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The Con Season is in Full Swing (Traegorn)

Traegorn — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:55:01 -0500

Mar 10, 2010 - 08:55:01 CST
With MarsCon last weekend, and Anime Milwaukee this weekend, one can reasonably say that the convention season is in full swing at this point. For those who didn't notice, I've posted my full MarsCon report to TRHOnline, and like my previous report on Daisho Con, I've decided to include several stick figure cartoons to illustrate the write up rather than take pictures or video.

Because as previously stated, I'm determined to actually experience cons now.

I'll be doing a full report like this for Anime Milwaukee too, which means I'll probably never get around to doing a STEAK report... but I am a man with finite time. Between con reports and drawing UnCONventional, I only have so much time in the day.

Now I only do 3-5 cons a year. I know some people, like my friend Mike, who do well over a dozen. He also makes more money than I do and has a lot more free time... and he's also not planning a wedding and a move, while trying to balance a limited amount of PTO at work.

It's funny trying to explain what the con scene is like to those outside it. They think it's a completely alien world or something, when those of us inside it know the truth: It's a massive party that lasts for several days.

See, people often think that Cons are full of lonely shut-ins, but that really isn't the case. Sure we're a bunch of nerds and geeks, but we're the nerds and geeks who like to get out of the house and have fun. The shut-ins are... well... still shut in. They don't come out for stuff like this, because doing so would make them no longer shut-ins.

Or something. That sort of made sense in my head.

The point is, as I attempt to meander back towards it, is that conventions are fun and are filled with fun people. Yeah, I think that's what I was getting at. I wish I had more time to go to these things, because I honestly do love them so much. Once Crysta and I move south in a few months, I hope that I still can make it to my normal cons... and add some local ones to my list as well.

Frankly, if I can't find a convention in my new home, I might just see what I would have to do to start one myself. It's not like I haven't done that before anyways.
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Modernizing MarsCon (Traegorn)

Traegorn — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:03:24 -0500

Mar 08, 2010 - 09:03:24 CST
So as most of you know, I was at MarsCon this last weekend (the one in Minnesota, not the one out east). I'll be posting my full report on the event later this week, but I wanted to talk about a few things before hand that weren't about my own weekend: MarsCon needs to Modernize.

Before I get started, I want you to understand that I love MarsCon. It's the only science fiction convention I still fit into my schedule. I've been helping run the No Brand Con room party there for years because I love being at this convention.

But MarsCon's attendance has been dropping off these last few years. The estimate I heard about this year's attendance was only 500, which is much smaller than it's been in previous years. The attendees are also aging, with far fewer new folks coming in. Let's face it, I'm twenty-nine years old, and I'm at the young end of the spectrum. I'm used to running conventions where people my age are considered "The old guard," so it's strange to be the kid again.

That said, I want to give some advice to MarsCon on how they can attract a newer, younger crowd without abandoning the awesome identity they have. So, with my love of them in mind, here is my unsolicited (and likely unread and unwanted) advice:

Redesign the Website
This is the easiest thing to do. The MarsCon Website looks like it's ripped straight from 1998. This is the first impression potential attendees get when they look you up, and when your website looks that antiquated people assume your convention is. A modern design doesn't just signal professionalism, but also makes people feel like they aren't going to end up at a 6 hour "Blake's 7" lecture.

(And yes, I love Blake's 7, but even most of MarsCon's attendees haven't watched it these days.)
Offer Day Passes
I don't mean the reduced rate weekend passes that they do now -- but genuine, actual day passes. People under the age of 30 are, for better or for worse, poor. There are many college students who would love to go to MarsCon, but who can't justify a $60 weekend pass. Offer a $20 day pass, and suddenly more people are going to want to come.

Take the No Brand Con people for example. I have never gone to the Convention Proper at MarsCon because, well, I'm poor as dirt. I show up, run a party, and pretty much never leave the No Brand Con room all Saturday. Why? Because I'm there for one day, and I can't justify spending the (reduced rate) $40 for one day of a convention.

So rather than spend my Saturday shopping in the vendor room, or going to panels... I sit in a hotel room, browsing the web on the dreaded-ethostream wireless, and pretty much end up being bored until the party that I'm running starts.

