Hunsaker, of Black Lab Film + TV, with a retrospective on Katsucon 18.  We'll start off with the video itself.  Take a quick look, I'll wait.




Katsucon 18 from eric hunsaker on Vimeo.
Ok, as far as the help we gave, I wish we could say that we helped him carry his camera equipment and chase down costumed folk.  Really, all credit for the awesome of this should go to Eric himself.  We just helped get him some access and threw around a little weight.

This is one of my favorite retrospectives of a convention.  It does a pretty amazing job of getting the breadth of costumes that came out (not all of them, but a good variety) and the sense of wonder that comes with going to a con.  How often have you been to a convention and just looked around?  It's a full-on Alice in Wonderland experience, even for the seasoned veterans.

Makes me wish I was at one right now.  Only just under 10 months til the next Katsucon. :) Hopefully see you there.

Podcast - Katsucon Happy Hour

While at Katsucon, Scooter, Jeff, Brannen and I got together for a DC Geeks Happy Hour. Saturday of Katsucon, we recorded the first half mid-afternoon, and the rest is from after the costume contest, around midnight. There is swearing, liquor, and a ton of spoilers (so if we mention a title you don't want spoiled, hit pause quickly). I love doing podcasts like these. Looking forward to getting to try it at Madicon.

The first five minutes or so is streaming on SoundCloud. To listen to the full hour, you'll have to download the file. Please comment here or on SoundCloud to let us know what you think.

Katsucon Flickr Update

For those of you eagerly anticipating your photos from Katsucon, your wait is over! For those who weren't, Merry Christmas! I got you photos. I know you'll love them. Here's a quick taste from our new photostream:

Damn.

The lighting just came out so perfect on this one!

Everyone looks more badass with a book.

D'awww.

I was worried about space, so I may have compressed them down a bit farther than was necessary. If anyone wants the huge, hi-res versions, feel free to email me.

Interview: Lauren Orsini

Lauren Rae Orsini (by John Bowers)

When Scooter first recommended I ask Lauren Orsini for an interview, I thought “Oh yeah, Otaku Journalist is that awesome site that wrote about DC Geeks back when we were just getting started. She seems cool!” Not wanting to seem like a newb, I took to Google to try and research a bit more about her:

• She was an intern for Kotaku.
• Last summer, she had her work featured in Forbes.
• She’s a staff writer for The Daily Dot.
• and much, much more...

After I got over being thoroughly intimidated impressed. I sent her a slew of questions, which she was kind enough to answer.


Aine: I'm going to assume that the DC Geeks readers know what an "otaku" is (and if they don't, they know how to find it). Do you think that otaku are geeks or nerds or something else entirely?

My immediate thought when I hear
the word "otaku." (via Michael Mol)

Lauren: To me, “otaku” is a word that describes a passionate hobbyist, where the hobby in question can be anything from video games to trains. I choose this word over “geek” when describing what I do because I feel that “geek” connotes a specific set of hobbies involving science fiction and technology, while “otaku” is more open ended.

I discussed the definition of “otaku” as compared to “geek” in an article last year: Who is an otaku?

Aine: Another quick terminology question: weeaboo. Are we taking it back? Or do we need to wait a bit before it loses its racist connotations?
Lauren: I was taken aback by your word “racist,” but it’s true. When I reviewed the etymology of the word, I remembered that “weeaboo” was the Perry Bible Fellowship nonsense word that 4chan used as a replacement for any instance of the word “wapanese.”

However, I don’t believe weeaboos are intentionally racist. I recently wrote about Saturday Night Live’s sketch about weeaboos (and a lively discussion is still going on in the comments), and I particularly liked what the professor said about the overenthusiastic students:

Kotatsu are awesome: comfy and warm.
(via Sakura Chihaya)

"If there's such a thing as a loving version of racism, I think you've found it."

I’ve used the word “weeaboo” to describe myself a few times: when I cooked Japanese food, when I bought a kotatsu, and when I wore a kimono to celebrate my 24th birthday at a sushi restaurant. I’ve even written an apologetic letter to Asian people about my embarrassment over being so enthusiastic about a culture that is not my own, nor do I have any idea about. (I have never even been to Japan.)

I realize that my interest in Japanese culture could be misconstrued as racism, and so I feel guilty about it. But I think my enthusiasm, as is the case with all weeaboos, comes from a very well intentioned place.

Aine: I was actually more worried at offending people who were being called weeaboos. When I was first introduced to the term, it was compared to this slur so I’ve always been hesitant to use it. “The more you know...”
What advice would you have for geeks looking to try their first anime convention?

