Why am I up this early on a Saturday?!

Why NYCC, of course! Saturday is likely to prove a BUSY day, since they announced last night that the Saturday and Weekend passes are already sold out (supposedly for the first time, but I thought the same thing happened last year...) Saturday is usually the "anchor day" around which they center a lot of the "name" guests. And finally, since we know we have to trek across the river and have dinner in NJ tonight with my family, it's going to be a long day... But before we get to the joys of Saturday, let's talk Friday...

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As you may have already read, I was felled by a migraine last night, and MLW was kind enough to post a guest post for y'all. However, as she pointed out, I wanted to include slightly more detail than "JAM is nauseous," so...

Friday, Part 1:

The Con is for "professionals" (read: industry and retail) people only for the first half of the first day. So we knew we couldn't get in until 1 pm. So what do two people in New York City do when they have an entire half day to work with? Well, if those two people are MLW and myself, you sleep in, of course!

Whoops! MLW is giving me the "Come on, YOU're making us late!" look (I know it well, because I always am). I'll have to continue this later. (Yeah, yeah, I know... I tell a mean story...)

NYCC First Day

Well, Jonathan had grand plans to blog and link and go nuts. Instead he decided to have a migraine and almost puke on me over dinner.
Here's a giant bobble head instead.
-Jennifer

Bill Cosby was right...

...kids do say the darndest things and all that...

The following is an actual conversation between a dear friend of mine and her seven year old daughter...

7 year old [quite out of the blue]: My greatest fear is that I might lose someone close to me.

Her Mom [thoughtfully]: Aww... Mine too, sweetie. Mine too.

JAM [walking through the room thinks]: Wow, that's really insightful for such a young...

7 year old: My second is spiders.

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In other news, coming soon, well, now, actually, the first in our multi-part series from this year's New York Comic Con (the 4th annual, but technically it has a complex history, so really it's the 4th annual under the present show organizers). We've come the past three years (thus missing the alleged riot in Year One), and every year I say I should blog about it. And every year it either takes me two months to get to it (when MLW finally uploads the photos) or I never even mention it.

So this year, I brought my laptop (I'm sure I've done that other years too) and MLW brought the stuff that connects the camera to it. And I'll be blogging about it every night. (I know, I know, you can hardly wait... or care...)

Today was the trip up, and with only minor problems with our girl Jane (that's the voice we use on the GPS) and a later start than I would have liked due to work not being able to not talk to me, it was largely an uneventful trip up. Even Delaware ("the delay state") wasn't a big deal. Granted I would have liked a longer nap, but it's also always nice to talk to MLW without there being any distracting TV's...

The only downside was that with a late start and with the traffic we ran into once we were in the City (which was nothing to report by NYC standards...) by the time we got to the hotel (the world-famous New Yorker) it was already too late to go to the "pre-show party" at the local Dave & Buster's. Ah, well, that's showbiz, I guess.

I did learn, as I was checking in, that the Westminster Kennel Club dog show is happening on Monday and Tuesday, and apparently the days before are made up of meetings, lectures, training sessions, etc. I suddenly realized half of the tiny bags I was seeing in the lobby were full of dogs. (As are many of the rooms. While the lobby seems to have been a no barking zone, I'm a tad concerned about the neighbors...) I met a nice woman from Dublin (by way of Florida apparently) who had some sort of terrier (I didn't hear which kind and there are like a million) and a couple from Nevada who had a... smooth-coated Chihuahua (?) -- all I know is the guy whipped out his cellphone faster than lightning and started showing me pictures of dogs and puppies. I admired politely, and hoped I don't sound too much like him when I talk about the O'Mazur Pride...

Anyway, then we hit the Tick-Tock diner for dinner (it was after 9...) and well, now we're back here in our tiny, tiny room (I'm sure in the 30's they were huge) and MLW is flipping channels to beat the band... Tomorrow is a slow start, because the con doesn't let in civilians (non-professionals) until the afternoon (the morning is just for industry people).

More to follow... (this time for real!)

If you haven't read it yet...

...it's new to you. Or something.

(Some people are going to see some of this for a second time, since I sent an email on some of it...)

