Friday, July 30, 2004
More Vacation Photos
I forgot to put a link to my web page that has more photos from my vacation. Aren't you glad I remembered? It is better than being trapped in a livingroom watching vacation photos on a side projector. Click here to see all photos.
Thursday, July 29, 2004
Summer Vacation 2004
This years summer vacation, like the previous ones, was centered around a trip to Lake Tahoe with my friends. My first day took me to St. George, UT, which is a good stopping point on the way to Salt Lake City. My plan was to go for a bike ride to stretch my legs after a long drive, but the temperature was 104 degrees! So I headed to Chili's for dinner. I sat at the bar since I was alone and was happy to see that they sold beer on a Sunday. Utah has some strange alcohol laws. My eyes were tired by the end of the day so my vision was blurry. I looked at the beers on tap and ordered the Mahogany Porter. The bartender said: "Do you mean the Polygamy Porter?". I said "Yes" and the other people at the bar all laughed because they thought I said Monogamy Porter. I let them think that is what I said because it was funnier, since monogamy is the opposite of polygamy. To make a long story short, the beer was great tasting. Back at the Hotel 6, I had nothing to do but watch TV and sleep. Since the sun was setting around 9pm, it was still light outside when I went to bed.
The next day I got up early and drove to my aunt and uncle's house in Salt Lake City. This relatively short drive got me there in the early afternoon. I chatted with my aunt and uncle and then we went to dinner.
The next day I decided to go on a bike ride, since I dragged my bike with me. I ended up riding from their house, which is in Emigration Canyon, to the top of the canyon. It was four miles of uphill and took me 45 minutes, but it was worth it. I stopped several times to rest, but knowing that some friends of mine were currently hiking up to the top of Mt. Whitney (which they succeeded in doing), I figured I could finish this little ride. I felt tired but invigorated at the top, and the view was spetacular. After resting for awhile, I rode back down, which only took me 15 minutes.
That afternoon I went with my aunt and uncle to visit two of my other aunts. We ended up going to Chuck'a'Rama for lunch, which is an all-you-can-eat buffet.
That evening, an uncle that I hadn't seen in year came to the house with his daughter and visited awhile. He is a crane operator and can't seem to talk about anything but cranes.
The next day I went on a drive through East Canyon, which is the most scenic drive I've been on recently.
I would like to ride my bike though that canyon next time, despite some steep hills. On the way, I saw a moose, who stopped in the road and glared at me, as if saying, "what are you doing in my woods?". Since I didn't have a map, I didn't know how long the road was. I ended up way out of the city on Interstate 84.
That afternoon, we went to the Olympic Village at Park City. We took a tour of the village, where they showed the bobsled course, the downhill slope, and the freestyle area.
It was kind of interesting to see that they can train all year around, without snow. The surfaces of each slope behave like snow. The day ended with another dinner and I had to get ready for the long drive the next day.
After saying goodbye and thanks to my aunt and uncle, I headed west on I80. With no delays, I made the long 576 mile trek across Nevada to Lake Tahoe in 9 1/2 hours. The only event that I encountered was a large fire in Carson City, which was burning houses and producing thick smoke. Once at the house that my friend rented for the week, I was able to relax with a beer. This house was huge! It was three stories plus a large deck on the roof with a view of Take Tahoe. My room was on the third floor (with the first floor being on the top, and the third floor on the bottom). After a week, my legs were worn out from the walk up and down the stairs.
On Friday we spent some time at the beach at Zephyr Cove. I was the only adult to brave the cold lake waters with a swim. Saturday was the day of the softball tournament. The team won the first game, but lost the next two games to two really good teams. Since this meant elimination, we had all of Sunday free.
That ended up being our biking day. We have this route that we always take, and for the first time I got to ride my own bike instead of renting one. We bike to a cafe near Camp Richardson, have lunch, and ride back.
Monday was a good day to go hiking.
