Moving, Movies & Muppets

Woke up around 6am today and couldn't go back to sleep so I blogged for a bit. Today I'm helping my buddy Robert move from Mar Vista to North Hollywood. He is the ninth "Geek Mob" member move within a miles radius of the group. Super excited that my best friend will be living about 10 minute walk from me.

Doug came over around 9:30am as we were carpooling over to Robert's place. Traffic was horrible and we arrived at Robert at 10:30am. Robert has been moving stuff over to his new place for a few weeks so he only had the big things that he couldn't move by himself. Helping Robert out today was Doug, Tamar, Cait and me. It took us maybe an hour if that to load up the uhaul before heading to his new place in NoHo.

Jes joined us here to help unload. This took a bit more time as there are a bunch of stairs and some of his items were large and heavy. But we got it done with very little drama. He ordered some pizzas for lunch and we ate. He and Tamar had to return the Uhaul to the Santa Monica area so Doug, Jes, Cait and I went to our local comic book store "Blast Off" for Free Comic Book Day (FCBD).

I found two of the three comic books that I wanted to pick up. The one that was out by the time I got there was Mouse Guard but also included a story about Labyrinth and Farscape (and those are the ones I really wanted to read). I put it out there on the nets to see if any of my friend had come across this book and could get it for me and my friend Scarlett out in Texas texted me that she had an extra copy and would ship it to me.. how awesome is she!! Thanks Scarlett.

I also watched a few more gay-themed movies. The first on was Struck by Lightening. Here's a synopsis; Struck by Lightning is a 2012 coming-of-age comedy-drama film written by and starring Chris Colfer (Glee), also based on his novel. After high school senior Carson Phillips is struck by lightning and killed in his high-school parking lot, he recounts the way he blackmailed his classmates into contributing to his literary magazine.

This was an okay movie, nothing special. I honestly don't know why it's listed under the Gay and Lesbian category as it's really has nothing to do with that other then the guy who wrote it and the main actor is gay in real life. It's a very dark comedy as the main character dies at the beginning and the movie is told through flashbacks. The acting is fine and I did enjoy some of the relationships of the character but overall it wasn't a favorite of mine. I won't be buying this on blu-ray and I don't care to watch it again. I give Struck by Lightening a C+

And the second movie I watched was called Mulligans. Here's a brief synopsis; Tyler Davidson  invites his college buddy Chase home for summer break on Prospect Lake. The Davidson Family appears practically perfect in every way to Chase, who begins to envy the close-knit family that he never had. After continued attempts by Tyler to set up Chase with local women, Chase comes out as gay. The family attempts to support Chase, and Tyler's father Nathan, in particular, begins to spend substantial time with him. Soon Nathan begins to realize that long-suppressed feelings toward men are resurfacing, and he has become attracted to Chase. These attractions turn in to an all-out affair, which is soon witnessed by Nathan's wife Stacey. Once in the open, Nathan and Chase try to come to terms with the effect of their actions on others, and Nathan attempts to keep his family together. Nathan ultimately decides to leave Stacey, Tyler, and their daughter at the family's summer home, while he drives off to re-evaluate his life alone for an uncertain amount of time.

I enjoyed this movie much more then the one I watched previously. I like the acting, the story and the setting. Like with the other movie that I really liked "What Happens Next" I could identify with the "father" who is just not starting to explore who he really is. I think it gave a realistic portrayal of what would happen to a family if the dad came out after 20 years of marriage. This was always my fear in my early 20's.. I push down my homosexual feelings for many years until one day I just couldn't do it anymore. I didn't want what happens in this movie to happen to me.

My only complaint about this movie was the quick resolution to the best friends storyline. I like how they resolved it but I think it just happened way to fast. I don't know if I would buy this on blu-ray but I do know I will watch it again. I give Mulligans a solid B+

During the evening I had a beer with my buddy Erik via Skype as we continued watching Jim Henson's Creature Shop competition. This is a competition series featuring ten aspiring creature creators competing to out-imagine one another in a series of challenges where they will build everything from mechanical characters to whimsical beasts, bringing high-end inanimate creature designs to life. The contestants compete for a prize worth up to $100,000 including the opportunity for the job of a lifetime - a contract working at the world-renowned Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. I'm really enjoying this series so far but I figured I would since I'm a huge fan of another of Syfy's reality competition show Faceoff. I have a blast watching both Faceoff and Jim Henson's Creature Shop Competition with Erik as we Skype with each other and talk about the shows during commercials. It was a nice way to end my evening.

Hobbits and TableTop

I continued writing my blog.. it's a slow process as I can only sit at the computer for so long and I'm struggling to find motivation. I have so many blogs to catch up on as well as podcasting stuff, uploading my vacation pictures, reworking my webseries script and finish unpacking and displaying more of my collections in my guest room. And I'm looking for work.

Today I was in a Hobbitish kind of mood so I popped in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. I saw it three or four times in the theater but haven't watched the screener that I got last December. Watching it just gets me more pumped for the final installment of the series. And it made me want to start re-reading (listening) to my audiobook of The Lord of the Rings.

I also made a contribution to the Indiegogo campaign for season three of Wil Wheaton's Table Top. I've loved every episode and to be able to contribute a bit of money to get S3 is well worth it.  They were trying to get $500,000 but as of today they just passed $1,000,000 and still have 8 days left. If you want to help them out just follow the link HERE.

