Comic-Con 2011: The Blog

It has been precisely a week since we've returned from the insanity that is Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA.  This year's SDCC was the most memorable of our trips thus far and it's difficult to imagine how the experience could be any more awesome in future years. 

Here's how it went down.

Wednesday: Preview Night.

This is usually the night we pick up our badges, buy our passes for the following year and wander around the Exhibit Hall before the crowds are overwhelming.  Because SDCC has been selling out so quickly in the past few years, they implemented a new process and the tickets for the following year wouldn't be available until Thursday and only in limited quantities.  It was inconvenient for us, but ultimately I think it was probably the most fair way to handle the tickets for the following year.

If you didn't already know, I've been writing TV reviews for Daemon's TV since January of this year. After preview night I had the opportunity to meet some the people I had been writing for/with in person for the first time.  Everyone was really cool and it was awesome to attach real people to the internet personas I had become familiar with. 

Thursday: Day 1

I dress up at Comic-Con for one day out of the week.  I've found I like to do it on the first day because the excitement of being at Comic-Con is still fresh and enough to keep me moving.  This year, I recruited Rhonda into my costuming plans so I would have a buddy (last year she and my brother and Matt dressed up in a Dr. Horrible group.) 

Thank goodness she was down to dress up with me, because the reaction to our costumes was like nothing I could have ever anticipated.

My brother shot this photo of the crowd taking our photos as we stepped into the convention center.

It was so much fun and SO exhausting.  Normally I can wear my costume, walk the exhibit hall, look at artwork, buy stuff and check out the booths while occasionally being stopped for photos, but in these costumes it took us about an hour to get from the entrance of the exhibit hall to the back side in a straight line where we wanted to get nachos for lunch.  Security was constantly asking us to move and my brother and Mike eventually had to work crowd control just so we could get to a spot where we could sit down.  

Even as we ate, the photos did not stop and as I was shoveling lunch into my mouth people were taking pictures.  I had a renewed appreciation for my college years spent doing character work at Disneyland. I was having flashbacks of summer crowds and remembered that this was exactly the reason we needed hourly breaks, away from the crowds.  

http://johnal.smugmug.com/

At one point, a woman from Entertainment Weekly approached us and asked us if we would be in a EW photoshoot at the Hard Rock Hotel, shot by photographer Michael Muller.  

Um.  OK!

The photo shoot set up  http://johnal.smugmug.com/

So, we did that and ended up here:

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20399642_20512572,00.html#20992382
(*UPDATE* Turns out we also made it into the August 5, 2011 print edition on the Table of Contents page!)

Rhonda was excited because Justin Timberlake had been on that same set just minutes before us.  I was excited because... free snacks!

So that was Thursday.  I tried to get into the Archer panel, but the line was longer than I had anticipated so we missed that.  I ended up with blisters on my feet from walking around all day in my "comfortable" shoes.  

It took me about a year to make my costume since I was learning how to sew, use tools and materials as I went along.  I will probably just be wearing it again next year to get full use out of it.  I don't have the energy to make another costume for a while.  I have some changes to make... like... way more comfortable shoes.  And, next year we're adding at least one more villain to our gang, so that will be even more fun.  

Friday: Day 2

I don't know how to best describe how awesome Friday was.  Best single day at Comic-Con (for me) ever.  The Venture Bros. Panel, Bob's Burgers Panel and Alphas Panel were all great, but more importantly... everything else.

You might remember my blog from last year, geeking out over Bob's Burgers before it had even aired and being all giddy because I got to take a photo with Loren Bouchard, right? It got better this year.

You guys.

Loren Bouchard recognized me! I'm not even joking! 

AND he told me that he has read everything that I've written!!!!***

***He said that, but let's be honest, he probably meant that he reads everything I write on Daemon's TV about Bob's Burgers... not everything I write... especially not my blog.  My mom doesn't even read my blog.

So I squealed like a raging fan girl and Mike snapped this picture after the panel.

Me & Loren Bouchard... AGAIN

That's my Bob's Burgers tee-shirt from last year's Comic-Con panel that I altered to fit a lady!  

He posed for this picture twice, because he said he didn't want to pose the same way he did last year.... squeeeeee!

