So.... About That Wedding

I figured out a way to get online at the house. Not sure how or why exactly, but why look a gift horse in the mouth. I'll make use of it while I can.

Back to our previous topic: The wedding.

Hotness and I had planned on having a "Vegas Wedding". We didn't want to deal with finding a place out here and getting all that kind of planning together. Besides, something non-traditional seemed like "us".
However, the best laid plans never work out the way you want them to, so we ended up having to compromise.
Without a steady job to pay for tickets to Vegas (and not wanting to dip into what money I do have), Hotness thought we should have the wedding here at home.

She asked a friend of hers if they would mind letting us use their house for the ceremony and reception. They live quite a ways out in Preston, WA in a H-U-G-E house with tall windows that look out into the woods. (See picture below)
The living room was just the right size for a small group of friends and family to sit comfortably and share our day.

The minister she wanted to have was a friend's dad, and she called to see if there was any way he could make it up here to marry us. He currently lives in California, but has known Hotness since grade school and said "I'll be there. I wouldn't miss it

Hotness's brother had recently returned home from a several-months-long European trip (after having flown back-and-forth from Hawaii to Montana during their mom's illness), so he really wasn't in a financial position to come back out on ANOTHER flight right away.
Then, a few days before the wedding, he & I talked for a bit and then he said, "It's my sister's wedding. How many times am I going to get to see that? I'll be out there for it!"
We decided to keep it a secret from Hotness until the day of the wedding.
He took care of the flight and I just needed to figure out a ride from the airport and a place to stay for the night once he got in.
My friend Imperfect had recently come home from a family vacation in Florida, and had the house to himself while his wife and kids were still away. He said he wouldn't mind picking up her brother and letting him stay at the house since it was pretty much empty at the time.
So now we had that taken care of.

On the day of the wedding, Hotness got up and left to get her hair and makeup done while I got my suit and stuff together.
I headed over to Imperfect's place to check on Hotness's brother and go over a few last minute things with Imperfect.
Hotness called while I was there to say that she was already done and headed to the house where the wedding would take place.
This was much earlier than I planned on, so her brother and I left right away to get there before she did.
She beat us there by only a couple of minutes, and was out near the road tying balloons to the mailbox so people could find us.
As we got closer, her brother ducked down in the car so she wouldn't see him and then jumped out (after I slowed down, of course) to surprise her.
There were lots of squeals, smiles and hugs as told her "SURPRISE!"

After that, I went inside to get some of the food ready for the reception.
There wasn't much to do, but it was still too early to get dressed in my suit so it filled my time as people started showing up.

An hour before the wedding was to start, the minister took us aside to go over the vows and what was to take place.
Then 15 minutes before the wedding I went to get changed.
At 2:00 p.m. everybody was sat down in their seat, the music started and the wedding began.

It couldn't have turned into a more perfect day.
The sun was shining and it was coming into the house through the big windows we stood in front of.
Hotness's brother walked her down the aisle.
My mom and her husband came out and she made our wedding cake for us.

After a brief ceremony, we exchanged vows and the minister then pronounced us "Husband & Wife".
We walked down the aisle together as "You're My Best Friend" by QUEEN played on.

Everybody soon joined us in the next room where we thanked them all for coming and to please enjoy themselves to food.

We took a few pictures and then it was time to cut the cake.
I'm not a fan of "smooshing" the cake at weddings. The bride spends all day getting ready and trying to look nice for the biggest of "big days" and then you go and stuff cake in her face? I think not.
Instead, we took small forkfuls and ate them without a lot of fuss.

After that, we mingled a bit to make sure everybody had been introduced to everyone else.
Then it was time for us to sign the wedding certificate.

We mingled and talked for a while longer, then as it started getting late and everyone was heading home, Hotness, myself and a few others went to get dinner together.

So that's the gyst of it.
Here are a few pictures of the day:
I decorated the entry way with pictures of us at various stages of our lives. To the left were pictures of Hotness as a baby, child, teenager and an adult. To the right were pictures of me as well.
In the middle were pictures of us through the years that we've been together.


The big windows as the sun shined in during the vows, and our first kiss to "seal the deal" as a wedded couple.


The cake my mom made, as well as some of the food that was served.
My mom and I both made all the food for the reception.

