From the first night we arrived in Seattle, there was one site I had to see. We drove past it, and I just about lost my mind with happiness. It was easy Street Records, a music store which was obviously a haven for indy artists as well as a fully loaded used CD and DVD shop. Whenever I visit a new city or location, I love visiting the local used music/movie haunts. You never know what Out of Print or rare goods you’ll find or what price they’ll ask for them, so I try to stop in those shops whenever I get a chance.

Despite two failed attempts, the third time was a charm when my In-laws and I made it to the store Sunday Morning after breakfast. The store was nearly as amazing as I had dreamed, lacking only in the department of DVD pricing (they were asking $10.99 for a lot of discs you could easily find for $5). Overall, however, it was an amazing store. I scored some good, some bad, and some ugly; and I will share my thoughts on my purchases below:

Jason Mraz, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. - Pretty much a perfect album. Mraz is game for not only the standard indie flavor of folk and alternative but also a variety of genres including reggae, pop, and rap. His blend of sounds and vocals creates an album that is always interesting and engaging.

Moby Last Night - The most recent release from the famed DJ/Electronica/House Technician is a disappointment at best. The beats, stylings, and mixes are not only banal but actually rather headache-inducing. This is a far fall from the great, experimental album, Play, and I found only a handful of the 14 tracks (”Hyenas”, “Degenerates”, and the titular “Last Night”) remotely on par with Moby’s varied catalogue from the 1990s.

Moby, 18 - Not nearly as good as Play, but much more in line with it than the recent, Last Night. Many tracks here are rehashes of what he’s already done (and been done better, I might add). For example, “In My Heart” is “God Moving over the Surface of the Waters”, only it attempts to be a dance song; and “Signs of Love” seems to stem from the exact same template as “Into the Blue”. This doesn’t mean the songs on 18 are necessarily bad, but with better ones already available, I was disappointed. Standouts here include the soft “Fireworks”, “Extreme Ways”,and “18″– 3 outta 18 tracks is pretty lousy.

Memento , music from and inspired by the motion picture. This is solid–real solid. The album’s primary strength is, of course, the actual score and not the “filler” tracks used to pad the album’s running time. I probably would’ve been happier with an All-killer-no-filler 40 minute album, than the trackjumper I got; but oh well, it’s still solid overall.

SIDENOTE - I am really sounding like a musical elitist in this. I’m really sorry. If you punch me next time you see me, I’ll know why.

P.M. Dawn’s, Of the Heart, Of the Soul, And of the Cross. Hit and Miss, really. I enjoy some songs while could easily do without others. Through and through the album is always interesting, and I never felt like I was listening to the same old thing; however, with experimentation come failure and like all of PMD’s album’s, I only found a handful of tracks I’ll enjoy on a regular basis. “Watcher’s Point of View”, “Paper Doll”, and “Set Adrift on Memory Bliss” are all highlights and overall the album was fine.

Alicia Keys’ As I Am.

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So, a month ago today, my wife and I ventured up north to Seattle, Washington for my sister-in-law’s graduation. It was a wondrous affair, full of joy, merriment, and celebration. We arrived on a Friday and joined my in-laws for a ride to our rental car company and hotel, which was excellent as we got to see much of the cityscape at an extended dusk, which lasted about 45 minutes. EXCELLENT.

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Seattle is a fantastic city. It has loads of skyscrapers, many of which bear unique architecture, as well as several other large locations with a style and design all their own, making for a rather beautiful cityscape. I commented that it looked like Gotham City, to which my wife responded. “That’s not even real.” Luckily, I had my answer in the queue, “Well then where does Batman live.” ZINGER.

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We made our way to our hotel (pictured in daylight above); and then, due to my Father-in-law’s hunger as well as my own, ventured to a local pub. I had wings, chowder, and beer, a meal fit for a king, and we enjoyed catching up. FANTASTIC.

The following morning was spent exploring my sister-in-law’s college campus (clocktower pictured above) prior to her graduation. Seattle and Oklahoma should not even be in the same country, because while the latter is flat as paper, the former is only hills. In fact, I think every step in the City of Seattle is taken at a 45 degree angle, and it only seems flat because your body’s natural equilibrium balances you out. Yeah, it’s THAT hillous (hilly? Hillfull? Not sure what word to use there…writing major indeed). NICE.

