So as many of you know, San Diego Comic-Con happened last weekend. And as you may well be aware, with Comic Con comes exclusives. And as many of you might know, a good number of companies will place said exclusives on their websites so that you may purchase them if you didn't attend the show.
This is why I've spent the last three and a quarter hours in front of Alexa-1, refreshing the Hasbro Toy Shop page. Believe me when I say, this is easily the most boring thing I have ever done. All I have done since 8:30 this morning is refresh page, grumble, refresh page again, grumble, refresh page once more and groan.
Not fun. Not fun at all. But then again, Prime wants that Bruticus and who am I to disappoint him?
COMMUNICATIONS INTERRUPT: Wrong Bruticus, Nimrodimus. It's this one. And you're forgetting Rust in Peace Cliffjumper. And the Shockwave HISS tank. Incompleting goobercon.
So if you hear a high pitched yelp of "YES!" you'll know we finally placed our order. Until then, I'll just keep refreshing HTS. Wish me luck.
--Weasel, "I should count my blessings. It could be worse. It could be Matty Collector."
Showing posts with label geek. Show all posts
Showing posts with label geek. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
The BotCon 2012 Update Part 3
Current song stuck in my head: The Humbling River by Puscifer.
So today is Sunday, which means the 'Con is over. Am I sad? Yes. But it isn't as bad as it has been in previous years. I'll get to that later. Right now, it's time to sum things up.
April 28, 2012 Saturday
We got up and headed out at a time that we thought was early enough to beat some of the 'Con traffic, but it appears we were wrong. When we got to the parking lot at the Hyatt, the attendants were placing a large 'Lot Full' sign at the entrance. Thankfully, we were able to scoot in and park.
Prime, DA and I headed to the panel room to take in the first panel of the day: Dan Gilvezan and Buster Jones. You know damn well there was no way I was missing a panel with Dan. He’s just too awesome to miss.
It was a great panel and a lot of fun. Dan was hilarious as always and Buster was a good sport about everything. I think Buster was a little surprised at how much we as fans love him and his work. So if you missed the panel, you really missed out.
After that, I hit the club store to buy another BotCon convention comic and hit the line for the noon autographs. That session was for Dan, Buster and Simon Furman. Now, I’d already gotten Mr. Furman’s signature on a pair of comic books but I had a third that needed to be signed and I also wanted a sig from him along with Buster and Dan on my extra Con program. I think that may be a bit of a tradition now: grab an extra program, get a whole slagload of sigs on the cover. Hey, it’s easy to carry and isn’t expensive so why not? (^.^)
I got autographs from all three: Simon was gracious as always and Dan was just a huge sweetheart. I mean that. He is perhaps the sweetest, most charming and funniest guy you will ever meet. A true class act. As to how he puts up with crazy fangirls like me, I can’t even begin to fathom, but he does and I appreciate that. Buster was also wonderful: I thanked him for his work on Transformers as well as that on The Real Ghostbusters. He said he remembered his work on Ghostbusters and thanked me for my kindness. He was truly sweet.
After the autographs, I went back to the panel room and sat in for the Transformers Club roundtable and the Hasbro panel. Epic reveals in each, but they’re all over the net by now so there’s no point in mentioning them. Once those two panels were finished, Prime, DA and I stuck around for one of the most popular guest panels at BotCon:
Peter Cullen.
Before you ask, yes, I have met him and he is amazing. When he greeted us in the panel room, the man nearly brought me to tears: as he looked at the crowd, he said he saw so many familiar faces and we were one. We were family.
I admit it, my eyes were misting over at that point. To hear him, the voice of Optimus Prime, proclaim us as family…all I can say about it is ‘wow’. It’s truly overwhelming.
Once Mr. Cullen’s panel drew to a close, the three of us got ready for the Cocktail Reception, Dinner, Hall of Fame Ceremony and Casino night. Prime and I didn’t hit the alcohol all that much and neither one of us did so well at gambling (well, I stuck to bingo) but that wasn’t the biggest surprise of the night. No, the big surprise of the night was the fan’s choice Hall of Fame inductee. The choices were Arcee, Sky-Byte, Beast Wars Megatron, Rodimus and Wheeljack. The winner?
Wheeljack. I was more than a little surprised.
After the festivities were over (and DA, Prime and myself got tired of looking at scantily dressed girls attending a dance), we headed back to the hotel and crashed.
April 30, 2012 Sunday
The crowds weren’t as thick today; it was as if the Con’s ending was hovering like some vast, predatory bird on the fringes of the day. The three of us didn’t have to deal with the parking issue today and the lot didn’t seem quite as full. After parking, we headed to the panel rooms for the live script reading of Bee in the City 2.
If you missed it, you may be in luck—Pete Sinclair has said that it will be posted to YouTube. When it is, I will link it as you have to watch it to enjoy it. But it was a hoot!
Once that was done, I dashed to the Dealer Room to get the autographs of David Kaye and Garry Chalk. But we also had Abby Collins there as well and I got her signature too.
When I got out of the line for that, I loitered around a bit and waited for the last autograph session, another one with Dan Gilvezan and Buster Jones. You know how you’re at a function and you see that one person at the head of the line and you kinda hate them a little? Yeah, I was that person! I was first in line for that autograph session! I got Dan to sign my name badge and had him sign an ornament for a friend of mine who was volunteering at the show. (Hey, I owed her big time!) I also got Buster to sign it too. Happy? Oh yeah, I was.
I caught up with DA afterward and we talked; eventually we ran into Prime and we made our way to the Activision booth to see a demo of Transformers: Fall of Cybertron. The game looks amazing, but pardon me a moment, for I must rant.
mini rant
Alright people, signs are posted for a damn good reason. I don’t care if you think your kid hanging off a statue isn’t going to hurt the statue--if it says don’t touch, then your kid shouldn’t be climbing on it. Seriously, do you let your kid play in the middle of the damned street thinking, "Hey, little junior dumbass is smart enough to get outta all them there cars’s way. Kid’ll be fine."? Sure he will…then the little dipshit gets hurt and YOU feel the need to sue someone because YOU are a fucking moron. If you are that damned stupid, do us all a favor and adopt a damn goldfish. Or better yet, raise a Chia plant. If either one of those get hurt or die because of your own idiocy, you’ve got no one to blame but yourself. And for the love of Primus, remain a shut-in and stay out of the public eye. We’re tired of dealing with you.
/end mini rant
Aaaaaaaaaaaaah, better.
Anyway, after that, we all got posters. A raffle or two later and the Dealer Room was shutting down, as was the Con. Prime, DA and I wandered around, found Asuza-san’s table and took a look. Asuza let me have a Bumblebee toy for free and we bought a pair of Japanese Happy Meal toys from him. Awesome!
After chatting with some of our friends, the three of us headed outside and to my shock there’s Dan Gilvezan just outside the hotel. So I took the opportunity to hug both him and his wonderful wife and tell them goodbye. He said we’d see each other again, as I’m not getting rid of him that easily. Oh, yeah, huge grin on my face!
We got back to the hotel, chatted and around 7:15, took DA to the airport. We said our farewells, I hugged him good-bye and it looked as though some tears may fall. Well, until Prime yelled, "Stop crying!" We all had a good laugh at that one.
I’ve had dinner and now I’m going to bed. Yeah, I am sad that the Con is over, but not as badly as I have been in past years. As of right now, I’m wondering where our next reunion will be held. I can’t wait to see the rest of the family again.
--Weasel
So today is Sunday, which means the 'Con is over. Am I sad? Yes. But it isn't as bad as it has been in previous years. I'll get to that later. Right now, it's time to sum things up.
April 28, 2012 Saturday
We got up and headed out at a time that we thought was early enough to beat some of the 'Con traffic, but it appears we were wrong. When we got to the parking lot at the Hyatt, the attendants were placing a large 'Lot Full' sign at the entrance. Thankfully, we were able to scoot in and park.
Prime, DA and I headed to the panel room to take in the first panel of the day: Dan Gilvezan and Buster Jones. You know damn well there was no way I was missing a panel with Dan. He’s just too awesome to miss.
It was a great panel and a lot of fun. Dan was hilarious as always and Buster was a good sport about everything. I think Buster was a little surprised at how much we as fans love him and his work. So if you missed the panel, you really missed out.
After that, I hit the club store to buy another BotCon convention comic and hit the line for the noon autographs. That session was for Dan, Buster and Simon Furman. Now, I’d already gotten Mr. Furman’s signature on a pair of comic books but I had a third that needed to be signed and I also wanted a sig from him along with Buster and Dan on my extra Con program. I think that may be a bit of a tradition now: grab an extra program, get a whole slagload of sigs on the cover. Hey, it’s easy to carry and isn’t expensive so why not? (^.^)
I got autographs from all three: Simon was gracious as always and Dan was just a huge sweetheart. I mean that. He is perhaps the sweetest, most charming and funniest guy you will ever meet. A true class act. As to how he puts up with crazy fangirls like me, I can’t even begin to fathom, but he does and I appreciate that. Buster was also wonderful: I thanked him for his work on Transformers as well as that on The Real Ghostbusters. He said he remembered his work on Ghostbusters and thanked me for my kindness. He was truly sweet.
