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The Year in Review or “WTF HAPPENED IN 2012?”
0This is that time of year when folks begin posting about how this year they’re planning on changing a zillion things and making thinks different somehow. For me, though, I’m not looking forward to changing… I’m looking forward to continuing.
2012 was a hard year, but that’s not a bad thing. As friends and colleagues will tell you – I tend to be a workaholic. I love it. I love the feeling to things getting done and the creative process attached to it in my little geek universe. My friends (my team) and I put in a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into a number of projects that are now continuing into 2013.
Hell. We’re already in production for two unannounced things in 2014.
Seriously.
The best way to look forward, though, is to remember where you’ve been. SO, here’s my recap of one of the craziest years of my life. Enjoy.
JANUARY
- Reflected on a pretty exciting life thus far in this blog post. No clue what the year was about to bring.
- We were in the thick of planning InvaderCON II: DOOMCON that month, too.
FEBRUARY
- Took the first of what would be many trips to Los Angeles to work on Anime Expo and Project Anime.
- Randomly took an air boat ride in the Florida swamp because, you know, I’m random that way.
MARCH
- Took another trip to Los Angeles for work on PA/AX some more.
- Took another trip to Los Angeles two weeks later… on my way to Japan for the first time. I spent eight days being the tallest person in the room.
- I went to Tokyo Disney SEA.
- I went to Disneyland (in Los Angeles) with the voice of Gir.
- I won a $500 Apple gift card for telling a goofy story online about my old IIc.
APRIL
- Took a quick trip to Atlanta to look a party spots for some adult website.
- Was the best man in my best friend’s wedding… on a Disney Cruise to the Bahamas.
MAY
- Saw Tom Petty in concert! I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.
- Went to Los Angeles again.
- Dealt with loss as my father’s wife passed away.
- Survived Year Two of Florida Anime Experience with the first ever appearance of Terri Hawkes (the voice of Sailor Moon!)
JUNE
- Back in Los Angeles again… this time to visit E3!
- Return to Los Angeles at the end of the month to set up for Anime Expo and Project Anime.
JULY
- Survived the hell, horror, and amazement of Anime Expo 2012. My eyes were open to a lot of things that one week in Los Angeles.
- Found out a cheesy horror film I did in 1991 was finally coming out on DVD.
- Read the Steve Jobs book. I’ve revisited a lot in that book since then (after years of being told that I am “an asshole just like Steve Jobs.”)
- Returned to Los Angeles for Anime Expo follow up meetings… and new perspective.
- Ran, successfully, InvaderCON II: DOOMCON in Los Angeles. Amazing things happened.
- Finished laying the groundwork (after months of set up) for what has since become Talent For Cons by booking voice actors in Anime Expo and Florida Supercon.
- Announced a new show for the Jacksonville market called WasabiCon (since EXPcon had fallen completely off the radar.)
AUGUST
- Ran events at Gen Con in Indianapolis again. Good times!
- I spent a lot of this month recovering from the Anime Expo/InvaderCON/Project Anime stuff in July.
SEPTEMBER
- Dragon*Con in Atlanta, Georgia. I helped some Edgar guy host events at a party at the Hard Rock Cafe there. While there, I saw a sci-fi celebrities drunk daughter dance on a stripper pole. (I love my life.)
- Lots and lots of catch up work that month…
OCTOBER
- Wound up visiting EPCOT on the 30th anniversary of the park’s opening. Turned out it was a clever day to take my friend Marc Perez there for his first time.
- Launched the very first PinUpalooza. It was a lukewarm event (after getting dates bounced around and whatnot) but we proved the event was a solid concept. Already planning Year Two.
- Because one con just wasn’t enough, we ran WasabiCon that same month, too. One of the best cons assembled in two months EVER.
NOVEMBER
- Took another cruise for my five year wedding anniversary with one of the most patient women on the planet. This time we found ourselves in Belize and Cozumel, Mexico. (It seems that I still need to write a blog post about this since I didn’t see one while writing this.)
- Spent Thanksgiving with my dad… because that’s what family does.
- Got blind sided (for the first time in my life) by a surprise birthday party. I have some amazing fucking friends.
DECEMBER
- Launched ANOTHER new event in 2012 – Cosplay Christmas. It was holiday goodness that will return in 2013.
- Went to Busch Gardens for the first time in yeaaars.
- Was a groomsman in the AMAZING wedding of Troy and Kim Doerner.
- Returned to Los Angeles for the first time since July to start work on Project Anime 2013 again. Saw some geeky stuff.