The graduation was excellent (seating pictured above), and I enjoyed myself just fine. Of course, by “enjoy myself”, I mean I read a book 2 hours while everyone but my sister-in-law was announced. Ha ha ha. I win. Of course, when she was announced I videotaped it and made a big fuss, but other than that it was reading time like George Bush on 9/11 (ohhh, I should not have written that!). The ceremony was excellent (as if I remember what was said), and afterward a group of us including my wife, myself, my in-laws, my sister-in-law, and my aunt-and-uncle-in-law, ventured to a Red-Robin-on-the-water-front, at which I tried their new French dip with Garlic fries, a fine meal that was good but not great (it’s something I’d wanted to try for some time, and I am glad I got it out of my system and can return to my standard five-alarm burger with confidence). SHAZAAM.

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That night, we all hit up some hot sites (further pics coming in photo-montage form in the next few days). There was one site that looked like a refinery for a mad sceintist’s airborne toxins–which in my book is the kind of scenery to show visiting tourists like myself. Seriously this place was awesome (pictured above) , and all I could think was, “I gotta play paintball there. FOR REAL. That site was the highlight of the Seatlle sightseeing that night, but the others were fine as well. Never a dull moment, that’s for sure. We ended the eve with some baby pictures of my cousin-in-laws first born…which means that he is my second-cousin-twice-removed-on-my-wife’s-aunt’s-son’s-side, right? Well, something like that–regardless he was a cute baby, and I don’t say that fleetingly, alot of babies look stupid. (ha ha ha ha, sorry I had to laugh at that). INAPPROPRIATE.

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Sunday we awoke and hit up some breakfast and a used media store across the street from our hotel (an adventure which I will post about in the coming days). My in-laws, wife, her sister, her sister’s fiance, and his parents then went down to the fabled fish market at Pike’s Place (or something like that…”Pike’s Market?”, maybe? I don’t know, the pic just says, “Public market”, but that’s not really catchy, is it?). Anyway, we saw some local longshoreman selling fish, which was excellent considering I went through a period in life when all I wanted to be was a longshoreman. There were also some shops including a terribly overpriced comic store and an awesome-looking-but-light-on-selection used DVD/CD store (there was a second used media store store that was heavy on selection but pretty hard on pricing, so the two canceled each other out in terms of shopping–good for my wallet I guess). Anyway, we enjoyed some Starbucks from the original store, which was pretty cool, [store pictured below] and some grub from another place that was alright–I forget what the food was called, but it was essentially hand-made hot pockets that had real food in them instead of the common dog-food-pockets found in your local frozen food section. DELICIOUS.

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After the market, we headed home. Seattle ruled like nobody’s business–except those who rule. And that was the weekend…at light speed…or at least as fast a wordy, unedited blabberer like me can write.

Several weeks ago, on Monday, June 2, 2008, I celebrated my 26th birthday. To call it the happiest day of my life may be an overstatement, so I will simply say it was “one of the bestest birthdays ever”, and it continued for two weeks beyond! The haul on the day itself was enough to make any B-Day special, as I was not only given gifts but sent nearly two-dozen “Happy Birthday” greetings on Facebook and also numerous encouraging e-mails–but I am getting ahead of myself. Let me just start in the beginning and go through the day’s events, followed by the later gifts which came over time–they are many, I assure you.

The day started with discovering new settings on my DVD burning software on my Mac. This setting may FINALLY enable me to move forward on the BOS DVDs. Excellent! A gift from the Lord in its miraculousness.

Then as the day proceeded, several friends from the office took me out to lunch at my favorite local haunt, and I had delicious tacos–but the office celebration did not stop there. No, in the afternoon I was a given a truly fitting card (pictured) as well as a delicious cake in celebration–which isn’t uncommon for our office birthday but was still a kind and appreciated gesture. As fantastic as these pieces of office-related celebration were, however, nothing surprised and delighted me more than the decor provided by a fellow comic fan at the university where I work. Our office admin had gotten from him nearly a dozen action figures as well as a large stuffed Spider-man, and the collectibles were displayed throughout the communal area where we celebrated. It truly felt like a party from my childhood, and I think the happiness in my heart added a solid 6-8 months to life. I felt known, understood, appreciated, and celebrated. Awesomeness at the office!

Then I cam home, and the day got better. Not like, “meh, it was better but oh well”, BUT “HOLY FREAKIN’ DONKEY STAMPEDE!!! ThiS is AMAZING!”. I came home with my wonderful wife, and she gave me my gifts, which included chapstick, and what I have deemed “the Sweeney Todd Gift Pack”, meaning the CD Soundtrack as well as the two-disc special edition DVD set–both of which I had wanted for some time but failed to procure. Of course, these gifts were then overshadowed by the beautiful and touching card she gave me, which featured a coupon inside for 10% at my local Target and note saying I knew what said discount was for.

