My iPhone Has Fallen and It Can't Get Up

My iPhone hasn’t worked for the better part of two weeks now. That single event has changed my life.

It’s quiet now. It’s peaceful. I don’t automatically reach for the phone, looking to check to see if I got an email or a text message. Looking at Twitter to see what’s trending now. The iPhone is the epitome of instant gratification for a neurotic. And the lack of it is very freeing. I have to sit still, maybe read that book I’ve been saving. Actually sit down and talk to people.

Yeah. I hate it.

I can’t believe how addicted I have become to this little instrument. You know, during my three months on EXODUS at SFO in 1989, this is the kind of technology I would have prevented the Russians from getting. Now, everybody’s got a smart phone. And, once you get one, you can’t let go.

I blame Customs for teaching me to want to be constantly busy. I was on the manifest desk at Satellite 2 at LAX, telling airlines where to put their baggage (there were only two possible carrousels in those days), receiving manifest documents, answering the phone and directing calls. And then I was the Adjudicator for one full year, constantly working to keep up with seizures and transfer of seized goods. I never sat still, even when the others had breaks. I liked the constant motion, the in-and-out of inspectors and airline employees telling me their stories on a daily basis. It was adrenaline. And, now that I’m retired, it’s as if the smart phone has replaced that activity. It’s my cocaine.

So, my friends, if I don’t answer your phone calls or your emails right away, it’s not that I don’t love you. It’s just that I’m off in a corner reading some book. I hate books.

Madame President

This will be a short post.

I'm now the President of the Oakland Athletics Booster Club. I definitely picked the wrong time to assume leadership of this club.

The club has been dying for several years now, due to many reasons, including: the ability of one of the owners, Lew Wolff, to piss off almost every A's fan, the fact that the team will almost surely leave the Oakland area, the fact that the A's haven't been in the playoffs since 2006, the fact that the A's aren't really willing to spend any real money -- you know, David Ortiz money -- to get A-List players for any length of time, ad infinitum.

But now, now that the Commissioner's committee will finally hand down its finding in a month or so, it looks like the A's aren't long for Oakland. And here I am, the president of an Oakland club.

I have two years to serve. Let's hope they're non-eventful years. I actually hope the A's go to Fremont because I want them to have a new stadium and I want them to stay in northern California. The alternatives are just too dire.

Two Games in Seattle

Yelp told me I wouldn't be able to sleep at the Silver Cloud Hotel because of the noise. I just didn't believe them.

Safeco Field is nestled between the railroad tracks in an industrial area of lower Seattle. Silver Cloud is literally right across the street for the field. I thought they meant across a parking lot, over a bridge. No, it's at most 100 feet away from my window. I'm on the 5th floor, and the behemoth of metal and brick towers above the window.

So, two trains at midnight. Five between 5am and 6:30am. Maybe four hours sleep, total.

I have another problem this morning: rain. I came somewhat prepared. I brought an umbrella, jacket, and plastic-covered blanket. I can see through a little patch of field from my hotel window. It's dark. I'm hoping that's because they closed the Safeco roof. That would be another thing to see. There's no tarp on the field, which is another large clue.

I really enjoyed myself yesterday. I had to talk to four different ushers to fins out where my seat was. It was marked as Section 129. The sections were split until you got down lower to the field, and then it was contiuous. So I would start in 129 and end up in 131. On the aisle, right behind home plate. Oh, yeah. Sure, I had to stand up to let this couple with their four children go in and out five times before the end of the 1st inning, but it was still worth it.

The game was an Oakland delight on Saturday. Trevor Cahill couldn't hit the strike zone in the first innings, but got better and better. After giving up one runs due to walks and a number of hits, he settled down and didn't give up another run. His relief did just as well. I was really impressed with Brad Ziegler, who must've found his release point.

Saturday night was Armed Forces Day - I believe every Saturday game is - so lots of activities with soldiers, sailors, coasties and airmen.m and, A's I knew we would, we got a commemorative coin as we exited the game.

When Coco didn't score from third, or when the radio broadcasters thought every pitch their guy threw was a strike, I tweeted. I tweeted a lot, and added a few more followers along the way. That was fun, a great way to stay in the game.

Brett Anderson goes for the A's today. Should be good.

Welcome to the Mobile Dog Groomer

We tried an experiment: We asked Thomas and his mobile dog groomer van to come by our house and clip our two toy poodles.