Preparing to cut the cake. Notice Hotness's look of eagerness. (Should I be worried?)

Then our first bites together.

Signing the marriage certificate

A view of the back of Hotness's wedding dress.

Myself, Hotness, G-rod and Liz.

My new brother-in-law, Hotness, and myself

The newly wedded couple!

Post-wedding, Hotness is trying to earn back some cash to help pay for the wedding.

Since we weren't able to have all the people we wanted at our wedding, our plan is to have a B-I-G reception at a later date (hopefully this spring or summer) and invite everyone to it.

We really wanted to share our day with all our friends and family and by having another reception later we can include them all.

While our internet is working I'll try to post some more recent things, but we'll see how things go.

Thanks for your patience.

After A Long Wait, It's Finally Over

On Sunday morning (shortly after midnight) Hotness's mom passed away.

She'd gotten a call on Friday afternoon from a family friend saying that her mom might not make it through the next few days, so we'd been waiting for this call to happen.

It's kind of surreal at the moment. She's gone and will no longer be a part of either of our lives, but in a sense she had left a while ago when the cancer started taking over so it really isn't a shock.

On the other hand, she lived a lot longer than anyone expected so for her to finally be gone is a relief (that she's no longer suffering) and very sad (that she is actually gone).

I joked about her on here, but it was because I cared about her.

I'd call her occasionally to check in on her and make her laugh. When she got too sick to answer the phone, I really didn't get to talk to her much any more.

The cards I sent her (on Hotness's last visit) helped brighten her day and she kept them next to her in the nursing home so she could read them over and over again.

I didn't get to tell her "goodbye", but I'll never forget the first time we'd said "Hello" to each other.

I'd gone back with Hotness for her 10-year High School reunion, and stopped by her mom's to let he know we arrived.

The first thing she said to me was, "Oh! You'll like my friend Don. He's chubby too."

I just smiled as Hotness freaked out that her mom said that to me.

I said later that "if that's the worst I have to deal with from her, I think things will be okay".

And they were.

In the years after that, I looked forward to seeing her and joking around with her. We'd exchange email. And I'd make her laugh until she turned red and tears rolled out of her eyes.

I'll miss her.

Not as much as Hotness, obviously. But we were close. So close that she was referring to me as her son-in-law BEFORE Hotness and I were ever engaged.

Rest in peace Jankamur.

Hallmark Has A Card For Everything

I'm a bachelor again this weekend.
Hotness took off this morning to spend time with her mother one more time.

I used to call her mom every week or so (more often when the cancer started taking over) to just talk and make her laugh and to catch up on things that she wasn't sure she should tell her daughter. I'd filter the information and relay it to Hotness. (Her mom could be a bit dramatic, so it was always best to 'temper' what she had to say)
I haven't been able to do that in a while. In fact, the last time I got to talk to her was the weekend that Hotness and I got engaged (over a couple of months ago now). After that, her health got worse and she moved out of her house and into a nursing home for 24-hour care.

I'd been meaning to send her a card to cheer her up and let her know I was still thinking about her, but things would side-track me and I'd never take time to do it.
So last night, before Hotness was going to leave for her trip, I went to the local Hallmark shop to get a couple of cards for her to deliver for me when she got there.

I looked and looked until I found what I thought expressed the feelings I wanted to convey.
One was a humorous card about surrounding yourself with friends. The other was a sympathy card, which is kind of weird to buy BEFORE someone is dead let alone give it to the person who is the subject of the sympathy... but whatever.

I went up to the counter to pay and the cashier asked if I'd found everything I was looking for.
Instead of just saying "Yes I did. Thank you", I said "Well actually not quite, but these will do".
"Oh. Well can I help you find something more appropriate?" she asked.
"I don't know. It's kind of complicated. I was trying to find a card for my future mother-in-law who has terminal cancer. I don't think you have a card for anything like that" I replied.
She said, "As a matter fact, we do have a few cards that deal with sensitive subjects, including a few that relate to cancer. They're over here", and she directed me to an end cap with a few topical cards of diverse subjects.

I didn't find quite what I was hoping to, so I stuck with the original two I had picked out.
But I'll be dipped in cheese fondue. They really DO have a card for every situation.
I think I'm going to have to make it a personal goal to come up with topics that Hallmark hasn't got a card for now.


