It must be summer... if there's a new Batman movie coming out. Since 1989, a good summer has been defined by its Batman movie. And maybe a good dinosaur movie. But we don't have a good dinosaur movie this year. This is the year of The Dark Knight.
John and I met at the Arena Grand Theater at 10:30 for drinks in the upstairs lounge. Interestingly, there was a full moon that night, which may or may not have played a part in bringing out all the crazies. At any rate, we admired all the colorful fanboys and fangirls in the lobby standing in line for popcorn and soda. Soon we were joined by Matt and Acacia, then Dan, then Toph and Jill. Then my brothers made their dramatic entrance, with their bicycling gear in full effect. I think it's safe to say that a good time was had by all, even if we didn't get quite what we expected.
Unfortunately, I seriously mismanaged my caffeine intake, foolishly choosing to drink a small Pepsi at midnight so I wouldn't get sleepy during the course of the next 2 1/2 hours. I should have known better. There was no need for artificial stimulants of any kind, as I was utterly rapt with the movie. Indeed, a caffeine-induced brainstorm of trying to figure out what might happen in Batman 3 kept me up until well past four in the morning. Ugh.
So how was it? Fantastic. Not perfect, but a worthy sequel. I won't attempt to retread over some very astute reviews that other critics have written. But I will tell you they're all true.
Internet buzz indicates that Catwoman, Penguin, and Robin will NOT appear in the next movie. My bet is on the Riddler, who will be introduced as a kind of CSI genius hired by the Gotham Police in order to trap and reign in the fugitive vigilante Batman.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Run through the fields and houses...
It's been three days and I figure I better write a wrap-up post before this year's fest slips too far into the past. Before I do, I would like to take a moment and say a big thank-you to toph and Jill for letting me crash in their guest room all weekend. There's only one weekend of the year where I miss my old apartment and this is it, but the blow was greatly softened by still having a place to crash in the neighborhood. Many thanks.
With that, here's my fond remembrance of Comfest 2008.
Friday
I rose early and packed up my bags. My intention was to complete that task Thursday night, but, as they say, the best laid plans...
Got everything packed up and had just enough time to go hunting for new sunglasses before I had to be at the Phoenix for the panel. Swung by Speedway on 5th (hoping to also obtain a new butane lighter) and grabbed sunglasses. Alas, no lighters anymore at Speedway.
Post-panel, I text toph telling him I'll be on time and post the picture I snapped earlier of my gear all ready to go. Zip home and am home less than 3 minutes when toph pulls up out front. We head to his house, carrying in only the items that will not be making the trip into the park and toph, Jill, and I head to Mac's for the annual kick-off lunch.
After lunch, Jill heads home and toph and I head out into the park. We
quickly procure mugs, koozies, and beer and begin to wander the fest. We saunter down Park to Goodale then follow the interior road up to the main stage. We watch a little of that band and then decide it's Johngarita time. As we begin to walk away we run smack into the Jones boys.
After our visit with the Bros. Jones, we head back to toph & Jill's. We forgot ice and have to run to Giant Eagle to get some. I successfully complete my quest for a new lighter. Nibo triple torch. $10.99. Perfect.
We zip home and I begin the first mixing of the weekend while toph fills bag after bag with ice. Packed up and ready to go, we (along with Jill) head out to the park. We land, as always, at the Gazebo and settle into our chairs. Jared's already there and he and I do a little post-morteming of Brooklyn Boy as I kick back with my Johngarita and my first cigar of the fest.
Comfest-time kicks in and the afternoon blurs quickly into the evening. Lots of folks come and go. At one point, I give Jared some Johngarita. I don't see him again until Sunday.
By the end of the night it's just me, toph, Lauren, and DrunkBrant(tm). We head back to toph and Jill's where we begin to rehydrate. After some water, Brant and Lauren head out and toph and I call it a day.
Saturday
I wake up in desperate need of more water. For an hour, that's all I drink. Very dry.