I am not the only person who does this, and I can think of more people who would have come with if day passes had been available. I know that I could have gotten at least 10 more people registered myself -- so as a con that needs to attract more people, it's something to consider.
Change your Volunteer Policy
Okay, so the whole "Register and then we'll reimburse you for the future!" worked great fifteen years ago. Except that it didn't. I've never liked this, and let me tell you why. You're adding a barrier to volunteering which will prevent a good percentage of people from helping your con. That aside, when someone volunteers, often they bring friends who then pay to get in. It expands word of mouth, and gets more people in the door. Someone might volunteer to try out your con, and then pay to go the next year.

There's a reason grocery stores give out free samples.
Highlight the content which will bring in younger people
Now I am not proposing that MarsCon change any of its programming. While things like Anime draw in a younger crowd these days, if MarsCon tried to become an Anime con, it would be a disaster (and kill what makes MarsCon, well, MarsCon). That said, MarsCon does have programming that would attract newer people.

For instance, Table Top Gaming has a presence at MarsCon which doesn't get enough press. Targetted advertising in gaming stores highlighting this content would attract people who would enjoy parts of MarsCon's already existing programming.

And if I recommended anything be added to their programming that isn't there now, it would be the addition of a Video Game room. Your existing attendees will love it, it will bring in new people, and more and more it's being seen as a standard feature at any convention.

Now all of this is just my own opinion, and I'm not speaking on behalf of anyone but myself here. I love MarsCon and I want it to succeed in the long run. I'll post my full report on my experiences later this week (likely Wednesday or Thursday) even if I have to forgo the stick figure cartoons.

As the con season is in full swing, this weekend I'm going to Anime Milwaukee - which will be a very different experience... and I expect to feel old again.
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I got to be a Teacher (Langland)

Langland — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 20:26:10 -0500

Mar 07, 2010 - 20:26:10 CST
Yep it's true. I work for UW Madison as a sheep milker. I don't care if you guys say only the University of Wisconsin but my paychecks, and the interns I work with are all from UW Madison and they also collect our profit and sign my paychecks. Anyways I learned my my former boss that working at this Extension has led to many jobs and one of them which I never really thought of was becoming a teacher. I don't even has a degree in anything and yet I had to teach 8 students this weekend how to milk sheep.It was at first something to make me nervous but after a while I realized that it wasn't so bad. I was trying to teach my job the way I know and I actually called the shots with my partner whom I was working with that night. These farmers came from Minnesota and Wisconsin and I was teaching them how to milk sheep. To be fair that already were in class for a good 12 hours already but still it was awesome.Overall I think I did well but I had to keep an eye of 4 people each day to make sure everything was done right and overall, I feel I did very well. I don't know if this'll happen again in the future but I know when it happens again or if it ever does happen again, I will be ready. So yeah you guys may have went to Mars Con this weekend but I went was a teacher and that was honor I'm willing to accept. Time write on my resume that I have done teaching.
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A Fundamental Guide To Getting The Correct Netbooks (mrknowitall)

mrknowitall — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:28:43 -0500

Mar 04, 2010 - 13:28:43 CST
With various improvements being made in electronics every day, only a handful have proved more convenient and valuable than the launch of the netbook. The actual size of netbooks is the critical reason that makes them so useful to the usual person or enterprise. Where laptop computers are some what heavy to fit right on most laps, netbook computers boast the perfect size and portability. Possibly the best example to show this would be on a train, or passenger jet whilst going to, or from your destination. In this instance, a netbook is certainly the better hardware, usually being virtually half the size of a typical laptop.The size of these netbooks highlights concerns with regards to their screen resolution. With such a small size, comes a small screen, so you might perhaps want to make sure you procure a specific netbook computer that has an ideal contrast ratio, and high resolution. This will save you from numerous head pains when trying to look at a presentation or a video clip. Making sure you get the highest contrast ratio for your price bracket is extremely easy, & there are a handful of websites that compares different netbook computer products to their opposition. This can provide added insight when deciding on a netbook. Find a large assortment of technology products such as; netbooks, televisions and led tvs from leading brands online.This reviewing of netbook computer models can be great in maximizing the quality of the hardware in the product, as well as the price that you intend to spend. Internal storage space, wireless capability and the price tag are a number of the main points that you want to make sure you think about when selecting a netbook computer. With such an array of companies putting out netbooks so far this year, there are lots of different special offers around that you can catch just by doing some homework before you purchase. Making sure you get the best hardware currently available for your budget is essential, particularly in this recession. Why not take the first steps towards upgrading your mobile computing experience. Splash out on a netbook & enter into the wonderful world of convenience and portability that these computers can provide you.
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Why don't I have a library card anymore? (Traegorn)

Traegorn — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 08:30:47 -0500

Mar 04, 2010 - 08:30:47 CST
There was a time in my life where the library was a familiar site. I grew up just a few blocks from a public library, and as I have always been a voracious reader, it was one I frequented quite regularly. The public library was what exposed me to many of the authors that I still love deeply, whose books I've read and re-read many, many time. It was a place I felt as comfortable in as I did at home.

