A productive streak. Hope it lasts.
Storm Wyvern Press
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
New Writing
I'm trying to get some writing done again. Starting the Front Lobby Bench back up is still in progress. So for the time being, I'm writing some stuff for StormWyvern Press. Please check it out and let me know what you think.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Oscar Thoughts
Still no comments, which has admittedly slowed my enthusiasm for keeping up the journal. But I still feel like I should and I've got some thoughts worth writing about. So let's see how long this lasts.
The Oscar nominations have been announced. With the continuing writers' strike (which I support), the sort of ceremony we'll get - if any - is still in doubt. But for the time being, the speculation is on.
As usual, I haven't seen many of the big nominees this year. With Andrew's job, getting out to see movies has become even more difficult. I can tell you that we really liked "Juno" and I hear good things about a lot of the other films with a lot of nominations, but that's about it. The animated categories, on the other hand, I can say a few things about.
There are five films up for Best Animated Short. In most years, I end up seeing one or none of the nominated shorts, usually a Pixar offering if anything. The vast majority of animated shorts (and live action short films, for that matter) only show in festivals and touring shows nowadays and I seldom get out to see them. But this year, a friend of mine located either the entire short or a trailer for the short for all five nominees on YouTube. So i've seen three of the shorts in their entirety and trailers for the other two.
My pick up of the films I've seen in their entirety is "Peter and the Wolf", a stop motion adaptation of the Prokofiev piece. The story itself is pretty faithful to the original aside from a slight modernization and a little bit of additional material. What makes this short special is the animation. This is some of the most expressive stop motion I have ever seen, with beautiful suggestions of character through action and movement. There's no dialogue and everything is perfectly conveyed through the characters' expressions and particular little motions.
The runner up for me in this category is "Moya Iyubov" ("My Love"). This film is done with oil on glass, quite possibly the most insanity inducing method of animating I can think of. The animator makes a painting with oil paints on a piece of glass, shoots one frame, uses linseed oil to erase parts of the picture, makes changes, shoots another frame, an so on. It's all the difficulties of stop motion - where once a frame is altered, it's gone forever - without the benefit of at least having your set and puppets still there to work with when you finish. The result, though, is absolutely beautiful, like a painting come to life. The reason it isn't my top choice for Best Animated Short may not be entirely fair. The film is Russian, it has a lot of dialogue, and there's no subtitled version available. It also featured very realistic characters, to the point where it feels a little too much like live action with a filter on it to me. It's beautiful and definitely worth watching, but it's not something that I had any kind of emotional connection with.
The other three films are a comic computer animated short that isn't particularly impressive in any way and the two I only saw trailers for and can't really comment on.
Best Animated Feature Film is a bit more of a challenge for me. I've seen two of the three nominated films and I really can't decide between them. (Incidentally, the nomination of the third film, "Surf's Up", surprised even Sony, the company that produced the film. They did not run any kind of publicity campaign for its nomination, so why it was chosen is anybody's guess. It won't win, though. Penguin movies are so Oscars 2007.)
"Ratatouille" is Pixar and Brad Bird's latest film, about a French rodent with gourmet tastes and a dream of becoming a chef. It's a beautiful film with an excellent balance of comedy and drama. The animation continues to up the Pixar standard. It doesn't talk down to kids and in fact barely caters to them at all. It's just a really excellent movie, let alone animated movie.
"Persepolis" is based on the autobiographical graphic novels about a woman's childhood in Iran. It's 2D, with a very simple style, and most of the film is in black and white. It's in French with English subtitles. It isn't a complete downer all the way through; the pacing and insertion of scenes to relieve tension are quite good. But given the subject matter, it's not light entertainment and certainly not for the kiddie set. Frankly, I've never seen an animated film quite like it.
The problem I have in choosing between these two films points to a flaw in having a Best Animated Feature category (or Best Picture, for that matter). Aside from both being animated, these two films have very little in common and it's nearly impossible to judge if one does its job better than the other, just as it's hard to say whether a comedy does a better job of being a comedy than a period epic does of being a period epic. I'm glad that there is a Best Animated Feature category, as it sometimes brings attention to films the public may not be aware of. But it just seems fruitless to pick a best film when the group contains both apples and oranges.
Which will win? I can't say there either. More people have probably seen "Ratatouille", which may give it an edge. But voters may also feel that "Persepolis" is a more "arty" and "important" film, the type that Academy members like to vote for. I could easily see them voting for it based on the plot summary alone without even seeing the film. Whichever wins, though, I'll be happy. I think it's definitely a good thing when there are two animated films up for the Oscar that are both so good that I can't make up my mind which should take the honor home.
The Oscar nominations have been announced. With the continuing writers' strike (which I support), the sort of ceremony we'll get - if any - is still in doubt. But for the time being, the speculation is on.
As usual, I haven't seen many of the big nominees this year. With Andrew's job, getting out to see movies has become even more difficult. I can tell you that we really liked "Juno" and I hear good things about a lot of the other films with a lot of nominations, but that's about it. The animated categories, on the other hand, I can say a few things about.
There are five films up for Best Animated Short. In most years, I end up seeing one or none of the nominated shorts, usually a Pixar offering if anything. The vast majority of animated shorts (and live action short films, for that matter) only show in festivals and touring shows nowadays and I seldom get out to see them. But this year, a friend of mine located either the entire short or a trailer for the short for all five nominees on YouTube. So i've seen three of the shorts in their entirety and trailers for the other two.
My pick up of the films I've seen in their entirety is "Peter and the Wolf", a stop motion adaptation of the Prokofiev piece. The story itself is pretty faithful to the original aside from a slight modernization and a little bit of additional material. What makes this short special is the animation. This is some of the most expressive stop motion I have ever seen, with beautiful suggestions of character through action and movement. There's no dialogue and everything is perfectly conveyed through the characters' expressions and particular little motions.
The runner up for me in this category is "Moya Iyubov" ("My Love"). This film is done with oil on glass, quite possibly the most insanity inducing method of animating I can think of. The animator makes a painting with oil paints on a piece of glass, shoots one frame, uses linseed oil to erase parts of the picture, makes changes, shoots another frame, an so on. It's all the difficulties of stop motion - where once a frame is altered, it's gone forever - without the benefit of at least having your set and puppets still there to work with when you finish. The result, though, is absolutely beautiful, like a painting come to life. The reason it isn't my top choice for Best Animated Short may not be entirely fair. The film is Russian, it has a lot of dialogue, and there's no subtitled version available. It also featured very realistic characters, to the point where it feels a little too much like live action with a filter on it to me. It's beautiful and definitely worth watching, but it's not something that I had any kind of emotional connection with.
The other three films are a comic computer animated short that isn't particularly impressive in any way and the two I only saw trailers for and can't really comment on.
Best Animated Feature Film is a bit more of a challenge for me. I've seen two of the three nominated films and I really can't decide between them. (Incidentally, the nomination of the third film, "Surf's Up", surprised even Sony, the company that produced the film. They did not run any kind of publicity campaign for its nomination, so why it was chosen is anybody's guess. It won't win, though. Penguin movies are so Oscars 2007.)
"Ratatouille" is Pixar and Brad Bird's latest film, about a French rodent with gourmet tastes and a dream of becoming a chef. It's a beautiful film with an excellent balance of comedy and drama. The animation continues to up the Pixar standard. It doesn't talk down to kids and in fact barely caters to them at all. It's just a really excellent movie, let alone animated movie.
"Persepolis" is based on the autobiographical graphic novels about a woman's childhood in Iran. It's 2D, with a very simple style, and most of the film is in black and white. It's in French with English subtitles. It isn't a complete downer all the way through; the pacing and insertion of scenes to relieve tension are quite good. But given the subject matter, it's not light entertainment and certainly not for the kiddie set. Frankly, I've never seen an animated film quite like it.
The problem I have in choosing between these two films points to a flaw in having a Best Animated Feature category (or Best Picture, for that matter). Aside from both being animated, these two films have very little in common and it's nearly impossible to judge if one does its job better than the other, just as it's hard to say whether a comedy does a better job of being a comedy than a period epic does of being a period epic. I'm glad that there is a Best Animated Feature category, as it sometimes brings attention to films the public may not be aware of. But it just seems fruitless to pick a best film when the group contains both apples and oranges.
Which will win? I can't say there either. More people have probably seen "Ratatouille", which may give it an edge. But voters may also feel that "Persepolis" is a more "arty" and "important" film, the type that Academy members like to vote for. I could easily see them voting for it based on the plot summary alone without even seeing the film. Whichever wins, though, I'll be happy. I think it's definitely a good thing when there are two animated films up for the Oscar that are both so good that I can't make up my mind which should take the honor home.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Tech Update
Every now and then, I find it a little disturbing how addicted Andrew and I are to our technology. A couple of days ago, we were building Andrew's new computer desk, which took all afternoon and necessitated unplugging both of our computers. (I inherited his old computer desk.) Andrew commented on how strange it felt not to have internet access for even just a couple of hours. Of course, he uses his computer for work as well, but I felt much the same. We both spend a lot of time on the computers and a fair amount of time with the TV, either watching shows, watching DVDs, or playing video games. Even when I'm out walking the dog, I make the longer walks more interesting by listening to a podcast on the iPod. We end up kind of at a loss when the modem malfunctions, let alone when we're without power for a while.
Nonetheless, I generally like our various technology. Andrew and I each have a MacMini, each with an additional storage drive. Andrew just recently purchased a new Cintiq tablet monitor, which allows him to use a stylus to draw directly on the screen. Hopefully, he'll be able to do more work at home that way. I still have the iPod mini I got about three years ago. It's not as nice as Andrew's, which plays videos and has the nice full color screen and everything. But it still works. I mainly listen to podcasts these days, as they tend to be longer than most music I have and help me to pass time and stay interested while I'm doing something better than a bunch of short songs taking up the same amount of time.
If the internet is something of an addiction for me, video games are even more so, though I try to keep it under some level of control. I got three games for Christmas this year. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games is pretty much what it sounds like: the characters from the Mario and Sonic franchises competing for the gold in the summer Olympics. It's for the Wii and actually provides a pretty decent workout. Also for the Wii is Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure, a kind of puzzle-adventure game which has been getting hugely positive reviews. However, I've only played "Mario and Sonic" a few times and I haven't even opened "Zack and Wiki" yet. Why? Mass Effect.
We bought an XBox 360 over the summer, largely so Andrew could have the version of the "TransFormers" movie game that came with a bonus disc. I appreciated the system's capabilities and even joined in the occasional Halo online battle. But I wasn't really playing a game seriously on the system until "Mass Effect". "Mass Effect" is a huge RPG from BioWare, makers of the popular "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic". "Mass Effect" is more of an homage to the great science fiction movies of the 80s and early 90s. You play as Commander Shepard, the first human to join the ranks of the Spectres, an elite group charged with maintaining order in the universe with carte blanche to act as they see fit. Your character's appearance is highly customizable. You can choose to be male or female, make up a first name (the game gets around this in dialogue by having other characters call you by your last name), change your hair, eye color, and facial features, and even select from a couple of different back stories. Unlike in many RPGs, your character does talk, with male and female voice actors recording hundreds of lines of dialogue for your character's various response options. Like the best games of its kind, "Mass Effect" gives the player tons of freedom. You can behave virtuously or demand payments from those you help or refuse to take on their problems. You can charm people in to seeing things your way or intimidate them into doing what you want. You can work on your main mission of saving the universe from a threat against all life, take on side missions on various planets, talk people through their problems, or just waste all your money gambling at the casino.
I was playing yesterday while waiting for Andrew to get home and came to a point where I had to make a call. Now a lot of the choices I make in this game are pretty clear cut, like "help this person" or "ignore this person". Some are less so, like siding with one person or another in an argument where both make good points. But this was a really difficult call. Though I couldn't be sure of the outcome, it seemed like something bad was going to happen either way. I made my choice and there were consequences. And I really felt it. I kept wondering if I had made the right decision, if things might have gone better if i had gone with the other choice. Then I realized that I was feeling exactly what I should have been feeling about that situation. If I really was a military commander who had to make a hard call with no clearly "right" choice, I would probably be second guessing myself and wondering if I had done the right thing. I was in love with the game already, but that was the point where it gave me something I had never experienced in a video game before: a real feeling of owning my actions and their consequences. It's an amazing game that I'd recommend you try if you get the chance.
Nonetheless, I generally like our various technology. Andrew and I each have a MacMini, each with an additional storage drive. Andrew just recently purchased a new Cintiq tablet monitor, which allows him to use a stylus to draw directly on the screen. Hopefully, he'll be able to do more work at home that way. I still have the iPod mini I got about three years ago. It's not as nice as Andrew's, which plays videos and has the nice full color screen and everything. But it still works. I mainly listen to podcasts these days, as they tend to be longer than most music I have and help me to pass time and stay interested while I'm doing something better than a bunch of short songs taking up the same amount of time.