We partake in the delightful quiche Jill has made for breakfast and then head to the liquor store and Giant Eagle in Grandview because we need:
We are there 2.5 hours before the rain comes. And come it does. For an hour. Very wet. Sometime around 5 lightning starts to appear in the sky and they close the stage. We pack it in and head back to toph's. Very sad.
We all change and begin to dry out. The Johngaritas continue to flow. We order pizza. We blog. They pop in Firefly but as I haven't seen it before and there is much socializing going on while it plays, I decide to pass. I blog a little and then text with Dan for a while. He has finally arrived and is wandering around the mudpit waiting for us to come back. I pretty much imply that unless he actually comes over it seems very unlikely that I will be able to motivate the group back into the park. So he stops by and together we successfully push for a return to the park.
After kicking everyone into gear (apparently a little too quickly... we find out later from Jill via phone that we left the place a total mess and she is not happy), we walk back up. Straw and mud, but we find a place in the general vicinity of our stomping grounds and set up camp for the night. We drink, smoke lots of cigars, and generally chill. The rain took a lot out of us and thus Saturday night ends up being a lot more like a typical Sunday. Johngarita consumption is way down. (We end up with a bottle and a half left over for Sunday.)
toph heads home to clean-up before Jill gets back and Dan and I stick around to finish off the JFR's we started. We end up being some of the last revelers in the park once again. Dan heads south to his car and I head north back to toph's.
I help out with a little clean-up, fill my mug with ice water out of the cooler, and head to bed.
Sunday
After chowing down on Jill's tasty french toast bake, toph runs out for ice and additional PowerAde bottles and I begin mixing Blue Hawaiians. Preparations complete, we gear up and head out.
We set-up camp close to where we were the night before and settle in for a relaxing Sunday afternoon. We wait out a half hour of rain mid-afternoon, but this shower doesn't hold a candle to Saturday's downpour and we quickly dry out in the returning sun.
We wander the fest a little, partake in additional Comfest traditions (turkey legs, mmmmm), and sit around bullshitting. Despite the rain, it ends up being a beautiful Sunday at Comfest. We drink Blue Hawaiians and all is right with the world.
As the day slips to dusk, a slight melancholy descends over our revelry. However, I am all too familiar with the end-of-fest blues and refuse to let it bring me down this year. Reflection can be saved for the next 363 days, I'm determined to savor the last few hours of my favorite weekend of the year.
The light fades in the western sky and we say our goodbyes.
Jason gives me a lift home where I promptly throw 2 days worth of wet, muddy clothing in the washer to be laundered, then head upstairs to launder myself.
I catch up a little on everything I've missed in the world for 3 days and drink lots of water.
This year I smartly took Monday off, so I have a full day to recover. Eventually I head to bed and quickly fall into a deep, restful sleep, officially closing my eyes on Comfest 2008.
-----
Only 359 days to go. See you soon.
With that, here's my fond remembrance of Comfest 2008.
Friday
I rose early and packed up my bags. My intention was to complete that task Thursday night, but, as they say, the best laid plans...
Got everything packed up and had just enough time to go hunting for new sunglasses before I had to be at the Phoenix for the panel. Swung by Speedway on 5th (hoping to also obtain a new butane lighter) and grabbed sunglasses. Alas, no lighters anymore at Speedway.
Post-panel, I text toph telling him I'll be on time and post the picture I snapped earlier of my gear all ready to go. Zip home and am home less than 3 minutes when toph pulls up out front. We head to his house, carrying in only the items that will not be making the trip into the park and toph, Jill, and I head to Mac's for the annual kick-off lunch.
After lunch, Jill heads home and toph and I head out into the park. We
quickly procure mugs, koozies, and beer and begin to wander the fest. We saunter down Park to Goodale then follow the interior road up to the main stage. We watch a little of that band and then decide it's Johngarita time. As we begin to walk away we run smack into the Jones boys.
