The Road to Comic-Con

With only weeks away to San Diego Comic-Con I am getting pretty pumped.  This will be my first time going and I want to see as much as humanly possible.  I started out with tickets for 2-days: Friday and Saturday.  Undoubtedly the biggest days of the 'con.  I slowly procured all 4 days.  I'm bartering my way in on two of the days and I bought an extra ticket for Thursday.  Oh and I also made it into preview night.  Rad.  So what am I looking forward to?

Back to my Roots

I grew up in San Diego.  I spent most of my youth there from Kindergarten to Sixth grade.  It was definitely hard to leave.  But now I live in the Bay Area and I wouldn't want to move anywhere else.  Still, San Diego holds a special place in my heart.  So that being said I'm really looking forward to being back in the city that made Joel Samson.  I'm looking forward to buying a Padres jersey and some Chargers apparel.  My friend wants to see the only (according to him) surviving Sam Goody left for some reason.  Haha.  I'm also really looking forward to visiting Seaport Village again.  I have such fond memories of that place.  I remember when my dad was overseas in the Navy my mom would take me and my brothers to Seaport Village to eat and watch the fireworks.  It's one of the moments I'll never forget.

Other than that, outside of the 'con I am looking forward to going to the Hilton Gaslamp Hotel to get my sweaty little hands on Mass Effect 3.  I CAN NOT WAIT.  Bioware is going to have a base camp at that hotel.  Hopefully I can buy some cool merch there too.  Also I'm going to my first live Hollywood Babble-On w/ Kevin Smith and Ralph Garman.  They do my favorite podcast ever Hollywood Babble-On and I am really looking forward to seeing them do it live.

Panels, Panels and more Panels

I'm not sure exactly which panels I will be attending because the schedule hasn't come out yet.  But here are some I will be at FOR SURE.  IGN has this handy guide up here.

Game of Thrones Thursday July 21 @  - Again courtesy of IGN they have a write up of what to expect at the panel here.  I am looking forward to seeing the entire cast especially Peter Dinklage and Emilia Clarke.  I may also gather the courage to ask a question.  This is the sole reason I bought a re-sale ticket for Thursday.  What a nerd.

Community Saturday July 23 @ 1:00pm - My favorite comedy of all time.  The whole cast is going to be there...wait what's that? uh huh...uh huh...what?!?  Alison Brie isn't going to be there?  Fuck this panel!  Haha...jk I'll still go.

Chuck Saturday July 23 @ 10:00am - Chuck's final season is happening and I hope they do something special for this Comic-Con panel.  I'm looking forward to being in the same room with Yvonne Strahovski.  Yum.

Legends - Mass Effect Movie Friday July 22 - Holy shit.  I heard they were making the movie but nothing concrete.  Now I hear they will be unveiling information at Comic-Con.  Boner!  I will do my darndest to see this panel.

Some panels I want to see but probably won't because of time and inconvenience: Thundercats, Fringe, Big Bang Theory, Supernatural, and Futurama.  These are only the TV shows I know are going to be there.

Merchanary

I'm looking forward to spending my hard earned money on the nerdiest things possible.  Statues, shirts, exclusives, some stuff I could probably get cheaper on Amazon.  I can't wait.  Namely I want to get some more Kotobukiya Bishoujo figures.  They are classic comic book heroines but with an anime look.  I am going to be on the look out for some more super hero shirts, hopefully there are some decent Marvel ones this time around.  Ooh and some Game of Thrones merch.  And if I see a replica Magneto helmet from X-Men First Class I will seriously consider purchasing it.  Maybe half-heartedly depending on price.  I'm not made of money people.

Auto & Photo -graphs

I never seem to make time for autographs at these shows.  This time I want to make sure to get some.  I don't even know who's signing but here are a list of folks I will try my best to get an autograph from if they are there: Jim Lee (my all-time favorite artist), Felicia Day (The Guild, super-cute redhead), anyone from Game of Thrones, and anyone from Community, Kevin Smith & Ralph Garman.  I would also like pictures with some of these folks and of course of some other hotties.  I always look forward to the rad costumes people have.  Some of these are so intricate you just have to admire the amount of time they put into them.

I will also be working at Comic-Con on Wednesday and Sunday @ the PMBQ booth #4635.  If you stop by and mention my blog you get..a high five from Joel Samson.  If you're cute you may request a hug in lieu of the high five.  Buy some stuff...we have awesome panda gear.  Who doesn't love pandas?  As you can tell I am excited about Comic-Con.  Stay tuned for my post Comic-Con update w/ pictures.

Excelsior!

Homeward Bound

It's done.  My condo is sold.  And although I pre-emptively moved back in to my parent's house a few weeks ago it wasn't final until today.  The condo was such a huge burden on me and my parents financially.  I am glad we finally got it sold.  It's sort of a nice feeling.  That being said, I will sorely miss my condo.  I learned so much from living there for almost 4 years.