If the internet is something of an addiction for me, video games are even more so, though I try to keep it under some level of control. I got three games for Christmas this year. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games is pretty much what it sounds like: the characters from the Mario and Sonic franchises competing for the gold in the summer Olympics. It's for the Wii and actually provides a pretty decent workout. Also for the Wii is Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure, a kind of puzzle-adventure game which has been getting hugely positive reviews. However, I've only played "Mario and Sonic" a few times and I haven't even opened "Zack and Wiki" yet. Why? Mass Effect.
We bought an XBox 360 over the summer, largely so Andrew could have the version of the "TransFormers" movie game that came with a bonus disc. I appreciated the system's capabilities and even joined in the occasional Halo online battle. But I wasn't really playing a game seriously on the system until "Mass Effect". "Mass Effect" is a huge RPG from BioWare, makers of the popular "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic". "Mass Effect" is more of an homage to the great science fiction movies of the 80s and early 90s. You play as Commander Shepard, the first human to join the ranks of the Spectres, an elite group charged with maintaining order in the universe with carte blanche to act as they see fit. Your character's appearance is highly customizable. You can choose to be male or female, make up a first name (the game gets around this in dialogue by having other characters call you by your last name), change your hair, eye color, and facial features, and even select from a couple of different back stories. Unlike in many RPGs, your character does talk, with male and female voice actors recording hundreds of lines of dialogue for your character's various response options. Like the best games of its kind, "Mass Effect" gives the player tons of freedom. You can behave virtuously or demand payments from those you help or refuse to take on their problems. You can charm people in to seeing things your way or intimidate them into doing what you want. You can work on your main mission of saving the universe from a threat against all life, take on side missions on various planets, talk people through their problems, or just waste all your money gambling at the casino.
I was playing yesterday while waiting for Andrew to get home and came to a point where I had to make a call. Now a lot of the choices I make in this game are pretty clear cut, like "help this person" or "ignore this person". Some are less so, like siding with one person or another in an argument where both make good points. But this was a really difficult call. Though I couldn't be sure of the outcome, it seemed like something bad was going to happen either way. I made my choice and there were consequences. And I really felt it. I kept wondering if I had made the right decision, if things might have gone better if i had gone with the other choice. Then I realized that I was feeling exactly what I should have been feeling about that situation. If I really was a military commander who had to make a hard call with no clearly "right" choice, I would probably be second guessing myself and wondering if I had done the right thing. I was in love with the game already, but that was the point where it gave me something I had never experienced in a video game before: a real feeling of owning my actions and their consequences. It's an amazing game that I'd recommend you try if you get the chance.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Tired
I just haven't felt like doing anything today. Why is that when Andrew tells me to be productive and spend some time drawing as he leaves for work, I end up completely not wanting to do either? Of course, I haven't in really wanted to draw for a long time, but that's another issue.
I spent most of the morning in bed. I haven't been able to really sleep in at all since we got Dante and I just wanted to rest. Dante likes sleeping on the bed, though he's not supposed to do it unless one of us is there to invite him. So he just curled up next to me and stayed there. I was glad for his company and for knowing that he wasn't getting into trouble.
Usually, I don't mind being alone for most of the day on most days. I can often get more done that way and do what I want without having to worry about anyone else's preferences for a while. But every once in a while, it loses its charm. I wish there was someone I could call or someone who would call me and just talk about how I was doing. I wish I had someone I could go to for advise about how to get past the points where I feel stuck. And no, this isn't a "subtle" way of asking whoever might be reading this to pay more attention to me. Through no one's fault but my own, I just don't have the kind of friendships where I can talk about these minor issues on a daily basis without it being a big deal with lots of catching up and possibly more worry than is necessary involved. Again, not anybody's fault but my own.
More upbeat post next time.
I spent most of the morning in bed. I haven't been able to really sleep in at all since we got Dante and I just wanted to rest. Dante likes sleeping on the bed, though he's not supposed to do it unless one of us is there to invite him. So he just curled up next to me and stayed there. I was glad for his company and for knowing that he wasn't getting into trouble.
Usually, I don't mind being alone for most of the day on most days. I can often get more done that way and do what I want without having to worry about anyone else's preferences for a while. But every once in a while, it loses its charm. I wish there was someone I could call or someone who would call me and just talk about how I was doing. I wish I had someone I could go to for advise about how to get past the points where I feel stuck. And no, this isn't a "subtle" way of asking whoever might be reading this to pay more attention to me. Through no one's fault but my own, I just don't have the kind of friendships where I can talk about these minor issues on a daily basis without it being a big deal with lots of catching up and possibly more worry than is necessary involved. Again, not anybody's fault but my own.
More upbeat post next time.
Monday, January 21, 2008
An Open Letter
Dear Lady with Four Dogs,
You don't know me, but I'm the woman you saw late this afternoon walking the mid-sized terrier mix up my driveway to my house. You were the woman with four little dogs (I think it was two pomeranians, a chihuahua, and what looked like a very small spaniel) walking along the bike path. For reason I'll get into in a moment, I couldn't help but notice that none of your dogs were wearing leashes. The town laws, which you probably received just as I did when you got notification that it was time to renew you four dog licenses, state that all dogs must be leashed or under effective command. Now I know dogs aren't always perfectly behaved and I'm generally not going to complain if a dog comes over to sniff me so long as the owner has the dog under reasonable control. As you may have guessed from the fact that I have a dog, I love dogs. I love dogs of all breeds, shapes, and sizes. The fact that your four dogs are all very small does not come into this. As long as you're keeping your dogs under control within reason, you'll have no trouble from me.
Unfortunately, this was no the case. As I was coming home from walking my dog, on-leash, I heard a high pitched barking. Looking up my driveway towards the bike path, I saw one little dog running up from the bike path in my direction. Seconds later, I was stunned to see the one dog joined by three more little dogs, all running from the bike path onto my property, all barking like crazy at my dog.
Now again, I like dogs. I hope I never in my life have to hurt one for any reason. But when I see a bunch of dogs running at me barking with no owner in sight, I get worried. And when my dog is with me, my dog who is a great dog but who gets very excited when he sees other dog and who seldom has the sense to see when another dog clearly does not want to play with him, I get worried about him. My dog's safety comes first. I told him to sit and despite being excited, he listened. I put myself between him and your four barking dogs as best I could and started trying to shoo them away. I yelled, I waved my hands and the end of the leash. I was not exactly friendly to them. Under those circumstance, it's hard to be.
It was at this point that you started calling your dogs. And I watched as, hesitantly, they turned around and started running back to you. But they didn't make it all the way back. They turned right around and ran back into my yard over to my dog. You called again, they came closer to you. Some of them did actually come back that second time, but there was one who still wasn't convinced. he headed back towards me and my dog and you had to call him a third time before he rejoined you and the others and you were on your way.
Now what's wrong with this picture? My dog - who is far from perfect obedience-wise, but generally responds to my commands - was on a leash, on my property, heading home from a walk. Your four dogs were off-leash, ran onto the property of a total stranger, barked at a strange dog who was on his property and not bothering them at all, and failed to come all the way back to you before you had called them three times. I do appreciate that you at least did not get mad at me for yelling at your dogs to beat it. But an apology, or some acknowledgment of the fact that your dogs should not have been on my property, would have been nice.
Again, the law in this town is that dogs need to be restrained or under effective command when off the owner's property. Your dogs were not under your control in any sense of the word. They need to be on leashes. Now maybe you think that's too much hassle. Maybe the leashes get all tangled up and you spend more time getting them straightened out than you do actually walking. I don't care. You're the one who chose to have four dogs. You're the one who needs to figure out how to walk them effectively and within the boundaries of the law and the bike path. And it's not just me that I'm thinking about here. It's your dogs too. What if they had run into someone else's yard, someone who didn't just yell and wave her arms, but gave each of your dogs a good sharp kick? What if one of your dogs ended up in a yard with a little kid and before you could get the dog back, the kid pulled the dog's tail and the dog bit the kid? Or what if one of the dogs even just wandered onto the wrong side of the bike path just as a fast moving cyclist was coming the other way?
I am an understanding person, especially when it comes to dogs. Had I met your four dogs under better circumstances, I may well have liked them very much. But for your dogs to run into my yard and bark at me and my dog, completely free of your control, is unacceptable. If your any of your dogs ever ventures onto my property again, I will not hesitate to tell you to leash your dogs. And if you give me the slightest bit of trouble, I will not hesitate to call the police - who have their station right on the other side of the bike path, in case you didn't know - and ask them to speak to you about leashing your dogs. For the sake of your little pack, if nothing else, I hope you are more careful in the future.
Regards,
Sara
You don't know me, but I'm the woman you saw late this afternoon walking the mid-sized terrier mix up my driveway to my house. You were the woman with four little dogs (I think it was two pomeranians, a chihuahua, and what looked like a very small spaniel) walking along the bike path. For reason I'll get into in a moment, I couldn't help but notice that none of your dogs were wearing leashes. The town laws, which you probably received just as I did when you got notification that it was time to renew you four dog licenses, state that all dogs must be leashed or under effective command. Now I know dogs aren't always perfectly behaved and I'm generally not going to complain if a dog comes over to sniff me so long as the owner has the dog under reasonable control. As you may have guessed from the fact that I have a dog, I love dogs. I love dogs of all breeds, shapes, and sizes. The fact that your four dogs are all very small does not come into this. As long as you're keeping your dogs under control within reason, you'll have no trouble from me.
Unfortunately, this was no the case. As I was coming home from walking my dog, on-leash, I heard a high pitched barking. Looking up my driveway towards the bike path, I saw one little dog running up from the bike path in my direction. Seconds later, I was stunned to see the one dog joined by three more little dogs, all running from the bike path onto my property, all barking like crazy at my dog.
Now again, I like dogs. I hope I never in my life have to hurt one for any reason. But when I see a bunch of dogs running at me barking with no owner in sight, I get worried. And when my dog is with me, my dog who is a great dog but who gets very excited when he sees other dog and who seldom has the sense to see when another dog clearly does not want to play with him, I get worried about him. My dog's safety comes first. I told him to sit and despite being excited, he listened. I put myself between him and your four barking dogs as best I could and started trying to shoo them away. I yelled, I waved my hands and the end of the leash. I was not exactly friendly to them. Under those circumstance, it's hard to be.
It was at this point that you started calling your dogs. And I watched as, hesitantly, they turned around and started running back to you. But they didn't make it all the way back. They turned right around and ran back into my yard over to my dog. You called again, they came closer to you. Some of them did actually come back that second time, but there was one who still wasn't convinced. he headed back towards me and my dog and you had to call him a third time before he rejoined you and the others and you were on your way.
Now what's wrong with this picture? My dog - who is far from perfect obedience-wise, but generally responds to my commands - was on a leash, on my property, heading home from a walk. Your four dogs were off-leash, ran onto the property of a total stranger, barked at a strange dog who was on his property and not bothering them at all, and failed to come all the way back to you before you had called them three times. I do appreciate that you at least did not get mad at me for yelling at your dogs to beat it. But an apology, or some acknowledgment of the fact that your dogs should not have been on my property, would have been nice.
Again, the law in this town is that dogs need to be restrained or under effective command when off the owner's property. Your dogs were not under your control in any sense of the word. They need to be on leashes. Now maybe you think that's too much hassle. Maybe the leashes get all tangled up and you spend more time getting them straightened out than you do actually walking. I don't care. You're the one who chose to have four dogs. You're the one who needs to figure out how to walk them effectively and within the boundaries of the law and the bike path. And it's not just me that I'm thinking about here. It's your dogs too. What if they had run into someone else's yard, someone who didn't just yell and wave her arms, but gave each of your dogs a good sharp kick? What if one of your dogs ended up in a yard with a little kid and before you could get the dog back, the kid pulled the dog's tail and the dog bit the kid? Or what if one of the dogs even just wandered onto the wrong side of the bike path just as a fast moving cyclist was coming the other way?
I am an understanding person, especially when it comes to dogs. Had I met your four dogs under better circumstances, I may well have liked them very much. But for your dogs to run into my yard and bark at me and my dog, completely free of your control, is unacceptable. If your any of your dogs ever ventures onto my property again, I will not hesitate to tell you to leash your dogs. And if you give me the slightest bit of trouble, I will not hesitate to call the police - who have their station right on the other side of the bike path, in case you didn't know - and ask them to speak to you about leashing your dogs. For the sake of your little pack, if nothing else, I hope you are more careful in the future.
Regards,
Sara
Pets Update
I don't harbor any illusions about keeping this blog updated on a regular basis again. But I figured I'd give it a shot just for good measure. Hopefully, it will inspire people whose blogs I read to update as well. Anyways, it's been a while, so there is quite a bit to discuss. I was going to do it all in one fell swoop, but it's turning out pretty long, so I'll be doing separate posts.
