The Perfect Ending to a Not-So-Perfect Week

As I said before, this week hasn't been the world's greatest for me. To be totally honest, it has stunk out freaking loud.

But things are looking up, at last.

Today, Prime and I had a "day out", so to speak--it's rare that my days off (whenever scheduling feels like it) coincide with his (standard Saturday/Sunday). We hit our local comic shop and Prime picked up a nice stack of comics. (Just read Spotlight: Cliffjumper; good story, but a huge hankie warning on that one!) Afterwards, we headed over to my old store to hunt for these little guys. The old hellhole was a bust, so we headed to the nearby Target (a place at which I've also worked). They had them, but only the single packs, no six-pack boxes.

Prime grabbed a huge stack of single packs (he would've wiped out the display, but restrained himself), then we headed over to Toys. Prime spotted some blisterpacked packs (...pack pack packpackpaaaaaack) and a movie Bumblebee 'Wacky Wobbler'. Needless to say, the not-a-bobblehead had to come home with us. But it got better.

Target had Bumble Spud. On sale. (Yeah, okay, a dollar off, whatever.) So he had to come along as well. There was no way I was leaving him behind.

After we bought our swag, we headed to the Target across town. Prime figured that there was a good chance that they would have a hobby box or two. He was right; we snagged all three of their hobby boxes. After spending way too much money, we headed home.

We decided to make a quick stop at our local Burger King; they'll have ROTF kid's meals and we want to snag the displays and the like. Because we're dorks. So I headed in and left my information with the manager while Prime opened up one of our new hobby boxes.

Poor Prime. When I returned to our car, I noticed a somewhat pained expression on his face. It seems that the first boxed pack he opened had a rare card. An autographed card. Autographed by Mark Ryan.

I let loose the shriek to end all shrieks. Prime knew at that moment he was screwed; I was claiming that card as my own. Yeah, he kinda hated me for a bit. (Okay, it was longer than a bit...)

When we got home, Prime opened the rest of our cards. Remember the blisterpacks he had spotted? Prime had snagged one of them, after a little pawing to find one with a backer card that wasn't chewed (completism is a mental disease, and Prime's case is particularly gruesome). The first pack inside was a bust, but the second one he opened.... had an autographed card. A Mark Ryan autographed card. So now we both have one. 1:91 odds, according to the packs, and this happens. Heck of a lucky break, I tell you.

(Prime says: Oh, right, yeah. Five other autographed cards to track-and-acquire. Megan Fox's from the first set isn't hard enough with all the pathetic horndogs out there--now I have to fight with lonely women with disposable income to get Shia LeBeouf's, and nutbar basement-dwellers for Peter Cullen's. A. A. R. G. H.)

Perfect ending to a sucky week. The little angel strikes yet again.

(Oh, shut up.)

Quiet, grouchicon.

--Weasel, "Maybe this week hasn't been so bad after all..."

Friday Photoblog: Chaos Bringer Edition

[clockwise from top: unreleased Generation One Unicron (planet mode), Transformers: Cybertron deluxe Unicron (robot mode), Robot Heroes Unicron, unreleased Generation One Unicron (robot mode), Transformers: Cybertron disembodied creepy-ass tentacular-locomotion-enabled head of Unicron (that'd be the horn point you see at bottom, as well as the shadow it casts above), Transformers: Armada Unicron (robot mode)]
The many faces of Unicron

The Week From Hell

(You might notice that things look different here. It's all thanks to Prime and I'm giving him a huge shout-out for his hard work. He did it all and I really appreciate everything. Thanks for bringing the blog into the modern age, big guy! It looks great and I love it!!)

Is it over yet? Because this week has completely and totally kicked the hell out of my ass. I am not even kidding.

This past Saturday I had to call into work. I was so blasted ill-feeling that I did not want to move. In fact, I felt so bad that I was afraid I was about to spew while I was on the phone. I spent most of Saturday laying in bed, praying to Primus that I wouldn't lose control of my own damned stomach. Not fun, I tell you.

Sunday was a bit better. Monday went straight to hell, though.

Monday was incredibly full of stupid. More than usual. I won't go into the details, but it was bad. Felt miserable at work, but managed to score a Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen microfiber throw. I know this one will keep me quite warm; it's got Bumblebee on it. Sooooooooooo cute. :)

I was off Tuesday, but it didn't get any better. Well, things were fine... until dinner.
I had just finished cooking my dinner in the microwave and was trying to get the bowl out. The bowl, which contained very hot liquid, refused to cooperate. Instead of sliding out, it tipped and spilled--all over my right hand and wrist.

I screamed loudly. Prime thought I was being attacked by a huge venomous spider. I manged to choke out a "No" and shoved my arm under the now running faucet. Prime raced upstairs, saw the mess and asked what happened. I had to force myself to speak, I was hurting that much.

I went upstairs and soaked my wrist in the bathtub for at least an hour. It was pretty badly scalded but it never blistered, thank Primus. (The frightening thing was it looked as if it was trying to blister. When I noticed that, I shoved my arm back under the faucet.) Needless to say, my dinner was ruined. Had to order pizza instead.

As of right now, my wrist is bandaged. It's still a nice shade of MSPaint red, but it doesn't hurt so badly. I've been coating it with aloe vera gel (which is slowly staining my skin Smurf blue), taking Advil PM to help me sleep at night and soaking it in cool water to keep the pain at bay. It's healing, but trying to move my wrist can be irritating at its best and outright painful at its worst. The worst thing? I'd love to cuddle with my Slumblebee right now (it would make me feel so much better) but I'm afraid to touch him. The last thing I want to do is stain him. Right now, I'm afraid to even touch my clothing or blankets; I don't need any of my stuff spattered with blue splotches.

But things are getting better. My store now has a nice big display of ROTF voyagers and deluxes parked in front of the toy department. And I managed to snag myself a Cannon Bumblebee. The picture on his cardback is utterly adorable; in robot mode he has this "Who, me?" look on his face. It almost looks as if he was caught with one hand in the energon-goodies jar and he's trying to play innocent. Seriously cute, believe me.

Next week will rock. I'll be seeing ROTF in IMAX. I can barely wait. (Wonder if I should take Slumblebee along? You know, just for fun.)

And Bumblebee's track record remains unbeaten. Have a few crappy days, the little bugger manages to pop up. Weird.

--Weasel, "I swear, you'd think he was my guardian angel this happens so often..."

Pardon Me While I Bitch a Little...

I'm not feeling the greatest at the moment; been a little sick for the past few days. It's getting better, but the whole 'coming-and-going' thing is irritating as hell.

I'm really sick of work. The amount of BS I've been putting up with seems to have increased exponentially. And I don't know how much more I can take.

For the past few days, I've been stuck on normal registers. Everyone knows how much I love being away from my self-checks (I don't...and a lot of other cashiers simply don't know how to run them...or don't care). If I haven't been doing that, then I've been stuck people greeting. Not something I enjoy, though I'm actually decent at it. (Hell, I actually know how to use the damned Telxon and printer. Most everyone else doesn't or won't.)

Customers are stupid, management doesn't know what the hell is going on and I'm feeling burnt out. AGAIN.

I miss BotCon already, and who knows when it'll be next year.

And I get it, I hate my job, why don't I find another one, yadda yadda. If it were really that simple...

Friday Photoblog: Walk of Fame Edition

Godzilla's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Too bad the big guy wasn't there to sign autographs. ;)

Best News Ever!

Prime and I will be seeing Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in IMAX on the 25th. There will be much awesome. I can barely wait.

--Weasel, "Best news I've heard in a while."

Detritus

Most of my vacation laundry is already done; I've only got two shirts to wash and I'll be ready for next year. Once they've been washed and dried, I'll be done and I can re-pack the suitcase. It's never too early to get ready for next year.

Yesterday ended up being a "yardwork day". Seems we have a group of maple saplings that have taken up residence near the house. Normally, I wouldn't care but these are close enough to damage the foundation. So I spent about three quarters of an hour ripping up trees. It doesn't sound terribly demanding, but it actually is. My legs and arms are still a bit sore.

I also learned a little about our front yard. Namely, that it's a haven for spiders. After pulling up a few saplings, I'd see at least three spiders scurrying about, looking for shelter. Most were pretty small, but some were large enough to be intimidating. I kept my distance from the larger ones. (One particularly larger specimen would fidget nervously every time I came close. Rather than bother it, I gave it some space.)

I don't mind spiders too much, especially out in the wild. In the house it's a different story. But out in the yard, I'm fine with most of them. There's only one species that I don't like: the writing spider.