I got tired of driving to the groomer once a month, twice for each trip. All About the Dogue is a fabulous grooming service; their philosophy is that they'll take all day to do the grooming so that the dog isn't stressed out. However, they're on San Pablo Avenue in Emeryville, and at 5pm during heavy traffic, it takes me an hour to get home with two anxious but tired dogs in the back.

So we tried Thomas. We found him on Yelp. He was right on time, pulling up on the street in an old newspaper truck with a portable generator on the back. However, he apparently has never clipped toy poodles, so I had to give him blow-by-blow descriptions on how to clip each dog. And I probably didn't do a very good job. I did get to stand in his truck and watch, however.

You should also know that Princess and Gabi take two separate cuts. Princess is more just-shear-her, while Gabi resembles a very prized, high-priced poodle. (They were both rescue dogs.)

First he combed them out. Then he washed them. Poor little Princess looked like a drowned rat. She was looking for an escape hatch anywhere she could find one.

Then he dried them off with a high-intensity blow dryer (not on "hot"), and when they were mostly dry, he switched to a blow dryer that was quieter and less power. Then he combed them out. And after that, took the buzz saw to them and then the scissors.

Any time they got out of line and started to wander off (quite often for Princess), Thomas would shriek wordlessly. And once or twice thumped Princess with his hand, not hard at all, and she would stop what she was doing (i.e., trying to make a run for it), and stare at him.

It was an experiment that didn't go well. Thomas didn't clip parts of them very closely (like their feet), and clipped some parts of them irregularly and unevenly. And he's pricey at $75 per dog plus tip.

So we won't be doing that again. But it did teach us that Princess, who hates being groomed, can just be cut by a normal untrained person, and that got us off our duffs to buy a scissor set for her. Gabi will still need the elaborate poodle cut, but by somebody who knows what they're doing.

An Announcement!

Valerie, the long-suffering woman who is in charge of security at Creation conventions, told us a minute ago that E Entertainment TV will be following us around tomorrow for their broadcast. So Val encouraged us to dress up in "your battle gear." I don't have any metallic breastplates with me, so I guess I'll just wear my Spartacus t-shirt.

Xena con 2011 - Hudson, Hudson, Hudson!

Friday on a three-day convention is typically slow. The one-day price for a Friday is usually less than for any other day of any convention. Today was a slow day at the annuall Xena convention, except for one thing: Hudson Leick.

I've missed a few years, I must admit, of this annual event. But I'm grateful I was around for the first couple of years, where I saw a young woman change before my eyes. Her slow take on us as fans changed to a masterful manipulation where we all had outrageous fun.

Hudson - whose birth name was Heidi - started out as a young actress who wasn't sure why she was on stage. She seemed mystified by it all. She tried to answer the fans' questions about Callisto, her infamously evil character. She has told a story of flying to New Zealand and reading the script for one of the Callisto shows - perhaps the second one where she kills Gabrielle's new husband, Perdicus. When she reached the part where she is unfathomly cruel to Gabi in a game called Truth or Dare, Hudson starts laughing, right there on the plane. She was perfect for the part.

After a few years of appearing year after year to mostly the same fans at the convention, she dresses to the nines, entices us, engages us, in a totally unscripted conversation. And then she auctions off the dress for charity, usually to benefit the James Ellis Foundation, which allows kids with cancer or whose family members have cancer continue in college.

This year, the young woman from Russia bid $400 for the dress. A couple in the second row kicked in another $300 so that the Russian woman could have the dress. There have been no other bids, nor would there be. All of a sudden, other people kicked in $50 here, $20
there, so that she would get the dress and Anita could go back home to New York with $900. It was very touching.

By the way, I saw the young woman who won the dress in the restroom later. She said to anyone who would listen: "I have two dresses. But now I have three!"

I was touched by something else as well today, as slow as it was. Steven L. Sears is also at every convention. Steve was a producer and
writer on the original Xena. I always enjoy his talks very much because he talks about the writing process and storytelling.

This time someone asked him if he used real-life experiences when he wrote. He hearkened back to his memory of writing "The Price," a
particularly hard-hitting Xena episode where our 'hero' kills without mercy and the effect that ultimately has on her sidekick, Gabrielle.

Steve told us that he wrote that episode about his father. His father was a military man as a career. He was a sniper in the Korean War and a special forces member in VietNam. In short, "My father killed people for a living." Steve has spent a great deal of his life sorting through how that killing machine could be "the same man who tucked me in a night," and was a super father to him. So he wrote The Price to speak to that issue. Awesome.

