One of my goals at PAX was to pick up more T-shirts. Not counting my hoodie though, which is fairly useless for an East Coaster in Los Angeles, I already have three Penny Arcade shirts. As much as I'd like to hail ball, I'd feel like a tool if I could outfit myself courtesy of Kiko all week. So other than picking up a PAX '07 tee, my intent was to diversify.
In all, I acquired four new T-shirts. Two were purchased with cash. Another was given to me in return for a charitable donation. I won the last in a Chow-Yun Fat trivia contest.
Me: The Corrupter!Stranglehold Guy: Give that man a T-shirt.
Stranglehold Woman: You're a Medium?
Me: I taste dead people.
Stranglehold Woman: I have Large and Xtra large.
Me: Uh, maybe it will shrink in the wash?
Stranglehold Guy: What do John Woo, Brian DePalma, and J.J. Abrams have in common?
Me: Mission: Impossible!
Stranglehold Guy: Sir, you've already got your over-sized night shirt. No shot glass for you.
The Stranglehold T-shirts were designed solely for the development team on the video game. Also, it was white, so it wasn't like I'd be inclined to wear it anyway. Overall, a minor disappointment compared to the Large T-shirt I bought from The NESkimos.
I knew it would be too big for me. It always is when whoever is at the merch table says, "Maybe it will shrink in the wash." But I felt bad for them. They had to play after Freezepop, and other than rocking the entire soundtrack to Castlevania II, their set was weak. A guy I met last year at the post-PAX nerdcore night walked out. I'm sorry, dude. I was embarrassed, too.
I felt I'd look like a dick if I asked the ECA representative at PAX for a raincheck on a T-shirt I could actually wear. I'll do it through e-mail instead. I'll even return the one they gave me and pay for postage. It's for a good cause.
Which leaves me with one T-shirt that almost fits.
I know this seems unusually "You own a dog and you feed it" for our blog, but I am going somewhere with this. I just never gained respect for the academic approach to thesis statements. When the authors of Freakonomics or Richistan blow their "In conclusion" load in the first 15 pages, why do I need to read the rest of the book? Give me an anecdote instead, and save the sound bites for page 220.
Is anyone else going to the Penny Arcade Expo? If so, we need to talk before hotel reservations are finalized. Like, stat.
For those of you unfamiliar with the con, it's the annual gaming event put together by the guys at Penny Arcade. There are video game tournaments for those so inclined, and exhibitors offering first or second looks at their upcoming titles. But Mr. Bile and I are more about the music. In addition to PAX alumni MC Frontalot, the NESkimos, and Optimus Rhyme (non-embarrassing nerdcore hip-hop, heavy metal covers of video game music, and a rockin' live band, respectively), this year's lineup includes Freezepop, who you might know from bonus tracks on Guitar Hero I and II, and Jonathan Coulton, the man who brought you "Code Monkey", "Re: Your Brains," and a folk-rock cover of "Baby Got Back."
There's also a very friendly open-gaming room and the Omegathon, where randomly selected attendees compete in front of an audience of 20,000+ in tabletop and videogame challenges. Last year's contest included pre-release Guitar Hero II tracks and Tetris. I'm no prognosticator, but something tells me Carcassone or Catan might be involved this time around. At least, I hope so, because my name is in the hat.
Oh, and Will Wheaton will be there, if you're into that kind of thing. And by that kind of thing, I don't know what I mean. I can only assume that if an appearance by Will Wheaton whets your appetite, you have your reasons.
So there you have it. Several perfectly good reasons to vacation in Seattle the weekend before Labor Day, even if you've never heard of the Fruit Fucker 2000.