These were very common in North Carolina. It doesn't look too threatening, until you get close to the web. If you get too close to it, it will sit in the center of the web and bounce rapidly. Instead of a spider's web, it now looks like a trampoline. It's a disturbing sight to a six year old. Even worse was the old wives tale attatched to the creature: If you whispered the name of someone you hated three times to the spider, it would write the victim's name in its web and they would die.

Again, a frightening thing for six year old. Needless to say, I was never fond of that particular species. I may like spiders in general, but I never got over my fear of the writing spider.

Thankfully, we don't seem to have them in Wisconsin...

Friday Photoblog: Memories of Conventions Past Edition

The Bumblebee statue at BotCon 2009.

Farewell, Grasshopper

David Carradine has been found dead.

I shall miss you, Kwai Chang Caine.

June Gloom

I'm listening to a suitably sad piece of music right now. I can't help it; I'm still feeling a bit down. I'll have to get back to the real world soon (this Saturday, specifically) and I am dreading it. But for now, I'll try and finish what I've started.

05/30/2009

We got up relatively early that Saturday; Prime wanted to hit the IDW panel while I had to head to one of the autograph lines. Thank heavens the buses in California actually run at a decent hour on the weekends. (Well... the Pasadena ARTS 10, not so much. It's not hard to figure out why their fares are fifty cents a pop when the Metro's a buck-twenty-five--they run less time and they're all shorties.)

By the time we got to the convention center, two very long lines had already formed. One was for Peter Cullen, the other (which was located at a different building entirely) was for Weird Al. I headed for the second line, since I absolutely had to have Weird Al's autograph on my Animated Wreck-Gar. To my surprise, it wasn't that long of a wait; we had some pretty good conversations to help keep things lively. And best of all, I got an autograph and shook Weird Al's hand. Total nerdgasm!

After all was said and done, I headed back to the convention center proper. Prime and I took in the Activision panel, along with the Animated panel which featured Weird Al and David Kaye. Interesting stuff, save for the occasional stupid question.

Then came the big one: The Hasbro review panel.

This one is always packed, since this is where Hasbro does their huge unveiling.... and I get to see firsthand how Primus-awful broke I'll be. And trust me, I will be one quite broke yet very happy nerd. Lots of movie stuff and a good amount of Animated coming down the pike. Like I said, I'll be broke, but very happy. But after the preview, I had to jump ship early; I had business to take of in the dealer room. At 2PM, Mark Ryan would be there, signing autographs. I had two movie Bumblebees that needed to have his signature on them.

After getting them signed, I ran into my friend Shawn, who asked if I could possibly get Mark to sign a greeting card which would be sent to our friend Stogey, who is currently stationed in Iraq (and is Prime's younger brother's C.O. or whatever it's called). So back through the line I went. Mark actually teased me a little bit when he saw me again. :blush: But I got that card signed. (It was no prob, Shawn. I'm glad to help.) By con's end, that card had scrawl from almost every person of note to attend--you have to admit, that's cool as hell.

Afterwards, I hit the club panel with Prime and stayed behind for Peter Cullen's panel; Prime decided to hit the dealer room once again. I'm actually pretty glad he did. He probably would not have been able to deal with some of the stupid that occurred at Mr. Cullen's panel. Especially one of the last questions.

The very last person to ask Mr. Cullen a question had to be the world's biggest flaming idiot. I do not exaggerate when I say this. Why? Because he asked Peter Cullen if he had ever read any Optimus Prime/Megatron slash fics. The entire panel room burst into a pained howl as Idiot Boy chirped, "I win." Thank Primus Rik Alvarez yanked the mic out of that moron's hand. I swear, I have never been more embarassed in my life. Way to go, dipshit. If panel attendees have to submit questions in writing beforehand beginning next year, we ALL know who to blame. Blame and commit grievous bodily harm upon. Yeah--hope you're not particularly fond of any of your limbs.... we's takun dem.

Not long after, the show closed for the day. Since Prime, DA and I were signed up for the Paramount party, we headed up to Shawn's hotel room and yapped a bit. At quarter til 7, we headed back downstairs to wait for the buses that would whisk us away for a night of revelry. Shawn nearly forgot his ticket, so he dashed back upstairs to get it. Prime, DA and I waited for him. I am ever glad we did.

Not two minutes later, we saw Peter Cullen walking through the hallway. You could have knocked me over with a feather, I was so surprised.

DA and I managed to say hello. Now here's where it gets really cool: as he walked by, Mr. Cullen gave me a friendly squeeze on the arm. I could have fainted. Optimus Prime touched me! :insane fangirl squealing: We both thanked him profusely for coming. Me, I also blushed profusely. Prime thought it was quite hilarious. XD

Once we got outside and waited for a bit, we hopped on board the buses and were on our way. It took us a bit to get there, but it was worth it. Caught sight of a large ROTF billboard on the way.... yes, it was 'Bee.

There was a concert, food and much awesomeness. Weird Al was there, having his picture taken with adoring fans. Tyrese Gibson (Epps) and Ratchet came by for a visit and Ironhide was parked near the front. He didn't seem to mind me posing for a picture with him. But the best was yet to come.

Every one of the partygoers were given a wristband--some were blue, others were yellow. Prime, DA and I got yellow. Everyone who had a blue wristband were called first, while those of who had yellow waited. About twenty minutes later, the yellows were called. So off we went to the front of the studio.

We were led to the Paramount theatre, where we had surrender our cameras and cell phones before we were allowed to take any seats. The three of us managed to grab front row seats. How freaking cool is that? So we settled in and got ready for a show.

One of the Hasbro head honchos, Greg Lombardo, hopped up on the stage in front of the screen and announced what we would be viewing. We'd be seeing the trailer, which wasn't anything we hadn't seen before, but we'd see it in a much better theatre. Then a voice behind-and-right piped up, "I don't want to see that." We all turned and looked, confused.

It was Michael Bay. I actually yelled, "Oh my GOD!" Yeah, I was that surprised.

He hopped up on stage and said we were going to watch two scenes: One involving Devastator and the other was a Bumblebee fight scene. When I heard "Bumblebee", I cheered.

Without giving away too much, all I can say is this--Devastator is scary as hell and Bumblebee is now a badass. (Hey, it only took 25 years...) Spine-ripping badass. Once we had seen the sheer awesomeness, we picked up our confiscated items and rejoined the party.

At around midnight, we went back to the convention center. Prime, DA and I caught a cab and went back to our home away from home, the Travelodge. It didn't take me long to collapse and go to sleep.

05/31/2009

Prime and I got to the 'Con just in time for the Hasbro Design panel. Interesting stuff, I tell you (but can't show you). Afterwards, I was going to hit the dealer room, until I noticed something.

There was literally a ton of general admission people (hereby referred to as "shlubs") crowded around that huge Bumblebee statue. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem, but a mess of these dipsticks forgot or didn't care that barricades are erected for a fucking reason. There were shlubs going up under the damned cords, touching the statue and letting their kids try and climb on the blasted thing. Why, yes! That is dangerous as hell! Thanks for noticing.

I spent some time acting as Bumblebee's bodyguard. If I pissed any of those damned shlubs off, tough. If they don't have the common sense to fucking follow rules, too damn bad. They don't fucking need to be there. Grow a brain or GTFO.

I'm not sure for how long I did that. After ten minutes of watching it happen with me, though, Prime went to the club store to get a Fun Pub employee to make an address over the PA, which she did. But, you know, stupid people... ears don't work so well.

The stupidity did die down a bit, eventually, so I hit the dealer room. Took the Hasbro challenge and got a chance to spin the big prize wheel. I won a Robot Hero; I picked Bumblebee. Prime continued to pine after his personal TF Holy Grail, the G2 Megatron ATB (which you can sort of see here, it's pretty much dead-center), then took one last load to Shawn and his friend's vehicle while I took one last look around the dealer room. I bought two Stan Bush CDs and shipped them along with a small load that just wouldn't fit in the back of our friend's truck. UPS Store sure overcharges...

Things were winding down. You could feel it. The huge crowd in the dealer room began to thin down and it got thinner still after the 3PM drawing for a free trip to next year's 'Con. Although Fun Publications decided to keep the dealer room open an extra half hour due to the overwhelming walk-in response (a television commercial was probably the main culprit... promises of a free toy to the first one hundred kids under whatever age helped, I'm sure), it still didn't help assuage the mental ache I could feel coming on. Though chatting with my friends did ease it just slightly. What can I say--the whole experience makes for a very nice high.... from which I have no choice but to come down.

Soon enough, we were ushered out of the dealer room. As I stood in the hallway, a small group of dealers began to take down the barricade surrounding the Bumblebee statue. They were taking him down. That was a hard sight to see. I took video of it. I also got a couple of pictures with him, and with permission I was able to touch him. A few times, I caught myself pretty close to tears. It wasn't just the fact that the statue was being taken down; it was also the realization that it was over. It was truly over. I may, sometime in the future, post the video. And yes, my voice breaks at least once. It was pretty hard on me, all things considered.

