A Formal Dinner

Last night I dreamt that I was at a very large formal dinner, a black and white affair. It was held in a massive hall and there were thousands of attendees. It had the feel of a state dinner or an awards dinner - all brilliant white china and silver.
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Dream One: I Shoot Morgan Freeman

Dream One: I am a cop in rural SD again. I respond to a call at a farm house to find Morgan Freeman terrorizing Ron Livingston. Just as I arrive Morgan shoots Ron. Morgan shoots at me. I shoot Morgan.

Morgan jumps into his car and flees into the back country on a road that I know goes no where. I tend to Ron while I wait for back up. Ron's wound is a flesh wound - painful but none life threatening. In a strange twist in the dream I am not me - however I am the first cop who arrives as back up in about twenty minutes. I see myself in the third person.

After the ambulance arrives to take Ron away ny brother D., also a cop, arrives. We follow the road. and find Morgan a few miles away, crashed into a draw. In the earlier exchange of gunfire I hit him in the left lung. A very vivid dream.
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A Lazy Thursday

-Slept in
-Woke from processing dreams*
-A simple breakfast
-Slid quietly into the day
-A trip to the bank
-Got the car washed and waxed
-Saw the move "Salt"
-Stopped at Office Max
-Stopped at REI
-Stopped at the market
-Unpacked groceries
-Mailed donation to 2nd Harvest
-Sushi for dinner
-Walked for a while
-Browsed Barnes & Noble
-Got an iced tea at Starbucks
-Home for evening, reading
-Conversation with T.R.
-Watched "Community"
-Curled up with "Little Brother" by Cory Doctorow
-Read myself to sleep
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Home

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Waiting - The Complete Version

Well, I am currently sitting in the airport at San Diego waiting for a flight delayed for two hours.

Okay, let me try that again. I actually went to hit save draft and hit send. Consequently the previous entry is short and succint. That might not be a bad thing though.

Our flight from SAN to SJC got delayed on the ground in Sacramento and we're now scheduled to depart about two hours behind schedule, which will put us into San Jose about five PM.

Fortunately I've always found the best approach to a traveling day is to just relax and flow through the day so that is what I've been doing.

Airports are also great places for your basic people watching, so I have been enjoying the day - and I am sure the flight will be, basically, an hour and a half nap. I am looking forward to getting home!
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Waiting

Well, I am currently sitting in the airport at San Diego waiting for a flight delayed for two hours.
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San Juan Capistrano

A pleasant day trip to San Juan Capistrano to see the Mission there. Well worth the diversion. It was also accompanied by a excellent burger at a place called Ruby's right across from the Mission. Traffic flowed pretty smoothly until the very end when we were briefly snarled on the 805.
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I Dream of Driving

I woke this morning from a dream that I was a limo driver. Basically, I drove people around a city each day. Though low income, it was a peaceful and fulfilling existence. Very zen in its rhythms.

I am in San Diego for two more days and the plan, in general, is to keep them as simple low key as possible. I started that by sleeping in late this morning (well, late for me). I am not sure what I will do today, but the plan is - there is no plan.
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Walking the Floor

Okay - I spent the last three hours walking the vendor floor. I picked up a couple of small things, but nothing major. There are a few graphic novels I'd like to get, but no real reason to buy then here and carry them home. I can get them at home. About to wrap with with Talk Back and head out to get some dinner.
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Sunday with Jack Kirby

Starting Sunday with a tribute panel and a retrospective of the work of the legendary Jack Kirby. Tony has wandered off to stand in line for Castle. I am in a "no line standing" mood today. Going to focus on the more intimate panels, and then wander the vendor floor.
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Saturdays End

Well, the last panel was for the new Nikita starring Maggie Q. Great cast, but a dangerous choice trying to re-imagine something that has been visited three prior times - the original La Femme Nikita, the american remake "Point of No Return" with Bridget Fonda, and the television series "Nikita" with Petra Wilson.

