Monday, July 25, 2005
Harry Potter invades my life.
I feel like a pedophile - I'm infatuated with Harry Potter. Damn JK. She's caught me up in her web once again. Yes, there are flaws in the new book, but it is also rocks. Mostly I just like the experience of immersing myself in the world of Hogwarts once again. Right now I'm trying to get over the inevitable sadness that grips me every time I finish a fun book that captures my imagination. I try to read slowly so I can savor the experience, but of course that doesn't work. And now I'm missing the world so much that I'm thinking I should start from Year 1 and read all the way through all the books again. I'm such a dork. At least I have the movie version of The Goblet of Fire to look forward to in November. I love the beginning of the trailer where it shows images of the characters growing up over the past 3 films and into the 4th. Not only am I a dork, I'm also a sap. Oh well, so it goes.
Now that the San Diego Comic Con is over and done with, and we've moved on to the next item on our plate at Sideshow, I'm having a lot of fun looking back and actually missing some of the - admittedly exhausting - excitement. We somehow found the time to make a pretty cool video documenting the Con experience as seen from the Sideshow booth. You can watch it here... it's Quicktime and it takes a little while to download, as it's over 6 minutes long and fairly high quality - so be patient. I have a very dorky moment toward the middle, quoting Planet of the Apes of all things. But it really was a madhouse, which is entirely evident from the video. I have seen some pretty nasty crowds in my day, but believe me when I say I have never ever experienced anything like the masses of people at Comic Con this year. Fun and annoying at the same time... I love people-watching, but there is a limit, especially when I'm stressed out and tired.
Some more fun little tidbits from the Con: people are selling our Star Wars over-sized bags on eBay. I wonder if they will actually sell? That would be insane.
And as a shout-out to my friend and co-worker, Sam (whose brother, Joshua, is the guy who blogged about his horrendous experience on the MTA here in LA), let me just say that it's super-cool that the Werewolf Oz figure that Sideshow made as a Con exclusive comes wearing a Imperative Reaction t-shirt. What exactly is Imperative Reaction, you ask? Well, Google it and find out! It just so happens that it's Sam's band - a band that happens to ROCK. Sam plays the drums, and I admit that I have never seen them live, but I plan on doing so at the AntiViolence LA benefit concert on August 21st at the Key Club. All LA bloggers should come! Actually, scratch that... everyone in the LA area should come (although they'd probably have some trouble trying to squeeze into the Key Club)!!
To close, I think my bitching and moaning has paid off - Sideshow may soon have an official blog! My pro-blogging persuasion - and my complete confidence in blogging as the way of the future in regards to communication between corporations and their customers - has been heard!! It's in beta testing right now... by reading this blog, you'll be among the first to know the minute it's live - how special - and geeky. Don't miss it! :)
Now that the San Diego Comic Con is over and done with, and we've moved on to the next item on our plate at Sideshow, I'm having a lot of fun looking back and actually missing some of the - admittedly exhausting - excitement. We somehow found the time to make a pretty cool video documenting the Con experience as seen from the Sideshow booth. You can watch it here... it's Quicktime and it takes a little while to download, as it's over 6 minutes long and fairly high quality - so be patient. I have a very dorky moment toward the middle, quoting Planet of the Apes of all things. But it really was a madhouse, which is entirely evident from the video. I have seen some pretty nasty crowds in my day, but believe me when I say I have never ever experienced anything like the masses of people at Comic Con this year. Fun and annoying at the same time... I love people-watching, but there is a limit, especially when I'm stressed out and tired.
Some more fun little tidbits from the Con: people are selling our Star Wars over-sized bags on eBay. I wonder if they will actually sell? That would be insane.
And as a shout-out to my friend and co-worker, Sam (whose brother, Joshua, is the guy who blogged about his horrendous experience on the MTA here in LA), let me just say that it's super-cool that the Werewolf Oz figure that Sideshow made as a Con exclusive comes wearing a Imperative Reaction t-shirt. What exactly is Imperative Reaction, you ask? Well, Google it and find out! It just so happens that it's Sam's band - a band that happens to ROCK. Sam plays the drums, and I admit that I have never seen them live, but I plan on doing so at the AntiViolence LA benefit concert on August 21st at the Key Club. All LA bloggers should come! Actually, scratch that... everyone in the LA area should come (although they'd probably have some trouble trying to squeeze into the Key Club)!!
