The last few days here in the north have been pretty depressing. The sun has left us, clouds have swooped in, and I have been forced to layer. LAYER. It's August, and I am wearing two shirts and a hoodie. To say the least, I am displeased.
I'm hoping we still have a bit of good weather on the way, but we have had a pretty good summer so I can't complain too much. I was just hoping I'd have a chance to try to even out my tan. I've definitely got three different skin tones going on.
The one benefit to the cooler weather is that I'm more inclined to enjoy my nerdy hobbies. When it's sunny and beautiful out, I just can't justify sitting inside watching TV or playing video games. But if it's colder out, it's like a free pass to get my nerd on.
I have so much geeky stuff to catch up on too. I have I don't know how many video games to get through, plus I recently added two new ones to the list, Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance and New Super Mario Bros. 2, both for the Nintendo 3DS. I've got a nice big list of books to read, and I just ordered two more online. And I have so many shows on DVD and iTunes to catch up on.
I took the ugly-weather-opportunity over the last couple days to watch a few episodes of Eureka (I'm on the second of five seasons, I've got my work cut out for me), and my fantastic roomie and I started a marathon of Glee season 3 yesterday. I picked it up on bluray the other day, and we managed to get through the first 7 episodes last night.
I'm hoping that this fall/winter I can catch up on a few other shows I've been meaning to watch. Game of Thrones. Breaking Bad. Torchwood. The Walking Dead. Just to name a few. However, there are definitely a few non-nerdy things I want to do this winter as well. I need to pick up my training for Tough Mudder next year, so I need to get to the gym more ofte this fall/winter. And I want to learn to snowboard this winter! I've been wanting to for years, and never gotten around to it. This is my year!
So even if the sun is leaving, it isn't the end of the world! There's plenty to look forward to! ...Are you convinced? I don't think I've convinced myself either. But good effort? What are you looking forward to this fall/winter? Any benefits to summer coming to a close? Leave me a comment below!
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Nike+ FuelBand Review
So, I've been using this handy little gadget for over a month now, and I think it's time to write my review.
When I was in San Diego last month, I was fortunate enough to pick up a Nike+ FuelBand at the Nike store near my hotel. I had done a little bit of research on it prior to that and thought it looked pretty cool. But of course it's only available in the States, so I had to jump on any opportunity to get one. And as luck would have it, I got my opportunity!
Anyway, what this handy little device does is it counts your steps and movement and calculates the calories burned while doing so, and then tells you how much "fuel" you've earned. Nike fuel is basically just a point system they've come up with to quantify the amount of activity you've done. There are several other ways to earn Nike fuel, like the Nike+ Running app, and... I'm actually not sure how else. I think there's something basketball related? And i think theres an Xbox 360 game coming soon... I'm off topic again.
The really fun thing about this is that it turns exercise into a game! It's a little extra motivation to go for that run you know you really SHOULD go for. You set yourself a daily fuel goal, and when you reach it, you get this awesome little animation on the FuelBand. Plus, when you sync it to your phone or computer you get to watch little animated videos each time you reach or beat your goals, or reach various little milestones. The app and website will also show all of your activity in little graphs giving you a visual representation of your activity levels throughout the day, week, month, and year. And it shows how long a streak you're on, how many daily goals you've achieved.
The other really fun thing is the competition! If you know other people with the Nike+ FuelBand, you can connect via either the Nike+ website or Facebook and compare scores. Sadly, no one I know has one of these awesome little things yet so I don't have any competition. So this is my call to arms! If you're anywhere near a Nike store in the States, go get one! It's only $150, and it's well worth the price! I need some competition!
When I was in San Diego last month, I was fortunate enough to pick up a Nike+ FuelBand at the Nike store near my hotel. I had done a little bit of research on it prior to that and thought it looked pretty cool. But of course it's only available in the States, so I had to jump on any opportunity to get one. And as luck would have it, I got my opportunity!
Anyway, what this handy little device does is it counts your steps and movement and calculates the calories burned while doing so, and then tells you how much "fuel" you've earned. Nike fuel is basically just a point system they've come up with to quantify the amount of activity you've done. There are several other ways to earn Nike fuel, like the Nike+ Running app, and... I'm actually not sure how else. I think there's something basketball related? And i think theres an Xbox 360 game coming soon... I'm off topic again.