In the meantime, I've got stuff to do while Hotness is away.
I have some planting to do at the old homestead, so that'll get me outside in the sunshine during the day.
On Saturday late morning I'm going to watch my niece perform in her first ballet dance recital. And that evening I have plans to go to the ballet in Seattle (our last one for this season) with a couple of friends since Hotness won't be here to make it this time.
I'm also expecting a couple of DVD's to arrive in the mail: Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus and Fanboys. If I'm lucky, they'll be waiting in my mailbox for me when I get home this afternoon.

Some tacos, mojitos and two huge sea-beasties beating the crap outta each other. It's gonna be a good evening.....

Swan Lake & Spearmint

Yesterday Hotness and I took my aunt out for her (early) birthday present to see "Swan Lake" at the ballet.
It's something she's always wanted to see live and never had the chance until now.
She lives further north from us so pretty much our entire day was involved with getting ready, picking her up, driving to Seattle, and taking her back home.
We typically go in the evenings, but since this was a special treat for my aunt, we exchanged our tickets for a matinee performance.

We had a good time and she really enjoyed getting to go to the ballet.

For those unfamiliar with the story of Swan Lake, here's a brief synopsis:
Boy turns 21 and on his birthday a bunch of friends gather to celebrate. His mom (the Queen) gives him a cross bow, 'cause he like to hunt, and reminds him that he also is old enough to get married and will have to pick a bride soon. She will be holding a ball that next evening and he can pick one then.
The boy reluctantly agrees and then he sees a flock of swans in the sky, so he and his buddies take off to go hunting for them.

It's evening and as the swans land on the ground they turn into beautiful maidens.
The boy sees this and can't believe his eyes. He sends the other hunters home and dances with the most beautiful maiden, whom he finds out is the Queen of the maidens.
They have been cursed to live as swans by day, and only allowed to be human when night falls.
The boy is falling in love with the maiden and she tells him that the only way to break the curse is to pledge his faithfulness to her. About that time the wizard who cursed the maidens shows up and takes the Queen maiden away.

The next evening everybody is at the palace and the eligible brides-to-be are presented to the boy, but he's not interested.
Suddenly the wizard appears and with him is the Swan Queen.
Both she and the wizard are rather cold and rude the the boy and his mother, but the boy dances with her and can't believe that she has shown up to the ball.
Things don't seem right, as a vision of the Swan Queen appears to the boy, but he just passes it off and keeps dancing with her.

Finally they boy can't believe his good fortune and pledges his undying love and faithfulness to the young girl only to discover that she was a fake made to look like the Swan Queen and he has now doomed his true love to live with the curse forever.

The ball ends and the boy rushes out into the woods to find his love.
They dance and he begs for forgiveness but it's no good.
Although she forgives him, she is still cursed.
Finally the wizard appears and takes her away and the boy is left alone in his grief.

It's a classic in the ballet repertoire and full of beauty and tragedy.


We drove back north to take my aunt home and then headed home ourselves.
It was early evening, so we went to our neighbor's place and watched the last episode of "Dollhouse". I kind of like this show and hear it's been picked up for a second season, so it'll be cool to see how it develops further when it comes back.

After we were finished, we went back home and what should see in our yard....?

A horse!

It belonged to our neighbor behind us and had 'escaped' it's pasture and found that the grass in our yard was just yummy for grazing. Obviously Hotness was happy to have a horse to have to 'care for', after calling the neighbors and letting them know we'd horse-sit for the night, I coaxed it into our fenced pasture and she filled up the water container for it.

I went to bed shortly after that, but she stayed up for a bit peeking out the window at it.

This morning we got up and the horse was still there, just eating grass.

Hotness got her brushes out and mixed up some bran mash and went outside to have some "horsey-time".

(Why can't I ever come home and find Dita in my yard?!? I'd stay up all night peeking out the window and in the morning I'd go out and brush her hair. I don't think it's fair, I tell you.)

After brushing and feeding the horse, we went into town to have breakfast.

Then we walked to the local hardware store where I picked up some plants to bring back home and pot up.

I got some cilantro because I'm constantly buying it to use at the house. I figured it would probably cost less to just plant my own and harvest it as needed.

