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7/31/2006

Linked On Boing Boing!

Yay! I never knew I had a goal of Boing Boing linking to me, but I'm very excited to have a link to my Comic-Con photo of Darth Vera on that site today! Check it out! I'm Link 2! (Thanks Cory!)

Well, sort of. A link to my stolen Darth Vera photo showed up on Boing Boing today. If you go to the Boing Boing story and click on "Link 2," there's the photo I took at Comic-con, but on desanders' flickr photostream. She even has it in a set entitled "Found (Stolen) Photos From The Net." What's up with that? Why not just 'favorite' it?

Darth Vera

You Can Take Your DIY Store

Coming off a lovely evening with my friend Rachel at the Hollywood Bowl for The Sound of Music last night, I thought I might write about "a few of my favorite things." But it's Monday after all, so screw that. Instead, I'd like to mention something that I detest. Even as wholly un-American as it may make me sound. I hate DIY stores.

It's the large hardware stores that drive me insane. First, when I step through the door, the smell floors me. Whether it's Home Depot or Lowe's or whatever-other-awful-store, there is a pungent odor (which varies department to department) that I can not handle. I do have a hypersensitive sense of smell, so this may bother me more than the average person.

Besides the olfactory assault I feel in the local DIY shop, I'm not very fond of how filthy they are. I always feel dirty after shopping there. I don't mind so much if I'm having a slacker type of day, but stopping in after showering in preparation for going out later is no fun.

What gets me even more is that I don't like DIY as a concept when it comes to home repair or beautification. Don't get me wrong. I'm not 100% against the entire DIY ethic, or I wouldn't have just self-published a book. However, I do not enjoy fixing up my house, which should be quite obvious if you ever see it, or gardening. I've attempting the gardening thing and really like the idea of it, but...maybe I'm just too damn lazy and that's the problem.

This post totally makes me sound like an autistic person with OCD. I don't have autism and am only slightly obsessive-compulsive.

7/30/2006

(Self) Published Again!

One of my bloggy buddies, Ian, got several people to contribute to a collective book that he self-published through Lulu. As I was in a time crunch, I just submitted some (non-hamster related) haiku. No one is making a commission on it, as it is primarily for the authors. But, it is for sale if anyone is interested.

7/28/2006

Isn't That A River In Africa?

Yes. Yes it is. Denial. It's also a state I'm in right now. I can not come to grips with the fact that I'm getting older. Not old, per se, but older. I can feel it and I DON'T LIKE IT! I am still wiped out from my fun and work at Comic-Con. What's up with that? I have only worked 3/4 of my work week since getting back...one more day tomorrow, one day off on Sunday, and then four more 10-hour days in a row. I might die. (Perhaps if I ate better, exercised more, and slept, I'd feel younger).

The other night we were heading to a Dodgers game with a group of friends from a local film collective and I asked E. who the "two kids" were. He said, "Oh, the interns?" I said, "Yeah, they look like they are 14 or 15," to which he replied, "No, they're in college. You're just old."

In a lame attempt to hold on to my youth, I'm heading out to see Clerks II. Of course, I had to take a nap first.

Spell Check

If you are so inclined to leave a rude comment on this or my photo blog, all I ask is that you spell your insults correctly. Oh, and maybe make some sense. What in the hell is a "looser?"

Maybe you, Anonymous.

7/27/2006

Comic-Con Haiku

A typical scene at Comic-Con is artists sketching. And sketching some more. Some attendees request drawings, but I noticed a lot of people just fill the time sitting at their table with making more pretty pictures. Alas, I could not join in such activity while sitting at the Tired Girl table, so I decided to write some haiku instead. (Surprise!) Here's a sampling of some that aren't too mean.

From The Mezzanine
Dorks, geeks, nerds, and freaks
Come to Comic-Con each year
Some wear a costume

Um, Yeah
Sweaty, stinky geeks
Scary furries in costume
Pushing through the crowd

View From Above
Please make me a sketch
Can you give me stuff for free?
It's all about swag

Black Green Lantern
The black Green Lantern
The Jack in the Box Jedi
Yearly characters

I Still *Heart* This Guy
I *heart* Jason Ho
He likes to draw cool robots
They all look like him

Buttons!
A huge sock monkey
Sideshow Collectibles booth
View from our table

Star Wars
Hairy Chewbacca
A legion of Stormtroopers
Anime chicks too

Tired Girl Collective
Ren, Sherri, and me
Rockin' the girliest booth
Selling out at Con


7/25/2006

I Left My Voice In San Diego

The San Diego Comic-Con has come and gone for another year. As I predicted, I definitely had quite a different experience this time. And I have to say that overall, it was really great. Sure there was the heat, the really annoying guy (who I found out goes by "Spanky," which is information I wish I'd had two days ago), and the expensive con food, but those things just come with the territory, I suppose.