The really fun thing about this is that it turns exercise into a game! It's a little extra motivation to go for that run you know you really SHOULD go for. You set yourself a daily fuel goal, and when you reach it, you get this awesome little animation on the FuelBand. Plus, when you sync it to your phone or computer you get to watch little animated videos each time you reach or beat your goals, or reach various little milestones. The app and website will also show all of your activity in little graphs giving you a visual representation of your activity levels throughout the day, week, month, and year. And it shows how long a streak you're on, how many daily goals you've achieved.
The other really fun thing is the competition! If you know other people with the Nike+ FuelBand, you can connect via either the Nike+ website or Facebook and compare scores. Sadly, no one I know has one of these awesome little things yet so I don't have any competition. So this is my call to arms! If you're anywhere near a Nike store in the States, go get one! It's only $150, and it's well worth the price! I need some competition!
Saturday, July 28, 2012
I Have a Dilemma
So, as the title implies, I have a dilemma. It has to do with my summer vacation plans next year. There are several things I really want to do next summer, but as it turns out, three if those things are on the same weekend. So what's a nerd to do?
The first, and probably most important, would be San Diego Comic-Con. Next year it's being held July 18th to 21st. It's later in the month than it was this year, but lines up more with the previous year. Clearly I have to go to Comic-Con again. It's been the best part of my year two years running!
Second, although the one of least consequence, would be San Diego Pride, which happens to be that same weekend. Which is either really convenient or really inconvenient. I was hoping they'd be a week apart again so I could take an extra week in SD to take that in. If it's the same weekend, I don't need to use any extra time off, but it means I would have to skip out on part of Comic-Con to see the Pride stuff. Hrmmm...
Third, and of more consequence, is Tough Mudder. I've decided I'm doing it next year. But the one I wanted to do in Calgary is that same weekend! I was getting all excited for it, but looks like I can't do that one... But all is not lost! There is another one in Vancouver/Whistler in August. So I can still do it, I just figured Calgary might be more fun 'cause I haven't been there in something like 7 years.
So, by getting this all out, I've pretty much made my decision. Comic-Con wins out with slight Pride interruptions, and Tough Mudder a month later. Of course, that is all depending on whether or not I get my badge for Comic-Con next year. Gotta be on top of that ball for sure. Also, I've gotta amp up my training for Tough Mudder. Running partners anyone?
The first, and probably most important, would be San Diego Comic-Con. Next year it's being held July 18th to 21st. It's later in the month than it was this year, but lines up more with the previous year. Clearly I have to go to Comic-Con again. It's been the best part of my year two years running!
Second, although the one of least consequence, would be San Diego Pride, which happens to be that same weekend. Which is either really convenient or really inconvenient. I was hoping they'd be a week apart again so I could take an extra week in SD to take that in. If it's the same weekend, I don't need to use any extra time off, but it means I would have to skip out on part of Comic-Con to see the Pride stuff. Hrmmm...
Third, and of more consequence, is Tough Mudder. I've decided I'm doing it next year. But the one I wanted to do in Calgary is that same weekend! I was getting all excited for it, but looks like I can't do that one... But all is not lost! There is another one in Vancouver/Whistler in August. So I can still do it, I just figured Calgary might be more fun 'cause I haven't been there in something like 7 years.
So, by getting this all out, I've pretty much made my decision. Comic-Con wins out with slight Pride interruptions, and Tough Mudder a month later. Of course, that is all depending on whether or not I get my badge for Comic-Con next year. Gotta be on top of that ball for sure. Also, I've gotta amp up my training for Tough Mudder. Running partners anyone?
Monday, July 16, 2012
The Last Day
Soooo day 6 of the trip, and the fourth and final day of Comic-Con was quite the day indeed! For whatever dumb reason, I had been up until midnight the night before, and as it was the final day of SDCC, we were up at 4am. Yes, you read that right. FOUR. A. M.
We had a good excuse though. Doctor Who. Sunday is the day that always brings the Doctor Who panel to the fans, and being fans, we needed to be there. As we were walking up, the line didn't look so bad. Buuut it was just 'cause it was dark. The line was huge. At that hour of the morning, all I could think to say was "so much hate!"
It actually wasn't all that bad, there were so many people spread out with sleeping bags and stuff that they took up way more room than usual. So we found our way to the end of the line, and hung out for a little while.
At 6:30, Andrea and I decided we needed coffee, so we left our bags with Neil in the line, took an order from one of our line friends we'd just met, and headed to the closest Starbucks. Which had another gigantic line. This line was the slowest moving Starbucks line I have ever seen. At one point, I ducked out of that line to go use the nearby washroom, which prior to me getting there had had a line. So I left one line to get in another line after already having left another line. Weird.
