T-shirt seen at Wonder Con

T-shirt seen at Wonder Con
Originally uploaded by eugeneson

Oh - almost forgot. My friend snagged this great t-shirt at Wonder Con - had to take a pic of it.

I left my heart in San Francisco

Busy week ahead - probably won't have a lot of time to blog, but here's the quick update on the life of Eugene-

-Wonder Con was terrific, as usual. Didn't buy anything, but saw lots of great stuff. The new Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon looks great. Ate a lot of sushi. Hung out with a lot of great animation pros - some old friends, some new ones. San Francisco is just such a great town to hang out in.

-The animation writing panel I moderated went really well. The audience had great energy and some terrific ideas, the panelists were all on fire, and the panel actually turned into a realistic story break.

Well, "realistic" being a relative term when the story turned into Howard the Duck vs the Green Lantern Corps. At the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. And for some reason, no evil will escape Rod Stewart's sight.

-And how did I spend my birthday? Celebrated it with a third period hat trick in my ice hockey game. Three goals on the birthday. For those who're interested in accuracy, the other team was short-handed and their goaltender may have been playing his first game ever. But I'll still take it.

Playing Catch-up

I'm writing this on the bus to the airport. With me finally getting
better just in time for WonderCon, I'm stealing a few minutes away to
blog.

Tuesday, headed down to UCI to speak at Northrop Davis' anime and
manga class. As always, the kids in the class were terrific - lots of
energy and great ideas. It's only a matter of time before I'm working
for them.

Wednesday, had a pitch meeting. As always, I have no idea how it
went. Guess I'll find out later if/when they decide they want the
project or not.

Which brings me to today - off to San Francisco for WonderCon. Had a
blast last year - this year should be no different.

If only my lousy lingering cough would go away. It's a dry cough - no
sick left in me, but it just won't go away. My only option for it is
to douse it with cough drops. The worst tasting, the better they seem
to work.

Here comes TSA to make me take off my shoes and give me my cavity
search. At least, that BETTER be TSA...

Does this look infected?

Sorry about the lack of updates. I had a bunch of stuff I wanted to blog about, but then I got sick.

Real sick.

Five days in bed sick.

Apparently, there's a flu epidemic going around the country. Figures it would happen after I was in LAS VEGAS. I guess it's not a surprise that I caught something in Las Vegas, but I just didn't think it'd be the flu.

Anyways, five days to get the flu out of my system. Now I'm on a really strong cough medicine to take care of this lingering cough. And it totally fouled up my schedule to be out of commission for so long. I gotta work double-time to get back to speed, not including fun side things like blogging and getting ready for WonderCon.

So here're two quick bits-

-So my rant last week about Comic Con hotels got a lot of reaction, both in comments and in other blogs. Then my two rants about San Diego Comic Con hotel rooms made their way around the blogosphere. At some point I'll blog more about the topic, because I do think that the convention has outgrown San Diego's ability to host it - but I'll get to that at some point.

But a big welcome to all of you reading this blog for the first time, who picture me as some angry fat guy raging to burn San Diego to the ground. Welcome to the blog - try the veal.

-Steve Marmel - funny-as-@#$# guy and maybe the nicest guy walking on planet Earth - has a new video blog that he records while driving to work. It's probably reckless and dangerous, but it's very funny. Check it out at http://blog.myspace.com/stevemarmel - if for no other reason to appreciate his smooth driving skillz.

Wonder Con Panel

So I'm moderating a panel at WonderCon (February 22 - 24). A few of my more-talented friends will be appearing on the panel, so it should be a lot of fun.

