…but next time, WITH COSTUMES!

San Diego Comic-Con 2008 was my first con…and I think it is safe to say, it will NOT be my last. I had so much fun, it’s hard to put into words. Sure, I was by myself, the lines were long, the fans were crazy, the food was ridiculously expensive ($3 for WATER!), the AC was cranked to high heaven, and the crowds were a bit oppressive at times–but that isn’t stopping me for next year! A fellow blogger put out there that we blog friends should make a point to rally in San Diego for SDCC 2009, and I wholeheartedly agree! So, put it on your calendar now, folks: July 23-26, 2009 San Diego Comic-Con 40th Anniversary! (And might I suggest making your hotel reservation NOW…buddy up to keep the rates low and book a room at the Marriott.)

Now that we’ve all agreed on that point, I suppose I should mention that in ‘09, we’re going all out: COSTUMES! Now that I’ve witnessed first hand the absolute absurdity hilarity AWESOMENESS of grown men and women dressing up as their favorite anime/sci-fi/comic book/television/cartoon characters, I think it would be SUPER FUN to join their ranks and dress up too. So start thinking up your costume…here’s a few more pics, to get those creative juices flowing:

There were a LOT of Boba Fetts roaming the pavillion...

Spartans (if only there had been 300 of THESE guys...)

Green Lantern (Billy, I nominate this costume for YOU!)

Bumblebee--yes, there's a PERSON in that thing!

GROWN MEN, I say!

I got dibbs on this one...

TMNT...cowabunga!

If you're shy, remember: No one has to see your face!!

Even if you aren't that creative/daring, just get a good skull mask.

Apparently, Sabretooth eats hotdogs…and rides a hog.

So, it’s day three of Comic-Con 2008 and I’m sitting in my hotel room resting my feet before heading back to the exhibit hall for the Masquerade–no I’m not IN IT, but there’s no way I’m missing all those costumes! Before I continue, I think it is worth mentioning that as I type this, the theme song from Super Mario Brothers (the original–”Boop boop boop, boop boop be-boop…”) is floating through my open window from the street below. Only at Comic-Con…

Anyway, there are many many posts in the works describing my time over the past few days, and I know it will take me quite some time to go through all the photos (I took over 300 yesterday alone) and sum up all the funny stories I’ve heard. But I thought in the meantime, you might appreciate a little nibble of photos, a couple of brushes with fame that I couldn’t catch on film, and my “You’re kidding!” moment of the day:

1) The exhibit hall is a CROWDED place! And depending on what is going on in the booths at any given time–in addition to the strollers, lurkers, and picture takers that generally muck up the aisles–it can be difficult to navigate through the maze of people. Sometimes, you’ve just got to spot an opening and go for it…being careful not to knock over the short people in the process. Which is what I almost did to Anthrax founder Scott Ian. He’s a short dude! I said “Sorry!”, he said “No worries!”, and then dissappeared into the crowd again. SCOTT IAN! From frickin’ ANTHRAX!! It all happened so fast, there was no way to even snap a candid photo…

2) Despite the fact that there are half a dozen or more concessions stands located in the exhibit hall, there always seems to be a 15 minute wait in line for food. There’s really no good time to go, so you’ve just got to get in line and wait it out…growing more and more hungry by the minute. But if you’re lucky, interesting celebrities (or a dozen Darth Vaders) will meander past you while you wait. If you’re me, you’ll get in line behind one and not even know it. I should have known something was up when 3 people came up to the dude in line in front of me and asked to take his picture. He was tall and burly looking, with long wavy blond hair and mutton chops, fingers adorned with silver skull rings. The equally-clueless guy behind me asked him if he rode motorcycles, to which he replied that he had both a Harley and some other kind of custom bike and that, yes, they were quite dangerous–but also very fun to ride. I followed him all the way through the line (he got a hot dog, as did I) before I clued in to who he was…none other than Tyler Mane, aka Sabretooth from the movie X-Men. When the cashier rang me up and said “Dude, you were in line behind Sabretooth!” and the lightbulb finally went off in my head, my hands were full of food and he had already disappeared into the crowd. Nuts!