Anyway, AN HOUR AND A HALF later we got our coffees, and while we'd been waiting the Hall H line had begun compressing, so we went and found Neil and our line friends, gave out coffees, and continued on through the line tent setup. Once compressed, the line was actually not bad at all, and we could tell that we'd have no problem getting into the hall.
We whiled away another hour and a half chatting with our new line friends about the convention, reading our various books, and Neil and I played with our Nintendo 3DSs. Seriously, street pass is a lot of fun at conventions like these. You pretty much take ten steps and you've found another 10 street pass tags.
At 9:30am, they finally started letting people into the hall. And by 10, we were walking in and getting our awesome Fringe hats (like the observers wear in the show). We found our seats, and the show began! The cast were awesome. There was crying and lots of laughing. And of course plenty of inadvertant innuendo. The show looks like it'll be going into a great final season.
Once that one came to an end, the Supernatural panel began. I don't watch Supernatural, but I think I might need to start. It looks like it would be right up my alley. The cast and writers were fantastic, and there was much girly screaming in the crowd. They tried to figure out what the plural of the word apocalypse would be. Apocali? I don't think so. And of course, plenty of dirty mindedness.
And then, the main event: DOCTOR WHO!! Such an amazing panel. Moderating was Chris Hardwick (who we were apparently stalking with the six times we saw him over five days) and on the panel were Stephen Moffatt, Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, and Arthur Darvill. The panel was so great. They showed two preview clips (Dinosaurs on a Spaceship? Oh hellz yeah), and did the whole Q&A thing with the crowd, plus watching Chris nerd out up there was great. I'm SO excited for the next season!
After that, we headed through the totally insane crowd back to the exhibit hall where we found some really cool prints. I ended up picking up a Jean Grey one, while Andrea got one with Beast. So great. We headed through the hall and we were getting really frustrated with the crowd, so we headed out.
We found a restaurant that we'd been to the first day (I still don't remember what it was called) and had a late lunch. I had a great big burger which was fantastic, along with a nice big fruity drink. I think the alcohol was much needed so I didn't totally lose my cool.
After lunch, we made one last pass through the exhibition hall, grabbed a protective sleeve for our new prints, and ducked back out and over to the Nintendo Gaming Lounge at the Marriott next door. We checked out a few demos, and then headed back to the shuttle back to our hotel, and that was the end of San Diego Comic-Con 2012.
I won't lie, I'm a little bit happy that it's over. It was so busy, and so hectic, and it'll be nice to not have to fight through the crowds anymore. I had such an amazing time though! I definitely would love to do it again next year, and I'd definitely like to visit San Diego again regardless.
We had a good excuse though. Doctor Who. Sunday is the day that always brings the Doctor Who panel to the fans, and being fans, we needed to be there. As we were walking up, the line didn't look so bad. Buuut it was just 'cause it was dark. The line was huge. At that hour of the morning, all I could think to say was "so much hate!"
It actually wasn't all that bad, there were so many people spread out with sleeping bags and stuff that they took up way more room than usual. So we found our way to the end of the line, and hung out for a little while.
At 6:30, Andrea and I decided we needed coffee, so we left our bags with Neil in the line, took an order from one of our line friends we'd just met, and headed to the closest Starbucks. Which had another gigantic line. This line was the slowest moving Starbucks line I have ever seen. At one point, I ducked out of that line to go use the nearby washroom, which prior to me getting there had had a line. So I left one line to get in another line after already having left another line. Weird.
Anyway, AN HOUR AND A HALF later we got our coffees, and while we'd been waiting the Hall H line had begun compressing, so we went and found Neil and our line friends, gave out coffees, and continued on through the line tent setup. Once compressed, the line was actually not bad at all, and we could tell that we'd have no problem getting into the hall.
We whiled away another hour and a half chatting with our new line friends about the convention, reading our various books, and Neil and I played with our Nintendo 3DSs. Seriously, street pass is a lot of fun at conventions like these. You pretty much take ten steps and you've found another 10 street pass tags.
At 9:30am, they finally started letting people into the hall. And by 10, we were walking in and getting our awesome Fringe hats (like the observers wear in the show). We found our seats, and the show began! The cast were awesome. There was crying and lots of laughing. And of course plenty of inadvertant innuendo. The show looks like it'll be going into a great final season.