I also picked up some chocolate mint and spearmint.

The chocolate mint just smells good and will be good to make tea with.

The spearmint....? Well, that's for making mojitos later when it FINALLY warms up around here.

And that catches us up with what's been happening.

As soon as I get done bloggin' here, I'm going to start packing up my suitcases for my Calgary trip next week.

I take off Tuesday evening, so that leaves me with one day of work and I don't want to try and pack after I come home tomorrow night. All day Tuesday will be spent running the last few errands I need to take care of before I leave, so I hope to get the packing done today and then relax.

I hope you all took advantage of the nice weather this weekend. Hopefully it'll stay around for a few more days.

Until next time.....

So What's New?

Nothing much really.
I just haven't had much to really talk about and share on here, so I've kept to myself and sort of been "offline" as it were.

I was bummed to find out last week about Elwood's emplyoment status, as we had just had lunch a few days earlier and it looked to be pretty secure.
After a few sullen days, he's taking it in stride and moved on. I'm glad to hear he's doing good. Best of luck to him.

The convention draws closer every day, and with it I'm running out of time to finish projects I wanted to do for some of the guests. I hope to have them all done in time.... but my procrastination knows no bounds. Guess I'd better get serious.

I recently purchased an external hard-drive and have been in the process of moving some of the content off my home computer onto it. (Music, videos, etc...)
I didnt realize how much I'd aquired, but I needed to clear space on my internal hard-drive and doing this has made a big improvement in that dept.
I'll probably carry it with me to work or the comic store so I can listen to music at lunch or share some of the crap I've gotten with everyone else. You have been warned.

Hotness's mom is still on the downhill slide, but mentally doing much better.
She's not taking quite as much of the drugs she was taking at the onset, so her mood has actually improved even though her body continues to deteriorate.

I've been trying to 'share the love' when it comes to ECCC this year.
I've had a lot of friends who have expressed interest in going to the show in the past but never went.
So this year I've been getting extra tickets for them as as incentive to come and experience it.
I'm hoping it pays off and they'll want to keep coming coming back.
At the very least, I'm looking forward to having my friends show up and have a good time and seeing what it is I do that makes me talk about it all year.

I still haven't gotten around to watching "Tokyo Gore Police" or "Meatball Machine" just yet.
I really have to be in the right frame of mind to start those movies and I just haven't been.
However, I did recently purchase the old-school "The Fly" series at Costco.
I've watched the original and the sequel, but fell asleep watchig the third movie.
What's interesting about the first movie, is that it was produced through 20th Century Fox which also made the original "The Day The Earth Stood Still".

Both of these movies were unconventional in their time as they didn't portray the monster as the villian in these films, which was very untypical at that time.
In "TDTESS" the alien came to earth to warn us that our violent tendencies were going to get us into trouble, and we (being stupid, paranoid humans) attacked him at the onset.
In "The Fly", the scientist discovered too late what it means to tamper with science and tried to destroy himself before becoming any more of a monster than he'd already become.

So that's about all I've been up to recently.
Nothing too exciting.

Hope I haven't been keeping you in suspense for too long.

Weekend Update

Nothing amazing to report from the weekend. Just thought I'd catch ya'll up on things.

On Friday I got some DVD's that I ordered on Amazon.
Tokyo Gore Police
Meatball Machine
Irreversable

I haven't watched the first two yet, but a review will be forthcoming once I get a chance for them.

The third movie, though, I did watch that evening.
It's hard to say whether it was a really good movie or not-so-great. It was a foreign film, so those are usually a bit 'artsy' and kind of subjective to each person's tastes.
I will tell you this;
It's a French film, and it's presented in reverse order. Meaning, that you see the ending (credits and all) and then watch as the movie moves backwards to see how it ended the way it did.
One of the downsides (for me) is that it is filmed in that jerky, constant movement type of camera-style. So especially at the beginning of the movie (or actually the "end") the camera moves around. A LOT.
Not very easy to watch and read subtitles and keep track of what's happening onscreen. Especially when you're as prone to motion-sickness as I am.
It does taper off and become more steady as the film moves backwards towards the beginning.

