Giddy Girlie

A friend sent me a link to a site recently that listed the top 100 worst times or places to die (in the men's room at a bus station, after drafting your fake suicide note, etc.) and I had to add my own: Alone in a hotel room in Saint Louis, MO on your 30th birthday.

Yes, that's right. As I prepare for my next work-related trip across the fabulous U.S.and A., I will be in St. Louis by myself on my birthday.

I'm not usually big on birthdays, and seriously a handshake is more than I deserve most years, but it just seems ultra depressing to be in S.L. by myself. SO. What I need from all of you out in Blogsylvania is a list of places to go, things to see. And keep in mind that they need to be places to go/see solo, unless you want to join me (please?). Even though it's a business trip, I won't have unlimited funds so $500 dinners are out -- but maybe you can tell me where a neat place is to walk around and look at things and take pictures?

Posted by giddygirlie at 8:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

I am barely recovering from the craziness that is 150,000 comic book people in one tiny (million square feet) location*. By the time we got home on Sunday night and I flung myself in the bathtub I was so bleary eyed that I barely noticed the shampoo in my eyes and on Monday morning I has full fledged zombie legs that refused to bend.

I am slightly recovered, although I am pretty sure I need a B12 shot or something to get me back to a level above sloth. Like maybe greed. Or envy.

I have a bunch of pictures which I will upload soonish, for your enjoyment. It's nice to know that my Foto Nerd cred is setting in. Miss Bliss came all the way down to San Diego and forgot her camera but knew better than to worry. She even told us how she'd debated turning around 1/2 way there (about 2 hours) but said "nah, Mia will have her camera and take enough pictures for the both of us." Touche.

I had a great time hanging out with Bliss while Ryan did his glad-handing and baby kissing and shameless self-promotion. The only bummer was that all of the people that we intended to see could not be found. All day, it seemed we were 5 minutes behind anyone of interest. Including the whole Gang that night, having drinks at the Hyatt. For those who have never seen it, the Grand Manchester Hyatt in San Diego is THE place to be after Comic Con. There were literally thousands of people there, crowding every available square inch of the bar, lobby, and driveway. There are about 15 or so "core" friends that we tried to meet up with, to no avail. And because of the noise level, no one heard their cell phones ringing. So we didn't meet up with anyone, which was kind of a bummer because there were some cool people that we wanted Bliss to meet. Once again, Comic Con failed us.

Sunday, however, was the complete opposite. Out of the throngs of people, I would suddenly spot someone we knew. And this happened repeatedly. It was weird. And great. I also spent some time at the Image Comics booth with Ryan and chatted for a long time with Jim Valentino (a major player, for those who aren't familiar). I also made friends with Brian Posehn who was promoting his new CD "Nerd Rage" and also his comics. Ryan stole my Tab jokes, but it was ok. At one point, I was yelling "RYAN!" and Brian turned around and looked all scared of me. Mind you, he's about 6'5" and I am 4'10". I said "sorry, wrong guy" and he kind of looked relieved and then had to sit down for a minute. That's right comic nerds! I will yell in your face and scare you shitless!

Driving home took 4 and a half hours for a travel distance of something like 77 miles. SUCK. Lousy Comic Con nerds and also American Idol auditioning people all wanting to drive north at the same time. NEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRDS!! The freeway was a dead-stop, so we took Pacific Coast Highway as much as we could, which was actually very pretty. Except that the highway ends at the marine base (Camp Pendleton) so we had to get back on the 5 freeway and slooooooowly go until we could get back to PCH, which is in San Clemente. Ryan was starving so we stopped at a little diner there which was actually kind of cute. All 50's and movie memorabilia. And a decent grilled cheese sandwich for $8.95.

I am officially Burned Out and need a full week of vacation at a spa in Hawaii to recover. So if you have any free tickets to Hawaii or maybe a few thousand dollars hanging around, send 'em my way ok?