I took a couple of pictures of the other statues and the convention center itself, said good-bye to Bumblebee, and we left. Spent a good portion of time talking at the hotel room. Talking and packing. I never really mean to do so, but I always wind up packing slowly. Not hard to guess why, is it?

The next day, DA left for home. Prime and I flew back home not long after. The ride via Prime Time Shuttle... um, after we were picked up, the driver stopped at the Hilton to pick up an indeterminate number of people (they were no-shows), then same at the Sheraton. Two guys, one girl, all obvious fellow attendees. They got on and maintained a 'Con-versation... which we might've joined, but for, well, one of them stank like death mixed with ass sausage. At least, that's how I thought of it until Prime described it as ONIONSKUNK. His description is better. Or worse, however one looks at it. It was... it was memorable. How I wish it weren't. People like that (and we don't know which one it was) give convention geeks a bad name. Or bad reek.

At least the flight was uneventful. And not full like the plane was, previously.

Was this one of the best conventions I had ever attended? I think so. But it wasn't just the fact I got to sit in panels and buy cool swag. It was seeing my friends again. It was making new friends and having fun with a group of people that share my interest. That's what keeps bringing me back to BotCon. And that's what keeps me happy.

I can hardly wait until next year, whenever and wherever it may be.

All Good Things...

I've got a Bumblebee temporary tattoo on my left hand. It's fading now as we speak. Somehow, that seems very appropriate.

It's over. It's really over.

Too tired to post much of anything today and don't know if I'll be able to post tomorrow, since it's the travel day. I'll try on Tuesday. I'm about to crash even as I'm typing.

Primus, I'm actually rather melancholy about all this. It's really over.

--Weasel, "I know all good things must come to an end, but why so soon?"

Day One

I'm back, just as exhausted as ever. A quick word of warning: I probably won't be updating tomorrow. I'll be coming back from the Paramount Studios party well after midnight. So I won't be alert enough to turn on Alexa, much less type. Expect something on Sunday, though.

Got up this morning at a little after seven; I was up and dressed within the span of about five minutes. (Odd fact about yours truly: I never like getting up in the morning. I hate it. But when I'm at the convention, that changes rapidly.) Prime took a bit, yet again. He had to shower, get dressed, eat a bit of breakfast (Sandwiches. Nummy.) and all that other wonderful slag. So we were a bit late leaving the hotel. But it didn't matter; we got to our stop, got picked up by the 686 and were on our way.

It was a bit of a walk to the convention center and there was quite a crowd when we arrived. A pretty decent number seemed to be either picking up their pre-registration items or hitting the club store. Prime and I hit the panel room, where we took in the various and sundry panels.

First up was the Collector Club panel, which dealt with the club magazine. Fairly interesting stuff. Next up was Stan Bush and Vince Dicola, followed by the movie writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. For the last panel, I had to ask a quick question about movie Bumblebee. As if I would ask about anyone else. (I'll explain it later.)

After those three panels were done, we waited in line for the opening of the dealer room. It was an hour long wait, but it was worth it.

The dealer room is literally the heart of the 'Con. Everybody goes there. If you're looking for anyone, just head to the dealer room and you will find them. Today was no exception. Prime and I ran into someone we hadn't seen in a few years.

But it got even more awesome.

As I was standing near the IDW table, waiting for Prime, I spotted Mark Ryan. My heart jumped into my throat, but I made my way over to him and said hello. And yes, I got his autograph. He's a really really great guy. XD

After wandering the room for a bit, we decided to head on out, but hooked up with a few friends of ours and spent the remainder of the day with them. Eventually, we all went out to dinner together. A great, but nerdy time was had by all.

And it's not over yet. We've still got two more days of geek heaven on earth. But truthfully, I wish it wouldn't end.

--Weasel, "Still exhausted, but it feels so good."

Zero

I didn't blog yesterday because, simply put, I was too damned tired. So today, I'm going to try and pull a little bit of double duty. Ready? Here we go.

05/27/2009

Yesterday was the Universal Studios tour. I got up stupid (and I do mean stupid) early to head out and catch the Rt 10 ARTS bus that runs not far from our hotel. After catching the bus, I made my way to the convention center to begin the wait.

I was there an hour early. Yeah, I had myself a pretty long wait. But soon enough, more and more Transfans began to show up and we had ourselves a good size crowd. There was laughing, joking, and many long nerdy conversations about toy robots. I was in heaven.

Once our tour buses arrived, we all climbed aboard, took our seats and began to enjoy the ride. Upon our arrival, we decided it would be best if we traveled the studio using the buddy system. I hung out with a small group of fans, led by "Chicago" and "Aussie". Are the names indicative of origin? Dunno. I digress...

We decided to hit as many rides as possible. The first was Shrek 4D. Being a total Shrek virgin, I can honestly say that the attraction was a lot of fun. I'm actually a bit interested in seeing the movies now. (I can hear Prime groaning in the back. To which I say, "Tough." To which he replies "Scre' ye, ye li'tl bas'ard" in an atrocious Scottish accent. Weirdo.)

After Shrek, Aussie wanted to hit the Terminator feature, so we headed over to catch the show. Unfortunately, it had already started, so we had to wait. In the meantime, we had a quick lunch.

I keep forgetting how Godawful expensive it is to eat in a place like that. Seriously, ouch.

After the meal, we went back and took in the Terminator. I would be lying if I said it didn't creep me out at a couple of points--part of the event involved having several Terminators shooting out some targets overhead. The very moment the blasted 'bots popped up, my heart began racing. I might adore most everything robotic, but anything that comes from Cyberdyne has a tendency to scare the living hell out of me. And the T-1000000 was no different That thing could cause nightmares.

After the attraction was finished, we were all about to leave when we were told by the ushers that our group could stay and meet the actors. Earlier in the day, we decided to buy a few 'Front of the Line' passes and one of the perks of said passes was a meet-and-greet. So we stayed, asked a few questions, met everyone and got a few pictures. Much awesomeness, if you ask me.

Chicago decided that we should hit The Simpsons ride afterwards, so we headed over. After taking a few pictures and video of Springfield, we hit the ride proper.

A word of warning: If you ever decide to ride that particular attraction, you might get a bit of vertigo. If you feel a bit dizzy, just put your head back and shut your eyes. Trust me, it helps. The attraction is actually a motion simulator--your brain and body may not sync up immediately and it might throw you off a little. It took me a few seconds to adjust to it but once I did, I had a blast.

We wandered about for a bit, then hit Jurassic Park. Four words: Most. Awesome. Ride. Ever. I didn't get too wet when we made splashdown, but Chicago got freaking soaked. I have never laughed so hard in my life.

Once we had gotten away from the dinos (and I had gotten myself a cute little souvenir), the rest of the group headed to The Mummy ride. I saw four words that encouraged me to sit that one out--high speed roller coaster. I don't do too well with those. Mostly because I risk throwing up. But I did visit the nearby gift shop and snagged another souvenir. This one was a litte pewter Bastet figurine. I can't help but think it was cool.

By now it was getting late in the day, so we hit two last attractions. We saw the behind the scenes/effects show and Backdraft. Both were a lot of fun, but Backdraft freaked me out towards the end. Stupid collapsing catwalk.....

By now we had approximately an hour and a quarter to wander about. So wander we did. There were costumed characters out and about, so I got a couple of pictures with some of them. It wasn't long afterwards that we left the park and our tour buses came.

I left Universal Studios exhausted and achy (my everything hurt!), but utterly ecstatic. It was wonderful.

Today:

Today was the Hollywood tour and Prime had the customizing class, so we both had to get up stupid early. There was just one problem: We had only gotten four hours worth of sleep! Now usually, I'm the one who's dragging their tail to get up and get dressed in the morning. Not so today--it was Prime who couldn't get moving. Seriously, he just wouldn't move. (Not that I blame him.) But after some prodding, we were on our way.

We missed the first bus, but caught a later one. After arriving at the convention center, we went our separate ways. I waited outside for the tour bus, while Prime headed inside for the class. Once the buses arrived and everyone got checked in, we were soon on our way.

This tour was different; we were basically being driven from place to place and given a bit of time to see the sights and take photos. I was able to see the Hollywood Bowl, the Chinese Theatre, walk down the Hollywood Walk of Fame, see the Kodak Theatre and best of all, walk down Rodeo Dr. I even ducked into one of the shops with a few of the others and walked around. The sales clerk kept glaring at us. It was hilarious. (And I'd do it again. In a second.)