Coupon in hand, we excitedly went to Target for me to obtain the item for which the 10% discount was given–a new camera. Now, it’s important to note that I had shopped for a camera at Target for some time, and I had decided on eventually getting a $200 CANON with manual settings and a macro lens; but my wife, being the generous women she is, recommended I buy something better–a $500 Canon Rebel XT, a camera which was recommended to me by friends on multiple occasions, but I always felt was out of my mula range. I was overwhelmed by my wife’s generosity, and I decided that I needed time to think, so we went around the store for a few misc. items during which time we came to the toy aisle…

Now, this next paragraph contains pretty much one of the greatest events in all my life. As we walked down the aisle and I noticed items I wanted–including several G.I. Joe’s, Indiana Jones figures, and a Star Wars Battle Rancor–my wife had one phrase which she repeated happily with every new discovery in the aisle, “You can get it.” It was unlike any shopping experience I’ve ever had, wherein I just walked, saw something of interest and was told, “Yes, indeed, you are allowed to purchase that, and in fact, I encourage you to do so.” It made my heart flutter like few things do, and I scored an assortment of Figures so amazing that it will forever be known as the greatest haul of my life. Guiltless, unabashed self-pampering with the love of my life cheering me on the whole time–if that’s not the very definition of happiness, then I know not what is…

So, having procured the sheer amount of figures I did (I believe the total count was 3 indy figures, an Indiana Jones motorcycle, a Star Wars Monster with figure, and 10 G.I. Joes), I was certain the lower end camera would be the expected and reasonable purchase. However, my wife will not see me settle for less than the best in all things and encouraged my getting the high-end REBEL XT, and I did; and I love it.

We grabbed some dinny-din-din at Taco Nacho (a.k.a Taco Bell) and headed home, only to discover that the camera needed a memory card…so while my wife got some things done around home, I ventured out to Target to get the card, which was on sale, then stopped at ROSS briefly to look for a wallet. They had one (which I later returned after further analysis of its compartments) and a G.I. Joe figure-5-pack for 50% off, which I also got–taking the total tally of Joes for the day to 15. It was pretty much one of the happiest days ever…good job number “26″, you are now in the top 7 favorite numbers of all time.

So, whoa, pretty big day….of course, the birthday delights continued; for on Wednesday, I received a card from my parents which was quite amazing and filled with gold in the form of a check. During the week, I also received a box from my good friend, Dan,containing a rare figure I had been looking for for some time (that I had paid him for earlier) as well as a bonus gift, Stormbreaker: The Saga of Beta Ray Bill, a 6-issue graphic novel focusingone of my favorite comic characters (I have since begin to read it, and it’s excellent).

Then, on Friday, I received a trifecta of powerful gifts. First, my in-laws sent me a hilarious card which they later also confirmed was accompanied by a year’s subscription to Men’s Health, in essence creating a gift that would keep on giving month-after-month throughout the year. Then my wife’s Grandma (my grandma-in-law? Not sure how the title works on that) sent me a 12″ boxed G.I. Joe from the 1992 Hall of Fame line. Now, to many of you I am sure that means nothing; however, in context, it is the best 12″ Joe she could have gotten me, for at Christmas she gave me an original 1964 Joe, and the 1992 Hall Joe was actually the first 12″ Joe produced in MY LIFETIME, making it an historic piece of Joe Memorabilia from my own days on this earth. Thus, I have an original Joe as well as the first 12″ Joe produced in my lifetime–a set of truly significant proportions. How wonderful!!!! Third, I received a box from my good friends and frequent commentors, Dean and Chris. The box contained the Warriors Movie 50-pack, a set of 13 DVDs with 4 movies each all featuring warriors of various kinds including Amazon warrior women, Greek gods, Bearded vikings, Roman gladiators, and even Biblical characters like David and Goliath–it’s an epic set in which I’ve been interested from some time, and it’s receipt was surprising and amazing. Of course, it’s hard to compare that against their other gift, Will Vinton’s Claymation Christmas DVD, the old school Christmas special featuring the hilarious “Carol of the Bells” and the groovin’ California Raisins, a movie which I have longed for but never found for purchase except online (and have been too lazy to order). It was a fateful Friday of gift getting, and well, I was very touched…