After our visit with the Bros. Jones, we head back to toph & Jill's. We forgot ice and have to run to Giant Eagle to get some. I successfully complete my quest for a new lighter. Nibo triple torch. $10.99. Perfect.
We zip home and I begin the first mixing of the weekend while toph fills bag after bag with ice. Packed up and ready to go, we (along with Jill) head out to the park. We land, as always, at the Gazebo and settle into our chairs. Jared's already there and he and I do a little post-morteming of Brooklyn Boy as I kick back with my Johngarita and my first cigar of the fest.
Comfest-time kicks in and the afternoon blurs quickly into the evening. Lots of folks come and go. At one point, I give Jared some Johngarita. I don't see him again until Sunday.
By the end of the night it's just me, toph, Lauren, and DrunkBrant(tm). We head back to toph and Jill's where we begin to rehydrate. After some water, Brant and Lauren head out and toph and I call it a day.
Saturday
I wake up in desperate need of more water. For an hour, that's all I drink. Very dry.
We partake in the delightful quiche Jill has made for breakfast and then head to the liquor store and Giant Eagle in Grandview because we need:
- more Cabo (unbelievably)
- more lime juice (to go with the additional Cabo)
- more ice (go figure)
- butane
We are there 2.5 hours before the rain comes. And come it does. For an hour. Very wet. Sometime around 5 lightning starts to appear in the sky and they close the stage. We pack it in and head back to toph's. Very sad.
We all change and begin to dry out. The Johngaritas continue to flow. We order pizza. We blog. They pop in Firefly but as I haven't seen it before and there is much socializing going on while it plays, I decide to pass. I blog a little and then text with Dan for a while. He has finally arrived and is wandering around the mudpit waiting for us to come back. I pretty much imply that unless he actually comes over it seems very unlikely that I will be able to motivate the group back into the park. So he stops by and together we successfully push for a return to the park.
After kicking everyone into gear (apparently a little too quickly... we find out later from Jill via phone that we left the place a total mess and she is not happy), we walk back up. Straw and mud, but we find a place in the general vicinity of our stomping grounds and set up camp for the night. We drink, smoke lots of cigars, and generally chill. The rain took a lot out of us and thus Saturday night ends up being a lot more like a typical Sunday. Johngarita consumption is way down. (We end up with a bottle and a half left over for Sunday.)
toph heads home to clean-up before Jill gets back and Dan and I stick around to finish off the JFR's we started. We end up being some of the last revelers in the park once again. Dan heads south to his car and I head north back to toph's.
I help out with a little clean-up, fill my mug with ice water out of the cooler, and head to bed.
Sunday
After chowing down on Jill's tasty french toast bake, toph runs out for ice and additional PowerAde bottles and I begin mixing Blue Hawaiians. Preparations complete, we gear up and head out.
We set-up camp close to where we were the night before and settle in for a relaxing Sunday afternoon. We wait out a half hour of rain mid-afternoon, but this shower doesn't hold a candle to Saturday's downpour and we quickly dry out in the returning sun.
We wander the fest a little, partake in additional Comfest traditions (turkey legs, mmmmm), and sit around bullshitting. Despite the rain, it ends up being a beautiful Sunday at Comfest. We drink Blue Hawaiians and all is right with the world.
As the day slips to dusk, a slight melancholy descends over our revelry. However, I am all too familiar with the end-of-fest blues and refuse to let it bring me down this year. Reflection can be saved for the next 363 days, I'm determined to savor the last few hours of my favorite weekend of the year.
The light fades in the western sky and we say our goodbyes.
Jason gives me a lift home where I promptly throw 2 days worth of wet, muddy clothing in the washer to be laundered, then head upstairs to launder myself.
I catch up a little on everything I've missed in the world for 3 days and drink lots of water.
This year I smartly took Monday off, so I have a full day to recover. Eventually I head to bed and quickly fall into a deep, restful sleep, officially closing my eyes on Comfest 2008.
