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The Bitter Guide to The Local Con
Jul. 14th, 2008 03:38 pmOr, how I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Toronto Trek Polaris.
While at con this past weekend, I found an interesting flyer for an upcoming event: Hobby Hut Games is hosting the First Annual Canadian National RISK Championship.
Very enthusiastic, if a little primatively laid out. The admission is $50 until August 31, and that includes a catered buffet banquet and light refreshments. There's a championship trophy, as well as a consolation trophy and prizes. That seems like either a really good buffet, or a high price.
It's being held in a Salvation Army hall, so they are having a food and toy drive as well. Hey,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
pyat, do they rent halls out in Hamilton?
This weekend was Polaris: Interestingly enough, I had confirmed that fire alarms suck, as do panels up against the masquerade and at 1 am. Seriously, somebody's gonna get a slap for that.
Gaming is a non-event at this con. The Gamer's membership includes only admission to the LAN party (and maybe not even that, if they don't have any space. Oh, Snap!) . It doesn't bode well for Filking that they got shoved down to the Skyline level. That's where they sent tabletop gaming to die.
Saw many people there. Spent some time withangrykat late at nite, kibbitzing on these huge couches in the lounge. Almost missed talysin until I recognized the Squirrelman books. Nice covers.
I manned the booth a bit, made some sales, and had some fun. I really, really want to beat with a tire iron the obnoxious mouth breather who insisted on buying their iron on on a t-shirt. It's an iron on. You buy a t-shirt and put it on your own damn self. Fucked up my weekend, that's for sure.
I spent the weekend in my VB tees. Killinger, Samson, and Guild, respectively. I also got a massage fromketronic, which has hurt me more than any in memory.
Panel Breakdown:
Avatar: The Last Airbender: Kidsplace is apparently just a room where they put animation based panels. We talked about the show, and we watched one of the Chibi sequences and Iroh's Day Out. I cried. Nickelodeon is showing all the remaining episodes this week, one episode a night, with the final four put together into a two hour movie on friday. In response, YTV will be showing them weekly, starting on Saturday. File that under "dumb things Canadian networks do".
Dark Knight; We talked about the new Batman movie. It's odd, since I don't really like Batman that much.
Current Marvel & DC Events: I complained about how bad Civil War and Infinite Crisis were, and that I wouldn't get Secret Invasion until the trade came out.
Superhero Movies: In spite of the fuck awful time slot of one a.m. it was well attended. We talked about the latest batch, and Marvel's (overly?) ambitious plans to build a superheroic cinematic franchise.
Lost S4 Review: Cynra & I were the sole souls on this panel. We probably could have just spent the whole panel talking about the use of flashback and forward as a story structure. Lots of idle speculation on what's to come in the future and what the relationship between Ben & Widmore is.
A Run through New York: This panel is an abject lesson in why cute panel names are a bad idea. As well, it's also a lesson in why it's a bad idea to be scheduled against the Masquerade. (note to self: Next year, tell programming you're in the Masquerade. That should solve that problem).
On Sunday I did some shoping (picked up that Warhammer mega epic from way back when, Bangkook: Cesspool of the Orient to see if there are T:2K rules for ladyboys, a book of "action based Cyberpunk adventures" from Atlas, and the Ars Magica Africa sourcebook (ditto).
I checked out the Comics and Marginalization panel, which was apparently a panel on women in comics, although the moderator did mention Milestone, Luke Cage and the Black Panther. Blue Beetle came up too, although his "Generic Latino Background" was brought up for some crticism ("well, Of Course his best friend is a gang member!"). They didn't even get to discuss the fact that Giant Man got to be the Black Due who Dies First*.
Dinner with Browncoats afterwards, and then I hit the hay.
*Holy shit. The link includes this line:
Who would have thought they'd see that phrase in their lifetimes?
While at con this past weekend, I found an interesting flyer for an upcoming event: Hobby Hut Games is hosting the First Annual Canadian National RISK Championship.