Hobbit News, Sabers and Bollywood

Finally started catching up on my blog. I managed to blog up to Day 6 of my dream vacation but realized that it's going to take me awhile to get all those done in a timely manner. And the longer it takes the longer my "daily" blog falls behind. So I deiced to stop with my dream vacation and catch on my daily blog and then go back and continue blogging about my vacation.

In Hobbit news.. they released the title of the next Hobbit movie. Everyone had thought it was going to be There and Back Again but since it was split into three movies Mr. Jackson felt that, that title no longer fit so they changed it to The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies. I'm really looking forward to the final installment of this trilogy.

I came across several videos that I wanted to share with you guys. First one is Revenge of the Threesome: Star Wars Lightsaber Duel (Saber III) This actually features quite a few friends.

And the next one is a PSA for the United Nations Free and Equal Campaign. In the first-ever Bollywood music video for gay rights.

 

MASH 4077 Podcast Episode 78

Download from itunes tinyurl.com/MASH4077itunes , listen on Stitcher Radio ow.ly/iZJIz or Listen, get direct download from our main website MASH4077Podcast.com

Show Notes

Kenny Mittleider from Knights of the Guild, Alien Nation: The Newcomers Podcast & My Gimpy Life Podcast, Simon Meddings from Waffle On Podcast, & Al Kessel from Tales from the Mouse House and Lost 815 Podcast discuss one of the most successful and longest running television series in history.. M*A*S*H

Today we cover Season 4, Episode #6 - Hey, Doc
78th Episode Overall
Directed by William Jurgensen
Written by Rick Mittleman
Production code G510
Original air date October 10, 1975

Set during the Korean War in the 1950’s

Plot Summary: When Hawkeye helps keep a small, medical problem of a commander's personal medical records, he is rewarded with two bottles of 20 year-old scotch. Meanwhile a sniper leads to a tank being lent to the camp, which Frank takes a ride inside as means of showing off to Margret.

Hope you enjoy it, Kenny

Family and Podcasts

If you're a regular reader of my blog you know that I like to visit my family every few weeks. So today was all about family. I headed to my brothers to visit my dad, brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew. When I got to their place I was happy to see that my mom was also visiting so I got to visit with her as well.

When I walked in my mom was sitting next to Lisa (niece & nephew's nanny) who was holding this little tiny kitten. It couldn't be more then a week or two old. She had found it in an alley by itself. He was so adorable, I held him for a good half hour while he slept in the palm of my hands.

I visited with my dad, mom and niece for an hour or so before my sister-in-law Lora and nephew Kenobi got home from school. Mom, dad, nephew and I went out to El Pollo and grabbed some lunch for everyone.

Spent another few hours visiting with everyone before my mom left and my brother go home from work. He and I visited for a bit before going upstairs to record a new episode of our Alien Nation podcast. The podcast has been on hiatus since November but we're hoping to get thing back up and running again soon.

After we recorded the podcast, I said my goodbyes and headed home. It was a nice family visit and I can't wait to do it again in a few weeks.

Random Geek Question!!

I posed a Random Geek Question on Facebook and Twitter. I asked " Which sci-fi or fantasy universe would you want to live in and why?? " Here are some responses from Facebook.

• Doug Luberts - The Star Wars universe... But only if I was strong in the Force!

• Jenni Powell - Narnia. Because...childhood dream basically.

• Simon Meddings - Tolkien, but the more quiet and fun world, rather than Mordor.

• Alycia Carhart - Rivendell because it is beautiful and peaceful. Elves.

• Nathan Tamayo - Any one where I'm omnipotent.

• Eva Chan - I'd go with Jenni's. I think Chronicles of Narnia was one of the first fantasy books I read when I was a kid. Who wouldn't want to wind up in a fantastical land like Narnia just by stepping through a wardrobe?

• Dani Figueiredo - If I get to be a wizard, then Harry Potter, for sure! It would be great to be able to apparate! If not, then I think I'd pick Neverland.

• Chris Stock - Oh, oh oh! There are SO many choices! I'd probably pick the TransHuman Space universe, from SJ Games... an overall-optimistic future? Yes plz.

• Richard Peete - Give me Trek in the 23rd century any day!

• Tim Gin - Presuming I am just a regular native I think I would be most comfortable with ST:TNG setting. Generally comfortable and safe with a whole plethora of places to explore should the desire arise. And who doesn't want a holodeck?

• Steve Rose - Harry Potter, unless I was a muggle, then what's the point? Otherwise, ST:TNG all the way. I mean, replicators, universal translator, warp travel, universal health care... I'm assuming.

• Erlend Aakre - I'd like to change my answer from TNG to having someone give me a tour of the universe in a big blue box

• Scott Hough - A sci-fi world? The 24th century Earth from Star Trek. Fantasy: Probably the Earth from Dresden Files. Screw the Harry Potter wizards (no offense to you Potter fans), I prefer the Harry Dresden wizards.

• Aaron Trahan - Star Trek TNG

• Maggie O'Neill - Dr's assistant any time any day

I also got a few responses from Twitter...

@mattalexbrown - I reckon you and I could live a pretty convincing Hobbit life. No worries in the world except making the most of The Shire!