3) My “No kidding!” moment of the day came when I sat in on author Joe Hill’s panel. Joe’s compilation of short stories, 20th Century Ghosts, is an excellent read for any who love the macabre, horror, or just plain creepy. His first full length novel, Heart-Shaped Box, wasn’t quite as good as his short stories (in my opinion), but Joe has a unique voice and talent for writing that I’ll continue to keep an eye on his work (especially his comic series Lock & Key). As I was sitting waiting for Joe to begin the panel, watching him shuffle his notes around before stepping up to the microphone, I thought to myself “Why does he look so familiar? He definitely looks like someone…but I can’t put my finger on it.” About 10 minutes later, I decided that I thought he looked a little like the Master of Horror himself, Stephen King, and I thought how it might come off as something short of a compliment were I to approach him and say, “Hey Joe! Has anyone ever told you that you look a little like Stephen King?” After all, King is not exactly an attractive guy, and I would say that beneath the beard and glasses, Hill falls into the “decent looking” category.
Anyway, I put the thought aside until the question and answer period, when someone in the audience asked him about how he got his break. Joe talked briefly about how he’d written several novels, none of which he could get published, but he refused to give up or give in to the pressure. “At one point I called my mom and said, ‘What am I going to do?’. And she replied, ‘You’re going to write another novel.’,” Joe explained. Then added, almost as an aside: “I mean, my parents write, so I figured it was the best advice I could get.” From somewhere behind me, a woman laughed and said, “No, really?!”. He went on to explain how he’d made the decision early on to go it alone, to escape from under the high-flying banner of his family name by writing under the pen name ‘Joe Hill’. “I didn’t even tell my agent my real name for ten years…and even then, it was only because it came out on the internet,” Joe explained. So who are his famous writer parents, and what is Joe Hill’s real last name? Oh…KING! As in Stephen King. I felt like a dummy…
ME: “Hey Joe, has anyone ever told you that you look like Stephen King?”
JOE: “Um, well he IS my dad….”

And here’s a few pics to whet your appetite:

Vader and friend

Should I know who this is?

Batman, Scarecrow, and a Joker....naturally

Jack Bauer

Jewel State (Dr. Keller from Stargate: Atlantis)

The cast of Stargate: SG1 (including Beau Bridges, Ben Browder, Michael Shanks, Amanda Tapping, show creator Brad Wright, and Richard Dean Anderson)

Move over, Potter…here comes TWILIGHT!

Originally published in 2006, Twilight is the first in a four book series by Stephenie Meyer known as The Twilight Saga. Like Harry Potter before it, Twilight has become a bit of a cultural phenomenon…and up until 2 weeks ago, I was completely out of the loop. So, for the rest of you who may be wondering “Who is Edward Cullen and what is so DAMN SPECIAL about Bella Swan anyway?”, let me catch you up to speed:

Bella Swan is a typical 17 year-old teenager…a little awkward, a bit different, never one to run with the crowd. When her mother remarries and sends her to live with her father in the rainy small town of Forks, Washington, Bella really didn’t expect much to change other than the scenery. But when she meets the beautiful and mysterious Edward Cullen, her life is turned upside down. He’s like no one she’s ever met–intelligent, witty, gorgeous–and a vampire. They immediately find themselves in the midst of an angst-ridden and passionate romance, made all the more complicated by Edward’s struggle against his blood-lust. And when a group of bad vamps come to town and set their sights on his soul mate, Edward and his family must fight to protect Bella at any cost.

