There were a few musicians on various corners at the Gaslamp Quarter Gate this Comic-Con weekend. This Princess Leia violinist – brilliant concept.
All good things must come to an end. Especially Comic-Con.
Comic-Con
25
Jul 10
Comic-Con: Days 3 & 4: Beat Surrender
24
Jul 10
Comic-Con, Day 2
Schwag magic is always at work in Comic-Cons. All the free goodies: posters, flyers, buttons, books, DVD’s, and anything you don’t have to pay for. It’s like the all-you-can eat buffet, where things momentarily are cool because you’re not paying much for them. There’s also the story behind them – you got them at Comic-Con. This year, they even issued ridiculously large bags to collect all this stuff – 2 x 3 feet with 2-4 inches of depth. I felt dwarfed by it and I’m pretty close to 6 feet tall. With the humongous bag, it is easy to stuff things in, even when you’re not a fan of the things you grabbed from the promoters. In the photo above, a young man found a creative use for for all the junk he collected over the past few days. Resistance is futile – he will assimilate stuff. He has some duct tape to help complete his mission and his ensemble will no doubt grow exponentially by Sunday. Everyone else is collecting free stuff, but it will all wind up in clutter or e-Bay. Continue reading →
23
Jul 10
Rapture
At the west side of the Convention Center, where it meets the Marriot, a few guys had large bubble machines that pushed very light suds through human-shaped stencils. When the guys cut the mass of bubbles away from the stencil, it looked as it people were floating off to the heavens. The process went so fast that lots of them were in the air. Comic-Con attendees were lined up trying to get a good shot. Here’s one of my attempts.
23
Jul 10
Comic-Con, Day 1
The Trolley Station near the Convention Center and the Gaslamp Quarter gate got taken over by the Klingons. Have your universal translator handy.
Comic-Con is all about the badge. I procured my badge Wednesday night, got to experience the Exhibit Hall, which I was soon over, and got to experience one of the longest bus rides I ever had going across downtown, all thanks to the badge. The next day, during the early hours, I lent my badge to a friend of mine and met up with him close to the Gaslamp Quarter gate at noon. The borrower’s definitely a good friend of mine and I got my badge back on time. However, I don’t think I’d do it again, unless it’s Sunday (by which time I’m usually over Comic-Con and just don’t go). By then, anyone can have my badge. Hopefully someone I can trust not to go psycho in my name.
22
Jul 10
So Big It Has Two or More Hashtags
This year, I decided to do Comic-Con right. I was on it when tickets went on sale. I bought the four day pass, and I got to go to Preview Night, which is a perk that only came with tickets like mine, not the one day passes or the ones that were comped. My feeling like I had access to something exclusive was short-lived, as there were lots of holders of passes good from Wednesday to Sunday, like mine. I suddenly found myself a dime a dozen and even occasionally getting pushed and shoved like I would on any other day, especially Saturday, the most busiest day of Comic-Con. The lines for some things, such as experiencing the space travel pods in the Aliens franchise were ridiculously long and the queue management was just as bizarre and confusing. I got to experience the usual oooh’s and aah’s of all the displays and exhibits coupled with sprinklings of people who just did not know how to walk in a crowd. The benefit of this Preview Night was for me to get the exhibitor’s floor out of my system so I can go to the events and enjoy them the rest of the week.
21
Jul 10
Pride, Killer Naps, and Comic-Con
This Pride weekend was alright. The parade, as always, was fun and spectacular, no shortage of color or scantily clothed people. The festival, though, was on the blah side. I felt like I paid $30 to get hawked and accosted by various vendors and non-profits, and I didn’t stick around the for shows. Like most Gen X’ers, I grew up in the 1980′s, but nostalgia wasn’t enough to get me to see Devo. I don’t really get into American Idol, so straight boy with the rainbow hair Blake Lewis wasn’t much of a draw either. Hanging out with some other friends, though, was where the fun was.
Lately, I’ve been feeling tired lately, snoozing off from time to time. Sometimes I stay up a little too late, from midnight to 3 am. I have to get to teaching at 9am this summer, so I have to get up on the early side. Somehow, I’ve never been able to strike the balance between being a morning person, so I find myself taking a nap in the late afternoon, only to wake up at 10 or 11 pm. When that happens, sometimes I make myself go back to sleep, while other times I find something to do for a few hours and then go back to sleep. Yes, this type of thing has happened before. It’s strange to think that tiredness is something that accumulates, that eventually that sleep debt must be paid. Perhaps this is why some companies give recovery days to their employees when they make them work day and night for some projects, depriving them of sleep. That someone is trying to have a work/life balance isn’t something that’s always factored by such workplaces. This is part of the reason why I often stay up late.