*Pre-registration was limited to 100,000 people. There were more than 25,000 exhibitors and professionals and, according to the registration manager we talked to, about another 20,000 or so more tickets floating around as comps or prizes

Posted by giddygirlie at 11:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

If you need me, I'll be at the comic con for the rest of the week. Don't worry, I'll be safe.

Posted by giddygirlie at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Thank you to Erin for tagging me. Now I have to think of eight things to tell you. Eight. A nice number, because each brain cell that I have gets to tell you a little something! Yay!

Cell one: I am stupidly happy sometimes. Happy about nothing. Happy about things that only make a 4 year old smile. I love the way my cat Monkey smells. I break out in a smile whenever I see the neighbor walking their pug. People who see this, think I am simple.

Cell two: I wear clean underwear everyday. Even if I skip a bath (which is rare), I still change my underpants. I don't know why. And I can't ever wear the same pair 2 days in a row. It is unfortunate that I am incredibly lazy about laundry. I have actually worn a bathing suit because I was out of underwear. Three piece suit with a tankini underneath, the height of class.

Cell three: Jennifer never wears jeans more than once before she washes them again. I wear them until they burst apart. She thinks this is disgusting and points back to the one time in high school when she was desperate and wore jeans for a second time (taking my advice, and also not 2 days in a row - she's good about wardrobe rotating) and while she was at school a pair of dirty underwear AND a sock fell out of the leg of her jeans. She curses me to this day for that. It's MY fault that she dared to wear them out of the hamper.

Cell four: I use one towel for drying my face and hair and a second one for drying my body.

Cell five: One time in high school I ate at this hole-in-the-wall Mexican food place and ordered French fries which must have irritated the cook who deep fried a chicken foot and put it in my fries.

Cell six: I have a following of foot fetishists who read this site and peep at my Flickr photos (hello!) and I don't mind them at all. Maybe I should consider accepting donations toward pedicures. Does that make me shallow?

Cell seven: When I worked as a barista long ago, Corey Feldman ordered a coffee from me and pretended that his name was Lance.

Cell eight: I just bought a whole bunch of necklaces at Claires because they were on sale - SALE - and I haven't worn any of them. I always do that stuff. Buy things and then they sit in the bag for a month. And then I cry when I don't have money.

Posted by giddygirlie at 9:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

This year, there will be a record number of Comic Con newbies in our group, so I wanted to share my observations and recommendations.

Wear comfortable shoes. This seems like a stupid thing to say, but really, it's true. Don't try to break in new shoes or wear breakable shoes for that matter (i.e. cheap rubber flip flops). The venue is more than 1 million square feet and even if you don't plan to attend every panel discussion or far-flung booth, you WILL walk a lot. Also factor in "street walking" from where ever you can find parking to the convention center itself. Because of the developments in the area in the past couple of years, parking lots are fewer and farther between, so expect to walk about a mile from parking lot to convention center (and back, of course).

Bring a lot of money. Again, not rocket science. But remember, since this is kind of a "destination" trip everything is more expensive. Parking your car will cost between $15-$30, depending on where you can find a space. If you take public transportation to/from your parking spot, there is a cost for that also. [note: take advantage of the Comic-Con shuttle, see below] Food in and near the convention center is extra expensive (think $3 cans of soda, $5 pretzels, etc.) but if you're willing to walk up the street a bit into the Gaslamp District, there are a lot of restaurants (from fast food to upscale) so you at least have more of a budget variety. One very popular location is the Ralphs grocery store about a block from the convention center.

Wear comfy clothes. There is a LOT of walking involved. Also, keep in mind it is JULY in Southern California, which generally means warm weather. San Diego is milder than a lot of other places, but it'll still be warm. Count on an outside temperature around 80 degrees. In fairness, the convention center does its best to keep the whole place comfortable (I have been there pre-show where its so cold you can see your breath) but with so many people roaming the halls, it can get warm in there. I tend to be very warm bodied, so I try and dress lightly. But the caveat is that the convention center is about a stone's throw from the ocean, which means that when the sun drops - so does the temperature. By dark, I always want a sweatshirt.

