A Weekend Visit with Old Friends

I had an amazing Saturday this past weekend. Mr. J & I were in Saskatoon for free comic book day. So, while he busied himself with work at 8th Street Books and Comics, I made it a priority to catch up with old friends.

Now, when I refer to them as old friends I'm not inferring that they are people with which I've lost touch, just friends that I've known for ages (10+ years) and who, sadly, I don't get to see that often (primarily because I live in another city/province).

However, because my friends are so important to me, it is important for me to stay connected to them as much as I can. So when I return to my home province, I make sure that I get-together with whomever I can in order to maintain those relationships.

Usually, I only get to see 1 or 2. Mostly because there are a number of other things going on, and we can only fit so many visits into one day. But this past Saturday, I had the day to wander from friend to friend visiting at will.

I had only set up a few visits, but surprisingly, managed to see a lot more friends that I was anticipating, which is what made the day so wonderful.

My planned lunch with BB & his girlfriend, got bigger when T-ass and Ty became part of the plan. We tried out this little Mexican place on Boychuk called La Bamba - very tasty. It was fun to see my old buddies and we reminisced about years gone by.

Before and after my lunch, I managed to squeeze in some time visiting with the newest parents of the group - the Schnells. I stopped over at the house to visit Jenn & Anara, and then made sure I spent some time at the Den with Al.

My afternoon coffee with AJ turned into a meeting of yuppies (as cenobyte referred to us) at Calories. Just as I was calling AJ to confirm our coffee location, I was surprised with news that ceno was in town, and that AJ had just dropped off J-Bra at Calories for a visit with ceno and Thunderhowl. I immediately wanted to join them, so AJ & I commenced our afternoon coffee with the rest of them. I was very happy to see them, and we had a wonderful afternoon talking shop (gaming).

I finished off my afternoon back at 8th Street with Mr. J and the rest of the crew. Pat took us all out for supper at Amigo's, and I had wonderful time meeting new people, especially a local comic book artist Tom Grummett who was doing sketches for Free Comic Book Day.

Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo

This past weekend Mr. J & I made a trip down to Calgary for the Comic & Entertainment Expo.

We drove down early Saturday morning in order to make the 11:00 AM Voice Acting workshop for Mr. J. We arrived around 10:30AM, and found ourselves standing in line for about 40 minutes, even though we had purchased our tickets in advance. It seems as though they weren't appropriately staffed when it came to collecting tickets, providing a 'goodie' bag and ushering everyone through the doors - they only had 3 people for that. I noticed later on that day (around 1:30) that there were still people waiting in line.

We arrived at the Voice Acting workshop about 10 minutes late, but we didn't miss too much. We were entertained by a couple (Yuri & Tara) who work in the industry - they regaled us with stories of their experiences. I think Mr. J got some useful information.

There were a number of 'stars' at the Expo - Edward James Olmos (see picture below), Margot Kidder (wow, has she ever aged), Kandyse McClure (Dualla), Sean Astin (see picture below), James Kyson Lee (Ando), Jewel Staite (Kaylee), Voice actor of Rhino - Bee-Awesome!!!, and many more.

Sean Astin - taken from afar.

Side shot of Edward - luckily I didn't get in trouble for snapping it.

We didn't actually meet any of the stars, except for Mark Walton - voice of Rhino from Bolt. I am conflicted about meeting movie stars. Yes, I enjoyed watching them in their show/movie - but what am I really going to say to them, 'hey, I liked you in X', or 'You were awesome'. That just seems lame, and because I didn't have any burning questions, I was satisfied with just 'seeing' them. I guess I just don't get worked up about meeting celebrities.