So I gave in to the hype and picked up the first book in the series. While Twilight (and the books that follow) are most definitely meant for the YA audience, I’ll admit they are addicting. It’s got everything a teenage girl lays awake at night pining for: forbidden romance, gorgeous (and dangerous) boys falling for the average new girl in school, passionate and fated soul-mate kind of love, VAMPIRES, and…oh, more gorgeous and dangerous boys. Sounds like it’s screaming for a movie adaptation, right? EXACTLY.

When it was announced that the cast of the movie would be appearing at a Comic-Con panel this year, every teenage girl and her mother got in line to attend. And when the panel started, so did the screaming. I felt bad for the young actors, who appeared completely overwhelmed by the packed hall of 6,500 frenzied teenage girls (and more than a few frenzied adult women), and who had a hard time answering some of the questions put forth by the audience. Granted, how is someone supposed to respond when asked “How does it feel to portray the most beautiful person in the world?”. (Suggested responce: “Well, a lot like everyday life for me, really…I was totally type-cast.”)

It was obvious that no one prepped the actors on what to expect, and they really didn’t seem to have a clue what kind of cult phenom the books, the film, and now THEY THEMSELVES have become. Being that I’m no longer a 16 year old girl with stars in her eyes, content to just be in the same room breathing the same air as my on-screen crush (who WILL one day be the father of my children, by the way), the panel itself was a bit of a bomb for me. The books are great, the film will be a hit, but the star-struck teenage girls asking questions like “Kristen, what’s it like to kiss Robert for reals?!” can all go home…I would have been more content with a well-prepped panel of actors and an intelligent discussion with the author about the project. See below for a gallery of photos, or click here to view the complete set on Flickr.

Author Stephenie Meyer

Bella Swan herself, Kristen Stewart

Robert Pattinson (aka Edward Cullen)

Taylor Lautner

Cam Gigandet and Rachell Lefevre

UPDATE: In an interview with film star Robert Pattinson immediately following the Twilight panel, Robert was asked what he thought of all the screaming fans? His response: “Terrifying. It’s like the sound you hear….at the gates of hell.” I have to say, I agree with him 100%.  (to see his full response–and to catch another glimpse of that god-awful hair, click here.)

Comic-Con Day One: Programming Day (aka Teenage Girls Gone Wild)

Today was my “programming day” at Comic-Con, and I spent much of the day in Hall H watching previews of umcoming films from Fox, Summit Pictures, and Dark Castle Entertainment and listening to the actors, directors, and writers talk about their various projects. Fascinating and entertaining? Absolutely! Because I want to give each film their due in separate posts, here’s just a taste of what was featured:
(cool note–click on each photo to read my notes, and leave comments of your own!)

Welcome to CCI 2008

Programming Hall H stage

Full Hall H

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (opening 12-12-08)

Jennifer Connelly and Scott Derrickson

MAX PAYNE

Ludacris (aka Chris Bridges)

Hugh Jackman (aka Wolverine) surprises us all

Djimon Hounsou and Chris Evans promoting Push

All grown up

Gerard Butler and Guy Ritchie promoting Rock'n'Rolla

And then craziness ensued...

and all because of this guy (Robert Pattinson from Twilight)

A sighting, me thinks you have had…

Yes, that’s right, I spotted my first “Yoda” on my way into the convention center this afternoon. He was hitching a ride…

I also caught a glimpse of a couple Storm Troopers…

He-Man (Master of the Universe)…

and this little Homey:

Oh NO you didn’t!!!!!!

 (Pssst! Never heard of Comic-Con? Click the pic!)

Oh yes. YES I DID!

Remember all that vacay time I mentioned I had? Well, I’m spending some of it geeking out in San Diego. I’ll (hopefully) be posting some daily updates from the convention, including pics of every celebrity I see…and every Storm Trooper, Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Cylon I happen to cross paths with. Maybe even a Spock or two, who knows.

But as of right now, I’m STARVING. And considering this may be only one of a few days to see the outside of the convention center, I’m going to walk around downtown and see where I can grab some lunch. I’m thinkin’ TACOS…and a margarita.