Wonder Con Saturday Programming

4:30-5:30 Animation Story Break ("Wait, does it HAVE to be a story?")— Go behind the scenes as writers take an idea for an animated superhero story from one-sentence premise all the way to a full-blown beginning, middle, and end. Then the real fun begins with audience participation! The crack writing staff features Charlotte Fullerton (Kim Possible), Michael Jelenic (The Batman), Dwayne McDuffie (Static Shock), and Matt Wayne (Justice League Unlimited). Moderated by Some Shlub named Eugene (Storm Hawks). Expect laughter and tears - mostly the latter. Room 236/238

Post Trip Wrap-up

The trip to Vegas was supposed to be mostly partying, with some floor hockey mixed in. In previous years, the team had never won a game. In fact, the team had never even scored a goal. So this year, we all assumed that we'd get more of the same. We'd play a few games, get eliminated, and then party for the rest of the weekend. One problem with that plan.

We kept winning.

With all the wins, we ended up playing the maximum number of games. And the more we won, the more tired we got, and the more sleep we needed. No staying out all night - we had to recover from all the exercise. By Sunday afternoon, it hit us - we hadn't done nearly as much gambling and partying as we thought we would, because we were too busy playing hockey.

Which was fun. Not what I expected, but it was fun. Except for my knees, which apparently didn't react well to playing five hockey games in three days. If I die this week, go ahead and assume I had an adverse reaction to large helpings of Aleve, Advil, and Gatorade.

My favorite thing I overheard this weekend-

"I love Las Vegas. Because otherwise normal and modest girls feel the need to dress slutty and hoe-up. Las Vegas and Halloween - the two times girls can let loose."

Lastly, I'm left with this. Saturday night, me and four friends were at dinner, eating and drinking, cracking up and joking around. No talk about work or no talk about families and wives. Upbeat from winning hockey games, ogling the many pretty women, making each other laugh - just like we did when we were in college. We were like 20 year-old kids without a care in the world.

And I felt young again.

Then I felt the wracking pain in both my knees and I got kicked back to reality. But it was fun to pretend. If only for a moment.

You say you want a What Now?

So they put this Beatles themed lounge in the Mirage. Giant letters that spell Revolution. Women dancing in the O's.

And for some reason, the women are easy on the eyes. Had dinner at Samba Brazilian restaurant - and no one could resist staring at the O's. the diners, the waiters, the blackjack dealers...

Wonder what kind of job qualifications you need to be an O dancer? And do you work your way up from a lesser letter? Start at U and work your way up?

Anyways, props to the Mirage for its excellent renovation. Even though Ringo is probably rolling over in his grave...

I call him Gamblor!

I'm having my typical luck at gambling. That is to say, I'm down by a
lot. Last night, I even pulled off something I've never done before.
I picked a four game parlay - and picked the loser for all four games.
Alas, you don't win anything for being that unsuccessful - but you
really should.

Not much else to tell you about. I've got more hockey to play today -
even though I can't feel my legs. Wish me luck.

In case you're wondering

We won the second game - 4-1. Chippy game. I got one goal, and two
smashed up knees.

And now if you'll excuse me, I'm finally going to get some sleep.

Vegas Debauchery

I'd explain the story behind this picture... but you know.

What happens in Vegas...

Hockey results

Game ends after two periods due to the mercy rule. Other team: 8.
Our team: 0.

Thus ends the experiment of how well guys play hockey while
intoxicated and sleep deprived. Science has been served.

No need to thank me. My research is for the benefit of all mankind.

Las Vegas Feats of Endurance

I'm here in Vegas for two reasons. One, it's my friend's bachelor
party, so we're seeing him off with all night partying. Two, as part
of the bachelor festivities, we're all playing in a floor hockey
tournament.

Now, there shouldn't be a problem with the two events. Not unless the
hockey tournament scheduling did something evil. Oh, let's say, evil
like scheduling a pair of hockey games at 8 in the morning after
aforementioned all night party.

The all night party couldn't be rescheduled, because of the many
friends and family who had traveled here for the event.

So most of the guys are going to stay up all night, then play hockey.
Suffice to say, after a night of drinking and partying, we're
expecting to get slaughtered by the other team. And of course, the
other team is from CANADA.