Otakon: high density fandom. (via Scott Rubin)

Lauren: To ensure a good time, start planning early. If you’re looking to attend a large convention like Otakon (which was my first convention), I recommend booking your hotel room a year in advance.

Decide before you get there what your budget is going to be. Otherwise, you’ll be surprised at how quickly that money disappears.

Try to attend with a group of friends. While it’s almost a given that you’ll make friends at the convention, you’ll feel less nervous when you find yourself suddenly surrounded by new sights, new sounds, and thousands of new people.

Aine: To quickly date myself, I was lured into anime fandom by Trigun and Cowboy Bebop. Are there any must-see anime series that you recommend for newbs (What is the current "gateway" anime)?

Lauren: I’d recommend Soul Eater as an excellent gateway anime. It’s got something for everyone: action, adventure, a strong fantasy setting, and meaningful character development. If they made Trigun or Cowboy Bebop a decade later, it’d certainly look something like this.

Personally, my gateway anime was The Slayers. It was the first anime I ever watched. I suppose I’m dating myself as well!

Hell yeah, bronies!
(via Mooshuu)

Aine: We all know that just because it's animated doesn't mean that it's for children, but are there any series that you would recommend for kids? (And do you still run into a lot of non-otaku who have that misconception?)

Lauren: Although My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has gained a large adult following thanks to its engaging storyline and multi-dimensional characters, I would like to make the unpopular suggestion that, in some cases, it can be enjoyed by children as well.

I’m kidding of course (though my love for MLP is no joke). Lately, I haven’t watched any other show that I would recommend to young kids. And at this point, I can’t recall running into anybody with that mindset; even my co-workers at my buttoned up old office job were Miyazaki fans.

Aine: Lauren, you deserve a brohoof ^-^/)(\^-^

In your manifesto on Otaku Journalist, you assign yourself the beat of "fandom," have you ever felt pigeonholed by your chosen beat? What reactions do you get from other journalists? And what reactions do you get from fellow otaku when they learn you're reporting about them?

Lauren: Back in 2010, I changed the title of my blog from the generic “Lauren Rae Orsini” to “Otaku Journalist.” A lot of people who cared about me urged me not to do it. They said I’d be pigeonholing myself into a specific type of writing that I might eventually want to expand out of.

Warning: Pun incoming!
In fandom, you meet colorful
characters. (via greyloch)

So far, however, it’s worked out great. I’ve defined a niche, which makes it easier for potential employers to readily comprehend what my writing is all about. It encompasses all of my current interests. Plus, I don’t just write for my blog; I work for the Daily Dot, too. So even if I did get sick of writing about fans and fan culture (though I doubt that will ever happen), I can still go to my day job and write about virtually anything on the Internet.

Aine: What is the biggest challenge you've faced as a fandom journalist (or as an online journalist)?
Lauren: Since I’m both a fan and a fandom journalist, my biggest challenge is making sure that my passion for my topic is helping, not hurting my ability to report the truth.

I’m not saying that I’m aiming for stoic objectivity; I’m not a robot. As I write in the Otaku Journalist Manifesto, I believe in authentic reporting, using my experience in my topic as an edge to most accurately present the facts. But I am always making a conscious effort to check myself and make sure I’m not letting my opinions get in the way of my duty to my audience.

Aine: In your Forbes article, you highlighted the difference between traditional journalism and your own process, but you do have formal journalism training. In what ways have you benefited from your journalism degree? In what ways are journalism classes still helpful and relevant with the increase in online and citizen journalism? 

I'm sure these are serious journalists
with serious cameras reporting on
serious things. (via Todd Huffman)

Lauren: Journalism classes teach you how to write like a journalist. News articles have a very specific format with myriad grammar and style rules. Just because you’re an excellent fiction writer doesn’t mean you’ll automatically be able to write like a trained journalist.

I took journalism classes in college, but I then got my M.A. in journalism. I don’t think everyone needs to get a master’s degree in the field, but here’s why it was helpful for me: I didn’t learn a lot of tech skills in college, and in graduate school we hardly did anything but. I learned to edit video, design infographics and use Drupal. Since I went to school in DC, I also gained a lot of connections in the field. I even got a job teaching journalism majors there after I graduated.

Was grad school that useful for improving my article writing? Not really. But it gave me essential skills and connections. Aspiring journalists who are already exceedingly techy or social butterflies might not find it as helpful as I did.

This is my new wallpaper.
(via Tony Delgrosso)

Aine: Are there any books/classes/resources that you recommend to people who want to start reporting?

