Sunday, August 22, 2010

Spreading the word about your favorite convention

I was at the Atlanta airport on my way to a friend's wedding this weekend, and I stopped at a restaurant to get a salad.

After telling me about the salads, the girl at the counter said, "You are wearing Edward Elric on your shirt, so I'm going to give you one of these."   She handed me a glossy flier for Anime Weekend Atlanta.

She gave me my salad and dressing and said, "Well, if you're in Atlanta on September 17th-19th, be sure to come on out.  I'll be dressed in Lolita!"  She grinned hugely and went to help someone at the other counter.

The man at the bar next to us looked at me questioningly over his martini.

"It's a really frilly style of costume," I finally explained.

"I thought she meant like the book," the man said, looking relieved.  I decided not to go into the history and nuances and evolution of the word as it's been adapted in Japanese pop culture today.

He expressed interest in the flier, which I showed him.  He looked confused.  "What's this all about?"

"It's a convention for fans of anime and manga and Japanese pop culture," I explained.

"Oh, so you knew what she was talking about before I butted in?" he asked. 

I nodded, took my salad, and left, chalking his disorientation up to one martini too many.  Some people cope with travel anxiety in strange ways.

So, anyway, I hope the good folks of Atlanta have a wonderful convention!  If they're as enthusiastic about advertising it as that young lady was, I'm sure it'll be full of fun.

Do you have any con recommendations?

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