After the autographs, I went back to the panel room and sat in for the Transformers Club roundtable and the Hasbro panel. Epic reveals in each, but they’re all over the net by now so there’s no point in mentioning them. Once those two panels were finished, Prime, DA and I stuck around for one of the most popular guest panels at BotCon:
Peter Cullen.
Before you ask, yes, I have met him and he is amazing. When he greeted us in the panel room, the man nearly brought me to tears: as he looked at the crowd, he said he saw so many familiar faces and we were one. We were family.
I admit it, my eyes were misting over at that point. To hear him, the voice of Optimus Prime, proclaim us as family…all I can say about it is ‘wow’. It’s truly overwhelming.
Once Mr. Cullen’s panel drew to a close, the three of us got ready for the Cocktail Reception, Dinner, Hall of Fame Ceremony and Casino night. Prime and I didn’t hit the alcohol all that much and neither one of us did so well at gambling (well, I stuck to bingo) but that wasn’t the biggest surprise of the night. No, the big surprise of the night was the fan’s choice Hall of Fame inductee. The choices were Arcee, Sky-Byte, Beast Wars Megatron, Rodimus and Wheeljack. The winner?
Wheeljack. I was more than a little surprised.
After the festivities were over (and DA, Prime and myself got tired of looking at scantily dressed girls attending a dance), we headed back to the hotel and crashed.
April 30, 2012 Sunday
The crowds weren’t as thick today; it was as if the Con’s ending was hovering like some vast, predatory bird on the fringes of the day. The three of us didn’t have to deal with the parking issue today and the lot didn’t seem quite as full. After parking, we headed to the panel rooms for the live script reading of Bee in the City 2.
If you missed it, you may be in luck—Pete Sinclair has said that it will be posted to YouTube. When it is, I will link it as you have to watch it to enjoy it. But it was a hoot!
Once that was done, I dashed to the Dealer Room to get the autographs of David Kaye and Garry Chalk. But we also had Abby Collins there as well and I got her signature too.
When I got out of the line for that, I loitered around a bit and waited for the last autograph session, another one with Dan Gilvezan and Buster Jones. You know how you’re at a function and you see that one person at the head of the line and you kinda hate them a little? Yeah, I was that person! I was first in line for that autograph session! I got Dan to sign my name badge and had him sign an ornament for a friend of mine who was volunteering at the show. (Hey, I owed her big time!) I also got Buster to sign it too. Happy? Oh yeah, I was.
I caught up with DA afterward and we talked; eventually we ran into Prime and we made our way to the Activision booth to see a demo of Transformers: Fall of Cybertron. The game looks amazing, but pardon me a moment, for I must rant.
mini rant
Alright people, signs are posted for a damn good reason. I don’t care if you think your kid hanging off a statue isn’t going to hurt the statue--if it says don’t touch, then your kid shouldn’t be climbing on it. Seriously, do you let your kid play in the middle of the damned street thinking, "Hey, little junior dumbass is smart enough to get outta all them there cars’s way. Kid’ll be fine."? Sure he will…then the little dipshit gets hurt and YOU feel the need to sue someone because YOU are a fucking moron. If you are that damned stupid, do us all a favor and adopt a damn goldfish. Or better yet, raise a Chia plant. If either one of those get hurt or die because of your own idiocy, you’ve got no one to blame but yourself. And for the love of Primus, remain a shut-in and stay out of the public eye. We’re tired of dealing with you.
/end mini rant
Aaaaaaaaaaaaah, better.
Anyway, after that, we all got posters. A raffle or two later and the Dealer Room was shutting down, as was the Con. Prime, DA and I wandered around, found Asuza-san’s table and took a look. Asuza let me have a Bumblebee toy for free and we bought a pair of Japanese Happy Meal toys from him. Awesome!
After chatting with some of our friends, the three of us headed outside and to my shock there’s Dan Gilvezan just outside the hotel. So I took the opportunity to hug both him and his wonderful wife and tell them goodbye. He said we’d see each other again, as I’m not getting rid of him that easily. Oh, yeah, huge grin on my face!
We got back to the hotel, chatted and around 7:15, took DA to the airport. We said our farewells, I hugged him good-bye and it looked as though some tears may fall. Well, until Prime yelled, "Stop crying!" We all had a good laugh at that one.
I’ve had dinner and now I’m going to bed. Yeah, I am sad that the Con is over, but not as badly as I have been in past years. As of right now, I’m wondering where our next reunion will be held. I can’t wait to see the rest of the family again.
--Weasel
Saturday, April 28, 2012
The BotCon 2012 Update Part 2
So here we are again, with a second day of action at BotCon 2012!
Okay, we got up at 7:30 or so, got dressed and ready and were out the hotel by 9:20. After fueling up, we got to the Hyatt and hit the MSTF panel. Although we were only able to catch the end of the panel, it was still pretty fun. Afterwards, we stayed for the Transformers Filmfest, which had some pretty good entries. We all voted and in the end, the winning entry was one called "Starting Them Young". It was super-cute, trust me. After that, I decided to go ahead and head to the Autograph line. Prime thought I was slightly cracked, but I thought it was a good idea.
Turned out I was right. The line for the Autograph session was combined with the line for the private Dealer Room experience. By the time I got there, it was pretty blasted long. But I hung out, DA dropped by bearing Starbucks (Mocha Frappuccino!) and we chatted while watching bits and pieces of Transformers: Dark of the Moon on his iPad. Prime caught up to us and the fun began a little bit later: the doors to the Dealer Room were opened!
Prime completed our door prize forms and I went directly to the Autograph line. It wasn't a long wait and I got two comics signed by Simon Furman. I didn't get Garry Chalk or David Kaye's autographs yet, but there's still time. Afterwards, I wandered the Dealer room and spotted a table were none other than Dan Gilvezan was seated; he was selling signed copies of his book Bumblebee and Me. Did I buy one? You bet! Did I chat with him? Better believe it! Did I giggle like a crazed fan girl? Well, it's me. Of course I did! XD
After that, I walked around the Dealer room with Prime and we bought little plastic robots and other awesome things. So much fun it hurt. But at five o'clock, the Dealer room closed so Prime, DA, Stogie and I headed out, met up with Shawn and spent the rest of the evening hanging out until we broke it up around 10.
It's been fun. A lot of fun. And this is why I come to the convention every year--it's not about the toys, it's about the people. Seeing my friends and hanging out with them makes it worth it.
Don't expect an update tomorrow night. We have a truly long day ahead and I probably won't be getting back here until about 1 or so in the morning. There will be an update on Sunday, though.
Until then, this has been
--Weasel, signing off for now.
Okay, we got up at 7:30 or so, got dressed and ready and were out the hotel by 9:20. After fueling up, we got to the Hyatt and hit the MSTF panel. Although we were only able to catch the end of the panel, it was still pretty fun. Afterwards, we stayed for the Transformers Filmfest, which had some pretty good entries. We all voted and in the end, the winning entry was one called "Starting Them Young". It was super-cute, trust me. After that, I decided to go ahead and head to the Autograph line. Prime thought I was slightly cracked, but I thought it was a good idea.
Turned out I was right. The line for the Autograph session was combined with the line for the private Dealer Room experience. By the time I got there, it was pretty blasted long. But I hung out, DA dropped by bearing Starbucks (Mocha Frappuccino!) and we chatted while watching bits and pieces of Transformers: Dark of the Moon on his iPad. Prime caught up to us and the fun began a little bit later: the doors to the Dealer Room were opened!
Prime completed our door prize forms and I went directly to the Autograph line. It wasn't a long wait and I got two comics signed by Simon Furman. I didn't get Garry Chalk or David Kaye's autographs yet, but there's still time. Afterwards, I wandered the Dealer room and spotted a table were none other than Dan Gilvezan was seated; he was selling signed copies of his book Bumblebee and Me. Did I buy one? You bet! Did I chat with him? Better believe it! Did I giggle like a crazed fan girl? Well, it's me. Of course I did! XD
After that, I walked around the Dealer room with Prime and we bought little plastic robots and other awesome things. So much fun it hurt. But at five o'clock, the Dealer room closed so Prime, DA, Stogie and I headed out, met up with Shawn and spent the rest of the evening hanging out until we broke it up around 10.
It's been fun. A lot of fun. And this is why I come to the convention every year--it's not about the toys, it's about the people. Seeing my friends and hanging out with them makes it worth it.
Don't expect an update tomorrow night. We have a truly long day ahead and I probably won't be getting back here until about 1 or so in the morning. There will be an update on Sunday, though.
Until then, this has been
--Weasel, signing off for now.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
The BotCon 2012 Update
(Bear with me, as I am completely exhausted. It's been a tiring few days. But it's also been loads of fun!)
I'm now currently in the great state of Texas, on vacation and ready to party at BotCon 2012. It's been quite an interesting few days, as you will see.
April 22, 2012 Sunday
Prime and I left a bit later than we would have liked; we had some last-minute packing (that I still unintentionally screwed up, in the end) and got a bit held up. But once we had that squared away, we loaded up Scamper and were on our way.
The drive itself was uneventful--we spent most of it listening to the Brewers game on 620 WTMJ-AM, the Brewers Radio Network flagship. They have a great signal, too. It wasn't until we were driving through the southern region of Illinois that the signal got bad enough to make us listen to something else, and by that time, we had already listened to the Crew lose to the Rockies (DAMMIT!) and heard Brewers Extra Innings in its entirety. Not fun, the losing part, but what are you going to do?