To close, I think my bitching and moaning has paid off - Sideshow may soon have an official blog! My pro-blogging persuasion - and my complete confidence in blogging as the way of the future in regards to communication between corporations and their customers - has been heard!! It's in beta testing right now... by reading this blog, you'll be among the first to know the minute it's live - how special - and geeky. Don't miss it! :)
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
D'oh.
Did I mention that I was planning on blogging the San Diego Comic Con from July 13th-17th? Obviously that didn't happen. Click the picture to see why:
This was my first Comic Con, and I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of people. After working 10 hours on my feet all day, then having to go out and schmooze with customers and co-workers at night, I just didn't find the time to blog. I have no other excuse besides pure, unadulterated exhaustion and sensory overload. I'm still hungry, exhausted, and dehydrated after having been home for a day and a half now.
I hope I don't get sick.
This was my first Comic Con, and I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of people. After working 10 hours on my feet all day, then having to go out and schmooze with customers and co-workers at night, I just didn't find the time to blog. I have no other excuse besides pure, unadulterated exhaustion and sensory overload. I'm still hungry, exhausted, and dehydrated after having been home for a day and a half now.
I hope I don't get sick.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Today was a good day.
Excuse me while I push Independence Day stories aside for now - I have something much more important to talk about. And of course it's all about me me me.
(Celebrating today after discovering that I had, in fact, won an iPod Mini and 50 free downloads direct from Apple.)
I'm not kidding. Here's the email, just in case you don't believe me:
To: "iTunes Marketing"
Subject: iTunes 500 Million Song Countdown
From: "iTunes Marketing"
Date: Tues, 12 Jul 2005 10:27:06 -0700
Congratulations! You've been selected as a winner in the iTunes 500 Million Song Countdown. Your recent song purchase was made at one of our 100,000-song milestones, counting up to 500 million songs.
You'll receive a 4-gigabyte iPod Mini in the color of your choice - pink, green, blue, or silver - and a gift card good for 50 songs on the iTunes Music Store. Your iPod Mini and gift card will ship 4-6 weeks after the promotion ends.
In order to claim your prize, please:
1. Complete the attached Affirmation of Eligibility and return within five (5) days of receipt to Apple at U.S. facsimile number (xxx) xxx-xxxx, Attention: iTunes 500 Million.
2. Reply to this email with your preferred shipping address and iPod Mini color choice (http://www.apple.com/ipod/).
By responding, you will not be added to an email list or contacted by Apple unless your have previously authorized Apple to do so.
Thanks for being a customer of the world's #1 music download store!
The iTunes Music Store Team
http://www.apple.com/itunes/500million/
To think I almost didn't read the email because it had the word marketing in the address. I just thought it was Apple spam. It wasn't. I had to read the darn thing twice for it to sink in. I have never won anything in my life. I know everyone says that, but with me it's totally true.
Oh, wait - I did win a ginormous tub of jelly beans one time at my elementary school carnival by coming the closest to guessing exactly how many of said jelly beans were in the tub. But to be completely honest, it was only because my dad told me what to guess. And I don't even like jelly beans - I'd have to say that they are my least favorite candy. So that prize doesn't really count in my book. Those jelly beans lasted nearly 2 years until I used them one night to foil some bumbling burglars by tossing them all over the kitchen floor. (that might be true - if I was McCauley Culkin)
And for those of you wondering - no, I don't have an iPod yet. I know I know, join the 21st century already. But I could never completely convince myself that I should spend over $200 of my hard-earned cash on a music storage device, no matter how badass. I even held back the urge when I bought my new 12" PowerBook a few months ago - even with 18 months same-as-cash financing whispering sweet nothings in my ear. It must be Fate. I was MEANT to win this iPod. Apple ROCKS. On that note, Steve Jobs is pretty cool.