Dinner of cheese enchiladas on J and 7th, and now heading back to the hotel.
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Warehouse 13 and Eureka

Okay - into the SyFy panel with Tony, watching Warehouse 13 and Eureka.
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My Most Anticipated Panel - Milo Manara

I came down to Comic Con with one "must see" panel. This is it - the guest, in his first and so far only, Comic Con appearance is the truly legendary Italian illustrator, Milo Manara. His work played a major role in drawing me to the power and potential of the graphic novel. Ahhhhhh. Happy.
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My Most Anticipated Panel - Milo Manara

I came down to Comic Con with one "must see" panel. This is it - the guest, in his first and so far only, Comic Con appearance is the truly legendary Italian illustrator, Milo Manara. His work played a major role in drawing me to the power and potential of the graphic novel. Ahhhhhh. Happy.
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3 Hours In

Saturday at Comic Con is a complete zoo. My advice on Saturdays is just - anticipate it is going to take hours to do anything. Case in point - we arrived at 0830, about an hour before the doors open. We stood in a life that was probably a half mile long or longer to try and get into room 20, as Tony wanted to see Chuck. Even though we were there an hour before start, we ended up not making it. The room was full and the line stopped. So, we bailed and came over to one of the small rooms (6A) and stood in line for another 20 minutes before we got in. Right now we're waiting to see a panel on a new TV show called "The Event". After this I've got a few smaller panels picked out - writers, artists, etc. I should be able to get into them. I am not sure what Tony plans, but we've already effectively spent a third of the day standing in line to see a single panel. At that rate, we'll be lucky to see two more of what I would call the second tier panels. Running this show must be a huge logistical challenge!
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An Unexpected Dream

I had an unexpected dream last night. Out of the blue I dreamed of Rosebud and the Edward's girls, friends of my youth. I've no idea what stirred that deep portion of my subconscious. It was a simple enough dream - it was night and I was driving through Rosebud to visit them at thier various homes. I have Rosebud deeply imprinted in my pysche and could draw a map of it from memory. A strange and unexpected dream.
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I Am Spartacus!

A good day so far. My friend Tony has ventured out to stand in line to try and get into Hall 20 (where we were rejected earlier in the day). He is inching forward he reports and hope the next show will spill enough people he can make it in.

I finished the Spotlight on Stan Lee, which was entertaining, and now I'm waiting on the panel for "Spartacus" with Andy Whitfield, Lucy Lawless and other members of the cast and crew. It should be good. Beyond this there are a pair of BBC panels I might try and catch.

People watching is always amusing here at Comic Con and I often joke that you can tell how "hip" a panel is by the percentage of people dressed in black, black being the universal color of hipsters world wide.
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Panel 3 - Spotlight on Stan Lee

My third panel of the day - a Spotlight on Stan Lee hosted by Todd McFarlane. Stan and Todd are focusing on how Stan entered the comic book business.
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The Walking Dead - Part II

Well, if you are into zombies, it looks like it will be excellent, as well as rather faithful to the source material, which of course is the graphic novel of the same title, "The Walking Dead". We made a run back at Hall 20, just in time for the staff to announce that the line was closed for the rest of the day. Basically, they stacked most of the popular shows into the single room for the day, which pretty much insured capacity crowds for that room. Fortunately, I always enjoy the small panels as well. Tony is currently off to pick up his ticket for tomorrow while those lines are down, so I am sitting in the break area in the Sails Pavilion and resting my feet.
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Panel Two - The Walking Dead

Grace Park )BSG) and Daniel Dae Kim (Lost) made for a good presentation. Next up is the panel for "The Walking Dead".
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Massive Crowds...

As expected, today's crowd is awesome. Tens of thousands of freaks and geeks. We were aimed at Hall 20, but it filled in a matter of minutes and we diverted to 6BCF for the new Hawaii 5.0 panel. We'll probably camp here for a while because the next show is "The Walking Dead", followed by the legendary Stan Lee.

From prior experience today and tomorrow are the total zoo days, when everyone comes and getting into the more popular panels is a question of timing and luck. The trick of managing this show must be an incredible logistic affair.

Quite often, when the crowds get massive like this I will start diverting to the smaller, more focused panels - the esoterica of geek-dom. We've got about twenty minutes before the panel starts and the room is very close to filled to capacity.
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Massive Crowds...