We adopted a dog in September. Much talk and planning went into this. (It's the reason I was cleaning off the upstairs landing in August: anticipation of a dog crate.) Dante is some kind of terrier mix, possibly some hound and whippet in there too. He's now about eight months old. I had no intention of getting a dog that young, but he honestly seemed like the best fit for our family. His original name was "Loafer" due to his low activity level indoors and his refusal to walk on a leash on the shelter's bare floors, making t necessary for the staff to kind of drag him around. After going through a bunch of name ideas, we settled on "Dante", after the main character in "Clerks. He's a wonderful dog. After a few weeks of me thinking that I'd made a mistake n getting a dog (which is fairly normal when I bring any new animal home), he settled in and became part of the family. He's fully housebroken, knows "sit", "down", "stay", "wait", "come", "crate", "hop up", "off", and "paw", graduated from his obedience class, and loves us both. He's absolutely fine with the bunnies - partly because we worked on introducing them and partly because his indoor prey drive is pretty nonexistent. Currently, his only real issues are barking at the door - which can be stopped pretty easily, his carsickness- which we're hoping he'll grow out of, and chewing on things that aren't his when we leave him alone for a while. He never shows any interest in doing this while we're home, so we're just resigned to crating him when we go out. Overall though, he's a terrific dog and I can't imagine being without him.
The story of another dog in my life has finally reached the point where I can talk about it this month, A couple of weeks before we brought Dante home, we had adopted another dog from the same shelter. "Dolly" (we never came up with another name for her) was a beautiful aussie/border collie mix with a likely difficult past. She was shy and probably had been mistreated before coming to the shelter. She seemed to be doing well around people when we brought her to the pet store and on her first walk, so I decided she would be OK coming to our neighbor's block party. On the way there, she was frightened by a kid bouncing a beach ball near her. She slipped out of her collar and ran away from me.
We spent the next two weeks trying to catch her and then to just find her. We called animal control, which provided very little help, and the Animal Rescue League, who were helpful, but unable to trap her. Eventually, we stopped getting phone calls from people who had seen her and we resigned ourselves to the fact that she was gone. We were both heartbroken. I felt like I had completely and catastrophically failed at the thing I had been planning for and looking forward to for months. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that if I didn't try again with another dog, this dog I had known for less than a day was going to keep me from feeling like I could have a dog for the rest of my life. That's when we returned to the shelter and adopted Dante.
Early this month, I got a call from a woman asking if I had a dog who was missing. Against all odds, she had found Dolly in North Reading, miles from where we'd last seen her. The woman had been patiently and eventually was able to get close enough to bring her inside. Totally stunned, I called Andrew and we went to pick her up. She looked remarkably well for having been loose for four months. We brought her home with us and considered what we would do. We wanted to take care of Dolly. But the issues that had caused her to leave us were still very much there. Though Dante liked having another dog in the house, he was constantly pestering her and she'd often end up growling at him to leave her alone. I had no way of knowing if they would be able to work it out eventually and it seemed like a bit much for Dolly. Though Dante was reasonably well behaved by this point, I didn't know if I had the energy to go through training and adjusting to another dog so soon. The decision became final when I was bringing Dante in from a walk and Dolly shoved her way past me and ran out the door. I was able to get her back before she got out of the driveway using the information I'd learned when she ran away the first time: lay down on my stomach, let Dante out as far as he could go on his leash, called to Dolly, let her come to Dante, and reeled him in until she was close enough for me to grab her harness. I realized that we just didn't have the facilities to keep this dog safe and that if we kept her, I'd be spending every day worrying that she might leave again and really never come back. We drove her up to the animal shelter, as we were contractually obligated to return her there if we couldn't keep her. I gave them all of the information I had on her: very shy, needs training, must be walked on a harness, should have a secure yard, likes other dogs if they're calm. We left a donation and said our goodbyes. I knew it was the right thing to do, but it wasn't easy for either of us.
A little over a week ago, Andrew's uncle who works at the shelter told us Dolly was adopted by a nice family with two older kids and a beagle. It sounds like a good match and I am confident that Dolly will be happy and well taken care of. I still sometimes wish I could have kept her, but given my history with her and our current situation, I know it wouldn't have worked. But now I finally know that she's being taken care of and loved and I can put her disappearance and all the guilt I had from it behind me.
We adopted a dog in September. Much talk and planning went into this. (It's the reason I was cleaning off the upstairs landing in August: anticipation of a dog crate.) Dante is some kind of terrier mix, possibly some hound and whippet in there too. He's now about eight months old. I had no intention of getting a dog that young, but he honestly seemed like the best fit for our family. His original name was "Loafer" due to his low activity level indoors and his refusal to walk on a leash on the shelter's bare floors, making t necessary for the staff to kind of drag him around. After going through a bunch of name ideas, we settled on "Dante", after the main character in "Clerks. He's a wonderful dog. After a few weeks of me thinking that I'd made a mistake n getting a dog (which is fairly normal when I bring any new animal home), he settled in and became part of the family. He's fully housebroken, knows "sit", "down", "stay", "wait", "come", "crate", "hop up", "off", and "paw", graduated from his obedience class, and loves us both. He's absolutely fine with the bunnies - partly because we worked on introducing them and partly because his indoor prey drive is pretty nonexistent. Currently, his only real issues are barking at the door - which can be stopped pretty easily, his carsickness- which we're hoping he'll grow out of, and chewing on things that aren't his when we leave him alone for a while. He never shows any interest in doing this while we're home, so we're just resigned to crating him when we go out. Overall though, he's a terrific dog and I can't imagine being without him.
The story of another dog in my life has finally reached the point where I can talk about it this month, A couple of weeks before we brought Dante home, we had adopted another dog from the same shelter. "Dolly" (we never came up with another name for her) was a beautiful aussie/border collie mix with a likely difficult past. She was shy and probably had been mistreated before coming to the shelter. She seemed to be doing well around people when we brought her to the pet store and on her first walk, so I decided she would be OK coming to our neighbor's block party. On the way there, she was frightened by a kid bouncing a beach ball near her. She slipped out of her collar and ran away from me.
We spent the next two weeks trying to catch her and then to just find her. We called animal control, which provided very little help, and the Animal Rescue League, who were helpful, but unable to trap her. Eventually, we stopped getting phone calls from people who had seen her and we resigned ourselves to the fact that she was gone. We were both heartbroken. I felt like I had completely and catastrophically failed at the thing I had been planning for and looking forward to for months. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that if I didn't try again with another dog, this dog I had known for less than a day was going to keep me from feeling like I could have a dog for the rest of my life. That's when we returned to the shelter and adopted Dante.
Early this month, I got a call from a woman asking if I had a dog who was missing. Against all odds, she had found Dolly in North Reading, miles from where we'd last seen her. The woman had been patiently and eventually was able to get close enough to bring her inside. Totally stunned, I called Andrew and we went to pick her up. She looked remarkably well for having been loose for four months. We brought her home with us and considered what we would do. We wanted to take care of Dolly. But the issues that had caused her to leave us were still very much there. Though Dante liked having another dog in the house, he was constantly pestering her and she'd often end up growling at him to leave her alone. I had no way of knowing if they would be able to work it out eventually and it seemed like a bit much for Dolly. Though Dante was reasonably well behaved by this point, I didn't know if I had the energy to go through training and adjusting to another dog so soon. The decision became final when I was bringing Dante in from a walk and Dolly shoved her way past me and ran out the door. I was able to get her back before she got out of the driveway using the information I'd learned when she ran away the first time: lay down on my stomach, let Dante out as far as he could go on his leash, called to Dolly, let her come to Dante, and reeled him in until she was close enough for me to grab her harness. I realized that we just didn't have the facilities to keep this dog safe and that if we kept her, I'd be spending every day worrying that she might leave again and really never come back. We drove her up to the animal shelter, as we were contractually obligated to return her there if we couldn't keep her. I gave them all of the information I had on her: very shy, needs training, must be walked on a harness, should have a secure yard, likes other dogs if they're calm. We left a donation and said our goodbyes. I knew it was the right thing to do, but it wasn't easy for either of us.
A little over a week ago, Andrew's uncle who works at the shelter told us Dolly was adopted by a nice family with two older kids and a beagle. It sounds like a good match and I am confident that Dolly will be happy and well taken care of. I still sometimes wish I could have kept her, but given my history with her and our current situation, I know it wouldn't have worked. But now I finally know that she's being taken care of and loved and I can put her disappearance and all the guilt I had from it behind me.
Monday, August 27, 2007
First Anniversary
(Yeah, I know. It's been a while.)
It's the first anniversary of our wedding. If you were there, you can check the back of your little blue dish to confirm this. Andrew is working today, so we had our low key celebrations mostly yesterday. Andrew picked up two bags of chips and some ice cream, including a pint of Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby for me. (No comment on the name, please.) I gave him a bunch of DVDs, including one with material from the first five years of Sesame Street (which is before either of us were born).
So today, I've been by myself since about 6:30 or so this morning. I put away the laundry and cleaned the rabbits' litterboxes. I walked over to the grocery store t get ingredients for the homemade guacamole that I will be making for the first time tonight. Right now, I'm taking a short break from cleaning the upstairs landing in the hopes that something much better will replace all the stuff I'm clearing off of there. Since I can't do things like exercising, going for long walks, or cleaning without a few podcasts to keep me entertained, I went and loaded up the iPod before I started. So I just finished listening to a "This American Life" about - and I did not realize the irony of this until near the end - break-ups.
This may sound like I'm complaining about how mundane or lonely my life is right now, but I'm actually not. I've had my ups and downs lately and throughout my life, but I'm happy. I've been fairly productive with my days, and when that's done, I never lack for entertainment. My husband loves me and while neither of us are perfect, he does regularly show me that he cares. My family is happy and healthy. I've got a roof over my head. I have friendswhose company I enjoy and they seem to reciprocate. My life may not always be everything I want it to be, but it's good and I'm largely happy with it.
It's the first anniversary of our wedding. If you were there, you can check the back of your little blue dish to confirm this. Andrew is working today, so we had our low key celebrations mostly yesterday. Andrew picked up two bags of chips and some ice cream, including a pint of Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby for me. (No comment on the name, please.) I gave him a bunch of DVDs, including one with material from the first five years of Sesame Street (which is before either of us were born).
So today, I've been by myself since about 6:30 or so this morning. I put away the laundry and cleaned the rabbits' litterboxes. I walked over to the grocery store t get ingredients for the homemade guacamole that I will be making for the first time tonight. Right now, I'm taking a short break from cleaning the upstairs landing in the hopes that something much better will replace all the stuff I'm clearing off of there. Since I can't do things like exercising, going for long walks, or cleaning without a few podcasts to keep me entertained, I went and loaded up the iPod before I started. So I just finished listening to a "This American Life" about - and I did not realize the irony of this until near the end - break-ups.
This may sound like I'm complaining about how mundane or lonely my life is right now, but I'm actually not. I've had my ups and downs lately and throughout my life, but I'm happy. I've been fairly productive with my days, and when that's done, I never lack for entertainment. My husband loves me and while neither of us are perfect, he does regularly show me that he cares. My family is happy and healthy. I've got a roof over my head. I have friendswhose company I enjoy and they seem to reciprocate. My life may not always be everything I want it to be, but it's good and I'm largely happy with it.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Return of the Meme
Got tagged by Kim, so here we go:
RULES: Each player of this game starts off with 10 weird things/habits/little known facts about yourself. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 10 weird habits/things/little known facts as well as state this rule clearly. At the end you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. No tagbacks.
1. I have an unusually good memory for television shows and cartoons. I'm pretty sure it's genetic and comes from my dad. It does not translate into remembering anything useful.
2. I have patches on dry skin on both of my ankles, which have been there since I was pretty young.
3. Mushy brown banana makes me retch. It's not just unpleasant to me' it makes me physically nauseous.
4. I sometime call Blitz (among other things) "Ms. Bun", "Big Bunny Blitz", "Grey", and "Pretty Grey Girl". Larry's nicknames include "Laurence B", "Beige", "Mr. Man", and "Lorenzo di Bunici".
5. I have no allergies that I'm aware of.
6. I sometimes enjoy very violent movies and video games, like "Kill Bill" and "God of War".
7. I enjoy cryptology, though it's usually limited to translating codes an symbol alphabets found in comic books.
8. My favorite pizza topping is mushrooms. It was what my family had when I was little and it's still a major comofrt food for me.
9. The only serious unjury I've ever suffered was a couple of winters back when I slipped on the ice and dislocated my knee.
10. I check the internet in a particular order. Blogs are one of the last things I look at.
Everyone who reads this has already been tagged. I tag anyone who stumbles accross this blog and would like to try this meme.
RULES: Each player of this game starts off with 10 weird things/habits/little known facts about yourself. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 10 weird habits/things/little known facts as well as state this rule clearly. At the end you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. No tagbacks.
1. I have an unusually good memory for television shows and cartoons. I'm pretty sure it's genetic and comes from my dad. It does not translate into remembering anything useful.
2. I have patches on dry skin on both of my ankles, which have been there since I was pretty young.
3. Mushy brown banana makes me retch. It's not just unpleasant to me' it makes me physically nauseous.
4. I sometime call Blitz (among other things) "Ms. Bun", "Big Bunny Blitz", "Grey", and "Pretty Grey Girl". Larry's nicknames include "Laurence B", "Beige", "Mr. Man", and "Lorenzo di Bunici".