I chose boring silver, by the way. Only because I could NOT make up my mind between the blue and the green. I gotta work on this indecisiveness before I spend another good 2 hours of my life standing in Target trying to decide which shampoo to buy.
(Celebrating today after discovering that I had, in fact, won an iPod Mini and 50 free downloads direct from Apple.)
I'm not kidding. Here's the email, just in case you don't believe me:
To: "iTunes Marketing"
Subject: iTunes 500 Million Song Countdown
From: "iTunes Marketing"
Date: Tues, 12 Jul 2005 10:27:06 -0700
Congratulations! You've been selected as a winner in the iTunes 500 Million Song Countdown. Your recent song purchase was made at one of our 100,000-song milestones, counting up to 500 million songs.
You'll receive a 4-gigabyte iPod Mini in the color of your choice - pink, green, blue, or silver - and a gift card good for 50 songs on the iTunes Music Store. Your iPod Mini and gift card will ship 4-6 weeks after the promotion ends.
In order to claim your prize, please:
1. Complete the attached Affirmation of Eligibility and return within five (5) days of receipt to Apple at U.S. facsimile number (xxx) xxx-xxxx, Attention: iTunes 500 Million.
2. Reply to this email with your preferred shipping address and iPod Mini color choice (http://www.apple.com/ipod/).
By responding, you will not be added to an email list or contacted by Apple unless your have previously authorized Apple to do so.
Thanks for being a customer of the world's #1 music download store!
The iTunes Music Store Team
http://www.apple.com/itunes/500million/
To think I almost didn't read the email because it had the word marketing in the address. I just thought it was Apple spam. It wasn't. I had to read the darn thing twice for it to sink in. I have never won anything in my life. I know everyone says that, but with me it's totally true.
Oh, wait - I did win a ginormous tub of jelly beans one time at my elementary school carnival by coming the closest to guessing exactly how many of said jelly beans were in the tub. But to be completely honest, it was only because my dad told me what to guess. And I don't even like jelly beans - I'd have to say that they are my least favorite candy. So that prize doesn't really count in my book. Those jelly beans lasted nearly 2 years until I used them one night to foil some bumbling burglars by tossing them all over the kitchen floor. (that might be true - if I was McCauley Culkin)
And for those of you wondering - no, I don't have an iPod yet. I know I know, join the 21st century already. But I could never completely convince myself that I should spend over $200 of my hard-earned cash on a music storage device, no matter how badass. I even held back the urge when I bought my new 12" PowerBook a few months ago - even with 18 months same-as-cash financing whispering sweet nothings in my ear. It must be Fate. I was MEANT to win this iPod. Apple ROCKS. On that note, Steve Jobs is pretty cool.
I chose boring silver, by the way. Only because I could NOT make up my mind between the blue and the green. I gotta work on this indecisiveness before I spend another good 2 hours of my life standing in Target trying to decide which shampoo to buy.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
And we have lift off (finally).
So, I signed up for this blog like two weeks ago, inspired in part by this entry from Jessica Mae Stover, the most awesome ninja in town. I guess it's about damn time I start posting in it, eh? What can I say, I'm a classic procrastinator.
Here's a little bit about me:
I picked the title because I live in the greater Los Angeles area (duh - what can I say, I'm boring). It's a pretty new experience for me, being originally from Texas, directly from Austin. Sometimes I miss Austin quite a lot, but more often than not, I don't. There's just so much shit to do in LA that it's impossible to yearn too long for something else. This very large city is definitely not the greatest place in the world and has a lot of crap contained within it, but it's become my home over the past year and a half. So it'll do just fine. I will share my perspective on it from time to time.
I picked the color because I graduated from the University of Texas (BA in Archaeological Studies, class of 2000) and in so doing, became very fond of that lovely burnt orange color. Hook 'em.
I hardly know any HTML - and can't afford a webmaster - so there's nothing fancy about this layout. We'll see if I ever get inspired enough to want to change it.