Once that one came to an end, the Supernatural panel began. I don't watch Supernatural, but I think I might need to start. It looks like it would be right up my alley. The cast and writers were fantastic, and there was much girly screaming in the crowd. They tried to figure out what the plural of the word apocalypse would be. Apocali? I don't think so. And of course, plenty of dirty mindedness.
And then, the main event: DOCTOR WHO!! Such an amazing panel. Moderating was Chris Hardwick (who we were apparently stalking with the six times we saw him over five days) and on the panel were Stephen Moffatt, Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, and Arthur Darvill. The panel was so great. They showed two preview clips (Dinosaurs on a Spaceship? Oh hellz yeah), and did the whole Q&A thing with the crowd, plus watching Chris nerd out up there was great. I'm SO excited for the next season!
After that, we headed through the totally insane crowd back to the exhibit hall where we found some really cool prints. I ended up picking up a Jean Grey one, while Andrea got one with Beast. So great. We headed through the hall and we were getting really frustrated with the crowd, so we headed out.
We found a restaurant that we'd been to the first day (I still don't remember what it was called) and had a late lunch. I had a great big burger which was fantastic, along with a nice big fruity drink. I think the alcohol was much needed so I didn't totally lose my cool.
After lunch, we made one last pass through the exhibition hall, grabbed a protective sleeve for our new prints, and ducked back out and over to the Nintendo Gaming Lounge at the Marriott next door. We checked out a few demos, and then headed back to the shuttle back to our hotel, and that was the end of San Diego Comic-Con 2012.
I won't lie, I'm a little bit happy that it's over. It was so busy, and so hectic, and it'll be nice to not have to fight through the crowds anymore. I had such an amazing time though! I definitely would love to do it again next year, and I'd definitely like to visit San Diego again regardless.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
King of the Nerds
Day 5 of the trip, day 3 of Comic Con. Saturday? What day is it today? Right, Sunday. So yeah, yesterday, Saturday. Can you tell I'm having trouble keeping up with my blogging?
Saturday had a pretty great start. We were able to sleep in a little bit, and made it to the convention centre about 9:30ish? I don't remember precisely. But we made it in time for what we were going for.
At 10am at the Legendary booth, the king of the nerds himself, Chris Hardwick, was signing autographs and meeting the fans. And we made it! He was dressed as the tenth Doctor, and he seemed pretty excited when I handed him my ticket from the previous night's podcast to get signed. I was pretty excited to get my picture taken with him.
Andrea of course was very happy to meet him, she's been a fan forever. And he was great! He even took a picture with Anne! I don't think I mentioned previously, but our friend Anne couldn't make it to Comic Con with us, so Andrea crocheted a doll of her to bring along so she was with us in spirit. So yeah, Chris Hardwick now thinks we are crazy.
After that, we went to the Indigo Ballroom at the Hilton beside the convention centre to catch the Geek & Sundry panel. I had no idea what it was, but Felicia Day and Wil Wheaton? I'm there! So we listened to them talk about all the cool stuff happening with their Geek & Sundry YouTube channel. I think I'm going to have to subscribe to that! The cast of the Guild was also there, with a couple other special guests. It was pretty fun!
After that, it was the Nerdist panel! We were totally getting our Nerdist on. Chris Hardwick and a bunch of other people talked about all the exciting stuff coming up. Most exciting to me: Celebrity Bowling with... wait for it... the Doctor Who cast! So awesome. Looks like I'll be watching a lot more YouTube in the future!
Outside between the Hilton and the Convention Centre there was a thing selling burgers and hotdogs, and a cool Batman setup. Burgers and Batmobiles! We grabbed burgers and then went to look at the different ones. There were 5 of them. Two versions of the Bat-tank (or Tumbler as its ACTUALLY called) plus three older batmobiles. It was kinda cool.
Once we got back to the convention centre, we walked right past Felicia Day, just walking along in the front lobby area of the building. I was all, " Is that Felicia Day? Did we just walk RIGHT PAST Felicia Day?!" You probably don't realize this, but I love Felicia Day.
Anyway, next: coffee! And then the Avengers vs. X-Men panel! I love Marvel panels. Again, there wasn't all that much info that I hadn't already heard about, but it definitely got Andrea excited for comics again. Sadly, I was foiled in asking my question in the panel due to the question line being cut off directly in front of me. And the guy was an idiot. He asked a question that EVERYONE already knew the answer to. And I had a much more interesting question. But oh well.