@rollotomasi - Middle Earth. I feel I should have been born a daughter of Rohan :)

@yensid98 - #HarryPotter of course. Quirky, oddballs living with magic and amazing creatures. #STTNG is a close 2nd, but I'd live on Earth.

First I want to thank everyone who responded, there was no clear winner here... as for me it's a tough call. I'd love to be a Wizard in the Harry Potter Universe, or Exploring the galaxy on a Starship/Spaceship in the STTNG era/Star Wars Universe. But I think the universe I'd like to live in most would be Middle Earth.. the Shire to be exact. Away from the world, enjoying the land, good food, good drink and family... that's my ideal heaven.

Movies, Movies and More Movies

Today was all about gay-themed movies. Now that I have netflix a world of gay-themed movies are at my fingertips.

I started my day with The Curiosity of Chance. Here's a brief synopsis; In 1980s Europe, flamboyant and gay 16-year-old Chance Marquis shows up at an international high school in a top hat and tails, immediately attracting the attention of the "queer-hating" resident bully, among others. Through his involvement in the school newspaper, he meets an introverted photographer with a mysterious briefcase, and while practicing tennis, he befriends a catty fashionista, both of whom act as his wingmen in his new high school. He also meets the jock-next-door, with whom he forms a tentative friendship, despite the jock's cacophonous group of friends. The film follows Chance through a year of high school, with its attendant drama, successes, and hijinks—including sneaking into a drag bar, where Chance begins to explore his true self.

I enjoyed this movie. It had some really cute moments. I really couldn't identify with the main character but I really enjoyed the secondary characters.. especially Hank, Chances photographer/sidekick. I really enjoyed the father/son relationship and Chances "daydream" sequences. Overall it was good movie. I wouldn't buy it on blu-ray but I'm not opposed to watching it again with a friend. I give The Curiosity of Chance a solid B.

Second I watched What Happens Next. Here's a brief synopsis; Paul Greco is a wealthy man who has sold his business and has retired. His sister Elise gives him a dog. Paul assumes the daily dog-walking routine in the park where he encounters Andy Chance, a gay self-employed advertising whiz, who happens to own a dog himself. The daily meeting develops into a tender series of situations between the two as conversations exchanged become more and more involved and sincere.

I really enjoyed this movie. I could really identify with the main character though I came out many years before he did. I knew his struggle and apprehension. All of the actors were fantastic in their roles. And yes the plot was predictable but that didn't take away from the fun or seriousness of the movie. I would defiantly buy this on blu-ray and I give What Happens Next a very deserving A

Next up was Pit Stop. Here's a brief synopsis; Recovering from an ill-fated affair with a married man, Gabe finds solace in the relationship he maintains with his ex-wife and daughter. On the other side of town, Ernesto evades life at home with his current live-in ex-boyfriend by spending much of his spare time in the hospital with an ailing past love. Impervious to the monotony of their blue-collar world, they maintain an unwavering yearning for romance.

This had more drama, then the previous two films I watched. I really enjoyed it. It's really two different stories and you wait the entire movie for these two guys to get together. And for a moment I thought it wasn't going to happen.. but it does during the last five minutes of the film. I would have preferred them getting together half way through the movie and then watching their relationship developed. But as I said it was a good movie. I wouldn't buy it on blu-ray but I'd watch it again with a friend if they wanted to see it. I give Pit Stop a solid B+

Fourth movie of the day was Yossi. Here's a brief synopsis; Yossi, is a sequel to the director's breakthrough work Yossi & Jagger (2002). The plot takes places a decade after the events in that previous film. It follows the title character, a closeted gay cardiologist who struggles to find meaning in his life while overcoming the loss of his lover and reconciling his past with his future.

First of all I didn't know this was a sequel. Kind of wish I would have seen the previous movie first. This wasn't a bad movie but the main character is so unhappy that it makes the film tough to watch. I'm not sure if I'd want to watch the first movie as I know how it ends and the reason for him being so unhappy. I wouldn't buy this movie on blu-ray and I don't see myself watching it again. I give Yoshi a C 

And my final movie of the night was House of Boys. Here's a brief synopsis; The film follows the story of Frank, a gay teenager in the 80's who runs away from his home to start a new life and later his struggle against the recently discovered AIDS.

This was not the best movie to end my might on. From the description on Netflix I figured it was about a troubled teen who goes and works at a gay strip club. Which the first half of the movie is.. but then it takes a very dark turn as one of the main characters contract HIV/AIDS and we spend the next hour of the film watching him die a slow and painful death. It was heart wrenching. It's a very well acted and thought provoking movie just not what I was expecting and not really how I wanted to end my day of movie watching. I won't be buying this on blu-ray and don't think I need to see this again but I give House of Boys a B+.  

Star Wars Episode Seven Cast Revealed

Today Disney revealed the main cast for episode seven of Star Wars. I don't know if this is everyone or if they are still casting but there have been rumors for months about who was going to be in the next Star Wars film. The big three Harrison, Carrie and Mark have said numorus times that they would be back only to retract or backtrack thier comments.. Well it's official six of the original actors will be back to reprise their icon roles. Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia, Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Anthony Daniels as C3PO, Kenny Baker as R2D2 and Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca.