I found out about Flickr about 5 months ago and finally decided to start using it. I took the big plunge and went Pro - here's my Flickr photo album (also linked to the left). Not much in there yet - we'll see how that goes. Like I mentioned, I'm a horrible procrastinator - I always have great ideas for stuff (well, great in MY head anyway), but I seem to let them fizzle more often than not. Maybe this whole blogging thing will keep me going.
I work for Sideshow Collectibles. This automatically signifies that I am a geek. It's cool, I've learned to accept that part of myself. It also means that I will geek out occasionally - okay, more like frequently. For instance, this week is the San Diego International Comic Con. I will be working the Sideshow booth from Wednesday night through Sunday. And I'll hopefully do some live blogging and updating my Flickr photos. It'll be fun, I promise. Why don't you believe me? Gooooosh
I spend most of my so-called free time babysitting for this kid:
That's Alex. Alexandra Jade West to be exact. She's 2 and is quite possibly the greatest kid on the planet. She's the daughter of Adriana West, my older sister's best friend from high school. Last year when my sister was visiting, we happened to discover that we live 10 minutes from each other, which is a pretty big deal when living in a city the size of LA. I also discovered that she and her husband, Jason, hadn't been on a date in 15 MONTHS (ie: since Alex had been born) because Adriana doesn't trust any of the LA natives with her kid. Thus, I became the nanny. And I love it. There's nothing like taking care of a child to make you realize the important things in life. Things like learning to hold your breath long enough to change the diaper, making sure the knives are out of reach, and practicing the fine art of tuning out the "Heeya go. Heeya go! HEEYA GO! HEEYA GO!! HEEYA GO!!!!" repeated over and over and over and over from the back seat until you take the damn cup already!!!!!11!!!!1!!!!1
Which reminds me, Adriana sure could use a good dose of Heather B. Armstrong in her life. I'll have to send her the link. I'm sure she will be able to commiserate with Heather on the finer points of poop crises.
Speaking of Dooce, that's one of the other blogs, other than Teh Awesome blog of J. Sto, that has inspired me to join the "blogosphere" (I swear I won't use that word again). Here are a few more (also linked on the side):
Magazine Man's Somewhere on the Masthead. Quite possibly my favorite blog out there. He really sucked me in with his tale of introducing The Brownie to the Foxhole, and I continuously find myself in awe of his writing. I only wish I knew who he was so that I could buy his books. Oh well, a bit of a mystery is sometimes good...
Shane Nickerson's Nickerblog. I like his unique take on LA and the life of a Hollywood "insider" - whatever that is. Plus he's a great writer and takes interesting photos. And he was the one who introduced me to Magazine Man - I wonder how Shane found Mr. Man in the first place? Oh, and he vlogs, which is just really very brave of him. I admire that...
Wil Wheaton's WilWheaton.Net (aka WWdN). I couldn't call myself a blogger if I didn't mention Wil. He's the man...
Tony Pierce's busblog. Again, wouldn't be a blogger if I didn't mention Tony. Although his lack of caps gets on my nerves sometimes. Depends on the kind of day I'm having...
Metroblogging's blogging.la. It keeps me in tune with this city I now call home. Oh shit! I totally missed the LA bloggers get-together thingy tonight, which I 100% meant to go to, now that I'm finally making my first post. Oh well, life gets in the way... guess I'm not so in tune after all, eh?
I'm sure there are more. I'll have to mention them as I think of them. And add them to my links. I'm too lazy to check my newsreader at the moment.
I'll post about my, shall we say unique, Independence Day experience on the top of the bluffs in Pacific Palisades tomorrow. And then Wednesday will start my Comic Con coverage... joy!
Here's a little bit about me:
I picked the title because I live in the greater Los Angeles area (duh - what can I say, I'm boring). It's a pretty new experience for me, being originally from Texas, directly from Austin. Sometimes I miss Austin quite a lot, but more often than not, I don't. There's just so much shit to do in LA that it's impossible to yearn too long for something else. This very large city is definitely not the greatest place in the world and has a lot of crap contained within it, but it's become my home over the past year and a half. So it'll do just fine. I will share my perspective on it from time to time.