-----
Only 359 days to go. See you soon.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Great friggin weekend (as always). Did my summary entry on my Blog. Check it out if you wish, and see ya'll next year!
-Jared
-Jared
Monday, June 30, 2008
Drunk Brant speaks
As reported previously, Drunk Brant made a long-awaited appearance at Comfest Friday night. Normally, he's a barrel of laughs and is prone to coining profoundly weird nuggets of wisdom ("It's like, every step is a discovery!"). Unfortunately for all concerned, I don't think Toph and John got what they were expecting.
It seems that Drunk Brant, also known as White Trash Brant, doesn't like to have his manhood called into question. So when Drunk Brant is in the middle of drinking a respectably masculine Columbus Pale Ale and gets called a "pansy" because he refuses to drink a bright blue margarita, tempers flare.
Anyway, I feel bad now for losing my temper. And I want to take this opportunity to apologize to my good buddy Topher for shoving him and making him spill his drink. That was wrong, and I'm extremely grateful that cooler heads and the mellow vibe of Comfest prevailed in the wake of such an outburst.
However, if Drunk Brant should ever meet Drunk Dave, I can't be held responsible for the fisticuffs that might ensue ;-)
Sunday, June 29, 2008
One Last Game
To recuperate he played a 7 year old (Blaze) and feels much better!
The Last Band of ComFest...
composed.. at the same time, it's the last band of ComFest, and that
makes me sad...
The group has dwindled to John, me, Ben, Tara, Jason, and Gabrielle
(and the guy Jason is playing Chess with...)
The sun is low in the sky, groups are slowly packing up and heading
out. Soon it will just be another Sunday night, the park will be
empty (except for the army of volunteers who will stay through the
night to return the park to the best possible shape.... again, a
salute to these dedicated Souls!)
It's always a little sad to realize it will be a full year until the
next ComFest, and a little exciting to find put what happens in the
coming year.
some things remain the same..
and wander away, but still Jason plays chess.
It's good to have some constants on which you can depend!
By the brown, muddy, yellow straw grass...
little closer. (for those who were here last night, we're on the other
side of the little tree.)
Comfest 2008 Day 2 Endcap - I can see clearly now...
A morning of Day 3 look back at Day 2:
- While the rain that hit us was not at the level of Hurricane Comfest, that actually worked against us. Because we kept thinking we could wait it out. Not good.
- My prediction for Day 3 is that the park will be worse than the post-HC Sunday. It was a muddy, muddy mess last night.
- After finally making it back out, we actually had quite an enjoyable Saturday evening.
- If Dan had not actually come over to Toph's we probably would not have made it back out. So thanks, Dan.
Day 2 facts:
- last revelers: John and Dan
- total Cabo Wabo consumption: 3 bottles (with 1 other bottle already mixed in)
- Corn dogs: 0 (much sadness)
- Random Comfest Reunions: 1 (Mr. Kevin Ford Carty)
- While the rain that hit us was not at the level of Hurricane Comfest, that actually worked against us. Because we kept thinking we could wait it out. Not good.
- My prediction for Day 3 is that the park will be worse than the post-HC Sunday. It was a muddy, muddy mess last night.
- After finally making it back out, we actually had quite an enjoyable Saturday evening.
- If Dan had not actually come over to Toph's we probably would not have made it back out. So thanks, Dan.
Day 2 facts:
- last revelers: John and Dan
- total Cabo Wabo consumption: 3 bottles (with 1 other bottle already mixed in)
- Corn dogs: 0 (much sadness)
- Random Comfest Reunions: 1 (Mr. Kevin Ford Carty)
Home again, Home again, Jiggeddy Jog
Brad and Liz joined us for a little while down at the mudpit. We chatted for a bit, apparently the Johngarita was a touch strong for them... <grin>
traipsed home and cleaned up a bit (before Jill gets home from taking her sister out for Su's birthday). John rolled in just about the time I was done mopping and cleaning and tracked in new mud ( which he cleaned up, and caught the fact that I had missed the bathroom floor,
so he made up for it in the end)
Now John is surfing in the kitchen and I'm waiting for the washer to be done so I can put Jason's blanket in the dryer (again -- oh no, don't use the icky plastic tarp, let's get the blanket you just washed all muddy again! <sigh>)
A very successful day, in my book... got wet, got dry, got "warm and Fuzzy", got the house straightened up before Jill got home... Only sad part is that there's only one day left... If I didn't have all of next week off, I'd be very unhappy indeed!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Rain, rain, go away...