So anyway... as if I wasn't already seeming like a crazy fangirl by sitting in the front row of the Bob's Burgers panel, we ran into Bouchard again at night as we were walking to the Adult Swim party which we got passes to earlier in the day. He was nice enough to talk to us as we walked in the same direction.  I had a couple of glasses of Jameson before we walked over there, so I'm not 100% sure I was talking like a normal person... but whatever.  He was nice and didn't make me think that he thought I was crazy.  I wouldn't fault him if he did.

My dilemma now is... what do I do next year?  I mean, I've had photos with him two years in a row.  If there is a Bob's Burgers panel next year, I will... duh...be going and I will... duh...want to be in the front row... but am I allowed to take a photo like this ever again?  If he was someone who had no recollection of me, I'd be like "hi, I'm a fan... photo?" and wouldn't think twice... but now.... do I have to be cool? YOU GUYS.  I DON'T KNOW HOW TO BE COOL!!! 

So, you have a year to tell me how to handle this.  How do I balance my obvious fandom with the fact that I don't want to be THAT FREAKY FAN? I've met lots of famous people - including the guy at the top of my "list," Mr. Johnny Depp himself, and I've never been struck with this panic. Johnny Depp and the others I've met would never remember me in a million years (plus actors don't intimidate me the way writers do.)  I'm a drop in the bucket.  I'm used to that. The fact that he remembered me is incredible and totally intimidating... but most of all it's proof that Loren Bouchard is a genuinely nice human being.  

Continuing with the awesome of Friday... this happened at the Adult Swim party:

 

Yup - Doc Hammer of Venture Bros. fame.

Can we discuss how cool Doc Hammer looks and HOW I COULD NOT BE ANY MORE DORKY IN THAT PICTURE?

And of course, Jackson Publick, also of Venture Bros. fame.

Let's discuss how much of an a-hole I was for noticing that Jackson was smoking when he had talked in the panel earlier about how he was quitting smoking.  Really?  REALLY ME?  "I'm a huge fan. I thought you were quitting?"  WHY WOULD I SAY THAT!?   He was so nice to me even if I was a total and complete arse.  So I fail forever.  That is exactly why people should not let me drink EVER.  Except for sometimes because I'm also awesome when I drink. 

Sometimes.  

So 50/50.

Michael Sinterniklaas & Me

Before the Adult Swim party we ran into Michael Sinterniklaas - also of Venture Bros. fame... but also even more so of his acclaimed work in dubbed anime... which I didn't know about until we talked that night.  

I was too shy to talk to anyone at the bar but when Mike spotted Michael, he desperately tried to convince me that I should go tell him I was a fan.   Since this was pre-whiskey, I could not be convinced so Mike went over talked to him for me. In a couple of minutes, they both came back to where I was sitting. 

Seriously, this guy was SO cool... he took pictures with my brother and my mom and everybody in our group.  He's currently working on a TNMT project and Gundam Unicorn and he does the voice for the English dub of the main character in Summer Wars (I actually have the DVD and have just never watched it in English. You can borrow it.  It's a really great anime movie.)  

Best moment with him was when he said "scissor me" meaning do the Venture Bros. pose above.  Instead I scissored his V hand gesture with my V hand gesture.  Yah.  I'm that a-hole.  People should  keep me away from other human beings.  He still talked to me after that, so he's obviously really nice. 

Also on Friday...Mike got his photo that he took with Kevin Smith last year signed by Kevin Smith.   Matt schmoozed with everyone from Torchwood at the bar, Rhonda got Steven Spielberg's autograph... on her phone... then she, along with my brother and my mom somehow talked their way into some exclusive party at the Hard Rock where they ate all sorts of food and drank all kinds of open bar booze. Then back at our hotel my mom took photos with David Arquette at the bar.

So all that happened.  In one day.  I expect a day like that will never happen again.

Saturday: Day 3

Can't remember.  Did I already tell you about Friday? 

Saturday...Tr!ckster!  That was cool. We bought art.

Oh and Mythbusters. Neato!

And there's a small chance I'll show up on TV in a year asking either Jon Favreu or William Shatner questions for a Kevin Smith project that will make me seem like a total dufus.  Get excited about seeing me ask "Mr. Shatner, what's your favorite Star Trek episode?"  Trust me.  I was fed the questions.

Oh!  And we met up and grabbed drinks with friends.  I love friends! And cookies! Good times.

Sunday: Day 4

Doctor Who. 

Can't get enough of them... I want to go on a TARDIS ride. 

And then... exhibit hall...