And then I moved to Eau Claire.

I've lived in Eau Claire (with only the occasional summer in Milwaukee) since 1999. And while I've been in this town for a decade, there is one building in this town I have never once entered: The public library.

I feel terrible saying this, and while I've actually known quite a few librarians and students of library science over the years, I've still never bothered to visit my local book-borrowing establishment. Now, while I was in college I often used the University library, but this was for purposes of research and not the pleasure reading that I usually did via a public library. And since ninety-nine percent of what I used the University library for was to access online resources like J-Stor, it barely even counts.

And it's not as if I read any less than I used to. I read quite a bit, and have a nice queue of books I'm anticipating getting through. But these are books that I own myself. Perhaps employment and my ability to purchase books has led to one of the largest reasons for this change in behavior. I can afford to go out and buy the books that I love so much.

The problem here though is that I rarely find myself being exposed to new authors. If I think about the last five books I've read, all of them are by authors I've been following for years. I didn't randomly pick any of them off the shelf, because I was (as previously stated) buying them. I didn't want to take a risk, and just stuck to people whose books I knew I liked.

And I think this is the major flaw in my current lifestyle. As much as I love Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Orson Scott Card and Sarah Vowell, if I only stick to their work I'll never find the next author whose work I might love. Libraries for me are about exploring new works. They're about picking up something by someone I've never heard of and giving it a try.

So here I am, resolving to make a change. I will yet again begin to use the public libraries that made me fall in love with reading to start with.

Sadly, I'm going to be moving away from Eau Claire in a few months, so I don't think I'll end up having time to start patronizing the Eau Claire public library. But we're still looking for our next apartment, so maybe I'll make sure it's within walking distance of whatever public library awaits us.

I want to bring back the adventure of not knowing whether or not a book is actually going to be any good.
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Apocalypses and Parties (Traegorn)

Traegorn — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:39:36 -0500

Mar 03, 2010 - 08:39:36 CST
So today is a day like any other day for the most part. I'm sitting in the office before work (as I always arrive a tad early so I'm actually awake once I start), and there is very little of interest going on.

It's absolutely riveting, I know.

So, as I mentioned just about everywhere else on the internet except here, we've released the second No Brand Con 2010 plot video into the wild. We shot that waaaaay back in September (to get the weather right for an end of February/Beginning of March release), and I've had to sit on that... knowing that people might actually like it.

The soundtrack in that video includes a short clip of Happy Wednesday's "Sandwich" along with a brand new Lt. Snorkel piece I'm calling "Duct Tape Rescue." I haven't put up a download for the MP3 version of that song yet (and probably won't for a little while), but it will be on the second Lt. Snorkel album (which will likely be a free download). You can also stream it on both the Lt. Snorkel MySpace and the (new) Lt. Snorkel Facebook Page if you're impatient and want to hear the entire 4 minute version of the track.

And yes, the synth guitar is supposed to be that bad -- it is the post Apocalyptic theme for Duct Tape Boy after all.

As I mentioned on Monday, Crysta is flying out to Purdue tomorrow. It means I'll be getting up before dawn to drive her to the Airport shuttle, which while unfortunate, is sure better than driving to the Twin Cities and back (for which I would have had to take time off of work to do). She comes back on Saturday, when I'll be at MarsCon -- which means I'll already be in the Twin Cities, and can just drive over to the airport and pick her up quickly. Crysta is then going to help us run the No Brand Con room party at MarsCon. I am, needless to say, excited about going. I haven't been to a con since November... and I like cons.

If you're going to MarsCon this weekend, you can find our party on Saturday night in room 1309. We'll be right across from the elevators, and you'll probably see the large banner fairly easily. I anticipate awesomeness.