Only four of us decided to hike. We started at Fallen Leaf Lake and hiked up to Angora Lakes. The trail was steep but we all made it. At the lake, there was all sorts of activity. You can drive to this lake, rent a boat and dive off rocks. We bought some famous lemonade, rested, and headed back down. As usual, my knees were hurting by the end. 
My last day in Tahoe was spent on a boat. We rented a pontoon style boat for a half day. We also rented an inner-tube which is easier than waterskiing - at least for the kids. When I tried to get into the tube, I threw my shoulder out of socket - which really hurts - twice. I'm still recovering from that injury. Everyone got a good laugh at my disasterous attempt to go tubing. I had better luck when I swam to the island in the middle of Emerald Bay with the kids. We jumped off some rocks into the lake before swimming back to the boat. We also realize that no one knows how to use an anchor. We amused several onlookers while we struggled for 15 minutes trying to anchor the boat.
On Wednesday I drove home. This time I did encounter a delay - the freeway was closed heading into San Diego due to a chemical spill. That delayed me almost two hours. I got home around 9:30 pm and then had to get ready for the Comic-Con, which you can read about in my previous posts. There is much that happened on this trip that I didn't cover, but I had fun as always. I need to thank Steve and Ann for organizing the trip and renting the house. Trip mileage total: 2000 miles. Average miles per gallon: 26.6. End of story.
The next day I got up early and drove to my aunt and uncle's house in Salt Lake City. This relatively short drive got me there in the early afternoon. I chatted with my aunt and uncle and then we went to dinner.
The next day I decided to go on a bike ride, since I dragged my bike with me. I ended up riding from their house, which is in Emigration Canyon, to the top of the canyon. It was four miles of uphill and took me 45 minutes, but it was worth it. I stopped several times to rest, but knowing that some friends of mine were currently hiking up to the top of Mt. Whitney (which they succeeded in doing), I figured I could finish this little ride. I felt tired but invigorated at the top, and the view was spetacular. After resting for awhile, I rode back down, which only took me 15 minutes.
That afternoon I went with my aunt and uncle to visit two of my other aunts. We ended up going to Chuck'a'Rama for lunch, which is an all-you-can-eat buffet.
That evening, an uncle that I hadn't seen in year came to the house with his daughter and visited awhile. He is a crane operator and can't seem to talk about anything but cranes.
The next day I went on a drive through East Canyon, which is the most scenic drive I've been on recently.
I would like to ride my bike though that canyon next time, despite some steep hills. On the way, I saw a moose, who stopped in the road and glared at me, as if saying, "what are you doing in my woods?". Since I didn't have a map, I didn't know how long the road was. I ended up way out of the city on Interstate 84.
That afternoon, we went to the Olympic Village at Park City. We took a tour of the village, where they showed the bobsled course, the downhill slope, and the freestyle area.
It was kind of interesting to see that they can train all year around, without snow. The surfaces of each slope behave like snow. The day ended with another dinner and I had to get ready for the long drive the next day.
After saying goodbye and thanks to my aunt and uncle, I headed west on I80. With no delays, I made the long 576 mile trek across Nevada to Lake Tahoe in 9 1/2 hours. The only event that I encountered was a large fire in Carson City, which was burning houses and producing thick smoke. Once at the house that my friend rented for the week, I was able to relax with a beer. This house was huge! It was three stories plus a large deck on the roof with a view of Take Tahoe. My room was on the third floor (with the first floor being on the top, and the third floor on the bottom). After a week, my legs were worn out from the walk up and down the stairs.
On Friday we spent some time at the beach at Zephyr Cove. I was the only adult to brave the cold lake waters with a swim. Saturday was the day of the softball tournament. The team won the first game, but lost the next two games to two really good teams. Since this meant elimination, we had all of Sunday free.
That ended up being our biking day. We have this route that we always take, and for the first time I got to ride my own bike instead of renting one. We bike to a cafe near Camp Richardson, have lunch, and ride back.