So first some sad news, E. Gary Gygax, known to some as the "father of roleplaying games" or at a bare minimum one of the creators of Dungeons & Dragons apparently passed away this morning from an ongoing set of health issues. As the Insidious Mr. Huge said, "Cue the jokes about failing your saving throw" now. But it gets weirder... I later realized during a conversation with WPE, that Gygax passed away on GM's Day. That's right, the guy who creates roleplaying just happens to go to the big Gaming Convention in the Sky on the day set aside to honor gamemasters? How freaky is that? Not that I'm implying a conspiracy or anything, that might be disrespectful.

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Before receiving the sad news about Gygax, I was excited because I had accidentally discovered that you could download old radio shows (Old Time Radio = OTR) on the web, for free in many cases. I found two sites where you can go. Enjoy the "theatre of the mind."

While near the topic of OTR, I thought I should also share with y'all some recent discoveries involving the pulps on the Interweb these days... This site does repro postcards of old Pulp covers. (Tacky? Possibly. But in the good way.) Not to be confused with Nostalgia Town, which does pulp reprints (with illustrations and everything) of various famous pulp characters' adventures (in addition to radio and other era goodness). This is interesting, because just a year or two back, I think some guys had a site shut down for that... and I believe that saga is chronicled here (though I haven't read it all myself yet...) You might also want to check out Adventure House. And don't forget the Pulp.Net for a good basic background on what's what and who's who.

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What else? SQ sent me this one a little while back... Who doesn't love the Jabba the Hutt beanbag chair..? And many other rejected Star Wars promotional items...

And speaking of Lucasfilm, this article talks about how totally awesome the new Indiana Jones trailer is, which I think I mentioned already...

I'm sure there's more... but it's all I have time for right now...

Yarrr! A day late...

...and a doubloon short... Or somethin' As most of you should know, yesterday (9/19) was International Talk Like a Pirate Day. For those of you that don't know what I'm talking about might I suggest/recommend the official page, the Wiki, or the fine tome Pirattitude! So You Wanna Be a Pirate? Here’s How! and at least that way you'll be ready for next year. Still confused? These polite Canadian gents have created a handy "How To" film.

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What else? Oh, right... I stumbled across this and fine it morbidly fascinating. My favorite part is under "Uses" where is suggests, "Last word in an argument" (because I guess "when you want to be an ass from beyond the grave" was already taken?) I must admit it could come in handy if you're threatening a global conspiracy or large government...

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On the science front, it seems that scientists have determined that we are apparently (each, I imagine) ~0.9 percent more unique than they thought we were earlier (for a total of roughly 1% uniqueness). Oh, also redheads are going extinct. Or rather it was reported to be the case. Turns out things got jumbled up through the media and the interWeb... (no wonder I had so much trouble hunting down the source...)

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I'm sorry, what was I saying?

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This is quite possibly even COOLER than TLAP Day... My thanks to Origami Slayer for bringing it to my attention. Naturally, it's been picked up by clipmarks, digg, and probbly fark...

Okay... End part 1, more tomorrow...

If the rest of the world stopped...

...maybe I might catch up... but I doubt it.

There's so much I haven't had time to share...

I didn't comment on how your Transformers collection might be worth a million dollars... Not mine, of course (though it is quite the talking point at work), and really probably not yours. But this dead guy's...

Nor did I mention there was finally news on the much awaited Man from U.N.C.L.E. DVDs. Nor the one from our dear, lamented Veronica Mars...

And for the local folks, FINALLY some other self-professed pizza snob has spoken up. (Several of those courtesy of SQ... thanks, Man).

Nor have I pointed out how the FBI could be following you around online (or, as some people who are MLW think of it, one step closer to Big Brother).

And that's not even getting into what I've been up to lately. Hint: kittens are sharp and potentially evil...

More later, I swear.

When describing...

...the town where I grew up in New Jersey (insert your own joke here), I often refer to it as "a small Midwestern town, transplanted to the Northern New Jersey woodlands" -- which I have always felt was a reasonable description of West Milford Township (still "my hometown" at least in my head) -- at least when you factor in the notion that it's more my IDEA of what a small, Midwestern town is like, anyway.

Never has that been more true than today. I give you this piece from the Bergen Record:

Cow still running wild in W. Milford

Friday, June 1, 2007

By MICHAEL J. FEENEY
STAFF WRITER

For one evening, it was the Wild Wild West -- West Milford, that is.

There was the swarm of true-grit horse riders in Stetsons. There was the trail boss with a lasso and a gun. It was like an old-fashioned cattle drive.