"Freebie Discretion" Like any other convention, the booth owners are trying to develop interest in their products and so there are a LOT of freebies and promotional items. Virtually every aisle you visit, you will walk away with a literal handful of promotion slicks, flyers, stickers, buttons, and more. If you like carrying around 40 lbs of marketing material, more power to you! If not, politely decline the handouts taking place. Honestly, no one is offended if you don't take a flyer. And PLEASE don't take a flyer that you don't want just to throw it on the ground.

Prepare your supplies. The convention center is pretty leniant about personal items, which is nice. They don't mind if you bring in your own bottle of water or sandwich. They allow you to bring any kind of bag or backpack, as long as it is carried (no luggage or backpacks on wheels). That being said, you have no reason to be unprepared! Bring extra batteries (and film?) for your camera and keep it handy. There is a LOT to photograph.

Wear your name badge. Your name badge should be worn and visible at all times. Even though this is a "fun" convention and the staff is generally pretty easy going, the one place that they are strict is with name badges. You cannot go in/out the doors without a valid badge. They take extra security measures to ensure that the name badges are not faked or reproduced, so don't even try. Usually there are several companies giving out lanyards, if you don't want to poke a hole in your Xena costume.

Take advantage of CC services. One of the best (and though busy) and underutilized amenity of this convention is the transportation. Shuttle buses run in/around downtown San Diego and deliver you directly to the entrance hall. Check the schedule (also posted all over town) to see where/when the next bus is coming. Hotels that have partnered with the convention each have their own pick-up area, as well as common areas for parking. One of the best offerings is that these shuttles run into the wee morning hours -- so you have a safe ride back to your hotel after all the excitement and happy hours. Also note that even the SD trolley and public transportation has special schedules during the convention [view all here].

BE PATIENT. There are literally a million other people who want to see the same things that you do. It's going to be crowded. Really crowded. Expect to shuffle more than walk (especially Saturday) and that a LOT of people are going to bump into you. If you are claustrophobic or otherwise impatient with giant crowds, take this into consideration.

Questions? Email me or leave a comment. See you in San Diego!!

Posted by giddygirlie at 1:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Later this week, we will be heading down to the San Diego Comic-Con (the world's largest comic book convention) to whore ourselves out and also get a free dinner. Wooooo!

While we're there, Ryan has some actual "work" to do, so there are going to be stretches of time that leave me all by my lonesome. Which means that I will either be pulled into playing a rousing game of "I'm Tom Jane" with Dave and/or the real Tom Jane or snapping pictures of people's butts eating their shorts. Neither is really all that great, unless you like buying shots for Tom Jane. But that's where YOU can help! Send me on a photo scavenger hunt at the convention. Tell me something (or things) that you want to see, I'll seek it out and post the results on Flickr. Win-Winn* situation!!

The only ground rules are:
1) don't ask for something blatantly illegal or intensely gross [15 year old boy pooping, no. 15 year old boy popping zits, yes.]
2) don't ask for something that will require me to get my ass kicked [Rubbing a Stormtrooper's butt, yes. Rubbing Princess Leia in the slave bikini, no.]
3) I can't honor requests that cost money. People like Lou Ferigno (Hulk) and David Caradine (Kill Bill) charge $15-$30 to take pictures with them and unless you want to pony up the cash, I have to pass.
4) let's just rule out most bathroom shots

*clever play on my last name

Posted by giddygirlie at 9:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Styro posted a video entry of her house renovation project and Kate commented on how it's so strange to hear the voice of someone that you've known for so long, but only through the power of the INTERWEB and then you realize that you've never actually heard them speak before. It's kind of strange -- similar to when you see a picture of a radio DJ. Always way different than you think.

I propose that everyone post an audio or video file of themself, so that I can see what you sound like. Or listen to what you sound like. Whatever. I promise to reciprocate.