Of the new cast I really only know three of them. Andy Serkis of course is the motion capture king playing characters from Gollum, to King Kong to Caesar. Domhnall Gleeson who was Bill Weasley in the last two Potter films, and Max von Sydow who played Ming the terrible from Flash Gordan. The others are pretty much unknown to me.

Star Wars fans went crazy when this image and cast names were released but honestly it didn't do anything for me. We pretty much knew that the main actors were going to be back for at least the next movie. I think the next big news (for me at least) will be the title of Episode seven.. now that's one things I'm super excited to find out.

April 29th, Pinewood Studios, UK - Writer/Director/Producer J.J Abrams (top center right) at the cast read-through of Star Wars Episode VII at Pinewood Studios with (clockwise from right) Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew, Producer Bryan Burk, Lucasfilm President and Producer Kathleen Kennedy, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Mark Hamill, Andy Serkis, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, Adam Driver and Writer Lawrence Kasdan.

D&D Anniversary & Dinner with Friends

This is my Halfling Wizard - Dash

Today is the one year anniversary of the D&D (Pathfinder) group that I belong to. I can't believe it's been an entire year already. Dallas our fearless DM has brought so much fun, entertainment, adventure and craziness to each session. He doesn't just sit behind his books and direct our adventure. He interacts with us using voices, props and gets others to record NPC's that we run into. It's a fully immersive experience and it's a ton of fun.

We've hit a few snags here and there along the way but what do you expect with a group of 12 players (now down to 9) but the last few sessions have been super fun. We are currently on hiatus as he prepare for our fourth adventure. I can't wait until June when we start back up. Thanks Dallas for all that you do and congratulation to you and all my fellow D&D players on this one year anniversary.

I've been staying in the past few days.. but my buddy Robert is moving just down the street and I was informed that he would be at his new place tonight dropping off stuff so Dallas, Jes, Robert and I went out to eat. It's so much fun to be able to just walk to Robert's place and then walk to the restaurant. Tonight we did Pitfire Grill. It was good to get out again and see friends. I'm hoping this exhaustion that I'm feeling doesn't stick around for much longer.

TV & Movies

Still trying to get over my exhaustion from my 34 day dream vacation. Today I didn't do much. I watched the last six episodes of Amazing Race and then moved on to some gay-themed movies.

First up was G.B.F. Here's a quick synopsis; Social warfare breaks out in a suburban high school when the three clique queens who rule the school compete for this year's must-have teen girl accessory - the G.B.F. (or Gay Best Friend). G.B.F. tells the story of two closeted best friends, Tanner and Brent. Brent longs for the spotlight and has a plan that will make him the most popular kid in school. He believes that coming out will make him instantly popular, as the newest must-have teen girl “accessory”: The G.B.F. Tanner on the other hand, would rather fly under the radar and graduate from high school without ever being noticed. Things don't go as planned and Tanner is outed and becomes the target on the 3 clique queens.

I really enjoyed this movie. Of course it was over the top and the characters made stupid decision but over all it was a fun comedy. The main actor who played Tanner was extremely cute and geeky which is always a plus. I liked all the "queens" of the school, each one was very different. This movie has Evanna Lynch as the hard core Morman girl against all things gay. It a far different role from Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter series. Also Megan Mullally from Will and Grace played Brent's understanding mother.. she was extremely funny. Over all it was an enjoyable film. I wouldn't buy it on bluray but I'd watch it again. I give G.B.F. a solid B

Next I watched Geography Club, which is based off a book series. Here's a quick synopsis; Sixteen-year-old Russell is still going on dates with girls while having a secret relationship with football quarterback Kevin, who will do anything to prevent his football teammates from finding out. Min and Terese tell everyone that they're just really good friends. And then there's Ike, who can't figure out who he is or who he wants to be. Finding the truth too hard to hide, they all decide to form the Geography Club, thinking nobody else in their right mind would ever want to join. However, their secrets may soon be discovered and they could have to face the choice of revealing who they really are.

I loved this movie, the main character was very charming and easily relatable but I really connected with one of the side characters, Brian. Brian was the quiet kid, everyone picked on him and he was scared of his own shadow. There is moment in this film when he goes to join the Geography club (which is really a Gay & Lesbian Club), and they realize he is there. He give this very heartfelt speech that chilled me to the bone about just wanting to find friends and how scared he is all the time. He's doesn't want to go home because he's beaten by his father and when he's not playing the Cello he gets frigidity (which his is made fun of for doing). Something about this character just resonated with me. I must have watched the scene over and over about six or seven times. I like that not everything ends on a happy note.. just like real life.

Over all this was a very entertaining and at times hard to watch movie. But as soon as I finished watching it I added it to my Amazon list of Blu-rays to buy. I give Geography Club a huge big A

Loss of a Friend

I found out today that one of my friend passed away, Craig Sakacs.

Craig and I met over 18 years ago. I was volunteering at APLA (Aids Project Los Angeles) and I was assigned to be his "buddy". There is a program that clients can sign up for to get a volunteer to come over to their house to keep them company or take them out shopping and such. I was assigned to help Craig. Craig was one of the lucky ones as he was very mobile and able to get out of the house on his own. After a year in to the "buddy" program he pulled out as he really didn't need it. But we built a friendship so we continued our friendship. Over the years we'd hang out from time to time and our friendship continued to grow. Last November I got a call from Craig saying that he thinks he will be dying soon. For the past five years or so at Christmas time he'd get really sick and near death but he's always pulled through but this time he said it was different. He wanted to get together one last time. So mid December I went over to his place and I could tell he was in bad shape. He could barely move but he wanted to get out of the house so we went to Denny's and had some lunch. When I dropped him off I gave him a big hug as I had a feeling this was going to be the last time we saw each other. He told me that he loved me and that I have been a good friend over the years. I said the same to him. I got in my car and drove away as he waved goodbye.