I guess I'll have to go home and watch that one again.

Later

Xena Once Again

I was all packed last night. And, as usual, as I lay in bed trying to go to sleep, I would remember things I forgot to pack. And then, it suddenly came to me: I didn't have my ticket to the convention.

I got up and went to my office. I went through all my paperwork for the convention. Nothing. So I went through all my visa bills for the first four months of the year, but couldn't find where I had paid Creation for the ticket.

This was an unusual circumstance. I signed up exactly one year ago, during the convention, in hopes of improving my seat. I rummaged through my big pile on my desk, and found last year's program where I had written in my new seat number: F26. So it wasn't just my imagination. I just had no proof. And when I stand in line at the LAX Marriott, I will have nothing to give them but an excuse.

So I found the email address to write to on the Creation Entertainment website -- knowing that would belong to Leticia -- and I simply told my story. The next morning I found that she had emailed a PDF of the ticket. By that time, however, I was just shy of the Grapevine, and moving rapidly south.

Fortunately, the motel I was staying at has a computer - and a printer! - in the lobby. After I checked in, I sat down and printed out my ticket. Good to go!

Creation's customer service has gotten better and better throughout the years. This is their 40th year. And I'm a loyal customer.

Andy Williams in Las Vegas

Everywhere you go in Las Vegas, you hear Christmas music this time of year. 10 percent of more of what you hear will be sung by Andy Williams, whose voice President Reagan called a national treasure.

I saw Andy with Petula Clark a few years ago in his theater in Branson, and his voice was as clear as a bell. Sadly, that's not the case any more. His vibrato was out of control, he couldn't hold a note as well, and the elasticity and the just plain mellowness he was famous for was simply gone.

This was billed as a Christmas concert, and so most of the songs were thus. However, strangely, he didn't sing one of the songs he is most known for during the season, It's the Most wonderful Time of the Year. My favorite.

Also, it was not really a concert. After Andy would sing a couple of songs, he would bring out another act. It was a variety show, almost Ed Sullivan-ish. The acts were a fast violinist who enlisted an audience member to help, a couple of dancers who changed costumes amazingly behind seconds of being shrouded, a mime who used two dummies to dance. And one of the most astounding impressionists I've ever seen - and, believe me, I've seen some greats in person: Jim Bailey, Danny Gans -- and Bob Anderson was so good, he even did Andy Williams. All of these were amazing acts. They were very entertaining. While you had the feeling that Andy, at his age, could no longer sing during an entire 2-hour concert, his additions really did fill in the gap.

He also had a sister act of four singing in the foreground plus four more singers in the background. It really added to the music, as did the 10-member band.

Andy only sang three of his 50 or so chart makers, including Lonely street, and, of course, Moon River, which he called, "one of my favorite Christmas songs." He told a story about Lonely Street, saying that when he met Elvis for the first time when they were both performing in Vegas, Elvis said to him that the song was the only thing that kept him from going crazy in Germany while he was in the Army.

They had some items for sale in the lobby. The woman selling the items works directly for Andy and lives in Branson. How interesting that his entourage travels with him. I bought an autographed autobiography that he wrote three years ago. Should be an interesting, long read.

P.S. One of my kids, after reading a tweet of mine, asked his mom, Who's Andy Williams? He didn't want to ask me. And that photo that accompanies this article was probably taken 10 or 15 years ago; Andy is completely white-haired now, and seems smaller.

The Las Vegas Star Trek Convention, 2010

This year’s giant Star Trek convention in Las Vegas was a crazy mixture of fans.

I sat next to one fan, a guy I’ve seen at these events for about 15 years now, who told me he had added another room to his house for his collection. “If I’d known, I would have doubled the size of that room. And it would still be too small.”

I met another fan in the Las Vegas Hilton hotel elevator. She was dressed from antenna to toe as an Andorian. She was awaiting her daughter’s arrival at the hotel. “She’s never seen me like this,” she said. Boy, she’s in for a shock, I thought.

The fans are a big part of why I go every year. I often don’t know I’m going until July, when I wake up one morning and, with a friend in tow, find myself booking tickets.

I heard the results of a few polls within the convention. Nearly half of the convention crowd had not attended the Las Vegas convention before. And a third of them had never been to a convention at all before. Lots of new fans are now coming to these things, spurred on, one would suspect, by the immense popularity of the new movie.