Lauren: My number one suggestion to aspiring reporters is: start reporting already! You can start a blog in ten minutes, start pitching yourself ideas and send yourself out into the field. As I wrote in my Forbes article, I didn’t wait for anybody to hire me in order to become a reporter. I decided I was a reporter, and I treated myself like one.

When I started Otaku Journalist, the job I wanted— reporting on fan culture and online fandom— did not exist yet. Writing in my blog regularly meant that I would have the perfect portfolio to present for when that job opened up.

The resources I’d recommend are WordPress, Bluehost and your own stamina.

Aine: Your new years resolution for 2011 was to enjoy an extra-weeaboo year. How do you think you did? What are five fandom-related events in this area that otaku absolutely must not miss? (Or four - I'm assuming AnimeUSA is the first.)
Lauren: Absolutely right! Anime USA is a fantastic event, and everyone should go. I’m only a little biased. We’re moving to the Marriot Wardman this year in DC proper, so we’ll be more Metro accessible. We’ll also have triple the space we had last year!

Renfaire is otaku-friendly, I promise!
(via Larry Wilder)

I’d recommend every otaku visit the Maryland Renaissance Faire at least once. Perhaps even during pirate weekend. Generally everyone there is a nerd like you, plus there are plenty of opportunities to eat all sorts of types of food on a stick.

DC Sakura Matsuri is coming up, and the festival has plenty of activities for otaku. For example, Anime USA puts on a cosplay fashion show there every year. Last year, they had a Nintendo 3DS testing booth. There’s also Japanese food and cultural activities, of course.

Every month, the Japanese Embassy has an event called Animazing, where they screen an anime so recent you might have not had a chance to see it yet anywhere else. People from the DC Anime Club usually show up, so you’re bound to make some new friends, too.

Can my fifth suggestion be our five other local conventions? There’s Magfest, T-MODE, Katsucon, Otakon and Tigercon, and I can’t pick just one.

Lauren Orsini: Lucky or Cunning?
Hmm... (via Charles Williams)

Aine: Finally, a little bird told me you were a pretty wicked Magic player. What non-otaku geek activities do you enjoy?

Lauren: I don’t know who told you I was good at Magic. I’m just a ridiculously lucky drafter and I open up a lot of rare cards. If you were at the Star City Open, you’d see I’m not just being humble!

One thing I enjoy that’s not generally considered “geeky” is knitting. I knit a lot of socks, but I’ve been known to knit a Half-Life scarf for my fiance. I also collect rocks. Actually, I think these things are even dorkier than the interests that I talk about all the time!

Aine: Lauren, thanks so much for taking the time to answer my huge list of questions!
If you still haven’t checked it out, Lauren’s blog is Otaku Journalist. It’s definitely one to add to your RSS feed. Besides being a knowledgeable otaku, she writes helpful posts for bloggers and online journalists. She’s also got the social media triad covered with Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter.

AnimeUSA 2011

As a moderately experienced congoer, it’s easy to tell that AnimeUSA really gets why people come to cons: buy cool stuff, watch cool stuff, and meet cool people. It picks up on those great aspects of a convention and does them really, really well. Maybe I’m biased because as a congoer, I cut my teeth on AnimeUSA and Katsucon. As a conchair for Madicon, I got a lot of advice from their staff. However, I hadn’t been to AnimeUSA since 2007 or so, and I was glad to see they’ve only gotten better since.

From top to bottom: Tabletop/CCG Games,
Maid Cafe, Registration, Dealers and Artists' Alley
(The last two are down the escalators).

This year was different because it was my first time attending a con with a press pass. I wasn’t sure exactly what that entailed, but I packed up my camera, gently elbowed my way up to Con Ops, got the “I’m just covering her break, take your badge” orientation speech, and I was on my way.

I may not have used my press badge to the fullest extent, because I enjoyed the con the way I always enjoy cons: I people watched, but this time I took awesomely high res photos of them as well. On Friday night, that meant that I wound up in the concert having done inadequate research on the genre (as I mentioned in my mid-con post), because that’s where the crowd was headed. Being in the press pit meant that I was directly in-between the energetic crowd and Blood on stage.

Is that a child dressed in a Robin Halloween costume?

I didn’t see many panels, but I did slip into the end of a rather low-key, small panel: Convention Horror Stories. I thought I had bad stories, but the slide show covered an Otakon about a decade ago where all of the city was covered in potentially toxic fumes. I wrapped my Friday night commiserating with fellow attendees about the most drastic cons-gone-wrong.