The rest of the trip again, was completely uneventful--although when we hit Saint Louis, the exit we took ran right next to Busch Stadium, home of the Cardinals, whom I do not like. At all. But the rest of the drive through Missouri was pretty decent and we got to our halfway point--Eureka--without incident. Prime and I checked into our hotel, hit a Walmart for the heck of it then came back to our room, ate and after buying tickets to the Texas Rangers game in Arlington, crashed. All in all, not a bad first day for a two-day road trip.
April 23, 2012 Monday
Prime had decided the night before that if we really wanted to hit the Rangers game, we'd have to leave a bit early. So we were packed, out the door and checked out of the hotel by 7:25. We got sidetracked and had to stop at another Walmart to grab a few things (mainly the dry goods foods, which somehow I had ALSO forgotten; Prime, however, had veered off to toys and returned with a couple of new electronic Bumblebee greeting cards, the Transformers Bot Shots series 2 Super-Bot, Bumblebee, and a Transformers Prime Arcee, then found a Bumblebee T-shirt I didn't already have, on clearance--he certainly can work a store), then get back on the road proper.
This time the drive was a bit more difficult--when we hit Oklahoma we were stuck on a US highway and not an interstate. So we'd cruise along at decent speed, have to drop down to 35 or 40 miles per hour when coming upon a town, and then ramp back up once past the town line. Just kind of annoying. Once we arrived in Texas, we could actually use an interstate highway, but that may not have been such a great thing.
People in Texas drive like idiots. I mean that. If they don't try and sideswipe you while merging into traffic, they will try and tailgate you. Or worse. I have never seen such Primus-awful behavior before. So if you ever come down to Texas, do not drive if you can help it. I do not kid.
After going through the traffic from hell, Prime and I arrived at our hotel and tried to check-in. Notice how I said "tried".
We were left standing at the front desk for about twenty minutes. There was no one there. There was absolutely no one in the lobby. Prime was getting irritated, I was getting irritated, it was not a pretty situation in the least. But finally someone came up and checked us in. Prime then asked where the hotel's business center was located, as we had to print off the tickets to the Rangers game.
This hotel doesn't have one. The blasted website wasn't truthful, it would seem.
Thankfully, the man running the desk had a printer and printed them off for us, so we grabbed them and dove back into the wonderful world of Texas road apathy.
We finally got to the ballpark at Arlington, but between the accepted horrible ballpark day-of-event traffic jam and their parking situation, we didn't get to our seats until the fourth inning. Once we grabbed some food and found our section, we headed to our seats. I had no problem sitting down, while Prime ran into a snag.
Someone was sitting in his chair. So Prime asked the guy to move. Here's where it gets ridiculous: the guy refused. He didn't want to get up and wanted to stay sitting in Prime's seat. Prime pointed out that he had the ticket to that seat and the guy still wouldn't move. But Prime was persistent and finally got to sit down.
I'm still in shock over this little incident: we've had people at Miller Park sit in other seats, but when the occupant returns/arrives, they will get up and go to their assigned seat. How difficult is this for someone to grasp? News flash: it isn't. So, yes, by now I have figured that Texas may have an abnormally high population of impolite jerks.
As for the game, it certainly was different--this was an American League game so we had a Designated Hitter for both teams. Also, they'll sing "Deep In the Heart of Texas" between the fifth and sixth inning and have an Ozarka Water "Dot race". Um, Arlington? Milwaukee does it waaaaaaaay better. The Sausages in the Miller Park Sausage Race can actually run and not shuffle. Just sayin'.
As for the game, the stupid Yankees won. And Mariano Rivera got another save, which I had no desire to see. (Trevor Hoffman is the all-time saves leader in my book!)
Once the game was over, Prime and I headed back to Scamper, hit a gas station to refuel and came back to the hotel where we crashed. All in all, a pretty decent day.
April 24, 2012 Tuesday
I slept until 11:30, I was that exhausted. But once I was up, I ate breakfast while Prime worked around online a bit. Prime got up with our friends Shawn (he likes fried chicken) and Stogie, and we headed out to shoot the slag with them for a while. We got to the Hyatt, met Ravyn, hung out for a while and then headed up to the room set aside for the Customization Class to help set it all up. After we got everything ready, we hung out with Shawn for a little longer--I got a bit tipsy on some Manischewitz Shawn brought--then we all broke it up for the night and went to our respective hotel rooms.
April 25, 2012 Wednesday
Here's where Prime and I split ways, so to speak: he's help with the Customization Class this year; I had a tour to take. While Prime helped people put together their toy--Shattered Glass Longarm, or, with a little bit of custom part addition, Classics Shockwave--I was wandering through Rangers Ballpark and seeing the immense Cowboys Stadium. I tried not to go too overboard on the souvenirs, but I ended up spending $33 on pins! Four came from the Ballpark at Arlington: a Texas Rangers logo pin, a 40th anniversary pin, a Nolan Ryan pin and a series pin for the Yankees/Rangers games. At Cowboys Stadium, I simply grabbed a Cowboys logo pin, which was clearance priced for $2. Talk about fun.
When I got back to the Hyatt, Prime was still helping out with the class. It seems that things were going a bit slower than everyone had thought, so I hung around with Prime and tried to be helpful. Once 7PM rolled around, Prime suggested I head down to pick up our pre-registration items, so I headed downstairs, hung out and got in line.
The wait was longer than the pick up. Usually, the pre-reg pick up starts pretty late but this time it was ahead of schedule and I was done pretty quickly. Prime came downstairs alongside the other class staffers to chat with me and we saw Karl Hartman. We chatted, I hugged Karl and had fun, as always.
Once I had our stuff, we all headed back to the classroom, helped clean up and set up for tomorrow, then went out for a quick bite of dinner. While we were out, DA called and said he was on his way. He met up with us, I hugged him, and we all sat around talking and goofing off until midnight. But all good things come to an end, so we headed back to our rooms and turned in for the night.
April 26, 2012 Thursday (Today)
Since there was nothing on my schedule, I had a chance to actually sleep in again, which I did. I got up around 11:30, got dressed and called Prime about an hour or so later. Seems he was on a food run for the class staff, so I asked if he could pick me up and drag my tail to the hotel. Today was the first day of sales at the Club Store and I didn't want anything to sell out before Prime had finished with today's project. You don't want to recommend getting between Stogie and his food (he's not himself when he's hungry, and Snickers doesn't satisfy like everyone thinks it does), but I wore him down on it, so I was taken to the Hyatt. We met up with DA and I spent a long time chatting with him, blowing time until I would have to stand in line again.
At around 4PM, I ran upstairs to the classroom, got a list from Prime and the necessary cash, then went downstairs to get in line for the store. I made pretty good time and was the fourth person in the cash line so I thought that things would go off without a hitch tonight.
Not so.
About thirty minutes before the doors opened, I got to take a glance at the sales sheet. It seems that the sales of the Souvenir sets were limited to one per person. That was a problem, as we needed a second one of the sets for a friend in the UK. So I called Prime, told him about it and he said he'd be down to help. At around 5:55 he showed up, we chatted, he filled out my sheet and I tried to hunt down another order form to no avail. It didn't really matter, though. We didn't get into the store until around 6:25. Once inside, Prime got an order form and filled it out while we waited to be helped.
Getting the toys didn't take too long and we were done in about ten minutes. Once that was finished, we headed back to the classroom, I helped clean and pick up any useful items and we broke it up for the night.
Tomorrow the convention actually starts and I can barely wait. I'll be getting autographs, buying toys, acting like a fool, hanging with my friends, you name it. It'll be great, as always. So until tomorrow's post, good morning, good afternoon, good evening and good night!
--Weasel, having too much fun as it is
I'm now currently in the great state of Texas, on vacation and ready to party at BotCon 2012. It's been quite an interesting few days, as you will see.
April 22, 2012 Sunday
Prime and I left a bit later than we would have liked; we had some last-minute packing (that I still unintentionally screwed up, in the end) and got a bit held up. But once we had that squared away, we loaded up Scamper and were on our way.
The drive itself was uneventful--we spent most of it listening to the Brewers game on 620 WTMJ-AM, the Brewers Radio Network flagship. They have a great signal, too. It wasn't until we were driving through the southern region of Illinois that the signal got bad enough to make us listen to something else, and by that time, we had already listened to the Crew lose to the Rockies (DAMMIT!) and heard Brewers Extra Innings in its entirety. Not fun, the losing part, but what are you going to do?
The rest of the trip again, was completely uneventful--although when we hit Saint Louis, the exit we took ran right next to Busch Stadium, home of the Cardinals, whom I do not like. At all. But the rest of the drive through Missouri was pretty decent and we got to our halfway point--Eureka--without incident. Prime and I checked into our hotel, hit a Walmart for the heck of it then came back to our room, ate and after buying tickets to the Texas Rangers game in Arlington, crashed. All in all, not a bad first day for a two-day road trip.