Very enthusiastic, if a little primatively laid out. The admission is $50 until August 31, and that includes a catered buffet banquet and light refreshments. There's a championship trophy, as well as a consolation trophy and prizes. That seems like either a really good buffet, or a high price.
It's being held in a Salvation Army hall, so they are having a food and toy drive as well. Hey,
pyat, do they rent halls out in Hamilton? This weekend was Polaris: Interestingly enough, I had confirmed that fire alarms suck, as do panels up against the masquerade and at 1 am. Seriously, somebody's gonna get a slap for that.
Gaming is a non-event at this con. The Gamer's membership includes only admission to the LAN party (and maybe not even that, if they don't have any space. Oh, Snap!) . It doesn't bode well for Filking that they got shoved down to the Skyline level. That's where they sent tabletop gaming to die.
Saw many people there. Spent some time with
angrykat late at nite, kibbitzing on these huge couches in the lounge. Almost missed talysin until I recognized the Squirrelman books. Nice covers. I manned the booth a bit, made some sales, and had some fun. I really, really want to beat with a tire iron the obnoxious mouth breather who insisted on buying their iron on on a t-shirt. It's an iron on. You buy a t-shirt and put it on your own damn self. Fucked up my weekend, that's for sure.
I spent the weekend in my VB tees. Killinger, Samson, and Guild, respectively. I also got a massage from
ketronic, which has hurt me more than any in memory. Panel Breakdown:
Avatar: The Last Airbender: Kidsplace is apparently just a room where they put animation based panels. We talked about the show, and we watched one of the Chibi sequences and Iroh's Day Out. I cried. Nickelodeon is showing all the remaining episodes this week, one episode a night, with the final four put together into a two hour movie on friday. In response, YTV will be showing them weekly, starting on Saturday. File that under "dumb things Canadian networks do".
Dark Knight; We talked about the new Batman movie. It's odd, since I don't really like Batman that much.
Current Marvel & DC Events: I complained about how bad Civil War and Infinite Crisis were, and that I wouldn't get Secret Invasion until the trade came out.
Superhero Movies: In spite of the fuck awful time slot of one a.m. it was well attended. We talked about the latest batch, and Marvel's (overly?) ambitious plans to build a superheroic cinematic franchise.
Lost S4 Review: Cynra & I were the sole souls on this panel. We probably could have just spent the whole panel talking about the use of flashback and forward as a story structure. Lots of idle speculation on what's to come in the future and what the relationship between Ben & Widmore is.
A Run through New York: This panel is an abject lesson in why cute panel names are a bad idea. As well, it's also a lesson in why it's a bad idea to be scheduled against the Masquerade. (note to self: Next year, tell programming you're in the Masquerade. That should solve that problem).
On Sunday I did some shoping (picked up that Warhammer mega epic from way back when, Bangkook: Cesspool of the Orient to see if there are T:2K rules for ladyboys, a book of "action based Cyberpunk adventures" from Atlas, and the Ars Magica Africa sourcebook (ditto).
I checked out the Comics and Marginalization panel, which was apparently a panel on women in comics, although the moderator did mention Milestone, Luke Cage and the Black Panther. Blue Beetle came up too, although his "Generic Latino Background" was brought up for some crticism ("well, Of Course his best friend is a gang member!"). They didn't even get to discuss the fact that Giant Man got to be the Black Due who Dies First*.
Dinner with Browncoats afterwards, and then I hit the hay.
*Holy shit. The link includes this line:
Yes please, since Google reveals there's too much awesome Zombie Apocalypse -themed House fanfiction to find any particular one.
Who would have thought they'd see that phrase in their lifetimes?
Game was good last night, in spite of my character's untimely death.
Am writing this up in company resource room and there appears to be a guy holding a meeting of some kind over the phone.
Very tired today. Will not be going to nerd dinner tonight. Am having conversation with Uday & Qusay over text message about what to get Pater Bitter. We almost got him three copies of "Palestine: Peace, not Apartheid"! Again!