One week later, however, the Birthday was bookended with the final gift I received from Matty, Andrew, and their wives (with whom I ventured to Yosemite). Now, before I say what it is, it’s important that I explain two things. First, I never saw it coming, and it was certainly an unexpected item that I would have never thought to own. Second, I had been trying to guess for a week what it was based on clues given via e-mail and the phone and had come up empty. When the gift was placed in front of me, it was enormous, and the wrapping was a towel draped over it. I was given instructions on how to remove said towel and open the box without seeing the packages contents. I removed the towel and opened the box before sorting through several cardboard holding units until arriving at an enormous, monster wing. I had no idea what the giant wing was for, until I touched it, then like touching an ancient rune and being filled with its mystical power, the identification of the item hit me. It was the Lord of the Ring: Fellowship of the Ring Balrog figure, a figure mentioned HERE, as a wish-list item I would never own. Now, this is an exciting gift for several reasons, which I must list below:

1) This figure should not exist. From a business perspective, it made no sense for the company, NECA, to manufacture it. In fact, the figure had originally been developed by another company, then canceled because it was not cost effective due to its size and detail. Word on the street is that NECA took a bath on the figure but made it anyway simply because they loved it and felt that as a piece of collectible art, it had to see production. According to the box, less than 1500 were produced on both this earth and Middle Earth as well, so my now having one puts me in a stratem of geekdom reserved only for the most dedicated and spoiled of collectors.

2) In a post found HERE, I mentioned that I have named our family BBQ the flame of Udhun BECAUSE OF THIS CREATURE. So, my now owning the creature for which my grill is named it was somewhat serendipitous set of circumstances, particularly since the item was ordered BEFORE I had announced said name for the grill. It just all worked out. My friends ordered the TOY of the flame of Udhun, and unbeknownst them, I had named my grill “the flame of Udhun” in honor of the toy I never thought I’d own–now I have two Udhuns. Some people say this is coincidence, I call it God’s working all things together for his good purpose.

3) This is now the biggest figure I own, eclipsing the $350 premium format Spike figure given me in November of last year for hosting Buffy month on Movie Maniacs.net, and I foresee the Balrog will forever be the largest figure I ever known. period. What an accomplishment.

4) In order to defeat the mighty Balrog, I have had to enlist an inordinant amount of troops, including a dream team of Ash, G.I. Joes, Indiana Jones, Lando Calrissian and many more. The beast is a titan of fire not to be trifled with, and the battle against him is an epic one (once I set up said battle, I will post pics, that is a threat and a promise.

5) The toy was purchased for me as a result of my Roommates reading this VERY BLOG, under the post, “Top 7 Toys I Will Always Want and Never Own”. It was amazing that my self-indulgent flight of fancy led to such a victory in my collecting. As I said to my roommate, “Wow! i never thought my blog would be used for good.” and yet, here I sit, typing of this amazing event to each of you.

So, there you have it. I, C.J. Stunkard, am spoiled and incredibly humbled by the amazing birthday celebration this year. It was incredibly touching to my heart and toy shelf, and I am so thankful for you, my readers and friends, for you wonderful encouragement and gifts to me. I have truly felt blessed, loved, cherished, and celebrated this year; and I thank all of you who were a part of that.

From my wife, whose gift cost more than most El Caminos, to those who took the time to sentd me a birthday greeting, you are all my good friends, and I hope to someday slay a dragon in your honor–or at least make you feel as beloved and cherished on your special day as you have made me feel this last month. !Salud!

Below are some photo collages I put together from my recent trip to Seattle. I had to do it this way because I didn’t have a panoramic lens, but I think that they came out okay–at least I like them–though I will admit that some are better than others. Anyway, the pics below are shrunk,as the collages are desktops. So, anyway, yeah, check ‘em out. If you’re into that sort of thing.

(Click to Enlarge and Download Desktops)

I enjoyed my college experience, and a large part of it was my relationship to my roommates, Matty and Andrew–two men from Calironia’s fabled village of Torrance, most known for ridiculously high housing costs, Arturo’s Mexican Restaurant, and Torrance High, the school used to shoot Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. Below are pictures of myself and the roommates during our Yosemite Trip, described here. These pictures get their own post, however, because they are awesome and require an exploration. Kudos to my wife, The Lovely Jamie, for taking them!

Above we have our first shot, “Preparing for Mischief”. The focus of the pic is my former roommate, Andrew, holding a ball of snow to the sky like a prized talisman of power, and you can tell by his mischievous expression that he does indeed mean to throw it. To Andrew’s right is Matty, who appears uninvolved with the inevitable snow-throwing due to his concern with collecting sky treasure in his mouth. Then to Andrew’s right is yours truly, who is doing a Jack Black-esue power stance in awe focused attention to either the snow or Andrew himself. It seems as though I am (a) anticipating what Andrew, the snow goblin, intends to do with it (b) hoping to steal it for myself and eat it to gain blizzard magic. I’m not sure; though if we were talking, I think we’d be saying the following:

Matty: “The sky is whizzing on my face, and for some reason, it’s delicious”
Andrew: “Oh, here is a delightful present. May I present it to you?!” (followed by cackling like a gremlin)
C.J.: “If I use my mind powers, I can steal the snow orb for my own ends.”