And then the heavens opened up. (And yes, there was much "I wish I could do that".)
Shortly after this picture, it poured rain. There are three categories to describe the states that resulted:
Dry:
Anya
Mostly Dry:
Tara
Uber-Wet:
Ben
John
Jason
Gabrielle
toph
OK, I lied, there's a fourth:
Whole new meaning to the word DRENCHED:
Seth
Seth, however, gamely continued to eat his ribs despite the downpour.
We lasted an hour. A full hour of getting rained on. When they closed the Gazebo stage we gave up. We packed up and tore out of the park, which mostly resembles a large puddle.
So now we are back at Casa de Toph y Jill attempting to dry out and waiting on pizza delivery. That should be REAL quick. Toph says they're quoting an hour. We'll see.
Comfest foul!
of the weekend and steps on Toph's cigar. Poor Toph!
Kevin Carty has the coolest job!
Kevin has paid his dues in theater over the past two+ decades, has his degree in theater with a minor in music. Of the guys who deserve to succeed, Kevin is right at the top of the list.
Well done Kevin, way to persevere man!
Advertising Works!
queue of players...
I'm so happy that Jason has found Chess players!
Chess Anyone?
eluding us... if you can figure out what he's currently focused on it
sure would be nice <grin>
He's very proud of his ingenuity... we're very proud that he's found
an outlet for his ADHD...
The First Sniff of Day 2
now it's time to mix again!!!
yeah, that's right, we're going to do it all over again!
[John seems to have added a Sesame Street "Count" counting laugh to
his routine... will this make the Johngaritas better? It remains to
be seen. Is it funny as hell to see a grown man impersonate The Count
while measuring tequila? I'd say so!]
Comfest 2008 Day 1 Endcap - Happiness is all the rage...
So as I rise and rehydrate on Day 2, I spend a few minutes looking back on Day 1 and realizing that we did not post at all between 6:52 pm and 12:53 am.
So here's a brief attempt to fill in some of those missing hours:
- After visiting with Kristina, I decided it was time for my first corn dogs of the weekend. Dan has a rather suggestive picture of it, I believe.
- Ben and Tara and Anya showed up and hung out for a few hours. Ben and Tara regaled us with stories of their trip to Thailand.
- We were plowing through Johngaritas at that point. By 8:45 our intial four PowerAde bottles were empty and we headed back to toph's to mix more.
- There was much debate about the Comfest ending time.
- toph talked his neighbors into joining us as we headed back.
- Dave showed up and disappeared. And showed up. And disappeared. And showed up. And disappeared. Rinse and repeat.
- Brant must have not had a good night at work because he was back rather early. As mentioned in last night's posts, Drunk Brant did indeed come out to play. Good times.
Day 1 facts:
- last revelers: toph, John, Brant, and Lauren.
- total Cabo Wabo consumption: 4 bottles (?!?!)
- Corn dogs: 2
- Random Comfest Reunions: 0 (how'd that happen?)
Here are a couple of dark and grainy pictures from late last night.
Dan and Tara at base camp.
Anya and Ben relaxing at base camp.
So here's a brief attempt to fill in some of those missing hours:
- After visiting with Kristina, I decided it was time for my first corn dogs of the weekend. Dan has a rather suggestive picture of it, I believe.
- Ben and Tara and Anya showed up and hung out for a few hours. Ben and Tara regaled us with stories of their trip to Thailand.