That's my mom who originally photobombed me when I was trying to get a photo at the VIZ Media booth. This was her first year at SDCC, but she naturally knew how to work the exhibit hall.  In all my years I have never seen a person come back with so much swag... ever.  Totally impressive.

Followed by two and a half hours in traffic to get home. So tired.

Overall, awesome times.  Still recovering, but already looking forward to next year.  Woo!

 

Remember Remember the blog in November...

Remember when I blogged 5 days per week? How awesome was that?

I forgot October.

Actually October showed up all of the sudden on the 1st, and was like "I am awesome and can make your dreams come true!" so I trusted it and listened to it's 2 hour timeshare pitch before it mugged me and ran away. Then November showed up and was like "hey, I'm here." And I was like WTF! And I shook my fist and said "damn you October!!!! I was supposed to blog weekly and lose 15 pounds!" I crumbled to the ground in tears and November - being the wise old month that it is - just gently held me in it's arms and consoled me with promises of Thanksgiving dinner and 4 day weekends.

So. That's why I ate pumpkin cheesecake for breakfast. And it was incredible.

For a number of reasons, we did not throw our annual Halloween Bash this year. It was missed, but I'm hoping it will be back next year. (BTW, if anyone is looking for a place to live in OC, the Chandler House is still looking for one more room mate... message me for details.) We did however celebrate a whole lot of birthdays and had a great time doing it... and no doubt some of you were busy working this past October to make more June birthdays for me to celebrate. So, good times.

I'll be out of town pretty much every weekend this month - except for Thanksgiving weekend when the husband and I will be going to our 10 Year HS Reunion (buy tickets now!) The only thing I'm actually worried about is greetings. Do I hug everyone? Do I shake people's hands? I like hi-5's, but some might disagree... or not know what I'm doing. Thoughts?

There were other things I was going to write about, but they'll have to wait... since I've forgotten most of them. I need to get one of those voice recorders like that Vicki Sprantz from Troop Beverly Hills (and BTW, HOW THE HELL DID I MISS THIS!?!?!? ) so I can actually remember all the random things I mean to blog about.

Now on to survive the next few weeks at work without pulling all my hair out.

Lame Reasons I've Heard for Not Going to our 10 Year Reunion

Our 10 year high school reunion is quickly approaching and I am actually looking forward to it. In general, the Class of 1999 kicked ass. We were smart and talented. Um. That's a fact. Because I said so.

Don't get any funny ideas - I was in no way, shape, or form... cool. I was in choir and really only did choir and music things, my friends were in the choir or in the band and I rarely talked to people outside of my comfortable nerd world. I loved those nerd people. I didn't know parties existed where people drank alcohol and did drugs until my Senior year and I was never officially invited to one... but even if I was, I probably would have rather stayed home. I wasn't super smart or talented - just normal and maybe a little hyperactive. I knew I wasn't one of the popular kids then as much as I know that now and if you had asked me in 2000 who I wanted to see from my graduating class, I probably would have a longer list of people I'd rather not ever see again.

Luckily, 10 years is a lot of time for change - and while I still love all the nerdy things I loved then (and more!) I am no longer the person who gets intimidated by the cool-kids. For the most part, I like myself now and I don't feel the need to be anyone else. It's liberating and I know that most people have gone through this same metamorphosis so I look forward to meeting all these new people again.

That said, my optimism isn't shared by most and I've heard a number of lame reasons from awesome people as to why they think they're not going.

Lame Reason #1. "I already keep in touch with everyone I actually care about"

No, you don't. This is so wrong you don't even realize it... because I didn't. Here's the reason why (and I've retold this story numerous times when people try to tell me that reunions are lame.) See, I went to our 5 year reunion for 1 reason only - I wanted to get back in touch with a friend who had changed e-mail addresses and mailing addresses that I had lost and he wasn't yet on MySpace. He ended up not going, but I got his contact info from another classmate.

I showed up late to the reunion, paid $80 for my date and myself which paid for 2 drink tickets, and "appetizers" (which sucked because at the time I was doing the whole vegetarian thing so I ate crackers and the 3 pieces of cheese that were left) - it was a waste of my money... until Michael Chung. My date and I were about to leave after about 20 minutes of not doing much (since the rest of the reunion attendees had already dispersed into the wide wilderness of D&Busters) when one Michael Chung walked by swiftly towards the exit. I kind of screamed a little and shouted, "holy shit, Michael Chung!" and I think I scared him.

