Junebugged
Bay Arcade in Balboa’s “Fun Zone”. I grew up going
here in the summer.
Yikes, Monday already.
Monday in June. 2008.
Everyone I know is kind of freaking out about the
whole “June” thing. I can’t believe it at all, to be
honest. But whatever, it’s here and we might as well
get used to it.
Had a good weekend and now I am tired out. I went
down to San Diego to speak at a conference--sounds
cooler than it was, but it was cool--so Whit and I
had a good time driving down and hanging out in
downtown San Diego.
This is Whit doing a very good impression of her
sister. Check out the new sweatshirt. It’s lined and
is mighty nice.
It was nice to get out of
the city, even if only for a night. We stayed at this
very odd resort/convention center named Town and
Country and got a good taste of what life must have
been like in the 50s. The place was just...old, you
know? Just stuck in time. It was interesting to be
rushing all around irritated that the year was
approaching half over rather quickly then ending up
here, which seemed like a movie set..it was just
crazy, check out the link for some pics.
Then I had to go to work a table at the gift lobby
for the MTV 2008 Movie awards. This was a really
strange experience and really, I mean, really, it was
a glimpse into the part of the entertainment industry
that made me feel just...odd, I guess. Basically, we
were one of many tables set up on the roof of this
very swank hotel in the middle of West Hollywood. We
would hang out to talk about our products (I was
inbetween a very cool headset and a neat smart pen)
to anyone that would come by. Kinda like a trade
show, but if the person coming up to you was wearing
a certain necklace, then they were apparently a
celebrity and could just take whatever they
wanted--as long as we got a picture of the celebrity
holding the product. Once the picture was taken, it
could be use to market said product.
It's one thing to know about this kind of thing, it's
another thing to actually see it in action. Now,
let's be clear--I had a fine time, and the people
that I did meet were actually very cool about it. I
mean, of course they were, right? They were getting
all this free stuff for nothing! But still, you could
tell the cooler celebs knew just how silly
this was, which is why I think they were so nice. Our
table was probably the most interesting at the
event--we had cool gadgets and stuff that was way
more useful than yet another energy drink--so we had
some fun conversations and everything, but still...
It's business, right? This is how companies get their
products out on the market. They get photos of people
using the products in magazines, then the masses will
go and get said product. It's just seeing it done so
overtly that gave me pause.
Still, it was a good experience--I learned quite a
bit just by watching people. The wheels of commerce
spinning, right?
The other night, while
Whit was with her girlfriends for a Sex and the
City party (I love that they had party for a
movie and then not go to said movie), I finally got
around to watching The Graduate. No, I had
never seen it before. Yes, I have been reading all
about it in Pictures at a Revolution.
And yes, I was totally, completely blown away by
it. If you haven't seen it recently, add it to
your queue and check it out. From the sound design
to the cinematography to Anne Bancroft's insanely
great performance (her laughter during their
initial flirtation just blew me away, I must have
watched that scene five times)...it's just
awesome.
I am going to an on camera class tonight, which
should be fun. It's good to keep going to different
teachers, to work with different people. It's still
really slow and I fear that things won't even begin
to recover until late this summer. I hope.
My article for ifanboy.com goes up on
Wednesday. I'm just writing about comics and
life..we'll see how people respond...
talk to you soon.