...and I am rarely wrong.
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XM Satellite Radio Vs. Sirius for Your Auto Sound System Selection (mrknowitall)

mrknowitall — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:43:16 -0500

Mar 02, 2010 - 17:43:16 CST
If you're in the market for a new auto sound system you might want to seriously take a moment and consider whether or not you would be benefited by subscribing to either Sirius or XM Satellite Radio. Both of these subscription-based services have something wonderful to offer their subscribers and both of them require specialized equipment in order to operate. This means if you are going to wish to use either service, you will need to have decided which service before you have your auto sound system installed.It really doesn't matter which of these you choose they each have different features that will appeal to a wide variety of audiences. You will find some wonderful competition among the two not only by way of music radio but also talk radio. If you really love talk radio you really need to subscribe to one of these in order to find a treasure chest of talk radio gems. You will find everything from the mundane to the controversial. From Oprah to Howard Stern exist in the realm of satellite radio, which seems to not only be catching on but also here to stay.It has been commented on many times that XM Satellite Radio has a strong lead when it comes to subscriptions. This is very true but you should also keep in mind that the new subscribers seem to be leaning more towards Sirius for their satellite radio rather than going with the traditional favorite. I've checked out the line up and can't see that one has much of a clearly defined lead over the other so I can't give a definitive reason for the massive new subscribers to Sirius or even the phenomenal lead that XM Satellite radio is currently enjoying. Regardless if this is something that might interest you, you really should check out each website and decide for yourself which, if either, is more appealing to you as well as whether that appeal is worth the investment and the monthly subscription fee.I will say this however: XM Satellite Radio for the moment seems to have much better toys to offer consumers. That being said, I'm actually quite surprised that the vast number of new subscribers are going with Sirius rather than XM. Of course, being the gadget geek that I am, I am basing that surprise solely on the fact that XM seems to have much better toys. At the moment XM is offering some really cool gadgets that double not only as XM Satellite Radio receivers but also offer GPS functionality and navigation assistance and controls. Some of these devices even go one step further and play DVDs, CDs, MP3s, among other things.Believe me, Sirius has a lot to offer its customers as well, I'm simply thrilled over select items that can be found at XM that I really haven't seen adequate competition for elsewhere. On the level of music, both seem to carry similar genres, lineups, etc. The same holds true for the Talk radio line up. The only major difference I am finding between the two are the gadgets. Even the prices are rather competitive with one another. I see only one other major difference and that is the fact that Sirius offers a lifetime membership that cost about the same as the five-year plan from XM Satellite Radio. The thing to remember however is that the lifetime membership is for the lifetime of the device not the subscriber.I should also point out that opting for satellite radio more than likely will not eliminate your need for a new auto sound system it may however pose certain requirements for the type of sound system you will be able to choose. One thing I have noticed with both companies is that there are plenty of devices from which to choose. You will have your hands full selecting the right equipment for your auto sound system upon which to enjoy the wonderful sounds that satellite radio will bring to your ears each and every day.
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Fees Involved in Leasing (mrknowitall)

mrknowitall — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:41:46 -0500

Mar 02, 2010 - 17:41:46 CST
Mention auto-leasing and most people will automatically assume a low-monthly payment. There is actually more than what meets the eye, and a number of fees are involved at various stages of the lease process.At the beginning of the lease, you have to pay a refundable security deposit, typically equivalent to one monthly payment, to safeguard against non-payment and any incidental damage done to the car at the end of the lease. You are also required to pay an administrative charge, called acquisition fee. Other fees include licenses, registration, title and any state or local taxes.During your lease, and you expected to honour your monthly payment obligations. Any failure to do so will result in late-payment charges. You have to pay any traffic tickets, emission and safety inspections and ongoing maintenance costs. Ending your lease early will result in substantial early termination charges.At the end of the lease, expect to pay any excess mileage costs, charged at 10 to 20 p a mile. Any incidental damage done to the car, and deemed to be above normal, will result in excess tear-and-wear charges. Finally, if you choose not to purchase the vehicle, then you have to pay a disposition fee.
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So I took a week off of the Internet (Traegorn)

Traegorn — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:30:49 -0500

Mar 01, 2010 - 08:30:49 CST
As the few of you who actually read my usually thrice weekly meanderings of text I loosely call a blog might have noticed, I haven't posted a new entry in slightly over a week. I wish I could say that it was for some grand reason, but in truth it's merely because I felt like taking a week off of the internet.

In this last week I wrote no blog entries, and I barely touched Twitter (the UnCONventional posts going up via an automatic system). Mostly I just was feeling stressed out and didn't feel like writing a bunch of stuff. Crysta got her wisdom teeth out last Monday, and I've also been taking care of her. She's absolutely fine now, and even eating normal foods (albeit slowly) so everything is good there.

So many things have happened lately, including Yushi's party on Saturday night, which was actually quite awesome. I've always enjoyed a good party, and we haven't had one for a while. I think we need random reasons to celebrate more often. That, and random people like "Pretty Boy" Mike (as mentioned in the Daisho Con Report) drove into town for the event. As stated previously in this paragraph, the party was awesome.