I was very pleased to see that there were a couple of panels featuring Deep Space Nine actors. And, gosh, they all look to be the same age as when they played these superbly defined characters some 18 years ago.

On the first panel: Casey Biggs, Marc Alaimo, Andy Robinson, Jeffrey Combs, and Salome Jens. Below are some of the things they said that I thought were noteworthy.

Casey thought the “ratings really took off in the third or fourth season when the war really got going,” and several thought the show mirrored what was happening in the U.S., overcoming predjudices. Marc: “Our show, Star Trek, particularly Deep Space Nine, had a lot to do with breaking down all those barriers. We’re gradually overcoming all of those.” Andy added, “I’ve always been opposed to violence, so it’s ironic” that his character was an anarchist. “My family was destroyed by war. What was left for Garak…must be like a German after World War II. Star Trek for me was the most effective when it was plugged in.”

Marc was asked to comment on what it meant to be a Cardassian. “One of my instincts in the very beginning was to get over the bullying. I never wanted to be a bully. One of the things about Dukat was his power and how he used it. You never saw anything on the show that he did that was cruel or bullying. I enjoyed underplaying his power and let his intellect take over.”

Casey: “The writing on the show was so good. If you’re going to play Hitler, Hitler didn’t believe he was a bad guy. You as an actor have to take these heightened situations… and find something you call can relate to. We are attacking the good guys, but in the end, the good guys become the bad guys. There are 15 different sides to everything.”

Andy commented that he compared the Cardassians to Prussians that “lived by the code, like a Japanese bushido code. The imperialism grew out of a lack of resources. That grew into absolute power corrupts absolutely.” He added about the character Garak, “He was brilliant. When you’re playing someone who’s more brilliant than you, it ups your game.”

With some prompting, Marc admitted that he was getting married “in exactly two weeks.”

The second panel featured Aron Eisenberg, Armin Shimerman, Nana Visitor, James Darren, and Rene Auberjonois.

Armin told us that, “I missed an opportunity (in preparing to play Quark). I should’ve read a lot about Chinese culture. I may be wrong. People in America say, aren’t the Ferengi the Jews? In Australia they say, aren’t the Ferengi the Chinese? Ferengis represent the other culture. Shylock in The Merchant of Venice.”

“I was never embarrassed about the culture. The culture was important to me as our culture is to us. I never saw them as comic characters.”

James Darren chimed in. “I never felt like I was different from anyone,” that everyone was so welcoming on the show. “I loved playing Cupid for Rene and Nana. I loved playing the character because it reminded me of Frank and Dean. I lived through that era quite heavily. It gave me a nice way to express myself. To me, Vic was my idol.” As for the show, “I wish it were still on.”

Rene added to the discussion. “Everyone on this stage could make that argument” that they were an outsider. “The first time I walked on that set, my mind was blown. It (the Promenade) became the heart of that show: that set. Quark’s was the saloon in town and that’s where we gathered. Armin interrupted, “And you were the sheriff.”

Aron: “I felt really connected to everybody. It was the best time of my life.”

Nana, how did you get past Odo’s rubber during your kissing scene? “Rene’s power.” Nana added, “It began as a friendship and that’s the only conclusion it could have (that Odo left).” Rene: “I think the writers always knew that Odo would be going back to where he came from.”

I saw Nana in one of her first convention appearances in Santa Rosa, California. Buster was three months old then, and I swear she looks the same now as she did then. With as much enthusiasm. She says she’s having fun in her new baking business in New Mexico, and finds it very challenging.

Other items at the convention I really enjoyed:

1. The comedy routines. I couldn’t tell you which of the three panels was funnier, among The Voyager crew, the improv routine of Dean Haglund and Claudia Christian (doing Q and Janeway, loosely), and Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner together on stage. Each one was hilarious.
2. Seeing Julie Newmar on stage. She had to be helped up on stage in a smaller room, with a smaller audience, and told some great stories. She never really answered any of our questions, but it didn’t seem to matter. Catwoman is still sharp.
3. Seeing Marc Alaimo, Jeff Combs and Casey Biggs do their Shakespeare show, a few scenes from The Bard. They weren’t on the schedule, which may be why Marc was studying his lines on the side before he joined in.
4. Bill Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Sure, you’ve seen them before, but they’re still hilarious, especially together, and gosh, they’re still alive.
5. Little things like seeing Bill Sadler late at night, approaching some Trekkies at the Star Trek slot machine. He wanted to know how it worked. And watching a soundless “Generations” movie play on the big screen at the Starquest bar. And the big, twitter-prompted party at the bar on Sunday night; one bartender claimed it was “crazy, a madhouse, maybe 3,000 Trekkies. We should’ve had several more bartenders taking drinks.”