5. I have no allergies that I'm aware of.
6. I sometimes enjoy very violent movies and video games, like "Kill Bill" and "God of War".
7. I enjoy cryptology, though it's usually limited to translating codes an symbol alphabets found in comic books.
8. My favorite pizza topping is mushrooms. It was what my family had when I was little and it's still a major comofrt food for me.
9. The only serious unjury I've ever suffered was a couple of winters back when I slipped on the ice and dislocated my knee.
10. I check the internet in a particular order. Blogs are one of the last things I look at.
Everyone who reads this has already been tagged. I tag anyone who stumbles accross this blog and would like to try this meme.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Goals: One
I need a new job.
There have been some pretty big changes at what I affectionately call "fake job number one". The woman who was pretty much my direct supervisor left to pursue a different job. I liked this woman very much and quite a bit of the day to day work of the office was taken care of by her with me helping to free her up from the more mundane stuff. Unfortunately, there was very little overlap between when her replacement was hired and when she left. So while her replacement is settling in, the stuff that got taken care of by her gets taken care of by me, when I'm not teaching the new employee how to do it. There are things that only I know how to do right now, which strikes me as bad all around since I'm a volunteer who comes in twice a week.
Aside from the general insanity caused by my sort of boss leaving, I feel like I want to try something different. I'm not event sure how long I've been at my current volunteer position. It's been at least two years, as I was there at the time of the '04 election. It was something to do, something to get me out of the house, something I could contribute to a cause I did support. But it wasn't completely "mine" either. I went there because my mom had been involved there and because it was an easy drive away. It's pretty much secretarial work, which is certainly not bad, but not the most fulfilling thing either. I know what I do is valued by the people I work with and I genuienely like them, but I'd kind of like to have something that I felt more passionate and enthusiastic about. Andrew and I have been discussing his new job lately (which I couldn't be prouder about) and I've realized that for all his stressing and complaining about it, he has fun and he loves what he's doing. I want that and he wants me to have that.
Now yes, I could just quit my job and devote myself to writing (or even keep my job and devote the rest of my time to writing). But for one thing, I need something to get me out of the house. And more importantly, I know I'm not that self motivated. Unless there's someone standing over my shoulder saying "I will pay you "x" dollars to write "y" words this week", it's just not going to happen regularly. Heck, I've had situations where I've tried to write regularly for other people and it just falls through.
I think I know the kind of thing I would like to do. Problem is, I don't know how to get that point. The places that seem like ideal candidates are inconveniently far away. And on top of that, there's the thing that happens when I try to get a job. Every time I've made an attempt to get a job I think I would actually enjoy, no matter how good my chances seem initially, I will eventually get the brush-off. "Not what we're looking for", "We're not really hiring right now" (in direct contradiction to large "Now Hiring!" banner in store window), or just no calls back. I once had a store look like they were going to offer me a managing position (I have no clue why), only to have it fizzle out. Heck, I've failed to get a volunteer position at a cat shelter because "the timing didn't work out".
It's not that I really blame the stores in most cases. I do not have a particularly impressive resume, even now. I have a degree I'll never use, no long term work experience (aside from fake job number one), and a crippling fear of driving. Not exactly a wondeful job candidate by most standards.
So I was poking around for opportunities when I came accross and ad for a full-time or part-time receptionist at an animal behavior center. I knew the place; my parents took Pedro there one year for agility classes. It was nearly perfect: I probably had the needed skills, I could walk to work if needs be, and I'd be around animals some of the time at least.
So I sent an e-mail inquiring if the position was still open. A couple of days pass and no response. So I call. A woman answers and I ask if the position is still open. There's a pause and she says "Not that I'm aware of". I point out that there's a listing for it on their website. She tells me she think "that's been on there a long time". (I have no clue what that's supposed to mean.) In a conversation that's akin to pulling teeth, I get her to take a message for the person who might know something about the receptionist position. But I know where this is going. I know I will more than likely not get a call back to either confirm or contradict what I've been told. This is yet another dead end.
And that's pretty much what I've been finding since. I've looked around the internet for a job or volunteer work in the area that fits my interests. But so far nothing close enough that I can do.
I don't know what to do about this. Not even where to start, where to ask for help. For the time being, it looks like I'm stuck where I am.
There have been some pretty big changes at what I affectionately call "fake job number one". The woman who was pretty much my direct supervisor left to pursue a different job. I liked this woman very much and quite a bit of the day to day work of the office was taken care of by her with me helping to free her up from the more mundane stuff. Unfortunately, there was very little overlap between when her replacement was hired and when she left. So while her replacement is settling in, the stuff that got taken care of by her gets taken care of by me, when I'm not teaching the new employee how to do it. There are things that only I know how to do right now, which strikes me as bad all around since I'm a volunteer who comes in twice a week.
Aside from the general insanity caused by my sort of boss leaving, I feel like I want to try something different. I'm not event sure how long I've been at my current volunteer position. It's been at least two years, as I was there at the time of the '04 election. It was something to do, something to get me out of the house, something I could contribute to a cause I did support. But it wasn't completely "mine" either. I went there because my mom had been involved there and because it was an easy drive away. It's pretty much secretarial work, which is certainly not bad, but not the most fulfilling thing either. I know what I do is valued by the people I work with and I genuienely like them, but I'd kind of like to have something that I felt more passionate and enthusiastic about. Andrew and I have been discussing his new job lately (which I couldn't be prouder about) and I've realized that for all his stressing and complaining about it, he has fun and he loves what he's doing. I want that and he wants me to have that.
Now yes, I could just quit my job and devote myself to writing (or even keep my job and devote the rest of my time to writing). But for one thing, I need something to get me out of the house. And more importantly, I know I'm not that self motivated. Unless there's someone standing over my shoulder saying "I will pay you "x" dollars to write "y" words this week", it's just not going to happen regularly. Heck, I've had situations where I've tried to write regularly for other people and it just falls through.
I think I know the kind of thing I would like to do. Problem is, I don't know how to get that point. The places that seem like ideal candidates are inconveniently far away. And on top of that, there's the thing that happens when I try to get a job. Every time I've made an attempt to get a job I think I would actually enjoy, no matter how good my chances seem initially, I will eventually get the brush-off. "Not what we're looking for", "We're not really hiring right now" (in direct contradiction to large "Now Hiring!" banner in store window), or just no calls back. I once had a store look like they were going to offer me a managing position (I have no clue why), only to have it fizzle out. Heck, I've failed to get a volunteer position at a cat shelter because "the timing didn't work out".
It's not that I really blame the stores in most cases. I do not have a particularly impressive resume, even now. I have a degree I'll never use, no long term work experience (aside from fake job number one), and a crippling fear of driving. Not exactly a wondeful job candidate by most standards.
So I was poking around for opportunities when I came accross and ad for a full-time or part-time receptionist at an animal behavior center. I knew the place; my parents took Pedro there one year for agility classes. It was nearly perfect: I probably had the needed skills, I could walk to work if needs be, and I'd be around animals some of the time at least.
So I sent an e-mail inquiring if the position was still open. A couple of days pass and no response. So I call. A woman answers and I ask if the position is still open. There's a pause and she says "Not that I'm aware of". I point out that there's a listing for it on their website. She tells me she think "that's been on there a long time". (I have no clue what that's supposed to mean.) In a conversation that's akin to pulling teeth, I get her to take a message for the person who might know something about the receptionist position. But I know where this is going. I know I will more than likely not get a call back to either confirm or contradict what I've been told. This is yet another dead end.
And that's pretty much what I've been finding since. I've looked around the internet for a job or volunteer work in the area that fits my interests. But so far nothing close enough that I can do.
I don't know what to do about this. Not even where to start, where to ask for help. For the time being, it looks like I'm stuck where I am.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
More Writing
Happy New Year!
My new year's goal/resolution is to do more writing. So there's a new post up at StormWyvern Press (link to the right). If you want to help me in this endeavor, please read what I have there and post replies. I need feedback.
I'm hoping to post some highlights from the past year and goals for the next here soon. Until then, I hope 2007 is a wonderful year for all of you.
My new year's goal/resolution is to do more writing. So there's a new post up at StormWyvern Press (link to the right). If you want to help me in this endeavor, please read what I have there and post replies. I need feedback.
I'm hoping to post some highlights from the past year and goals for the next here soon. Until then, I hope 2007 is a wonderful year for all of you.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Well, Hell must have frozen over...
...because I just made a new post on StormWyvern Press. Link to the right.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
We Got A WII!
I know I haven't posted here in a while, but this is a pretty momentous occasion. The title, coupled with the date, says it all.
We weren't able to get a preorder due to the limited numbers and a couple of preorder related fiascoes. We had decided to arrive at what we though was a very early hour (roughly 5:30 AM) at our local Target, which we had heard had at least 100 Wiis coming in, probably 120. But when we got there, contrary to our expectations of low turnout, at least 120 people were forming a line that went around the side of the store. Tents and opened cars told us quite a few people had been there a very long time. Disheartened, we left, and decided to try a few more places before resorting to ordering online. We decided to go with a less likely store. I hesitate to even name it as we may need to rely on the trick of going there when the next generation of consoles comes out. Friends can e-mail me if they're curious. Anyway, this store initially had no line. We went to check another nearby store quickly, found it did have a line, and returned to the previous store to find two people waiting. We quickly secured our places waiting for two (we had a friend with us) of the 6 available Wiis.
I'm very happy to say that the people we ended up waiting with were a great group. Everyone was really friendly and as far as I could tell, not one of them was looking to resell the system. We chatted, checked out a new DS game, held a spot for the mom of a twelve year old while she went to retrieve her son from the nearby Circuit City line. (She later repaid us with a cofee and donut run.) We had arrived around 5:30 and the store wasn't supposed to open until 10, so we were prepared for a length wait. But one of the managers decided to let us in around 7! The only downside was that our friend had gone home to grab some warmer clothing. Fortunately, since Andrew and I still count as two people, we were able to pick one up for him. The signage outside had indicated that the store was only selling bundles. None of us knew what this meant and we were pretty nervous, having heard tales of $600 bundles of crappy games. But we were in luck. The bundle here was the system, and extra controller of your choice (remote, nunchuk, or virtual console controller), and either "Excite Truck" or "Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess". We, of course, picked the latter.
So how is it? FUN. Thw controls work extremely well and the whole interface is a joy to use. The game included with the console, "Wii Sports" shows off the controller functions very wel through a number of fun little sports games. There's not much depth, but you can customize your characters and all the games are pretty fun. "Twilight Princess" would be a great game without the Wii functionality. I've been waiting over a year to play it. But I do dearly lover aiming my slingshot with my remote and hearing it emit sword slashing sounds as I swing it to slash away at my foes.
All in all, this was a surprisingly good experience, and the real fun is just begining. I'll try not to neglect my social contacts, but if you hear me talking about triple bogeys and triforces as I talk to you with one hand holding the phone, you'll know what I'm up to.
We weren't able to get a preorder due to the limited numbers and a couple of preorder related fiascoes. We had decided to arrive at what we though was a very early hour (roughly 5:30 AM) at our local Target, which we had heard had at least 100 Wiis coming in, probably 120. But when we got there, contrary to our expectations of low turnout, at least 120 people were forming a line that went around the side of the store. Tents and opened cars told us quite a few people had been there a very long time. Disheartened, we left, and decided to try a few more places before resorting to ordering online. We decided to go with a less likely store. I hesitate to even name it as we may need to rely on the trick of going there when the next generation of consoles comes out. Friends can e-mail me if they're curious. Anyway, this store initially had no line. We went to check another nearby store quickly, found it did have a line, and returned to the previous store to find two people waiting. We quickly secured our places waiting for two (we had a friend with us) of the 6 available Wiis.
I'm very happy to say that the people we ended up waiting with were a great group. Everyone was really friendly and as far as I could tell, not one of them was looking to resell the system. We chatted, checked out a new DS game, held a spot for the mom of a twelve year old while she went to retrieve her son from the nearby Circuit City line. (She later repaid us with a cofee and donut run.) We had arrived around 5:30 and the store wasn't supposed to open until 10, so we were prepared for a length wait. But one of the managers decided to let us in around 7! The only downside was that our friend had gone home to grab some warmer clothing. Fortunately, since Andrew and I still count as two people, we were able to pick one up for him. The signage outside had indicated that the store was only selling bundles. None of us knew what this meant and we were pretty nervous, having heard tales of $600 bundles of crappy games. But we were in luck. The bundle here was the system, and extra controller of your choice (remote, nunchuk, or virtual console controller), and either "Excite Truck" or "Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess". We, of course, picked the latter.
So how is it? FUN. Thw controls work extremely well and the whole interface is a joy to use. The game included with the console, "Wii Sports" shows off the controller functions very wel through a number of fun little sports games. There's not much depth, but you can customize your characters and all the games are pretty fun. "Twilight Princess" would be a great game without the Wii functionality. I've been waiting over a year to play it. But I do dearly lover aiming my slingshot with my remote and hearing it emit sword slashing sounds as I swing it to slash away at my foes.