As for things that won’t keep me up late at night, Comic-Con is in San Diego. I bought my ticket early last year, and the even quickly sold out. Tonight is Preview Night, which means I get to see all the Comic-Con exhibits an evening early and got a shot at all the schwag before the general public does tomorrow. I made a decision to avoid collecting freebees as much as possible this year, as it often leads to clutter post-Con. However, if I see something utterly irresistible, too hard to pass up, I will. A few years back, it was Star Trek promotional posters. Not sure what it will be this year. Perhaps if I’m lucky, I’ll meet the Doctor. Last year, I met Russell T. Davies in line at the Hyatt’s Starbucks.
It should be fun.
30
Jul 08
Super Frakked-Up Avatar
My friend Brian (Sharon’s boyfriend, not Brian), created this freaky avatar while playing Saint’s Row at the THQ booth at Comic-Con. I don’t know too much about this game, but I understand the basic concept is prison break.
Here are the choices Brian made in creating the avatar:
- Gender: Female
- Hair: Bald
- Body Type: Overweight
- Ethnicity: Asian
- Accessory: Big Sunglasses.
The result was so freaky and so hilarious I couldn’t stop laughing. I’m laughing my arse off while writing this post. The neighboring gamers also caught a glimpse of Brian’s avatar, started busting up, and they took pictures. Even one of the developers was paying attention.
28
Oct 07
Most Viewed of My Flickr Pics
Here are my top ten most viewed pics on Flickr as of today. This list will probably still be the same tomorrow, just different numbers.
1. Death Proof Amputee
Yes, this girl really was an amputee. This was no trick or optical illusion. She danced around the display promoting Death Proof at San Diego Comic-Con.
2. Ginch Gonch Boys
I guess I’m not with it, but I recently found out these were the Ginch Gonch boys (and that’s what they’re wearing). They were wandering around the San Diego Pride Festival in their near nakedness when I took this pic.
3. Handsome Superman
I caught this handsome Superman at Comic-Con and he gave me the classic Superman pose.
4. Leia, Obi Wan, and Padme in front of Jabba
Three Star Wars character impersonators happened to be in front of Jabba when I took this pic. Princess Leia obviously had a lot to do with this pic’s popularity.
5. Superman and Trinity
This was a fun pairing of superheroes from different universes.
6. Rough Trade
Don’t know much about this guy except he was waiting for something or someone during Pride weekend.
7. Wolverine x 2
Two Wolverines for the price of one. Taken at Comic-Con.
8. Annie Lennox meets Vulcan
She was an actress in a Star Trek fan fic featuring George Takei. Taken at Comic-Con.
9. Jabba and Vampira
If only Jabba came by this woman in Star Wars, he’d never need to chain the other women to his throne, including Princess Leia. Taken at Comic-Con.
10. Free Hugs
These two young women were giving free hugs during Comic-Con.
30
Jul 07
The Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls Booth
This was a happy accident right before I left Comic-Con. This booth caught my eye, I had to take a picture of it, and I was soon having a conversation with Lauren Faust, the artist and writer behind the Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls. She happily explained to what they were all about. While they are superficially reminiscent of the Power Puff Girls (on which Faust was an animator), the Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls are older, hipper, more individualistic, and definitely more fun. Each girl personifies a celestial body with the style and flair to go with their names. For example, the Sun is definitely a heliocentric diva who believes the universe revolves around her, the silver-clad Mercury is the fastest athlete in the universe, and the lovely but solitary Moon expresses her being in poetry. Best of all, these girls traverse outer space in roller skates that go with their unique outfits.
Faust has created a visually fantastic book which tells the reader all about the Galaxy Girls and asks the question, “Which planet are you from?” The book and other merchandise are a lot of fun (and thoughtfully done), and I will definitely tune in when Galaxy Girls enter the world of animation.
Stay tuned… And check out the Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls.
Here are some pics to show what they’re all about:
The Gothgirl rocker Pluto, the center of the Universe herself the Sun, and the Starry Eyed Space Girl.
The lyrically poetic Moon, the artsy Mars, and the sweetly caring Jupiter.