We also made an unexpected detour to the La Brea tar pit. It seems we inadvertantly left someone behind, so he had to take a cab to catch up with us. I'm actually kinda glad it happened; I've never seen anything like the tar pit in my life. I found it a little bit sad.

Once we got back, we were dropped at the convention center. The first sight that greeted us was the incredibly long line for pre-registrants to pick up their gear. At first we all freaked out--we were thinking that was the line for the club store! But our line was much, much shorter.

I caught up with Prime and apologized for being late. We didn't have much time for talk; not long after, the doors opened and we were allowed inside. Prime and I made our way towards the club store when I saw something. It looked like a wing. A yellow, car door shaped wing.

That was when I gasped. And it wasn't the typical sort of gasp, either. This one was reserved for someone special. Namely Bumblebee.

I was staring at a movie Bumblebee statue.
I had to fight the urge to hug him.

Prime mumbled a soft, "Oh hell," as we passed by. He knew I was going to be insufferable after seeing this sight. But I kept myself pretty much in control until we got to the store. We got our forms, placed our order and paid. When we left, we spotted DA (who got in last night) sitting nearby. Prime rearranged our swag and gave me permission to go take a few pictures of Bumblebee.

I lost count of just how many I took. I was actually afraid I might fill the SD card.

Once Prime had gotten everything together, we met up with yet another friend who offered to stash our stuff in their room. So we headed outside. It was then I spotted someone who looked familiar--it just so happened to be the King himself. So I got his attention then nearly fractured one of his ribs hugging him. Good times, good times.

We stashed our swag, grabbed some eats and got back to our hotel. All in all, it's been a wonderful couple of days. I wish it would never end.

--Weasel, "I'm both sleep and food deprived, but I feel just great!"

2

I'm here. At last, I am here.

Would've posted a lot sooner, but the last few days have been insane. Saturday was a "nerd's day out", so to speak; Prime and I hit the local comic shop and did a double feature. We finally saw both Wolverine and Star Trek. Both rocked, as you can imagine.

Sunday I had to work, which cut into our prep time. Still, I managed to get some slag done, which put us a bit ahead.

Monday was the killer. And I do mean killer.

Between the last minute packing, the last minute print outs, the last minute laundry, the last minute ATM run, and grabbing the last minute snacks, I could barely function. Even worse, my nerves started kicking in; trying to sleep wasn't very easy for me. But I managed to grab a few hours. (Prime sez: Oh, frickin' PLEASE. One bottle of Mike's Harder Cranberry Lemonade and you were down for the count, shuuuuut upppp.)

Today, we got up at around four this morning (ugh!) and prepared for our flight. After getting dressed, we finally got on the road around five-twenty.

Got to the airport at 7:45. After going through TSA, we got to our gate and boarded soon after. It was a rather long but very uneventful flight. Our airline had XM, which kept me quiet and occupied.

Got to LAX at about ten-thirty. After the shuttle ride, we got to our hotel.

I am tired. Really tired. I could probably crash out and take a nap right now, but I won't. I'll be heading to bed early tonight, since I'll have to be up at a ridiculous hour tomorrow morning. I'm going on a pre-BotCon tour to Universal Studios. Yes, I can hardly wait.

Let the fun begin!

--Weasel, "I'm tired, I'm hungry and I feel great."

5

I'm off today, work tomorrow then I'm off on Monday and my vacation starts. Weird schedule, I know. But I'm not complaining. Too much.

My suitcase is packed. I'm about halfway done with Prime's (it sounds odd, and...it kind of is--he can pack boxes for shipping toys to eBay winners or for moving, but suitcases drive him nuts); I'm thinking I'll have it totally packed by tomorrow night. At least I hope I will.

In a few more days, I'll be heading to California. And I don't think I'll need the Tylenol PM to keep me quiet while on board. Not considering this piece of news.

Oh yeah, I can board that plane. Nothing's stopping me now.

--Weasel, "This will be awesome beyond words."

8

Just tangled with my local CU; that was not a fun time, I tell you. But it's done.

I'm not as far ahead today as I was yesterday, preparation wise. But it's nothing I can't get on top of. It's just really annoying. (Doesn't help when I feel like I blew most of the day dealing with stupidity.)

I can hardly wait. I've been needing this.

--Weasel "For a few short days, the world will not suck."

A Public Service Announcement

If you ever move to Wisconsin and you're looking for a credit union, stay the hell away from Lakeview. Apparently, they do not know their ass from an effing hole in the ground.

--Weasel, "It'd be easier pulling teeth with a screwdriver than dealing with these morons."

9

Got a couple of days off, so I'm doing the usual: Trying to nail down a few things before I leave for BotCon. I'm actually a little bit ahead of myself right now, so I'm taking a bit of a break.

Work hasn't been so bad lately, which is a blessing. It helps to make the wait a bit more bearable, if you know what I mean.

I haven't had any run-ins with Sammy. I am counting my blessings on that one because I'm hearing more and more crap about her. To be perfectly blunt, she's actually scaring me a little. A lot of the other cashiers are getting pretty pissed off at her because she's riding their skidplates over stupid crap. That tears it-- she really is from my old hellhole store. A week away from her will do me a world of good.

I just dread getting on board that airplane. But whatever it takes, I guess.

--Weasel, "Gotta finish packing my bags..."

12

The new schedules are up: My vacation has been approved, like I had expected.

Today was insane; I was bounced around at least five times throughout the day. At first, I was people greeting, then I was on GM self-checks, then it was 23, then 17... By the end of the day, I could barely remember where the hell I was or what the hell I was doing.

I hate days like that. They make me feel like a total moron. And they also drag by.

But it's one less day's wait for BotCon, thank Primus.

--Weasel, "I'm too old and tired for this crap."

13

I really ought to be doing laundry, but I simply cannot work up the energy to do it right now. So I'll blog instead.

With only 13 days left for BotCon you would think I'd be in a pretty decent mood. I wish I could say that I was. Work has been driving me insane. Again.

Sammy, our front-end manager, is on the warpath. She's been tearing into people left and right, ususally over something that's really, really minor-- like being four minutes late from lunch. I'm not kidding. She's been going nuts on quite a few cashiers and worse, pissing off even more. Vi, who works the GM self-checks when I'm not there, has wanted to get a few more hours; nothing much, just maybe an extra half an hour each shift, since she's been stuck working five and a half hours almost every single day. When she asked Sammy what could be done for this, she was told to either change her availability (not happening, since she has to act as a shuttle service for her family) or sign up to fill a full shift.

The problem? She can't work a full 9 hour shift because she has to get her kids to and from school and work. Sammy knows this but she doesn't give a damn.

The kicker? Sammy's from my old hell-hole store. And she's acting like it. (Yes, that is one of the major reasons that I left that store. You would not believe the amount of backstabbing and bullshit that I had to put up with on a daily basis. It was insane.)

Less than two weeks. That's what I'm telling myself. If I can make it until then, it'll all be worth it.

--Weasel, "I wasn't kidding when I said I was earning this trip."

15

The "i"s are crossed and the "t"s are dotted; we're almost ready to go to BotCon.

I'm already nervous as hell-- did I mention that I hate flying? Seriously, I do. Can't stand it at all. But I'll deal with it, like I always do. (Pass the Tylenol PM, please.)

I can barely wait. I've been looking forward to this since it was announced back in December. I just hope I can hold on until then. (Work has gotten worse; I'll blog about it later.)

--Weasel, counting down the days

'POWER DELAY'

Well, there's something I've never seen before as an onscreen header when in the midst of watching a Brewers game on FSN Wisconsin. A mess of the lights went out at Miller Park tonight during their game against the Cubs. Prime and I watched as Milton Bradley (Yes, that is his real name...) stood ready at the plate as the Crew were blowing a significant lead in-progress when it suddenly darkened quite a bit.

44,428 people there, and I have to wonder how many dillweeds left the game early because of it. I mean, there're always the monkeys who leave during the last third of a game when it seems like one team or the other has it in the bag (and tonight is a perfect example of the idiocy inherent in such a call, as the Cubs are now within 3 of tying it up as I type this--not at all insurmountable...not that I want THAT to happen, hell naw). I've just never gotten that whole 'leave before it's over thing'--really, beating the traffic's that important to you? Why don't you just stay home, then, and leave the sold-out tickets to be sold to someone who'll fill the seats for the full nine?

Like me & Prime? /rant rant impotent raaaaage

Still can't believe that I've become such a fan of baseball in general and the Brewers in specific. Prime did this to me. He's still not sure how. And I think he's afraid that I'm going to steal all the swag/merch/paraphernalia he's collected since he was a kid.