After that, we decided to check out the line for Hall H. There was a panel for Iron Man 3 that looked interesting, and the line didn't seem so bad, so Andrea and Neil got into line, and I took off. We had 2 hours to wait, so I went to explore the floor again.
Went and said hi to Steve and Shane in the Artist Alley again, but they were both pretty busy so I took off to hunt down some elusive swag. No luck though. Sorry Paul. Everything is getting sold out so fast too! I guess it's not that surprising. I wasted a good half hour or longer playing Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance at the Square Enix booth. On my way back across the room I walked by a Doctor cosplayer that I thought was actually Matt Smith for a minute, and then I saw the guy that played Gunn on Angel at a booth. Someone told me to tweet it, but I had no wifi, so I couldn't do it. Oh darn.
After that, it was about 5:30, so I headed back to the Hall H line, and by a stroke of luck, Andrea and Neil spotted me and I jumped back into line with them. However, we didn't make it into Hall H, so about 6:15, we took off back to our hotel and had dinner.
At that point, it should have been the end of the night, but with so much sitting in panels, I didn't reach my fitness goal for the day, so I went and walked laps around the hotel grounds for half an hour. Thanks Nike+ FuelBand. Thanks a lot.
Saturday had a pretty great start. We were able to sleep in a little bit, and made it to the convention centre about 9:30ish? I don't remember precisely. But we made it in time for what we were going for.
At 10am at the Legendary booth, the king of the nerds himself, Chris Hardwick, was signing autographs and meeting the fans. And we made it! He was dressed as the tenth Doctor, and he seemed pretty excited when I handed him my ticket from the previous night's podcast to get signed. I was pretty excited to get my picture taken with him.
Andrea of course was very happy to meet him, she's been a fan forever. And he was great! He even took a picture with Anne! I don't think I mentioned previously, but our friend Anne couldn't make it to Comic Con with us, so Andrea crocheted a doll of her to bring along so she was with us in spirit. So yeah, Chris Hardwick now thinks we are crazy.
After that, we went to the Indigo Ballroom at the Hilton beside the convention centre to catch the Geek & Sundry panel. I had no idea what it was, but Felicia Day and Wil Wheaton? I'm there! So we listened to them talk about all the cool stuff happening with their Geek & Sundry YouTube channel. I think I'm going to have to subscribe to that! The cast of the Guild was also there, with a couple other special guests. It was pretty fun!
After that, it was the Nerdist panel! We were totally getting our Nerdist on. Chris Hardwick and a bunch of other people talked about all the exciting stuff coming up. Most exciting to me: Celebrity Bowling with... wait for it... the Doctor Who cast! So awesome. Looks like I'll be watching a lot more YouTube in the future!
Outside between the Hilton and the Convention Centre there was a thing selling burgers and hotdogs, and a cool Batman setup. Burgers and Batmobiles! We grabbed burgers and then went to look at the different ones. There were 5 of them. Two versions of the Bat-tank (or Tumbler as its ACTUALLY called) plus three older batmobiles. It was kinda cool.
Once we got back to the convention centre, we walked right past Felicia Day, just walking along in the front lobby area of the building. I was all, " Is that Felicia Day? Did we just walk RIGHT PAST Felicia Day?!" You probably don't realize this, but I love Felicia Day.
Anyway, next: coffee! And then the Avengers vs. X-Men panel! I love Marvel panels. Again, there wasn't all that much info that I hadn't already heard about, but it definitely got Andrea excited for comics again. Sadly, I was foiled in asking my question in the panel due to the question line being cut off directly in front of me. And the guy was an idiot. He asked a question that EVERYONE already knew the answer to. And I had a much more interesting question. But oh well.
After that, we decided to check out the line for Hall H. There was a panel for Iron Man 3 that looked interesting, and the line didn't seem so bad, so Andrea and Neil got into line, and I took off. We had 2 hours to wait, so I went to explore the floor again.
Went and said hi to Steve and Shane in the Artist Alley again, but they were both pretty busy so I took off to hunt down some elusive swag. No luck though. Sorry Paul. Everything is getting sold out so fast too! I guess it's not that surprising. I wasted a good half hour or longer playing Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance at the Square Enix booth. On my way back across the room I walked by a Doctor cosplayer that I thought was actually Matt Smith for a minute, and then I saw the guy that played Gunn on Angel at a booth. Someone told me to tweet it, but I had no wifi, so I couldn't do it. Oh darn.
