More than a potential script idea: after work, I was (and still am) willing to barter my immortal soul for the girl of my dreams. If 35 rolls around and I'm still single, I will seriously go through with it.

Oh, like you wouldn't.

I'd love to pull a "Freaky Friday" with someone today, just to see if, after enduring today's work day, they still believe that it's not a curse to become old.

Start spreadin' the news...

Yes, I'm back from New York City. Manhattan, to be exact. 'How was the trip?', you may wonder. Well...it's New York City. It's huge. I stayed at the Milford Plaza Hotel on 8th Ave. Funny story: I was under the impression that the hotel was on 45th Street, which lead to a lot of walking around, while carrying a suitcase and a backpack and wearing a raincoat when it had stopped raining. Asking for directions led me to my hotel. Very nice place, even if my room was wee. I think my bedroom is bigger than my room. Also, there were elevators where you had to press on a keypad the floor you wanted to go to. For some reason, I was always directed to ride elevator 'B'. Some creepy, 1408 shit right there.

I went up to 47th and 8th to wait for the shuttle bus to the main reason I took the trip: New York Comic-Con. There were a number of panels I wanted to see, but could not. For those who've been to San Diego, picture how impossible Hall H is to get into. You have nearly every experience I did trying to get into the panels I wanted to get into. (I won't deny that, at least twice, it was my own fault. The "Robot Chicken" panel I wanted to get into was being held at IGN Theater, where I was able to witness the DCAU panel, but, for some reason, I skipped out. Also, I sat through a panel on Todd McFarlane just to see a panel on John Landis and his book, "Monsters in the Movies". The latter panel was cancelled and the line for "The Avengers" panel was ridiculous. Okay, maybe I'm being a little gauche. It was more of a crowd than a line.) The speed dating (!) sessions I had hoped to partake in were also overcrowded with no-hopers. Compounding that was the fact that people were dropping flyers and trash everywhere, giving me a piteous feeling for the custodians I saw periodically.

"Did you have any fun at New York Comic-Con?!", you may, by now, be asking. Sure, I did. I managed to get into a handful of panels:

- The aforementioned DCAU panel. I got to see a preview of "Justice League: Doom" and a "Catwoman" short that played like "Batman: TAS" by way of "Law and Order: SVU".
- The aforementioned Todd McFarlane panel. Couldn't tell you what exactly happened, as I was asleep for most of it. Yet, I was able to redeem a voucher for figures from McFarlane Toys.
- A panel on the Adult Swim series, "China, IL". Looks cheap, but it plays surprisingly well.
- A panel on the impending Adult Swim series, "Black Dynamite". Doesn't hit the airwaves until next July (!), but it was a kick to see the many people lending their voices (even if what they actually said was mostly drowned out by the cheers).
(Prior to both these panels, there was a preview for some other animated series that had a panel: MTV's "Good Vibes". Long story short, it's a long way from "Daria", "Undergrads", "Downtown" and "Clone High".)
- A joint panel of "Adventure Time" and "Regular Show". I enjoy both shows, and it felt incredible to be among the various fans, whose eagerness and love of the shows was intoxicating. Weirdest aspect of the panel: the (possibly fake) East Coast-West Coast feud between the makers of both shows.
- A panel extolling a crossover between "Ben 10" and "Generator Rex". Not bad, but I was expecting a little more than a "Generator Rex" episode with Ben dropped into it.

And then, there's the cosplay. Wow. I managed to get some good shots, but among the ones I missed capturing on film were of Darkman, Blankman and Chester A. Bum (of "That Guy with the Glasses"); the latter may well be one of the greater disappointments of this trip. Seriously, I may not have gotten to do all I wanted to do at the Con, but the shot of the dude dressed up as Mr. T carrying a gold-plated bazooka is worth more than any missed panel.

The food was, as expected, super expensive, so I hit up the street vendors just outside for less pricey, but equally fulfilling fare. I partook of a sausage on a bun with mustard and sauerkraut. Needless to say, my socks were knocked off. On the subject of food, I also enjoyed a burger and fries from the Shake Shack, a frosted black and white cookie from Crumbs and a breakfast buffet.

My hopes of acquiring CDs that I can't seem to get here was limited to a trip to Academy Records (which I walked to from the Con; from West 37th Street to West 18th Street). Amongst the many bootlegs I found two potential gems: Mark Snow's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" and John Scott's Lionheart. The latter turned out to be a CD-R, but it sounds just as clear and professional as the ridiculously expensive actual CD.

All in all, an exciting, frustrating, dizzying trip. I must do more of them.

Yes, I'm taking my time on the post about returning from New York City. Pretty much half the problems in my life can be attributed to two simple words: 'I'm lazy'.

"How can I get anything done with all this time on my hands?"

If my work schedule (with my impending vacation) is to be believed, I don't have to go back to work until the 19th. This leaves plenty of time to prepare for my trip, see some movies, try to get some writing done and...what else?

When I'm at work, I can think about being somewhere else and when I'm not at work for a long-enough period of time, I think about being at work. I can't explain it.

BTW, the title comes from The Spirit, which I've talked about before. The line is apropos, as Frank Miller is going to be at New York Comic-Con. Whether I can work up enough courage to get him to sign the DVD sleeve of my copy of the movie remains to be seen.

Apparently, both Apple founder Steve Jobs and character actor Charles Napier have passed on, but Napier's death is affecting me more than Jobs', for two reasons: 1) I have a PC and 2) Napier, with his distinctive face and voice, has left a deeper impression on me. Among his career (filled with bits in Jonathan Demme movies and lawmen of many stripes), highlights include Rambo: First Blood Part II, The Blues Brothers and, of course, "The Critic":



"A Duketastrophe", indeed. They will both be missed.

"Friendship is..." inevitable.

Unless you've been living under a rock the last couple of years, you've, at least, heard of "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic". And what is the appeal of a show like this? This guy explains it far better than anyone ever could.

For a time, my cable package didn't include the Hub (the network the show airs on) and I was a little wary of catching it on YouTube for...whatever reason. Flipping through the guide, I see that my provider does carry the Hub and that an episode was airing today. I shrug and figure, 'what the hell?'.

After having watched an episode ("Bridle Gossip", for the curious), what do I think? It's a cute show. Very charming and colorful, good messages for the intended audience with at least one laugh-out-loud gag (Spike's nickname for the "cursed" Applejack).

Final verdict: not really ready for the cult of Bronies, but I will try to catch the show when I can.

It's astounding how one can go from moderately unwell (and having the time of one's life) to full-on sick as a dog and so hungry as to contemplate eating a co-worker.