so, inspired by joseph mallozzi's blog, we took pictures of the food on our journey. (except for the snacks that that we took with us & the steamed buns, because we forgot)
Monday, July 20, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
have book, will travel
author dayton ward has this thing on his livejournal (a challenge if you will) to take one of his books out with you during your summer. i answered the call & took one with me to los angeles for anime-expo. the book was tales of the dominion war, edited by keith r.a. decandido. which contains the dayton ward & kevin dilmore story field expediency (here after referred to as the book)
Thursday, July 16, 2009
brother's birthday '09
Your Birth Month Says You're Pensive |
 Introspective and intense, you tend to be a deep thinker. You are quiet and spiritual - and you have a unique perspective on life. Your soul reflects: Lightness, luck and an open heart Your gemstone: Ruby Your flower: Larkspur Your colors: Green and red |
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
coming home
july 6, 2009
we got up bright & early to leave. (we'd regularly had been getting up anywhere form a hour to 30 min. before the alarm) the shuttle was scheduled for 8:50, so we killed time by watching yet another bond movie on USA, this time it was the man with the golden gun. there was a minor car wreck on the street that ran behind our hotel which was almost as entertaining.
i wanted to go check out at 8:14 (because who knows how long it would take) but my brother didn't want to wait too long for the shuttle, so we agree to go at 8:20. we get checked out in short order & the damn shuttle is 10 min. late!
there was some gridlock on the way to the airport that caused some tense moments. then the ticket agent prints all of our boarding passed with my name & our first flight number! luckily the TSA agent noticed it. we got the right ones (we both read them several times) and get on the plane. we could barely stay awake for lunch, which was BBQ chicken on a toasted ciabatta bread with coleslaw. the bread was too toasted for our tastes & the coleslaw barely had any dressing. there was a small, thin brownie for desert that was good though. after lunch we both slept briefly.
BTW we both think this guy was on our flight from los angeles. someone asked what he was doing in la. & he said something about two & a half men. so look for him this season.
at the airport we had to go down (up?) half of concourse A then over to B & go halfway up (down?) that. good thing the plane was on time or we'd have to haul ass. we got on the plane & made back to our home airport so that concludes our saga. overall it wasn't too bad, but we wouldn't do it again.
homebodies unite!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
day 4 convention report
july 5, 2009
after a breakfast of subs at a 24 hour subway we hit the convention feedback session. everything that we wanted to address was brought up by others. several people said it was better in years past. i said to my brother; "of course it was."
we had time to kill until the next thing, so we went to the seller's hall. afterwards, we went to the manga cafe for a while. he wanted to go to the arcade for a while, i wasn't interested so i sat on the floor in the hall to wait.
the thing that we wanted to see was zelda mythbusters (can stuff from the video games be done?) but there was like 1,000 waiting to get in, so we said "f**k it" the room couldn't hold that many (it was the same one as the con feedback & the travel japan talk) a fact that people are bitching about on the anime-expo forums.
we walked the 8 or so blocks back to the hotel so we could check out a japanese convenience store. we each got a steamed bun & went to the hotel to have a dinner of them, some snacks & pop from the vending machine. which we had to get from another floor because there still wasn't any coke in the one on our floor. we scored by finding patriot games on tv from nearly the beginning!
BTW the prices for food that the convention center were obscene! $2.00 for a 12oz. can of pop! $6.00 for a little hamburger & fries! tip: go a few blocks in any direction to find a restaurant or bring your own food.
we didn't take pictures of the hotel or the convention center. if you want to see some; go to their sites. the los angeles convention center & the marriott downtown (i think it's the the la hotel downtown now)
after a breakfast of subs at a 24 hour subway we hit the convention feedback session. everything that we wanted to address was brought up by others. several people said it was better in years past. i said to my brother; "of course it was."
we had time to kill until the next thing, so we went to the seller's hall. afterwards, we went to the manga cafe for a while. he wanted to go to the arcade for a while, i wasn't interested so i sat on the floor in the hall to wait.
the thing that we wanted to see was zelda mythbusters (can stuff from the video games be done?) but there was like 1,000 waiting to get in, so we said "f**k it" the room couldn't hold that many (it was the same one as the con feedback & the travel japan talk) a fact that people are bitching about on the anime-expo forums.
we walked the 8 or so blocks back to the hotel so we could check out a japanese convenience store. we each got a steamed bun & went to the hotel to have a dinner of them, some snacks & pop from the vending machine. which we had to get from another floor because there still wasn't any coke in the one on our floor. we scored by finding patriot games on tv from nearly the beginning!
