FanX - Two Years Later

It's hard to believe that this time, exactly two years ago, I was in Salt Lake City with my own little art booth at FanX, the biggest art convention in this area.

 

This was an enormous step I'd never taken before. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped. I made a pretty bad investment due to poor planning and woeful overestimation, and I'm still feeling the financial sting today. Barely earned back a fraction of what I spent. Of course, I was on my own and I might have fared better if I had someone to help me, so I definitely learned the value of outside help.

 

It was also very lonely. Nearly every other vendor I saw had someone with them, whether it was a friend, a spouse, or some other family member. I couldn't even play with my phone because I didn't have proper access to the Wi-Fi and I had to save the battery for a call home later. So, for the most part, I just sat there and looked around. At least I had access to a chair; all the guests had to stay on their feet the whole time, unless they could get comfortable on the floor.

 

I also got a few pictures with celebrities, even though it was a five-second meeting at best. Wait in line, say hi, snap a picture, and then move along. Which I guess makes sense, since these celebrities don't have all day to chitchat with each individual.

 

This year, I couldn't go if I wanted to and I can't say I particularly want to. While I can see the appeal of the place, it literally costs an arm and a leg, hence why I dubbed this place "a wallet-eater." At least the costumes were very interesting; its amazing how creative some of those people get and how far to town they go.

 

Whether I ever do something like this again, only time will tell. And if nothing else, I learned a few things from this experience. I'm still proud of the artwork itself and I'm proud of myself for being bold enough to undertake such an endeavor. Just wish I was a bit more business-savvy and I could have really used some extra company.

 

2024 9-11 Memorial

Every year, I make a small tribute to 9/11, and this year is no exception.

I also play Alan Jackson's "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" a few times, and lately, I've been playing some Peter, Paul, and Mary songs since they were very big anti-war advocates. My dad liked them a lot, too.

Can't believe it's been 23 years since it happened. Can't believe something like this even happened to begin with. It will never cease to amaze me how far people will go to cause other people harm.

On the other hand, we mustn't forget the good that usually comes out of the bad. History should be preserved no matter how uncomfortable it makes us, if we have any hope in the world of never repeating it. The victims deserve to be remembered, and it remains truly inspiring and humbling how many of us pulled together, both then and now. 

I think the 2002 Spider-Man movie sums up the fighting, tribal spirit of New York up nicely: 

My New-ish Bed

I'd been wanting a new bed (and needing one pretty badly) for quite some time. The one I slept in for years used to belong to Christine, so it was older than me and getting less and less comfortable.

Then Uncle Jeff and Aunt Donna (Dad's youngest brother) asked us if we wanted the bed that used to belong to their youngest daughter, Cousin Lexi, who got married not too long ago. It's still in pretty good shape, and since it was free of charge, we said yes. 

They were nice enough to come to our house in person and set it up as well as cart out the old bed. 

I will admit, it's a big change of scenery that will take some getting used to. 

There are a lot of memories associated with Christine's old bed. Butterscotch and Pippin took plenty of catnaps on it, and until I got my desk, that was where I sat and drew pictures or used my laptop on a big cardboard box in front of me.

At least this newer one is nice and comfy. I had a decent sleep last night, despite waking up a few times. 

Out with the old, in with the new, as they say. But there's no shame in feeling a bit nostalgic about the old. 

Speaking of which, today was the last day that one of our coworkers (one of our very best, too, I might add) worked with us before she leaves for college. Her name's Chloe, she's about 19-20 years old, and I personally trained her on the cash register. She told me she's majoring in marketing and her ultimate goal is to own her own business. 

From what I saw since she first joined us, she has a fantastic work ethic and catches on quickly. I'm happy for her and I wished her luck, but I'm going to miss her. I'm missing her already. 

It's a little weird. As of right now, I'm the one who's stayed at Kneaders the longest, five years and counting. Everyone I work with now came after me, including my current boss. 

I always had a fairly solid idea of what I want to do with my life. I still want to write and draw, but this is my little backup plan. It keeps money coming and gets me out of the house every so often, so I'm not just cooped up in my room all the time. 

I finished school ages ago, and while there are some parts I do miss, I'm quite content to leave it all behind me. I don't miss the bullying, the loneliness, those awkward teenage years (Mother Nature was pretty rough back then), the math or the science (although my teachers were very nice), and I most definitely do not miss being in debt when I went to Weber State. Even for stay-at-home students who take the city bus to campus, tuition is not cheap and I had to rely on money from the government. It doesn't help that Dad died just one month after I graduated, and I was only able to pay off all my debts in time because of money we got from my grandparents after they died. 

But I'd say school has done me a lot of good on the whole, especially college. It's safe to say college is the place where I officially grew up. That's where I learned to be less timid and more resourceful, to do more things for myself and not expect someone else to do it all for me or hold my hand all the time, and I learned to manage my time very well, which sure came in handy when I started work. 

And while you technically don't need a degree to be a writer or artist, I gained a lot of knowledge and self-confidence and the quality of my work has improved dramatically. So, I'm a pretty big advocate for higher education, although I'll also be the first to say it's not for everybody and those who do enroll in it must understand what they're getting into. 

Didn't mean to stray off-topic, but once again, out with the old and in with the new.