Gabcast is free and lets you create MP3s simply by making a phone call. Ahem.

(you first)

Posted by giddygirlie at 12:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

As per usual, I am a few years behind the times. Last night we watched the series finale of Six Feet Under. Wow. Seriously. NO WORDS.

The whole series was awesome. I fell in love with the Fishers right away and they felt so real that I would find myself saying "ew, I hope she doesn't go out with him" and Ryan would remind me a million times that they are not real people. YES THEY ARE.

So anyway, finales are always trite and contrived and... trite. But this one? I don't want to spoil it for anyone else who might consider investing themselves in this show, but the end was fantastic. The only TV series that I have ever seen that ended it just like you wished it would and answered all your questions. Was I happy? Yes. Was I sad? You bet. Did I cry like a blubbering fool and just want to sit in the dark all night? Absolutely.

When it was over, we both kind of said WOW and then decided not to try and talk about it, because there are no words. And then I had to submerge myself in the tub for 2 hours just to get back into this world.

I never want to see it again. I don't want to sully that first impression. It was that good. Amazing. Kudos to the whole cast, crew, writers, directors, craft service people, crane operators, coffin designers, and everyone else who made this the best show ever.

Posted by giddygirlie at 7:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This weekend was our 6th wedding anniversary (go us!) which was weird because we're both like "oh yeah! Happy Anniversary!" We're so lacking in formalities that it's kind of sad. There were no gifts and not even cake. We've always been like that. Well, except the very beginning which was when our brains were saturated in fuzzy love cotton candy and we would celebrate every day "happy 166th day-serversary" (lame). And we're both so lax that I just never think about it. Until someone else brings it up.

Case in point: this year we moved into our new house and everyone has been asking to come over and see it, so I figured that a housewarming party would be a good excuse to 1) kill two birds with one stone and 2) motivate me to finish sewing the slipcovers for the couch and actually unpack some boxes. So I chose the first weekend in July which coincided with our anniversary - bonus. Come over, see the place, have some hummus and yay us! But then everyone was busy or out of town so we cancelled in favor of going to someone else's party. And at this party, we met John's new girlfriend who asked how long we'd been married and I was like "oh yeah, 6 years today. huh." She was all awwwww and I was like "Mike's Hard Lemonade, anyone?" I'm such a weirdo. So we partied with the friendlies and had a great day and the host even told us that he was honored that we would spend our anniversary with them. Honored. Wow. Everyone else on earth goes out to dinner or exchanges watches or something. Us? We tipped the pizza guy double. That's something, right? And the only candle we lit the whole night was when Monkey took a monster poo and we needed the citrus to mask it. ROMANCE.

In fairness, we did watch Say Anything and snuggle on the couch. Until we both got too hot and then he sprawled out on the floor and I turned the AC down to 70. Romance. Then when we went to bed... well, I don't need to tell YOU romance-seekers that there was much Venture Brothers watching and even some snoring. Man, I am too young to be this old. And cynical. But really, I'm kind of happy this way. I mean, sure going out to dinner is nice and everything, but we both really enjoy spending time together. With Hank & Dean Venture. And Bud Light.

Maybe we're just saving it for when we're older. Maybe our ten years together is still too young. Too new and fresh to need flowers delivered to the office, moonlit walks on the beach or dinner in a black-tie steakhouse. For now, we're all about the philly cheese steaks and chocolate malts and cheesy cartoons. Like a fine wine, our love will be better with age. But for now, in its immaturity, we're all tart and sassy. And I think I like it better this way.

Posted by giddygirlie at 10:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Last week Ryan and I were sitting in our yard, in the sunshine, resting after a full afternoon of swimming (which means diving boards and underwater tea parties and sequential forward flips until your sinuses burst) and we kept looking at each other and laughing "ain't this the life?" Then the next day, we went to the mall and got some new things at H&M -- including some things that were totally out of the ordinary for Ryan. Linen pants? Dare I say? "Why not? They're only $40. That's cheap!"