Well he survived December and was on the upswing. It looked like he was getting better and we talked on the phone and he said that if he was well enough he wanted to do Universal Studio with me in January. I was all up for that but he never felt well enough for the trip. I texted him in February and asked if we could get together for lunch and never heard back from him. Something in my gut told me that things were not going well. I then went on my trip to Ireland and England. When I got home I texted him but again nothing. Today I got a call from his father informing me that he passed away on March 26th (while I was in England) but he just now found my phone number.  His funeral had already passed but his father wanted to send me his memorial card. I plan to visit his gravesite soon for one final goodbye.

Craig was a good man who lived 25 years with this horrible disease. He been there for me for over 18 years and will be missed dearly.. I'm sad that he is gone but happy that he's no longer in pain.. Rest in peace my friend.. rest in peace.

S.H.I.E.L.D., R2D2 & Fun Videos

Once again I didn't do much today, still feeling the effects of my vacation. Tried to blog a bit but didn't get very far. I uploaded some of my vacation pictures but not all of them. Just really wasn't in the mode to do anything but sit on the couch and watch TV.. which is exactly what I did.

Today I caught up on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I had six episodes on my Tivo. I've been hearing great things about the recent run of episodes but I have loved every episode that has aired so far and these latest ones are no different. So many big changes, and I'm glad they are following the storyline of what happened in Captain America 2. S.H.I.E.L.D. is no more.. what does them mean for our gang. Also finding out that Ward is part of Hydra was spoiled for me on twitter but I have to say I didn't really care as he's my least favorite of all the characters. For a while I was afraid they were going to make May the bad person and then I would have been pissed but they didn't. I had a great time watching the six episodes.. only a few more left before the end of season one. We still don't know if the show has been picked up for a second season.. but it's looking good.

If you know me you know I'm a HUGE R2D2 fan, I mean I have him tattoo'd on me. So when I saw this I had to add it to my "must buy list, when I get a job". What's funny is minutes after I posted this on Facebook my brother replied with "just bought one..." Can't wait until I can purchase one myself. If you want to purchase one you can go HERE.

I came across several videos that I wanted to share with you guys.. first one was at the Oscars and involved Benedict Cumberbatch. A picture was released of him photo bombing U2, which I posted on my blog a few months back. When I first saw it, it made me laugh out loud. I liked Cumberbatch.. he was great in Star Trek, The Hobbit and as Sherlock but this pushed him up to a whole nother level. While I was in England my buddy Matt mentioned there was a video and showed it to me.. OMG... it's priceless.

The second video I wanted to share is all about Science bitches!!!

Relaxing & Fun Videos

Today was all about relaxing. As I mentioned previously in my blog I have about 60 hours of TV on my Tivo that I recorded while on vacation. So today I started with the half hour comedies. Figured I could fly through those.

Came across two videos that I just had to share on Facebook so I figured I'd share them here as well.

First one is such a simple thing but it's kind of mesmerizing to watch.

The second video I wanted to share is a son and dad video.. well it's a son doing things and a dad really good at visual effects. Some of them are pretty amazing.

Time to Decompress

My buddy Chris flies back to Montana today, but not until 2pm so we get to enjoy a few more hours of hang out time.

First up was breakfast, we had our traditional biscuits and gravy. While we ate we watched Frozen as Chris had never seen it before so it was fun being able to share it with him.

For lunch we meet up with our friend Jes over at The Habit and then we came back to my place, picked up his luggage and then went to Best Buy so he could turn in his broken iPad and get a replacement one sent to him.

When we were done there I took him to the Burbank airport and dropped him off.

I was sad that he was leaving and we had some fun times while he was here but honestly I am still exhausted from my vacation and now that he is gone I can officially start to decompress.

So that is exactly what I did. I came home and watched TV (I have about 60 hours of TV on my Tivo to watch). I don't think I moved from my couch.. maybe to get some dinner and go to the bathroom but there was very little moving involved.

Noah - My Review

So I saw Noah... I'm sure I don't have to give a synopsis, yes it's based off the Biblical story of Noah and the Ark. The film stars Russell Crowe as Noah along with Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone, Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, Anthony Hopkins, and Douglas Booth. 

I had heard both good and bad things about this film. Most of the bad was coming from religious groups not agreeing with how Noah was represented in this film and how they changed things. These kinds of comments always makes me laugh as these are not direct interpretation of the stories.. they are adaptations. They are the version of the film maker. Anyways from the preview it looked good. Also it has Emma Watson and Logan Lerman, both actors I really enjoy. Even Jennifer Connolly is a plus for me. 

The acting was amazing, probably one of my favorite aspect of the film. The special effect were cool. The preview made it look action packed but it really wasn't... it really is a character driven movie. I enjoyed the representation of the fallen angels turned into these deformed rock creatures, kind of gave it a sci-fi feel.