All in all, this was a surprisingly good experience, and the real fun is just begining. I'll try not to neglect my social contacts, but if you hear me talking about triple bogeys and triforces as I talk to you with one hand holding the phone, you'll know what I'm up to.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Meme Time
I did this on Kim's blog, so the Law of the Internet says I must post it on mine. Enjoy, my readership of two, possibly three.
1. Your Middle Name:
2. Age:
3. Single or Taken:
4. Favorite Movie:
4a. Favorite Book:
5. Favorite Song:
6. Favorite Band/Artist:
7. Dirty or Clean:
8. Tattoos and/or Piercings:
HERE COMES THE FUN ... ... ...
1. Do we know each other outside of Live Journal?
2. Whats your philosophy on life?
3. Would you have my back in a fight?
4. Would you keep a secret from me if you thought it was in my best interest?
5. What is your favorite memory of us?
6. Would you give me a kidney?
7. Tell me one odd/interesting fact about you:
8. Would you take care of me when I'm sick?
9. Can we get together and make a cake?
10. Have you heard any rumors of me lately?
11. Do you/have you talk(ed) crap about me?
12. Do you think I'm a good person?
13. Would you drive across country with me?
14. Do you think I'm attractive?
15. If you could change anything about me, would you?
16. What do you wear to sleep?
17. Would you come over for no reason just to hang out?
18. Would you go on a date with me if i asked you?
19. If I only had one day to live, what would we do together?
20. Will you post this so I can fill it out for you?
1. Your Middle Name:
2. Age:
3. Single or Taken:
4. Favorite Movie:
4a. Favorite Book:
5. Favorite Song:
6. Favorite Band/Artist:
7. Dirty or Clean:
8. Tattoos and/or Piercings:
HERE COMES THE FUN ... ... ...
1. Do we know each other outside of Live Journal?
2. Whats your philosophy on life?
3. Would you have my back in a fight?
4. Would you keep a secret from me if you thought it was in my best interest?
5. What is your favorite memory of us?
6. Would you give me a kidney?
7. Tell me one odd/interesting fact about you:
8. Would you take care of me when I'm sick?
9. Can we get together and make a cake?
10. Have you heard any rumors of me lately?
11. Do you/have you talk(ed) crap about me?
12. Do you think I'm a good person?
13. Would you drive across country with me?
14. Do you think I'm attractive?
15. If you could change anything about me, would you?
16. What do you wear to sleep?
17. Would you come over for no reason just to hang out?
18. Would you go on a date with me if i asked you?
19. If I only had one day to live, what would we do together?
20. Will you post this so I can fill it out for you?
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Q & A
Another one of these things. I guess it's a good way to see if anyone still reads this.
I want everyone who reads this, that wants to, to ask me 3 questions, no more no less. Ask me anything you want and I will answer them as honestly and completely as I can. Then I want you to go to your journal, copy and paste this, allowing your friends (including me) to ask you anything.
I want everyone who reads this, that wants to, to ask me 3 questions, no more no less. Ask me anything you want and I will answer them as honestly and completely as I can. Then I want you to go to your journal, copy and paste this, allowing your friends (including me) to ask you anything.
Friday, September 01, 2006
I Now Pronounce Thee Done.
I guess it's about time for me to recap the wedding experience. Unlike diligent blogger Jon, I didn't manage to make daily reports. But the again, Jon wasn't in the process of getting married. Apologies if I forget anything or anyone; it was a somewhat crazy couple of days.
FRIDAY
Erik and Trina are supposed to arrive today, so good chunks of the day are spent cleaning. We've also scheduled lunch at Lexx for Andrew's family and mine to meet up before the wedding. Andrew has opted out to wait for Erik and Trina to arrive and to continue cleaning. Donna and her Andrew are going into Harvard Square. That leaves Andrew's parents, Meredith, my parents, and me. Everyone arrives in a timely fashion and the food is good. Andrew's family gives me a white purse for the emergency kit Meredtih and I have been putting together, which is another worry off the list. Our families get along fine and I get a tasty four cheese macaroni and a so-so white chocolate bread pudding.
Later on, we stop by Andrew's aunt's house to see some of his family, including Andrew's ten month old first cousin once removed, Logan. Logan is at a particularly curious age and seems particularly interested in Andrew. Much as he complains that he doesn't like kids, Andrew seems to do pretty well with them one on one.
The day goes on. Erik and Trina get delayed by evening traffic in Connecticut, so we eat the takeout we ordered before they arrive. They get around nine with a sleeping Orin in tow. We reheat the pizza and chat for a while before heading off to bed.
SATURDAY
Andrew and our guests go out to see the local toy stores. I opt to stay home, get my nails touched up (for free!), and plan the "rehearsal dinner". Since we're not having an actual rehearsal, we've decided to just have a nice meal with some of our friends. I make reservations at Kushboo, our local Indian restaurant, then start calling people to see who's coming. Andrew, Erik, Trina, and Orin get back from shopping and we head over to Baja Fresh for a late lunch.
Our guests start arriving in the evening. We have a few late arrivals, so Andrew stays behind to wait for them while I take everyone else over to the restaurant. Kushboo is very accommodating, especially considering that w end up with one more person than we anticipated. Once everyone arrives, we have 11 people and one baby: Dave, Keng Qui, Tim, Les, Jon, Erik, Trina, Donna, Donna's Andrew, Andrew, and me. Since we all share similar interests, everyone gets along very well. Aside from Orin fussing and no one remembering the name of Superman's third obscure girlfriend, the night is a success. We come back to our house and continue chatting until we kick everyone out so we can get some sleep.
SUNDAY -THE BIG DAY
Sleep turns out to be an unattainable dream; we wake up around 3 AM and don't really get back to sleep. I get up a few hours later to prepare for Meredith arriving around 8:30. The stylist comes at 9 to do my hair and makeup. Everything goes pretty smoothly, but I'm still nervous. All the last minute concerns I have no control over are hitting pretty hard, to the point where I keep tensing my shoulders. To try to calm down, I watch my favorite relaxing movie: Toy Story 2 with commentary. It's fun, familiar, and a good way to kill time. Eventually, we head outside and Trina spots the limo at the end of the street. We climb in and head for the restaurant.
I call my mom from the limo to let her know we're on our way. She helps my anxiety by telling me everyone is already having a great time and not to worry. In spite of my worries, we approach the restaurant on time. I call one more time so Mom can alert the photographer to come down and take pictures as we exit the limo. We're greeted b the staff and head upstairs to the dining room.
Once we arrive, I feel about ten times better. The room looks fantastic and everyone got there without incident (even my mother's brother and his family, who were coming in by train with very little time to get to the restaurant). I greet as many people as I can, pick up by bouquet, and get a quick look a the cake. This was one of my worries; last I heard, the florist and the restaurant staff hadn't talked and the cake was supposed to be decorated with flowers. But once I see it, I'm convinced they got in touch.
After the greetings, I talk to our officiant and gather our wedding party to start the ceremony. The Grover "reading" comes in right on cue (thanks to Donna's Andrew) and goes over very well. The only hitch is when I have to say my vows. I'm both nervous and really happy, which tends to make me giggle. I mess up one line and have to repeat it. Andrew does just fine and the rest of the ceremony goes smoothly.
The photographer grabs us for various family group pictures after the ceremony. Once those are done, we get to mingle and sample the appetizers. The only real problem with any of the day's events is the music. We spent hours picking out music and putting it in order....and no one can hear it. I guess if we had dancing, it would have focused more attention on the music, but as is, I guess no one minded since everyone was talking anyway. If something had to go kind of wrong, I guess it was pretty minor and didn't really bother anyone but us.
After talking to people for a while, we sit down for dinner. The food is quite good for the most part and everyone comments on how tasty it is. Andrew gets the tofu entree and I get the chicken, so we each have an opportunity to try a bit. My dad and sister both make beautiful toasts. I manage to thank everyone for coming and remember everything I meant to say without notes. Andrew and I circle around from time to time to talk to people at other tables when we're not enjoying our food.
I get the room's attention again to call attention to the favors and announce the cake cutting. The waitress tells us that there's cardboard about an inch in somewhere, but I never figure out exactly where. We cut the cake with Andrew's parents' cake knife from their wedding. We feed each other without too much frosting mess and everyone seems happy to discover that the cake inside is chocolate. The cake and dolci is a big hit all around. I make my last announcement and present my bouquet to my sister for luck with her wedding. People begin to leave and we're eventually down to one table. We head out before 5 and the rain that's held off until now makes an appearance. Will and the limo driver provide umbrellas, so we get to the limo relatively dry. We return home in plenty of time to feed the bunnies. I change into more comfortable clothing (those shoes will probably not be worn again), and take a brief nap on the couch. Around 8, we decide we're hungry and go out to Chili's with Erik, Trina, and Orin. It's a nice, casual end to the day and I'm feeling quite satisfied as we go to bed.
(I may add an entry for Monday at some later time, but I'm running out of steam, so this is it for now. Additions and comments welcome.)
FRIDAY
Erik and Trina are supposed to arrive today, so good chunks of the day are spent cleaning. We've also scheduled lunch at Lexx for Andrew's family and mine to meet up before the wedding. Andrew has opted out to wait for Erik and Trina to arrive and to continue cleaning. Donna and her Andrew are going into Harvard Square. That leaves Andrew's parents, Meredith, my parents, and me. Everyone arrives in a timely fashion and the food is good. Andrew's family gives me a white purse for the emergency kit Meredtih and I have been putting together, which is another worry off the list. Our families get along fine and I get a tasty four cheese macaroni and a so-so white chocolate bread pudding.
Later on, we stop by Andrew's aunt's house to see some of his family, including Andrew's ten month old first cousin once removed, Logan. Logan is at a particularly curious age and seems particularly interested in Andrew. Much as he complains that he doesn't like kids, Andrew seems to do pretty well with them one on one.
The day goes on. Erik and Trina get delayed by evening traffic in Connecticut, so we eat the takeout we ordered before they arrive. They get around nine with a sleeping Orin in tow. We reheat the pizza and chat for a while before heading off to bed.
SATURDAY
Andrew and our guests go out to see the local toy stores. I opt to stay home, get my nails touched up (for free!), and plan the "rehearsal dinner". Since we're not having an actual rehearsal, we've decided to just have a nice meal with some of our friends. I make reservations at Kushboo, our local Indian restaurant, then start calling people to see who's coming. Andrew, Erik, Trina, and Orin get back from shopping and we head over to Baja Fresh for a late lunch.
Our guests start arriving in the evening. We have a few late arrivals, so Andrew stays behind to wait for them while I take everyone else over to the restaurant. Kushboo is very accommodating, especially considering that w end up with one more person than we anticipated. Once everyone arrives, we have 11 people and one baby: Dave, Keng Qui, Tim, Les, Jon, Erik, Trina, Donna, Donna's Andrew, Andrew, and me. Since we all share similar interests, everyone gets along very well. Aside from Orin fussing and no one remembering the name of Superman's third obscure girlfriend, the night is a success. We come back to our house and continue chatting until we kick everyone out so we can get some sleep.
SUNDAY -THE BIG DAY
Sleep turns out to be an unattainable dream; we wake up around 3 AM and don't really get back to sleep. I get up a few hours later to prepare for Meredith arriving around 8:30. The stylist comes at 9 to do my hair and makeup. Everything goes pretty smoothly, but I'm still nervous. All the last minute concerns I have no control over are hitting pretty hard, to the point where I keep tensing my shoulders. To try to calm down, I watch my favorite relaxing movie: Toy Story 2 with commentary. It's fun, familiar, and a good way to kill time. Eventually, we head outside and Trina spots the limo at the end of the street. We climb in and head for the restaurant.
I call my mom from the limo to let her know we're on our way. She helps my anxiety by telling me everyone is already having a great time and not to worry. In spite of my worries, we approach the restaurant on time. I call one more time so Mom can alert the photographer to come down and take pictures as we exit the limo. We're greeted b the staff and head upstairs to the dining room.
Once we arrive, I feel about ten times better. The room looks fantastic and everyone got there without incident (even my mother's brother and his family, who were coming in by train with very little time to get to the restaurant). I greet as many people as I can, pick up by bouquet, and get a quick look a the cake. This was one of my worries; last I heard, the florist and the restaurant staff hadn't talked and the cake was supposed to be decorated with flowers. But once I see it, I'm convinced they got in touch.
After the greetings, I talk to our officiant and gather our wedding party to start the ceremony. The Grover "reading" comes in right on cue (thanks to Donna's Andrew) and goes over very well. The only hitch is when I have to say my vows. I'm both nervous and really happy, which tends to make me giggle. I mess up one line and have to repeat it. Andrew does just fine and the rest of the ceremony goes smoothly.
