Very interesting questions you've posed. Here's 
my take...

1. The hype over such hit anime like DBZ and 
Gundam Wing have certainly died down. The only 
thing I can really blame it one are the influx of 
mainly CG anime that are sweeping the world. 
Anime like Hamtaro and Yugiou are quickly 
outpacing the once unbeatable DBZ. However, with 
only a few cels here and there and some drawings 
flying around, the cel market is going to slow 
down. And I know which place you are referring to 
as well. As with many other dealers, this once 
highly regarded cel dealer has taken his act to 
the road, mainly due to the online cel-buying 
gridlock. Why waste your time updating your 
website when you can go on the road and pull in 
good money at conventions. I at least hope he is 
making good money, because it is coming at the 
price of alienating his online customers. As for 
selling cels, I have sold probably half my 
initial collection since I started. I did so 
because I had narrowed my search criteria and did 
not care for the cels I had purchased as much as 
before. Everyone starts off the same way, buying 
every cel they can no matter how mediocre the 
image. After a while though, collectors begin to 
realize that quality is more important than 
quantity. I think what we are seeing here are a 
relatively new group of collectors who are going 
through that phase, as well as a downturn in the 
economic marketplace. 

2.
 
A- War is war, and cels are cels. I am not going 
to put my life on hold because we are at war. I 
just don't see the point of it. Noone in my 
family is in the Gulf, so it would just be 
shamefull to act that way. For those who are 
directly affected by the situation(family serving 
abroad), then I could totally understand how 
one's priorities would change. I have suffered 
terrible personal tragedy over my three years of 
collecting, and I have found this hobby to be 
very helpful in offering me a respite from my 
grief.

B- Yes, cel collecting is a luxury, but so is 
driving a car and owning a house. You could just 
as well live in an apartment or ride your bike to 
work. I don't feel a bit guilty for the few 
luxuries that I am afforded.

3. I do see cels becoming almost non-existant in 
the near future. It is just the way things go: 
tapes give way to the CD, videos turn to DVDs, 
etc. I still hope there is a collectors market 
for them in the future, since I don't plan on 
quitting any time soon. Personally, I can usually 
tell the difference between CG and cel anime. 
However, with the release of Spirited Away, it 
was the first time I could have easily mistaken a 
CG anime for a cel anime.

4. I'd say that I still have the same close 
friends in this hobby that I had in the 
beginning. I never thought of online friends in 
the same light as "real" friends, yet some of 
them have certainly proved to be real in my eyes. 
I've seen several people quit the hobyy, and it 
was mainly due to them feeling that this hobby 
was hindering their push for a new life(marriage, 
buying a house, having kids). I certainly hope 
they got what they wanted. As for me, it's all 
fun for me. I still love this hobby. I love 
finding things I thought I would never see. I 
also love the community of collectors and the 
compliments I get on my collection. It makes it 
very enjoyable for me personally.