I would say the only disappointment was that there wasn’t anyone truly new on stage. In past years we got to see people like Stephen Collins, Malcolm McDowell, Christopher Lloyd, all great people with great stories.

But it was great seeing old-time fans like Blair, Jo Beth, Freddy, and many more. May we all live long and prosper.

Comic Con: The Best Moments of 2010

Well, I didn't blog as much as I thought I would. Most of the problem was that the keyboard on the iPad is virtual, and I kept making error after error in trying to type like QWERTY. Frustrating. And the other problem was that I was living in the moment. That was good.

But here are the Best Moments of Comic Con from my perspective. Also, remember that I'm only reporting what I saw, what I experienced.

1. Ryan Reynolds reciting the Green Lantern Oath.

Simply awesome. The guy is serious. We love that. GL has always been one of my favorite superheroes.

2. The Big Bang Theory songs. This is not just one thing during the panel, but two: The Barenaked Ladies came out and sang the theme song - wow!! And we all sang along because they gave us these song lyric pages. There are three stanzas (is that what they call them?). Ooh. And THEN, Sheldon, oops, I mean Jim Parsons, sang "Soft Kitty" to us. You had to smile.


3. A surprise Quantum Leap panel. I ended up sitting through the Aqua Teen Hunger Force panel by myself while waiting for Ricky and Debbie to join me. Film clips of the best "Oh, Boy!" moments, Scott Bakula reminiscing. It was just wonderful.

4. An 8-minute clip from the new movie, COWBOYS & ALIENS, which actually has cowboys and aliens in it! Jon Favreau was there to talk about it, and brought onstage stars Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig in their first Comic Con appearances.

5. Tom Felton - Draco Malfoy - was there to introduce a small clip from the latest Harry Potter movie. Tom seemed like a nice guy. I know, unfathomable. And he picked a raffle ticket -- we all had them -- for someone to win a prize. Sadly, he didn't answer any questions about the movie.


6. Spartacus. Say no more. I was expecting Lucy Lawless to produce her "special guest star," the merkin, but alas, she saved it for an interview later. The cast was bawdy, really in the moment, everything you expected and more. I had hoped to see a trailer about the prequel, but no dice. Nice to see, though, that Andy Whitfield looks healthy after having undergone treatment for melanoma.

7. Guillermo del Toro, wedged into the Hall H schedule, introduced his new film verbally (without any footage) by saying he is remaking The Haunted Mansion. And that he's not taking Eddie Murphy's phone calls. He says this one will be scary, not a comedy. And then he said if you get to a certain room upstairs within the next hour, you'll get a special prize. I did. It was a long poster of the ghost that was expelled from the original ride so many years ago (too scary for kids?). And the artist was there that hour to sign it.

8. Angelina Jolie and Liev Schreiber were there for Salt (a film I caught yesterday when I returned home). Jolie was very gracious, answering every stupid question from the fanboys, the same question over and over. And Liev, while getting few questions, was very witty when he did.


9. A glimpse into the Thor and Captain America films. The Avengers may very well happen.

10. The Exhibitor's Hall, or the dealers' room, didn't seem as crowded as last year. Maybe it's because they spread out programming alll over the place, including two other hotels.

Bad things at the con:
Picking up your swag at another hotel (sheesh).
Long lines, again, for anything.
Very little AT&T access -- with 120,000 people using it, trying to solve riddles, scavenger hunts, blog, post to eBay, etc., this was a major letdown, even after they promised they'd have the capacity. They didn't.

Comic Con, Day 4

"Can I see your iPad?"

"No."

"Can I hold it?"

"No."

Teenage boys think they should be able to do anything, even if it isn't theirs. Even right now, he's leaning against my chair, with an arm along the side.

At 8 in the morning on the last day, we're in line for Sideshow Collectibles. The panel starts in 2 hours.

Stupid boy, who said he was 15 and waiting for the Halo panel after Sideshow. But stupid mature adult - me - who saw the door open and an opportunity to charge her phone. I left the room when Debbie pointed out that a line was forming. They locked the doors and I could't get back in. Thankfully Debbie proactively found a staffer who wasn't a volunteer, and went in and retrieved my phone. Whew.