There is one scene in particular that is very difficult to watch right near the middle.
It's a rape scene and it is fucking brutal. I was uncomfortable watching it, even though I know they are actors and it wasn't real. In fact part of it was digital effects. Still, it's not pretty and it'll make you squirm, hoping that it ends quickly... which it doesn't.

Would I recommend this movie?
Only if you're into foreign films that are sort of avant-garde, and you don't mind a bunch of unsteady camera movement.
The sound track is pretty good. One of the members of Daft Punk did the music for a club scene, so it's got that going for it.
Plus.. it has Monica Bellucci. And her ta-ta's. That's a bonus.
But the ending (which you start at) is messed up for sure, and that rape scene is really hard to get over even when you're done watching the movie.
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Saturday, I went into Lynnwood and met up with Elwood for lunch.
We went to Red Robin and grabbed burgers and just caught up with each other.
Then we went back to the Comic Stop for a bit and while we were hanging out there a couple of people came in to pimp their locally produced comic book based on a post-apocolyptic zombie attack.
Yes. I said zombies. Way cool.

I don't know much about the book other that it's a photo-comic, much like "Crater on the Moon" or "Dorothy" and it's written and produced right here in Washington.
It's called "Night Zero".
You can check out more about it on their website. Or, if you're coming to ECCC this year you can check it at out their booth.

That evening, I went over to the neighbor's and we ate pizza and watched the first couple of episodes of "The Dollhouse".
I liked it, but only a couple of shows into it I'm not overwhelmed yet. I think I'd like to see how it develops more before making a real opinion of it. It was brainless fun to watch though.
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Sunday I spent doing laundry and dishes before Hotness came back home.
Really exciting. Oh yeah.
I did manage to go through my T-shirts and bagged up a bunch of ones I no longer wear or have been hanging onto for years (but just couldn't get rid of).
I managed to clear out at least a drawer and a half which is pretty impressive.

Then I made a calzone for dinner and watched "Secretary" before calling it a night and going to bed.
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Today Hotness came back home.
Her mom's health is continuing to deteriorate, but she wasn't able to stay any longer.
Her brother is taking over the duties of being there and will fill us in as the days continue to go by. Unfortunately and thankfully it won't be much longer.

My niece and nephew got back from their little mid-winter vacation... and they brought their parents back with them.
I'm looking forward to seeing them all soon and hearing all about their trip.

And that brings us up-to-date.
I hope you all had a good weekend and were able to make the best of it.

"I Don't Meant To Be A 'Debbie Downer'....."

I apologize for the lack of regular posting and wacky antics that seem to happen to us, but there's been some stuff going on behind the scenes here at "What's That Smell?" and I figured I'd fill you in.

Hotness took off last week with her brother to be with their mom, who is dying from ovarian cancer.
The last few months have been an up-and-down roller-coaster ride with their mom being at death's door one day, and just fine the next.
We've called to check in and make her laugh, but it's not like being there so we've had to rely on friends who are with her on a daily basis for her health status.
Recently her health had taken a turn for the worse so her kids decided to high-tail it back home to be with their mom.

You'll notice I said "her kids" went to be with her. I'm still at home.
It's not that her mom and I don't get along. Quite the opposite in fact. We get along incredibly well and it really bothers me that I couldn't go back to be there with her as well and to give Hotness the emotional support she needs.
But unfortunately finances and such don't really allow for both of us to leave, plus somebody has to stay and keep an eye on the house and the cat.

Somebody asked me why we didn't get a sitter to watch everything while we were away, but like I mentioned, finances just won't allow it. Especially for an unknown length of time we'd be away.
Plus the cat is old and kind of frail (health-wise). She doesn't travel well nor does she accept strangers easily. So it's easier for one of us to stay home with her so she doesn't get sick while we're gone and stay at the house to make sure nothing happens.
We don't need to worry about one sick family member while we're two states away with another one.

As for Hotness's mom, she's ready to go.
In fact, after going through the chemo therapy the first time around she told everybody that if her cancer came back she would not be doing anything for treatment. She wanted to let the cancer run it's course and leave this world. (it's a bit melodramatic, but she really did say that)
The problem now is this; while mentally she's ready to die, her body isn't quite finished yet. So now it's a waiting game while she's in pain and uncomfortable until nature takes it's course.
It's not pleasant and she has moments where it's difficult for her kids to be in the room with her, but at least they are there.