BTW the prices for food that the convention center were obscene! $2.00 for a 12oz. can of pop! $6.00 for a little hamburger & fries! tip: go a few blocks in any direction to find a restaurant or bring your own food.
we didn't take pictures of the hotel or the convention center. if you want to see some; go to their sites. the los angeles convention center & the marriott downtown (i think it's the the la hotel downtown now)
Monday, July 13, 2009
day 3 convention report
july 4, 2009
we got up aiming to hit an origami talk at 9 and a lunch (brunch?) at IHOP at about noon. then try for another coptic markers thing later in the day.
we ended up cutting out of the origami thing early because that stuff was way too hard for beginners. i thought that we might make it to the cardcaptors movie: 2, but according to the revised schedule, it wasn't going on. *blaaaa!*
so we went to IHOP with about 1/3 of downtown los angeles. it was so busy in there, probably because it was open on july 4th.
on a side note; my brother was with me on the non-esclator thing most of the time. only going on them 4 or 5 times.
after a brief stop at the los angeles public library for pictures, we went tback to the hotel to rest until the coptic markers thing. USA was doing a bond marathon & we watched some of the world is not enough.
the coptic marker thing fell through because you had to draw something firs & can't draw. so we went to the manga cafe (basically just a place to read manga) for a while. then back to the hotel for tv & another dinner of snacks & pop. the machine on our floor was out of coke, so we had to get sprite.
we got up aiming to hit an origami talk at 9 and a lunch (brunch?) at IHOP at about noon. then try for another coptic markers thing later in the day.
we ended up cutting out of the origami thing early because that stuff was way too hard for beginners. i thought that we might make it to the cardcaptors movie: 2, but according to the revised schedule, it wasn't going on. *blaaaa!*
so we went to IHOP with about 1/3 of downtown los angeles. it was so busy in there, probably because it was open on july 4th.
on a side note; my brother was with me on the non-esclator thing most of the time. only going on them 4 or 5 times.
after a brief stop at the los angeles public library for pictures, we went tback to the hotel to rest until the coptic markers thing. USA was doing a bond marathon & we watched some of the world is not enough.
the coptic marker thing fell through because you had to draw something firs & can't draw. so we went to the manga cafe (basically just a place to read manga) for a while. then back to the hotel for tv & another dinner of snacks & pop. the machine on our floor was out of coke, so we had to get sprite.
Friday, July 10, 2009
day 2 convention report
july 3, 2009
day 2 of the convention, day 3 in los angeles for us.
the day started early for us as i wanted to check out a travel in japan talk & my brother wanted to go to some anime panel. so i get in line, but in a convention you don't know what's a line & what's just people just sitting along the wall.
i learned some interesting things in the travel japan talk.
later we went to fat burger for lunch. it was expensive, but good. after a while we went to the sellers hall & didn't make it to this coloring with coptic markers demo thing. we went back to the hotel to kill a couple of hours before the funimation preview. the "killing time" included yet another dinner of the snacks we brought & pop from the vending machine. it was late in the day & it started late, so it ended being the latest night out for us.
when we get back to the hotel, i discover another problem; a developing blister on the bottom of my left foot, just under the second toe. luckily we have bandaids & i decide to put one on in the morning & hope it sticks.
day 2 of the convention, day 3 in los angeles for us.
the day started early for us as i wanted to check out a travel in japan talk & my brother wanted to go to some anime panel. so i get in line, but in a convention you don't know what's a line & what's just people just sitting along the wall.
i learned some interesting things in the travel japan talk.
- no one in japan has tattoos, except the mob. so if you have any they avoid you. so it's best to cover them up
- no one points at anything, they gesture.
- mcdonald's has a shrimp burger over there. i wanted it.