As expected, today's crowd is awesome. Tens of thousands of freaks and geeks. We were aimed at Hall 20, but it filled in a matter of minutes and we diverted to 6BCF for the new Hawaii 5.0 panel. We'll probably camp here for a while because the next show is "The Walking Dead", followed by the legendary Stan Lee.

From prior experience today and tomorrow are the total zoo days, when everyone comes and getting into the more popular panels is a question of timing and luck. The trick of managing this show must be an incredible logistic affair.

Quite often, when the crowds get massive like this I will start diverting to the smaller, more focused panels - the esoterica of geek-dom. We've got about twenty minutes before the panel starts and the room is very close to filled to capacity.
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The Hasselhofs

Okay, walking back from lunch I saw a double-decker bus full of David Hasselhof impersonators, singing!
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Lunch At...

And stopped for lunch at Fred's Mexican Resteraunt in the Gaslamp. Ordered "the whole enchilada", a three enchilada comb. The sun is actually breaking through the marine layer!
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Panel Two - Caprica, Battlestar and Beyond

The Danny Elfman panel was excellent (his first appearance at Comic Con). Loads and talent and an astounding career, he came across as very plain spoken and slightly bemused. Spent the panel seated next to Speed Racer.

Now, in the above titled panel, waiting a few moments for it to begin (guests Richard Hatch, Bear McCreary and others). Now seated next to a letter perfect traditional Starbuck.
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Panel One: Danny Elfman and Tim Burton

Okay, the vast crowds seem a little less so far, getting in was relatively smooth. There were lines, but the lines were moving. Immediately upon arrival, bought ticket for next year, then registered for the Robert A. Heinlein Blood Drive.

Starting the day with the first panel - composer Danny Elfman and Director Tim Burton, commemorating 25 years of "legendary collaboration" (and also promoting a limited edition box set coming soon at BurtonElfman.com). Awesome!
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Day Two

There is a heavy marine layer sitting over San Diego so it is gray and cool, nearly light jacket weather.

We started the day by driving to Janet's Montana Cafe in Alpine for an excellent breakfast of Spanish omelets on a rustic wooden porch. That far inland the sun managed to burn through the clouds, but it was the only sunlight we saw all day.

We did some incidental things and took a test run downtown so Tony could familiarize himself with the route.

Then, we went to the Fleet Science Center up at Balboa Park where we toured the museum and saw the new Hubble IMax film, which was pretty dang cool.

Then we picked up our credentials for Comic Con.

Dinner was a small deep dish pizza and a watermelon, olive, spinach and goat cheese salad in a light salad dressing that was actually outstanding.

I also managed to slip in some serious spa/resort relaxation time.

The plan is to call it an early night so we can get an early start on tomorrow.
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Top Left Room

The top left room is where we are staying, right next to the giant palm tree.
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Night at Resort

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Day One San Diego

The flight down went smooth. Flew out of the new Terminal B at San Jose. Tony made the car rental arrangements and we ended up in a red Mustang convertible that screams "onset of mid-life crisis". Met Tony's friend Toby for dinner and went to "The Chicken Pie Shop". The food was solid home style and very good. Desert was a slice of coconut cream pie. Ran a few errands, had a great little conversation with TR and the watched the tail end of Coyote Ugly - which just dawned on me is a movie about tail ends! We're on the 8th floor of the motel here and the room is nice, spacious and well lit.
Today's plan (Day Two) is breakfast at Janet's Montana Cafe in Alpine, east of San Diego, followed by sight seeing and hanging out. Preview night is tonight, which is time to pick up the convention badges and see a couple of television premieres, including the new "Nikita" starring Maggie Q. Additionally you get an early crack at the vendor floor.
Looking forward to the day!
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Terminal As Metaphor for Life

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Terminal B Architectural Feature

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Vaguely Russian Dreams

I awoke this morning from dreams that were vaguely but innocently Russian themed. In what partial memories of them remain I seem to recall them as processing type dreams. Though my vacation has begun, my brain is still processing it's way through all sorts of stuff and has yet to settling into a more relaxed mode.
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Off to the Movies