In the meantime, I'm here keeping the homefires burning and making sure all is well until Hotness gets back.
I've been a little too preoccupied to keep up with stuff on here and I thought I'd at least let you all know why.

I promise next time I'll have something funny to say or talk about.

I Had A Dream Last Night

Well, actually it was this morning.
But I had this dream and it's unusual for for me to remember them, so I thought I'd share it.

In my dream:
I'm teenager and for whatever reason, I'm having to share my bed with my brother. It's a big enough bed for both of us but at some point he's worked his way over to my side and is now sticking his knees (and /or feet) into my back, forcing me to scoot to the edge of the bed.

I finally have enough and push him back yelling at him to stay on his side and quit pushing.
Right after I do that, I hear my mom say, "No! Don't go in there. Just let them be."
But a few seconds later my step-dad shows up and is standing right above me with his right arm raised in preparation to hit me.
I look up at him and think about what to say, knowing that the wrong thing with bring certain pain... but I don't know what the "wrong thing" is.
So I say, "I'm just trying to get room so I can sleep. He keeps pushing me."
My step-dad stands there for a moment, lowers his arm, and then walks out of the room.

And right then I woke up.
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I know that dreams are your brain's way of working out stuff that has happened during the day in your subconscious, but this is really odd.
1) My brother and I were separated when we were young and he never lived with me during my teenage years.
2) When we did live in the same house, we never had to share a bed.
3) My step-dad never hit me. In fact, we got along very well. Even when he tried to "act tough", I saw through it and we had a laugh.
We were very close up until the time he and my mom were separated. Since then, I've had no contact with him.

I can't think of ANYTHING that would have triggered this to occur in my dreams, so... WTF?

I have some of the strangest dreams sometimes.

Missoula pt. 2 - Everything Else

The rest of our time in Missoula was a blur of activity punctuated with moments of nothing.

Without getting all wordy on ya, I'll just point out some highlights.

Having survived the trip out there without having my tires blow-out, we went to Les Schwab and got my wheels aligned and a couple of new tires... for $200 LESS than I was quoted in Washington before I left.
It paid to make the trip there instead of waiting to have it done before we left.

Hotness's brother was in town for a couple of reasons.

1) He was there to attend their mother's 'living wake'.

2) He had to have some surgery done, and came back to Missoula to have it taken care of.

While he was there, we went out for sushi:

and ice cream:

and lunch with their mom and friends:

Hotness and I had crepes again at Liquid Planet.

Yummy!

We also hung out at her mom's and acted like idiots:

Me more so than the others I guess.

We got an endorsement for Obama from Hotness's mom. (She's a big supporter)

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One night, Hotness and I went to a bar (actually it was kind of a 'dive') to get a drink.
It was a particularly weird afternoon so we thought we'd cap the day off by adding alcohol to the mix.

I was able to sample something I've been wanting to try for quite some time.... ABSINTHE.

(Also known as the Green Fairy.)

It was definitely something you want to try before plunking down big wads of cash to buy a bottle.

I liked it, but Hontess did not.

To me it was sort of reminescent of Jagermeister (but not as 'syrupy' or sweet) and it sort of burned as it went down like tequila.
In fact, Ouzo is probably a better example of what it was like, except the anise flavor was amped up to 11 so it kind of stuck with you the rest of the evening.

Unfortunately I did not experience any hallucinogenic dreams, but I was feeling mighty good after three shots!

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Last year we were surrounded by wildfires that settled into the Missoula Valley and left a smoky haze the whole time we were there.

Not so this time. It had been a nice wet spring, so things were very green when we got there and the skies were clear and blue.

That is... until some kids were playing with fireworks and set the side ot Mt. Sentinel on fire.

Hotness and I were leaving the house we stayed at late one afternoon when I noticed smoke billowing up to the sky.

We took a detour and followed it until we saw where the fire was.

In about 2 hours almost 300 acres were burned.

The firefighters were streched thin due to the other fires in California that are being battled, but they managed to get it under control by the next evening without anybody getting hurt and no property damage involved.

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Our last full day in Missoula was finished off with a 'living wake' for Hotness's mom.