First of all I loved living by myself.  I finally felt like an adult.  I am blessed with a mom who does everything for me, from cooking to laundry, so living away from her was a huge step.  I realized a few things...I hate cooking and I hate doing laundry.  But I learned to do them anyway.  Well not so much cooking, unless you count scrambled eggs and bacon.  I learned to clean up after myself more diligently.  And I learned how to take care of my own house.  When you live at home you don't realize everything you have to worry about.  Nobody is going to take care of your house but you.

I think the best lesson I took away from owning this condo was learning how to save money.  It's not so much that I was saving money, as I couldn't spend much money otherwise I wouldn't be able to pay the mortgage.  My condo took about 3 quarters of my monthly income.  I would go for over two months without buying new groceries.  If I was eating Top Ramen, that means I was in dire need of a grocery run.  Oft times my refrigerator was bare, with just my water filter and some eggs.  I learned to make lunch the night before work so I wouldn't spend money on food.  I learned to live without buying every new BluRay or video game.  Instead I bought only the games and movies I REALLY wanted.  As a matter of fact I didn't buy anything I didn't really need.  This made Christmas time a little rough, but I got through it.

Some things I won't miss living there: the packed parking lot, my ridiculously far parking spot, the walk from said parking lot/spot to my house with groceries in tow, the idiots upstairs complaining about my noisy TV while their kid bangs the floor with what only sounds like a sledgehammer, the toilet that takes 3 minutes for the water to fill back up, the water that takes up to 10 minutes to warm up (depending on the time of day), and the HOA bill.

I'm going to miss my little condo.  My rooms looked so small when they were empty, but once you started loading furniture into them you realized how big they actually were.  I'm going to miss my dark red accent wall in my room.  I'm going to miss my classy looking kitchen area with beautiful cabinets and marble counter tops.  I'm going to miss my large, deep sink and my never used dish washer.  I'm going to miss having friends over and watching movies or playing videogames.  I'm going to miss decorating the one little corner of space I had in my living room during Christmas time.  I'm going to miss my 1/4 bathroom in my bedroom.  At first it seemed so ridiculous, but it was oh so awesome, especially when I had someone else living there.  I'm going to miss my toilet, although you take long to fill the back tank back up after a flush, you were powerful and you had a very wide seat.  I'm going to miss you.  I was the first of my friends to own a condo, and now I'm the first to sell one.

Smell ya later Milpitas.

100th Yelp Review

Congratulations Digger's Diner you are my 100th Yelp review!
Read it here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/diggers-diner-hayward#hrid:gzblEQ11mnQ_Tt4mz09EwQ

Abandoning the Fountain of Youth

I came to the sudden realization that I am a grown up now.  Legally you are an adult when you turn 18: you can drive, you can smoke, you can be charged as an adult.  That being said, I never felt like an adult.  Not until recently.  I would sit and wonder, when am I going to realize that I am an adult.  Some of my friends must feel like adults.  They have kids, they are married, they live on their own (with family).  If I had those things would I feel like an adult?  I still act like a young person: I collect super hero statues, I play video games, I still watch some cartoons, I still think about sex every minute...oh I'm sorry just had a nice thought.  Then I did something, something that made me realize, "yeah I'm grown up now."  What'd I do?  I bought some McDonald's: 2 McChickens and a large order of fries.  I did this, and not once did I reach in the bag and grab a delicious, hot, salty goodness known as a McDonald's fry during my drive.  Then it hit me, I'm grown up now.  Then I started thinking about other reasons that I know I am an adult.  I share them with you now.  How do you know when you're a grown up:

• I have (had) a mortgage instead of rent or paying my parents.  Owning something is huge, and paying a mortgage is such a load to bare.  Especially if you're doing it alone.
• I hate a lot of stuff these days.
• I don't listen to the radio.  I can't stand most new music.  That's why I discover good music so late.  I just found out about Adele.  I'm usually at least 2 months behind on hit songs.
• I can't stand anything on MTV.  Hey kids, did you know that the M in MTV stands for music?  I bet you didn't.  I remember the good ol' days of TRL, Yo! MTV Raps, and you know, actual music videos.  Now that channel is a series of reality shows that piss me off to no end.
• I use the phrase "I remember the good ol' says."  As seen above.  Whenever adults use to say that me as a kid I'd always think to myself, "shut up grandpa, this ain't the good ol' days."  It sure ain't.
• Movies I loved as a kid are being re-made or are in the process of being re-made.  Did you know they are thinking of re-making Back to the Future with Justin Beiber as the star?  Groan x2.  Now I'm not one to shit on re-makes, I think usually they do a good job.  It brings in a younger audience to, usually, a classic flick and it extends or breathes new life into a dead franchise.  But for pete's sake don't let that lesbian play Marty McFly.
• Cartoons I loved as a kid are getting a facelift.  Transformers has already gone through a few iterations.  He-Man had a remake.  GI Joe came back for awhile.  And now Voltron and Transformers are on their way back.  I'm looking forward to checking these out.
• I don't buy BluRays every week anymore.  There was a time in my life where every Tuesday meant new DVD day at Best Buy.  You see, Tuesday is the release date of most new DVDs and Best Buy will usually have them about $5 cheaper as long as you get them the week of release.  This resulted in a huge collection of DVDs in my house.  Also a huge selection of useless purchases.  Did I really need to own Big Momma's House 2?  Or Return to Me starring David Duchovny? Or the many unopened DVDs I have in my collection, now in a box waiting for our next garage sale?  No.  I have since adopted the mindset that I will only buy a BluRay if either a) I will view it multiple times or b) it is one of my very favorite movies.  That's grown up thinking right there.
• When I listen to my younger cousins or nieces and nephews "huge" problems I laugh and think to myself "remember when that was my biggest concern?"  Not that their problems aren't real, to them they are the world.  But from my perspective, the perspective of an adult who's been through it, it's hilarious.  I don't tell them the truth of the matter, "that their problems are ultimately insignificant and they won't be worried about them in a few weeks."  No you can't tell them that, they wouldn't listen. I just give them the advice I wish someone would have given me during my trying times, and assure them everything will be okay.
• I am dieting/exercising.  Long gone are the days where I could be careless with what I eat.  No more Ultimate Cheeseburgers from Jack in the Box, no more eating 2 dozen Krispy Kreme donuts by myself over a week's time, no more ice cream by the bowlful.  Damn I just made myself hungry.  Nope, none of that.  Now I'm on somewhat of a diet, a lot less carb consumption, and I am exercising weekly.  I feel better about myself, but sometimes I miss the good ol' days (there it is again) of pigging out and staying up playing Counter-Strike until my eyes start to bleed.
• I want more out of my life than just...this, and I'm doing something about it.  I love my parents to death, and I think they are happy with their lives.  But I don't want the life they have.  They don't have careers.  They came to America to make sure me and my brothers had a better life than they did.  So far I haven't made their sacrifice worth it.  But I'm going to try my hardest to make it happen.

This was supposed to be a fun post.  It turned into something more than that apparently.  May you all realize you are grown up as late as possible.  The Adventure Continues...

- Joel Samson

The Hot 5

I seem to be a fickle person if I have so many installments of The Hot 5.  My list of the things have just grasped my attention for the moment.  This list is a doozy too.  Let's get flaming...hmm...I didn't think that one through.  Let's light this bitch!  A lil better...kind of aggressive.  Oh well, I'll work on it.

Game of Thrones

"Winter is coming." - Ned Stark

Holy Helena Handbaskets! This show is awesome.  I kept seeing press on it, I even saw the actual Iron Throne at Wondercon, but I never gave it any attention.  Then I was bored on Sunday night and decided to check out the premiere.  I was immediately locked in.  It is like Lord of the Rings, except with more nudity, cursing, bloodshed, and less closeted gayness between hobbits and a lot less walking.  Oh yes and a lot more Emilia Clarke.  This show is based on a series of books by George R.R. Martin.  The story so far, deals with a few different families: the Starks, the Lannisters, and the Targaryens.  What I love about this show is the amount of detail put in to make this world feel extremely real.  From the dialog to the wardrobe and the amazing set pieces, this show is filled with little details that bring Westeros to life.  You really believe this place exists...and you probably don't want to live in that world.  The characters are also awesome, and every one, even the despicable ones, are multi-dimensioned.  My favorite characters so far are Tyrion Lannister (the Imp), Arya Stark, and of course Eddard "Ned" Stark played by Sean Bean.  Sean Bean's on-screen presence has so much weight to it, when he's just standing in a room you feel his presence and you can't wait for him to say something, because it's usually badass.  Oh yes...Emilia Clarke, so gorgeous.

Portal 2
"Here come the test results: you are a horrible person. That’s what it says. We weren’t even testing for that." - GLaDOS

I never played the first Portal.  It didn't look interesting.  Then I kept hearing everyone getting super hyped for the release of Portal 2.  I decided to check it out, and I was hooked.  The puzzles aren't very difficult, but they make you feel idiotic when you are stuck on one for an hour and then you realize how simple the solution is.  The best parts about this game are not the puzzles; the best parts are the incredible voice acting and superb story telling.  Stephen Merchant is just plain hilarious.  And then they added a co-op feature, and that is just awesome.  One of the more awesome co-op solutions involves you having to hit a jump at just the right time to bash into each other to land on a platform below.  Give this game a shot, you won't regret it.  Oh and chicks LOVE Portal.