After that, it was about 5:30, so I headed back to the Hall H line, and by a stroke of luck, Andrea and Neil spotted me and I jumped back into line with them. However, we didn't make it into Hall H, so about 6:15, we took off back to our hotel and had dinner.
At that point, it should have been the end of the night, but with so much sitting in panels, I didn't reach my fitness goal for the day, so I went and walked laps around the hotel grounds for half an hour. Thanks Nike+ FuelBand. Thanks a lot.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Separation Anxiety
Day 4 of the trip, Day 2 of Comic Con! The fun continues!
This day started way too early. I was out a little late the night before with my awesome San Diego friends Shawn and Scott, so I really didn't enjoy the fact that we had to get up early to make it into a panel. To be fair, it was supposed to be an awesome panel. A Firefly reunion? Who wouldn't love that??
So, we headed off for the day, grabbed some breakfast and waited for the bus. Aaaand just as it was coming, I remembered I hadn't taken my allergy medication. Way to go Craig. So I ran back to the room while Andrea and Neil got on the bus, and I caught the next one. Who knew this separation would be such foreshadowing...
There were actually three panels in a row that we wanted to get in on. Community was at 10, Legend of Korra was at 11:15, and the Firefly Reunion was at 12:30, so we figured getting there at 8 would be plenty of time. Turns out, not so much. Luckily, Andrea, Neil and I managed to reunite almost as soon as I got there, so it was just a matter of getting to the end of the line. That was a challenge in and of itself.
The longer we walked to find the end end of the line, the further and more hopeless things seemed to become! We walked pretty far before we found it. It wasn't nearly as bad as our walk last year to pick up our badges, but it was pretty bad. As the comic con workers came by and tried to make us lose hope and leave the line, we made friends with a few of the people in line with us, and we became a group. But I have no idea what their names are now. I'm terrible.
Anyway, this line was monstrous. And when we finally got moving, we made it all the way back up to the building! And Before Korra started even! But then it turned out to be an illusion, 'cause the line actually stretched way down the back of the building as well, something we hadn't seen before. But we still had hope. The line had to move somewhat, right?
Wrong. After four hours in line, I got fed up, lost hope that we'd ever make it in, and abandoned the line. Andrea, Neil and I made arrangements to meet up after our hopeful panels ended, and I took off for the other side of the convention centre to catch the Marvel: Ultimate Comics Universe panel. It was pretty fun, no new info really, but the Marvel panels are always pretty enjoyable.
At this point, I headed out to where we had arranged to meet, and waited for a while. Aaaand send several iMessages, tweets, and Facebook messages to find out where my companions might be. Nothing. Soooo I went and got coffee, came back, hung around for a bit longer, aaaand got into another one of the panel rooms to wait for the Marvel Cup o' Joe panel.
Finally, partway through the panel, I heard back from Andrea. It seems wifi was really not working well, so they had only gotten a couple of my attempts to communicate with them, very very late. And even then things weren't working well 'cause they didn't get my responses. So after the Cup o' Joe panel ended, I went off to search for them again, but about ten seconds out the door, Neil attacked me from behind, and we were finally reunited!
As it turned out, they didn't make it into the panel, but they did make it into the one after, Bones! Which was apparently pretty great. I wish I could have seen David Boreanes, but oh well. They had their own adventures though. Andrea lost her badge, and had to get a replacement. And they went all over the place looking for me, even tried asking my favourite artist in artist alley, Steve. It's funny 'cause I even thought about going down there too.
Anyway, after that, we decided to grab dinner at the Yard House restaurant. Andrea and I went there last year, and it was really good, so we had to take Neil. Plus we had plans right down the street. We ended up in the exact same table as we had had last year too, which was odd and kinda funny. We even had a show with dinner, the zombie walk went by the other side of the restaurant so we got to watch as they went by and traffic got completely stopped.
So after dinner, we headed down the street to the Balboa Theatre for the Nerdist podcast taping. I guess every year they do a special podcast with a crowd full of people. I dunno. I had no idea what to expect. We got in, but they didn't open the doors to the actual theatre, and the lobby was tiny, so it got all sardine can up in there for a bit. Dislike. But soon, we made it in, and waited for the show to begin.