We spent quite a bit of time on 'Artists Lane.' The baby's room is going to be themed 'SuperHeroes', so with limited 'hero' options in the world of 'decorating the nursery', we figured a great way to theme the room is with hero artist sketches. We picked up (and ordered) a number sketches at the Edmonton Comic event - Zatanna, Batgirl, HarlyQuinn, and a signed pic of Ando. In Calgary, we picked up our Edmonton order of Batman, Superman and Captain Marvel (DC version), and purchased a number of other great 'hero' sketches. We will be laminating some and framing the others. I think the nursery will be cool. Now we just need to decide on paint colours for the room. 'Super Baby' (as Mr. J calls him/her) is going to be inundated with comics and superheroes upon birth.

Anywho, I got sidetracked there a little.

Sunday, we walked around the event some more, visiting with various people that Mr. J knew, and attended our final workshop on Breaking into Voice Acting. It was hosted by Helene Rousse from Total Casting. She provided a wealth of knowledge on how to get started to what to put on your demo. Mr. J and I recorded most of the talk, so Mr. J will be able to reference back to it later on.

It was a great little weekend, and prepared me a bit for GenCon. Not in terms of what to expect - I know it will be nothing like I experienced - but helped me understand how tired I'm going to get, and how many snacks and drinks I will need to take with me - 7 month pregger Mama is going to need to be prepared for anything.

We also managed a nice little visit with Uncle and Auntie.

Woot

After reading her post, I would say I was frequenting Woot! often. Now, pretty much everyday. Woot! is interesting, but not as much as shirt.woot!.

When you are in a relationship with someone, it's inevitable that some of their likes/preferences begin to rub off on you. Mr. J loves funny t-shirts. So after finding out about woot! and shirt.woot! I gave him the heads up.

Now you are probably wondering, 'what the hell is this post about' or 'get to the damn point'...'this post sucks.'

Well, as usual, I got pretty spoiled at my birthday, and have 4 new favourite t-shirts to show for it. I love them. Although silly, they are right up my alley.

Easy Optimism
Donut Panic!
One Cheer for Broccoli
Friends Forever

Y: The Last Man

I absolutely loved this graphic novel. Not only had Mr. J encouraged me to read it, but the local comic store girl went on and on and on about it.

It was already on my list to read, but I was trying to finish up all the other series' I was reading, like Sandman, and continuing with Jack of Fables, Fables and Walking Dead before starting on another.

Aside: When it comes to me, it's one novel at a time. I like to bury myself into one story and lose myself in it. Plus, I don't really like having a lot of different plot lines floating around in my head from various books I've decided to start reading. Surprisingly, when it comes to reading I like to focus on one thing at a time. However, with comics, it seems to be different. Perhaps, it's because the story isn't finished (if you reading it as it comes out). Or perhaps because they are short snippets of a plot line that can be easily put down or compartmentalized so as to not be confused with other stories in my head. Or perhaps I am just talking shit. Anywho, I digress.

I don't even remember when I started it, all I remember is making sure I picked up as many issues as possible at our local comic store because Mr. J didn't actually own them all. But I am finished now, and I am thoroughly happy with the choice I made to read it now rather than later.

I loved the different perspectives it offered on how women would deal with the situation. It really makes you question, 'how would I act if faced with a situation like that?' I am sure I've got some ideas on how I would continuing living, but would that actually happen in light of the tragic events and the behaviours/reactions of everyone else.

It was thought provoking. I liked it. A lot!

Superpowers and College...everyday stuff

After almost 2 years absence from tabletop gaming - I'm back! James is running a Mutants & Masterminds campaign for me and another couple (old gamer friends of James'). We're all pretty excited. We had our first session was last Thursday.

Our group consists of Em U. Laite (my superhero) - a reclusive skater-girl who has only recently discovered her ability to mimic others; Thomas Grey - a great mystic, who spews fire bolts from his hands; and D.A.N.A, the super-strong prodigy android.

Our session was short, but I can already tell it is going to be a fantastic game. James is very animated with his descriptions, and his use of a wide range of voices definitely adds to the game.

We hope to get together every couple of weeks.

SMAC!

Squeeee!!! Wii!

After thinking I would never own another console system in my life, James & I decided to buy a Wii. I am not even sure how we got talking about buying one, but before we knew it we were headed to Future Shop, to make our purchase.