- even the locals get lost in toyko
later we went to fat burger for lunch. it was expensive, but good. after a while we went to the sellers hall & didn't make it to this coloring with coptic markers demo thing. we went back to the hotel to kill a couple of hours before the funimation preview. the "killing time" included yet another dinner of the snacks we brought & pop from the vending machine. it was late in the day & it started late, so it ended being the latest night out for us.
when we get back to the hotel, i discover another problem; a developing blister on the bottom of my left foot, just under the second toe. luckily we have bandaids & i decide to put one on in the morning & hope it sticks.
Thursday, July 09, 2009
day 1 convention report
july 2, 2009
because of standing out in the hot sun the day before, my brother & i are badly sunburnt. he had a ball cap, so it's on his arms, neck & ears. i had no hat & long hair, so it's on my face and arms. the "walking map" he gets from the valet booth isn't accurate & we have to wander for a few more blocks before finding the local pharmacy. when we do find it, we get aloe gel for the burns & a hat for myself.
all the wandering is making us late for the origami class we wanted to check out. since there's another one in a couple of days, we skip it & go to for breakfast. where we layer on the gel.
since the next thing we want to see is in the late afternoon, we take the DASH route F to the los angeles county museum of natural history. not much there & what is there has bad lighting, so that's probably why it was $9. the only good thing was the gem & mineral area. after taking some pictures of the rose garden next door, we go across the street to the USC campus to check out the lot, which is a food court. we each had a cup of frozen yogurt from red mango. i wasn't impressed with it, even thought it's supposed to be real yogurt.
we take the dash F back to the convention center where we apply more aloe gel, check out the arcade that they have set up & get in line for the right stuf panel afterwards, we head back to the hotel for a dinner of snacks, some tv watching & a slightly later bed time.
because of standing out in the hot sun the day before, my brother & i are badly sunburnt. he had a ball cap, so it's on his arms, neck & ears. i had no hat & long hair, so it's on my face and arms. the "walking map" he gets from the valet booth isn't accurate & we have to wander for a few more blocks before finding the local pharmacy. when we do find it, we get aloe gel for the burns & a hat for myself.
all the wandering is making us late for the origami class we wanted to check out. since there's another one in a couple of days, we skip it & go to for breakfast. where we layer on the gel.
since the next thing we want to see is in the late afternoon, we take the DASH route F to the los angeles county museum of natural history. not much there & what is there has bad lighting, so that's probably why it was $9. the only good thing was the gem & mineral area. after taking some pictures of the rose garden next door, we go across the street to the USC campus to check out the lot, which is a food court. we each had a cup of frozen yogurt from red mango. i wasn't impressed with it, even thought it's supposed to be real yogurt.
we take the dash F back to the convention center where we apply more aloe gel, check out the arcade that they have set up & get in line for the right stuf panel afterwards, we head back to the hotel for a dinner of snacks, some tv watching & a slightly later bed time.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
day 0 convention report
july 1, 2009
we got up at an ungodly hour to go to the airport. we made good time to the airport, so good were were about an hour & a half early for our plane! we over estimated not only the travel time, but also the time it took to go through security. but it's better to be early than late. after a delay of about 20 min. because of a broken strap in the cargo area, we took off.
my brother & i had water before take-off and cokes later, but some people were having liquor & it wasn't even noon! i wasn't as freaked out about flying as i thought i'd be. take-off was a bit nerve-racking though. i think there's at least 1 G in that.
we were more or less on time when we landed for our connection, but we had to wait on the ground for a while as they had to shuffle planes around. as a result; our connecting flight was boarding when we got off of the plane. luckily the gate was near where we landed.
we checked in to the hotel & had lunch (salads) at a california pizza kitchen that was just 2 blocks down the street. the convention center was just another 3 blocks down. so we get in line with about 2,000 other pre-registered people and after about 2 hours in the hot sun we got our badges, lanyards & a free magazine-sized, full-color program.
we walked back to the hotel & stopped at a quizno's to ask when the close. the guy said "we're already closed. we close at 6" (it was 5:35) so dinner in our room was some of the snacks we brought & 20 oz. cokes from the pop machine down the hall. ($1.50 each, but in the gift shop they were $2.59!)