And what a show it was! I seriously think you should go look it up right now. Nerdist Podcast from SDCC 2012. It was out of control. They had the extremely funny and very very sexy John Barrowman on the show, and he is just... I don't even know. He's just fantastic. There were discussions of pooping and thigh kisses. John grabbed several ladies' boobs. And made out with a straight guy. It was just nuts. I am going to have to go back and listen to that again. I laughed SO HARD.
And after that, there's really nothing else that could top that. We were tired from so much laughing, so we headed back to the hotel, relaxed for a bit, and headed to bed. The end.
This day started way too early. I was out a little late the night before with my awesome San Diego friends Shawn and Scott, so I really didn't enjoy the fact that we had to get up early to make it into a panel. To be fair, it was supposed to be an awesome panel. A Firefly reunion? Who wouldn't love that??
So, we headed off for the day, grabbed some breakfast and waited for the bus. Aaaand just as it was coming, I remembered I hadn't taken my allergy medication. Way to go Craig. So I ran back to the room while Andrea and Neil got on the bus, and I caught the next one. Who knew this separation would be such foreshadowing...
There were actually three panels in a row that we wanted to get in on. Community was at 10, Legend of Korra was at 11:15, and the Firefly Reunion was at 12:30, so we figured getting there at 8 would be plenty of time. Turns out, not so much. Luckily, Andrea, Neil and I managed to reunite almost as soon as I got there, so it was just a matter of getting to the end of the line. That was a challenge in and of itself.
The longer we walked to find the end end of the line, the further and more hopeless things seemed to become! We walked pretty far before we found it. It wasn't nearly as bad as our walk last year to pick up our badges, but it was pretty bad. As the comic con workers came by and tried to make us lose hope and leave the line, we made friends with a few of the people in line with us, and we became a group. But I have no idea what their names are now. I'm terrible.
Anyway, this line was monstrous. And when we finally got moving, we made it all the way back up to the building! And Before Korra started even! But then it turned out to be an illusion, 'cause the line actually stretched way down the back of the building as well, something we hadn't seen before. But we still had hope. The line had to move somewhat, right?
Wrong. After four hours in line, I got fed up, lost hope that we'd ever make it in, and abandoned the line. Andrea, Neil and I made arrangements to meet up after our hopeful panels ended, and I took off for the other side of the convention centre to catch the Marvel: Ultimate Comics Universe panel. It was pretty fun, no new info really, but the Marvel panels are always pretty enjoyable.
At this point, I headed out to where we had arranged to meet, and waited for a while. Aaaand send several iMessages, tweets, and Facebook messages to find out where my companions might be. Nothing. Soooo I went and got coffee, came back, hung around for a bit longer, aaaand got into another one of the panel rooms to wait for the Marvel Cup o' Joe panel.
Finally, partway through the panel, I heard back from Andrea. It seems wifi was really not working well, so they had only gotten a couple of my attempts to communicate with them, very very late. And even then things weren't working well 'cause they didn't get my responses. So after the Cup o' Joe panel ended, I went off to search for them again, but about ten seconds out the door, Neil attacked me from behind, and we were finally reunited!
As it turned out, they didn't make it into the panel, but they did make it into the one after, Bones! Which was apparently pretty great. I wish I could have seen David Boreanes, but oh well. They had their own adventures though. Andrea lost her badge, and had to get a replacement. And they went all over the place looking for me, even tried asking my favourite artist in artist alley, Steve. It's funny 'cause I even thought about going down there too.
Anyway, after that, we decided to grab dinner at the Yard House restaurant. Andrea and I went there last year, and it was really good, so we had to take Neil. Plus we had plans right down the street. We ended up in the exact same table as we had had last year too, which was odd and kinda funny. We even had a show with dinner, the zombie walk went by the other side of the restaurant so we got to watch as they went by and traffic got completely stopped.
So after dinner, we headed down the street to the Balboa Theatre for the Nerdist podcast taping. I guess every year they do a special podcast with a crowd full of people. I dunno. I had no idea what to expect. We got in, but they didn't open the doors to the actual theatre, and the lobby was tiny, so it got all sardine can up in there for a bit. Dislike. But soon, we made it in, and waited for the show to begin.
And what a show it was! I seriously think you should go look it up right now. Nerdist Podcast from SDCC 2012. It was out of control. They had the extremely funny and very very sexy John Barrowman on the show, and he is just... I don't even know. He's just fantastic. There were discussions of pooping and thigh kisses. John grabbed several ladies' boobs. And made out with a straight guy. It was just nuts. I am going to have to go back and listen to that again. I laughed SO HARD.