April 23, 2012 Monday
Prime had decided the night before that if we really wanted to hit the Rangers game, we'd have to leave a bit early. So we were packed, out the door and checked out of the hotel by 7:25. We got sidetracked and had to stop at another Walmart to grab a few things (mainly the dry goods foods, which somehow I had ALSO forgotten; Prime, however, had veered off to toys and returned with a couple of new electronic Bumblebee greeting cards, the Transformers Bot Shots series 2 Super-Bot, Bumblebee, and a Transformers Prime Arcee, then found a Bumblebee T-shirt I didn't already have, on clearance--he certainly can work a store), then get back on the road proper.
This time the drive was a bit more difficult--when we hit Oklahoma we were stuck on a US highway and not an interstate. So we'd cruise along at decent speed, have to drop down to 35 or 40 miles per hour when coming upon a town, and then ramp back up once past the town line. Just kind of annoying. Once we arrived in Texas, we could actually use an interstate highway, but that may not have been such a great thing.
People in Texas drive like idiots. I mean that. If they don't try and sideswipe you while merging into traffic, they will try and tailgate you. Or worse. I have never seen such Primus-awful behavior before. So if you ever come down to Texas, do not drive if you can help it. I do not kid.
After going through the traffic from hell, Prime and I arrived at our hotel and tried to check-in. Notice how I said "tried".
We were left standing at the front desk for about twenty minutes. There was no one there. There was absolutely no one in the lobby. Prime was getting irritated, I was getting irritated, it was not a pretty situation in the least. But finally someone came up and checked us in. Prime then asked where the hotel's business center was located, as we had to print off the tickets to the Rangers game.
This hotel doesn't have one. The blasted website wasn't truthful, it would seem.
Thankfully, the man running the desk had a printer and printed them off for us, so we grabbed them and dove back into the wonderful world of Texas road apathy.
We finally got to the ballpark at Arlington, but between the accepted horrible ballpark day-of-event traffic jam and their parking situation, we didn't get to our seats until the fourth inning. Once we grabbed some food and found our section, we headed to our seats. I had no problem sitting down, while Prime ran into a snag.
Someone was sitting in his chair. So Prime asked the guy to move. Here's where it gets ridiculous: the guy refused. He didn't want to get up and wanted to stay sitting in Prime's seat. Prime pointed out that he had the ticket to that seat and the guy still wouldn't move. But Prime was persistent and finally got to sit down.
I'm still in shock over this little incident: we've had people at Miller Park sit in other seats, but when the occupant returns/arrives, they will get up and go to their assigned seat. How difficult is this for someone to grasp? News flash: it isn't. So, yes, by now I have figured that Texas may have an abnormally high population of impolite jerks.
As for the game, it certainly was different--this was an American League game so we had a Designated Hitter for both teams. Also, they'll sing "Deep In the Heart of Texas" between the fifth and sixth inning and have an Ozarka Water "Dot race". Um, Arlington? Milwaukee does it waaaaaaaay better. The Sausages in the Miller Park Sausage Race can actually run and not shuffle. Just sayin'.
As for the game, the stupid Yankees won. And Mariano Rivera got another save, which I had no desire to see. (Trevor Hoffman is the all-time saves leader in my book!)
Once the game was over, Prime and I headed back to Scamper, hit a gas station to refuel and came back to the hotel where we crashed. All in all, a pretty decent day.
April 24, 2012 Tuesday
I slept until 11:30, I was that exhausted. But once I was up, I ate breakfast while Prime worked around online a bit. Prime got up with our friends Shawn (he likes fried chicken) and Stogie, and we headed out to shoot the slag with them for a while. We got to the Hyatt, met Ravyn, hung out for a while and then headed up to the room set aside for the Customization Class to help set it all up. After we got everything ready, we hung out with Shawn for a little longer--I got a bit tipsy on some Manischewitz Shawn brought--then we all broke it up for the night and went to our respective hotel rooms.
April 25, 2012 Wednesday
Here's where Prime and I split ways, so to speak: he's help with the Customization Class this year; I had a tour to take. While Prime helped people put together their toy--Shattered Glass Longarm, or, with a little bit of custom part addition, Classics Shockwave--I was wandering through Rangers Ballpark and seeing the immense Cowboys Stadium. I tried not to go too overboard on the souvenirs, but I ended up spending $33 on pins! Four came from the Ballpark at Arlington: a Texas Rangers logo pin, a 40th anniversary pin, a Nolan Ryan pin and a series pin for the Yankees/Rangers games. At Cowboys Stadium, I simply grabbed a Cowboys logo pin, which was clearance priced for $2. Talk about fun.
When I got back to the Hyatt, Prime was still helping out with the class. It seems that things were going a bit slower than everyone had thought, so I hung around with Prime and tried to be helpful. Once 7PM rolled around, Prime suggested I head down to pick up our pre-registration items, so I headed downstairs, hung out and got in line.
The wait was longer than the pick up. Usually, the pre-reg pick up starts pretty late but this time it was ahead of schedule and I was done pretty quickly. Prime came downstairs alongside the other class staffers to chat with me and we saw Karl Hartman. We chatted, I hugged Karl and had fun, as always.
Once I had our stuff, we all headed back to the classroom, helped clean up and set up for tomorrow, then went out for a quick bite of dinner. While we were out, DA called and said he was on his way. He met up with us, I hugged him, and we all sat around talking and goofing off until midnight. But all good things come to an end, so we headed back to our rooms and turned in for the night.
April 26, 2012 Thursday (Today)
Since there was nothing on my schedule, I had a chance to actually sleep in again, which I did. I got up around 11:30, got dressed and called Prime about an hour or so later. Seems he was on a food run for the class staff, so I asked if he could pick me up and drag my tail to the hotel. Today was the first day of sales at the Club Store and I didn't want anything to sell out before Prime had finished with today's project. You don't want to recommend getting between Stogie and his food (he's not himself when he's hungry, and Snickers doesn't satisfy like everyone thinks it does), but I wore him down on it, so I was taken to the Hyatt. We met up with DA and I spent a long time chatting with him, blowing time until I would have to stand in line again.
At around 4PM, I ran upstairs to the classroom, got a list from Prime and the necessary cash, then went downstairs to get in line for the store. I made pretty good time and was the fourth person in the cash line so I thought that things would go off without a hitch tonight.
Not so.
About thirty minutes before the doors opened, I got to take a glance at the sales sheet. It seems that the sales of the Souvenir sets were limited to one per person. That was a problem, as we needed a second one of the sets for a friend in the UK. So I called Prime, told him about it and he said he'd be down to help. At around 5:55 he showed up, we chatted, he filled out my sheet and I tried to hunt down another order form to no avail. It didn't really matter, though. We didn't get into the store until around 6:25. Once inside, Prime got an order form and filled it out while we waited to be helped.
Getting the toys didn't take too long and we were done in about ten minutes. Once that was finished, we headed back to the classroom, I helped clean and pick up any useful items and we broke it up for the night.
Tomorrow the convention actually starts and I can barely wait. I'll be getting autographs, buying toys, acting like a fool, hanging with my friends, you name it. It'll be great, as always. So until tomorrow's post, good morning, good afternoon, good evening and good night!
--Weasel, having too much fun as it is
Saturday, April 07, 2012
BLOG POST OF ULTIMATE BOASTING!
(Don't worry: the title is a joke. Even though what happened on Thursday was pretty slagging epic.)
Thursday morning I head into work about a half an hour early--Prime had to go in early, which meant I had extra time to spend in the breakroom. So what do I do in my spare time? The same thing I do every time I stuck in the breakroom--I start hatching Golett eggs. Since I'm hovering at 2,780 hatched, I decide to do a run of twenty and call it for a day. That'll even everything out to 2,800 until I pick up the game again. Besides, I think, if I do a shorter run I'll have time to go through and do some EV training via the Elite Four. So I gather my eggs and begin the process of hatching.
It takes a bit, but it's nearly 10:15 and I've hatched 19 out of twenty. So when I hear the shell cracking on number twenty, I grab my pen and scribble down a few numbers in my memo book. I'm not really paying attention to the game; the sounds of the Golett's cry and the fanfare that plays afterwards barely catches my attention. I'm too busy writing down my brand new hatch total: 2,800. Once I'm done, I turn to my DS and take a look at the brand new hatching. What I see causes my jaw to drop in shock.
Eyes: yellowish-green, not light yellow. Body: grey and black, not two differing shades of blue. This Golett is oddly colored.
A shiny. I finally hatched my shiny. So much for taking the Elite Four challenge that morning.
I managed to tap out the chosen name for my brand new shiny--Guardian--then promptly hit save. Once my game is saved, I take a look at Guardian's stats. I'm quite pleased at what I see.
Nature: Brave
Ability: Iron Fist
I couldn't have asked for a better shiny, really. The little guy is perfect. Or at the very least, he is to me. So after four months and 2,800 eggs, I've finally gotten my "baby", if you will.
I'm taking a slight break from the hunt right now. I've been hatching eggs for so long that yeah, I need the time off. But I have a Japanese Sawk and an Adamant Natured Japanese Ditto in Day Care; I'll be starting the hunt for a shiny Sawk in May. The rest of April will simply be too busy for me, with BotCon and all. But once the 'con is done, I'll start hatching more eggs. Why? A shiny hunter's job is never done--there's always another shiny Pokémon to hunt, either by resetting or breeding. Yes, I'm insane, I know. Wish me luck anyway.
