June marked my 20th year in this hobby. If there is a collecting equivalent of the "I'm a senior citizen, where's my discount?" shirt, I need it.
On a personal note, 2023 was a very difficult year for me. Both of my parents ended up having serious health problems in September and every day felt like a no-win situation either between medical workers, businesses, relatives, my parents or some combination thereof. Let me that I absolutely hate how much California prioritizes preventing elder abuse to the point where it makes things impossible to aid elderly parents who are unable to fill out forms due to dementia and hospice care. This has not been fun and I wouldn't wish this on anyone.
1. What was the best thing that's happened to your gallery/collection in 2023?
I made it 20 years in this hobby. If you had asked in 2003 if I felt that I would still be collecting after 20 years, that would have been a resounding no. I felt like those first few years was just a push to buy as much nice stuff as I could because the supply would only decrease. I was not aware that there was non-production artwork that I could collect. So while my focus has been off cels for roughly 15 years, I am still buying artwork, just not as often.
2. What was the most surprising thing that happened to your gallery/collection this year?
I don't think I logged into Rubberslug once this year. Haven't updated this year. Haven't scanned anything this year. I didn't buy much this year and even then, I felt no urge to rush out to share it. Not that I intended to be a black hole collector, but I certainly felt like one this year.
Collection-wise, I found a matching background to a cel that I have owned for years. I spent way more just for the matching background alone that I did for the cel, but they're reunited now.
I also went to 2 conventions this year, Summer SacAnime and Otakon. I went to SacAnime largely because it was the first time I had seen Toshio Maeda since the pandemic. I was happy to see that he was doing well and he was still around. I also met Don Bluth there and it was a disappointing experience. This man and his movies were my childhood. My now-deceased childhood friend and I spent hours playing with our Land Before Time and Fievel plushies as little tykes. Anastasia is part of my yearly Christmas viewing tradition. But after buying a pricey commission and for him to spend less than 5 minutes actually working on the sketch (most of which he spent looking at the Anastasia poster as a reference), I feel nothing but disgust. About the only part of the experience I enjoyed was meeting fellow olds while standing in line, all of us talking about how important his movies were to us as children.
3. Which piece were you most proud of acquiring in 2023?
I received 3 of the sketches I had purchased as part of a nengajo set. They're all really lovely and the artist did a fantastic job.
4. What's something that concerns you about your collecting experience?
I am concerned with how conventions treat those with disabilities. My two closest friends both have mobility issues. Standing in autograph lines for hours is impossible for them. Having them navigate large convention centers takes extra time and often requires the use of elevators. I usually act as their aide and because of this, I often obtain a disability sticker after explaining this to staff.
While convention staff have long loathed us sketch collectors, the disability sticker just gives them an added tool to screw us over. At Otakon, we would often arrive to the autograph lines early due to the extra time needed and for staff to usher us to special seating areas. Often, we were not accommodated, and my friends were forced to stand for long periods of time. We were often ignored, and during one autograph session, we were in the front for roughly an hour, and they selected everyone but us to proceed into the autograph line. When asked about it and pointing to the disability badge sticker, staff said that was because we were always first to arrive, and they didn't want to reward that behavior. It was only when we threatened to report the instance that staff changed their stance. Staff was overly hostile to me and several times, they told me that I could not obtain an autograph as an aide to a disabled attendee. This was a bone of contention that I raised every time they tried to bring it up. If conventions want to tout their accessibility, punishing those trying to help disabled friends and family members is not the way to go about doing that.
Price and supply has always been a concern. I don't see much that I absolutely want and the majority of things that now come up for auction are higher than what I would like to pay. I recall how much I bought when I first started in 2003 and how the days of huge deputy service boxes every few months are long gone for me. It's a sad realization that, were I to start my collecting journey today, I could never have the collection that I have now.
I had a good laugh at Heritage Auction when they told one of my friends who wanted to sell some Sailor Moon cels on their platform that they were only interested in cels featuring Sailor Moon herself and that other characters, like Sailor Jupiter, were minor characters. According to them, anyone not Sailor Moon is a minor character
5. What cel/sketch-related resolution do you want to make for 2024?
I really need to get a protector for the oversized sketch. I've been dragging my feet on it for too long, but seeing as how Izumi Matsumoto has long been gone, the best way I can honor him is by preserving what he drew.
6. If you posted a cel/sketch-related resolution for 2023 or for 2022 (or any year, we're really not picky now lol), how true did you stay to it?
I didn't touch any resolution I made in 2023.
cel I got in 2023 is this Vampire Hunter D - Bloodlust cel:
Heritage Auctions might become the go to place for collectors to get cels, but it looks like it might be too high-roller for the likes of me. 
More cels for sale seem to be suffering from vinegar syndrome, or from other types of damage. 