The Second photo, which I have dubbed, “Snowbomb Deluxe: Feel its Cold fist on your face” is also a wonderful pic featuring the roommate trifecta, only this time the action is in full swing. Andrew, once again the focus of the shot, has now launched his gift–probably at our wives, and he appears to be quite intent on hitting them (or at least, close enough to them to make them afraid). Speaking of a afraid, Matty in this picture seems to be showing a spectrum of emotions as wide as a human can in a single expression. He appears excited to see what happens with the bomb, happy that the bomb has been thrown, afraid of what happens when the bomb hits but also ecstatic that it will hit its mark as planned. I appear to have heard a wolf or something, because I’m doing this odd head-turn while taking up a protective action-stance. I have no idea what I was thinking about at the time. Of course, based on this picture, I would think we were all thinking as follows:

C.J. “Forsooth, hath I heard a creature of the hills?!”
Andrew: “Launch the Barrage!”
Matty: “Oh man this is gonna be so good when it happens, then right after it is going to be so bad.”

So, this Memorial Day, Jam and I went back to the land of our honeymoon, the fabled hills of Yosemite Nat’l Park. Only this time, we were not alone. No, this time around we were joined by great friends, my former roommates and their wives. We had planned for hikes and days in the sweet fields of yore, but alas, the Lord saw fit to keep us indoors, as Yosemite was hit not only with rain but get this–SNOW. Yes, my friends. SNOW. In Yosemite. In MAY.

(the Womenfolk in the Snow)

I guess I’ll take the Democrat’s approach and say that such an odd occurrence had to do with Global Warming (somehow)–though if that’s the case, then let the destruction of the climate continue, for I did LOVE THE WEEKEND despite the snowy circumstances. While we we spent a total of only 10 hours outdoors over the three-day weekend, we had an amazing time. At least, I did. We relaxed and enjoyed board games like Boggle and Scattergories, in addition to Settlers, my favorite board game of all time. It was good times had by all, with fantastic fellowship through wordsmithery and trading sheep for brick (if you’ve never played Boggle or Settlers, I am certain you are not familiar with either of those activities). So, yeah, as much as we would have liked spending the days hiking in the hills, we spent the majority of our time indoors, and we loved it (well, I did).

Of course, I would be remiss if I did not mention the time we were able to spend in nature. Saturday, we got a chance to stand in the snow and snap some pics as well as check out Yosemite falls (from a distance); and while I was fine, my buddies and wife also received a dose of indigestion from the park’s pizza parlor. Sunday, we hiked through the drizzle and mud to the swinging bridge, which as you may have guessed, a bridge that swings with the wind. It was only about 13 feet off the water, but given the temperature of the river below, the bridge still felt mildly precarious–and by precarious, I mean loads of fun. I ran across it and stood right in the center for pics as well. I look forward to re-visiting the bridge once again in the future. So, despite the wrath of the winds and rage of the rain, we succeeded in enjoying the majesty of yon preserve. Plus, check out this mountain (pictured below). Awesome.

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So yeah, good stuff indoors. Adventures outdoors. Fun for all, all the time. Excellent.

So, my wife and I inherited a BBQ in 2006; and last Wednesday, May 28, 2008 (yes, that’s right 2 years after the fact), I used the grill for the first time. The development of this initial use was long-coming and somewhat embarrassing for me. Here’s a brief timeline of the events leading up to my use of the fabled cooking platform:

Late 1980s-Mid 1990s: A Young C.J. enjoys grilled food prepared by his father. Believes grilled meat to be both delicious…and nice.

Mid 1990s: A newly teenage C.J. reads the story of a man catching aflame in a magazine. The boy develops an unrealistic fear of gas, propane, and propane accessories.

Early 2000s: A young adult C.J. continues to enjoy grilled food. His peers begin to take grill duties in their own homes. Unreasonable fear still lingers and C.J. fails to step up to the plate at his own home and does not learn the grilling arts. Still collects toys and remains a sad specimen of manhood that is due all mockery he receives.

Spring 2006: C.J. is asked to take over grill at his former dorm’s brother-sister-floor BBQ at Biola University. C.J. burns Teriyaki chicken, feels like a real Turd Ferguson (i.e “idiot”, “goober”, “Ponce”{British term also meaning “wanker”]).