I was overwhelmed by the postive feedback we received at the Tired Girl Collective table. There were a lot of compliments on our set up and tons of sales! I sold out of buttons and books (only a few were to friends!) and Ren sold out of most of her stuff too. We also moved several of Sherri's short stories and all of the paintings her mom contributed. A stunning success. I really did not know what to expect and was a bit down after not selling a single book on Thursday. I did remind myself that most people "look, but don't buy" on that day, but was still a bit discouraged. Things turned around though.

I really only went to a couple of panels this year, but made it to the one I really wanted to see, which was for Battlestar Galactica. Since I got there a bit early, I caught the end of a Superman panel with Richard Donner and others. I did attend The Animation Show, which was fun. I honestly didn't miss sitting in a bunch of discussions this year, which might be because there did not seem to be as many good ones. Oops, and I caught the end of Kevin Smith...how could I forget that?

This was the third year in a row that Eric had a film screen at the Con. It was well received by the audience and he had a brief Q&A. I usually watch more of the festival, but I was having more fun at the table.

One of the best things of the entire convention was meeting new people (like the cool boys who were on the other side of our table from Spanky), meeting bloggy friends in person, and seeing some friends who live out of state. I also bought many books, a couple of tote bags, and a few t-shirts. I possibly spent less money this year though since I didn't even make it to a lot of the vendors, meaning fewer impulse purchases. I took a bunch of photos and am slowing uploading them to flickr.

On the health front, I am feeling much, much better and just have this annoying residual cough. I went to San Diego with a somewhat sexy, Demi Moore-ish voice I was left with after my illness, but now have full-blown laryngitis. I can whisper and I occasionally have a squeaky noise emerge. So, if anyone reading this is expecting a phone call from me, just forget about it for now. Hopefully, before too long, I'll have my annoying, high-pitched voice back.

I had really hoped to write a much more exciting Comic-Con post, but apparently my brain is still recovering. I'm definitely feeling a special kind of tired and am so glad I'm not back to work until Wednesday.

7/18/2006

Happy Birthday Dear Blog!


DSC00945

A year has come and gone here on my blog. I've thought about what I might want to post in celebration, but haven't come up with any great ideas. So, instead, I'll do a little self-promotion.

Tomorrow we leave for our annual trip to the San Diego Comic Con. I'm not even sure how many years I've been attending now, but it's been over 5 (and less than 10). And to think that the first time I went, for one day only, I was kicking and screaming, "...but I don't even like comic books!!!" Now, all these years later, we go for the entire convention and I invariably buy more comics than my geeky husband! This will be our first time attending "Preview Night," as our attempt to do so last year was thwarted by travel delays I experienced coming home from a trip to New York.

This year's SDCC experience is sure to be something completely different. My dear friend, Ren, informed me that she and another friend of ours would be getting a table at the show this year. She invited me to add anything I want to their merchandise. One idea she came up with was buttons, since I have a button maker. Being the fabulous illustrator that she is, Ren came up with some designs and presto!, we have buttons for the table.

I started toying with the idea of doing some sort of book. At one point, I was going to create two books, but reality took hold. The process was long and somewhat arduous, but I ended up making a book. A comic book size book that I published independently through a company called Lulu. I have the book in hand and am quite pleased with how it turned out. I had to get a rush order and did not have time to get a proof, due to my illness and other technical delays. All seems to be in order though and I will have copies of Hamster Haiku for sale at the Tired Girl Collective table.


Happy Birthday, Snarky Dork! I hope to see some of you in San Diego!

**Thanks to my sister for the first official sale of my book!**

7/17/2006

Urban Haiku

To North Hollywood
Life moves pretty fast
In the City of Angels
Love my urban home

Who Needs Sleep?

So I did not sleep one wink last night. Ugh! I went on in to work and did okay until around noon, when I hit the I've been awake for 24 hours mark. I had to fight nodding off in a meeting at 1pm. I ended up leaving a few hours early. I slept for a couple of hours and hope that doesn't screw up my chances of getting some shuteye tonight.

7/16/2006

Tourist In My Own Town...