--Weasel, "It's a wonderful madness, truly. Nothing I enjoy more than a shiny hunt."
Thursday morning I head into work about a half an hour early--Prime had to go in early, which meant I had extra time to spend in the breakroom. So what do I do in my spare time? The same thing I do every time I stuck in the breakroom--I start hatching Golett eggs. Since I'm hovering at 2,780 hatched, I decide to do a run of twenty and call it for a day. That'll even everything out to 2,800 until I pick up the game again. Besides, I think, if I do a shorter run I'll have time to go through and do some EV training via the Elite Four. So I gather my eggs and begin the process of hatching.
It takes a bit, but it's nearly 10:15 and I've hatched 19 out of twenty. So when I hear the shell cracking on number twenty, I grab my pen and scribble down a few numbers in my memo book. I'm not really paying attention to the game; the sounds of the Golett's cry and the fanfare that plays afterwards barely catches my attention. I'm too busy writing down my brand new hatch total: 2,800. Once I'm done, I turn to my DS and take a look at the brand new hatching. What I see causes my jaw to drop in shock.
Eyes: yellowish-green, not light yellow. Body: grey and black, not two differing shades of blue. This Golett is oddly colored.
A shiny. I finally hatched my shiny. So much for taking the Elite Four challenge that morning.
I managed to tap out the chosen name for my brand new shiny--Guardian--then promptly hit save. Once my game is saved, I take a look at Guardian's stats. I'm quite pleased at what I see.
Nature: Brave
Ability: Iron Fist
I couldn't have asked for a better shiny, really. The little guy is perfect. Or at the very least, he is to me. So after four months and 2,800 eggs, I've finally gotten my "baby", if you will.
I'm taking a slight break from the hunt right now. I've been hatching eggs for so long that yeah, I need the time off. But I have a Japanese Sawk and an Adamant Natured Japanese Ditto in Day Care; I'll be starting the hunt for a shiny Sawk in May. The rest of April will simply be too busy for me, with BotCon and all. But once the 'con is done, I'll start hatching more eggs. Why? A shiny hunter's job is never done--there's always another shiny Pokémon to hunt, either by resetting or breeding. Yes, I'm insane, I know. Wish me luck anyway.
--Weasel, "It's a wonderful madness, truly. Nothing I enjoy more than a shiny hunt."
Thursday, February 23, 2012
There are no words to describe the awesome
This is the coolest ring in the history of jewelry. I want one, but in Autobot. I'd also like it delivered in a yellow VW Bug or a yellow Camaro that sports black racing stripes. For that would be epic and all kinds of awesome.
--Weasel, "But how do you end the ceremony? 'Til all are one'? Eh, that might work..."
--Weasel, "But how do you end the ceremony? 'Til all are one'? Eh, that might work..."
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
COMMUNICATIONS INTERRUPT: TOO MANY DOG TAGS
WingTacker (thank Primus for the Multiforce; twelve W names with which I can run) has obviously been slacking off here. Understandable, I suppose; still filling notebooks with that horrendously illegible scrawl of hers (won't just buy the cheapest ones, either), spending moronic amounts of time looking for GTS Pokémon trades (it IS moronic when it's happening well after midnight and the alarm clock's gonna sound around 0700), mooning over the Brewers and the latest player to jump off the train (Jerry Hairston just signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers). Y'know. The usual.
Black Friday passed uneventfully for both of us. The 'open' times for stores poking into Thanksgiving late-night meant that all the nigh-solipsistic assholes, the nutbars who do all their holiday shopping then, and the people who were just looking for one or two deals and preferred not to risk missing out on 'em...they were pretty much all gone by 0300 Friday. WingTacker hadda be in at 0645. Fairly quiet shift. Me--I am a charter member of the third group listed above. No dues to pay this year, though--the entirety of Transformers offerings, this year, consisted of old stock, taped together and stickered with a fluorescent yellow SPECIAL VALUE starburst label. Shipped like that from Hasbro--I've seen the case boxes. Generally gotta put a little more effort into the repackaging to get me to bite.
So I stayed home and bought a Ninja. Hasn't arrived yet...
Took WingTacker to see Pokémon the Movie WHITE: VICTINI AND ZEKROM on Sunday. Limited engagements, bleh. Four whole theaters in Wisconsin showing it (once a day for two days), all in the Milwaukee area.
Whatever. I can drive that in my sleep BUT DIDN'T BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE IRRESPONSIBLE. Yomped around the area a little bit, afterward, hoping to find a Transformer that's been sighted in the state and is being snapped up about as quickly as its predecessor.
And BotCon just horked up the dates and location for the 2012 convention. Hopefully, Dallas in late April will be nothing like Dallas (Frisco, whatever, blah frickin' blah) in late September 2005. I'm missing DairyCon for the first time ever for this. Kinda sucks, but then, some of the behind-the-scenes drama is making me feel...somewhat less bad about it.
+++PRIME OUT+++C'EST LA VIE+++
Black Friday passed uneventfully for both of us. The 'open' times for stores poking into Thanksgiving late-night meant that all the nigh-solipsistic assholes, the nutbars who do all their holiday shopping then, and the people who were just looking for one or two deals and preferred not to risk missing out on 'em...they were pretty much all gone by 0300 Friday. WingTacker hadda be in at 0645. Fairly quiet shift. Me--I am a charter member of the third group listed above. No dues to pay this year, though--the entirety of Transformers offerings, this year, consisted of old stock, taped together and stickered with a fluorescent yellow SPECIAL VALUE starburst label. Shipped like that from Hasbro--I've seen the case boxes. Generally gotta put a little more effort into the repackaging to get me to bite.
So I stayed home and bought a Ninja. Hasn't arrived yet...
Took WingTacker to see Pokémon the Movie WHITE: VICTINI AND ZEKROM on Sunday. Limited engagements, bleh. Four whole theaters in Wisconsin showing it (once a day for two days), all in the Milwaukee area.
Whatever. I can drive that in my sleep BUT DIDN'T BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE IRRESPONSIBLE. Yomped around the area a little bit, afterward, hoping to find a Transformer that's been sighted in the state and is being snapped up about as quickly as its predecessor.
And BotCon just horked up the dates and location for the 2012 convention. Hopefully, Dallas in late April will be nothing like Dallas (Frisco, whatever, blah frickin' blah) in late September 2005. I'm missing DairyCon for the first time ever for this. Kinda sucks, but then, some of the behind-the-scenes drama is making me feel...somewhat less bad about it.
+++PRIME OUT+++C'EST LA VIE+++
Saturday, June 04, 2011
You've gotta know when to hold 'em...
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
Know when to run
You never count your money
When you're sittin' at the table
There'll be time enough for countin'
When the dealin's done.
Click the title for musical accompaniment, if you'd like.
So today (technically yesterday) was the first real day of the Con. Prime and I got up, got ready and headed out to the 'Con. We got out and about a bit after noon, which was fine by me because the first autographs didn't start until 2. We ran into DA, chatted a bit and I got in line for the first autograph session. The guys decided to take in the live script reading that was happening at around 1PM.
Today Jack Angel was supposed to sign at 2, but he wasn't feeling well and couldn't make it. So in his place, Abby Collins was signing autographs. Who is Abby Collins? She's the daughter of a rather well-known but deceased voice actor. Seems she's trying to break into the voice acting biz and read the part of Minerva.
Oh yeah, when that came out, A LOT of fans were having minor strokes and coronaries. Her father is quite well loved by the fandom, even though many of us never had the chance to meet him. So there were a lot of excited and happy fans. Oh yes, I got Ms. Collins autograph and I truly hope she makes it in voice acting; she truly is a sweet person.
After that, I waited around for the second autograph session, ran into DA and we hung around in line and shot the shit. DA had a mild freakout when he saw the giant Grimlock costume; I got a kick out of the kid who was dressed as Wheelie. He even had a slingshot and nailed someone who was dressed as Devastator a couple of times. (Little bot's got some ball bearings, I tell ya.)
After I got my autographs, I headed into the Dealer Room, called Prime and met up with him. He was near a gigantic Transformers: Prime Optimus Prime statue. I got a couple of shots of that, spun the big wheel that was on display there and won a Transformers: Prime poster. Then, I took to wandering.
Stopped by the Kre-O booth and entered for a chance to win a Kre-O Bumblebee. I also got a Kre-O Optimus Prime figure and told the guy at the booth that if they ever needed to get rid of the big Bumblebee figure they had on display, I'd take him. He would be worshiped, of course. The guy laughed and said, "Oh, I bet you would." I think my reputation is starting to proceed me.
Before we were kicked out at 5, I got to take a few shots of the Autobot vehicles from the movie, caught up with Prime and got a pair of lanyards from the Transformers Universe video game booth. But at five, we all had to leave. Before I headed out, I ran back to the Bumblebee Camaro and said my good-byes and promised him that I would see him the next day.
After a brief stopover at our hotel, we got ready for Casino Night and went back to the Convention center. Prime went into the actual game room to earn some creds for the auction while I played bingo.
I tried, but I didn't win. I was hoping to win the 2008 Shattered Glass Rodimus for Prime but it didn't pan out. I really would have loved to get that figure; I've put Prime through enough hell and he deserves something for his time and trouble. Oh well, maybe next time.