Thank you, Corporate America!

I just found out today that I already have 95 hours of Personal Time Off accrued. 95 HOURS!! For those of you who can’t divide 95 by 8, that is a little over 11 DAYS of paid vacation. This may not sound like such a novel idea to any of you, but for a girl that’s used to working jobs that only give you 5 days of paid vacation AFTER you’ve worked there for a year, this is HUGE!!!

Now, where to spend it….

It’s been a while since I wrote a letter…

Dear Partner Whose Expenses I Submit,

When it comes to keeping your receipts, you are a superstar, the best in the biz! You even keep the ones you don’t need to keep, and for that I am eternally grateful. For the most part, despite your constant globe hopping, I can keep up with you, no sweat–of course, I never know what time zone you’re in, but that’s neither here nor there (well, I guess it’s more there than anything).

But I gotta say, I’m going to need your help with these:

Cause this is all Greek to me!

Faithfully Yours, etc….

There once was a boy…

…and he kind of “made my world” in college. He was funny and cute and talented, and for so long I held him up as the impossible standard to which all future boyfriends had to live up to. He was “The One” (*trumpets* *fanfare*)…until, of course, he wasn’t. Then he became “That Guy”—the one whose characteristics defined everything that a future boyfriend wasn’t, the source of all the lingering issues I had with myself and men in general. Now he’s just “I Wonder If They’re Pregnant Again” Guy, but I digress.

So when did “The One” turn into “That Guy”? Well, it started at a train station in Milan, and was official somewhere between Munich and Bavaria…

In the year after 9/11, The One was living abroad while I was finishing up my time at The University of Scholastic Regrets. We decided that his living situation was the perfect opportunity for the both of us to do a little traveling, so we planned to meet in Milan and spend several weeks traveling around Italy and Germany. The first part of our trip was a blast…I had just finished taking a class about the foundations of Ancient Europe, and around every twist and turn sprang a fountain, a sculpture, or a building that stood as testimony to the history I had studied for the last 3 months. Then, in Rome, the frustration started to set in:

ESSAYTCH: Wow, Trevi Fountain!
THE ONE (bored): Hurray, another fountain.
ESSAYTCH (incredulously): This just isn’t any old fountain! The Roman aqueduct system was one of many technological advances that set the Romans apart from the rest of the Byzantine world…building elaborate and ornate fountains at the endpoint of the aqueducts that brought fresh water into the city was a symbol of Roman power. This is COOL, man!
THE ONE: Wow, did you see that motorcycle?!?!?! AWESOME!!

Ok, so maybe I started to sound a little like Rick Steves. But nonetheless, it became obvious that the rich culture and living history that surrounded us was of more interest to me than it was to him…and this was unbelievable to me! I wanted to shake him a little and say “Do you like running water?! Do you appreciate not having to draw water from a polluted well or a river that also serves as your sewer?!?! Then thank the Romans, you dummy!!!” The One was starting to lose points in the “Cultural History” department. (This became shockingly apparent on our one day in Munich, when I took a day trip to Dachau while he toured an automobile manufacturing plant. Hmmmm…)

The “Cultural History” department wasn’t the only one he was rapidly losing points in. His performance in the “Don’t Be An Asshole” department was abysmal, but hey: who doesn’t love a guy that can have you crying into your wiener schnitzel in the middle of a German hofbrauhaus?

THE ONE:You know what I love about you, Essaytch? You always eat everything on your plate.
ESSAYTCH: Ummm…are you saying I eat too much?
THE ONE: No…uh…I mean, there’s no food you don’t like. You’ll eat anything!
ESSAYTCH: What?!?
THE ONE: That’s not to say you are chubby or anything…I’m just saying you’re not afraid to try new things. And even if you don’t like it, you’ll still eat it. You’re not picky.
HELGA THE WAITRESS: Can I get you somethings more?
ESSAYTCH (with a look that could kill): A body bag?

