Now, I rarely get to drive, even in town. The wife thinks I motor-mouth too much about the other crappy drivers. Well, they ARE crappy drivers. If your car looks like the winner from the Destruction Derby, maybe your skills are not up to snuff. She also thinks I panic when it gets too trafficky. I don’t panic; I get frustrated. Do YOU like sitting in traffic, not moving at all, listening to the thumping bass of the car which is half-a-mile back? However, her knees were hurting, so I was given the honors. I usually use the six-plus hour drive to think about what went down at the convention, but not this time. I spent the drive trying to get around about 100 trucks and keeping an eye on the gas gauge, but I did think.

I had been thinking about things the entire time of the event, so my actions were more of a recap of a recap for me. I certainly felt better about the ’22 Expo than I did last time I went, even though the frustrations were still evident, with line caps and people who may not have been suited to be Staff Security, in dealing with hordes of people in the blazing sun. And the addition of a Beer Garden and a Midway Funway just added to the stress for many.

The Expo hadn’t been here in two years, so the place was packed, packed, packed. It was both interesting and scary to see a tidal wave of people rush into the Entertainment Hall. I don’t know about you, but if I’m dropping $140 for a 4-Day pass, I can play Yu-Gi-Oh at any other time. Can I get rare or any special cards? OK, that IS different. I’ll knock down my mother to get to them. I’ll knock down YOUR mother to get to them

It’s that in my five-year gap, a lot changed and a lot didn’t change. The food trucks were a real change-up, as there were so many of them. I checked out the beer garden, but at $10 a beer, it had best be the greatest beer on the planet! Seriously, I could go to the Ralph’s (“Where no prices…”) and score on a bottle of Maker’s Mark for $12, or take a chance at the Discount Booze Rack. Harvey’s Bristol Cream for $8? Such a deal! Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle.

Lines are lines, but, as always, you give up a lot to make certain you get into venues. I mean, I did try an experiment and I was able to get into “Dr. Stone” without waiting for an hour, and I got a good seat. Yeah, I missed the start of the episode, but it felt more like background and not that critical to the story itself.

But I got hammered for the taiko drum event. I still have not gotten an answer as to why they don’t repeat some of the events. Panels, OK, that I understand, but how often are you going to get hands-on experience banging on the drum all day? (OK, I guess I should at least acknowledge that rotten pun.)

I came to a decision the first day I was putting up the daily recap: there was quite a lot going on and I didn’t want people to spend a huge amount of time reading things. I like to keep it succinct, but sometimes things are left out to reach that goal, so you get a taste, but perhaps not the flavor. and some things defied insertion into the narrative, but were part and parcel of the event.

I mean, I didn’t get that one posted until after 1 am of the following day, as there was just so much going on and I needed to let people know while it was still fresh. It’s a bit like reviewing a rock concert, except I am doing it while it is happening. OK, not actually, as I didn’t get a press pass and I wasn’t allowed anywhere near the lounge and I didn’t want to lug around my laptop while bumping into everyone.

So, I have decided to take out a bunch of Saturdays and post more focused views of what happened and what I saw. Everything, all of it, the good, the bad and the ugly, that is all part of the event. And do I have stories! So, look forward to that, especially a breakdown of the “Hentai Boobies” event.

Now, I am going to make a small break here and make two plugs. I normally don’t do this, but I want to let people know of things. Think of it as a public service.

The folks at HIDIVE pushed this every time I saw them, so you should know. HIDIVE is an anime streaming site and they think they are the best. To this end, they are giving folks a 30-day free trial to check them out. Go to hidive.com and plug in the code AX22. You have until August 4th to use this. And a reminder that if you do this, keep your eye on the clock, so if you want to bail, you can and not get stuck with having to pay for a month you didn’t want. Yeah, I personally am always leery of ‘free trials’.

The other is for an energy drink. Now, I hate this crap. It’s like licking a rusted steel bar. I can understand why you put vodka into a Red Bull, so you can choke it down. I got a free can of Celsius Energy drink. It was hot and I was thirsty, so I got the orange. It was flavorful without that nasty tang and I didn’t feel like I got hooked up to a car battery (some of them get intense).

Again, I am not making a plug per se (I guess I am), but the first is an opportunity that you might not otherwise know of and the second is more FYI.

So, this Expo has come to an end, and a reminder that if you haven’t been to a convention, check one out. And if you haven’t been in a while, bring your mask and COVID card.