On Thursday Crysta flies down to Purdue for a recruitment thing (she's already been accepted into their grad school and into the program she applied to), so I'll be on my own in Eau Claire for a few days... but I shall endeavor to survive.

I still haven't put together my STEAK report, which is too bad. Especially since MarsCon is this weekend in the twin cities... and a week after that is Anime Milwaukee (in, you guessed it, Milwaukee). Trae is a busy, busy monkey for the next couple of weeks, and I'll probably just break out the camera for these cons rather than spend the time to draw a bunch of stick figures... but we'll see.

I am fickle when it comes to that sort of thing.
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Sound Technician (calvsie)

calvsie — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:54:12 -0500

Feb 26, 2010 - 12:54:12 CST
It is the best of jobs, it is the worst of jobs... being a sound technician that is...It is a job I enjoy because while many remain ignorant to exactly what it is I do, but still want me to do it. I am coming up on the first big event of the year for me. THE MID-WINTER RETREAT!!!Hosted by my local church in Chippewa Falls, it is the grace believers equivalent of NoBrandCon. It is a time of singing and much good teaching. I swear my Bible gets more worn out from these three days than most peoples do in a life time.While our church is in Chippewa, the last several years have resorted to holding the saturday portion in Eau Claire for lack of space. This means I get to do one of my favorite task, Break down and setup.This is a much more lengthy task than it use to be... the first year I had a tape recorder hooked to a wireless receiver.... now I have a PC, two speakers, a receiver, wireless microphone, and enough random cabling to seemingly go around the planet three times... I will also likely lose part of my hearing temporarily because some nut job will test a microphone by breathing into it while I'm wearing the head phones!So yeah if you get bored Saturday swing by the plaza... Its a free event and usually there are people outside the room willing to chat...RGS out...(would have been longer but I'm hungry)
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A Friday that felt good (Langland)

Langland — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:57:23 -0500

Feb 19, 2010 - 17:57:23 CST
For some reason today Feb/19/2010 felt like a really good day despite it being a Friday around Lent(no meat today and I hate it). Anyways I got up at 4 in the morning and went to work around 5. I worked in the freezing cold but I guess that's what you get when you're in Wisconsin. Anyways I got the sheep up to get milked and it was dark outside and frost covered the ground. Now as I got the sheep, I gazed into the stars I for the first time that I remember, I saw a shooting star. It was awesome. I've seen complete Rainbows in the evening and I've now seen a shooting star at that job. Now That was the first part and that felt great. Now I went to Rice Lake and got some work done and stuff and then went back home kept my promised on helping out at my Church's Fish Fry. I was invited a while back to join the oldest Catholic Fraternity in the US. Yes the Knights of Columbus. So I was helping out the fellow Knights of Columbus in Spooner. I met a good portion of all of the members there. I was nervous mostly because most of the guys are older men and I'm 21 year old but they want to join and they are excited.So I helped out as much as I could and I felt so honored and respected to help them out. They appreciated everything I did and now when the time comes, they want to hold a First degree for me. Just so everyone knows the Knights of Columbus have 4 degrees of ranks. The more you give your time to them, the higher up you go. I'm not aiming to being 4th degree or anything but to just have that opportunity to be even a member feels so good. I was think because these men were older that I wouldn't fit in but that wasn't it at all.Hell these guys had beer in the church. Yes beer and I was allowed to have a beer and it was awesome. Heck they taught me the first thing about their group is that they cook with lots of butter a Lawrys seasoning salt. These guys were calm and patient with me too. I was nervous they wouldn't be. But to be fair this group had a older man with Down Syndrome too which me feel better about being autistic in the group. Overall this Friday was awesome and for some reason I knew with was just going to a good day.
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Let's Get Some Stuff Done! (Traegorn)

Traegorn — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:24:12 -0500

Feb 19, 2010 - 12:24:12 CST
At this moment, Crysta is in Iowa City, IA as she's interviewing for the University of Iowa graduate school. She flew out yesterday and comes back on Sunday. This means I am on my own for these couple of days...

Which means I'm going to try and actually get some crap done.

Of course, this weekend is also the weekend of STEAK 4. STEAK is an annual gaming event which is SUPPOSED to be held in the fall, but didn't this year for a myriad of reasons that are rather unimportant. It's not quite meant to be a convention, instead a two day free gaming event that No Brand Con puts on every year to effectively do test runs on events for our Tabletop Gaming room.