I had a really difficult time liking the main character of Noah, not only is Russel Crowe not a favorite of mine but the last third of the film you were hoping he would die.. which of course we know he didn't. But overall it was an enjoyable movie. I don't think it's worthy of a Blu-ray purchase, at least not for me as I can't see myself watching this over and over again. I give Noah a solid B

A Great Day!!!

Today my buddy Chris was visiting a 5th grade class who wrote him while he was in Kuwait. Our friend Jennifer is the teacher and she got her entire class to write to him. He wanted to return the favor and visit the class to thank them. Because I was driving him Jennifer wanted me to talk about working in the entertainment industry as well as cosplaying as a Hobbit since they just finished reading the book.

Our friend Josh lives out in that area so we figured we'd pick him up and hang out with him, when Jennifer heard he was coming she asked him to speak to the class about going to collage and acting in stage plays. So what was suppose to be Chris talking to her class, she had an entire panel talking to her class.

We were up way to early, 5:30am and out the door. we stopped by 7-11 so I could have a Homer moment and grab me a pink frosted doughnut for breakfast. We then picked up Josh and got to her class room around 8am. When we got there she had her class along with three other classes sing for us. There choir is preforming in a few days and we got a private performance.. it was really sweet. All the songs were very pro America for Chris.

Once the performance was done we headed to Jennifer's class. She teaches an advanced class. All of the kids were very sweet, smart and kind to the three of us. One kid in particular, Dennis, was the sweetest kid ever, He introduced himself to Josh and I, he's also super geeky, kept asking Josh and I Harry Potter questions. He reminded me of myself when I was that age. 

Chris started off and talked for a good hour. The kids asked very good questions. Jennifer had the entire class make Thank you cards for Chris. She also had her class create/draw me card depicting their favorite scene/part of The Hobbit. I was extremely surprised and honored by this. As Chris talked to the class Josh and I read each amazing card.

Once Chris was done it was my turn, I first talked about my recent trip to Ireland and England. Showed them pictures from my travel. I then talked about my work and what I do. Again the kids had some great questions. And my final discussion was about The Hobbit and I even brought my Hobbit feet to share with them. Those were a big hit.  The kids then preformed on their recorders (flutes) the Lonely Mountain song which was amazing!!

They took a recess and when they got back Josh then took the stage and talked to the kids for a bit about collage and acting. When he was done it was snack time. While they ate their snacks I gave each kid the opportunity to put on my Hobbit feet and walk around in them. I took a picture of each kid and plan to print them out and give them to Jennifer to give to the kids.

It was a fun experience for Chris, Josh and I and I think the kids really enjoyed it.

We were having dinner at Jennifer's later tonight so we stayed in the area, we grabbed some lunch at Red Robin and then went to the movies to watch Noah. I'm going to post a review of the film in my next blog post. 

Once the movie was over we headed over to visit my family. I haven't seen them since before my vacation so I was looking forward to hanging with them for a few hours. My brother got to show off his Star Wars room to Josh and Chris as well as his numerous arcade games in the garage which we spent a half hour playing. 

We then headed to Jennifer and Matt's house for dinner. It was the first time visiting their place so we got a tour, chatted for a bit, had a very nice dinner and then played Cards Against Humanity for a few hours before calling it a night. 

We dropped off Josh and then an hour later were back at my place and crashed for the evening. It was a good day.

Disneyland with Friends

One thing that my buddy Chris wanted to do while he was here was visit Disneyland and Disney California Adventures. So we got up bright and early and headed out to the parks. When we got there our friend Brett joined us. It was the day after Easter to we knew it was going to be packed and it didn't disappoint.

We went to Disney California Adventures first since Chris has never been to Cars Land. We rode Radiator Spring Racers, then got on Screamin' and then Mickey's Fun Wheel. While in line for that ride our friend Doug joined us at the park.

The four of us went on Goofy's Sky School and then walked over to Bug's Life and noticed that the normal show that's usually there was replaced by a special event. A sneak preview of Disney's new movie Maleficent. So we had to check it out. OMG.. what an amazing experience. Not only is it interactive, with lights, wind, fog and such but the preview was amazing. They showed what I assume is the first few minutes of the movie and then it's clip after clip of amazing looking fantasy worlds. I was in heaven. We all agreed that all movies should be seen this way.

We then rode Soaring, it's not a favorite of mine but Chris really wanted to do it. We grabbed an ice cream afterwards and did the Maleficent preview one more time before heading over to Disneyland. Brett decided to head home (he wasn't feeling well).

I thought DCA was packed.. that was nothing compared to Disneyland. We had to pick and choose which rides we wanted to go on. We did Star Tours of course and wanted in a long line for the newly re-opened Big Thunder Mountain roller coaster. Afterwards we headed to the Indiana Jones ride but it is shut down for remodel or maintenance.. all I know is it's shut down.

At this time our friend Adam made it to the park and wanted to meet up with us so we waited for him to join us before we continued to walk around the park. We hit up the Mexican restaurant for dinner. We were all tired so we called it a night but on our way out friends Rupert and Luis messages us and said that they were over at DCA. So we decided to do the Maleficent experience one more time, but this time with Adam, Rupert and Luis joining us. It's the third time and it was still amazing..

Afterwards we said our goodbyes and headed home.