Prime had amassed $800 in casino money, but it did us no good. We couldn't win a slagging thing at the auction. Again, maybe next year.
Once that was over, we ran into Shawn, hung out with him for a bit then headed back to our hotel. It's getting late and my stupid ass really should be in bed (gotta get up early) but you know me. I have to blog.
I'm happy. Dear Primus, I am happy. I feel so much better. I really wish this wouldn't end. But honestly, having this only once a year makes it extremely precious to me. Once a year I get to recharge my batteries and escape the slag that is reality. To have something like this to look forward to is a great help.
Two more days. I intend to enjoy the hell out of them. Until next time.
--Weasel
Know when to walk away
Know when to run
You never count your money
When you're sittin' at the table
There'll be time enough for countin'
When the dealin's done.
Click the title for musical accompaniment, if you'd like.
So today (technically yesterday) was the first real day of the Con. Prime and I got up, got ready and headed out to the 'Con. We got out and about a bit after noon, which was fine by me because the first autographs didn't start until 2. We ran into DA, chatted a bit and I got in line for the first autograph session. The guys decided to take in the live script reading that was happening at around 1PM.
Today Jack Angel was supposed to sign at 2, but he wasn't feeling well and couldn't make it. So in his place, Abby Collins was signing autographs. Who is Abby Collins? She's the daughter of a rather well-known but deceased voice actor. Seems she's trying to break into the voice acting biz and read the part of Minerva.
Oh yeah, when that came out, A LOT of fans were having minor strokes and coronaries. Her father is quite well loved by the fandom, even though many of us never had the chance to meet him. So there were a lot of excited and happy fans. Oh yes, I got Ms. Collins autograph and I truly hope she makes it in voice acting; she truly is a sweet person.
After that, I waited around for the second autograph session, ran into DA and we hung around in line and shot the shit. DA had a mild freakout when he saw the giant Grimlock costume; I got a kick out of the kid who was dressed as Wheelie. He even had a slingshot and nailed someone who was dressed as Devastator a couple of times. (Little bot's got some ball bearings, I tell ya.)
After I got my autographs, I headed into the Dealer Room, called Prime and met up with him. He was near a gigantic Transformers: Prime Optimus Prime statue. I got a couple of shots of that, spun the big wheel that was on display there and won a Transformers: Prime poster. Then, I took to wandering.
Stopped by the Kre-O booth and entered for a chance to win a Kre-O Bumblebee. I also got a Kre-O Optimus Prime figure and told the guy at the booth that if they ever needed to get rid of the big Bumblebee figure they had on display, I'd take him. He would be worshiped, of course. The guy laughed and said, "Oh, I bet you would." I think my reputation is starting to proceed me.
Before we were kicked out at 5, I got to take a few shots of the Autobot vehicles from the movie, caught up with Prime and got a pair of lanyards from the Transformers Universe video game booth. But at five, we all had to leave. Before I headed out, I ran back to the Bumblebee Camaro and said my good-byes and promised him that I would see him the next day.
After a brief stopover at our hotel, we got ready for Casino Night and went back to the Convention center. Prime went into the actual game room to earn some creds for the auction while I played bingo.
I tried, but I didn't win. I was hoping to win the 2008 Shattered Glass Rodimus for Prime but it didn't pan out. I really would have loved to get that figure; I've put Prime through enough hell and he deserves something for his time and trouble. Oh well, maybe next time.
Prime had amassed $800 in casino money, but it did us no good. We couldn't win a slagging thing at the auction. Again, maybe next year.
Once that was over, we ran into Shawn, hung out with him for a bit then headed back to our hotel. It's getting late and my stupid ass really should be in bed (gotta get up early) but you know me. I have to blog.
I'm happy. Dear Primus, I am happy. I feel so much better. I really wish this wouldn't end. But honestly, having this only once a year makes it extremely precious to me. Once a year I get to recharge my batteries and escape the slag that is reality. To have something like this to look forward to is a great help.
Two more days. I intend to enjoy the hell out of them. Until next time.
--Weasel
Thursday, June 02, 2011
Gettin' Schooled
I'm back at the hotel, watching TV and blogging. I'm slagging exhausted but I'm happy. Oh dear Primus, am I happy.
Got up around 7:30. Prime grabbed a shower, I got dressed and ready and we headed out to the Con center. Prime and I were both in the Customization Class, which was being held in the Convention hotel. We got there just in time, got our kits and started.
The figure we were building was Minerva. She's a cutie, trust me.
Prime worked on ours, while I acted as the go-fer and helped out in anyway possible. But after a bit, I had to get up and stretch my legs, so I wandered around a bit and snapped a few pics.
After grabbing some pictures, I went back and helped Prime a bit more; things went really smoothly and we were done pretty quick. Once we had finished, we helped Shawn clean up and hung out with him for a bit. Afterward, we headed down to the Convention center and got in line for the Club store. Man oh man, the line was freaking loooooooooooooong. But it happened to be a combination of people picking up their pre-reg packages and others like me and Prime who were buying from the Club store.
After a bit, the line was split and Prime and I hit the store. But before we headed into the Convention center, I spotted a pair of vehicles across the street. One was a white and red Toyota van sporting an Autobot sigil. The other was a Camaro, in bright yellow. Sporting black racing stripes.
He might have belonged to a fan, but another Bumblebee made an appearance. When Prime nabbed his place in line, I asked if I could go and snap a few shots of the two Autobots outside the Con center. Prime said yes, so I zipped outside and fairly wore out my camera taking pics.
Yeah, I'll post a few here, probably as a Friday Photoblog. But when I got back to the Club store, I was grinning like a fool. My inner child was jumping up and down screaming in delight.
It took a while for Prime and I to get our stuff, the line was a bit slow moving. But once we got our order done and paid for everything, we headed back to the hotel. I did a quick food run to Taco Bell and we've been relaxing ever since.
I am tired, due to lack of sleep and a bit of jet lag but I'm fine. I'm happy. I haven't felt this good for a very long time. I feel as if a really large weight has been lifted from me. I don't want that feeling to end and I don't want this, this convention, this escape from the drudgery of life in general to end either.
There are three more days left. I want to make them count.
--Weasel, trying to squeeze every last bit of fun out of this bit of awesome...
Got up around 7:30. Prime grabbed a shower, I got dressed and ready and we headed out to the Con center. Prime and I were both in the Customization Class, which was being held in the Convention hotel. We got there just in time, got our kits and started.
The figure we were building was Minerva. She's a cutie, trust me.
Prime worked on ours, while I acted as the go-fer and helped out in anyway possible. But after a bit, I had to get up and stretch my legs, so I wandered around a bit and snapped a few pics.
After grabbing some pictures, I went back and helped Prime a bit more; things went really smoothly and we were done pretty quick. Once we had finished, we helped Shawn clean up and hung out with him for a bit. Afterward, we headed down to the Convention center and got in line for the Club store. Man oh man, the line was freaking loooooooooooooong. But it happened to be a combination of people picking up their pre-reg packages and others like me and Prime who were buying from the Club store.
After a bit, the line was split and Prime and I hit the store. But before we headed into the Convention center, I spotted a pair of vehicles across the street. One was a white and red Toyota van sporting an Autobot sigil. The other was a Camaro, in bright yellow. Sporting black racing stripes.
He might have belonged to a fan, but another Bumblebee made an appearance. When Prime nabbed his place in line, I asked if I could go and snap a few shots of the two Autobots outside the Con center. Prime said yes, so I zipped outside and fairly wore out my camera taking pics.
Yeah, I'll post a few here, probably as a Friday Photoblog. But when I got back to the Club store, I was grinning like a fool. My inner child was jumping up and down screaming in delight.
It took a while for Prime and I to get our stuff, the line was a bit slow moving. But once we got our order done and paid for everything, we headed back to the hotel. I did a quick food run to Taco Bell and we've been relaxing ever since.
I am tired, due to lack of sleep and a bit of jet lag but I'm fine. I'm happy. I haven't felt this good for a very long time. I feel as if a really large weight has been lifted from me. I don't want that feeling to end and I don't want this, this convention, this escape from the drudgery of life in general to end either.
There are three more days left. I want to make them count.
--Weasel, trying to squeeze every last bit of fun out of this bit of awesome...
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Sympathy for the Devil
So last Friday, Prime and I hit the local theatre and caught a 3D showing of Thor. Now, I was kinda hoping to cut my "3D viewing teeth" on a showing of Transformers: Dark of the Moon but this was a good start. Before you ask: Yes, I enjoyed Thor but I didn't walk out of the theatre grinning like a fool. Instead, I rather half-stumbled out, feeling heavy-hearted.
I had wept for Loki. My heart completely broke for him.
I'm not the sort of person who has any real sympathy for the villain. Usually, I can't stand them and will laugh as they plunge towards oblivion. They deserve it. But with Loki, it was another story entirely.
Loki was a troublemaker, someone who tried to stir up trouble and make mischief. I myself, don't take a lot of things seriously. Most people see me as a bit of a flake. Everything is a joke to me. But we both act this way to mask the pain, the pain we both feel and don't quite understand. We both know that we're different, that something isn't quite right in our little worlds but rather than face that, we bury it. It's easier to deny the agony than face it.
Until fate brings it to the surface.