(Maybe I will, unless he promises to get me a jersey. I haven't decided if it'll be 'Swindle' with his number--that's an actual Brewers player, BTW--or 'N. B. E.' 02. Decisions, decisions.)

...quick edit: woooo, 12-6!

This kind of ties in with my post from yesterday. While WGN was my original/main source for episodes of Transformers as a kid, there were many...MANY...times where I'd be unable to watch, because there'd be a damn Cubs game there to preempt the showing! Oh yes, there was much, much rage. So there's little surprise, now, that like a good Brewers fan, I haaaate the Cubs! XD

--Weasel, "I'll take Megatron over the Cubs anyday."

25 Years

Prime thinks I went a liiiiittle overboard with this. But he's not the writer, he's the editor. The editor under my THUMB OF DOOM. So nuts to him. :)


Twenty-five years ago today, the very first Transformers comic hit the newsstands. Although I have few memories of that day or that comic, the franchise it helped to launch became a very important part of my life.

Growing Up Autobot

My first introduction to The Transformers came from the toys, which I had spotted in a store in my hometown in North Carolina. It may have been Kmart, or it could have been the local Best Products. In any case, the result was the same...to say I wasn’t impressed was putting it nicely. My mindset was simple--a robot should be a robot, a car should be a car and never the twain should meet. It wasn’t until later that I would change my mind.

It was the cartoon that ultimately drew me into the Transformers universe. More specifically, a plucky little yellow Autobot who quickly became my first crush.

Since my father now worked for the local cable company, my family received free cable. One weekday afternoon, in a fit of boredom, I was restlessly flipping through the channels looking for anything decent to watch. I stumbled across WGN, which was called ‘The Chicago Channel’ by most people living in the south, including myself. In a stroke of good fortune, I discovered that they were airing cartoons. At that age, only animation would keep my attention for an extended amount of time. Curious, I decided to watch.

The first was GI Joe. It was interesting enough, so I stuck around to see what else was on. The next offering that met my eyes would influence me for many years to come, though I had no clue at the time. The second cartoon was Transformers.

Within a few moments, I was already draw into the mythos; an entire world of sentient robots? I had adored all things robotic since I was 4 years old, so sign me up! After seeing the first episode, I wanted more.

I watched the entire three-episode special. I was hooked instantly.

Then came Transport to Oblivion. It was then I fell in love. My first crush was an Autobot named Bumblebee.

In the episode, it happened so suddenly--Spike Witwicky was in danger and Bumblebee rushed in to save his friend. As if that wasn’t noble enough, what Bumblebee said during the rescue sealed the deal: “I got him into this mess, I’ll get him out!”

It was love at first sight--someone who was self-sacrificing, loyal and incredibly cute. At the age of nine, I had figured out who my dream date would be and it was Bumblebee. In my eyes, he was utter perfection. I idolized him, adored him and often thought how awesome it would be to meet him. He was the reason I became a fan of The Transformers.

I had very little money as a child, so my collection consisted of only two toys: one lone Powerdasher jet and an Astrotrain that I had gotten from my uncle at Christmas. But that did not stop me from being a fan. I showed my affection for the Autobots in other ways. During fourth grade, I begged my mother for Transformer-themed school supplies. I wrote short stories and fanfics in my spare time. When my mother would banish me from the house with the words “Go outside and play!” I would cast myself as a secret agent, working for the Autobots. In my fertile imagination, I would join up with Bumblebee to spy on the Decepticons or help him in mounting a rescue mission to save Optimus Prime and the other Autobots from certain destruction at the hands of Megatron. In the back of my notebooks and on spare pieces of paper I would scribble the words “I love Bumblebee”. Although I lacked the toys, I certainly did not lack the enthusiasm.

My Life as a Teenage Cybertronian

During my turbulent teenage years, I began to forget; I forgot about Bumblebee and Optimus Prime and the other heroic Autobots. My life had taken a different turn. I was now fighting my way through adolescence and desperately trying to fit in, which I never really did. It wasn’t until later that I began to remember...that fate guided me back.

During my freshman year of high school, I suffered through several particularly bad days. I was lost and lonely. I had no friends and had a very difficult time identifying with the other students. I literally knew no one; unlike everyone else, I had gone to private middle school rather than a public one. Not only was I the 'little fish in the large pond', everyone was a complete and total stranger to me. Being painfully shy did not help my situation, either. I was simply too timid to speak to anyone. Those that I did speak to often thought I was weird and wanted little to do with me. I had never felt more alone in my life.

Every day, after school let out, my mother and I would visit my great-grandmother. After a quick visit, I would walk to the Kmart that was located behind her apartment building. One especially lonely day, I wandered through the aisles of that Kmart, trying to take my mind off my lousy life. I had already tried losing myself in their book section, but that didn’t help. So I turned towards the toy aisles, hoping that I could simply forget.

It was then that I spotted him. He looked a little different, but I knew him just the same.

It was Bumblebee. The Kmart-exclusive Legends Bumblebee, to be exact. I picked him up from the hook and whispered, “I remember you.” With the only money I had in my wallet--five dollars--I took him home, smiling for the first time in weeks. When I returned to my great-grandmother’s apartment, I gleefully showed him off to my mother. “It’s Bumblebee!” I said, laughing. “Remember him from Transformers?”

I have often said that Bumblebee may either be my jinx or my guardian angel. This was the beginning of that trend--having a horrible day and finding a new Bumblebee toy or catching wind of a related bit of news--anything along those lines. But I had no idea how important that action figure would become later in my life.

At the age of seventeen I met the boy who would be my significant other for the next five years of my life. My then-boyfriend had been an avid Transformers collector and, until he decided to pick up the controller to a Nintendo Entertainment System on a regular basis, owned over 200 figures. When I first visited his home, I was shocked; it felt less like a trip down Memory Lane and more like a family reunion. I was completely enchanted. Transformers brought us closer together and we often spent time reminiscing about the franchise.

When I started college, one of the assignments I was given was to bring an item that I felt was important. I brought Legends Bumblebee. At first the other students seemed slightly shocked until I explained how he reminded me of my childhood and of my past, which was very important to me. This actually started a pretty spirited discussion in class. I actually felt proud of myself for once.

When I got home, my good mood vanished. My mother and father were not on speaking terms. Dad was stressed out due to his job; he had come home that night and had suddenly rearranged the furniture in the living room. Worse, he barely spoke to Mom. It was like walking on eggshells. Neither one was sure whether or not things would work out. Mom was already talking about a temporary separation.

I managed to slip into my bedroom and collapse on my bed, clutching my favorite little Legend. He was a slight weight on my chest--so very slight. But he was like an anchor that kept me from feeling completely adrift. I have no idea how long I laid there, cradling Bumblebee. It may have been hours, it may have been seconds: I honestly cannot say. I only know that his presence was the only thing that kept me calm that night.

Thankfully, my parents worked things out. But during that time I spent a lot of time in my bedroom, writing terrible fanfic and cradling my Bumblebee. The fanfics are long since gone but my Legends Bumblebee remains with me to this day.

It wasn’t terribly long after this incident that Hasbro released Transformers: Generation 2. Frank and I spotted them while out and about one Saturday. When he pointed them out to me, my heart soared; one of the figures on the pegs was Bumblebee. I had a second chance to collect the figures I had missed during my childhood. And collect I did. Every spare bit of money I could scrape together went towards my brand new Transformers collection. My very first figure? Bumblebee, of course. Frank began collecting as well. Whichever figures he couldn't buy, I would buy for him and vice-versa. Those were happy days for us; collecting seemed to bring us even closer together. Unfortunately, that feeling wouldn’t last.

The Beast Within

Generation 2, the successor to the original series, wasn’t much of a success, and it eventually died away. In its stead came what many at the time first considered to be the pretender to the throne--Beast Wars Transformers. Frank was underwhelmed, to put it gently.

“They’re not real Transformers,” he scoffed. I, being so very naïve in spite of my age, believed him. So my collecting stopped. It’s a decision that I still regret to this day; I missed out on quite a few figures.

Even though I was no longer actively collecting, I was still quite interested in the franchise as a whole. But I honestly believed that I was one of the few people who still remembered them. That is, until the advent of the internet. One day, on a whim, I typed “transformers” into a search engine on a library computer at my local college. Most of the results were related to electrical equipment, but a decent number of them were dedicated to those robots in disguise that I loved so much.

I wasn’t alone. There were other fans out there. Eventually, I found an email group called the Cybertronian Conference, or CybCon for short. I signed up and after a little lurking, began to actively participate in discussions about the toys, the cartoon--everything. To most it would have been idle nerd talk, but to me it was the most fun I had in a long while.