Parks & Recreation

"I call noodles, long ass rice." - Tom Havorford

Damn it if I love this show to death.  Community is my favorite show on the NBC Thursday night line up, but I look forward to watching Parks & Recreation the most.  Does that even make sense?  This show gets better every season.  If you've been watching since the beginning you've noticed how every character has evolved and you are not really rooting for them.  This year has been mostly focused on Leslie Knope finding love in Ben Wyatt.  I can't help but feel so happy when something nice happens for her.  What hooked me in season 2 was the Andy/April storyline, and that hasn't changed since they've gotten together.  They are a really fun couple to watch, it's funny to see Andy having to be the mature one in the relationship sometimes.  The writers keep adding new facets to Pawnee and its neighbors: Perd Haply, Eagleton, Crazy Ira and the Douche, and so much more.  This show, more than any other on NBC Thursdays has the biggest heart and often leaves you with warm and squishy feelings.

Thor

"Whoever wields this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor." - Odin

The God of Thunder.  Marvel did an awesome job bringing this franchise to life.  I never really read the Thor comics so I wasn't expecting anything, but from what I gleaned afterwards on Wikipedia it seemed pretty accurate.  Some parts dragged but I really enjoyed the movie overall.  The story was well written, the dialog was surprisingly funny, and the action was pretty stellar.  Chris Hemsworth did an awesome job as Thor, and Natalie Portman was just downright adorable.  Kat Dennings was the comic relief and she had some awesome one-liners.  Tom Hiddleston played Loki, and did an awesome job at being the villain.  A great movie that should help lead the way to Captain America and then to the Avengers.  In my ranking of comic movies it goes: Dark Knight, X-Men 2, Iron Man, Thor, and then Batman Begins.

Justified
"You make me pull, I'll put you down." - Raylan Givens

What a great show.  Justified follows the adventures of Raylan Givens a softspoken US Marshall that gets transferred back to his home state of Kansas.  The true draw of this show is the characters.  Based off of a short story by Elmore Leonard, who has had a few other movies based off of his books: Out of Sight and Jackie Brown, this show seems to take characters from one story he wrote ("Fire in the Hole") and flesh them out into a weekly series.  The characters are so well written that they seem like they just exist, and were not created for a television show.  The random character who we meet for one episode only gets awesome dialog, it makes the world feel so rich.  It's pretty gritty, but not as gritty as other FX shows like The Shield and Nip/Tuck.  One of my favorite shows that I have discovered this year.

Still on the air...in my heart.

"You can't take the sky from me." - Firefly intro song

Hey there people.  I've been watching some old series lately and I thought it would be fun to list some of my favorite shows that were ended way too soon.  These shows are all worth checking out even if they were cancelled by the networks.  A little disclaimer before I begin...I have absolutely no right to be writing this article. I am part of the reason most of these shows were cancelled early because I did not watch them at the time they originally aired.  I found out about them later through word of mouth.  Maybe that's not my fault, maybe that's the network's fault for having shoddy advertisement and build up.  But we're not pointing fingers here...or are we?

Firefly (1 season)
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303461/

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly_(TV_series)

If a blogger ever makes a list of television shows that were cancelled way too early it is a safe bet that Firefly will be on that list.  In fact the whole list might be a concoction just to write a little more about Firefly.  That's not what this list is, however, I have been re-living Firefly lately and it is what prompted me to write this blog post.  Anyways let's talk about the show.

Firefly centers around the crew of the Firefly class vessel, Serenity.  It is set in the future where humans started leaving Earth to find new planets to terraform.  The governing body of human society is the Alliance and our heroes are actually criminals just trying to make their way.  My favorite thing about this show is the character interaction and development.  Every character is likable and has their moment to shine.  Years later the creator, Joss Whedon, and the rest of the cast still talk fondly of Firefly.  Even today you can find at least one Firefly dedicated booth at comic conventions such as WonderCon and ComicCon.

Some of my favorite episodes include: Objects in Space, Train Job, and my favorite: Out of Gas.  Out of Gas was awesome because it told a brief story of how the crew of Serenity, and the vessel herself came together.  There were also 2 different flashbacks going on to make one of the most well told and interesting stories of the season.  Unlike most shows on this list Firefly was able to wrap up with a feature movie entitled Serenity.  It's really sad because when I watch the series I can see the potential for some great stories.  We'd get more insight on Zoe and Wash's relationship, we'd find out about Shepard Book's past, and we'd see a budding romance for Kaley and Simon...oh yes and we'd get more Saffron episodes.  I miss this show.  Browncoats forever!