Saturday, I had intended to attend more events, but there were just too many good costumes to stop taking pictures.

ゴスロリ So pretty.

Beyond the cosplay, I could go on about the expansive vendor room, the beautiful fan art, and the myriad video rooms, but that isn’t what makes this convention unique. Between Deviant Art, Amazon, and fansubbing sites, you could cobble together a rough understanding of those aspects of the event. For me though, the community has always set the tone for good conventions (it’s why I’m willing to drag myself down to Williamsburg every January for Marscon).

Even if you buy swag from them online, without going to a con, you wouldn’t get to run up to that webcomic artist you’ve been following for years and fangirl/boy all over them. You wouldn’t get to pack way more friends into a hotel room than may be strictly legal. And you can’t convince that timid, and slightly tipsy, newb friend to head into a 4am panel with a slideshow full of tentacles so that they’ll stop naively saying “I’ve seen enough hentai to know where this is going.” At a con, I once won an argument of “animated stuff is for kids” with a midnight showing of Elfen Lied (Yeah, I play to win).

Everyone at the con was surprisingly outgoing and friendly. Beyond just being kind, the attendees were pretty damn stylish. I’m still combing through the photos, and working on combining them into a Flickr set. The open balconies meant that I could just position myself two floors up and zoom in on any costumes passing through the arch below. Three cheers for whoever put those “I consent to being photographed” clickwrap-ish agreements on the attendee badges.

The two things I found at AnimeUSA that I hadn’t seen elsewhere: video games and maids. Now, every con has video games. The game room at AnimeUSA looked like serious business. The LAN had about twenty computers, but what made it stand out was that the room was ringed with full-sized arcade games. DDR in particular is always impressive to watch. Then the second unique part of the con caught my eye from across the atrium as I left the video games room: Maid cafe.

Every good stalker photo needs foliage.

With my creeper lens I could see a bit of what was going on in the bustling maid cafe. I usually have enough trouble finding good food in a con hotel, but having it served by adorable maids who trade photos for tips? Extra awesome. I decided to stop creeping and catch a legit picture or two from inside the cafe. (If you’re interested, the Otaku Journalist blog has far more coverage of the maids).

AnimeUSA was a wonderful con. Mark your November 2012 Google calender notifications. You can also follow them on Twitter. Don’t forget to check out Lauren Orsini’s website for related posts and otaku-style geekiness.

Anime USA Mid-Con Report

Today was so exciting. I got a new camera. It takes pretty pictures.

D'awwww

Yup, I'm updating at 2:00AM so I can show you my kitty cats. End of post. Job well done.

The real reason I'm excited about my camera is that it came just in time for me to take it to Anime USA. Day one of the con is still up and running over in Arlington. Items are on the schedule straight through 8:30AM, when tomorrow's events pick up. Registration is open tomorrow from 9:00AM to 8:00PM.

Taking time to be loyal to my own fandom, I headed straight for the My Little Brony panel. I was a bit sad at first that it wasn't a meet-up, but the barely contained excitement quickly devolved from panel to discussion format. Attendees took turns telling stories about converting haters to the herd and we ended by singing "Winter Wrap Up." And you know what? There were more than 70 attendees packed to standing room only, and almost all of them male. Take that, heteronormativity!

I did my usual con meandering (i.e. trying in vain to learn my way around) as I waited for the Blood concert to start. After an evening of rooms without cell reception, fellow DC Geek Roberto managed to find me, presumably by dowsing or some newly emerged mutant ability. We slipped in to the press photography pit just as the pre-concert announcements were wrapping up.

So, I have a confession: I'd never heard of Blood. I thought, "I remember what J-pop sounds like. That's what these guys are, right? J-pop?" So with my shiny press pass (Thank you, Lauren Orsini!) I steadied my camera and played around with the focus.

"Oh! No one's sitting in front of that low speaker there! What a perfect place to take close ups. I wonder why no one........"

I couldn't hear the band start playing, but I noticed that my pants legs were flapping around wildly. Thankfully, the speaker was turned down to just below the setting that would have ripped off clothing. Sadly without a flash, and between the headbanging and strobe lights, only a few photos came out.

I'm considering today a camera test run.

Tomorrow kicks off the big events of the weekend: the Pirate vs. Ninja dance off, the Masquerade, the AMV contest, and My Little Parody: YouTube is Magic. If you weren't booked up this weekend, you should be now. I'll keep the top hat with the DC Geeks logo on because it makes me look taller. Oh, and because it makes me easier to find. Come say hi.