But the proverbial straw came in a Munich train station, when The One decided he wanted to buy a book to read on the train. He couldn’t remember the last time he had read something for fun (horror!), and wanted advice on what he should buy. The racks of fiction at the newsstand consisted of a diverse selection of Tom Clancy, Michael Crichton, and Nora Roberts novels…and I convinced him that he was most likely to enjoy something by Crichton. The next three hours went a little something like this:

THE ONE(excited): Oh my gosh! Ok, so in this book there is this guy, and he’s a scientist, and he’s figured out a way to make this time machine, except the time machine can only go to this one place in France in the year 1302 and some of the guys he sent got stuck there. So he’s trying to convince these archaeologists to go in the time machine to find them, and he says…(proceeds to read a page of dialogue from the book).
ESSAYTCH (putting down my own engrossing novel to listen to him): Wow, that sounds pretty interesting.
*10 minutes go by*
THE ONE(more excited): Holy crap! Ok, so you know how the guy was trying to convince the archaeologists to go in the time machine? Listen to this! (again, two more pages of dialogue read out loud)
ESSAYTCH(getting annoyed but trying to hide it): See, I knew you would like the book!
*10 more minutes go by*
THE ONE(beside himself with glee): You’re not going to believe this! Ok, so the guy…
ESSAYTCH (interrupting): You know, I think I’ll read it when you are done. I wouldn’t want you to spoil the plot!
THE ONE:Oh, ok. You’re going to love it!
ESSAYTCH: I’m sure I will…

So while it seemed he was losing points in the “Cultural History” and “Don’t Be An Asshole” departments, he was more than making up for it in the “Me Tarzan; You Jane” department. You’d have thought he had never read a novel before in his entire life…or at least one that wasn’t part of an assignment for school. And for a gal that reads several books a month on average (often at the same time), this just wasn’t going to work out.

By the time I got back to the states, “The One” had become “That Guy”. And as soon as he got back to the states, he bought a leaf blower (“This is seriously the coolest thing EVER!”) and balance was restored to the Universe.

 

“It ain’t easy being green.”

A truly visionary statement from Kermit the Frog, and one that I agree wholeheartedly with. Especially considering the week I’ve had…

MONDAY 4/14: Was asked by Senior Manager to arrange a block of conference rooms that an out-of-town account team could use to prep for an upcoming client pitch. Meeting dates—April 24^th-28^th. Firm revenue should said pitch go well–$22M. Spent the whole day coordinating logistics.
My Stress Level (on a scale of 1-10): 4

TUESDAY 4/15: Informed by account team Director that the date for the pitch is 4/21 (not 4/28)…will need meeting rooms beginning on the 17^th and going through the weekend. Uh, Houston? We have a problem. Of course, all the meeting rooms in our entire office were already booked by Other Admin to accommodate quarterly review meetings for another function. Asked Other Admin if we could juggle some things around to make some space. Her response: “No, book a conference room outside the office.” (Ok, not quite so blunt but still not too helpful…it was more like “I would suggest booking a conference room at an off-site venue.”) Informed Senior of the problem and spent the remainder of the day coming up with an alternative solution to the meeting room fiasco.
My Stress Level: 7

WEDNESDAY 4/16: Alternative solution not going to work. Account team Director and Head Honcho are panicking. Senior Manager goes above Other Admin’s head to free up some space, dropping the “This is a $22M pitch…” line in order to get our way leverage our position. It worked, but not without pissing off Other Admin. I did feel badly, considering Other Admin had probably spent a considerable amount of time arranging the logistics of the quarterly review meetings, only to have her efforts dashed at the last minute by our group. But hey…it is a $22M pitch, after all. Arranged after-hours building access for all guests, booked a dinner reservation in a private room at an Italian restaurant close to the office, and called it a day.
My Stress Level: 15