I picked the color because I graduated from the University of Texas (BA in Archaeological Studies, class of 2000) and in so doing, became very fond of that lovely burnt orange color. Hook 'em.
I hardly know any HTML - and can't afford a webmaster - so there's nothing fancy about this layout. We'll see if I ever get inspired enough to want to change it.
I found out about Flickr about 5 months ago and finally decided to start using it. I took the big plunge and went Pro - here's my Flickr photo album (also linked to the left). Not much in there yet - we'll see how that goes. Like I mentioned, I'm a horrible procrastinator - I always have great ideas for stuff (well, great in MY head anyway), but I seem to let them fizzle more often than not. Maybe this whole blogging thing will keep me going.
I work for Sideshow Collectibles. This automatically signifies that I am a geek. It's cool, I've learned to accept that part of myself. It also means that I will geek out occasionally - okay, more like frequently. For instance, this week is the San Diego International Comic Con. I will be working the Sideshow booth from Wednesday night through Sunday. And I'll hopefully do some live blogging and updating my Flickr photos. It'll be fun, I promise. Why don't you believe me? Gooooosh
I spend most of my so-called free time babysitting for this kid:
That's Alex. Alexandra Jade West to be exact. She's 2 and is quite possibly the greatest kid on the planet. She's the daughter of Adriana West, my older sister's best friend from high school. Last year when my sister was visiting, we happened to discover that we live 10 minutes from each other, which is a pretty big deal when living in a city the size of LA. I also discovered that she and her husband, Jason, hadn't been on a date in 15 MONTHS (ie: since Alex had been born) because Adriana doesn't trust any of the LA natives with her kid. Thus, I became the nanny. And I love it. There's nothing like taking care of a child to make you realize the important things in life. Things like learning to hold your breath long enough to change the diaper, making sure the knives are out of reach, and practicing the fine art of tuning out the "Heeya go. Heeya go! HEEYA GO! HEEYA GO!! HEEYA GO!!!!" repeated over and over and over and over from the back seat until you take the damn cup already!!!!!11!!!!1!!!!1
Which reminds me, Adriana sure could use a good dose of Heather B. Armstrong in her life. I'll have to send her the link. I'm sure she will be able to commiserate with Heather on the finer points of poop crises.
Speaking of Dooce, that's one of the other blogs, other than Teh Awesome blog of J. Sto, that has inspired me to join the "blogosphere" (I swear I won't use that word again). Here are a few more (also linked on the side):
Magazine Man's Somewhere on the Masthead. Quite possibly my favorite blog out there. He really sucked me in with his tale of introducing The Brownie to the Foxhole, and I continuously find myself in awe of his writing. I only wish I knew who he was so that I could buy his books. Oh well, a bit of a mystery is sometimes good...
Shane Nickerson's Nickerblog. I like his unique take on LA and the life of a Hollywood "insider" - whatever that is. Plus he's a great writer and takes interesting photos. And he was the one who introduced me to Magazine Man - I wonder how Shane found Mr. Man in the first place? Oh, and he vlogs, which is just really very brave of him. I admire that...
Wil Wheaton's WilWheaton.Net (aka WWdN). I couldn't call myself a blogger if I didn't mention Wil. He's the man...
Tony Pierce's busblog. Again, wouldn't be a blogger if I didn't mention Tony. Although his lack of caps gets on my nerves sometimes. Depends on the kind of day I'm having...
Metroblogging's blogging.la. It keeps me in tune with this city I now call home. Oh shit! I totally missed the LA bloggers get-together thingy tonight, which I 100% meant to go to, now that I'm finally making my first post. Oh well, life gets in the way... guess I'm not so in tune after all, eh?
I'm sure there are more. I'll have to mention them as I think of them. And add them to my links. I'm too lazy to check my newsreader at the moment.
I'll post about my, shall we say unique, Independence Day experience on the top of the bluffs in Pacific Palisades tomorrow. And then Wednesday will start my Comic Con coverage... joy!