Then the bottom dropped out of my world: On 30 October 1997, Frank admitted that he had cheated on me with my best friend’s stepsister. I was devastated. Everything I knew (or thought I knew) had been turned upside down. Although I tried to forgive Frank and work things out between us, it couldn't be done. We couldn't even remain as friends. In one fell swoop, I not only lost my significant other, but I lost almost all of my friends as well. Most of them quickly sided with Frank, believing that I was the one at fault for the whole sad affair. I was alone yet again. I was adrift, with no idea what to do next.

Cupid in Disguise

During this time, which I refer to as the Year of Hell, I kept my mind occupied by getting more and more involved in the online Transformers fandom. Also, now that I was free of Frank’s influence, I began to pick up some of the Beast Wars action figures that still lined store shelves and hung from their pegs. The first one I ever purchased was a Fuzor--it was Silverbolt. My reason for purchasing him was pure aesthetics; his being a mixture of wolf and eagle made him the most visually pleasing to my eyes. I was bitten by the collecting bug yet again. I simply couldn't get enough of Beast Wars.

When the WB network debuted in our city, I was able to catch up on the episodes of Beast Wars I had missed, and came to realize just how much of an idiot I had been; Beast Wars might have been a different chapter in the mythos, but it was an incredibly engaging one. I mentally kicked my own butt for denying myself such an amazing storyline. This would be the first of many things that I would discover than Frank had been terribly wrong about. It would also be the first step in relearning to trust my instincts, a step I owe to Beast Wars.

But even though I had fallen hard for the Beasties, I was also trying to recapture a bit of my youth. I was always on the lookout for a "new" Bumblebee to add to my paltry collection. Thanks to CybCon, I was able to get my hands on a G2 Go-Bots Bumblebee and managed to acquire a pair of G1 Action Masters Bumblebee toys. One remained sealed on his card, while the other was freed from his paper-and-plastic prison to adorn my desk. What I didn't know is that Bumblebee wouldn't be terribly safe on that desktop.

It was an accident, really--I was opening one of the drawers and it got stuck. Irritated, I slammed it shut, which caused my poor little Action Master to tumble off the top of the desk. When I noticed he was gone, I panicked. Frantic, I tore apart the area around the desk looking for him. Five minutes later, I found him. He was lying behind the desk, none the worse for wear. I apologized to him (!) and placed him back in his spot, all the while threatening to burn the desk for allowing something so horrible to happen.

Later that night, I made mention of the incident while posting to CybCon. Imagine my surprise when someone contacted me privately about it. "It's that top-heavy thing, isn't it?" the email began. The member, whom I knew as Prime, apparently had his own difficulties in keeping his AM Bumblebee upright while it was wearing its heli-pack. It was an odd start to a conversation, but what a conversation it was.

Frank and I were officially done in August of 1998. It was a difficult time for me, so I took a few months off trying to collect myself and figure out how I was going to get on with my life. But after wallowing in more self-pity than truly necessary, I decided to stop existing and start living. In November of that year, I asked for a computer for Christmas. When I got it in early December, the first thing I did was re-subscribe to CybCon.

I got a warm welcome back, which surprised me. I actually had friends out there. After a few weeks, I also reconnected with Prime. We began chatting again, only this time it was a little bit different. I started to really look forward to his messages in my inbox. I begin to giggle happily every time he replied to me. I was acting like a giddy little schoolgirl with a crush on someone. It felt wonderful.

As the summer of 1999 approached, BotCon loomed on the horizon. A few CybConners mentioned that they were going, among them Prime. Since I had been saving some of my money for the past two years and had about three thousand dollars handy, I decided that I could afford a trip as well. I preregistered and with the help of my mother and her credit card, I was able to go. I told a few of the CybConners that I would be there, but I emailed Prime personally, gave him a description of myself and told him that I would be looking for him. I gave no one else that information. It only went to Prime.

I arrived in St. Paul, Minnesota on Saturday. After heading to the convention center to pick up my prereg items, I rushed into the dealer room. It took several minutes, but I was able to spot Prime standing in the ridiculously long checkout line at Rugby's Starbase. It took me a few moments to get my nerves under control, but I managed to walk over to him and introduce myself.

For the few hours we spent together, we were inseparable. We talked, laughed, and acted goofy. For the first time in nearly a year, I was having a great time. When Saturday came to an end, we had to go our separate ways. I went back to my hotel and he to his. Although there was an "official" CybCon gathering at the convention hotel, I couldn't make it due to extreme exhaustion. It was my fault; I had only gotten a grand total of 6 hours of sleep in the last two days. I'm surprised that I wasn't hallucinating by that point.

I was only able to stay a few hours on Sunday, but I spent as many of those hours as I could with Prime. We wandered the dealer room yet again, just enjoying each other's company. As we wandered about and made a few purchases, I spotted a MOSC Goldbug (Bumblebee's 'evolved' form) on a dealer's table. I looked him over for a few moments but put him back down; I didn't have the money for him, as I had purposefully limited the funds I brought along for the trip. "Don't you have him?" Prime asked. I shook my head. "Nah, I never had the money to grab him when I was younger," I replied, a bit sad. What happened next is something I will never forget.

Prime picked up Goldbug and bought him. I patted him on the arm and said, "You give him a good home, now." Prime smiled and said, "Oh, I will." He then handed the Throttlebot to me.

Prime had just bought me a present. I was shocked. No one had ever displayed this sort of kindness to me.

I nearly knocked him down when I tackle-hugged him. I don't think I've ever thanked someone so profusely in my life. I didn't want that moment or that day to end.

It was hard to leave St. Paul and harder still to leave Prime. It was then that I knew I had fallen in love with him, the thoughts of which made me both happy and terrified. Happy, for we felt so perfect together and terrified at any possibility of getting my heart broken again.

When I returned home, I wrote him an email. It was the most difficult thing I had ever written. I gave him my telephone number and asked him to call, which he did. Eventually, I was bareing my heart to him, hoping he wouldn't reject me. Not only did he reciprocate, he admitted to the same feelings. I had found love, all thanks to a little yellow Autobot.

Their War, Our Shelves

In December of 1999, I took the plunge: I moved from North Carolina to Wisconsin to live my life with Prime. Since that time, my Bumblebee collection has exploded and our combined collection (including so many toys I had missed out on acquiring on my own) has grown by leaps and bounds. I've been an attendee at every BotCon since 1999 and made quite a few friends along the way. Prime and I have happily collected everything we could in that timespan, artifacts included. We've had long, drawn-out discussions on whether the Matrix may be sentient and if Tarantulas is actually Unicron's spawn. I'm working on building a shrine to my favorite Autobot, featuring not only toys but artifacts as well. I'm an admitted (robot collecting nerd/roboplastico addict/flaming robosexual/insert goofy robot-related term here) and I love it.

Although the Transformers franchise has changed time and again over the past twenty-five years, one thing remains the same--my undying love for Bumblebee and his Autobot friends. Because of my devotion to his character and the Universe of which he's a part, my life has become richer; I've made friends and family, all thanks to him. It's been an amazing quarter century for my favorite toy franchise and I can hardly wait to see what the next twenty-five years will bring. No matter what may come, I will always be a fan.

21

I promised a longer post, so here we go.

* As of right now, I have a song stuck in my head. Now if I could find the soundtrack or movie on DVD, I wouldn't have this problem.

* I am utterly exhausted thanks to work. The whole "Work 8 days, get two days off whenever" completely drains me.

* If I'm dead within a week, you'll know why: one of the cartpushers thought that he had H1N1 (swine flu) this past Saturday. Seems his girlfriend had visited Mexico and was dreadfully sick, so he thought he had been exposed. Too bad management didn't see it that way. So if I'm too ill to enjoy BotCon, that's why. (I'm still going, of course.)

* I'm actually on a bit of a downer lately; I'm thinking that the letdown from Dairycon has gotten to me. If this is the case, I'm going to be insufferable when BotCon's over.

* From the "Customers Are Stupid Assholes" file: Three days ago there was a crying toddler hiding behind a display in one of our main aisles. Every employee who saw the kid did as they were trained; they stopped and looked for Mommy. Mommy (who was about six feet away and hiding behind a different display) got pissed off because everyone was showing some actual concern for her kid. Hey, moron? Would you be saying that bullshit if your kid had gotten molested/kidnapped/murdered? Don't think do. How about next time we call the state and let them take your kid. Have fun tangling with that, idiot.

* I am getting sick of the stupid. The more I see, the more it pisses me off. It's getting so bad that I'm afraid I'm either going to snap at a customer or a member of management.

* Prime said something about the upcoming BotCon that I kind of have to agree with: this is a convention we've been to before. The only new guest we know of is Weird Al. Everyone else has been a guest previously. Man, I really wish Mark Ryan would come. (I'm still going, though.)