- Spent the first Christmas in 13 years without my wife… but got to spend it with my dad. My heart was happy, but my lungs were in pain. (Long story.)
SO – cities I found myself in during 2012:
- Atlanta
- Cozumel
- Indianapolis
- Jacksonville
- Los Angeles
- Orlando
- Miami
- Naussau
- San Diego
- Tokyo
And now for that part we all do during a perceived time of renewal – plan for the future. So what are my goals in 2013? I have a couple of things to work on, sure, like anyone else. I like keeping things simple, though, so here are the three things that I will concentrate on in this new year.
- Lose weight. (Cliche, yes, but truly needed at this point.)
- Blog more. (In reading about my past year, I realize that I didn’t write as much about most of it that I should have.)
- Continue onward. (I created a lot in 2012; now I have to build it up even more.)
So here we go…
I’m flying home from #GenCon – that convention about gaming and stuff.
09 months ago
by Tom
in Conventions
This was my third year going to Gen Con to host anime panels and related events… at a gaming convention. As odd as that sounds, it make perfect sense if you ever go TO Gen Con. The convention is a 45 year old-
That’s not a typo; the convention is older than me.
-45 year old event that started near Lake Geneva (hence “Gen” Con) by Gary Gygax, the famed creator of Dungeons & Dragons. The over forty thousand people that show up for this thing annually are proof positive that card games, board games, and the dice industry are all alive and going strong.
This year I actually got to SEE some of the convention and I even (gasp!) played a card game. Plans are already in place for Wasabi Anime to return next year (which should make the My Little Pony fans very happy.)
For now, I’m just looking forward to going home, getting some rest, and (possible) changing the world dramatically over the next few weeks.
Stay tuned.
Bub’s Burgers & Ice Cream in Indianapolis, Indiana…
2Yes, this is the story about the time I ate a burger called “The Big Ugly.”
- Al’s #1 Italian Beef in Chicago, Illinois
- Edward’s Drive-In in Indianapolis, Indiana
- Big Pie in the Sky Pizzeria in Kennesaw, Georgia
- La Moon in Miami, Florida
- Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami, Florida
- The Old Salty Dog in Sarasota, Florida
- Hot N Juicy Crawfish in Las Vegas, Nevada
- The NASCAR Cafe in Las Vegas, Nevada
- Shula’s Steak House in Miami, Florida
- Gladys Knight And Ron Winans’ Chicken And Waffles in Atlanta, Georgia
- The Jack-N-Grill in Denver, Colorado
- The Buckhorn Exhange in Denver, Colorado
- The Vortex in Atlanta, Georgia
I gained five pounds on my Indianapolis/Chicago trip a couple of months ago. I think most of it was acquired here.
Bub’s is a really neat little place in a suburb of Indianapolis – about 20 minutes from the city depending on traffic. Getting there was made easier by way of getting to meet up with my old high school friend Dave DeRosa and his lovely wife Gwen. Dave and I hadn’t seen each other in the better part of a decade, so a reunion was long overdue. Our wives got to listen to epic adventures we had as teenagers including (but not limited to) zany shit like this video.
Back to the food, though. The Big Ugly, according to Bub’s menu, weighs in a full pound AFTER being cooked (and starts out at 22 oz. pre-cooked.) This sucker is ginormous and even comes with a ridiculously large bun to hold it. Look at this thing:
HUGE. As with most of the Man v. Food locations, Bub’s doesn’t compromise taste for size. As big as that damn thing looks, it tasted great. The meat was quality ground beef. Juicy. Cooked well. Not the cheap stuff.
Man ate meat and meat was good.
Two other things on the menu that deserve recognition:
- Milk Shakes – our server suggested to Shannon that she try a mint chocolate chip and cookie dough ice cream shake. It was epic. Best. Combo. Ever.
- Sweet Potato Fries – Gwen ordered these and they came with warm marshmallow fluff to dip them in. PURE GENIUS. It tasted like Thanksgiving in the summer.
Back to the burger: Bub’s has a wall of photos for folks who complete the burgers. One burger gets you a small photo. Two gets you an 8×10. Three gets you a life size photo. I finished my one burger and they even had me sign the photo:
Edward’s Drive-In in Indianapolis, Indiana…
1[NOTE: Anyone else notice the inordinate number of "ins" in the title? Drive-IN IN INdianapolis, INdiana. No? Well, I was amused, kay?]