And after that, there's really nothing else that could top that. We were tired from so much laughing, so we headed back to the hotel, relaxed for a bit, and headed to bed. The end.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Day 3? Day 1? Who Knows?
So! Trip day 3, but the official 1st day of Comic-Con International 2012! We really didn't have much exciting planned for Thursday, but it ended up being a pretty great day anyway.
We started out venturing into the fray to try to get a BBC lanyard and some toy for Andrea's friend. Both attempts ended in failure. We were really starting to feel like it was completely futile. But we don't give up.
We decided to go check out some of the stuff I wanted to do, so we headed down to Artist Alley to meet someone I'd been talking to. So I got to meet Stephen Sadowski! His artwork was really cool to look at, and it was cool to meet him, and his husband Shane Rooks. They are actually from Vancouver so close to home!
After that, we made one more run by the BBC booth, and we were thinking it looked futile, but then we spotted the exchange of lanyards, and zipped through the crowd and got to be the first people to grab them. Success!
Mattel was another bust. But we went by another booth where I picked up a copy of Amulet signed by one of the guys who works on it. That was pretty fun.
We then got in line for the Marvel House of Ideas panel. There was some author before that, and her panel wasn't all that interesting, so I didn't pay attention. Oops. The Marvel panel didn't have a lot of new information in it, but it was a lot of fun. After that we remembered again how hungry we were, so we too off and found food at some little Mexican restaurant. And then another Marvel panel! The Next Big Thing panel also didn't have a lot of new information, but again, it was pretty fun. I love the Marvel people.
At that point, we decided to enter the fray one last time, so we headed onto the show floor. And surprise! It wasn't anywhere near as busy! We made our way to the Mattel booth, and pretty much walked right up. It was great. Andrea was finally able to get the thing for her friend. Success! Again!
We also managed to get the pirate domo figure comic-con exclusive, but couldn't get the Maleficent figure Andrea wanted. I bought a really awesome Batman, Robin, and Catwoman print from Steve, which I am really excited about.
And at that, our comic-con adventure for the day was done, so we headed on back to the hotel, at which point I took off to hang out with a couple of San Diego friends, Shawn and Scott, a really great couple I met last year when I was here. They took me for dinner at Baja Betty's, a great Mexican restaurant in Hillcrest, part of the gayborhood of San Diego. Had a great time hanging out with them, and decided I never wanna leave SD, haha.
We started out venturing into the fray to try to get a BBC lanyard and some toy for Andrea's friend. Both attempts ended in failure. We were really starting to feel like it was completely futile. But we don't give up.
We decided to go check out some of the stuff I wanted to do, so we headed down to Artist Alley to meet someone I'd been talking to. So I got to meet Stephen Sadowski! His artwork was really cool to look at, and it was cool to meet him, and his husband Shane Rooks. They are actually from Vancouver so close to home!
After that, we made one more run by the BBC booth, and we were thinking it looked futile, but then we spotted the exchange of lanyards, and zipped through the crowd and got to be the first people to grab them. Success!
Mattel was another bust. But we went by another booth where I picked up a copy of Amulet signed by one of the guys who works on it. That was pretty fun.
We then got in line for the Marvel House of Ideas panel. There was some author before that, and her panel wasn't all that interesting, so I didn't pay attention. Oops. The Marvel panel didn't have a lot of new information in it, but it was a lot of fun. After that we remembered again how hungry we were, so we too off and found food at some little Mexican restaurant. And then another Marvel panel! The Next Big Thing panel also didn't have a lot of new information, but again, it was pretty fun. I love the Marvel people.
At that point, we decided to enter the fray one last time, so we headed onto the show floor. And surprise! It wasn't anywhere near as busy! We made our way to the Mattel booth, and pretty much walked right up. It was great. Andrea was finally able to get the thing for her friend. Success! Again!
We also managed to get the pirate domo figure comic-con exclusive, but couldn't get the Maleficent figure Andrea wanted. I bought a really awesome Batman, Robin, and Catwoman print from Steve, which I am really excited about.
And at that, our comic-con adventure for the day was done, so we headed on back to the hotel, at which point I took off to hang out with a couple of San Diego friends, Shawn and Scott, a really great couple I met last year when I was here. They took me for dinner at Baja Betty's, a great Mexican restaurant in Hillcrest, part of the gayborhood of San Diego. Had a great time hanging out with them, and decided I never wanna leave SD, haha.
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