And that about does it. Tune in next time to watch me lose what little sanity I have left. (I must be nutbars to post what I'm going to post on the eighth.) Until then, this has been
--Weasel, "Signing off."

23

It hasn't been the best week for me: I've just come off an eight day stretch, the stupid at work is driving me nuts and I have a blog post (click the badge above for the what-n-why of it) due in three days. (I'll be working on it tonight. I seem to work better at night. Don't ask.)

I am tired. Very tired. Mostly of people and their stupidity. And trust me, there's been plenty.

I really hope I can make it to the end of the month with my sanity intact. Right now, it's looking a bit doubtful.

--Weasel, "I'll post more later. I'm just too exhausted right now."

30

I am on day number two of an eight day stretch. I don't know how long I'll be able to hold onto my sanity. So much stupid, so many cranky-ass little old ladies, so much bullshit. I really don't know if I can hold on until my next day off, let alone BotCon. Add on this little bit of news and you could say that yeah, I'm about ready to scream.

To paraphrase Ultra Magnus: I can't deal with this now.

--Weasel "Yeah, life sucks. What else is new?"

The Dairycon Update Part 2

When we last left off yesterday, it was almost time for the "Name that Transformer" contest. By the time I got back to the convention room, we were about five minutes from starting. "Name that Transformer" is a 20-questions-type game; we (the convention goers) have to ask the emcee yes-or-no questions in order to get clues. Guessing correctly won you a Dairycon program guide, which contained raffle tickets. Prime was on a tear yesterday and won three times. Pretty darned awesome. ("Fat lotta good it did", Prime sez.)

After that, we had the Jumpstarter Rally. Prime and I were in the same heat.... and I won! I went on to the semi-finals, but didn't make it to the finals. Oh well. Crow was the over-all winner after the most epic finals I've ever seen. (The final heat had to be run three times; the Jumpstarters kept leaping over the end of the table.)

After a short break and more wheeling & dealing, the "Assemble Your Own Transformer" event got under way. Only this year, instead of assembling a TF, the contestants had to identify parts. That was evil Fred, very, very evil! Prime didn't win; it went to Joe.

More wheeling. more dealing and even more fun ensued. Prime made a few more purchases and we managed to sell a few more things from our table. But Dairycon was beginning to wind down.

This year, we actually had an organiser's panel of sorts where questions were asked and sometimes answered. Afterwards, we had the annual spinning of the big wheel. Prime actually won an exclusive...cowbell. ("Shee-eeesh.") Not long after, the raffle and auction were held; we didn't win anything during the raffle and the auction, as usual, came down to Prime and Bill of JRS Toyworld, who brought it up to $285 for A.S.S.-09, ToiletBot, Pretender Motormaster, and various-and-sundry other items before Prime let his semblance of common sense take over (he could've gone higher, but had reasons beyond not wanting to spend that much). Maybe next year, if we're lucky. Bill and Prime both do it because they know a fair amount of money gets spent to put the event on every year, and not all of it gets made back. It's entertaining, too, to watch the back-and-forth bidding, and Prime knows it.

So eventually, the process of packing up began and then everybody who wished to do so headed out to the local Old Country Buffet for the annual "Eating by the Geeks". But something totally awesome happened to me and Prime as we were driving away from the hotel.

As we started down the street, I noticed a car that was trying to parallel park just a little bit down the street. As I looked at its back end, I couldn't help but think it looked weirdly familiar. Then we passed it. I nearly freaked out when I realised what it was.

A red Camaro. A red 2010 Camaro. As in, pretty damn close to movie Cliffjumper. Oh yeah, there was much freaking out. (Thank Primus it wasn't yellow.)

Prime circled the block for me and I was able to get a bit of video of it. (I'll try and post it later.) After that, we were on our way.

We ate, drank and were merry. I haven't had such a great time in weeks. Seriously, I really needed this. After a few hours, our party went about its separate ways. But I had a great time, a really great time. I can barely wait until next year.

Dairycon Update

At the Ramada (again!) and enjoying Dairycon 2009.

We got here about 20 minutes later than we expected; seems we have a bit of a windshield issue that we're dealing with. Why does that sound oddly familiar? Thankfully, our table was set-up in advance, so no harm, no foul.

Already been doing some wheeling and dealing; we've sold a few of our BotCon exclusives and Prime's made a few purchases. But we missed out on a blue-eyed BW Cheetor so Prime's not real happy. (You see, I was hoping to use Alexa-One to post this but I'm kinda hiding out downstairs for a little bit. When Prime's upset, forget trying to cheer him up.) But I'm having fun right now, at least.

That's all for right now. If I'm lucky, I'll try and post another update later today. Right now, it's back to the 'Con!

(edit: Weasel = jerkmunkie) Signed, Prime. Nyah.

Live from Wisconsin!

It's Dairycon 2009!

I'm actually at the Ramada as I type this; they have a 24 hour business center with net access. Been having a pretty good time-- today was the tour, where we got to tour a classic car collector's garage. Man oh man, did he ever have some really nice cars. Saw a GTO that my dad would have flipped for and at least two Corvettes that one of my friends in NC would have salivated over. I've got some video of the place; I may try and post it later.

After our tour, we headed back to our meeting point (the Ramada) and the early dealer room set-up began. Prime and I pretty much have our tables set up for tomorrow, which takes a load off of our minds. Right now there's some gaming going on; since I suck so hard at games (video or otherwise), I decided to sneak out for a few minutes and make a quick post.

All in all, it's been pretty fun. I can hardly wait until tomorrow when the real fun begins.

--Weasel, "Must buy.... multiple Bumblebees..."

Life is Awesome Again

(For once that title is not sarcastic, either.)

At around 11:35 am, the phone rang. I didn't think much of it, believing that it was probably Prime. But I checked the caller ID on the TV just to be certain.

It came up "Brian Savage".
I nearly broke a leg running upstairs.

It seems that someone had cancelled on the Thursday tour and a spot was open. Since I had been placed on a waiting list (that'll learn me not to do my registration forms late), they wanted to know if I was interested. I immediately said yes.

I'm going on a tour of Hollywood! Can this get any more awesome? (Only if I meet somebody mega-famous or get discovered!)

--Weasel, "Like that will ever happen."

Time Off

It's a wonderful thing.
And Dairycon is coming up in a few days. Even more awesomeness. XD

"What Do You Want Me To Do About It?"

Since dinner is cooking, I decided to steal a few moments and make a quick post. I just had to.

Today, cashier Jenni told me about a little incident that happened last night. It seems a customer found a virtual shitload of stuff left behind in a cart. Everything was paid for; according to Jenni it was all in bags. So the customer told an associate from lawn and garden about it. Rather than taking the bags up to customer service, the associate simply said, "Just take it. You can have it." Jenni thought that maybe she should let a head or a member of management know about this, since the customer who originally forgot the items might come back for them. I told her that it was probably a very good idea.

About ten minutes later, Jenni told me that she let a head know about it. The head in question was Mary. Mary's reply to Jenni's story was simple: "What do you want me to do about it?"

Uh, how about your damn job? You know, like letting management know about this so they can talk to the moron in L&G so it won't happen again? You know, actually doing some fucking work for once in your pathetic life? But that would require you to actually get up off your lazy ass and do something, now wouldn't it?

I swear to Primus, I work with idiots. And they get fucking stupider each and every damn day.

--Weasel, "I'm so earning that vacation, really, I am...."

(Insert Scream Here)

Honestly, I can only take so much stupid in just one week....

A few days ago I was on the GM self-checks: It was towards the end of my shift, so I was expecting my replacement to show up at any time. Or so I thought.

It took 10 minutes for him to finally show up. Seven of those minutes were spent looking for a damned head cashier. When I finally clocked out for the night, I was a grand total of 13 minutes over. It's not a helluva lot, but it's just enough overtime to get my ass in trouble.

And now we come to tonight. I was on the grocery self-checks tonight and yet again, it was only a few minutes towards the end of my shift. And yet again I was awaiting my replacement. And yet again, my replacement didn't come. Only this time, I actually asked a head if someone was going to come and take my place. According to Mary, someone was on the way and would be there soon.

"Soon" apparently meant ten minutes later. Again, I clocked out late.

This is bullshit. Serious bullshit. My job is at fucking risk every time the damn heads pull this idiocy. The one who loses in this equation is me, not them. I'm thinking that the next time this happens and I'm on self-check, I should just shut the fuckers down and walk the fuck away. I refuse to get fired because of someone else's incompetence.

As I've said many times before, I'm really earning this trip to BotCon.

--Weasel, "Is it May yet?"

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

I'm still here; I've just been too blasted wiped to actually post.