I work out regularly at a gym, but it still doesn’t seem to battle these Man v. Food pounds that I gain! So far I’ve been to:
- Big Pie in the Sky Pizzeria in Kennesaw, Georgia
- La Moon in Miami, Florida
- Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami, Florida
- The Old Salty Dog in Sarasota, Florida
- Hot N Juicy Crawfish in Las Vegas, Nevada
- The NASCAR Cafe in Las Vegas, Nevada
- Shula’s Steak House in Miami, Florida
- Gladys Knight And Ron Winans’ Chicken And Waffles in Atlanta, Georgia
- The Jack-N-Grill in Denver, Colorado
- The Buckhorn Exhange in Denver, Colorado
- The Vortex in Atlanta, Georgia
A couple of weeks ago, I took flew up north for Gen Con in Indianapolis, Indiana. While there, I made the effort to visit a couple of MvF spots. The first place on the list:
This place had the look, feel and vibe of a true fifties drive-in diner. If you parked, waitresses walked out to your car to take your order and delivered it on a tray hooked to you car’s open window. Since we showed up in a cab, though, we passed on that part of the experience. We went inside and ordered the specialty: a jumbo tenderloin sandwich.
Yep. That sucker is huge. It was good and made even better by this:
The root beer is made in house by the diner and those onion rights were nothing short of epic. My friends Lyn and Tracy were with me on this outing and we were in pure fried food heaven. The root beer, though, truly was the standout of the meal. It went down smooth and had just the right about of carbonation. It was perfectly sweet without being too tart.
I finished the meal and began a trip that would gain me five extra pounds that (as of this writing) I am still trying to get rid of.
IT WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT THOUGH.
My wife’s @HardRock Cafe Teddy Bear collection (with pics!)
0Last Monday I wrote a post about the spoils from my travels over the past few years: my Starbucks mug collection. Today, though, is the collection in our house over ten years in the making… Shannon’s Hard Rock Cafe Teddy Bear collection.
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Baltimore, Maryland
Biloxi, Mississippi
Cancun, Mexico
Chicago, Illinois
Denver, Colorado
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida (NOTE: This location is now closed.)
Hollywood, California
Houston, Texas
Indianapolis, Indiana
Key West, Florida
La Jolla, California (NOTE: This location is now closed.)
Las Vegas, Nevada
Miami, Florida
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
New Orleans, Louisiana
Orlando, Florida
Phoenix, Arizona
San Antonio, Texas
San Diego, California
Tampa, Florida
BONUS BEAR! This is an angel bear we bought from the Hard Rock Hotel in Orlando before starting our cross country drive in 2007.
I drink a lot of coffee and (as a result) I have a large collection of @Starbucks Global Icon Mugs (with pics!)
1Going to conventions around the U.S. is time consuming, but I get to meet a lot of great people and eat some pretty intense meals (Man v. Food, baby!) One thing that stays consistent, though, is my caffeine addiction – and the insane number of Starbucks locations in major cities.
Thus, I got into collecting the mugs from their Global Icon collection.
These fine drinking receptacles adorn some pretty neat-o Ikea hooks in our kitchen. My collection, though, is incomplete (as it relates to places we’ve actually visited.) Per this list, we still need:
- Arizona
- Cancun
- Colorado
- Mexico
- New Mexico
- New Orleans
- North Carolina
- Orange County
- Phoenix
- San Antonio
- San Diego
- Washington DC (NOTE: I’ve ordered this one on eBay recently. Should be here any day now.)
Post #GenCon Adventures: Old High School Chums & Delayed Flights
0
See that dude with the bitchin’ Voltron shirt in front of me? That’s my pal Dave DeRosa from high school. I haven’t seen Dave in fifteen years. We managed to hang out for a few hours today in Indiana and even hit a Man v. Food location together (note the sign.)
Once he dropped me off back at my hotel, though, the real adventure began… I got a voicemail right after he drove off stating that my flight had been cancelled and the airline had moved us to a new flight to Chicago.
Tomorrow morning.
Yeah. That wasn’t happening. I called the airline and after forty five minutes on the phone they found a flight leaving at 9:30 PM. We jumped in a cab and headed out immediately.
Once we got there, though, our flight got changed again. The woman at the counter at the new airline we were using (American Airlines; we had started on Continental) put us on an earlier flight that had been delayed. Based on the new times, we were set to land in Chicago about ten minutes earlier than our original flight.
But wait. There’s more.
It seems there is some really bad weather in Chicago right now, so the newest flight we are on has been delayed and now isn’t flying out until 10:00 PM. This has resulted in me having enough time to type this all up.
The BEST NEWS? Even if the weather sucks in Chicago, we are booked at the Hilton attached at the airport there. The idea of finally getting some sleep after an awesome weekend at Gen Con sounds soooooooooooooooo appealing right now.