However, in our decision to purchase the Wii, we decided right from the start that this would be something to help keep us active. By no means was this replacing normal exercise, but we thought the Wii would provide a fun alternative to increase our activity. So, with that in mind, the games we purchases are sport related.

Wii Sports lets you do bowling, baseball, tennis, golf and boxing. And based on last night, I've got James beat in baseball with my multiple home runs, reaching 570 ft. Wahoo!

We also picked up Bowling Pinbusters, Smackdown vs Raw, and Championship Boxing. I am hoping to utilize many of the skills I learned from kickboxing this past spring. If anything, it provides me with a opportunity to practice.

I can already tell that I am going to get a good shoulder and back workout from most of these games. We weren't playing for long last night, and I am a bit stiff today.

Squeee!

The World of Comics

So, I've taken a break from reading The God Delusion (even though I'm really enjoying it and TUO says it's great) due to the fact that I've been quite distracted with a number of comic books.

I started reading Fables a couple of years ago, and James had picked up the most recent book - The Good Prince. I managed to finish Volume 10 on our trip. TUO & R:tAG told me about the spin-off - Jack of Fables, so I picked up Volume 1 when I was down visiting and just picked up Volume 2 yesterday at Happy Harbour Comics.

I've been reading the Sandman Series for the past couple of months. However, due to other readings I am only on Volume 3. However, I am really enjoying the series, and will be reading more of it in the coming months.

I finished off Stardust a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed it. Also, forgoing Bne's recommendation, I picked up Neverwhere. TUO & R:tAG raved about it, so I decided to pick up the novel (see that I am on this Neil Gaiman kick). Don't worry Bne, I do plan on reading Good Omens - as soon as I find it. I look in every book store I am in, and I can never find it.

The Walking Dead Vol 8, just came out, so I'm going to have to pick up a copy as soon as I can. An excellent series; a bit gory at times, but really, it's zombies!

Besides the current series' I am reading, I need to read The Watchman before the movie comes out. And also, Y: The Last Man.

I am really enjoying this new genre of reading.

California Dreamin'

And sadly, another trip to California to visit TUO & R:tAG ends.

But what a trip...probably the best one to date. James & I didn't have a lot planned. We did a couple touristy things, but mostly we just geeked out with our hosts....or as I've been corrected, R:tAG & James geeked out.

We arrived Wednesday evening. TUO was gracious enough to pick us up from the airport. Sadly, R:tAG was laid up at home due to an aggravated back injury. We met TUO's pet in the car, and bombarded it with questions..to which it had many interesting answers.

R:tAG managed to maneuver around the house, so we decided to go out for dinner and spent our first evening at Consuelo on Santana Row. Great food and many laughs were had before we left....almost carrying R:tAG out of the restaurant. We managed to transport him safely home. He spent the rest of the evening with Lady Vicodin. So peaceful and soothing she is. The rest of us stayed up and watched Day Watch. Which felt oddly deju vu-ish for me when we started watching it. At times, I knew what scene was coming up next, what actions characters were going to take or words they were going to speak...until enough of the movie had gone by I realized I had seen it before. However, I still can't place it. I don't know when, where or with who I saw it. Strange. Unfortunately, I was too tired to make it through the entire movie.

Thursday we decided to head into San Francisco....after learning that R:tAG would be staying home from work for another day and and not being able to get a hold of Carl. The 'tours' would have to wait until Friday.

We travelled with TUO to her work, which is nearby the Sunnyvale train station. We made plans to meet at the end of the day, and headed off to check the train schedule and get some foody bits into our stomach.

James wanted to go to the SF Zoo, so post-Caltrain ride, we jumped into a cab and headed over to visit the animals. Rowr! (hee-hee) There was lots to see and a few of the animals were quite active. Here are some pictures.