She's battling ovarian cancer and has decided to opt out of chemo to fight it off.
She wanted to see all her friends and loved ones before she dies (which to be honest may not really be all that soon so this could be the first of many 'annual living wakes'... but I digress).

All went well.
There were about 100 people that showed up and she got to talk with almost all of them.

Some people sang songs while others played music in honor of her.

I met a few new people as Hotness and her brother introduced me to them.

The 'wake' lasted for a few hours, but finally we had to call it a day and head home.

Hotness and I retired to a motel outside of town for the evening, as there was a marathon the next morning and several local roads would be closed, making our exit from town kind of problematic.

We said our goodbyes and then left early the next morning and got back home in the late afternoon.

We had an enjoyable time, but it's good to be back home again.

... And Now We Have Returned

Ugh! Got back from Montana around 3:30 p.m.
Pulled into the driveway, unlocked the door and began unloading the car before I let it "slide" until tomorrow.

Our trip was great.
We had a good time, although it was a bit of a mixed bag of emotions going back this year.

Hotness was raised in Missoula, so that's where her family lived (more on this in a moment).
Every year she'd go back to visit her mom, dad and brother and catch up with friends.
After I came into the picture, I tagged along for the ride and met everyone and just enjoyed myself while I was there.

In recent years, however, there has been less family to visit when we go back there.
Her dad passed away about 3 years ago. Her brother moved to Hawaii. And the last couple of years her mom has been fighting off ovarian cancer (so we'll be losing her in the future).

Her mom (hereafter referred to as Hotness 1.0) has decided to forgo chemo to treat her cancer.
It took quite a toll on her the last time she did it and she figures she's lived a pretty good life and will go when it's her time instead of fighting.
This year, while we were back, she planned to have a "living wake", so that she could enjoy the company of all the people who have known her throughout the years and still get to see them before she's gone.
I'll get to that later, but my point was that as a vacation it was punctuated with this morbid sense of impending death. Not quite a relaxing vacation.

Overall though, we did manage to have a good time. We caught up with friends and just had a nice time in Missoula.

I took lots of pictures. Too many to post, so I'll just be showing the highlights.
But for now, I wanted to get online and let you know we both made it back and were still alive.

Outta Here

Hotness and I are on vacation to visit her family in Montana, so no posts for a while until we get back.

Lots of pictures to enjoy when we return so stay good until then.

ECCC Sunday

Sunday started out with a phone call shortly after we woke up.

*BRIIIING!*
(Look at my phone. Notice that it's Technogreek)
"Good morning, what's up?", says I.
"Yeah.... listen. Burnham has come down with a fever and isn't going to able to help you guys take care of the guests today. That leaves just you and Dr. Zoltar, " he replies.
The day before we could barely take care of everyone and now we were down a man. Oh boy.

Actually it all turned out okay. We were able to wrangle three other volunteers to help us and since it was also the slower of the two days, it all turned out well and everybody was happy.
I wish I could remember the names of the folks who helped us, 'cause if they're reading this I want to let them know how much we appreciated thier help.

So Sunday was Mother's Day and despite being a holiday, was still fairly bustling although not nearly the with the amount of people we had the previous day.
I was able to talk with the guests more, get a few sketches, interview some people and buy stuff.

I mentioned earlier that I was a little apprehensive about the Suicide Girls coming out and having a booth at the show. They are known for not wearing much (if anything at all) on their website, and this is a family-oriented show.
But it turns out they were very nice, and a couple of them were especially cute (I'll let you decide who).
I even got a short interview with them:

I need to improve my interview skills, or at least have some prepared questions. I thought of more questions after the camera was off but didn't want to seem too much of a stalker by asking for another interview.

I saw a couple of people walking around the show floor, one of whom was wearing a Shogun Warrior action figure. It was Raydeen, which is one I had when I was a kid. I apporoached them to tell him how cool it was that he had that figure with him and they asked me if I would mind being interviewed later.
"Sure, why not?" I replied, and then took off to get some water for a guest.

Closer to 11:30, I needed to leave and get lunch again for Jamie & Julie.
On my way out of the convention center I ran into my mom and her husband who were coming for the day. (I got them tickets for this year after they had such a good time last year)
I told them I'd meet up with them later and then left them to toodle around at the convention.