Monday was a good day to go hiking.
Only four of us decided to hike. We started at Fallen Leaf Lake and hiked up to Angora Lakes. The trail was steep but we all made it. At the lake, there was all sorts of activity. You can drive to this lake, rent a boat and dive off rocks. We bought some famous lemonade, rested, and headed back down. As usual, my knees were hurting by the end.
My last day in Tahoe was spent on a boat. We rented a pontoon style boat for a half day. We also rented an inner-tube which is easier than waterskiing - at least for the kids. When I tried to get into the tube, I threw my shoulder out of socket - which really hurts - twice. I'm still recovering from that injury. Everyone got a good laugh at my disasterous attempt to go tubing. I had better luck when I swam to the island in the middle of Emerald Bay with the kids. We jumped off some rocks into the lake before swimming back to the boat. We also realize that no one knows how to use an anchor. We amused several onlookers while we struggled for 15 minutes trying to anchor the boat.
On Wednesday I drove home. This time I did encounter a delay - the freeway was closed heading into San Diego due to a chemical spill. That delayed me almost two hours. I got home around 9:30 pm and then had to get ready for the Comic-Con, which you can read about in my previous posts. There is much that happened on this trip that I didn't cover, but I had fun as always. I need to thank Steve and Ann for organizing the trip and renting the house. Trip mileage total: 2000 miles. Average miles per gallon: 26.6. End of story.
Monday, July 26, 2004
Comic-Con: Day 4
Sunday was the last day of the convention. I wanted to see two panels: Joss Whedon: Serenity and Wonderfalls: Unseen Episodes. Joss Whedon is always entertaining, and this year he had a surprise: the entire cast of his movie Serenity, which is based on his canceled TV show Firefly . The hall was packed with at least 6000 people, and he got a standing ovation - the biggest I've ever seen. When he announced the cast they also got a standing ovation. Lots of good questions were asked and the entire panel was obviously happy at the positive response from the fans. Looks like this movie will do well (unlike the poor response from the trailer for Anacondas, which got boos from the audiace in an earlier presentation.).
After that panel ended, I stuck around to watch two unaired episodes of Wonderfalls. Unfortunately most of the room left. I guess, as the producers put it, everyone who watched the show was in the room. They did some Fox TV bashing, but overall the three executive producers were upbeat about the future of Wonderfalls after its DVD release. The two episodes were just as good as the four that were broadcast. I will buy the DVD which will have all 13 episodes for sure.
Sadly, Comic-Con was over. I headed home with some Angel and Simpsons figures I had bought and got ready for my return to work after two weeks of vacation. Boy, am I exhausted!
After that panel ended, I stuck around to watch two unaired episodes of Wonderfalls. Unfortunately most of the room left. I guess, as the producers put it, everyone who watched the show was in the room. They did some Fox TV bashing, but overall the three executive producers were upbeat about the future of Wonderfalls after its DVD release. The two episodes were just as good as the four that were broadcast. I will buy the DVD which will have all 13 episodes for sure.
Sadly, Comic-Con was over. I headed home with some Angel and Simpsons figures I had bought and got ready for my return to work after two weeks of vacation. Boy, am I exhausted!
Comic-Con: Day 3
Saturday at the Comic-Con is always the best as well as the most crowded. You get used to being hit by backpacks, lightsabers and angel wings. The first panel I attended was The Simpsons with Matt Groening and various producers and directors. The discussed the upcomming season 17 and answered questions. No big announcements, but it is always fun to hear Matt speak. He admitted that he has been attending the Comic-Con as a fan since 1978, which would explain the episode of The Simpsons in which he appeared as himself at a comic convention.
Due to an overlap in programming, I missed this years Star Wars Spectacular with Steve Sansweet. Other than his announcement of the title for Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, I didn't miss his babbling rhetoric about how great the Star Wars universe is. In the afternoon, I attended a panel on action figure sub-culture. It was interesting to her about the state of the action figure/toy industry from the presidents and artists of small-time toy companies.