What that means is that I'll be down at the University (where STEAK is held), but still trying to get stuff done.

One of the things that I want to get done is compose the song for the third No Brand Con 2010 plot video, which I'll probably work on tonight. I know you're saying "But you haven't released the second plot video," to which I reply "Yes, but that's actually completed already."

During STEAK itself I'll probably be drawing some more comics for UnCONventional as my buffer is currently only a week. The good news is that I have comics written through the end of May, so it's not like I'll be facing some big creative block. I expect Saturday will mostly be me kicking back, enjoying watching bad movies on a projector, and drawing terrible stick figures.

It should actually be a fun time now that I think about it.

On Sunday I'll drive out to the Twin Cities and pick up Crysta from the airport. I think this is actually the longest the two of us have been apart since we started living together, and that's actually a pretty strange thing to think about.
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Her Majesties Alchemist League disbanded (calvsie)

calvsie — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:10:49 -0500

Feb 18, 2010 - 13:10:49 CST
Early today the news broke that Robert Von Gasencalvse, head of Her Majesties Alchemist League (HMAL), is hence forth banished from Britain. This comes hot on the heels of his near execution after his spectacular failure during a demonstration before the Queen.
HMAL has had various members over the years with Von Gascalves being the only constant. His recent claims at death and resurrection had severely hurt the leagues image and he had planned to return them to their glory with a display of alchemical process before the Queen. The spectacle of his demonstration proved near fatal not only for himself but his current assistants. The only member left completely unharmed was Madam Beisen� who it appears has fled with Von Gascalves back to the American Colonies near Tekamthi.
This flight back to the new world was allowed due to Von Gascalves outstanding record of service to the crown while helping the HMA Badger and her crew. As he was last seen boarding the passenger airship Gigaprize, he was heard muttering about a mono-cycle gang and the need to clean out the litter box again.

(this is a work of fiction)

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Ash Wednesday and Being a Cultural Outsider (Traegorn)

Traegorn — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 08:40:46 -0500

Feb 17, 2010 - 08:40:46 CST
Most people who read this blog are aware that I didn't grow up in a Christian household, and that the religious choices I made in my life have taken me in a very different direction. For the most part, I'm a fairly normal guy who is integrated into the culture at large (with merely an incredibly geeky slant). But as today is Ash Wednesday, I'm reminded as to how I've in many ways felt like an alien in my own homeland.

It all has to do with something that happened ten years ago. I know I've told this story before in this blog, the last time three years ago, but I don't think I've ever really explored my full point of view.

As many of you know, I first went to college for a year in 1999/2000 before taking three years off of school. One morning in the Spring 2000 semester I walked down the UWEC hill to my morning classes and was confronted with a sight that absolutely befuddled me: large amounts of people were walking around with something smudged on their foreheads. And it wasn't just one or two people; it was a fairly large group.

I kept walking to class, not saying anything, hoping that I'd see some sign explaining this... but nothing came. The worst part was no one was saying anything about it. Everyone was just walking around like this was normal. There were no quiet discussions in corners, no one was asking anyone about it -- a large percentage of people were just walking around with stuff on their foreheads.

Hours passed, and I found myself getting more and more confused. Finally, halfway through the day, I asked a friend of mine, "Why are people walking around with stuff on their forehead?"

He looked at me with a puzzled expression, and merely replied, "It's Ash Wednesday."

This was not a helpful response. In fact, this was the antithesis of a helpful response. After a few moments, I got him to explain why that was actually significant.

Now while I wasn't raised Christian, I wasn't raised in a vacuum either. I had heard of Ash Wednesday, I just had no idea that the name was so literal. I mean, I knew it was the day after Marti Gras, I knew it was the beginning of Lent, and I actually was fairly familiar with the theological idea behind the day. But I had no idea that they literally put stuff on their head.

It was then that I realized how alien my experiences were from my peers. That something that seemed so odd to me was not even something that they blinked at. To them, it was normal. For me, it was a strange religious ritual that I didn't understand.

It did teach me a lesson though. From then on, if someone has ever told me how strange they think some other culture or religion's custom is, I merely tell them my story about being a nineteen year old first exposed to Ash Wednesday. It helps give me perspective, and see how we take for granted our own inherent strangeness when judging others. I got to experience being a cultural outsider in my own homeland, and it's become something that I cherish.

...and I've totally stopped calling it "Crazy Stuff on Forehead Day."
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