Which brings us to me. I decided to head back to the hotel to take a
nap, before heading out to rejoin the party. With a little bit of a
rest and without any drinking, I think I should be good to play hockey
in the morning.

Except now I can't sleep.

So all that's left for me is to lie here in the dark. And worry about
how bad it'll be playing on a sleep-deprived drunken hockey team.

And maybe blog about it.

Rockin the Road

Thought it looked cool, so I took this picture.

Road trip!

On the road to Las Vegas.

So many nerds, so few hotel rooms

It was a struggle.

It sapped me of my will to live.

It nearly killed me.

It took me an hour and forty five minutes of hitting redial on my phone, while hitting refresh on three web browsers at once.

The end result - I got a hotel room at the Hyatt for Saturday night of Comic Con. Only Saturday night. And I'm GRATEFUL. Because I know how lucky I am that I was able to get that.

Interestingly enough, ten minutes in, there were NO Friday nights available in any of the hotels in downtown. Which makes me think that Comic Con must have already reserved EVERY ROOM in San Diego for the Hollywood types who come down from L.A. to party on Friday night - those powerful movers-and-shakers like CAA, the cast of Heroes, NBC/Universal/GE/Sheinhart Wigs, Disney, Thom Zahler.

Anyways, I'm annoyed that it's so difficult to get a hotel room for this thing. It's almost enough to make me not want to go to Comic Con. Then I remember how much I love seeing all my friends at Comic Con and how much fun I have every year - so I suck it up and I quit complaining.

But I really wonder if they shouldn't just move this thing to Las Vegas once and for all. They have a bunch of hotel rooms in Vegas, right? Then we can all complain, "I couldn't get a room at Circus Circus! Now I have to stay at Slots O'Fun!"

Oh man. Can you imagine what'd happen if you mixed Comic Con with Las Vegas-style buffets, Star Wars-themed slot machines, a cosplayer counting cards while dressed as Professor X, plus those guys who hand out those cards on the Strip? That would be awesome.

Sigh.

Schedule Permitting...

Just in case I'm accused of any crimes (major, minor, or treasonous), for alibi purposes here's where I'll be this month.

-This Wednesday at 9 am, I'm going to be online with twenty thousand other people, cursing and screaming trying to reserve a hotel room for Comic Con. Wish me luck.

-Then I'll be in Las Vegas. A buddy that I used to play floor hockey with in college is is having his bachelor party in Las Vegas. One night will be spent saying farewell to his bachelorhood - the other nights will be spent playing in a floor hockey tournament. I don't know what's scarier - that I'm probably going to get my @#$ handed to me in floor hockey, because I haven't played in ten years, OR that I'm probably going to get my @#$ kicked at the blackjack tables.

-Sunday, February 17th, I'll be attending the Shrine Comic Book Show. Amy Wolfram, writer of Teen Titans Year One, will be there signing from 12-2.

-Tuesday, February 19th, I'll be speaking at Northrop Davis' Manga & Anime Explosion class at U.C. Irvine. It'll be my third time speaking at the class - and the kids are always bright. Should be fun.

-Then at the end of the month, I'll be in San Francisco for Wonder Con. And I'm not just a mere con-goer, I'm going to be moderating a panel, Animation Story Break ("wait, does it HAVE to be a story?"), at 4:30pm on Saturday, February 23rd. Expect laughter and tears - mostly the latter.

-With any free time during the month, I'm going to try to write something. Something that doesn't suck...

Ow... my typing hand

Sorry about the lack of updates - I had a rewrite that I had to get done.

I encountered a dilemma tonight during martial arts practice. Here's the problem. I'm tired of getting beat-up all the time. I'm not very good at it, so I get beat up. The only way to stop getting beaten up is to get better. But the only way to get better is to get beaten up.

A vicious cycle. Right now, my right wrist feels like it's been pummelled over and over again. Because it was. Over and over again.

You may now commence joking about how I have to blog with my left hand...