I sat through the last part of the Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow panel, which didn't impress me. I guess I'm not a Jude Law fan. I was really there in Hall H to see the next presentation: The Grudge. The two co-stars were there, Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy) and Jason Behr.
This was Sarah's first appearance at the Comic-Con and she handled the audience like a seasoned convention pro. She was funny and witty, and had no problem answering the obsessive fan's questions. She even read a list she wrote of why this was her first time at the Comic-Con. Her number one reason was: There isn't enough merchandise with my damn picture on it!
After a dinner that included my first boxty, an Irish food, and some more beer, I returned to the Con to watch the Worst Cartoons ever. Some of these cartoons were so bad they were funny. Others were so bad they were painful to watch. The guy behind me was laughing so much I had to move because he got annoying. Finally, I went to the Masquerade Party/overflow out in the "sail area". They needed an overflow for the overflow! There was no room to watch the show on the screen that was set up. So I headed to the trolley and then home.
Due to an overlap in programming, I missed this years Star Wars Spectacular with Steve Sansweet. Other than his announcement of the title for Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, I didn't miss his babbling rhetoric about how great the Star Wars universe is. In the afternoon, I attended a panel on action figure sub-culture. It was interesting to her about the state of the action figure/toy industry from the presidents and artists of small-time toy companies.
I sat through the last part of the Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow panel, which didn't impress me. I guess I'm not a Jude Law fan. I was really there in Hall H to see the next presentation: The Grudge. The two co-stars were there, Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy) and Jason Behr.
This was Sarah's first appearance at the Comic-Con and she handled the audience like a seasoned convention pro. She was funny and witty, and had no problem answering the obsessive fan's questions. She even read a list she wrote of why this was her first time at the Comic-Con. Her number one reason was: There isn't enough merchandise with my damn picture on it!
After a dinner that included my first boxty, an Irish food, and some more beer, I returned to the Con to watch the Worst Cartoons ever. Some of these cartoons were so bad they were funny. Others were so bad they were painful to watch. The guy behind me was laughing so much I had to move because he got annoying. Finally, I went to the Masquerade Party/overflow out in the "sail area". They needed an overflow for the overflow! There was no room to watch the show on the screen that was set up. So I headed to the trolley and then home.
Sunday, July 25, 2004
Comic-Con: Day 2
Friday was a long day at Comic-Con. I finished walking the dealers room, taking some photos along the way of up coming action figures I might want to buy, including such Buffy figures as these Darals here. 
There were also prototypes of new Spike, Anya and Tara figures. I was happy to see a line of "Family Guy" figures. However, the though of starting a new collection frightens me - where will I put them?
I attended four panels: Sci-Fi: Battlestar Galactica, Eliza Dushku, Science Fiction Museum and New Line: Return of the King, Harold & Kurmar, Blade III.
I really wanted to see Eliza Dushku, who was there to promote her show "Tru Calling", since I missed her last year. She was a great sport in handling obsessive fans and was enjoyable to listen to. The other panels were just OK for me. I was tired by the end of the night, but still had energy to go with friends to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner and beer.
There were also prototypes of new Spike, Anya and Tara figures. I was happy to see a line of "Family Guy" figures. However, the though of starting a new collection frightens me - where will I put them?
I attended four panels: Sci-Fi: Battlestar Galactica, Eliza Dushku, Science Fiction Museum and New Line: Return of the King, Harold & Kurmar, Blade III.
I really wanted to see Eliza Dushku, who was there to promote her show "Tru Calling", since I missed her last year. She was a great sport in handling obsessive fans and was enjoyable to listen to. The other panels were just OK for me. I was tired by the end of the night, but still had energy to go with friends to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner and beer.
