Convention Report: ACEN 2016 (Part 3 of 3)

The final day of a convention is always the hardest to get up for. It’s been a lot of fun, but exhausting. You’re tired. You’re sleep deprived. You’ve been going to bed too late and getting up too early. But adrenaline is still pumping through the veins, despite your voice being nearly gone from talking over all the noise. And on top of all that misery, you don’t want it to come to an end. But it has to. All things, even good things, must end.

SUNDAY:
Morning. Breakfast. Drive to the con. Set up. The morning tasks of a con tend to be rather routine. But it’s when those doors open and people start pouring in that everything changes. Sunday was surprisingly my strongest day of the show, with a lot of sales coming in (last-minute shoppers), and a handful of commissions. The day felt a lot shorter than it was, mostly because I was heads down working on sketch cards and full-sized commissions. But it did eventually come to a close, and we packed up a bit early to beat the rush exiting the con and the hotels (which sadly meant not a lot of time for goodbyes).

Trevor, Alan, and Ren – hanging out behind the tables on the final day

Batman v Spider-Man sketch card commission

Sophia the First commission

Alan drove me home, picked up his stuff and we said our goodbyes. And I started to unpack and relax a bit. But then I got a text from my good friend, and fellow comic creator Russell Lissau. Russell didn’t have a table at ACEN this year, but had hung out with us Friday night, and he was wondering how things went. I invited him over to chat about the con, and also to partake in some grilling delicious goodness.

Nothing helps you relax after a con like good friends and good food. I marinated some pork chops (in olive oil, vinegar, and some seasonings), and threw some brats on as well (jalapeno, and Jim Bean bourbon flavored). Russ brought some side dishes, buns and veggies (which we put in foil and cooked with garlic and basil butter) and we made a meal out of it. Russ hung out for a few hours and then we parted ways (I was exhausted, but not so tired that I couldn’t watch the Game of Thrones episode I had recorded).

How do you typically unwind after a con? What’s your post-con ritual?

ACEN was – once again – a blast. I hope to come back again next year, and who knows…maybe there will be a few surprises in store for next year, too!

Post-con grilling, a great way to unwind (and not just immediately pass out from exhaustion)