Chappelle's Show (2 seasons)
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0353049/
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chappelle%27s_Show

This was the biggest show when it aired and at one point Dave Chappelle was one of the most well-respected comedians in the US.  People were talking about how he was going to be the next Eddie Murphy.  And then he had some kind of breakdown and left for Africa.  Leaving us with a few sketches for Season 3 and a whole lot of great memories.  His sketches were ground-breaking, edgy, and just downright hilarious.  Some of my favorite skits: Rick James, Mad Real World, Samuel Jackson's beer, Racial Draft, Black White Supremacist, and anything with crackhead Tyrone Biggums.  I try to watch both seasons at least once a year. Most skits and jokes stand the test of time.

My Name is Earl (4 seasons)
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460091/
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Name_Is_Earl

This is one of my favorite shows because it had such a good vibe.  More often than not you were left with a good feeling after Earl completes a list item.  A hilarious and original concept for a show: a man who has lived a very bad life, stealing, cheating, lying, and whatnot wins a lot of money playing a scratcher.  But before he can enjoy it, as a matter of fact, right after he wins, he gets struck by a car.  While in the hospital his wife reveals she is leaving him for a man who she has been cheating on him with.  Just as he's wondering why bad things keep happening to him, he sees Carson Daley on television talking about karma.  He decides to give it a chance and makes a list of bad things he's done and he intends to give himself a better life by making it up to the people on his list.  The humor is hilarious and Jason Lee is one of the most underrated actors in the industry today.  The ensemble for this show was so good with every one of the main characters playing great roles especially Ethan Suplee and Jamie Pressley.

I can't say this show didn't get its fair shake as it had 4 seasons under its belt, but it was cut short right as Earl found out one of his kids who he thought wasn't his kid turned out to be his child all along.  That would have been interesting to see.  Plus we all wanted to Earl to finish his list and get the payoff karma had in store for him.

Arrested Development (3 seasons)
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367279/
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrested_Development_(TV_series)

Here's a show that I knew about while it aired but had absolutely no interest in watching.  The humor seemed really dry and it was filled with characters I didn't care about.  I was finally talked into watching Arrested Development last year, and man do I love this show.  The characters are so quirky and so wonderfully flawed that is just hilarious to watch.  Another show that was way ahead of it's time.  I think it would fit in with today's landscape of shows.  Some fond memories I have watching this show: Michael Cera was just awesome, it sucks that it took me until watching Superbad to realize how great that dude is.  Each family member had a chicken dance that was hilarious.  The fact that nobody can remember or doesn't like George Michael's girlfriend Anne..."really? her?"  Will Arnett is just fantastic, he made me program Final Countdown as one of my ringtones.  "For British Eyes Only."  There's been talks of a movie in the works, but I'll believe it when I see it.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2 seasons)
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0851851/
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminator:_The_Sarah_Connor_Chronicles

This cancellation hurt me a lot. I am a huge Terminator fan, and T2 holds a place somewhere in my top 100 movies.  This show started off really well with Season 1.  Season 2 started off a little slow, I even got bored for a bit, but then business started to pick up.  A quarter of the way into Season 2 Terminator: TSCC was one of the better shows on television.  Some of the cooler story arcs included the beginning of a Terminator learning to act more human, John Connor showing exactly how smart and calculating he really is, and a mystery involving why Cameron looks the way she does.  The show ended with John being teleported to the future where he meets a human version of the Terminator named Cameron.  Unfortunately, I think due to the slow Season 2 start, this show got put into the dreaded Friday night timeslot and eventually got cancelled.  The thing that made this worse, for me, is that Dollhouse was renewed.  Ugh, Dollhouse.  Oh I forgot to mention, Lena Heady = win.

Freaks & Geeks (1 season)
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0193676/
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freaks_and_Geeks

Another show I did not watch while it was on the air.  I was in college and I didn't feel like watching a show about high school.  Much like most shows on this list, Freaks & Geeks was way ahead of its time.  Produced by Judd Apatow and starring most of his "boys" before they became huge stars.  Seth Rogan, Jason Segel, and James Franco were all on Freaks & Geeks.  It was a great show about two groups of high school students, you guessed it, Freaks & Geeks.  Some standout episodes include the one where James Franco plays D&D with the Geeks and really loves it, and an episode where Seth Rogan finds out his girlfriend used to have both male and female genitalia and had the male parts removed.  This show, much like Apatow's movies today, was full of true situations, hilarious jokes, and very touching moments.  Oh and we can't forget the awesome use of "Bad Reputation" as the theme song.  Go check it out.