Thursday, July 22, 2004
Comic-Con: Day 1
I just got back from my first day at the Comic-Con. Today I bought many nifty action figures, including two sets of the Charmed Ones. After buying the first set, I found out that there was also a set of CineQuest exclusives, so I bought them also (a discount if you buy them as a set). Add a wind-up Nibbler, two Buffy/Angel ornaments and one Simpson's action figure and you have a very large, heavy bag that I had to drag to dinner, on the trolley and on a five minute walk to my car.
I only went to two panels today: a summer movie preview and an action figure discussion. Both were just OK. Tomorrow I'll finish walking the dealers room, buy some more action figures and attend more panels. Hopefully I'll also have some pictures to post as well.
I only went to two panels today: a summer movie preview and an action figure discussion. Both were just OK. Tomorrow I'll finish walking the dealers room, buy some more action figures and attend more panels. Hopefully I'll also have some pictures to post as well.
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
Back From Vacation
I am back from my vacation despite being delayed by a major freeway closure. I will try to post my trip highlights and some pictures soon but now I have four days of Comic-Con to attend - and write posts for.
Thursday, July 08, 2004
Padre Game at Petco
Well I finally made it to Petco Park and saw the Padres play the Huston Astros last night. We got there early, before the gates opened, so we had time to walk around and find the best food and beer. Let me start my saying that the people working at the park and the concession stands in particular are extremely friendly and helpful. I hope it stays that way. They were all ready to serve me as I walked by the stands eyeing the beer and food choices.
First the food. I was happy to see more than just hot dogs and burgers for sale. They had food from Oggi's Pizza, Rubios and Gorden Biersch. I ended up eating a chicken burrito from Rubios and was pleasantly surprised that it tasted better than a burrito from a regular Rubios! It had more chicken and cheese, and less of the "filler" ingredients like rice. It made the $7 price seem reasonable. Because the burrito was so big, I wasn't hungry enough to try other foods. That will have to wait.
Next the beer. A few weeks ago I was at the Angel's stadium in Anaheim and all they had was Budweiser and Bud light. Petco had all the usual suspects plus the premium beers Stone Pale Ale, Oggi's California Gold Blonde Ale and Gorden Biersch Marzen, all of which I had, for $7 each. I also saw heineken, Redhook ESB and other semi-premium ales. Going back to their great service, each vender made sure my glass was filled to the top with beer, not foam, and they cleaned off any extra beer that spilled on the sides. I don't mind getting beer on my fingers - really!
In conclusion, the whole experience was enjoyable, even though the Padres lost. Oh, that reminds me, I watched a baseball game too. Almost forgot about that. The game was almost a secondary event after the beer and food. I will try to get to another game soon. I have no excuse since I work near a trolley stop.
First the food. I was happy to see more than just hot dogs and burgers for sale. They had food from Oggi's Pizza, Rubios and Gorden Biersch. I ended up eating a chicken burrito from Rubios and was pleasantly surprised that it tasted better than a burrito from a regular Rubios! It had more chicken and cheese, and less of the "filler" ingredients like rice. It made the $7 price seem reasonable. Because the burrito was so big, I wasn't hungry enough to try other foods. That will have to wait.
Next the beer. A few weeks ago I was at the Angel's stadium in Anaheim and all they had was Budweiser and Bud light. Petco had all the usual suspects plus the premium beers Stone Pale Ale, Oggi's California Gold Blonde Ale and Gorden Biersch Marzen, all of which I had, for $7 each. I also saw heineken, Redhook ESB and other semi-premium ales. Going back to their great service, each vender made sure my glass was filled to the top with beer, not foam, and they cleaned off any extra beer that spilled on the sides. I don't mind getting beer on my fingers - really!
In conclusion, the whole experience was enjoyable, even though the Padres lost. Oh, that reminds me, I watched a baseball game too. Almost forgot about that. The game was almost a secondary event after the beer and food. I will try to get to another game soon. I have no excuse since I work near a trolley stop.
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