The photographer grabs us for various family group pictures after the ceremony. Once those are done, we get to mingle and sample the appetizers. The only real problem with any of the day's events is the music. We spent hours picking out music and putting it in order....and no one can hear it. I guess if we had dancing, it would have focused more attention on the music, but as is, I guess no one minded since everyone was talking anyway. If something had to go kind of wrong, I guess it was pretty minor and didn't really bother anyone but us.
After talking to people for a while, we sit down for dinner. The food is quite good for the most part and everyone comments on how tasty it is. Andrew gets the tofu entree and I get the chicken, so we each have an opportunity to try a bit. My dad and sister both make beautiful toasts. I manage to thank everyone for coming and remember everything I meant to say without notes. Andrew and I circle around from time to time to talk to people at other tables when we're not enjoying our food.
I get the room's attention again to call attention to the favors and announce the cake cutting. The waitress tells us that there's cardboard about an inch in somewhere, but I never figure out exactly where. We cut the cake with Andrew's parents' cake knife from their wedding. We feed each other without too much frosting mess and everyone seems happy to discover that the cake inside is chocolate. The cake and dolci is a big hit all around. I make my last announcement and present my bouquet to my sister for luck with her wedding. People begin to leave and we're eventually down to one table. We head out before 5 and the rain that's held off until now makes an appearance. Will and the limo driver provide umbrellas, so we get to the limo relatively dry. We return home in plenty of time to feed the bunnies. I change into more comfortable clothing (those shoes will probably not be worn again), and take a brief nap on the couch. Around 8, we decide we're hungry and go out to Chili's with Erik, Trina, and Orin. It's a nice, casual end to the day and I'm feeling quite satisfied as we go to bed.
(I may add an entry for Monday at some later time, but I'm running out of steam, so this is it for now. Additions and comments welcome.)
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
W Minus Five: Real Progress
Now this is more like it. I think the list is actually getting smaller. Andrew's family is now back in town and his sister has been a huge help. Stuff has just generally been coming together in the past few days. Plus, Andrew is done with his job, so I can freely bug him to do wedding related stuff.
Things That Are Done (Or Mostly Done)
Pen for the guest book - Andrew's dad is supplying us with a nice pen from his large collection of free pens he's received. This is a relief, since pens seem to cost either 99 cents or 30 dollars with not much in the middle.
Confirm ceremony plan - Our officiant is all set on what we want to do. Just one or two tiny details to iron out, but this is essentially done.
Get hairclips and other dress accessories - Meredith and I visited the mall last night and got this taken care of.
Make emergency kit - We also took care of most of this at the mall. We still need some lipstick and a travel sewing kit, which Meredith is taking care of. Aside from that, maybe a nice bag to put it all in.
Clothes shopping with Andrew - This may not be necessary anymore, but even if it is, it shouldn't be too tough.
Plan family lunch - I think we're on for Friday, probably at Lexx in the center. Note to self: Call on Friday to reserve a table.
Figure out jobs for people - I think this is pretty much worked out. I should work out who will take what to the site and make sure they have it ahead of time.
Finalize menu with planner - I just got off the phone with her. All I need to do is make sure we have a final seating count and get the name of the person who will be there on the day.
Things To Do
Buy other part of favors - This should be really easy.
Get something old and something borrowed - I know what the something old is and will pick it up on Friday.
Resize Andrew's ring - We'll be doing this today or tomorrow.
Call and confirm vendors - I will probably do this Thursday or Friday. The only one I absolutely need to talk to is the photographer.
Check prices for parking garages - This is easy, I just need to sit down and do it.
Tell Andrew I love him - It's not that I haven't; I just need to keep it up.
Bonus: Andrew is working on cleaning today!
Things That Are Done (Or Mostly Done)
Pen for the guest book - Andrew's dad is supplying us with a nice pen from his large collection of free pens he's received. This is a relief, since pens seem to cost either 99 cents or 30 dollars with not much in the middle.
Confirm ceremony plan - Our officiant is all set on what we want to do. Just one or two tiny details to iron out, but this is essentially done.
Get hairclips and other dress accessories - Meredith and I visited the mall last night and got this taken care of.
Make emergency kit - We also took care of most of this at the mall. We still need some lipstick and a travel sewing kit, which Meredith is taking care of. Aside from that, maybe a nice bag to put it all in.
Clothes shopping with Andrew - This may not be necessary anymore, but even if it is, it shouldn't be too tough.
Plan family lunch - I think we're on for Friday, probably at Lexx in the center. Note to self: Call on Friday to reserve a table.
Figure out jobs for people - I think this is pretty much worked out. I should work out who will take what to the site and make sure they have it ahead of time.
Finalize menu with planner - I just got off the phone with her. All I need to do is make sure we have a final seating count and get the name of the person who will be there on the day.
Things To Do
Buy other part of favors - This should be really easy.
Get something old and something borrowed - I know what the something old is and will pick it up on Friday.
Resize Andrew's ring - We'll be doing this today or tomorrow.
Call and confirm vendors - I will probably do this Thursday or Friday. The only one I absolutely need to talk to is the photographer.
Check prices for parking garages - This is easy, I just need to sit down and do it.
Tell Andrew I love him - It's not that I haven't; I just need to keep it up.
Bonus: Andrew is working on cleaning today!
Sunday, August 20, 2006
W Minus Seven: One Week To Go
A busy and fairly eventful couple of days, though I still feel like I have virtually nothing done. Thursday was my next to last day of fake job before the big day. I did get a call back from our officiant, but I'm still waiting on an e-mail from her finalizing the details of the ceremony. It doesn't help any that I think I left my e-mail program at work on and it has a nasty habit of grabbing up all my mail from Gmail before my home program gets it. I've been checking via webmail, but it's still pretty annoying. Note to self: do NOT forget to turn off e-mail program at work on Tuesday. In fact, consider disabling automatic checks for personal e-mail address altogether.
House cleaning is proceeding slowly. Andrew is working on a freelance job which I can't really say much about, so I can't ask him for help at least until Monday. Which would be OK except that the majority of the stuff that needs to be cleaned up is his and I don't have a clue where he wants it. I did get most of the front hallway and living room vacuumed; both areas sorely needed it. And to be fair to Andrew, he did clean up the kitchen prior to this job coming in. I gave the bathroom a good scrubbing then we reorganized the kitchen, resulting in a new "bunny corner". There's still a lot to be done, but it feels pretty overwhelming right now.
Andrew dropped me off at my parents' house Saturday evening so that I could go with my dad to pick up Donna and her Andrew. I've seen a fair amount of my parents lately. I'll frequently stop by their house after work since it's a short walk. And with Andrew needing some time alone to get more work done, my visits have been getting longer. After work on Thursday, I stayed for dinner out at an Italian restaurant near Mom's work. I do like visiting with them, and getting to spend some time with just my dad is especially nice.
Anyways, Donna called us from the airport and Dad and I headed out to pick her up, with Pedro in tow. Pedro absolutely loves car rides and behaves very well one them, so we like taking him too. He spent the majority of the ride curled up in my lap, happily relaxed. Logan was the usual horrendous mess and we ended up accidentally leaving the airport, then looping around the terminals an extra time. Once we found Donna and Andrew, we had a pretty uneventful drive home.
We got back to my parents' house and various belated gifts were exchanged. Then we got the big news: Donna and Andrew are engaged. I'm quite happy for them. Andrew is a great guy and I'm sure they'll continue to make each other and their two cats very happy. It gives me someone to pass my accrued wedding knowledge on to before I forget all of it. And my parents only have to remember one son-in-law name.
Andrew called and said he was exhausted, so I took Mom and Dad up on the offer to stay the night. I chatted with Donna and Andrew for a while, then went to bed for a less than easy sleep. Guess I'm just not used to being in a strange bed sans fiance. I woke up somewhat early for me, got a morning greeting from Pedro, and had breakfast. Everyone else was going up to Maine, so I got a lift home before they left.
The one wedding related thing I've managed to accomplish is getting a pretty complete music playlist ready. I have to check on some things with the iPod and speakers to see if I can shuffle the reception playlist. Otherwise, I need to put it in order myself. On the positive side, the wedding dreams have either stopped or stopped being memorable. Still nervous though.
Things To Do
- Get a pen for the guest book
- Confirm ceremony plan with officiant
- Finalize menu with planner
- Buy other part of favors
- Get hairclips and other dress accessories
- Get something old from Mom and something borrowed
- Make emergency kit and find someone to hold it
- Resize Andrew's ring
- Go clothes shopping with Andrew
- Call and confirm vendors
- Plan family lunch
- Figure out jobs for everyone
- Check prices for parking garages
- Tell Andrew I love him
Notice how the list gets longer instead of shorter? Yeah, that's really good.
House cleaning is proceeding slowly. Andrew is working on a freelance job which I can't really say much about, so I can't ask him for help at least until Monday. Which would be OK except that the majority of the stuff that needs to be cleaned up is his and I don't have a clue where he wants it. I did get most of the front hallway and living room vacuumed; both areas sorely needed it. And to be fair to Andrew, he did clean up the kitchen prior to this job coming in. I gave the bathroom a good scrubbing then we reorganized the kitchen, resulting in a new "bunny corner". There's still a lot to be done, but it feels pretty overwhelming right now.
Andrew dropped me off at my parents' house Saturday evening so that I could go with my dad to pick up Donna and her Andrew. I've seen a fair amount of my parents lately. I'll frequently stop by their house after work since it's a short walk. And with Andrew needing some time alone to get more work done, my visits have been getting longer. After work on Thursday, I stayed for dinner out at an Italian restaurant near Mom's work. I do like visiting with them, and getting to spend some time with just my dad is especially nice.
Anyways, Donna called us from the airport and Dad and I headed out to pick her up, with Pedro in tow. Pedro absolutely loves car rides and behaves very well one them, so we like taking him too. He spent the majority of the ride curled up in my lap, happily relaxed. Logan was the usual horrendous mess and we ended up accidentally leaving the airport, then looping around the terminals an extra time. Once we found Donna and Andrew, we had a pretty uneventful drive home.
We got back to my parents' house and various belated gifts were exchanged. Then we got the big news: Donna and Andrew are engaged. I'm quite happy for them. Andrew is a great guy and I'm sure they'll continue to make each other and their two cats very happy. It gives me someone to pass my accrued wedding knowledge on to before I forget all of it. And my parents only have to remember one son-in-law name.
Andrew called and said he was exhausted, so I took Mom and Dad up on the offer to stay the night. I chatted with Donna and Andrew for a while, then went to bed for a less than easy sleep. Guess I'm just not used to being in a strange bed sans fiance. I woke up somewhat early for me, got a morning greeting from Pedro, and had breakfast. Everyone else was going up to Maine, so I got a lift home before they left.
The one wedding related thing I've managed to accomplish is getting a pretty complete music playlist ready. I have to check on some things with the iPod and speakers to see if I can shuffle the reception playlist. Otherwise, I need to put it in order myself. On the positive side, the wedding dreams have either stopped or stopped being memorable. Still nervous though.
Things To Do
- Get a pen for the guest book
- Confirm ceremony plan with officiant
- Finalize menu with planner
- Buy other part of favors
- Get hairclips and other dress accessories
- Get something old from Mom and something borrowed
- Make emergency kit and find someone to hold it
- Resize Andrew's ring
- Go clothes shopping with Andrew
- Call and confirm vendors
- Plan family lunch
- Figure out jobs for everyone
- Check prices for parking garages
- Tell Andrew I love him
Notice how the list gets longer instead of shorter? Yeah, that's really good.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
W Minus Ten
It is ten days before I get married. There's a part of me that's still pretty suprised by that. The rest of me is busy freaking out.
Prior to now, I've been relatively calm about this whole thing. I've never been nervous about the marriage aspect of it and I'm not now. As I see it, we'll wake up in the morning together and go to bed at night together and the only tangible difference will be the addition of a couple of rings. It's not that I don't place any importance on getting married; if that were true we probably wouldn't be going through with this. It's just that since we've been living together for several years, we share a house, and we parent two rabbits together, I don't see this as a new begining or a life altering event. It's more a formal confirmation of what we already have. The worry is because of the event, not what it symbolizes. Andrew feels much the same way, but he got a head start on being nervous about it, so I have to cram an equivalent amount of worrying into roughly two weeks.
To be fair, we have accomplished a lot. I just spoke briefly with our officiant, who is supposed to call me back, which would mean the really essential stuff is pretty much set. But there are still those little things to deal with and that nagging fear that something more important than the music is going to go wrong. For two straight nights, I've had dreams about things going wrong at the weddings, one of which involved Darth Vader (who, weirdly, was not at all related to the problem we were having).
To (hopefully) calm my nerves and possibly make for some interesting reading, here's what we've got done and what we have left to do:
Things We've Done
- Booked the location
- Sent invitations and recieved responses from pretty much everyone
- Decided on the menu
- Ordered the flowers
- Hired an officiant
- Bought speakers for the iPod
- Purchased and recieved wedding rings
- Decided on outfits
- Gone to salon and made home appointment for the day
- Hired a limo
- Bought a guest book
- Obtained a marriage license
- Contacted photographer
- Had my mom order favors
Things To Do
- Get a pen for the guest book
- Finish selecting music
- Confirm ceremony plan with officiant
- Finalize menu with planner
- Buy other part of favors
- Get hairclips and other dress accessories
- Get something old from Mom and something borrowed
- Make emergency kit and find someone to hold it
- Tell Andrew I love him
If you notice any obvious omissions, please let me know. I may have done them and just forgotten to write them in.