THURSDAY 4/17: The out-of-towners begin to arrive. I make final preparations for their catering for the following day, including tracking down a restaurant that will deliver dinner for 15 people downtown on a Friday night at the last minute. Am asked by the account team Head Honcho if the restaurant they are going to that night could serve a special drink right at the beginning of the meal that they could toast with. The hitch? It has to be green (don’t ask). Knowing that adding 15 apple martinis to the bill might not be a great idea considering they’ve already got a $500 food/beverage minimum in place, I make a run to Bartell Drugs to see what I can drum up. 20 minutes, $2.00, and a bottle of green food coloring later, I’m at the restaurant having a pow-wow with the bartender. We’re testing how many drops of food coloring to add to some sparkling cider to get the color green we’re going for (the answer: one). Problem solved, I head back to the office to see what other fires have popped up in the last hour. Spent the rest of the day compiling a list of downtown restaurants that are open on Saturdays for breakfast and lunch (you’d be surprised how few there really are).
My Stress Level: still 15 (come on…green drinks?)

FRIDAY 4/18: Stop by grocery store on my way to the office for fresh fruit for the group to munch on throughout the weekend. Meetings begin, all catering in place. Small emergency first thing regarding some much needed binders that were supposed to ship overnight but may not arrive in time. Spent the AM making additional hotel reservations for last minute attendees and staying in constant contact w/ catering for coffee refills and such. Discover there will not be enough box lunches to go around due to extra people attending the meeting; outside vendor cannot accommodate at short notice, so I’m picking up extras myself from another place. Receive word that dinner the previous night went off without a hitch, green drinks and all. Fabulous.
My Stress Level: 8

SATURDAY 4/19: Blissful, blissful weekend! You couldn’t have arrived a moment too soon! I had the evening to myself as the Roomies are off at a wedding, so I settled into the couch w/ my popcorn to catch up on some DVD recommendations from friends: The Mist (classic King) and the first part of Battlestar Galactica (an urgent request from my Scomerican friend). I am pleasantly surprised in my enjoyment of both. I hit the sack around 2am.
My Stress Level: 0

SUNDAY 4/20: Disaster strikes. 12:30pm, received call from account team Director, who is panicking. They had requested the hotel provide them with a projector to use in their PowerPoint presentation to the client on Monday, and the hotel was happy to oblige the request. One small problem though. They provided them with an overhead projector. (Excuse me, what century are we living in again?) The backup projector they brought with them isn’t working, so they need another one. Plus, they need a courier arranged to pick up a print job from the office and bring it to them IN OLYMPIA (note: Olympia is about 2 hours south of Seattle). Now this is all on my plate.
My Stress Level: off the charts

SUNDAY 4/20 (continued): I called our IT department to get the skinny on the current backup projector, to try and determine possible troubleshooting measures that can be taken. Relayed this to the account team; troubleshooting not working, Director wants to rent a projector. Rent? On a Sunday? Being the stellar and connected gal that I am, I make a phone call to a local AV company that I used to contract work with at a previous job many moons ago. Lo and behold! Their Production Manager just so happened to be in the office, and sure, he would rent me exactly what they needed.

SUNDAY 4/20 (still continuing): By the time I returned home six and a half hours later, I had procured one state-of-the-art video projector (at a deeply discounted rate), and a free projector stand, had picked up the print job from our office, and had driven 160 miles to Olympia and back to drop everything off.
My Stress Level: don’t ask

Now here it is, Monday, and I’m a bundle of nerves and knots, already counting down the minutes until 5pm on Friday. But I took much satisfaction when someone from the account team remarked yesterday “Do you know there is not one place in Seattle, Tacoma or Olympia that will rent a projector on a Sunday?”, to which I was able to reply “Well, there’s at least ONE place, because I was able to get it done!”, which drew laughter and applause from those gathered close by. And when Roomie IMd me this morning to ask “Have they promoted you to Supreme Admin Being yet?”, I laughed and replied “No, not yet!”

YET.
*wink*