Into the Geek Realm: Fanime 2014, pt.5: What Happened to Saturday?

So, after a somewhat good nights sleep, we headed back down to San José. After all, we had the weekend to commune with our fellow otaku. Besides, there were more panels to go to.

Forest spirit from Princess Mononoke

After parking we make a beeline to my first panel of the day. One of the neat things they have at Fanime is a martial arts dojo where they have all sorts of different demonstrations. They also have classes where you can learn as well. I attended the Self-Defense for Women class.

One of the reasons they started teaching this panel was because women have been getting increasingly harassed both on the streets and in conventions. And while that may sound silly, it’s a fact that a lot of women have to deal with.

To be honest, I found the panel both a lot of fun, a great place to socialize with other girls and highly educational. I learned some good moves to help fend off someone if they are giving me unwanted attention. They taught us pressure points which can help fall someone who is taller or more powerful. In the end, they have you run a gauntlet where they do everything they can to stop you from getting to the end. It was a great way to practice the skills that you learn in the class in a more life-like setting.

After the class, I had plenty of time to kill before my next panel. That means a lot of time to kill. I had 5 hours in between panels. So, what do you do with that time? Do a lot of looking around.

We did another round through the dealer’s room. Taking in everything that’s in and seeing if there was anything that I really wanted. Sometimes you just have to look and figure out what there is. There was a good amount of stuff (as I have stated before). We also got a tasty lunch at Il Fornaio.

Jack and John from Torchwood

While we were waiting, we decided to get a drink at the bar in the Hilton. It was there that we met a wonderful couple from San Diego. We proceeded to spend the rest of the evening drinking and talking. We went from the Hilton bar to the lounge at the Fairmont.

There was a lot of drinking involved. So, parts of my memories are fuzzy… which is not entirely surprising. It was a fun evening though. It was definitely worth it.

So after a while (not sure how long), we came back home and I promptly passed out in bed. I was out for most of the night except to get some water.