Summer 2006: C.J. and wife, Jamie, inherit High-quality Propane grill. C.J. fears his own incompetence will lead to explosion, self-cremation, third-degree burns, or bad food. Grill sits on lonely porch, awaiting use.

June 2007: C.J.’s Father, Fritz “Grillmaster and Warrior of the Fabled Flame” visits C.J. and Jamie’s apartment. Sees good grill going to waste. Inspects grill, purchases tools for cleansing it. Replaces propane tank and ensures grill is usable once cleaned. C.J. cleans grill but, seeing new propane attached, fears larger explosion than previously expected and steers clear of grill. Nonetheless, C.J. is encouraged by the confidence of his wife, mother, and father.

Summer 2007: C.J. is too lazy to grill, plus fears destroying his apartment complex. four other families in complex grill regularly, and the savory scent of hickory smoke and marinade taunts C.J. like a goblin on the wind. Jamie encourages use of grill. C.J. remains both lazy and afraid.

Spring 2008: After discussing a possible cross-country move in several years with Jamie, C.J. decides that he must embrace the Southern California climate before leaving it in the future. Beach trips discussed, and decision to use grill made.

May 20, 2008: C.J. and Jamie decide that they shall use the grill the following week.

May 28, 2008: C.J. prays and turns on the grill. No explosion occurs. Burgers and Hot Dogs are place over a hot flame. No burning occurs. Jamie takes pics. Meat cooks and is served. Jamie finds it delicious though C.J. criticizes the dryness of the burgers. Food still enjoyed. C.J. develops healthy respect and relationship to grill, henceforth known as the “Flame of Udun” (pronounced “OO-DOOHN”), named for the Balrog of Morgoth which Gandalf the Grey battled at the Bridge at Khazad-Duhn in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. C.J. cleans the Flame of Udun and looks forward to next grilling experience.

June 3, 2008: C.J. types of Grill post for publication on Stunk’s Stage on June 8, 2008.

June 8, 2008: Post goes up. Readers enjoy. Commentors post. Smile as seen in picture comes to C.J.’s face once again. Life is good.

(from the back of the log to the front, Me, Jamie, Uncle Kerry, and Aunt Cheryl)

First and foremost, I apologize for the lateness of getting this out to the world. These events transpired on the weekend of May 9-11, well into that week from the 12-14. I just have not gotten around to it…because I am a derelict.

A few weekends ago, my wife’s aunt and uncle paid us a visit for a few days of fantastic fun and fellowship including hours of adventure in Disneyland, Medieval Times, and Universal Studios. The weekend started with the arrival of our guests on Friday Night, which we spent just talking, catching up, and eating delicious Greek Tacos prepared by my beautiful wife.

Saturday was spent at Universal Studios, Hollywood; and it ruled despite overcast weather. The day began with a blessed treat from the Lord himself, as we serendipitously walked passed the great director Christopher Nolan, known for his talents on Memento and Batman Begins. Looking back on the event, I was pleased in the moment but then utterly furious at myself for failing to stop and say hello and actually speak with him. I need to get over being a cowardly snood and step up next time–just walking past a celebrity isn’t nearly as interesting as talking to one. Needless to say, however, the moment made me optimistic about the day, and my hopes were met with a time as good as I had expected. We rode several attractions–including the amazing T2: 3-D, The Mummy Ride (an indoor roller coaster which moved not only forward but backward as well), and we even took the studio tour on the backlot. Plus, we saw several shows, one of which was Waterworld, stunt-play that took place in an enormous amphitheater (pictured) and involved an excellent cast of actors driving jet skies, diving from high ledges, and soaking the audience–all of which ruled and even inspired my wife and I to pick up the flic and give it another chance.

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Another highlight of the day was the progression of going on Jurassic Park: The Ride at the park, then watching Jurassic park III when we arrived home. It was an excellent day overall, and I look forward to my next visit to the studio–hopefully it will be as a writer, pitching a script–most likely, it will still be as a tourist. [NOTE: I should point out that we sent prior to the big backlot fire that happened recently, and we were able to show our relatives the Famed King Kong attractions and New York Street sets that are now lost to the ages.]

Sunday was also excellent, as we took to Disneyland and California Adventure, both of which offered fantastic rides like “Soarin’ Over California”, “California Screaming”, “Pirates of the Caribbean”, and my personal favorite Star Tours. We ended our time in the park after getting soaked on “Splash Mountain” and watching a parade (pictured).