Michael and I never hung out outside of class, but we had 4 years of Latin together. With the people that sat around us in class we gossiped about school drama, discussed Dawson's Creek, and ate smooshy cookies. I looked forward to class because I loved the people I sat near and when I saw Michael Chung again it immediately occurred to me that I really liked this person as an individual and whatever differences in social circles we had in High School that might have once prevented us from being friends outside of school, were no longer relevant in adulthood. The rest is history. If not for a "stupid reunion" I would have missed out on a good friend that I would never have had the pleasure of knowing as an adult. It never occurred to me prior to that moment that I wasn't already in touch with everyone I wanted to know. He was at my wedding and I hope he'll be around for other important life events.

Lame Reason #2. "It will be embarrassing - I'm not doing anything with my life"

A) Actually, you are and B) I don't care. Thanks to Facebook everybody pretty much already knows what you're doing and you're doing fine... but actually, most people (myself included) don't care. Even if you're making $3,000,000 an hour, that's neat and I'm kinda jealous, but I don't really care because that's not a qualifying factor for me to want to spend the evening chatting with you over a beer. I am however interested in the quality of your character. If that hasn't developed in the last 10 years, then maybe you don't want to show up to the reunion because that's really sad. I am absolutely not the same person I was 10, even 5 years ago, and I'm going into this expecting that everyone else has also changed.

Lame Reason #3. "Everyone is just going to stick to their cliques."

They will - at first, because that's what sober, nervous people do. Once people start relaxing (and I start peer pressuring people to drink *side note - if you're a recovering alcoholic, please tell me now before I accidentally force you out of your recovery at the reunion with a sake bomb*) and the music and the food is flowing, then you'll be able to talk to anyone you want. Besides, if you see someone you don't want to talk to, there's a drinking game for that! Every time you see someone you'd rather not talk to, take a drink! Before the night is over, you'll want to talk to everyone! In any case, the more important thing is what you are going to do - don't be quick to clique.

Lame Reason #4. "But we already have Facebook."

Back in '04, we had MySpace. Just like Facebook now, not everyone was hip to it. In my opinion, Facebook is an advantage when going to these reunions. Now you can skip over all boring "tell me what you're doing" questions and just say "OMG, I saw that video you posted of your baby doing a slam dunk while dancing to Single Ladies - HI-Larious!" and go from there discussing the latest YouTube phenomenon and bam, you're drinking beers and having a good time with someone you already know from Facebook but don't really know, you know? I don't know about you, but I've got about 500 Facebook friends - and at different points in my life, I have personally known and loved them all- but when was the last time I met up with all of them at a bar? It rarely happens. It might happen more after I decide I like you in person now as much as I like you online... unless you decide you only like me online, in which case, ok. haha.

Legitimate Reasons for Not Going to the Reunion:
1. "I'm having a baby and the due date is November 28, 2009."
2. "I'm getting married on November 28, 2009 and my fiance will be pissed if I don't show up."
3. "I'm homeless and living in a shopping cart so I have to decide between the cost of the ticket and eating for the next month."
4. "I can't afford a plane ticket from Greenland, but I'll start walking now and hopefully I'll make it."
5. "I'm Miley Cyrus and I have a show scheduled that night on my Slobbery Horselips and Baby Teeth tour"
6. "I am currently in a coma."
7. "I didn't go to your high school... and I graduated in 2005"
8. "I am a dog (cat, bird, turtle, giraffe, etc.)"
9. "I am allergic to oxygen"
10. "I will punch you in the face if I see you."

So, the point is, go. Because I will be there and I honestly want to party with you and your face and clearly we don't hang out enough anyway. Just like with any other life experience, go into it with an open mind and you'll be the one in control of how good or how bad a time you have. If you show up and you're having a shitty time, come find me... I'm 100% serious - we'll party way better than anyone did back in 1999.

Also, if you didn't get the invitation yet they probably don't have the right mailing address. You can register and get the details here: http://monarchalumni.org/s/265/index.aspx?sid=265&pgid=353&cid=946&gid=1&ecid=946

Making Babies in October

June is ridiculous. Including only close friends and immediate family we celebrate 7 birthdays in June. Seven. Add on the summer bridal showers and baby showers that all seem to happen around the same time and it makes June really expensive. Mike and I aren't planning on having kids for a little while, but I think I need to make it a personal goal to not have a baby in June. Maybe something magical happens in October for people (Oktoberfest?) but jeeze-oh-pete, June is a boom.