Thursday evening we met up with Carl & Mickey and the six of us went to this amazing Greek restaurant - Cafe Artemis. Engaging conversation was had...and when someone didn't readily have the answer to something, the 'pets' helped out. It was quite a sight to see our 4 friends each with a ' pet' in their hands, searching for the same thing all at once. It was like conversing with 8 instead of 4. :)

Friday was pretty jam-packed. We started off the morning by travelling with R:tAG to work (mobile enough to rejoin the work-world) to get a tour. James was giddy with excitement; he was very much like a kid in a candy store. I had toured Cryptic Studios on my first visit down to San Jose a couple of years ago, and although Cryptic had since moved, the tour was definitely for James. We both left with smiles on our faces and schwag in our hands.

TUO had to run off to work, so James & I walked up to the nearest VTA station and caught the train into San Jose. It was only a few steps away to our destination - The Tech. This place was amazing. I've been to enough science museums/centres to compare, and this one definitely topped my list. Other than the numerous kids inhabiting the place, it was very cool and interactive. Just when I thought there wasn't more to see, I'd go around a corner and there was an entire separate exhibit. We spent most of the early part of the day lunching, touring, and taking in Sea Monsters at the IMAX.

After stopping briefly for some milkshakes at Johnny Rockets we were off to visit Carl at Apple and take in the monthly 'Beer Bash' event for staff and visitors, sponsored by Nike, I believe. Quite amazing I must say. An enormous amount of people (mostly staff as far as I could tell), tables and tables of food for the taking, water, pop, wine, beer...you name it....and free. And of course, Stan, who is worth mentioning, simply because he was so entertaining. Kudos to Carl for including us in the event.

Supper plans included Cheruby's 'must-eat-at' place, In-n-Out Burger...and I must say to Cheruby, 'amazing...delicious', and to our hosts, 'thank you so much for taking us there.' We were advised to order 'Animal style', and did so. James, of course, went over the top with his 'Animal' ordering.

James: I'd like that ANIMAL STYLE (in a slow, booming, deep voice, accompanied by a snake-like hand gesture)
Clerk: Was it really necessary to do it like that?
James: Absolutely!!!!!
Clerk: Well, she didn't feel the need to do it like that
James: ANIMAL STYLE (repeated again for emphasis)

For someone who doesn't really eat from any fast food chain, I was amazed at how calm my tummy was. No rumblies, nor tumblies, nor mad-dashes to the loo.

To cap off the night we watched The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra (at least everyone else managed to watch the entire show...I, once again, fell asleep). SUPER-MEGA-AWESOME-COOL. This is a must see for all geeks out there. Corny for the sake of being corny....classic. I am so glad we bought it. Now I can watch the rest of it. (Hiss...Rowr!)

.....so tired....more to come!! Farewell for now.

Ok....after a few days to think about the remainder of our trip I realized there wasn't a whole lot more to say. Not to say we didn't have a great time, but it was fairly lax-a-daisy and relaxing.

We spent Saturday and Sunday touring and shopping around Campbell and Los Gatos with TUO & R:tAG. We:

• took in the Farmers Market in Los Gatos
• hit up both local game/comic book stores - D&J Hobby & Heroes
• gorged ourselves at Fry's - the ultimate electronics store

I also had the pleasure of being introduced to Doctor Who. James, R:tAG & TUO were certain I would like the episode Blink-Cool & Creeeeepy!!!!!! Give me more! Besides more Doctor Who, Dr. Srange and indulging in comics, we had an absolutely wonderful visit.

Squeeeee!!!

Awesome! I can't wait. Although it's probably a couple years off, I am still pretty excited. The Diablo series is my all time favourite video game.

"You Two - Fight to the Death."

While reading blogs this morning, I found a cool game on Major Grooves blog. I only had a chance to play around with it a bit before I went to work, but it looks pretty cool. You get to make your own Gladiator, and then fight it out in the arena. Sweet!

Swords And Sandals 2

Live in the Moment

I love this commercial.

Today's Geekery

One of my favourite clips from Robot Chicken.

LMAO