Spaced (2 Seasons)
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/find?s=all&q=spaced
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaced

The first British show I've ever watched, and it was awesome.  From the folks who brought us Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, in fact Spaced preceded both movies.  Written and starring Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, this show is about two 20 somethings both looking for a place to live.  They decide to move in together and have to pretend to be a couple to get the place.  The charm of this show comes from Tim and Daisy's relationship.  They care about each other but I really couldn't tell if they were going to end up together or not.  The other thing about this show was the amount of pop culture references it included, not only that, but pop culture references that I cared about...here...in the US!  There was an awesome scene where he played Resident Evil 2...with real audio and everything, not generic Pac Man sounds over a 16-bit game.  Some stand out episodes include the Rave episode, the Zombie episode (said to be the early seedlings of Shaun of the Dead), and of course the slow motion air pistol alley fight.  I adore this show, it's a shame it only was on for 2 seasons.

Shows I'm afraid will be on this list soon:
Chuck (it seems like the fans have to constantly rally to save this show)
Fringe (currently in the dreaded Friday Night timeslot)
The Chicago Code (haven't heard anything, but this show is good and execs at Fox are idiots)

That's my list.  I don't think any of these shows will see any other light, but we can all try to keep hope alive.  Am I missing any shows?  What'd you think of this list?  Do you plan to watch any of these shows?  Shoot me a comment.

Joel and the Retro Hotties

While going through my picks for this year's Top 5 Celebrity Hotties I started flashing back to some of the celebs that I was infatuated with as a young child.  These are not from any particular era, just some ladies I that I thought were gorgeous back in the day.  Mind you, I will be dating myself.  And if you are too young to remember most of these women...fuck you.  Haha...just kidding I love you.  I started with just 5, but realized that I had to add 5 more.  Let's take a trip in the Way Back Machine shall we?

10. Debbie Gibson (Pop star)

I think I started liking her because my older brother liked her and had her singles.  She was Britney Spears before Birtney Spears...except she wore more women's blazers with shoulder pads.  I don't remember much about her except everyone complained about her nose.  I thought it looked fine.  I can't sing or remember any of her songs though.

9. Heather Thomas (Fall Guy)

I didn't watch this show at all.  I think my uncled loved this show (along with CHiPs and Magnum PI).  I just remember the hot blonde.  My brother (again a big influence) had a door-sized poster of Heather Thomas.  The picture above.  I remember looking at it and thinking...what's she so surprised about? And also...who the hell gave her a towel?

8. Gadget (Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers)

Yeah say what you will but Gadget was hot.  Haha.  She was curvy, had big ears, and knew her way around tools, it's no wonder Chip n' Dale always fought over her affections.  Too bad she was only about 1 foot tall.  I hoped I could maybe be shrunk down to size so I could hook up with her.

7. Michelle Thomas (Myra Monkhouse from Family Matters)

The curvaceous girlfriend of Steve Urkel, Myra Monkhouse, was one of the hotter members of the TGIF family.  Unfortunately her advances never really went anywhere as Steve was always smitten with Laura Winslow.  I have no clue why.  Unfortunately Michelle Thomas passed away in 1998 due to cancer.  She was a very beautiful actress and I'm proud to have her on this list.

6. Lori Loughlin (Aunt Becky from Full House)

Oh Aunt Becky.  It must have been hard for DJ and Stephanie to compete with any guys with Aunt Becky always around.  She tied down Jesse Katsopolis early on and became a permanent fixture of this show.  She had a very pretty face, a nice frame, and most of all she seemed like a really nice person.  Well she'd have to be to put up with all of Jesse's nonsense.

5. Heather Langenkamp (Just the Ten of Us/Nightmare on Elm Street)

I used to love the Growing Pains spinoff Just the Ten of Us.  I'm not sure why, might've had something to do with all of the cute girls on that show.  My favorite of them all was the hardcore religious nut Marie Lubbock.  I'm not sure f I started liking her on this show or from her appearance on Nightmare on Elm Street, but I remember finding her extremely attractive.  Although she stopped Freddy from invading her dreams (until part 3 where she got pwnd) I would always welcome her into mine.

4. Tiffany Amber Thiessen (Kelly Kapowski from Saved by the Bell)

Kelly Kapowski.  She was the hottest thing going when Saved by the Bell was on.  She was personified hotness.  Let's see: cheerleader - check, smoking hot bod - check, beautiful face - check, wore spandex pants - check.  Kelly Kapowski was THE girl, and most importantly, she did it without being blonde.  She remained hot, I'd say got even hotter, when she added some weight and got thick  What's she up to now?  Making guest appearances in my dreams.

3. Christine Lakin (Al from Step by Step)

One of my first crushes not influenced by my older brother.  I remember thinking Al, the tough tomboy of the Lamber family, was extremely cute, before she became all girly.  I think we were about the same age, so I thought I had a shot at her if we ever met.  Oh the fantasies I had...I would dream about taking her to that amusement park they were at in the intro (with the fake ass beach) and winning her stuffed animals.  Haha.  She only got hotter as the show went along.  I used a more recent picture of her because a picture of her as a kid wearing overalls would be creepy.  But as creepy as a couple of cartoon characters? Who knows.