The only thing missing -- again -- was the cow.

Despite the best efforts by about 20 riders combing woods and fields, a black cow continued to run wild through the township as night fell Thursday.

The escapee from a cow-herding horse competition has been out there for almost a month, getting fat on the foliage and posing a potential danger to motorists. And the posse had saddled up with one goal in mind – bring 'er in.

The cowpokes, looking smart in their western hats, doused in bug spray and astride their personal horses -- many specifically trained to herd cattle -- started out by cantering gently down a heavily wooded area, just off Gould Road and Union Valley Road, where the cow has been spotted numerous times.

But after a nearly two-hour search of the rocky and wooded terrain, it was time to admit failure.

"It was disappointing, but we'll try it again tomorrow," said John Macellaro of the Passaic County Sheriff's Department Auxiliary Mounted Unit, who organized the townshipwide cow hunt.

"It's becoming a nuisance," he said of the elusive bovine. "You just don't want the cow running out into the road and killing somebody."

Past searches have failed to get close to the wary animal. Police say one motorist has reported hitting the nearly 600-pound cow, which likely has gotten bigger since being out in the woods. Driver and cow were reported to be OK, but the car sustained significant damage.

Macellaro, who is certified in search and rescue, had made up a map grid to help strategically plan the search. The riders split up into four groups with high hopes that this time someone would locate the cow, which had been spotted as recently as Thursday morning. If they did, they would call in Macellaro, who had the goods to bring the critter in.

"There's more power in numbers," said Macellaro, riding his horse Snorty like a true cowboy, wearing spurs and a cowboy hat. "I got a rope and a tranquilizer gun. We really just want to catch him for the guy [owner Frank Battipaglia]."

Macellaro hoped the horses could find the cow and chase the animal around until it is tired and then he could move in with rope or tranquilizer.

The cow has been on the loose since May 6, when she jumped a fence during a cattle-herding horse competition at the West Milford Equestrian Center, owned by Frank and Ella Mae Battipaglia.

The all-black bovine with a cloth number zero tagged to its hide has been nearly impossible to catch, despite many close encounters with Frank Battipaglia, who has said the cow runs away when it sees him.

The cow doesn't belong to the Battipaglias. It's actually one of a small herd they rented from a Monticello, N.Y., livestock competition for the penning competition held in an indoor arena at the equestrian center.

Each of the cattle are tagged with a number, and competing horsemen use their skills to drive the cows into a pen at one end of the arena.

Kathy Leaver, who also organized the search, said, "We've been going out two or three times a week looking for the cow, just for fun. She needs to be caught."

Leaver said all the riders rode their personal horses, which are kept at Echo Lake Stables, a small ranch community in the Newfoundland section of the Highlands township.

Leaver and Macellaro own the stable.

Leaver, riding Aspen, was optimistic their biggest search would turn up with some positive results. She shouted, "Let's go guys, mount up," while reminding the riders the sun would be down by about 8:20 p.m.

Despite the results, Marta Samsel, riding Midnight Sky, was still smiling after the search ended.

"The cow was an excuse to go and have fun," she said.

Although the search didn't have a happy ending, Macellaro concluded, "We did see a lot of cow manure. Now we have a pretty good idea where she's been hanging."

And, naturally, just as everyone was parting ways and the horses were being loaded into trailers, another sighting came in.

Reason for another cattle drive, soon.

Copyright © 2007 North Jersey Media Group Inc.

So, um, there you go. We have some traffic lights now too, you know... (Freebird!) Thanks to my mom for sending that along.

Happy Trails!

Plumbing and Comics

WAY too much going on these past few weeks with no particular sign of an ebb any time soon. The Readers' Digest version (with promise of more later)...

On plumbing/home repairs -- I think it's covered very simply by Mazur's 15th Law: Nothing Can Ever Be Simple... But it's nice to have hot water again.

On the NY Comic Con -- Wow. Just wow. Oh, also, NYC is freakin' expensive. And cold. Very, very cold. Also, Gary Coleman is an angry, angry little man...

More on both (with photos!) to follow.

And now for something completely different...

Brought to my attention by SQ. Here's the video. That's a big cat.

In unrelated news, I got this cool gizmo yesterday from the fine folks at ThinkGeek.com. It's going to let me rip all my cassettes and vinyl (records) into MP3's (and/or CD's). Coolness.