It's mostly been work that's been wearing at me, but life in general hasn't helped either. Even the small things seem to irritate me. Prime's done shit that would normally tease a chuckle out of me and all I'll do is roll my eyes. (Sorry 'bout that, big guy.)

But I'm getting better. I'll get to that in a minute. First, I have to vent a little:

* The people who did data entry for my previous store were morons. 'Nuff said.

* We've had yet another spate of firings in the last couple of weeks. At least four people, and possibly more than that, were let go. I knew three of them, the fourth I'm not sure since I never got a name. The reasons vary, but the result is the exact same-- I'm paranoid as hell and trying not to say anything that may piss anyone off.

* The new front end manager is expecting us to "sell" customers on our store credit card. I refuse. Why? Way too damn many people have had their credit frozen. Why in the hell would they even want to try getting another credit card?! In this economy, I seriously doubt anyone would even want another piece of plastic.

* Whoever has been doing the schedule has been sucking a bit less, but they still suck. Although I've been getting two days off in a row more and more, my hours are all over the place. I'll work 8:30 to 5:30 one day and 11 to 8 the next. It's tiring, to say the least.

But things are getting better. We have DairyCon coming in a little over a week. We've also got a couple of nice tax returns coming which will help with BotCon. And of course, we have BotCon coming in May.

Things can only get better.

I Could Really Use a Mental Health Day.... Or 12

It's been a while; my job has been stupid and they're splitting my days off. To say I'm exhausted is putting it mildly. I'm also a bit on the burned-out side.

I could really use a break. A break from people, a break from stupid, a break from work, a break from everything. Primus only knows if it'll come.

Last night was so stuffed full of stupid it wasn't even funny. I'll spare the details but suffice it to say I'm sick of people stealing/throwing away my stuff. It's pissing me off. So fucking stop it already.

I need a vacation. Badly.

90

It's been an interesting few days: I didn't get my last break at work on Monday, I had to play monitor duty on Tuesday and Wednesday and Prime got his pre-reg done.

Thursday was a bitch. The recession hit home. I don't want to elaborate (I can do that later; I'm still pretty freaked out) but we're okay. I'll just say that we dodged one helluva bullet.

I honestly don't know if I can hold out until May anymore. The shit just keeps piling up and my sanity just seems to fray under the strain. I really don't know if I can make it.

--Weasel, "Urge to freak.... rising..."

No Words. Seriously.

Found this little gem via Shakesville and I have to be honest, I can't do it justice. You really need to read this train wreck for yourself.

But this is what pisses me off the fucking most:

3) The fact that her parents talk about "having to do this now," as if a delusional nine-year-old cannot be told no;
(Emphasis mine)

Excuse me? But did you just call a dying girl delusional? A dying child? Delusional?! Where the fuck do you get off?! Trust me asshat, if this were your kid you'd give her whatever the flying fuck she would want. You sure as shit wouldn't call her dying wishes delusional. Yes, she wanted a fricking wedding, but so fucking what? Jesus Christ, I can't believe the amount of arrogance and idiocy I've just read.
Or to put it a better way:

Awesome, we're now concern trolling the dying wishes of a 9 year old.

Yeah, awesome job. Way to look like a total douche.

If this is "true Feminism" then fuck it. I officially jump ship.

92

It begins in earnest: the forms are up!

I just emailed Prime all the necessary info but it was a bit of a sticky situation at first. The desktop computer decided to start running slowly just as Fun Publications updated everything. Great timing there, Delta. :slams head into wall: I'm hoping everything got there on time.

Man, I've never yelled at a computer so loudly in my life.

--Weasel, "Now if my heart rate will just come down..."

95

I was bounced around from register to register today, which was annoying as hell. At first I didn't think much about it, until I took over on register 4. Cathy said that I would only be on there for a minute, then led the previous cashier away. Fifteen minutes later, the cashier came back and opened up on lane one. He didn't look too happy.

When I came back from lunch, I overheard a rather interesting conversation between the other head cashiers. "She's been pulling people in the cash office and reaming them out for no reason," said one.

"That's no way to make friends," said another.

That's when I put two and two together: Cathy's been yanking cashiers aside simply to bitch them out. It has nothing to do with their job performances; it's just Cathy being in a pissy mood.

So not only is she incompetent, she's a rampaging bitch.

I have no idea what the hell her problem is, but it's getting worse. I'm thinking I'm going to be walking on eggshells around the dumb bitch until I go on vacation. If I can make it until May with my sanity in tact, it will be a miracle.

--Weasel, "Maybe I should spike her coffee with some fucking Midol. It could only help."

96

Work is getting worse.

It seems Sean, one of my co-workers, asked for extra change today. So he pulls some cash out of his drawer and waits for the head cashier to come over. He gets his change from Cathy, who then turns around and leaves without taking what Sean owes her. As he put it, she was literally walking away as he turned around with the money in his hands.

To make matters worse, Sean spent the next few hours trying to track Cathy down and had no luck. Out of frustration, he finally flagged down another head cashier. Sean was finally able to pay off what he owed, but the other head told him that if he hadn't, he could have gotten a coaching or worse, been fired.

Sean would have been fired for Cathy's fucking idiocy.

I'm going to be completely and totally blunt here: Cathy is an utterly inept moron who lacks the basic common sense to tie her fucking shoes, let alone handle management responsibilities. She never should have been trained as a head. Hell, she could barely make it as a cashier; she'd snap under the stress. She needs to be fired or transferred to another store immediately. It scares the hell out of me that we have her trying to handle the front end because she either doesn't know what the hell she's doing or she's too busy fucking panicking over stupid bullshit.

They say that the cream of the crop floats to the top. Guess what? Shit floats as well.

--Weasel, counting the days until BotCon and sweet, sweet sanity...

99

On a whim, I went ahead and started picking through my suitcase this morning, checking to see if I had taken care of the clothes I had worn to last year's 'Con. Honestly, I couldn't remember if I had taken them out and washed them or if I had just decided I could wait until later to take care of everything. To my surprise, everything's clean and I'm actually in pretty good shape: The only thing I lack are decent shoes (which I'll get later) and socks.

I'm practically ready right now. A little bit of packing and I'm done. I could almost grab my suitcase and leave right now.

Too bad I can't.

--Weasel, "I'm California Dreamin' even as we speak."

Sending Best Wishes...

(Along with healing thoughts!) To the Culture Ghost. Be merciless and beat the living hell outta this thing.

For Prime

A musical dedication, for Prime.

Prime, you've been the light of my life and the pain in my ass for a long time. And I've loved every moment I've spent with you.

Even More Random Thoughts

It's been a while since I last updated and a lot of things have happened. So now we're doing another obligatory installment of:

Random Thoughts

* It seems that something big has happened at work; the store manager called meetings on Monday and told everybody to come. From what I understand a bunch of the job titles were changed and its going to affect some of the department managers. As to how, I really don't know. And as far as I know, it won't really affect my job but we'll see.

* Our new manager for the front end is a woman named Sammy. Here's hoping she'll be much more competent than Tom. (It wouldn't take much, believe me.)

* Saturday was a very strange day. I was on GM self-checks. I had one woman try to outright steal from us (she would only scan one item and put three in the bag) then we had someone threaten to kill himself. Yeah, it was nuts. I can't help but wonder if it was a full moon that night.

* Our weather has improved lately. We hit the 50s in places yesterday. I wish this would last.

* God, how I wish I could go to Chicago today. This is why. (I'm trying not to throw a fit over here.)

* I was able to catch the teaser trailer for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen during the Super Bowl. Another trailer will appear before Friday the Thirteenth. I'll have to wait until it hits the net; I'm not paying full ticket price just to see a trailer.

* In 106 days I'll be at BotCon. I just hope I can hold out until then.

* There's been a pre-order bonus announced for Pokémon Platinum: a Giratina figurine. Supposedly you can get this from Target and Best Buy, but Serebii fails at English so badly it isn't even funny. I'll just have to keep my eyes peeled, I guess.

* My store has no new Transformers. It fails on multiple levels.

* Prime's been using my laptop for a few projects, so I've been using the desktop. I've discovered that I don't like the desktop; it's way too fucking slow. God, how I love my little Alexa.

* We took advantage of Circuit City's going out of business sale on Friday. Prime grabbed quite a bit of slag, whereas I got rechargeable batteries for my camera and a lock for Alexa-One. The sad thing? I think that was the first time I had ever gone to that store.

And that does for this week! Tune in next time when I write a bunch of crap that no one really cares about. Until then, this has been...

--The Weasel, "Signing off."

Some Good News

Tom is out the door, as of the 14th of this month. He'll be heading to Green Bay. And believe me, they can have him.

--Weasel, "I hope the door hits him where Primus done split him."