*sniffle* *cough*
Sep. 4th, 2008 09:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
missroseroseBeing sick while you're on vacation kind of sucks, especially when it means delaying your travel plans. But it does mean that you have time to report on the previous several days' worth of activity. So let's see how much I can remember, despite feeling like my brains have been scooped out and replaced with cotton. (Full disclosure: I've been keeping a cheat sheet as we go, so this isn't completely offhand; however, I'm kind of doped up on Sudafed right now so it might be a bit more disjointed than usual. Read at your own risk.)
PAX was pretty awesome, as expected. We missed the keynote this year, but we did get to see Freezepop and Jonathan Coulton in concert. Freezepop had some very danceable techno music, and Coulton was of course awesome - in addition to his great music, he pulled what was probably the most epic rickroll in the history of rickrolling.
Amusing aside: I think between the dancing at the concert and the walking everywhere we went I got more exercise in those five days than I did all last winter.
Also at PAX: I finally got to complete my education in bad 80s action movies and see Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, thanks to Bethesda sponsoring Post-Apocalyptic Movie Night; Bethesda was also handing out puppet versions of their signature Vault Boy, and a flash mob of them sprang up during the wait for the final round of the Omegathon, all headbanging and dancing to the 1980s power ballads that were playing. That was really something to see.
We met up with the most nifty (if surprisingly tall) guys from LoadingReadyRun at the concert, almost by accident - Brian was wearing a LRR shirt and had his camera set up, and Graham apparently caught sight of him and went "Who among our fans would have a very professional-looking camera set up...Ah! Sable!" and came to greet us. We all met up later at the spontaneously-named LRR-Con '08, as documented in their video diary of PAX (and yes, that's me giving Graham bunny ears towards the end :P). Also, Brian's the significant dip in height of the t-shirt ad in front of this week's video. I keep telling Brian we're not that short, but being around all these incredibly large Canadians hasn't helped my case much.
Wil Wheaton's panel was also lots of fun; he's really quite a good speaker, and he regaled us with amusing stories of his Star Wars action figure-centric childhood. But the best part was when he read to us from his snarky review of "Datalore"; specifically, his impression of Wesley Crusher going "Wheeeeeeee! I'm in STARFLEET!" had me in stitches.
As for the non-PAX-related activities worth noting, there were quite a few. First off was going to Pike Place Market and tasting real, honest-to-god fresh fruit that hadn't been sitting in the back of a truck/cargo area of a plane for the past several days; that was pretty heavenly. Brian and I actually got a hot plate and an inexpensive set of pans so he could cook stuff that we bought from there; it ended up being cheaper than going out, and probably healthier, too.
We also discovered a truly fantastic restaurant called Cutter's Bayhouse. The storefront made it look like a little sushi bar (the neon sign saying "Sushi" was the indicator), but following it back we discovered there was a lovely sit-down area with a great ocean view. The food was excellent, and the service nothing short of perfect - when my seared Ahi was overdone, the server not only noticed it without prompting but brought me back an entire new plate of food. I left him a huge tip and fully intend to go there again, as well as recommend it to anyone who might be in the area - it's just next to the Market, beside the green park-ish area.
Another place at the Market made the most scrumptious crepes; mine was stuffed with goat cheese, green onions, tomatoes and spinach, while Brian got a salmon and cream cheese one, also with fresh vegetables.
This year, we stayed at the Seattle Sheraton, which was quite luxurious. Our room was up on the 27th floor, so there was little noise from the street, and the view was excellent as well. The hotel itself was so much nicer than the Red Lion, too - it truly boggles my mind that they're both considered four-star accommodations. So hooray for planning ahead this time.
We also got to hang out a bit with John, an old high-school friend of mine; he'd spent some time doing security work for some very rich and powerful folk, and had some great stories as a result. Plus he got to have some of Brian's excellent cooking, which he seemed to enjoy (always a bit hard to tell with him).
That's most of the highlights from PAX; I've got plenty more stories to tell, but for now I think I'd better try and get some sleep. So, coming up: Stalking the LRR Crew with Gourmet Food, and Rose Rents A Car And Learns To Drive in the Real World! Stay tuned!
PAX was pretty awesome, as expected. We missed the keynote this year, but we did get to see Freezepop and Jonathan Coulton in concert. Freezepop had some very danceable techno music, and Coulton was of course awesome - in addition to his great music, he pulled what was probably the most epic rickroll in the history of rickrolling.
Amusing aside: I think between the dancing at the concert and the walking everywhere we went I got more exercise in those five days than I did all last winter.
Also at PAX: I finally got to complete my education in bad 80s action movies and see Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, thanks to Bethesda sponsoring Post-Apocalyptic Movie Night; Bethesda was also handing out puppet versions of their signature Vault Boy, and a flash mob of them sprang up during the wait for the final round of the Omegathon, all headbanging and dancing to the 1980s power ballads that were playing. That was really something to see.