Out to see the movie "Inception" at Century 20 in Milpitas. A beautiful day with the promise of heat.
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Off to the Movies

Out to see the movie "Inception" at Century 20 in Milpitas. A beautiful day with the promise of heat.
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Ghost Dreams

Last night I dreamed I was at the ranch I grew up on in South Dakota. It was in twilight and there was a heavy fog. Tendrils of fog were creating cool shapes so I took out my camera and took three exposures. In one of the pictures you could see many ghostly figures in the fog, apparently gathered for a picnic, all wearing turn of last century period clothing.
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Instrument

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Dreams of Igor

I dreamed last night of Igor and divorce, to be woken this morning by the cawing of crows into the first day of my vacation. I've one work meeting and then an eye doctor appointment for a routine exam. From there the plan is nap, lunch, and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" with Nicholas Cage and the always great Alfred Molina.
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Four Days and One Day

Pretty much four solid days of processing dreams as my brain spins in a dozen different directions at once. One day of work until I start two weeks worth of vacation. I am definitely looking forward to it. I woke at the crack of dawn this morning (about 4:30 am) in part because my monkey mind was doing a mad jig. Coffee and a relaxed morning have helped to bring it under control.
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Last Nights Dream Subject

I laid in a pair of processing dreams last night. First I dreamed of endangered species, which related directly to a book I was reading (a thriller called "Fever Dreams"). Then, I dreamed of work and the convulsions caused by the latest reorganization. Neither dream was particularly engaging or memorable.

Yesterday was a very good day. Breakfast with friends, a few errands, a trip to the Los Altos Art and Wine Festival, a movie (Predators - amusing but pointless), reading and then a wonderful wrap up visit with T.R..

For all it's twists and turns life is a pretty amazing thing.
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Intelligence Squared

Have a little spare time in your day and want to listen to some truly intelligence discussions? This is the link to the NPR series of podcasts called “Intelligence Squared”. Thought provoking and enjoyable stuff!

On Lost Thoughts

Did you ever lose a thought?

You know, you are walking down the hallway, something pops into your mind, you nurture it, you examine it, you spin it around and then you turn the corner think another thought and poof the original thought, whatever it was is gone?  All it leaves behind is scattered little fragments that like a much abused jigsaw puzzle just don’t seem to fit.

I had that experience a short while ago and oddly enough just sitting down and writing about the process of losing the thought – brought the thought back. The thought was that I needed to go on line and look at some classic writing references on paragraph structure and essay writing.

 

Six Lessons

I read this today and kind of stripped it down and paraphrased it because I thought it was excellent advice.  The original article is here. I’ve trimmed a few out because they were retirement specific and what caught my eye was not the retirement aspect of it but the solid life advice of it.

 

http://www.fundadvice.com/articles/retirement/ten-retirement-lessons-from-the-smartest-people-i-know.html

 

1.  Happiness in life is not a direct function of how much money you have.

2.  Wealth comes from the choices people make, not the chances they take.

3.  Those who plan, prosper.

4.  The quality of your life is shaped by the quality of the people in your life.

5.  Active trumps lazy, every time.

6.  Don’t wait for “real life” to start.

 

I was especially struck by the delineation between chance and choice, which I whole heartedly agree with.

Worn

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Winter's Bone

Okay, over the weekend I saw the best movie I have seen yet this year.  When you have the chance, go see “Winter’s Bone”.  It is a stunning little drama with some outstanding performances and no missteps from a story-telling, film-making perspective. A year ago I came out of “The Hurt Locker” and said “this was the movie to beat in 2009”.  Well, “Winter’s Bone” is the movie to beat in 2010.  John Hawkes will be nominated for Best Actor – and unless someone comes out with a better performance before the end of the year, he’ll win it hands down.

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1399683/

 

 

 

Three Dreams

I dreamed I spilled a bowl of clam chowder in the hall closet. I followed that up with a dream that I was teaching a class in how to replace/repair in-line water pumps. Finally, I woke this morning for a third dream about printing on demand. An active night in the dream world!
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Dreams of Math and Chinese

Last night I dreamed I was
Teaching a chinese woman math
In exchange for language lessons

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Locked

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