Loki wasn't Odin's son by birth. Instead, he was an abandoned Frost Giant infant, found by Odin and taken to Asgard to be raised as Thor's brother. Many years would pass before Odin would finally confess this truth to his adopted son and the anger that Loki felt, the blind rage in his eyes, brought me to tears. Loki screamed at his "father" demanding to know why. Why had this happened? Why had he not been told the truth? But the most troubling questions were the ones Loki never spoke.
Who am I? What am I? Where do I belong?
As Loki raged against Odin, I sobbed. He screamed what I could not but we both felt the exact same sting of a betrayal that would drive most others mad.
In Loki's case, it did drive him mad.
Loki tried to take over Asgard and destroy the Frost Giants. He did it, as he said in the very end, for his father. But Odin shook his head and disagreed. The truth is, what Loki did was a desperate plea for attention. He wanted nothing more than to be accepted, be seen as a hero, as "one of them".
He didn't want to be treated differently. He just wanted acceptance, which was something that was never truly given. Instead, Thor is accepted and regains favor with his father.
All hail the status quo and long may it reign.
There's no place for those who have been wronged and are "ungrateful" for the lies of loving their parents. Loki and I are outcasts. Society doesn't need us. We're too self-absorbed because we're hurt and pissed and miserable that we were lied to by those we were supposed to trust the most.
A child cannot lie to a parent unpunished. But a parent can lie to a child and there is no consequence. If the child does become angry and rebels, then that child is acting immaturely or foolishly. Doesn't matter how deeply the child has been hurt, that child is an ungrateful wretch who should be cast out, never to return.
The child who discovers his life is a lie rebels and is abandoned again. The robot that fears for its safety and kills its abusive master is defective and a danger and must be destroyed; the fact that it has been abused does not entire the equation. The sapient machines who have been treated as slaves by their human masters turn against them and are seen as evil. (Don't believe me? Watch The Matrix, then watch both parts of The Second Renaissance from The Animatrix. Your sympathy for humanity will quite likely drop to zero and you might hope that the machines win.) For those of us who were wronged, who were hurt, who ache and scream because our lives were based on lies, there is no true recourse. We're not really wanted by anyone or anything. It is enough to destroy the strongest of spirits.
But unlike Loki, I am fortunate. I have Prime. When I have been at my worst, lashing out as Loki did to try and make others feel miserable, Prime stayed by me. When I asked the worst questions of my life, questions that no one should ask a stranger, let alone themselves, Prime listened. When I cried, Prime held me. Loki didn't have that sort of support. If he did, things may have been different.
In the end, Loki fell. As he did, I wept openly knowing the sort of agony he was suffering. But he didn't die. Instead, he is the outcast and his brother is the favored one. On the outside, looking in: that is the best description of our situations. However, I can pick myself up and keep going, as I have those that care about me. Loki isn't so lucky. He will always remain the outcast.
And a part of me will always mourn for him. Call it sympathy for the devil, if you will. No one else seems to have any sympathy for him.
I had wept for Loki. My heart completely broke for him.
I'm not the sort of person who has any real sympathy for the villain. Usually, I can't stand them and will laugh as they plunge towards oblivion. They deserve it. But with Loki, it was another story entirely.
Loki was a troublemaker, someone who tried to stir up trouble and make mischief. I myself, don't take a lot of things seriously. Most people see me as a bit of a flake. Everything is a joke to me. But we both act this way to mask the pain, the pain we both feel and don't quite understand. We both know that we're different, that something isn't quite right in our little worlds but rather than face that, we bury it. It's easier to deny the agony than face it.
Until fate brings it to the surface.
Loki wasn't Odin's son by birth. Instead, he was an abandoned Frost Giant infant, found by Odin and taken to Asgard to be raised as Thor's brother. Many years would pass before Odin would finally confess this truth to his adopted son and the anger that Loki felt, the blind rage in his eyes, brought me to tears. Loki screamed at his "father" demanding to know why. Why had this happened? Why had he not been told the truth? But the most troubling questions were the ones Loki never spoke.
Who am I? What am I? Where do I belong?
As Loki raged against Odin, I sobbed. He screamed what I could not but we both felt the exact same sting of a betrayal that would drive most others mad.
In Loki's case, it did drive him mad.
Loki tried to take over Asgard and destroy the Frost Giants. He did it, as he said in the very end, for his father. But Odin shook his head and disagreed. The truth is, what Loki did was a desperate plea for attention. He wanted nothing more than to be accepted, be seen as a hero, as "one of them".
He didn't want to be treated differently. He just wanted acceptance, which was something that was never truly given. Instead, Thor is accepted and regains favor with his father.
All hail the status quo and long may it reign.
There's no place for those who have been wronged and are "ungrateful" for the lies of loving their parents. Loki and I are outcasts. Society doesn't need us. We're too self-absorbed because we're hurt and pissed and miserable that we were lied to by those we were supposed to trust the most.
A child cannot lie to a parent unpunished. But a parent can lie to a child and there is no consequence. If the child does become angry and rebels, then that child is acting immaturely or foolishly. Doesn't matter how deeply the child has been hurt, that child is an ungrateful wretch who should be cast out, never to return.
The child who discovers his life is a lie rebels and is abandoned again. The robot that fears for its safety and kills its abusive master is defective and a danger and must be destroyed; the fact that it has been abused does not entire the equation. The sapient machines who have been treated as slaves by their human masters turn against them and are seen as evil. (Don't believe me? Watch The Matrix, then watch both parts of The Second Renaissance from The Animatrix. Your sympathy for humanity will quite likely drop to zero and you might hope that the machines win.) For those of us who were wronged, who were hurt, who ache and scream because our lives were based on lies, there is no true recourse. We're not really wanted by anyone or anything. It is enough to destroy the strongest of spirits.
But unlike Loki, I am fortunate. I have Prime. When I have been at my worst, lashing out as Loki did to try and make others feel miserable, Prime stayed by me. When I asked the worst questions of my life, questions that no one should ask a stranger, let alone themselves, Prime listened. When I cried, Prime held me. Loki didn't have that sort of support. If he did, things may have been different.
In the end, Loki fell. As he did, I wept openly knowing the sort of agony he was suffering. But he didn't die. Instead, he is the outcast and his brother is the favored one. On the outside, looking in: that is the best description of our situations. However, I can pick myself up and keep going, as I have those that care about me. Loki isn't so lucky. He will always remain the outcast.
And a part of me will always mourn for him. Call it sympathy for the devil, if you will. No one else seems to have any sympathy for him.
Friday, April 08, 2011
Friday Photoblog: "I Have, like, Six of These" Edition
The most AWESOME display case at BotCon 2010.(Well...okay, three in this color, three in a metallic gold. And only two of each are ALL mine. So, um. Four. Sort of.)
Friday, April 01, 2011
Friday Photoblog: "No Foolin'" Edition
Behold Bumbleduck. Yeah, this exists. Color and Halloween versions, too.(Kind of surprised Disney HASN'T made this line available in the US.)
Thursday, March 31, 2011
COMMUNICATIONS INTERRUPT: STUPIDITY IN LEGAL MOTION
I can't often say that I've seen legal documents that have made me want to take a baseball bat to somebody's head--mostly because I haven't often read legal documents, period.
First time for everything, I guess.
This, so far as anyone has been able to determine, and triple-digit-count errors notwithstanding, is not a joke, at least not in the 'never gonna happen' sense. It's either one of the more epic (and by epic, of course I mean retarded) trolls ever to come out of (and piss off) Transfandom, or there really is some empty-skulled narcissistic dumbfuck out there who thinks this motion stands a chance of being heard in court, let alone played out at length to a conclusion in favor of the plaintiff. Honestly, having had experience in other fandoms, I don't think the sort of toy collector butthurt that this pathetic wreck displays is seen anywhere but with Transformers fans.
The real kicker? This flyspeck might well find a judge who doesn't see the differences between these three toys and these other three toys as grounds for dismissal with prejudice and mocking laughter. It might then become...not quite the biggest waste of time ever recorded in the annals of the United States justice system, but damned if it wouldn't have a cozy spot in a list of the top ten.--
EDIT: March 32nd moronic antics are NOT supposed to begin in mid-to-late-March. Sweet effing Primus, I hate this day. Like there isn't enough incidental stupidity to go around, a day must be set aside for DELIBERATE stupidity.--
+++PRIME OUT+++I NEED A BEER+++
First time for everything, I guess.
This, so far as anyone has been able to determine, and triple-digit-count errors notwithstanding, is not a joke, at least not in the 'never gonna happen' sense. It's either one of the more epic (and by epic, of course I mean retarded) trolls ever to come out of (and piss off) Transfandom, or there really is some empty-skulled narcissistic dumbfuck out there who thinks this motion stands a chance of being heard in court, let alone played out at length to a conclusion in favor of the plaintiff. Honestly, having had experience in other fandoms, I don't think the sort of toy collector butthurt that this pathetic wreck displays is seen anywhere but with Transformers fans.