So we do have a lot done. But there's still a lot to do, and this doesn't even touch on cleaning the house for our coming guests. I can only imagine how crazy "normal" brides with their much bigger weddings and 100 or more guests, must get my this point. Or is it comforting to have worked over every detail for months on end and have a rehearsal and so on? I like to think my smaller wedding is saving me some stress, but you never know.
Given what I've still got to do, I'm not sure if I'll get back to the blog before the big day. I'll try to at least post a rundown of how things went, though most people who actually read this will be attending. Until then, I expect to continue being stressed out and having odd dreams.
Oh, and Happy Birthday, Donna!
Prior to now, I've been relatively calm about this whole thing. I've never been nervous about the marriage aspect of it and I'm not now. As I see it, we'll wake up in the morning together and go to bed at night together and the only tangible difference will be the addition of a couple of rings. It's not that I don't place any importance on getting married; if that were true we probably wouldn't be going through with this. It's just that since we've been living together for several years, we share a house, and we parent two rabbits together, I don't see this as a new begining or a life altering event. It's more a formal confirmation of what we already have. The worry is because of the event, not what it symbolizes. Andrew feels much the same way, but he got a head start on being nervous about it, so I have to cram an equivalent amount of worrying into roughly two weeks.
To be fair, we have accomplished a lot. I just spoke briefly with our officiant, who is supposed to call me back, which would mean the really essential stuff is pretty much set. But there are still those little things to deal with and that nagging fear that something more important than the music is going to go wrong. For two straight nights, I've had dreams about things going wrong at the weddings, one of which involved Darth Vader (who, weirdly, was not at all related to the problem we were having).
To (hopefully) calm my nerves and possibly make for some interesting reading, here's what we've got done and what we have left to do:
Things We've Done
- Booked the location
- Sent invitations and recieved responses from pretty much everyone
- Decided on the menu
- Ordered the flowers
- Hired an officiant
- Bought speakers for the iPod
- Purchased and recieved wedding rings
- Decided on outfits
- Gone to salon and made home appointment for the day
- Hired a limo
- Bought a guest book
- Obtained a marriage license
- Contacted photographer
- Had my mom order favors
Things To Do
- Get a pen for the guest book
- Finish selecting music
- Confirm ceremony plan with officiant
- Finalize menu with planner
- Buy other part of favors
- Get hairclips and other dress accessories
- Get something old from Mom and something borrowed
- Make emergency kit and find someone to hold it
- Tell Andrew I love him
If you notice any obvious omissions, please let me know. I may have done them and just forgotten to write them in.
So we do have a lot done. But there's still a lot to do, and this doesn't even touch on cleaning the house for our coming guests. I can only imagine how crazy "normal" brides with their much bigger weddings and 100 or more guests, must get my this point. Or is it comforting to have worked over every detail for months on end and have a rehearsal and so on? I like to think my smaller wedding is saving me some stress, but you never know.
Given what I've still got to do, I'm not sure if I'll get back to the blog before the big day. I'll try to at least post a rundown of how things went, though most people who actually read this will be attending. Until then, I expect to continue being stressed out and having odd dreams.
Oh, and Happy Birthday, Donna!
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Comic-Con Report
We got home from San Diego on Monday evening, following a delayed flight to Cincinnati that nearly caused us to miss our flight home. It was crazy and tiring and usual, but still a lot of fun. Here's the happenings in brief:
Lowlights (because I'm a firm believer in bad news first)
Getting told we had a king size bed after I called three time to make sure we were down for two doubles and was told everything was fine. They couldn't even guarantee us cots. We ended up with a two bed smoking room.
Blarney's Irish Pub, our Thursday night dinner choice, which went far beyond understandable problems with more than the usual number of customers and being short on staff and ended up in sheer incompetence. I thought the last straw was when my salad came with a side of butter instead of dressing. (I tried it, thinking it was dressing. Not good.) But then they brought the bill.
Missing panels I wanted to see. We got in Thursday afternoon, so some had already passed. Some overlapped with other panels, and some happened when we found a spare moment to eat lunch. This happens every year, so I was kind of prepared for it, but it's still frustrating.
People who step in front of you, separating you from the people you're walking around with, only to stand around or shuffle along as slowly as possible without allowing you to pass by them. Again, this happens every year and having been before, I was now more ready for it.
Cool Stuff Outside the Con
Our Hotel - Aside from the bed problem, this was a really pleasant experience. Last year, Andrew and I stayed at a place sneezing distance from the border and had to take the unbelievably pokey trolley to and from the con. This year, our hotel was the one right next to the convention center. SO much nicer. We could just go back to our room any time we wanted to drop off newly acquired stuff, make meal plans, or just chill for a bit. We also sampled the pub, the bar, and the Starbucks. If we go again next year, I'm seriously considering getting a room there again.
Indian Food - Our Friday dinner, a huge step up from Thursday. Terrific food and service made for a very satisfying meal. Of course, I can't remember the name of the place? Jon? Les? Anyone?
Meeting Up with Dave - I knew Dave back in high school and Les and Jon had been in touch with him more recently. We had a tasty dinner at a brewery restaurant (right next to the vats) and caught up while chatting about animation, which is always fun for me.
Our new Cell Phones - Obtained shortly before the trip they hold a charge much better than our old ones. Cell phones are essential for Comic Con; the convention center is huge and you will inevitably need to contact someone who is not currently with you, even if your intention was to be with this person the whole time. Our phones worked beautifully, with a few exceptions due to poor reception, and kept us in touch with everyone we needed to talk to.
Panels
Hellboy Animated - We were treated to a trailer and a full color scene from the upcoming "Hellboy: Sword of Storms". Tad Stones, Mike Mignola, Phil Weinstein, Matt Wayne and Sean Galloway talked about the film, along with Guillermo del Toro, who showed up fashionably late. The movie focuses on Japanese folklore, which Mignola's apparently really jacked about. Some version of "Heads" is included, but it's not the entire story. They pointed out a kappa among the character designs and I'm pretty sure I spotted an one as well. The clip we saw looked really good; the coloring is especially sharp. The movie will premiere on Cartoon Network in October with a DVD release following early next year. Oh, and "Hellboy 2" is search of a new studio since Revolution kind of went under.
Bruce Timm Retrospective/Legion of Super Heroes - I went in really early to get a good seat and ended up catching a good chunk of the panel for Fox's "Bones" with David Boreanaz. Snagged a better seat as the room cleared between panels. Bruce Timm joked about how retrospectives usually denote the end of a career and he's still paying off a mortgage. Timm talked about how "Batman" got off the ground, the particular difficulties of doing "Superman", and what they learned from the first season of "Justice League". (He talked about that being the first time animated shows that weren't done by him and his crew were really setting the standard for TV animation, specifically mentioning "X-Men: Evolution" and "Samurai Jack".) An interesting thing happened during a showing of clips from Timm's DC shows. When "Batman Beyond" came on, people were clapping and cheering and screaming like crazy. After the clips were over, Timm noted that most of the audience was probably livid about the show when they first heard about it. (Guilty as charged.) But to be fair, he said that he and the WB Animation crew weren't to keen on a Kid Batman either when they first heard about it. Q&A started up and Timm gave advice on spotting particular storyboard artists scenes, revealed that the Bat-embargo wasn't much of a problem after the initial annoyance wore off, and expressed sympathy for the directors of "Braniac Attacks", who apparently had a very short time to do their work. There was some mention of that little rumor that was floating around the internet. (Timm claims this was a misunderstanding and he's actually working on a show for Food Network called "The New Fondue". We'll see.) But the big reveal came towards the end as Timm was saying that his current projects were still in the early stages and he really couldn't talk about them...as a dripping red Superman logo on a black background appeared on the screens behind him. Now what could that possibly mean? :) Timm then cleared out to make way for the "Legion of Super Heroes" preview. The show looks pretty good, the cast is solid, and the ideas seem strong. I'm not as sure about it as I am about "Hellboy", but there's a strong chance it could be good. Still, the big thrill for me was getting to see somebody who had such a huge impact on my view of so many DC characters.
Center for Cartoon Studies - James Sturm is one of Andrew, Les, and Jon's favorite professors, a creator of some excellent comics, and the founder of the Center for Cartoon Studies. CCS is located in Vermont and teaches students the art of comics. James and some of the other faculty/comics greats talked about the school, the small town it's located in, and the various programs offered. I'm really impressed with what we heard and glad to see that James is doing well.
The Tick Animated - I was very happy to see that the first season of this terrific series would be coming out on DVD in late August (minus one episode due to legal complications). Creator Ben Edlund, who I had met many moons ago, talked about the pre-cartoon history of the Tick. Voice actor Townsend Coleman favored us with a hearty "Spoon!" and a bit of "Oh! Little Wooden Boy!" (aided by a life sized Little Wooden Boy provided by a fan). We got to see a demo of puppet version of The Tick and Arthur who would have provided content during the credits if the show had been renewed for a fourth season. The Tick was a two liter soda bottle and Arthur was a milk carton. In addition to "The Tick vs. Season One", there are plans for a Tick anniversary's comic which Ben may actually draw a page for.
Cartoon Voices II - I missed "Cartoon Voices I", so I made certain to catch this as my last panel of the con. Boy, was it ever a great way to end things. The participants included Billy West (Fry, Prof. Farnsworth, Dr. Zoidberg, and Zap Brannigan on "Futurama"), April Stewart (most of the female cast of "South Park"), Bob Bergen (the current Porky Pig), Kimberly Brooks (Buena Girl on "Mucha Lucha"), and Wally Wingert (a lot of voices on "Family Guy"), with perennial panel host Mark Evanier playing MC. Everyone had tons of fun stories and did voices on request. The bulk of the panel consisted of the actors performing a script from the "Flash Gordon" radio show which they hadn't seen before. When Mark Evanier said "Change!", whoever was reading had to go back and redo the last line with a different voice. The audience, myself included, completely cracked up as heroic Flash Gordon acquired a Porky Pig stutter, a seductive space princess became a valley girl, our narrator morphed into Butthead, and a crazed German scientist turned into George W. Bush. Improvisation abounded and the whole event was a huge success. If they have this panel again next year, I will definitely make a point to catch both.
People who Drew in my Sketchbook Last year, I started a convention sketchbook for drawings from the pros. It kind of became a rabbit themed sketchbook, though I honestly didn't intend it to at first. I'm happy to say my sketchbook doubled in size this year, thanks to these kind people.
Linda Medley - The creator of "Castle Waiting", one of my favorite comics ever, was doing signings at the Fantagraphics booth. I bought a new copy of the collected hardcover and got it signed, then came back the following day for the new issue. In return, I got a drawing of a rabbit guy in an Elizabethan collar.
Takeshi Miyazawa - Artist on "Sidekicks" and currently "Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane", Takeshi Miyazawa was somebody I HAD to have a sketch from. It ended up being the only sketch I paid for, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat! Like everyone I spoke to, Mr. Miyazawa was extremely nice. I also had the first "Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane" trade with me and got it signed. Turned out he hadn't seen it yet, so of course I let him check it out.
Want to see the sketch that I got done? Do ya? Do ya? Well lucky for you, it's already online! Just go to Takeshi Miyazawa's Gallery Page, click "Con Sketches 2" and check it out. Which one is it? Well, I think you can figure that out yourself. Just remember the theme. (And remember that there's a second page of sketches.) I may well put the rest of them up myself at some point, but I"m stupidly afraid of scanning them.
Los Bros Hernandez - The team behind "Love and Rockets" was doing sketches while I was looking for Roger Langridge. Two awesome artists, free quick sketches, virtually no line? I'll take it! I got a quick cartoony bunny each from Gilbert and Jaime.
Roger Langridge - The creator of "Fred the Clown" was another person I really wanted to see. We chatted a bit while he was drawing and I found out that he did an upcoming Marvel Christmas story. Sweet! Mr. Langridge finished out my sketchbook for ComicCon '06 with a Groucho Marx rabbit in color.
Other Cool People
Paul Chadwick - I didn't get a sketch from the creator of "Concrete" because I already had one; the first one I got for the sketchbook, in fact. Still, I stopped by to say hi and pick up a Concrete trade I didn't have, which is now personalized with a signature and sketch.
Rick Geary - The artist on the new "Gumby" comic signed a copy for me and gave me two promo posters for free!
Geof Darrow The guy behind "Big Guy and Rusty" and "Shaolin Cowboy" was at a remarkably uncrowded table. I called Jon to let him know and Jon talked with him for a bit about living in France. Were I not drowning in stuff to hang on my wall and afraid of shipping large posters home, I would likely have one of his prints.