...And Other Ramblings

Neon Tour Transport

My outing on Friday night proved to be great fun. We went on a Neon Tour of downtown L.A. and a bit of Hollywood. You can take this tour through the Museum of Neon Art. We went with some friends who had arranged it as a private party, as he is friends with a tour guide. So, it was a bit "looser" than I imagine the actual one is...and a bit cheaper too! I stuck to water since I'd just been sick, but many of the tourists were pretty drunk by the end! Our tour was in an open top Routemaster double-decker bus. It was truly a great way to see the city. I took a bunch of photos, but I was pretty disappointed with most of them, as we kept moving most of the trip and a lot of them came out blurry.

I head back to work tomorrow and am a bit concerned about being rested up for it. Although I'm feeling a lot better, I'm still coughing and it gets worse at night and/or when I lie down. I have not been able to sleep. I've been finally falling asleep between 4 and 7 am for the past week. The problem is, I need to be awake by 6am tomorrow. I typically don't sleep well on Sunday nights anyway. Work anxiety insomnia, I guess. So, tomorrow is going to be a Monday for sure...I may be facing my 10 hours at work on little to no sleep.

Luckily, I'm only working two days and then heading to San Diego for Comic Con on Wednesday. Of course, I have lots to still do to prepare for that including laundry, cleaning the hamster's habitat, straightening the house for the friend who will be feeding my animals (and so the dogs have less stuff to chew up/pee on), making lots of buttons for Ren's table, prepping some stuff of my own, etc. I'm really looking forward to SDCC...it's always a blast! This year should prove to be interesting in brand new ways. Lots of friends from L.A. will be there, as well as some from San Francisco and Indiana. I also have the prospect of meeting a couple of folks who I only know from the blogosphere. Also, one of Eric's short films will be in the Comic Con International Independent Film Festival. It's only a minute long and screens at 6:50pm on Friday, so stop by if you are there.

I'd better get off the computer and get to work!

7/15/2006

The digital thermometer on my patio reads 107.9. In the shade.

7/14/2006

Emerging

I've finally turned a corner when it comes to this damn virus that has had me down. I'm not back 100% and know I'm at that somewhat precarious point of possibly doing-too-much-too-soon. Being aware of that, I'm easing back into life and making an effort to not overdo it. I'm still coughing a bit, but I haven't had to take codeine for two days. And this afternoon, I slept for a couple of hours, in my bed, lying flat and only coughing a couple of times. These are big things.

So I've showered, even put on a little makeup, and am going out for a bit. Nothing too strenuous, but I'm excited to just be leaving the house. Better things are on their way, for sure.

7/13/2006

All I Want

I just want to lie down and fall asleep. And stay asleep. And not cough. Ever. Again. Hey, even though I'm awake, I can still dream.

This is truly maddening and I am starting to have much more empathy for insomniacs than I could ever have before. I can not lie down without coughing. And I am exhausted. Night after night, I have been giving in to the codeine-enhanced cough syrup and eventually passing out.

I'd hoped tonight would be different and perhaps I'd sleep without medicinal aid. Sure, I figured I'd still be on the couch, mostly sitting up, but sleeping nonetheless. Not only am I awake and too out of it to do anything productive, but my body aches. I can't even seem to find a position to rest or read in comfortably.

Hopefully I've bored myself enough with this post that I can trick my body into falling into slumber before my lungs realize it and start retaliating. Wish me luck.

7/10/2006

Another Cross Post

In lieu of not feeling up to writing something original, I'm going to do another cross post from my photo blog of this week's haiku for the one deep breath weekly challenge. The theme for this week was Ritual. Well, Ceremony and Ritual, but I just chose to go with the 'ritual' part.

Small World

Disney Thanksgiving
Families are far away
Friends fill in nicely
My image and haiku relate to a ritual my husband and I have participated in many times for the past 10 years or so. We live thousands of miles from our families and do not generally travel for Thanksgiving. So, we have a ritual of spending the day at Disneyland with several other "orphans." Sometimes there are as few as four of us, but we've had groups up to twelve. We had to make a trip to the East Coast last year and I really missed our tradition of getting in touch with our inner children for a day.

7/08/2006

Good Things Or Just Call Me Jose

  • Ren brought me a can of mushy peas the other night. Yum!
  • E got me a celebrity gossip magazine, which I love to read when I'm sick.
  • My sister sent me some Dunkin Donuts coffee in the mail.
  • A good friend got nominamed for an Emmy in the category of "Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Comedy Series" for the "Christmas Party" episode of The Office.
  • I finally went to see a doctor yesterday and am now on a short course of steroids. Just waiting for them to kick in and stop coughing.
Of course with the good, there is always bad:
  • I'm still pretty sick.
  • Due to above, no Felt Club for me today. : (
  • I'm way behind on a deadline and am not sure if I'll make it. Very upsetting.