Little Italy was full to the brim last night, so I couldn't go to Dragon Lady for my supplementary comics purchases.
Today was Taco day at work. I like tacos. Tonight will probably be curry.
Cynra & I have been re-watching Lost from the beginning. Man, I forgot how awesome Walkabout was.
Am writing this up in company resource room and there appears to be a guy holding a meeting of some kind over the phone.
Very tired today. Will not be going to nerd dinner tonight. Am having conversation with Uday & Qusay over text message about what to get Pater Bitter. We almost got him three copies of "Palestine: Peace, not Apartheid"! Again!
Little Italy was full to the brim last night, so I couldn't go to Dragon Lady for my supplementary comics purchases.
Today was Taco day at work. I like tacos. Tonight will probably be curry.
Cynra & I have been re-watching Lost from the beginning. Man, I forgot how awesome Walkabout was.
Getting ready to enjoy vacation.
Did not enjoy getting up to meet Mater & Pater BItter for breakfast only to find out that we had NOT sprung forward, and hence had to shower & shovel with great haste to meet them.
Amusingly enough, their flight to NYC to catch the QE2 for the Bahamas had been cancelled, so they're waiting for another flight. Possibly tomorrow. Ich.
Cynra & I watched Sideways today (so we can finally send it back toabsinte_dot_ca and vampyrehunterm) and, well, I don't think we'll be able to watch Lost the same way ever again.
Took a tumble on the stairs to the basement while taking laundry down, so Cynra has me sitting on the couch with an ice pack.
I think WRT Oblivion "Im doing it wrong", as the Lolcats would say. Where the hell can I find the damn fighter's guild? The Thieves Guild is getting me nowhere.
Did not enjoy getting up to meet Mater & Pater BItter for breakfast only to find out that we had NOT sprung forward, and hence had to shower & shovel with great haste to meet them.
Amusingly enough, their flight to NYC to catch the QE2 for the Bahamas had been cancelled, so they're waiting for another flight. Possibly tomorrow. Ich.
Cynra & I watched Sideways today (so we can finally send it back to
absinte_dot_ca and vampyrehunterm) and, well, I don't think we'll be able to watch Lost the same way ever again. Took a tumble on the stairs to the basement while taking laundry down, so Cynra has me sitting on the couch with an ice pack.
I think WRT Oblivion "Im doing it wrong", as the Lolcats would say. Where the hell can I find the damn fighter's guild? The Thieves Guild is getting me nowhere.
You can't spell "class" while using the letters included in "Disney corporation"
Well, to celebrate that most lucrative of hallidays, ABC has produced emailable Valentine's day cards for Lost, Ugly Betty & Gray's Anatomy.
Now, the GA & Ugly Betty ones are almost criminally generic, with dialogue taken straight from a Sweet Heart except for a few exceptions. Ugly Betty 'villains' Wilhemina and Marc get at least a little zing in theirs, since they're in the form of "while you were out" messages. Seriously, that's creative compared to the other ones.
I wonder if they track how many are sent? Becasue I can almost guarantee you there ain't gonna be a lot of "Betty's Dad" valentines sent.
Hey, it's the world that's cruel, not me.
The Lost ones at least show a little creativity (which makes me wonder: Did Writers write that? Hmmmm), but I gotta tell you, there's some questionable ones in there.
( Like these two: )
Wow. Way to make fun of crazy people AND torture. Classy, ABC!
edit: Confession time: I sent Cynra the Sayid one.
Well, to celebrate that most lucrative of hallidays, ABC has produced emailable Valentine's day cards for Lost, Ugly Betty & Gray's Anatomy.
Now, the GA & Ugly Betty ones are almost criminally generic, with dialogue taken straight from a Sweet Heart except for a few exceptions. Ugly Betty 'villains' Wilhemina and Marc get at least a little zing in theirs, since they're in the form of "while you were out" messages. Seriously, that's creative compared to the other ones.