After this, there's the Merlin panel, and then we're free to roam the dealer's room one last time.

Highest bid on eBay item: $81 so far on the Hatbox Ghost litho from the new Haunted Mansion movie. (It later went to $152.50.)

Comic Con 2010 - Day 3 continued...

Looks like a group of people were just escorted out for some bad behavior. That's what security should be doing rather than trying to force us to move into the center to free up the prized aisle seats for newcomers. Newcomers who didn't get here at 6 in the morning to get in line.

Nice seeing Milla Jovovich, here to promote her fourth Resident Evil film. Alice is by now rather American iconic. The footage has women kick-ass fight scenes, but a plot you could stuff in a paper bag.

Debbie went off to find the Dark Shadows. I hope she make it in. The only people who remember that vampire soap opera are approaching 60.

Oops, had to stop typing to take a freebie on the aisle: a pair of sunglasses promoting Paul, a new movie starring Simon Pegg and Sigourney Weaver. We'll learn more in about 5 minutes.

Comic Con Day 3

We were in line this morning four solid hours for Hall H, and it's already been worth it: a preview of the new Green Lantern, starring Ryan Reynolds, followed by a preview of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

It was a full panel for Green Lantern, including Peter Saarsgard and Mark Strong. Ryan gave away a prop ring to the person who found a special piece of paper under their seat. The footage we saw didn't show GL in costume, but did show him using the ring to form a giant green fist, just like he used to in the comic. To much applause.

A big surprise! Draco Malfoy in the form of actor Tom Felton introduced footage to the first part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. He actually seems, er, nice. And footage looks intense.

We were also shown a.clip from Zach Snyder's latest film, Sucker Punch. Most in the audience were not impressed.

Comic Con Day Two

We're sitting in line -- inside this time - for all the TV programming in Ballroom 20, which holds about half the amount of Hall H. Our ultimate goal will be seeing The Big Bang Theory panel this afternoon. But in the meantime we'll see panels for Stargate, and Caprica. After that, we will try to get into 6BCF for Lucy Lawless and the Spartacus panel. That one is less sure.

One surprise was seeing Johnny Depp on video, telling us about the new Pirates of the Caribbean. He wa dressed as Cap'n Jack Sparrow. It was a nice, witty speech about nothing and booze and it was a lot of fun.

I did enjoy seeing Angelina Jolie yesterday. She and Liev Schreiber were here promoting Salt. I really appreciate the fact that she got the same question at least 4 times but didn't make fun of them. Why did you pick this part - she tried to answer each time earnestly. And Liev Schreiber was very funny. I really admire his work.

But during that presentation, Debbie and I left, hoping to turn in our tickets for Haunted Mansion swag. When we got to the little room upstairs, we found a 30's-looking guy sitting there. As we got to the top of the queue, we found he was signing a 3-ft long poster in silver ink.

The poster is a beautiful green-on-black rendition of the HatBox Ghost, a scary apparition that was removed from the Haunted Mansion ride. The artist is Ragnar. I know 'cause I asked.

SDCC: Okay, It's Still Day One

I forgot to mention that a guy ripped off his clothes during the MegaMind panel. Stupid.

I had to leave the Angelina Jolie and Liev Schrdiber panel to pick up the free gift, which turned out to be an exquisite poster of the HatBox ghost, signed by the artist. I hate posters. Can't get 'em home. Shipping is too expensive. They wrinkle if you breathe..

SDCC, day 1 continued

Our first movie promotion today was a little late, but then they showed a 3D preview of Master Mind, an animated film starring the voices of Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, and Brad Pitt. Will Ferrell came out blue, dressed A's his character. Tina Fey came out dressed as Tina Fey. Jonah Hill came out, wise-cracking all the way. Just when we thought Brad Pitt would come out, Will Ferrell brought out a life-size, cardboard stand- up, and we were reminded that, if Angelina Jolie had to be here today, somebody's gotta take care of the kids.

Uh oh - we just got word that the 999 cards they gave out while we were in the long line to get in will get us something related to the new Guillermo del Toro film, The Haunted Mansion. Del Toro assured us that it's not going to be funny, it will be scary. "And we're not returning Eddie murphy's phone calls."

More later.