7/07/2006

I Don't Want To Get Bitter

I find it odd timing that Kevin Smith is doing 3 Q&A's with screenings of Clerks II on Friday, July 21st at the Arclight in Hollywood. Okay, so the first one sold out already...maybe they know what they are doing. I just figured all of his fans would be in San Diego that night.

Maybe I'm just bitter because I'll miss it.

7/06/2006

Due to illness and the general feeling-like-I-am-dying vibe I have going, I'll make this a briefer post than originally intended. In fact, I think I'll do it as a list. *cough, cough* As soon as I can breathe.
  • I finally got to see some films during closing weekend of the L.A. Film Fest. Stand outs included Brothers of the Head and of course, Little Miss Sunshine. Go see it! Free screenings are coming up in various cities. Or wait and pay for it. It will be worth it. It was also a nice surprise to see an acquaintance in movie.
  • I got to have lunch on Sunday with a couple of good friends, and some of their other friends, who I haven't seen in a long time. Times like that are good for the soul.
  • The closing night party for the LAFF was lots of fun. Too much fun, perhaps. Too much free vodka, definitely.
  • We held a back yard screening of Superman and Superman II, along with a barbecue, this past Monday. Highlights include awesome peanut butter cupcakes by Ren, surprising a friend with a birthday cake, and thinking tree rodents were peeing on us. (They weren't, it was just carob pods dripping...I swear!)
  • I laid low a bit on the 4th, as I was starting to feel the wrath of the funk that is raging in me now. We did manage to make it out of the house though and watch the Marina del Rey fireworks show from a cul de sac in Westchester.
  • After the fireworks, we headed over to the The Bridge, as we had tickets for the 10 o'clock showing of Superman Returns in Imax 3D. I really enjoyed the movie and recommend seeing it and in that format. I won't be doing a full review, but I must say I disagree with most of the criticism I've read or heard.
  • On Wednesday night, E did his Hollywood MOBile MOVie thing and put on a successful drive-in screening of The Puffy Chair. Check out the photos I took.
  • I was just so sick today that I knew I couldn't go to the Hollywood Bowl for Belle & Sebastian. So disappointing. Luckily, I was able to sell my tickets to someone. I hope they had fun.
  • My youngest brother turned 20 today. Damn, I'm old.
  • I hear a bottle of Nyquil calling my name, so nighty-night.

7/05/2006

Stay Tuned

I've been wanting to find time to post, if for no other reason than to gush over Steve Carell's brilliant performance in Little Miss Sunshine. My 'vacation' so far has been very, very busy with movies, lunch with friends, partying a little too hardily, cleaning my back yard and house for a movie and barbecue party, attempting to meet a self-imposed creative deadline, considering buying a new car, watching fireworks and going to see Superman Returns. As if all of that wasn't enough, I've developed a fever, chest congestion, and a cough. So, I'm going to take some Nyquil, get some sleep, and catch up here at another time.

7/01/2006

Finally...!

Okay, now I finally feel like my vacation has started. Well, it did about 12 hours ago when I left work around 3pm. I headed over to Westwood to catch a couple of screenings at the L.A. Film Fest. Eric met me there and we saw Right At Your Door and Quinceanera, which are both movies that are set in Echo Park. The first film was absolutely terrifying and absolutely gave Rory Cochrane a reason to say "What's with today today?"

I now understand why Quinceanera was one of the darlings of this year's Sundance. I really enjoyed it. It made me laugh and cry. I guess E's assessment of it being a "chick flick" may be somewhat accurate, but besides it getting to me for some personal reasons, it was really well written and executed. I liked it so much better than the other chick flick we saw.

E was able to snag a pass for me to get into the "Red Room," a place for film fest pass holders to hang out, socialize, have some snacks, and drink liquor for free. I had one drink, which was more than enough considering I hadn't eaten much and was going to be driving later. To combat the effects of the alcohol, we got some food at East West Sandwich. Quite tasty with the added bonus of Boba World being located within the restaurant. A banana smoothie with boba hit the spot perfectly.

We'll spend much of this weekend in Westwood to wrap up the festival. At some point we will need to get our house and yard prepped for a barbecue and back yard screening we're doing on Monday of Superman and Superman II. Plans are to catch Superman Returns on Tuesday. E is hosting a drive-in screening of The Puffy Chair on Wednesday. If you're local, come on out! It should be a lot of fun. Later in the week, we'll be going to the Hollywood Bowl a couple of times, once for Belle & Sebastian (with The Shins!) and possibly definitely catching Hedwig at The Roxy.

There are a few more things on my plate, including some project deadline. Um, can I get a few more hours added on to each day? It would really help.

 

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