Or maybe I'm just friends with a lot of Gemini and Cancer signs because I'm a Pisces and supposedly I get along fine with crabs and duplicitous twins. Reputably, I'm not supposed to get along well with Sagittarius - which is funny because I think my Father-In-Law is a Sagittarius and we get along fine. I hope. haha. Is anyone else a Sagittarius? I guess I don't know too many Sagittarians... maybe because I'm a Pisces. Oooo...spooky!!!

I'm not really all that into astrology but I sometimes wish I knew more. I remember back in college I went to a couple of parties at the home of a guy who directed a couple of movies you've definitely heard of, but probably wouldn't have seen unless you had kids. He was a really nice guy (despite wearing sunglasses at night). Some of his parties would just be about 20 people in his den and some of them would be so big I'd never be able to guess how many people were there. In either situation I'd always find that it would be really hard for me to talk to these Hollywood-types. I was a college film student and they were all working in film. You'd think I could have come up with something. If I had realistic networking skills (which I don't) and if I was really good at selling my own sh*t (which I am not ) I probably could have worked my way into the biz at all these parties I had the opportunity to go to. (I just felt like a leech even talking about my writing and jobs in those situations... maybe I should have tried harder to get a writing agent... then they could have been the leech for me.) Anyway, I'm getting off topic.

At one of those really big parties where he didn't have the time to play host to me the entire night, I ended up wandering off to a corner with a couple of girlfriends. A woman sitting near us was left alone as her date went to go pick up another drink. On his way, her date tripped (or did something awkward like that) so he deflected the awkwardness by making a funny comment directed at us so we were all laughing together for a split second.

Normally, after a moment like that I try to have a quick light-hearted follow up comment with the strangers involved and then turn back to my familiar group and continue conversation in a desperate attempt to avoid eye contact (see...that's how good I am at social situations. Nice.) Well, the woman (who was gorgeous) introduced herself to us (she was good at social situations) and we all started talking about how we all ended up at this party. That conversation lasted maybe 5 minutes and I began to fear the awkward silence and the well-it-was-nice-to-meet-you-but-we-don't-have-much-to-talk-about-so-we're-going-to-go-over-there-now moment, when she suddenly asked my friend and guessed correctly, "Are you a Libra?"

As her date returned with her drink, she proceeded to tell us how she could tell that my friend was a Libra and all the personality traits and compatibilities. I asked her if she was an astrologist and she explained that she didn't even really believe in it for horoscopes or anything, but knowing personality traits related to astrology was her hobby.

We ended up talking with her for a long time about personalities and compatibilities until another party goer pulled her away to introduce her to someone else. We had something we could talk about without knowing anything else about one another and without having to share a common interest in music, film, ideas or people. I would have never thought that astrology would be a useful hobby to someone who had no interest in horoscopes but here she was able to talk to complete strangers about something we had serious knowledge about - ourselves. It's an instant go-to conversation piece.

The rest of that night was kind of a blur. We met back up with a few of the other girls that came along with us to the party to discover one of them had taken full advantage of the open bar that night and was currently stumbling down the steep windy driveway leading to the house telling people she couldn't believe she actually got to go to a Hollywood party. Yah. It was embarrassing. I think one of us actually ended up having to put a hand over her mouth to get her to stop yammering.

I eventually lost touch with the director guy (ok, really, I just felt awkward talking to him after my girlfriends all told me I was dense for not being able to tell that he was trying to be "more than a friend." I think it might have been Jessica who pretty bluntly said on the car ride home, "Dude. He wants to do you. Big time." See, I had a boyfriend at the time but this guy would randomly call and e-mail to say hi and invite me up to his house when he was having friends over for dinner. Being about an hour away, I usually had to turn down his last minute invites but never really thought much of it. For some reason, at that time, I assumed that when you tell someone you have a boyfriend they know better than to try and hit on you. I also assumed all his friendliness was just because he wanted to actually be my friend. Apparently when my friends saw him interact with me in person they could see a whole different side of the story. His side of the story involved some sort of funky sexy time.) BUT the point is that I still remember that woman and I might even recognize her if I saw her on the street now.

So. I learned many valuable lessons that night. 1) Astrology can sometimes be useful. 2) Don't bring drunk girl #4 to cool parties. Ever. And lastly, 3) man-penis-brain is sneaky.

Lessons learned.