Wow, I was really looking forward to Fanime and a day away from the worries of work, but upon arriving at the convention center, I realized that I'd made a big mistake. First off, the registration line was really, really, really long. I did try to pre-register earlier in the week, but it was too late.

I also noticed that it was an incredibly young crowd, unlike many of the comic book conventions I've attended where I'm used to seeing other men my age. Now, the enthusiasm I saw in the cosplayers was phenomenal, but being twice the age of the average attendee, and about half the fanatic, I had to ask myself if it was worth spending the day feeling like a chaperon at a junior high school party.

Much of the con seemed to be about youthful togetherness. These kids obviously spent a ton of time and money on their love of anime and manga, considering how most of the costumes were really well-built. (I can't say the same about most of the wearers of the costumes, but that's another issue.) They also arrived in groups. Without a doubt, everyone was happy to be there with friends. I was alone and feeling really out of place, so I left. That's what I get for ignoring my "no more cons unless I'm there as a vendor or guest speaker" resolution.

Star Trek was playing at the theater a couple of blocks away, so rather than head home, I decided to see the film. It was okay, but not great. Some of the jokes fell flat, and the dialogue was predictable at times. But the characters were for the most part fun. I don't quite get why engineering looked like a giant oil refinery. I'm sure Eddie Murphy was smiling at the obvious nod to his classic joke about Kirk "fuckin' some green bitch". The director seemed to be doing something different with the aliens. He didn't seem to want to let us gaze at them for very long. When an unfamiliar (and grotesque) species appeared on screen, I got only a few seconds to process what I saw. I don't know if this was intentional or just a result of the pace of the editing.

While waiting for the train, I overheard a conversation between a blind man and a woman about a game for the blind played with a ball with bells inside. He had one with him. It was about the size of a soccer ball, and made of a really dense, blue, rubbery material. The idea is to make the ball noisy so that the players can find it. I'm surprised that I've never heard of the game or the balls.

The Cerrito Theater is closed. I loved that theater!