Mike Mignola - Hellboy's creator didn't have enough time to do sketches, but he did have time to sign a book of his sketches and hear my positive opinions on the aforementioned "Sword of Storms".
Craig McCracken - I didn't see the father of "The Powerpuff Girls" and "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends" at a booth. He was just hanging out on the exhibit hall floor talking to some people. Craig McCracken is one of a very few artists I admire who I can also recognize on sight. Unfortunately, he was engaged in conversation and I didn't want to be rude and bug him while he was "off-duty". So the opportunity to meet one of my animation heroes passed me by. Oh well. Maybe next year.
Greg Weisman - I made a point of tracking down the chief architect of the "Gargoyles" universe at the Slave Labor Graphics booth. I got a promo poster signed by him, artist David Hedgecock, and colorist Will Terrell. I'm pleased and amazed to say that Greg remembered me from the Station 8 comment room. He wrote "Welcome to the clan" on my poster, which I assume he does for everyone, but it still made me happy/
Andy Runton - I really would have liked a sketch from Andy Runton, but my sketchbook was with Takeshi Miyazawa when I saw him and I would have felt bad going back and asking for a sketch after he already signed a book for me. But I still got a cute little drawing in the latest "Owly" trade.
Billy West - Before I saw him bring the house done at the voice actor panel, I strolled by his booth and saw that he was there. I waited around for a while. listened to him talking to other people, and finally got to speak with him a bit. We chatted about politics (we're on the same page there) and I bought a photo which he signed for Andrew and me. He wrote "Greetings from the Year 3000! It still sucks!", which I can only imagine being said in a Zoidberg voice.
Javier Grillo-Marxuach and Les McClaine - Les drew in my sketchbook last year. They are nice. Buy their book.
Well, that is not remotely everything I saw and did and bought at the con. But that's the main stuff. It was a lot of fun and even better than last year. Thanks for reading though my mammoth recap. Hope you enjoyed it.
Lowlights (because I'm a firm believer in bad news first)
Getting told we had a king size bed after I called three time to make sure we were down for two doubles and was told everything was fine. They couldn't even guarantee us cots. We ended up with a two bed smoking room.
Blarney's Irish Pub, our Thursday night dinner choice, which went far beyond understandable problems with more than the usual number of customers and being short on staff and ended up in sheer incompetence. I thought the last straw was when my salad came with a side of butter instead of dressing. (I tried it, thinking it was dressing. Not good.) But then they brought the bill.
Missing panels I wanted to see. We got in Thursday afternoon, so some had already passed. Some overlapped with other panels, and some happened when we found a spare moment to eat lunch. This happens every year, so I was kind of prepared for it, but it's still frustrating.
People who step in front of you, separating you from the people you're walking around with, only to stand around or shuffle along as slowly as possible without allowing you to pass by them. Again, this happens every year and having been before, I was now more ready for it.
Cool Stuff Outside the Con
Our Hotel - Aside from the bed problem, this was a really pleasant experience. Last year, Andrew and I stayed at a place sneezing distance from the border and had to take the unbelievably pokey trolley to and from the con. This year, our hotel was the one right next to the convention center. SO much nicer. We could just go back to our room any time we wanted to drop off newly acquired stuff, make meal plans, or just chill for a bit. We also sampled the pub, the bar, and the Starbucks. If we go again next year, I'm seriously considering getting a room there again.
Indian Food - Our Friday dinner, a huge step up from Thursday. Terrific food and service made for a very satisfying meal. Of course, I can't remember the name of the place? Jon? Les? Anyone?
Meeting Up with Dave - I knew Dave back in high school and Les and Jon had been in touch with him more recently. We had a tasty dinner at a brewery restaurant (right next to the vats) and caught up while chatting about animation, which is always fun for me.
Our new Cell Phones - Obtained shortly before the trip they hold a charge much better than our old ones. Cell phones are essential for Comic Con; the convention center is huge and you will inevitably need to contact someone who is not currently with you, even if your intention was to be with this person the whole time. Our phones worked beautifully, with a few exceptions due to poor reception, and kept us in touch with everyone we needed to talk to.
Panels
Hellboy Animated - We were treated to a trailer and a full color scene from the upcoming "Hellboy: Sword of Storms". Tad Stones, Mike Mignola, Phil Weinstein, Matt Wayne and Sean Galloway talked about the film, along with Guillermo del Toro, who showed up fashionably late. The movie focuses on Japanese folklore, which Mignola's apparently really jacked about. Some version of "Heads" is included, but it's not the entire story. They pointed out a kappa among the character designs and I'm pretty sure I spotted an one as well. The clip we saw looked really good; the coloring is especially sharp. The movie will premiere on Cartoon Network in October with a DVD release following early next year. Oh, and "Hellboy 2" is search of a new studio since Revolution kind of went under.
Bruce Timm Retrospective/Legion of Super Heroes - I went in really early to get a good seat and ended up catching a good chunk of the panel for Fox's "Bones" with David Boreanaz. Snagged a better seat as the room cleared between panels. Bruce Timm joked about how retrospectives usually denote the end of a career and he's still paying off a mortgage. Timm talked about how "Batman" got off the ground, the particular difficulties of doing "Superman", and what they learned from the first season of "Justice League". (He talked about that being the first time animated shows that weren't done by him and his crew were really setting the standard for TV animation, specifically mentioning "X-Men: Evolution" and "Samurai Jack".) An interesting thing happened during a showing of clips from Timm's DC shows. When "Batman Beyond" came on, people were clapping and cheering and screaming like crazy. After the clips were over, Timm noted that most of the audience was probably livid about the show when they first heard about it. (Guilty as charged.) But to be fair, he said that he and the WB Animation crew weren't to keen on a Kid Batman either when they first heard about it. Q&A started up and Timm gave advice on spotting particular storyboard artists scenes, revealed that the Bat-embargo wasn't much of a problem after the initial annoyance wore off, and expressed sympathy for the directors of "Braniac Attacks", who apparently had a very short time to do their work. There was some mention of that little rumor that was floating around the internet. (Timm claims this was a misunderstanding and he's actually working on a show for Food Network called "The New Fondue". We'll see.) But the big reveal came towards the end as Timm was saying that his current projects were still in the early stages and he really couldn't talk about them...as a dripping red Superman logo on a black background appeared on the screens behind him. Now what could that possibly mean? :) Timm then cleared out to make way for the "Legion of Super Heroes" preview. The show looks pretty good, the cast is solid, and the ideas seem strong. I'm not as sure about it as I am about "Hellboy", but there's a strong chance it could be good. Still, the big thrill for me was getting to see somebody who had such a huge impact on my view of so many DC characters.
Center for Cartoon Studies - James Sturm is one of Andrew, Les, and Jon's favorite professors, a creator of some excellent comics, and the founder of the Center for Cartoon Studies. CCS is located in Vermont and teaches students the art of comics. James and some of the other faculty/comics greats talked about the school, the small town it's located in, and the various programs offered. I'm really impressed with what we heard and glad to see that James is doing well.
The Tick Animated - I was very happy to see that the first season of this terrific series would be coming out on DVD in late August (minus one episode due to legal complications). Creator Ben Edlund, who I had met many moons ago, talked about the pre-cartoon history of the Tick. Voice actor Townsend Coleman favored us with a hearty "Spoon!" and a bit of "Oh! Little Wooden Boy!" (aided by a life sized Little Wooden Boy provided by a fan). We got to see a demo of puppet version of The Tick and Arthur who would have provided content during the credits if the show had been renewed for a fourth season. The Tick was a two liter soda bottle and Arthur was a milk carton. In addition to "The Tick vs. Season One", there are plans for a Tick anniversary's comic which Ben may actually draw a page for.
Cartoon Voices II - I missed "Cartoon Voices I", so I made certain to catch this as my last panel of the con. Boy, was it ever a great way to end things. The participants included Billy West (Fry, Prof. Farnsworth, Dr. Zoidberg, and Zap Brannigan on "Futurama"), April Stewart (most of the female cast of "South Park"), Bob Bergen (the current Porky Pig), Kimberly Brooks (Buena Girl on "Mucha Lucha"), and Wally Wingert (a lot of voices on "Family Guy"), with perennial panel host Mark Evanier playing MC. Everyone had tons of fun stories and did voices on request. The bulk of the panel consisted of the actors performing a script from the "Flash Gordon" radio show which they hadn't seen before. When Mark Evanier said "Change!", whoever was reading had to go back and redo the last line with a different voice. The audience, myself included, completely cracked up as heroic Flash Gordon acquired a Porky Pig stutter, a seductive space princess became a valley girl, our narrator morphed into Butthead, and a crazed German scientist turned into George W. Bush. Improvisation abounded and the whole event was a huge success. If they have this panel again next year, I will definitely make a point to catch both.
People who Drew in my Sketchbook Last year, I started a convention sketchbook for drawings from the pros. It kind of became a rabbit themed sketchbook, though I honestly didn't intend it to at first. I'm happy to say my sketchbook doubled in size this year, thanks to these kind people.
Linda Medley - The creator of "Castle Waiting", one of my favorite comics ever, was doing signings at the Fantagraphics booth. I bought a new copy of the collected hardcover and got it signed, then came back the following day for the new issue. In return, I got a drawing of a rabbit guy in an Elizabethan collar.
Takeshi Miyazawa - Artist on "Sidekicks" and currently "Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane", Takeshi Miyazawa was somebody I HAD to have a sketch from. It ended up being the only sketch I paid for, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat! Like everyone I spoke to, Mr. Miyazawa was extremely nice. I also had the first "Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane" trade with me and got it signed. Turned out he hadn't seen it yet, so of course I let him check it out.
Want to see the sketch that I got done? Do ya? Do ya? Well lucky for you, it's already online! Just go to Takeshi Miyazawa's Gallery Page, click "Con Sketches 2" and check it out. Which one is it? Well, I think you can figure that out yourself. Just remember the theme. (And remember that there's a second page of sketches.) I may well put the rest of them up myself at some point, but I"m stupidly afraid of scanning them.
Los Bros Hernandez - The team behind "Love and Rockets" was doing sketches while I was looking for Roger Langridge. Two awesome artists, free quick sketches, virtually no line? I'll take it! I got a quick cartoony bunny each from Gilbert and Jaime.
Roger Langridge - The creator of "Fred the Clown" was another person I really wanted to see. We chatted a bit while he was drawing and I found out that he did an upcoming Marvel Christmas story. Sweet! Mr. Langridge finished out my sketchbook for ComicCon '06 with a Groucho Marx rabbit in color.
Other Cool People
Paul Chadwick - I didn't get a sketch from the creator of "Concrete" because I already had one; the first one I got for the sketchbook, in fact. Still, I stopped by to say hi and pick up a Concrete trade I didn't have, which is now personalized with a signature and sketch.
Rick Geary - The artist on the new "Gumby" comic signed a copy for me and gave me two promo posters for free!
Geof Darrow The guy behind "Big Guy and Rusty" and "Shaolin Cowboy" was at a remarkably uncrowded table. I called Jon to let him know and Jon talked with him for a bit about living in France. Were I not drowning in stuff to hang on my wall and afraid of shipping large posters home, I would likely have one of his prints.
Mike Mignola - Hellboy's creator didn't have enough time to do sketches, but he did have time to sign a book of his sketches and hear my positive opinions on the aforementioned "Sword of Storms".
Craig McCracken - I didn't see the father of "The Powerpuff Girls" and "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends" at a booth. He was just hanging out on the exhibit hall floor talking to some people. Craig McCracken is one of a very few artists I admire who I can also recognize on sight. Unfortunately, he was engaged in conversation and I didn't want to be rude and bug him while he was "off-duty". So the opportunity to meet one of my animation heroes passed me by. Oh well. Maybe next year.
Greg Weisman - I made a point of tracking down the chief architect of the "Gargoyles" universe at the Slave Labor Graphics booth. I got a promo poster signed by him, artist David Hedgecock, and colorist Will Terrell. I'm pleased and amazed to say that Greg remembered me from the Station 8 comment room. He wrote "Welcome to the clan" on my poster, which I assume he does for everyone, but it still made me happy/
Andy Runton - I really would have liked a sketch from Andy Runton, but my sketchbook was with Takeshi Miyazawa when I saw him and I would have felt bad going back and asking for a sketch after he already signed a book for me. But I still got a cute little drawing in the latest "Owly" trade.
Billy West - Before I saw him bring the house done at the voice actor panel, I strolled by his booth and saw that he was there. I waited around for a while. listened to him talking to other people, and finally got to speak with him a bit. We chatted about politics (we're on the same page there) and I bought a photo which he signed for Andrew and me. He wrote "Greetings from the Year 3000! It still sucks!", which I can only imagine being said in a Zoidberg voice.
Javier Grillo-Marxuach and Les McClaine - Les drew in my sketchbook last year. They are nice. Buy their book.
Well, that is not remotely everything I saw and did and bought at the con. But that's the main stuff. It was a lot of fun and even better than last year. Thanks for reading though my mammoth recap. Hope you enjoyed it.
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