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The day was also exceptionally fun; and after a time of reflection, I gotta admit that I just love Disneyland. Sure, it is a loud and garish and surely unbearable to some people, but I really like it. I feel lighthearted and carefree while I’m there. It’s just a fun place that celebrates adventure and make-believe, and I dig being there. Maybe I’ve just been brainwashed into the system, but I like it. Sunday night we had exceptional Chicken Garlic Pizza from Roundtable Pizza, and it was absolutely delicious. So, yeah, Sunday=Excellence.

Monday, my wife and I returned to work whilst the relatives enjoyed another day at Universal. That night, we then reconvened to enjoy a night at Medeival Times for a wonderful show of knightly prowess, including stunt-fighting and horse-riding. It was a great deal of fun featuring excellent food (that you had to eat with your hands, which was awesome) and entertainment galore. As great as the show was itself, however, one of the funniest aspects of the evening was watching three drunken nerds spend about a hundred dollars buying shots for a gaggle of girls in our area of the stadium. Seriously, they probably bought four-five rounds for themselves and the dozen chicks, making for a hefty bar tab; and their complete lack of game made such a sacrifice contrastingly hilarious and tragic. Nonetheless, it was an additional part of the evening’s fun that I will always remember. [NOTE: Medieval Times does not supply their own drunken goofs, so I cannot guarantee that you, too, will enjoy such tomfoolery should you choose to check out the show.].

Tuesday and Wednesday were similar to Monday in that our work schedule kept my wife and I occupied during the day, whilst our relations enjoyed two more days at Disney. In the evenings, we would meet them in the park and enjoy a few attractions before grabbing a bite and calling it for the evening. We ate well, enjoyed fellowship, checked out some fun souvenirs and rode rides aplenty. It was an absolutely fantastic visit that will be sure to go down in the halls of fabled family visits! Thanks to Kerry and Cheryl for coming to see us. Special thanks also to my wife, Jamie, who is such a good host it makes up for my being a loud-mouthed briggand. And thanks to the Lord for the blessings of family, fellowship, and consumer-based fun in Southern California. Good Stuff to kick off the Summer Season!!!

(Me and Jam at Universal…)

May 1, 2008, was a major release day for Summer movie toys; and yours truly was on the front lines, fighting the good fight against other collectors to grab up the newest figures from Hollywood’s latest merchandising mammoths. I hit up toy stores for the latest goodies on the 1st, the 3rd, and the 4th; and I landed a few fantastic additions to my collection!!! Below are the top 7 figures I was able to acquire, and they are powerful indeed:

7) Movie Masters The Dark Knight Joker – Honestly, the only reason I am stoked on this figure is because he WILL be the most difficult to find on shelves this summer, and I landed him…but he’s not the best figure I’ve ever seen, and I’m still not sure if The Dark Kight is gonna be amazing, especially given how amazing Iron Man was.

6) The Ugha Warrior from The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I have no idea who the Ugha Warrriors are, but I bought this figure for an Apocalypto Custom because I loved Apocalypto, and I totally wanted a custom of Jaguar Paw - South America’s Rambo. So this figure ranks pretty low since I don’t even want him for him.

5) Old Indy with rocket launcher from The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - I Bought this figure just cause I thought he looked fantastic, had great accessories, and I wanted at least ONE Indy without a hat. I haven’t bought any of the other Hasbro Indy’s yet—like the iconic one in the jacket and hat–since they have at least another two coming out ( from Last Crusade and Temple of Doom), and I want to see ALL the versions available before choosing one. For now, this Indy looks unique, and I just dug him as a surly old man with a rocket launcher. NICE!

4) The Cemetery Warrior from The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull cause he looked like a hobo gypsy with a skull mask, and I am down with that. Plus, I can basically put him in any display—whether he’s leading G.I. Joes through the tundra wilderness, serving as a witch doctor to the Tusken Raiders in Star Wars, or acting as a Pirate lord in the Caribbean.

3) Movie Masters The Dark Knight Joker’s Goon - Regardless of whether or not I like the new Dark Knight film, this is a fantastic addition to the legion of Joker’s henchmen (which in my collection also include the Legendary heroes Clown superhero figure and Mcfarlane’s Clown from Akira), and I am happy to have him in the mix.

2) Sallah from Raiders of the Lost Ark, because he is a wonderful friend in the film and a beloved character from the series…he is also the master of beards.

1) Movie Masters Batman from The Dark Knight. Even if this summer’s The Dark Knight turns out to be the absolute worst film in all of superherodom, even if it is this year’s Catwoman, even if it makes me literally furious and I throw my shoe at the screen, THIS BATMAN FIGURE RULES. I love the redesigned suit for the film, it truly feels like stealthy ninja armor, and this figure is a stellar, ultra-detailed version of it. I really, really love this Batman, and so far it is the best figure I’ve picked up this season!