2. April O'neil (TMNT)

Something about that yellow jumpsuit just did it for me.  She had the short haircut, was on the news, and hung out with 4 green guys.  What a gal!  I wanted to take her to the back of turtle van and show her bo staff.  Haha.  Not really, I think I was too young to have such awesome thoughts.  I just thought she was pretty, and had a very curvy body for a cartoon character.  The original movie version of April was a bit of a disappointment, but the second and third movie version (same girl) of April was pretty hot.

1.  Paula Abdul (Pop star/former Laker girl)

She had me when she started dancing with the cartoon cat.  Paula Abdul had some great hits including but not limited to: Cold Hearted Snake, Forever Your Girl, Straight Up, Rush, and Opposites Attract.  In hindsight Opposites Attract is not that great of a song, the video was just rad.  The others however still stand the test of time, and will find themselves on my playlists from time to time.  I thought she was gorgeous.  She had a very pretty face, was kinda thick, and she could dance like crazy.  I think my first boner was to the Cold Hearted Snake video.  I think she was wearing a pilots hat of some kind.  Haha.

That's my list.  What'd you think?  Who were your retro crushes while you were growing up?  Let me know.  Stay tuned for Joel's Top 5 Celebrity Hotties.

I got stoned...kidney stoned

After dinner excitement

My adventure started at home.  After a great steak dinner my stomach started feeling a little weird, nothing out of the ordinary, and nothing that some good toilet time wouldn't cure.  As I sat on the throne the pain started to get worst.  It was that kind of stomach ache that just stirs in your stomach and you ask for forgiveness for whatever it is you did to deserve this torture.  I thought that was the worst of it, oh how I was wrong.  After the toilet, I slunk over to my bed and tried to lie down to alleviate the pain.  That's when the real pain set in.  The pain began to localize to my left side, first it felt pretty dull, and then it got sharp and then I started feeling nauseous.  I decided to call my mom to come pick me up and take me to an urgent care facility.

There was nothing "urgent" or "caring" about this Urgent Care

My younger brother, Jay, lives closer so he and his wife came to get me instead.  It was tough to walk, and the ride over to Regional Medical Center of San Jose on Jackson Ave. was excruciating.  When I got in to the hospital it's always jarring how un-alarmed and ineffectual everyone there is.  I understand, they see it all the time, and they see a lot worse, still though a little concern could have gone a long way.  So after talking to one guy, he sends me to a room, mind you still in excruciating pain, and I give my insurance information.  Then they send me back out into the waiting room, did I mention I'm still in excruciating pain?  After about 20 minutes of waiting they ask me to take a urine sample then I was finally off to a room.  I sit in there for another 20 or so minutes, until someone comes and finally gives me something for the pain.  After a few minutes of unsuccessfully putting a needle in my arm (ouch) they went and put the IV in my hand.  They gave me some meds that really helped.  Funny story about the nurse who was putting in the IV.  So it comes in pieces, tubes, needle, tape and whatnot.  She lays everything down on my crotch area and I'm like whoa...I guess my stomach was too bulbous, haha.  But if that wasn't enough she keeps picking up and putting down stuff and she keeps seriously grazing my piece.  Haha.  If I weren't in pain I would have had an embarrassing moment, she was cute too.

Total Recall

After awhile they moved me, in my bed, to get a CT Scan.  On the way there I saw a sad scene, a large family was gathered outside of a room and people were crying.  I think someone just passed away.  Put my pain in perspective for a bit.  The CT Scan was fun.  Sat in the middle of what looked like a giant donut and it told me to hold my breath as it scanned me.  I felt like I was in Total Recall or something.  They wheel me back to my room, passed the grieving family and I wait for results from the doctor.

Instant Get Well Cards

After I get my CT Scan and the meds dull the pain, I have enough strength to take a few pictures and post them on Facebook.  The response was overwhelming from people cracking jokes to wishing me well, it made me feel really cared for.  Thanks to everyone who commented, it really helped pass the time in there.

The Diagnosis

I meet up with my brother and sister and they keep me company for awhile.  I thank them for the ride and company and they head off just as my mom and older brother arrive.  The doctor finally comes in and confirms that I indeed have a kidney stone, official diagnosis: Left ureterolithiasis.  She says I have a few in my right kidney as well, apparently there is no pain when they're in there, but once they start moving down the tubes, thats when the pain sets in.  The pain starts coming back so they inject me with some killer drugs, something stronger than morphine...after that moment I was feeling pretty...hiiiiiiiiiiiigh.  We head out  and I grab my prescribed meds.  Ready for more pain the next day.