I wonder if they track how many are sent? Becasue I can almost guarantee you there ain't gonna be a lot of "Betty's Dad" valentines sent.
Hey, it's the world that's cruel, not me.
The Lost ones at least show a little creativity (which makes me wonder: Did Writers write that? Hmmmm), but I gotta tell you, there's some questionable ones in there.
( Like these two: )
Wow. Way to make fun of crazy people AND torture. Classy, ABC!
edit: Confession time: I sent Cynra the Sayid one.
Well, that's kind of neat.
Feb. 12th, 2008 12:04 pmYou know what I just realized? The new guys on Lost are a PC party. You've got the psychic, the slightly neurotic scientist, the crack pilot, the archaeologist, and the fighter, who got killed first.
The Night of Shitty Customer Service
Jan. 4th, 2008 11:23 amMet up with elizalavelle last night at the Silver Snail to reclaim my blessed, blessed Y tpbs (oh, #10, when will you be mine?). We were both hoping to get Buffy #10, but apparently the Snail was taking an extra day of New Years, since the new comix had not made their appearance. Of course, good luck getting someone to tell you that pithy fact. "The Silver Snail: We have our reputation, we don't need customer service!"
We both ended up getting some bargain action figures, I a Sawyer from Lost Series 2 and she a Conundrum Minimates fig. He's so creepy.
After divesting myself of stuff at Supercar, we wandered downtown to get some dinner. Man, that ain't easy. I think the Bishop & Belcher is now a shrine to women's footwear of some kind. Wandered into Burrito Boyz, and out agin when we realized it was a takeout place, which I suppose must work wonderfully in the Summer or if you live nearby, which did not fit the bill in this case.
So we ended up at a Dunn's in the theatre district, where once again our attempts to initiate commerce were nearly foiled. The hostess led us to our seats and handed us our menus (and gave us cutlery!). Quick perusal and we decided what to get. Nobody came to get drink orders, but what the heck, right? We folded the menus and put them down, in case they needed some subtle hints.
That was apparently too subtle. So I grabbed a waitress (vocally, not physically) and asked "Who's handling our table?" To which she replied "I guess I am."
I guess you fucking are.
The food was okay; I got a towering Club sammich (where Towering = double decker) andelizalavelle grabbed the fish n' chips, for express purpose of eating some and saving some for lunch. A fairly unimpressive performance by the front of house people at Dunn's.
Admittedly, the evening wasn't bad, what with gossip and shopping. I'm just cranky, what with wanting a beverage within the first 20 minutes of entering a restaurant. It ain't like they couldn't see us, either.
Dropped offelizalavelle at her place and zoom zoomed off home to feed the cats and play Civ IV way too late.
Gotta say I do love Letterman's strike beard. I'm growing my strike goatee. I'm gonna do Mr. Eko's little horns thing.
elizalavelle last night at the Silver Snail to reclaim my blessed, blessed Y tpbs (oh, #10, when will you be mine?). We were both hoping to get Buffy #10, but apparently the Snail was taking an extra day of New Years, since the new comix had not made their appearance. Of course, good luck getting someone to tell you that pithy fact. "The Silver Snail: We have our reputation, we don't need customer service!"We both ended up getting some bargain action figures, I a Sawyer from Lost Series 2 and she a Conundrum Minimates fig. He's so creepy.
After divesting myself of stuff at Supercar, we wandered downtown to get some dinner. Man, that ain't easy. I think the Bishop & Belcher is now a shrine to women's footwear of some kind. Wandered into Burrito Boyz, and out agin when we realized it was a takeout place, which I suppose must work wonderfully in the Summer or if you live nearby, which did not fit the bill in this case.
So we ended up at a Dunn's in the theatre district, where once again our attempts to initiate commerce were nearly foiled. The hostess led us to our seats and handed us our menus (and gave us cutlery!). Quick perusal and we decided what to get. Nobody came to get drink orders, but what the heck, right? We folded the menus and put them down, in case they needed some subtle hints.