The real kicker? This flyspeck might well find a judge who doesn't see the differences between these three toys and these other three toys as grounds for dismissal with prejudice and mocking laughter. It might then become...not quite the biggest waste of time ever recorded in the annals of the United States justice system, but damned if it wouldn't have a cozy spot in a list of the top ten.--
EDIT: March 32nd moronic antics are NOT supposed to begin in mid-to-late-March. Sweet effing Primus, I hate this day. Like there isn't enough incidental stupidity to go around, a day must be set aside for DELIBERATE stupidity.--
+++PRIME OUT+++I NEED A BEER+++
Friday, March 25, 2011
Friday Photoblog: "Well, That's (not) Just Prime" Edition
The Hasbro Studios Panel at BotCon 2010.(You know how you used to have Discovery Kids on your cable lineup?
You don't anymore, and these guys are a small part of 'why'.)
(Watch The Hub!)
Friday, March 18, 2011
Friday Photoblog: "DAAAAAMMMMMMMIIIITTTT!!" Edition
Inside Bumblebee's Hall of Fame display case at BotCon 2010. Very self-explanatory. (I probably won't have to fight a LEGION if this ever shows up on eBay,
but there's aaaalllways someone with a bigger slagging pocketbook, you know...)
Friday, March 11, 2011
Friday Photoblog: "Abandon all Hope...All of It, Right Now" Edition
A quick shot of the welcome (or warning) sign at the entrance to the Autobot Alliance Academy area at BotCon 2010.(I graduated.)
Friday, March 04, 2011
Friday Photoblog: "Micro Machines" Edition
A female cosplayer, dressed as Blurr, in the Dolphin's lobby at BotCon 2010.(...Blurr is...um...kinda hot... o.O )
Monday, February 28, 2011
COMMUNICATIONS INTERRUPT: 2.5" x 3.5"
Waterlog (yeah, a new name every time!) has certainly thrown herself full-throttle into baseball fandom.
We just ordered delivery of the baseball cards she garnered by entering Million Card Giveaway codes from Topps (mostly from the 2010 Update series, which consists of players traded or rookies who made their Major League debut during the course of the season; they cover the All-Star Game, too, which is something they didn't do back when I was initially collecting and it was simply called the Traded set). Participants could actually trade the cards they acquired with other participants to get cards they would find more desirable than what they had, which is pretty damn cool. Waterlog had a series of trades maintained right up to the end of the MCG promo, offering several cards (one or two of which were more valuable than what she wanted) in exchange for one of Bob Uecker's cards from the 1960s. She really wanted his Braves card, but would've taken a Cardinals or Phillies. Nobody bit at those, unfortunately, but somebody did take a 5-for-1 she offered in order to get Trevor Hoffman's rookie card--sure, it's a card I already have by way of owning the entire 1993 Topps Baseball set, but she wanted one of her own, and now it's coming. 'Inordinately happy' would be a good way of describing her state of mind immediately after finding out the result, yes.
(I think I've a single of it around, too, but good luck finding it...)
The MCG promo ends tomorrow, but that's not the end of this sort of thing for Waterlog--Topps is celebrating its Diamond Anniversary with--well, pretty much the same thing, but with diamond rings 'n stuff. She's around 50 cards from completing 2011 Series One, and has some cards lined up for her on the new promo site (nobody mega-special, and trading won't be available for awhile yet)...man, I dunno how far it'll go. Collectible cards of ANY stripe began getting kind of expensive when I was originally collecting, which was a big portion of the reason why I stopped for the most part in 1995; it has not gotten any better in the years since, obviously.
(I blame and name Stadium Club; a specialty card series, then, that became the forerunner of what we get as a matter of course today. Maybe I'm showing my age--blah blah blah 40¢ for a pack of 14, they were only a little glossy on one side blah blah holy cow and postage stamps went up to a quarter OH NOES...wait, I'm not allowed to do this sort of thing until I'm sixty? Dammit.)
IN ANY CASE, true then and now, it's naturally far cheaper to buy the complete base set when it's released and chase down any wanted insert cards (something ELSE that didn't really exist until the early 1990s; now where're my trifocals?!) on their own as they are made available (eBay, for the most part)...but she's having fun doing it exactly the way I used to do it--pack by pack. I'd be remiss if I didn't point that fact out, but I'd be a real dick to take that fun away from her.
Guess I'll just stick to jokingly grousing after having dinner at a nice restaurant. "$43.65? Well, that was a Leader-class Transformer. Or three Deluxes and a Scout..."--
+++PRIME OUT+++
We just ordered delivery of the baseball cards she garnered by entering Million Card Giveaway codes from Topps (mostly from the 2010 Update series, which consists of players traded or rookies who made their Major League debut during the course of the season; they cover the All-Star Game, too, which is something they didn't do back when I was initially collecting and it was simply called the Traded set). Participants could actually trade the cards they acquired with other participants to get cards they would find more desirable than what they had, which is pretty damn cool. Waterlog had a series of trades maintained right up to the end of the MCG promo, offering several cards (one or two of which were more valuable than what she wanted) in exchange for one of Bob Uecker's cards from the 1960s. She really wanted his Braves card, but would've taken a Cardinals or Phillies. Nobody bit at those, unfortunately, but somebody did take a 5-for-1 she offered in order to get Trevor Hoffman's rookie card--sure, it's a card I already have by way of owning the entire 1993 Topps Baseball set, but she wanted one of her own, and now it's coming. 'Inordinately happy' would be a good way of describing her state of mind immediately after finding out the result, yes.
(I think I've a single of it around, too, but good luck finding it...)
The MCG promo ends tomorrow, but that's not the end of this sort of thing for Waterlog--Topps is celebrating its Diamond Anniversary with--well, pretty much the same thing, but with diamond rings 'n stuff. She's around 50 cards from completing 2011 Series One, and has some cards lined up for her on the new promo site (nobody mega-special, and trading won't be available for awhile yet)...man, I dunno how far it'll go. Collectible cards of ANY stripe began getting kind of expensive when I was originally collecting, which was a big portion of the reason why I stopped for the most part in 1995; it has not gotten any better in the years since, obviously.
(I blame and name Stadium Club; a specialty card series, then, that became the forerunner of what we get as a matter of course today. Maybe I'm showing my age--blah blah blah 40¢ for a pack of 14, they were only a little glossy on one side blah blah holy cow and postage stamps went up to a quarter OH NOES...wait, I'm not allowed to do this sort of thing until I'm sixty? Dammit.)
IN ANY CASE, true then and now, it's naturally far cheaper to buy the complete base set when it's released and chase down any wanted insert cards (something ELSE that didn't really exist until the early 1990s; now where're my trifocals?!) on their own as they are made available (eBay, for the most part)...but she's having fun doing it exactly the way I used to do it--pack by pack. I'd be remiss if I didn't point that fact out, but I'd be a real dick to take that fun away from her.
Guess I'll just stick to jokingly grousing after having dinner at a nice restaurant. "$43.65? Well, that was a Leader-class Transformer. Or three Deluxes and a Scout..."--
+++PRIME OUT+++
Friday, February 25, 2011
Friday Photoblog: "I Dared" Edition
"Weird Al" in the Dealer Room at BotCon 2009.(Yes, yes, I know, how can you tell from the back? Just trust me.)
Saturday, January 08, 2011
"Have no fear! Once again I will save the day!"
Not anymore. (sigh) Somewhere out there, a squad of Autobots is missing its Lieutenant Commander.
Aron Kincaid, the voice behind Generation One's mighty and sophisticated Sky Lynx, has passed away. My heart and the heart of every oldschool TransFan goes out to his family and friends. The man played probably the most magnificent bastard of a Cybertronian ever, a character who did everything big and with grand showmanship--and had no problem making sure that you knew it.
Prime picked up an Encore-series reissue of the Sky Lynx toy ('reissue' being a bit of a misnomer to Japan collectors, who didn't get the toy back in the 80s) at some past convention. It was well within sight when Prime told me the news last night. I think I hugged that toy for a good hour, trying not to cry.
Some days, I think I ought to just say 'screw it' and see about moving to the L.A. area, else I'm never going to meet very many more of the people who helped, in ways large or small, to shape my childhood. (I have to face it, as great as BotCon is, the people behind it have a time of it in trying to get new guests. Seems like even holding it in Pasadena only imparts a bit more leeway.)
Wonder what Prime would say about such a move. Probably, the phrase 'I don't think so', in his best Rhinox voice, would be used...
--Weasel, "We miss you, Commander Modesty." (/sad grin)
Aron Kincaid, the voice behind Generation One's mighty and sophisticated Sky Lynx, has passed away. My heart and the heart of every oldschool TransFan goes out to his family and friends. The man played probably the most magnificent bastard of a Cybertronian ever, a character who did everything big and with grand showmanship--and had no problem making sure that you knew it.
Prime picked up an Encore-series reissue of the Sky Lynx toy ('reissue' being a bit of a misnomer to Japan collectors, who didn't get the toy back in the 80s) at some past convention. It was well within sight when Prime told me the news last night. I think I hugged that toy for a good hour, trying not to cry.
Some days, I think I ought to just say 'screw it' and see about moving to the L.A. area, else I'm never going to meet very many more of the people who helped, in ways large or small, to shape my childhood. (I have to face it, as great as BotCon is, the people behind it have a time of it in trying to get new guests. Seems like even holding it in Pasadena only imparts a bit more leeway.)
Wonder what Prime would say about such a move. Probably, the phrase 'I don't think so', in his best Rhinox voice, would be used...
--Weasel, "We miss you, Commander Modesty." (/sad grin)
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