I also scored Indy and the Lost Ark from Raiders of the Lost Ark, which I bought because (a) I love that toy of the Ark—it’s Frakkin’ Fantastic; and (b) Indy in undercover garb is a cool version of the character. Really it was a spur-of-the-moment, saw-it-on-the-shelf and fell-for-it purchase, nothing driving it, really. It’s a cool deluxe set. I also had success with some fantastic older figures I had been looking for, including A Star Wars Tri-Droid, Battlestar Galactica Mark VII, Unleashed Mace Windu Clonetroopers, and Unleashed StormTroopers. Plus, yesterday I also picked up Clone Commander Neyo, and the G.I. joe Crimson officer 3-pack. Christmas appears to have come early!

You ever been at the confounded Laundrymat, and the level of inconsiderate, rude behavior almost leads you into a tirade of tomfoolery the likes of which will shame you for fortnights to come? Well, if not, you are blessed, because being in that situation is truly aggravating.

Here’s the scenario. My wife and I are doing Laundry; and upon arrival, we find two young ladies, one small and one large, folding their laundry near the dryer. Okay, no problem. We put our clothes in the washer and wait for the cycle to be completed until we need dryers. Our clothes finish, and we go to the dryers, but the girls are blocking the way down the aisle to the bulk of the empty machines. Rather than ask to get by them and try to squeeze past, my wife and I decide to be kind and simply use the dryers at the end of the row, so as not to disturb these young ladies folding their clothes. I even smiled at them to show our coming in peace.

We placed our first few loads of laundry into open dryers, using ALL the available dryers at the aisle’s end. There are other empty ones in the middle of the aisle, but these girls are blocking them–as well as taking up half of the folding-table space, so that we can’t fold our lcothes once they dry. Our final load in the washing machine finishes its cycle, and I needed to put it into a dryer. As I am beginning my thought process into HOW to get to those empty machines in the middle of the aisle without being a nuisance, I see on of the girls empty dry clothes out of a dryer near the end of the aisle, opening up said machine for my wife and me. Great.

However, the wheels in my head turned a bit further, and I realized something. These girls, who are blocking the bulk of the machines AND taking up half the folding table space, are ALSO LEAVING THE CLOTHES THAT HAVE FINISHED DRYING IN THE DRYERS. They just left them in, dry and ready to be folded, until they were done folding their current load. THEY DID THIS WITH FOUR DRYERS. FOUR!

Yes, I could have said, “Excuse me, can we use these other dryers now that you’re done?” Sure. Or I could have asked to pass them. But had I done the former, and they said “No”, it would have resulted in me playing the fat card and ruining the large one’s life–cause she wasn’t just chunky, she looked like she enjoyed chili-cheese dogs by the dozen…for breakfast…after eating enough waffles to feed a Belgian orphanage. So, had I played the fat card, it would have been an Ace-of-Spades-sized throwdown, we’re not talking a 2-of-clubs, here. Anyway, so that’s why I didn’t do the first, the reason I didn’t do the second is that it would have been nigh impossible to get by them–they were just blocking the way, so had asking actually yielded a “yes”, it would have been a ridiculous venture in futility to get by them…even a small child running through the launrdymat did not dare attmepting to get past these two space-hogs.

So, instead, I took the machine they had just opened and placed half of our remaining clothes into it. Then we waited…for eight minutes, with our damp clothes, for these girls to get their ALREADY DRIED CLOTHES out of a dryer that we could actually reach. Granted, eight minutes is nothing in the expanse of eternity, but it’s the principal of KNOWING that we needed the machine and not having the decency to empty it. Not only were they taking up so much folding space that only ONE other person was using the folding table, nor did they simply leave their dry clothes IN the dryers. Those two things would ahve been bad enough. No, the third strike lay in the fact that THEY LEFT THEIR FINISHED CLOTHES IN THE DRYER KNOWING FULL WELL THAT OTHERS NEEDED IT. Ugh, just thinking about it incenses me. I’m serious. It’s just so aggravating that people can be so obviously inconsiderate and not care. Come to think about it, perhaps I should have just chanced them pissing me off. Maybe they needed to hear the fury that is my tongue, I even had a doozy in the queue waiting for them. Then again, maybe, even now, two days later, I’m still overreacting to a situation I could have easily corrected by simply asking them to move…just thinking back on it, I probably have no real reason to be upset…who knows.