No matter how wrong, awkward, or crazy things may get at Ota[con], it’s always nice to be at Ota[con], if only to see old friends. There’s seemingly always this overwhelming sensation of welcome back, like a family reunion. People, vendors, cosplayers, friends you may not have seen in years will never be far behind and it tends to feel like yesterday since you last saw each other.
I knew leaving Ota would be significant in the eyes of those that mattered the most, even if they didn’t say it. But apparently I wasn’t the only one in this year’s “graduating class”. I met with a bevy of others who’d decided it was time for them to depart as well. My reasons are my own, but time seems to be a common denominator in the varied decisions.
A lot of katz I ran into had no idea I was (literally) still alive, let alone back in Maryland. Many thought I’d moved out of country, and some even considered I‘d been spending the last 12 months blowing them off altogether. My reunion one-liner?
Person: “How Ya Been?!”
Dark: “I got shot.”
Yeah, I’m a total mood killer. Someone told me, “When Dark Angel goes MIA, he only returns stronger.” Between that and the ‘hen + tie’ shirt, I haven’t really had a reason to chuckle all year. What can I say? Recessions make for tough years. But it really has been one of the most, absolute, craziest years for me ever, and if you blinked, you may have missed the following.
Shot & Left Dead In A Graveyard | Almost Avalanched | Stuck In Maryland’s Biggest Blizzard EVER | 3 Jobs & School | Snoverdraft | Paypal/Bank/Direct Deposit/Identity Fail | Paying Off Debt | Book (How To Avoid Hara-Kiri) | New Website! | Moved Again | Laptop Stolen | Facebook, Email, & Phone HACKED at the same time! | Anime Matsuri | Texas Trouble | Trip To See The Treasury Secretary
And for those out of the know, I have just recently relocated to Baltimore on a permanent basis; for the foreseeable 6 months.
In short my year is work and school eating into absolutely all my time, while ill-timed hacks and thefts have cut me off from (or made it hard for me to keep in touch with) people I respect.
Course that’s not even the tip of the iceberg and with all the MASSIVE changes that have happened in my life in these last few months, I guess it’s harder than ever to keep track of me. And to be honest I have a hard time keeping track of me. But I’m not always impossible to find.
Cell – Ask. Has changed several times in last year. Has unlimited texting; since everybody’s been asking me that.
Website – Bookmark & lock into the RSS.
Facebook – Add @ www.facebook.com/drkangl7
Twitter – Follow @Mr_DarkAngel
LinkedIn – Network @ http://www.linkedin.com/in/mrdarkangel. Currently in the LONG process of updating resume/skills/etc.
Skype – Call @ [left empty for a reason]. Ask.
AIM – Chat @ [left empty for a reason]. Ask.
The following won’t give you the tracking prowess of Sherlock Holmes, but it’s a good start if we should decide to keep in touch. The reunion might be finished, and Otakon might be over, but I’m not turning my back on anyone. This isn’t the end, only a new direction.