WonderCon 2011 Day 2

Moscone Center, San Francisco, CA

Saturday April 2, 2011

Day 2: Thunder-Thunder--Thunder--Thunder Cats Ho!

For Day 2 I decided to take the BART with my little brother, Jay.  It was a pretty quick ride, about an hour and it let out right inside the Westfield mall in SF, which is right next to the Moscone Center.  Upon arrival I noticed a much larger amount of people in attendance.  On the downside that meant it was a lot more crowded, but on the upside that meant there were a lot more awesome costumes.

I get in and start wandering the floor by myself trying to plan out the items I want to buy.  I came in with a set amount of cash and I was determined to leave with my wallet empty...and I pretty much did.  I spent most of my money at the Graphitti Designs booth where I bought the WonderCon shirt, 2 Green Lantern Rings, a Green Lantern shirt, and a Monroeville Zombies shirt.  I also picked up a belated birthday gift for my friend in Artist's Alley.  It was a beautiful piece of art by artist Britney Lee (http://britsketch.blogspot.com/).  I couldn't leave WonderCon without buying a few figures so instead of my usual Bleach figures I picked up a couple of MegaMan ones.  If you've never bought a Japanese figure like this before, from what I can tell it seems like they treat them like trading cards.  You buy a box and you don't know which figure you're getting.  I was fearing  ending up with Roll, but luckily I got MegaMan X and Bass.  Not bad at all.  I also picked up a Lion-O figure which looks pretty wicked.

After all was said and done I was still in the mood to do some shopping.  I went online and bought 3 awesome Bishoujo Statues via Amazon.  Check them out:

Well that's about it for WonderCon.  I don't have enough energy to make it on Sunday but be sure to check back here when I write about my experience at my first ever Comic Con in San Diego in July.  Peace.

WonderCon 2011 Day 1

Moscone Center, San Francisco, CA
Friday April 1, 2011

*Helpful tips to WonderCon-ing*

Dress accordingly.  Unless you are dressing up in costume be sure to wear something appropriate.  If it is cold and rainy, try to brave the elements because once inside it is a sweaty affair.  I suggest a breathable shirt, like a workout shirt under your Frak You t-shirt.  Bring a backpack.  This was the first year I decided to bring a backpack, and man what a lifesaver.  I was able to put my swag and most of the items I bought inside.  Take water.  As I mentioned about, a very sweaty affair awaits you inside the exhibit halls, be sure to properly hydrate.

Day 1: In Blackest Day in Darked Night...
The Arrival

Before we even get into WonderCon we see a line forming outside and it says S.H.I.E.L.D. badges...so of course we hop in line and after a lengthy wait we are officially members of S.H.I.E.L.D. (rad).  We arrive around 1pm (doors opened at 12pm) so there was no line to get in.  We just go through and get our badges and I'm excited about our first bit of swag.  A program guide and an advertisement for a game...sauce of weakness.  We do a quick walkthrough and immediately, what is now becoming a WonderCon tradition, we purchase our official WonderCon T-shirt.  Great design this year.  We get hungry so we head off to eat at Mo's Grill.  It was good.

You call this swag?

After lunch, it's straight into the Esplanade for what would be 3 straight hours, culminating in probably the biggest panel at WonderCon this year: Green Lantern the movie.  First we sit through Falling Skies, a new series to air on TNT starring Noah Wyle.  Unforutnately Noah Wyle wasn't in attendance during this panel.  The actor who played his son was however, and boy was he douching up the room.  He just didn't seem genuine at all.  The other two that were up there for Falling Skies: Melinda Hsu and Mark Verheiden were much more enjoyable.  The show looks pretty good, with some good special effects.  Its a survival show that follows a militia as they try to survive against aliens who have already invaded the Earth.  I'll give it a shot.  Next we were treated to a full episode of Nikita, a very good episode, that airs this Thursday...once again they move the story forward.

Finally we got to the Green Lantern movie and this panel did not disappoint.  Writer Geoff Johns comes out and shows us some exclusive clips from the movie and they are awesome.  After the clip Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds join Geoff on stage.  Ryan Reynolds is instantly funny, witty, and charming, just like in all of his performances.  He cracks some great jokes and answers every question with what seems like sincerity.  Blake Lively doesn't get asked too many questions but she seems really cool.  My favorite thing about that panel was that the two actors, who are pretty big stars, looked like they were having a great time and genuinely wanted to be there.  We also got to walk away with some swag: Green Lantern t-shirt and lanyard.

Now that's swag.

Finally we get to the floor.  I take some pictures with and of some people with great costumes.  Some of my favorites are the girl in the smokin' Green Lantern costume, the White Ranger, and a very original Zombie Stormtrooper.

We didn't have much time to shop around so I didn't buy anything besides the shirt and a couple of Green Lantern rings.  Extremely geeky.  Looking forward to Day 2 tomorrow.