We met up with the most nifty (if surprisingly tall) guys from LoadingReadyRun at the concert, almost by accident - Brian was wearing a LRR shirt and had his camera set up, and Graham apparently caught sight of him and went "Who among our fans would have a very professional-looking camera set up...Ah! Sable!" and came to greet us. We all met up later at the spontaneously-named LRR-Con '08, as documented in their video diary of PAX (and yes, that's me giving Graham bunny ears towards the end :P). Also, Brian's the significant dip in height of the t-shirt ad in front of this week's video. I keep telling Brian we're not that short, but being around all these incredibly large Canadians hasn't helped my case much.
Wil Wheaton's panel was also lots of fun; he's really quite a good speaker, and he regaled us with amusing stories of his Star Wars action figure-centric childhood. But the best part was when he read to us from his snarky review of "Datalore"; specifically, his impression of Wesley Crusher going "Wheeeeeeee! I'm in STARFLEET!" had me in stitches.
As for the non-PAX-related activities worth noting, there were quite a few. First off was going to Pike Place Market and tasting real, honest-to-god fresh fruit that hadn't been sitting in the back of a truck/cargo area of a plane for the past several days; that was pretty heavenly. Brian and I actually got a hot plate and an inexpensive set of pans so he could cook stuff that we bought from there; it ended up being cheaper than going out, and probably healthier, too.
We also discovered a truly fantastic restaurant called Cutter's Bayhouse. The storefront made it look like a little sushi bar (the neon sign saying "Sushi" was the indicator), but following it back we discovered there was a lovely sit-down area with a great ocean view. The food was excellent, and the service nothing short of perfect - when my seared Ahi was overdone, the server not only noticed it without prompting but brought me back an entire new plate of food. I left him a huge tip and fully intend to go there again, as well as recommend it to anyone who might be in the area - it's just next to the Market, beside the green park-ish area.
Another place at the Market made the most scrumptious crepes; mine was stuffed with goat cheese, green onions, tomatoes and spinach, while Brian got a salmon and cream cheese one, also with fresh vegetables.
This year, we stayed at the Seattle Sheraton, which was quite luxurious. Our room was up on the 27th floor, so there was little noise from the street, and the view was excellent as well. The hotel itself was so much nicer than the Red Lion, too - it truly boggles my mind that they're both considered four-star accommodations. So hooray for planning ahead this time.
We also got to hang out a bit with John, an old high-school friend of mine; he'd spent some time doing security work for some very rich and powerful folk, and had some great stories as a result. Plus he got to have some of Brian's excellent cooking, which he seemed to enjoy (always a bit hard to tell with him).
That's most of the highlights from PAX; I've got plenty more stories to tell, but for now I think I'd better try and get some sleep. So, coming up: Stalking the LRR Crew with Gourmet Food, and Rose Rents A Car And Learns To Drive in the Real World! Stay tuned!
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no subject
Date: 2008-09-04 08:47 pm (UTC)Freezepop will be playing here in October, and Fnord and I have already set up plans to go see them.
I do miss Pike Place Market and the streets around it; I still need to make it back to Kells again and have lunch (Irish place, fantastic) and I miss the fish guys. Oh the fish guys. People down here would have to see video of them to start to get an inkling of an idea of how they are.
But you survived PAX, and as I am gathering, driving in the Seattle area. Woo!
awww poor dear
Date: 2008-09-05 07:16 pm (UTC)I stopped in at J&W this morning to put in a work order and to maybe drop off the DVD but of course you weren't there. I was going to give it to Brian but apparently he'd just gone. I was also gonna ask him, or you, if you enjoy the classic Doctor Who. I have several DVDs of the good old Doctor Who shows (as well as a bunch of .mp4 files) including the box set of the Key To Time series (4th Doctor). If you two are interested, I'd be happy to loan those.
Re: awww poor dear
Date: 2008-09-05 08:20 pm (UTC)I've never actually watched any of the classic Doctor Who. Might be worth looking into, although I've always been a bit intimidated - I mean, where does one even start? Maybe you can make a recommendation?
Re: awww poor dear
Date: 2008-09-05 08:30 pm (UTC)Well, the 4th Doctor is the one most people think of, with the big curls and the long scarf and the Jelly Babies candy and in fact I'd say he's MY Doctor, although the third was my Doctor when I was a little kid and first started watching. I was all of 6 or 7 and my mom just couldn't fathom what I was getting out of it. Guess I started my geekery pretty early. Maybe you could start with the Key To Time set and see what you think. I also have a few episodes with Sarah Jane -- might tie you in a bit :) The "special effects" are so very laughable by our standards but back then the monsters and stuff had all the kids hiding behind their sofas. The ethical and moral issues and the humor certainly aren't stale in the least, though IMO. I'll have a look at my DVDs and see if I can spot a good jumping in place :)
Hope you feel better and you guys enjoy the rest of your trip! Say hi to the Space Needle for me if you pass by that way and tell it I still remember fondly standing up there watching the city breathe like a giant entity and feelng the mood change and intensify. Good times :)
Loss, Travel & Getting a Cold
Date: 2008-09-06 06:39 pm (UTC)