Phil's G.I. Joe Page
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Sunday, December 31, 2006
A few hours away from midnight now, and we've had a very busy day. We started out in Odaiba for a few more hours at the third day of Comic Market, spent some time in \Akihabara for some more souvenirs, and are ending the day at Tomoaki's house. Here we had a New Year's Eve dinner with his family and are eagerly awaiting midnight and 2007. Friday, December 29, 2006
I've been sending regular e-mails to my folks back home telling them about my trip, and I thought I'd share with you the day's activities from my latest e-mail: Yesterday we left Chiba to go to a hotel in Odaiba, where the Winter Comic Market is held. Think of that like the San Diego Comic Con for Japan, but without any seminars, and twice as many dealers. And a lot more people crammed into the space, causing a lot of shoving and pushing. Not much more to report about yesterday, though we did get up at the crack of 4 to get in line for this thing at around 5:30. Cold!! That's why we bought the chairs and emergency blankets. The weather was, I'm told, better than last year's, but that didn't stop me from feeling cold. Luckily, what we brought along seemed to keep most of the chill at bay, so we did okay until opening. Then it was four hours walking around this place with Ken, neither of us quite knowing what we were going to do or buy. Nammy and Mai had a list of items they were looking for for themselves and friends back home. But we didn't see them until we met up again to leave for the day. They'll be back there tomorrow, but Ken and I will be skipping day two, with maybe only a few hours there on day three, New Year's Eve. Luckily, the event is free, so it's not like we're wasting admission tickets or anything. Now we're back at the hotel, and most everyone is catching up on sleep. Except for me! I'm typing this thing!! Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Been doing a lot of walking these past few days. Nothing against walking, but it's starting to take its toll on my feet, even with my gel pads in my shoes. And I still have quite a few more days here! This could prove problematic. Oh well! Monday, December 25, 2006
Merry Christmas from the other side of the International Date Line! Yesterday we survived a harrowing and ass-compressing day of travel to arrive at our hotel in time to go to bed. Today we spent the day at Universal Studios Japan. Some fun rides and odd licenses (Snoopy at Universal?!), but an overall fun time had by all. Though I did have one odd request from a Japanese visitor to the park: call up his girlfriend as Santa Claus and wish her a Merry Christmas. Bizarre, no? Yet I did it anyway! Thursday, December 21, 2006
I know I said I would update some more this week, and it's already Thursday! Man, time flies when you're trying to just get through the work week. I've racked up a lot of billable mileage this week, so I've been in and out of the office. But today I drove into Burbank after work to pick up a last minute Christmas present. I found out the night before she was giving me a present, so I figured I should respond in kind, no? Sunday, December 17, 2006
Been a while since my last post, I know. However, since my trip to Japan is less than a week away, expect a few more posts before I take off. I don't know how much access I'll have to the net when I'm there, so I'd like to get something substantial on here before I lose the chance. Interesting weekend - Mike came back from Missouri with his girlfriend and his dog, so Brit's been dealing with a hyper puppy eating up the limelight. Ken's back for a few weeks too, so he dropped by on Friday as well. Saturday was "Get all my random chores done" day, so I spent time getting that haircut I've been putting off for a few weeks. Add in a few hours around Knott's in a failed quest to eat at the chicken restaurant and finish off the day watching the Return of the King with Nammy. Today started with a late breakfast, some Wii time, and ended with a few hours in Disneyland with the parents. A little of everything this weekend. Now I gotta finish off one more week at work before I get to relax in a country where people speak a language I don't know. Monday, December 04, 2006
I realize I'm incredibly late to the party on this, but I'd like to throw in my two cents on just how great the DCAU is. There's enough praise out there for this, and it is incredibly well-deserved. Starting out as Batman: the Animated Series, and expanding from there for 13 years (!), this was a universe allowed to grow and flourish. Sure, there were some missteps along the way (Lock Up, anyone?), but the creative forces behind these shows and movies crafted quality animation and storytelling from decades of sometimes contradicting lore. I admit I was upset when the animation style on Batman changed, and I left the series for many years. But Justin got me hooked with those box sets, and I've kept up with every release. Hell, if they release the Zeta Project, I'll probably get it! I just watched the end of the Cadmus story arc from Justice League Unlimited. I had only seen half of these episodes before (stupid Saturday night scheduling!), and... wow. Just, wow. It's beautiful to see how much of the dynamics of the shows have changed, yet still seem familiar. And Epilogue? I really wish this had been the final episode. It's a great bookend. It's just too bad some new Warner Bros. exec felt they had to leave their mark on the animation department by putting an end to these shows. If the DCAU isn't in a list of the all-time greatest franchises, it should be. |
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| The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of Phillip Donnelly. Unless explicitly stated, all statements are those of Phillip Donnelly. So there! |
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