Comic Con 2010, Day 1

Actually, it's really Day 2 for us. Debbie and I visited the San Diego Zoo yesterday, and when we got back at 2:30pm, Ricky was already waiting for us in the Worldmark lobby.

We checked him in and chatted awhile, and then headed over via the trolley to the huge convention center. We went right in, upstairs, and then stood in line to register for not even5 minutes. We got our badges and our humongous Warner Bros bags. I lucked out and got a Big Bang Theory bag. The next line, however, was much longer, an hour or so, and that was to sign up for 2011. I see they raised my senior ticket $2 to $52. A steal.

We trolled the voluminous dealer's room -- about the length of 3 or more football fields -- looking for items I'd read about that would be available for free. We either didn't get to places like CBS in time, or they offer things on a random basis.

We spent about an hour in the big room, and then limped back to the timeshare. We were very tired. Ricky finally made up his mind what time we would meet early Thursday: 6:15.

What with the ache in my knee and my feet, I didn't sleep well but was eager to get started in the morning. Debbie reported that the people above us kept her up until 3am. Even with those distractions, we were ready to go at 6am.

We got to the end of Hall H after we climbed off the trolley in the drizzling rain, found our place on the grass, and sat for 2.5 hours. A long wait. I sat. I stood. And finally we moved into the big Hall H, picked up our (lame) freebies on the way end, and then scrambled quickly for 3 seats on an aisle. We guess there wee at least a thousand people in front of us in line, and thus in front of us in the hall.

Build It and They Will Sleep

European Sleep Works has been a dream during this whole bed process. Not a bad comment when you consider the process has taken about 10 weeks.

Today was the delivery day, the window 11am to 1pm. They showed at 11:30am, much to my surprise. My past "experiments" with delivery have not gone so well. When I look at the patio furniture, I see blood.

But there they were. I showed them the side entrance, after closing doors that would keep the dogs out of the area, which meant they had to bring the bed and mattress through two gates, up a flight of stairs to the deck, and through the French doors. They didn't argue. When I saw they had to put the thing together, I was astonished. 9 weeks to build the wood. 1 week to ship from the east coast. Half an hour to put it together.

But put it together they did! It's a beautiful sleigh model, king size (European king). I am now washing sheets to put on it, as the cotton sheets will shrink to fit. Supposedly. We'll see how that goes.

But I'm sleeping on a new bed tonight! I just have to figure out to get Princess up on this high bed...

Tumble Forward

I bumped up against a speed bump at the Desert Inn & Suites in Anaheim on Monday night. And fell right on my face. And, as it turns out, my left knee.

I was walking around, went back to my room, and called Dawn to help. I was bleeding profusely from the mouth, and immediately felt inside, even before lifting myself up off the concrete, to feel to see if my teeth were still there. They were, but one felt different.

This photo of the leg is three-and-a-half days later, Thursday. I would've taken a photo when it was the worst on Monday night around midnight, but (1) I couldn't reach the camera, and (2) I had other things to think of. Now that I know nothing is broken -- thanks to the doctor I saw on Tuesday -- I will just let everything heal.

I have to replace my glasses. I have to replace that tooth. But otherwise, I should be good. Walking is a little easier every day.

Gary Danko

No, Gary Danko isn't the latest pitcher for the Oakland A's. He's one of the world's finest chefs. And we went to this 5-star restaurant last night to celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary. It was a heavenly evening.

After all day of going, "uh, uh" when trying to describe what we ate for which course, here is the Taster's Menu:


Glazed Oysters with Osetra Caviar, Zucchini Pearls and Lettuce Cream

Horseradish Crusted Salmon Medallion with Dilled Cucumbers
and Mustard Sauce

Seared Filet of Beef with Yukon Potatoes, Curried Cauliflower,
Cumin-Cilantro Butter and Tamarind Glaze

A Selection of Farmhouse and Artisanal Cheeses

Baked Chocolate Soufflé with Two Sauces

While some would argue that such a menu in the hands (mouth?) of someone who doesn't even know what she's tasting is, well, wasted. I can see their point. But I can assure such naysayers that I savored every bite, that I enjoyed every minute with my sweetie.

Favorite moment? The service was exquisite. Everything was pitch-perfect, timed wonderfully. But perhaps the best moment was the 4th course, when they rolled the very large cheese cart toward us, as we're already stuffed, knowing we would have to make room for four very special bites of cheese. It was quite an experience.

One doesn't do this every day. I understand that. It'll be one of my best memories.