San Japan Haul and Recap

 

This is a SUPER LATE San Japan haul and recap, but I spent WAY too much to not show you guys.

Day 1 of the Convention Badge Progress

Day 3 Badge Progress

If you didn't know, San Japan is a local anime convention that occurs every year on Labor day weekend and is three days of fun, games, cosplay, concerts, and the greatest merch ever. This year I had plans to go with three friends (and Jonathan of course) but things fell apart so all my friends backed out. Luckily, one of them gave me her ticket and I was able to take one of my new friends local to the area. :)

My friend, Pilar, wasn't super well versed in anime so we took the previous weekend to watch some good movies and get her caught up. We started with Spirited Away, moved on to Ponyo, and watched a few episodes of Ghost Stories before we watched Kpop Demon Hunters because I had a feeling that would be huge this year at the convention.

The day of the convention, it was HECKING hot so we decided to just do our hair like Zoey and Mira from Kpop Demon Hunters in the most casual cosplay ever. 

A Cool KPDH keychain with a  pullout Rumi

The first day was a lot more relaxed since it was on a Friday and a lot of people only go for the Saturday and Sunday. We had a slightly late start, but we went to artist alley, ate some overpriced convention food, and I got to meet Miura Ayme from Obey Me! 

Not Obey Me but I think it's from another series he voiced

He was signing at a booth away from the usual signatures and it took forever to find him but I was able to find it with the help of Jonathan and my friend and we made some lovely friends with the girls next to us in line. Miura Ayme was sweet and I was super happy to meet him since I adore Obey Me!

That night, we went to the "Night Market" which was the adult's only section and I ran into my old tattoo artist, who was super sweet and gave me a discount on my next tattoo. She even took a photo since my tattoo was one of the ones she did when she was still apprenticing so it was a really cool moment!

A much needed sticker book for all my new stickers

Kyo and Tohru 4Ever

A whole DRESS I got

In the pocket, there's a message :)

Earrings inspired by Escape by Bang Chan and Hyunjin

I got the Sero print for free because of my Sero tattoo!

The RM stickers were such a cool find!

I may have indulged in a few....NSFW goodies at the market, but what's a girl to do when she's at a convention?

also came in a keychain form

sexy Cthulhu is too powerful

The next day, we continued exploring Artist Alley and the Dealer's room as well as the arcade machines and the video game museum. I ran into another coworker there and was able to talk to her and her partner, who were both cosplaying as Final Fantasy characters! 

The last day, we rushed around to try and soak up the last bit of convention goodness and luckily for us, we ended up scoring free food towards the end of the convention. We left and because we clearly did not spend enough money, we actually headed to a local kpop store and picked up a few albums and merchandise before coming home.

Overall, we had an absolute blast at the convention and as you can tell from the haul, I have to definitely be on a budget for the rest of the year 😅

That's all for now!

Always, Raineedayze

Happy Fall!

 

It's hard to believe it's already almost October in 2025.

I was thinking lately of how much my life has changed since I started this blog, and even in the last year. I started a new job (I'm almost 6 months in at this point!). I lost (and GAINED) friends. I've tried new places, gotten engaged. read amazing books, and overall have leaned into who I am as a person.

I don't feel thirty, really. I still feel like a little kid playing pretend, but when I look at my life, I realize, I'm a whole adult. Right know, with Jonathan still being out of work and maneuvering the disability system (which is hell on Earth), I've become the main breadwinner and our lives definitely changed.

I'm planning my wedding, I'm working full time at an actual office, where I have to wear corporate clothes, I have to carry a pill organizer now...it's a whole new ball game. But at the same time, I feel like I'm free to enjoy my interests more.

I have grown up funds to buy Kpop albums and anime figures. I have friends who go out with me and go to dinners or shopping with them (a lot). I'm able to experience new restaurants, new conventions, and new events because of my hard work (and the privilege of making a living wage and having a good place of employment).

Anyway, this past weekend, I went to a new dumpling restaurant and was absolutely STUFFED. I tried these yuzu chicken soup dumplings which may be my new addiction. I also tried a blue crab and pork soup dumpling which was pretty good! The place also had amazing drinks and I was able to get a kumquat green tea with strawberry boba and rainbow jellies. Kumquats are some of my favorite fruits so I was super stoked and it was tart and refreshing after a long week.

After that, Jonathan, myself, and my best friend Pilar came to our place and just girl-rotted, which included watching kpop music videos and yapping. It was lovely.

I know last time I updated, I was preparing for San Japan and I have a haul post coming up soon! So keep an eye out for that. 

As always, if you want daily updates, check out my Bluesky. I will also be uploading a lot more posts soon. So be excited!

Always, Raineedayze

It's a Brand New Day

 

Good morning friends. 

Right now, it's 6:13 in the morning and I decided to update you all on my life currently before work.

Firstly, I started a new job! I'm only a few weeks in but according to my trainers, I'm doing well. I still have a lot of jitters since it's a big change for me, not in terms of responsibilities but in terms of...location? I left my remote job of over two years that I ADORED because of the current economic struggles and the security in that field with the overwhelming number of AI taking over. SO I found a job that paid exponentially more and had very little risk of AI taking over, however I could no longer stay remote.

Although I definitely miss working remotely and wearing t-shirts and pajamas to do my job, I must say I really enjoy this job! There's a lot of cool people and the company is very tight-knit. Plus, they seem to like me and think I am good at what I do. 

In other news, my friends and I are planning a group trip to San Japan this year so I've been looking around for cosplay ideas. Keep in mind, the weather will be HOT since it's Texas August, so nothing too crazy I think. For now, I'm thinking of doing casual Yor from Spy x Family or a closet cosplay? I also have thought about doing Ginger Snap while my friend cosplays Orange Blossom from Strawberry Shortcake. I think that would be super cute!

I'm in the process of reorganizing my home office and home in general to reflect more of my interests. I have a LOT of anime posters all over my office walls but I am thinking of switching it up and putting some other fun prints and hobbies around. My love for Star Trek, literature, video games...I've been inspired lately since I've started rewatching TBBT and remembering how much I loved their apartment. My whole idea lately, especially since I started working outside the house, is to make my home a sanctuary for me to come to. Right now, it's definitely my happy place but I feel it needs a little more personality. 

Lastly, even though this isn't an official Captain's Log post, I still thought I should update you guys on what I've been up to! Like I said, I've been rewatching The Big Bang Theory with my mom. I've been having a blast reminiscing. When the show first came out, I was obsessed with it (I had way too many T-shirts) and when I met Jonathan, it was one of our favorite shows to watch over the phone since we were long-distance for the summer. So watching it now brings back so many fun memories. 

Aside from that, I've been loving Kirby Krackle's Madripoor album as well as some Jonathan Coulton and lo-fi video game and movie soundtracks during work. Definitely makes the day go by faster when you work to the Justice League and Stardew soundtracks.

That's all for now. If you'd like to see more daily musings, be sure to follow me on BlueSky  as well. See you in the next post!

Always,

Raineedayze