That was apparently too subtle. So I grabbed a waitress (vocally, not physically) and asked "Who's handling our table?" To which she replied "I guess I am."
I guess you fucking are.
The food was okay; I got a towering Club sammich (where Towering = double decker) and
elizalavelle grabbed the fish n' chips, for express purpose of eating some and saving some for lunch. A fairly unimpressive performance by the front of house people at Dunn's. Admittedly, the evening wasn't bad, what with gossip and shopping. I'm just cranky, what with wanting a beverage within the first 20 minutes of entering a restaurant. It ain't like they couldn't see us, either.
Dropped off
elizalavelle at her place and zoom zoomed off home to feed the cats and play Civ IV way too late. Gotta say I do love Letterman's strike beard. I'm growing my strike goatee. I'm gonna do Mr. Eko's little horns thing.
Because it's long and cold between seasons of Lost this year, I present an open letter to Darleton vis a vis season 4.
Because I can...
Jun. 15th, 2007 12:17 amI present to you my article for Thetvshowblog.com about Father/child relationships on Lost.
Basic summary: They're fucked up.
Basic summary: They're fucked up.
Oh, lawdy, I'm all atwitter at the thought of tonight's Lost finale. Thankfully, due to Victoria day, NCBD is delayed until tomorrow, so Cynra & I will skip our regular burrito dinner together. Possibly we'll do curry.
I'm very tired today, as normal. Grabbed a nap in the lunch room, but didn't have time for a full siesta. It's stupidly hot outside, too.
Game should be fun tomorrow. The GM's house can be warm.
Is it wrong that I go to the Deadbeat parents website the governemtn runs, see this description:
Other Identifying Details: Hair dyed black/red. Several tattoos, Scorpion on lower back, Rose on right shoulder blade, Star on right wrist, Fairy on right hip
Last Known Location: Hamilton, ON
Usual Occupation: Dancer
Language(s) Spoken: English
and wish to dedicate myself to tracking down this miscreant?
I'm very tired today, as normal. Grabbed a nap in the lunch room, but didn't have time for a full siesta. It's stupidly hot outside, too.
Game should be fun tomorrow. The GM's house can be warm.
Is it wrong that I go to the Deadbeat parents website the governemtn runs, see this description:
Other Identifying Details: Hair dyed black/red. Several tattoos, Scorpion on lower back, Rose on right shoulder blade, Star on right wrist, Fairy on right hip
Last Known Location: Hamilton, ON
Usual Occupation: Dancer
Language(s) Spoken: English
and wish to dedicate myself to tracking down this miscreant?
Holy crap. I missed yesterday completely.
I guess I flubbed upabsenthe_dot_ca's posting challenge. [weeps in French]
For some reason, I can't think of a French phrase that means "woe is me" without saying the name of the protagonist from Oldboy.
That films lead characters is, IIRC, Oh Dae Su, and I recall the French phrase in question as beign Au {quel que chose}, and I just go right into Au Desous, which means 'underneath'. Otherwise, all I can think of is Au Secours, which means help me, which is also useless.
Okay! Lost, ( one day later )
I guess I flubbed up
absenthe_dot_ca's posting challenge. [weeps in French]For some reason, I can't think of a French phrase that means "woe is me" without saying the name of the protagonist from Oldboy.
That films lead characters is, IIRC, Oh Dae Su, and I recall the French phrase in question as beign Au {quel que chose}, and I just go right into Au Desous, which means 'underneath'. Otherwise, all I can think of is Au Secours, which means help me, which is also useless.
Okay! Lost, ( one day later )
Lost: The next day
Feb. 15th, 2007 01:43 pmWell, that was a good episode. Finally a breakaway from the neverending Jack/Kate/Sawyer story. ( Spoilers & Speculation )
In other news, Alan Dale in a razor commercial from almost 30 years ago. Zomg, hair.
In other news, Alan Dale in a razor commercial from almost 30 years ago. Zomg, hair.