we watched ice road truckers on the history channel & went to sleep at 8 p.m.
we're such party people *rolls eyes*
we got up at an ungodly hour to go to the airport. we made good time to the airport, so good were were about an hour & a half early for our plane! we over estimated not only the travel time, but also the time it took to go through security. but it's better to be early than late. after a delay of about 20 min. because of a broken strap in the cargo area, we took off.
my brother & i had water before take-off and cokes later, but some people were having liquor & it wasn't even noon! i wasn't as freaked out about flying as i thought i'd be. take-off was a bit nerve-racking though. i think there's at least 1 G in that.
we were more or less on time when we landed for our connection, but we had to wait on the ground for a while as they had to shuffle planes around. as a result; our connecting flight was boarding when we got off of the plane. luckily the gate was near where we landed.
we checked in to the hotel & had lunch (salads) at a california pizza kitchen that was just 2 blocks down the street. the convention center was just another 3 blocks down. so we get in line with about 2,000 other pre-registered people and after about 2 hours in the hot sun we got our badges, lanyards & a free magazine-sized, full-color program.
we walked back to the hotel & stopped at a quizno's to ask when the close. the guy said "we're already closed. we close at 6" (it was 5:35) so dinner in our room was some of the snacks we brought & 20 oz. cokes from the pop machine down the hall. ($1.50 each, but in the gift shop they were $2.59!)
we watched ice road truckers on the history channel & went to sleep at 8 p.m.
we're such party people *rolls eyes*
Monday, July 06, 2009
Sunday, July 05, 2009
day 4; report 2
Just left dealers room. Saw nothing of intrest.
[had a scary moment when i found a bunch of sci-fi & fantasy books for $1 each. luckily there was nothing that i wanted]
[had a scary moment when i found a bunch of sci-fi & fantasy books for $1 each. luckily there was nothing that i wanted]
Saturday, July 04, 2009
day 3; report 3
back @ con. Waiting 4 a coloring workshop.
[another bust because you had to draw something to color & i can't draw]
[another bust because you had to draw something to color & i can't draw]
day 3; report 2
Lunch @ IHOP. Very busy!
[because it was one of the few places open on july 4th, i bet]
[because it was one of the few places open on july 4th, i bet]
Friday, July 03, 2009
day 2; report 1
Day 2 of con. Now in "manga cafe" found a trek one!
[the manga cafe is basically a library of manga, but you can't check anything out. the had a couple of vending machines & i feared for the safety of the books]
[the manga cafe is basically a library of manga, but you can't check anything out. the had a couple of vending machines & i feared for the safety of the books]
Thursday, July 02, 2009
day 1; report 4
Now back @ con center. After stop @ red mango.
[red mango was good, but didn't live up to the hype IMHO. "the lot" at USC was kind of nice though]
[red mango was good, but didn't live up to the hype IMHO. "the lot" at USC was kind of nice though]
day 1; report 3
Now @ natural history museum. Next up, rose garden.
[the museum wasn't much, but what do you expect for $9?]
[the museum wasn't much, but what do you expect for $9?]
day 1; report 2
Finaly food. Got aloe 4 burn & a hat
[it was denny's after walking around looking for the local rite aid. the aloe gel helped alot]
[it was denny's after walking around looking for the local rite aid. the aloe gel helped alot]
day 1; report 1
Burnt & sick from yesterday's sun. Should've brought a hat. Mad at myself about it
[they had people with misters & sunscrene walking the line, but there were too many to get to]
[they had people with misters & sunscrene walking the line, but there were too many to get to]
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
day 0; report 3
After a hour & half we're in, but there's still 1000 ahead of us
[at least 1000. maybe more]
[at least 1000. maybe more]
day 0; report 2
In line @ con center 4 pre res. 1000 others here too
[ETA; it was more like 3000 & more came after us]
[ETA; it was more like 3000 & more came after us]
day o; report 1
Arrived safe in la. now at cal pizza. waiter sounds like casey casum
[ETA: he did, it was kind of odd]
[ETA: he did, it was kind of odd]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