Then the dentist drilled a hole in my wallet and all but the pennies and lint came falling out. Ryan went to traffic court to dispute a ticket that he paid (it was a $10 fix-it ticket that he paid, but somehow the court doesn't show it as paid, even though the DMV does) in March and now the fine was now up to $400 because... well, we're not really sure. So he goes into court and the judge agrees that yes, you did pay, so I'll be nice and reduce the fine. To $150. If you pay cash right now. Otherwise, it's $450. Which makes NO sense. Especially the part how this ticket was already PAID. But whatever. Pay the man and let's get outta here. Then there were also some other big bills that came along and needed immediate attention, so...

So this week is Budget Living. We're not in dire straights (yet) but we just have to watch what we spend until Friday (payday). But we're not good on a budget. Where last week we couldn't wait to drop $40 on linen pants, now we're like "ooh... I dunno... $3 for all-you-can-eat buffet? That sounds a bit steep." What the hell happened to us? Do we only have 2 modes now? It's either freewheelin' Daddy Warbucks, tipping shoeshine boys with hundred dollar bills or crotchety old Scrooge, where we can't spend a dime and are determined to subsist on eggs and toast until 12:01am 7/13 when the funds hit the bank? Seriously, even the things in life that are free (and, allegedly, the best) don't sound very appealing. Pool? Nah, if we go there I'll just want a popsicle and damn if I am spending $2 on a box of 800 popsicles! Roller skating? Same problem. Massage*? No, because if I drive all the way over there I might use up 1/18th of a gallon of gas... too expensive! As it is, we're such misers that we are going to wind up spending under $10 for a full week's worth of meals, plus gas for the cars. How? Wuh?

Seriously, where's the happy medium? Where's the part where we go "hey, spending more than $5 on dinner is ok, just keep it under $50"? When can we say no to dumb pants and yes to nutritious food? I feel like we're on a desert island somewhere and we have to conserve what we have so that it will last until the rescue plane comes. But does it really make a difference? I mean, if we end up at the end of the week as skeletons still clutching a $100 bill do we win? Or lose?

*our chiropractor waives the co-pay

Posted by giddygirlie at 1:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Posted by giddygirlie at 12:11 PM | Permalink

It is a sad commentary about myself that I am more than a wee bit relieved that our party for this weekend is being rescheduled because now I don't have to mop the floor for at least another week. I am seriously so lazy lately and I know that some of it has to do with the typical full moon/PMS type biz but it's really out of control. My to-do list has been the same for about a month and I will thank you not to laugh at the fact that the washing machine has forgotten who I am.

But the worst part of my laziness is not that I only have one clean pair of underpants in the drawer (which means putting off the laundry for one more day) or that the dust bunnies are becoming family pets, but that I keep starting more projects. I'm too embarrassed to even photograph it, so I will describe it in the hopes that you will think that I am exaggerating:

* on top of the TV cabinet are 4 paper plates covered in fimo clay creations that need to be baked. I made these 2 weeks ago.
* the coffee table is covered in scraps of a secret project that I am working on for Erika. I started this Friday night at 3am, just minutes before I fell asleep. Always prime time for crafting.
* the loveseat is buried in fabric that I dutifully cut and pinned to make my own couch slipcover. All it needs is a run through the sewing machine and... yeah, maybe next weekend
* the fabric for the kitchen curtains has been sitting on my desk for... maybe 2 months or more?
* the pictures that I sent to Target to have printed (via Flickr) still need to be picked up
* the present that I sewed for Danielle about 3 months ago is still waiting to be mailed
* the doll I was embroidering for B is still waiting for me to drive ONE BLOCK to the craft store for more black embroidery thread. She is collecting dust on a minute-by-minute basis.
* the blanket that I was making for my nephew is still hanging in the closet. It was supposed to be a baby shower gift and he's now 3 months old.

Posted by giddygirlie at 8:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)