I have to say I was a bit moody today and my buddy Chris got the brunt of it. He likes to push my buttons, that's our relationship and I normally can take it.. but I think I'm just super exhausted from my vacation and not really having the time to properly relax afterwards made me extremely irritable. Sorry Chris you know I love ya and it wasn't anything personal. Hopefully it didn't take away your enjoyment of Disneyland/DCA. 

Wondercon... Again

We didn't get up as early as we did yesterday. Jes, Dallas, Chris and I were going back to Wondercon for the last day of the convention. Once again Chris was the only one who cosplayed.

We got to the con around noon and started to walk the floor. My goal for today was to pick up the latest Star Wars Pop figures (which I did) as well as take pictures of cosplayers as I really didn't take that many yesterday.

I was still feeling the effects of my month abroad and was tired after an hour of walking around but I tried my best to keep up with everyone. We ran into friends here and there and walked around taking pictures of cool cosplayers.

A group of us did manage to get together and go out to lunch at a local Tony Romas. Joining me for lunch was Rupert, Dallas, Luis, Chris, and Jes. Dallas made a joke to the hostess asking if there any table available as it was dead, she obviously didn't have a sense of humor and was kind of rude to us as she seated us. I was actually on the verge of asking for her manager. I don't know if it was because I was still exhausted from my trip or what but she rubbed me the wrong way and I was ready to call her out on it.

We went back to con for a few more hours before calling it a day and headed home. Once I dropped off Jes and Dallas, Chris and I went back to my place to hang out, watch some TV before calling it an night. Tomorrow we're going to Disneyland.. that should be fun.

Wondercon

Got up early and headed out to Anaheim Convention Center for day two of Wondercon. I was going with Chris, Jes and Dallas but planned to meet up with other friends while there.

I was not cosplaying this time, which felt weird but there was no way I was going to be able to do that since I was out of the country just two days prior. Chris was cosplaying as a large Red Five (Red Five Standing By).

We parked at the Disneyland Toy Story parking since I have a season pass to Disneyland we could park there for free (instead of $16) and it's across the street from the convention center.

We got to the con and started walking the floor. The only panel I wanted to see was the Star Wars Rebels panel. And I only planned on buying new Star Wars "Pop" figures. Well that was until I saw there was a second set of Hobbit figures as well as a set of Goonies figures. So I allotted myself enough money to purchase all of these. Now it was time to find the best deal.

As we walked the floor we ran into a few friends here and there but I knew there were a bunch of friends here that I still haven't seen. 

We grabbed some lunch at some food trucks.. the lines were super long but it actually didn't take that long to get our food.

Once we got back to the con we all split up. Chris and I went upstairs to get in line for the Rebels panel and I'm glad we were there an hour early as the line was already around the corner and out the door. There was no way we were going to make it into this panel. Luckily my buddy Doug was quite a bit further up in the line and let Chris and I cut in, so we managed to get in right before the panel started.

I'm a huge Clone Wars and Dave Filoni fan so I was super excited for Star Wars: Rebels. On the panel was Dave, another EP and one of the voice actress' who plays Hera. They showed off some cool concept art and played a clip from the upcoming series but it wasn't anything out of this world. I'm glad I went but I've seen better panels with Dave.

On our way out of the panel we ran into several more friends, then we made our way down to the showroom floor and ran into friend after friend. It was funny as I was saying to Chris when we were in the Star Wars panel.. "I see so many tweets from friends who are here but I haven't seen any of them" then wham... we run into them one after another.

I did pick up the Goonies set of five Pop figures as well as the second set of The Hobbit Pop figures. I'm holding off on buying the Star Wars ones until tomorrow.

A group of us went out for a goodbye dinner at Buca Di Beppo. Joining me for this dinner was Dallas, Chris, Brian, Anne, Nicki, Doug, and Jes. And to everyone's surprise Brian picked up the bill... thanks Brian.

I was so tired by the end of the day but we were invited up to our friend Eric's hotel room he was having a gaming party. So we stopped by and played a game of Rampage. It was a ton of fun.. lots of moving pieces and it's fun destroying a city.

It was now 10pm and we called it a night. We were coming back tomorrow to do it all over again.

The con was fun but I do wish I had cosplayed.. cosplaying and cons have become synonyms with each other. I felt out of sorts all day because I wasn't in a costume.

A Day of Rest

Well I got a full 8 hours of sleep but I'm still exhausted. I figured it will take me a while to get over the jet lag and just being on the go the past 34 days but because of the timing I can't rest as my buddy Chris is visiting for a week.

This is actually Wondercon weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday but I knew there would be no way I'd be able to go today. I told Chris that this would be a day of rest for me before going to Wondercon this weekend and Disneyland on Monday. He was cool with it.

So we got up and headed to the NoHo Diner for some breakfast. And just kind of relaxed. It was nice just hanging with Chris. I hadn't seen him over seven months so it was good to take some time and just catch up with each other.

In the afternoon Chris went out to lunch with our friend Jes, but I couldn't leave as I was waiting for the mail person to deliver my 30 days worth of mail. While I waited I added up all my vacation expense and was happy to see that I came in under budget. I mean I still spent a lot of money but I didn't go over my cap that I had set for myself.. so woohoo!!!