- We were plowing through Johngaritas at that point. By 8:45 our intial four PowerAde bottles were empty and we headed back to toph's to mix more.
- There was much debate about the Comfest ending time.
- toph talked his neighbors into joining us as we headed back.
- Dave showed up and disappeared. And showed up. And disappeared. And showed up. And disappeared. Rinse and repeat.
- Brant must have not had a good night at work because he was back rather early. As mentioned in last night's posts, Drunk Brant did indeed come out to play. Good times.
Day 1 facts:
- last revelers: toph, John, Brant, and Lauren.
- total Cabo Wabo consumption: 4 bottles (?!?!)
- Corn dogs: 2
- Random Comfest Reunions: 0 (how'd that happen?)
Here are a couple of dark and grainy pictures from late last night.
Dan and Tara at base camp.
Anya and Ben relaxing at base camp.
Comfest 2008: Day Two Begins
John's upstairs making noise as he gets ready; I've showered and shaved (because it itches if you don't), rubbed some vitamin E on my very mild sunburn, cleaned up two posts where the picture got messed up somehow, made the coffee, and now I'm ready to head out to get more tequila, lime, blue curacao, and ice. Jill has prepared a tasty looking quiche that is currently cooking away and has bacon ready for our glorious return after the foraging.
Outside is just gross... the humidity is really high, the sky is a bleak and dreary gray, there's almost nothing moving outside at all right now. It really is the calm before the storm (both literally and figuratively)
ComFest day one was exciting and interesting -- the injuries we sustained were not of the permanent sort, the music was excellent, the cigars were wonderful, the company was beyond compare, and I've been told I finally got to meet drunk Brant (though if that's all there was to it, I have no idea why I waited so long... seemed more like "warm and fuzzy" Brant to me, but...) Later in the evening, after I'd determined that iPhones don't take good pictures in the dark, Karl Christopher showed up and hung out with us for a bit, and when John and I came back to make the second pitcher for the day we picked up our neighbors across the alley (Liz, Brad, Jeremy, and Boogs) and they came down to meet everyone as well... They stayed till the music was over; Brant, Dan, John, Ellen, and I stayed down there for another hour or so until the cleanup crews started to look more than mildly distressed by our presence.
Four bottles of Cabo consumed; that's right folks, four... and we all still seem to be standing (though we haven't seen Jason yet, Gabrielle took him home last night and promised to return him for the 11:00 breakfast...)
Time to wipe the final sleep from my eyes and face the brave new day... Much more ComFesting to do!
Outside is just gross... the humidity is really high, the sky is a bleak and dreary gray, there's almost nothing moving outside at all right now. It really is the calm before the storm (both literally and figuratively
ComFest day one was exciting and interesting -- the injuries we sustained were not of the permanent sort, the music was excellent, the cigars were wonderful, the company was beyond compare, and I've been told I finally got to meet drunk Brant (though if that's all there was to it, I have no idea why I waited so long... seemed more like "warm and fuzzy" Brant to me, but...) Later in the evening, after I'd determined that iPhones don't take good pictures in the dark, Karl Christopher showed up and hung out with us for a bit, and when John and I came back to make the second pitcher for the day we picked up our neighbors across the alley (Liz, Brad, Jeremy, and Boogs) and they came down to meet everyone as well... They stayed till the music was over; Brant, Dan, John, Ellen, and I stayed down there for another hour or so until the cleanup crews started to look more than mildly distressed by our presence.
Four bottles of Cabo consumed; that's right folks, four... and we all still seem to be standing (though we haven't seen Jason yet, Gabrielle took him home last night and promised to return him for the 11:00 breakfast...)
Time to wipe the final sleep from my eyes and face the brave new day... Much more ComFesting to do!
Gin Who?
Vodka, then Whiskey, then Tequila, then Rum.
and I asked, where does Gin fit in?
To which she responded:
Gin who?
I leave it there...
Friday, June 27, 2008
A long, long time ago...
Here's Jason shortly after he pounded me 2 games in a row.
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