So AI09 was about a week ago, and I could have updated then, but I didn't really think about it, so anyways, first con with a few of my friends and I had a BLAST.

I dragged 2 of my friends along to cosplay as a few Death Note characters of their choice. I picked Mello because I thought I could pull it off, and I think I did 8D I know some people recognized me LOL. I actually suggested my other friends go as L and Matt because they're pretty much awesome.

Anyway, the first day I fell right into my element. At school and in the normal world I'm the shy, quiet, and unemotional Boo, but at that moment (and the following 2 days) I was the hyper and fangirling MELLO. Yes, it was awesome. I can't describe the feeling of seeing POWER RANGERS, or THE ALMIGHTY TALLEST, and JTHM...zomg. Not to mention the random Star Trek cosplayers. I even exchanged PHASERS with one dressed up in a TNG Starfleet Uniform. It was teh awesome.

Also the dealers room was awesome. Even if some of the merchandise was insanely overpriced, I found a frakking 01 Ichiro (ANDROID KIKAIDER) action figure from the '90s. I took him home and painted him and glued him and he looks badass. Not to mention the random Kikaider DVD, 16 mangas, and various Dragonball, Inuyasha, and Zelda plushies I bought.

I thought I had purchased the entire DN Angel manga series because I had just refound my interest in that series and bought volumes 4-12 only to realize that at the end of vol. 12 there was a gargantuan CLIFFHANGER. I was like Duuuude..Frak. *Googles release date* "DECEMBER 1st 09?!?" Noooooo! So now I have to wait til xmas to get the next DN Angel volume lol. Oh well.

On the 2nd day we headed straight for the AMV contest award thingy because I had entered in one of my ANDROID KIKAIDER music videos back in June (and honestly, I was pretty damn certain I was going to win something because I really put my all into that video )
Anyway, as they pulled up the AMV video folder me and my L were searching for my Kikaider video but couldn't find it. There was a folder of like 50 or so videos and in the back of my head I kept wondering if they were really going to show every single one of those videos. I was kind of discouraged when I had gone over the rows multiple times and hadn't seen my Kikaider title but when the computee clicked over to a different folder titled 'Video Contest Winners' my heart literally skipped.
I had seen my video in the selection of 5 or so other videos in the winner folder. I pointed to the overhead screen and whispered giddily to my friend "My video is there! Omg, it's right there!!" I was so excited. My video was actually going to be shown in front of all of these people o_O. (Yeah, okay I know I sound like someone who has never had a bit of fame in her life, but this was really cool!!)
Anyway, they play my video, I get an applause and the computee asks in the crowd if there was an Elizabeth G. anywhere then she goes: "I don't know why she didn't give me her last name." (well, if you really want to know: it's because THEY ALWAYS PRONOUNCE IT WRONG.. ARRRG) and I pipe up "I'm here!!" I probably had a big huge annoying grin on my face too xD I go up to the stage and receive my award and JUMBO SHIRT XXXXL. Yeah, thanks! I'll give this to my obese cat. That was cool though, and if any of you haven't seen it. I'll post a link to my Kikaider video which won that "drama/romance award" (LOL @ the romance tag, you'll know when you watch it): [link]

Anyway, that was the highlight of my trip down to Coralville and Anime Iowa. I had a blast at all of the panels (except the Anime Improv could have been a lot better xD) and I met some really cool people! I'll definitely consider going next year!

Now, for the second portion of this journal - (this is hella long isnt it?)

WORLD OF FRAKKING WARCRAFT. Discuss...
So WoW (as many abbreviate it) just released the trailer for their latest expansion coming up called World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. And let me say, it looks AWESOME.
Now, I'm a pretty old WoW player, I've been playing since '06 and a bit before Burning Crusade released. And let me say, the game is awesome, except for one thing and it's entirely my opinion but I bet many others share it as well:

Wrath of the Lich King (the newest expansion) was a total disappointment. It may have been the intense level grinding (10 more levels? Really??), the bad use of recycled armor and weapon designs, the boring zones (I'm looking at you Borean Tundra), or just the thought that going back to Outlands was only going to be for the alts now.

Be it any or all of those reasons, but as soon as I hit 80 there was nothing to do. Honestly, I could have been raiding or doing one of the 500 heroic dungeons, but for some reason they didn't even interest me at all. I was a healer btw so dungeon whispers were frequent but I shrugged them off like a sassy Night Elf Priest would. I had inexplicably lost interest in the game. I tried PvP which I loved in BC, but I was just another weakling who had to go through the mindless grind of honor again. I wanted to be the best but I had to grind. Again.

In BC I had a few friends who would grind honor with me, but with LK I had transferred away to join up with my older brother. I missed my friends and my other guild. But I'm not saying having my brother and his guild's company wasn't enough. I just didn't have "The Group" like I've always had since '07 to always grind honor with and pwn some Horde.

Overall, LK was just boring for me and eventually I lost interest. So I haven't played WoW religiously for about 5 months, but I never really actually disconnected myself from the game and I kept in contact with close friends who still played the game. (I lost The Game btw).

By my friends (and my brother)'s news broadcasting IE IMing and TXTing, the new expansion, Cataclysm, was brought to my attention.
That trailer literally almost made me cry. It was so epic. I had no words to describe what I felt when I saw how they were reusing the old content which I loved so much. Azeroth was always the best followed closely to Outlands (which I still weep for because LK made it obsolete). THIS TRAILER WANTED TO MAKE ME PLAY AGAIN. I looked up the recent patches and found out how awesome they had made it since I quit. Duel talent specs. WTF, I WANTED THAT A YEAR AGO. It's just amazing. I'm a nerd, but a proud nerd. I love my MMORPG'S and Star Trek, and Anime, and Comic Books just like the next guy or girl and I'm so glad I found a reason to get back into my favorite game!
Live Long and Prosper! And....FOR THE ALLIANCE!