Chris then went over to Jes' place to finish his cosplay costume for Wondercon this weekend. They invited me over but my mail person had not arrived yet.. so I thought. I went down to my mail box and sure enough I had mail.. but they never delivered my backlog of mail (which is what I requested when I put in my Mail Hold form). So I jumped in the car and drove to my local post office, asked for my mail and sure enough there it was. I don't know why they didn't deliver it as requested.. but anyways I now have to go through my pile of mail.

I did get a surprise package in the mail from my buddy Ken Todd. I had done him a favor a few months back and he wanted to thank me so he got me season 3 of Sherlock and a movie that he wanted me to watch called, The Island on Top of the World. Which I'm pretty sure I have seen when I was a kid.. I look forward to checking it out. Thanks Ken for being awesome.

Chris got home and he asked me to style his hair. It's fairly long for him and he wanted to try out the "Ted Mosby" look.. which in essences is just a bit messy. So I put some product in it and did my best.. I think he looks great, but he's not so sure.

Chris and I spent the evening playing Lord of the Rings Online.. well not really playing. We've been wanting to purchase a block of houses next to each other in the Shire for our characters. Well we finally found two deluxe houses with a Kinship house in the middle, so we packed up everything and moved houses. My new address 5 Brookbank Street, Nearbank, The Shire, Middle Earth. While our Kinship house is 4 Brookbank and Chris' house is 3 Brookbank.

I miss playing LOTRO with him and even though we didn't actually do any quests it was still fun hanging in Middle Earth with him.

Dream Vacation - Day 34

I was up early, showered, packed and on the shuttle bus back to the Dublin airport. When I arrived in at the Dublin airport a month ago it seemed that this was a fairly small airport as we didn't walk through much before we got our bags, went through customs and exited. But I was wrong, there are only two terminals but it was extremely confusing on where I had to go to check in and after walking around for about a half hour I found the check in counter. Once checked in, I had to find security which I knew was up the stairs as I passed in my previous adventures, but I wasn't sure which line I had to get in as there were no definite signs. So I got in one and hoped it was right. After what felt like forever I got up to the security woman who checked my passport and flight info and let me pass through.. woo hoo I chose the correct line. I then did the typical airport security stuff but they don't require the taking off of our shoes, at least not canvas shoes. It looked like they require the removal of boot type shoes.

Once again my bag was stopped and checked. They removed an aerosol can of suntan lotion (which I never used) and I was good to go. I then had to make my way to the US Pre-Screening/Customs section. Here I had to feel out my customs form and claim the stuff I'm bringing into the US. I then got in line to talk to a custom agent. Some folks looked like they were being grilled, finger prints being checked and such. But for me the guy looked down at my custom form, asked me a few questions, verified that the bag on the screen was the one I checked in and then let me through. But this wasn't the end.. I now had to go through US security check point and do a full body scan. This one I had no issues with.

I finally got through it all with an hour left before we started boarding. The good thing is now when I arrived in Chicago I don't have to go through all this again. Glad I arrived to the airport 3 hours before my flight.

Boarded the plane and found my seat. I was sitting in the middle aisle but luckily it was an end seat and there was no one next to me. The flight was fairly uneventful. I watched 3 movies.. Matrix, which of course I have seen many times but it always fun. Highlander which I have seen bits and pieces but never the entire thing.. I enjoyed it. And finally The Devil Wears Prada, which I had never seen and again it was a fun movie. I've heard good things about it and it lived up to what folks said about it.

We landed in Chicago and I had a four hour layover so I decided to grab some lunch (Chinese). I also was able to turn my phone back on and watch it go crazy as it uploaded to the date network and started to receive a months worth of notifications.

I found my gate and sat there for an hour or so. I noticed that this flight was full and there were a good 20 people on standby for it. I went to the bathroom and when I got back I noticed that many of the people that were sitting around me were gone. I looked up at the flight data on the monitor and saw that there were empty seats, then I heard one of the employees make an announcement that my flight had been changed to a different gate. I grabbed my stuff and made my way halfway through the terminal to get to this new gate. I sat there for about 20 minutes when a guy next me to said.. you need to exchange that pass for an official boarding pass, I asked if they announced this and he said no but he's flown enough to know this.. so I went up to the counter and asked if I had to exchange this and sure enough you did. We boarded 10 minutes later.

They moved us to a larger plane but this plane didn't have any video screens in the seats so there was no entertainment for the entire 4 hour flight. Luckily I had my ipod so I listened to podcasts but not knowing the distance we had flown or how close we were to LA kind of drove me crazy. About the last hour of the flight I needed to get off the plane. I was so done flying.

We landed in Los Angeles and I made my way to baggage area. As I got close to the carriage I saw my buddy Doug and my best bud Chris holding up his iPad with the world "Baggins" written across it. It made me smile...

Doug was kind enough to pick me up at the airport as my previous plans fell apart. It was awesome to see Chris. He had been in Kuwait the past six months but arrived in LA a few days ago to hang with his friends for a week before heading back to Montana to continue his military service.

Doug dropped Chris and I off at my apartment. A few things had fallen from the numerous earthquakes that we have had the past month but for the most part everything looked great.

We went out and grabbed some Taco Bell (this is Chris' favorite fast food and he hadn't had any for over six months) and I only had it once in my travels... it was very tasty. We came home and chatted for a few hours. It was around 9pm when I got home and I wanted to stay up to 11 to try and fight off jet lag.

IT'S GOOD TO BE HOME!!!!!