When I got back, the lunches were already being passed around to the other guests. It was pretty much well-in-hand, so I let them finish and went out on the show floor to look around a little.

I caught up with my mom and took them over to introduce them to Daniel Logan.
He is such a nice guy he gave both of them autographed pictures at no charge.
Then I introduced them to a few others; Filip Sablik of Top Cow, Erik Thompson, Kandrix & Laurie, Gus F. Martin... just to name a few.
Everyone was very sweet and mom just loved meeting them all.

Mom's husband is a good friend of Mike Grell, so I took them over to him and then had to leave to run a few errands.

There were a few people who still hadn't gotten lunch, so I ran back and forth from the 'green room' to the convention floor delivering those last few sub sandwiches for them.

I met up again with the folks who wanted to interview me. Turned out.... they were Kelly O. and 'The Don Leonardo' from The Stranger.

They did a brief interview session with me and then gave me a Shogun Warrior comic book for being such a good sport.
My interview got edited into this video. See if you can find me.
(When you do find me... keep watching. I eventually get to explain what it was I said)



The crowd wasn't a big as the day before and it was now after 2:00 p.m. I started making the rounds of anybody that might need anything and buying the things I'd been eyeing since the show started.

I picked up:
Both volumes of Colleen Coover's "Small Favors"
Two copies of "Little Vampires" (for some friends) and the "Project: ElOhIm" trade from Rebecca Hicks.
A trade paperback of "Scruffy Puppies" by Brent Trembath (I was his 22nd customer!)
A signed copy of the Suicide Girls book and DVDs.

I also went around and got a few signatures and added to my sketchbook.
Hilights to this year's round of additions include Tim Sale, Eric Powell, and Phil Noto. All three have been to ECCC before but I've never been able to get a sketch 'cause they've been so darn busy. I also got a very cool self-portrait sketch by Whilce Portacio, and Colleen Coover added hers when I picked up the books from her.

My mom and her husband had to leave, so we stopped by Gus F. Martin's booth one last time.

He and a couple of other guys were playing some live jazz in their booth, and mom wanted to say goodbye... in her own special way.

Andy Kuhn was back again this year and I picked up another CD by his band "The Fuglees".
Remember how I mentioned a while back that I'd love to see a Hellboy story written by Bob Burden and drawn by Andy? Well, I also got a nice head sketch from him of Hellboy.

Sweet!

The show was getting closer to ending and I made a mad dash to say goodbye to some of the guests and exhibitors who were leaving that evening.

After we scooted all the attendees out, we (the volunteers) helped to pack up the ECCC booth, take down banners, clean up the 'green room' and whatever else needed to be done before we left.

We then all headed down to the Ipanema Brazillian Grill for dinner with some of the guests.
By the time Hotness and I got there, the tables were pretty well filled. I was going to sit at the end of a table but it was right in the way of people moving in and out, so I excused myself from there and went to sit with Phil Jiminez, Stephen Sadowski and his partner, Qtilla, and Girl Friday.
THAT was a fun table to be at! The conversation ran the gamut of comic books, art, editorial decisions, etc... on into "evil twins" and Phil's love of watching "All My Children" since he was 14 years old.
What really warmed the cockles of my heart and made my evening was when I was talking to Phil and telling him about how I really enjoyed his run on Wonder Woman a few years back, and he said he remembered me from the last time he was in Seattle... which was like 8 years ago.
It really was cool that he remembered me gushing like the geek I am from that long ago.

We ate and talked for a long time, but it was getting late and Hotness and I needed to get home.
After saying our goodbyes, we got to our car and got home sometime after 12:00 a.m.
We slept like the dead and continued to sleep long after the sun came up and the birds started chirping.

It was a super-fun weekend and I can't wait for it to happen again!
Thanks to EVERYONE involved in making this show one of the best!

My New Nephew

I'd like to introduce you all to my new nephew:

He broke out of solitary confinement around 5:30 a.m. yesterday morning.

Since I don't like to enourage cyber-stalking I'll just give you his initials.... Z E N.

He's such a tiny little guy! When I was holding him, I told his mom that I have action figures at my house bigger than he is!

His sister didn't seemed to fazed by having a new brother but time will tell after she figures out he's not a temporary guest at their house.

He was due to arrive the day I leave for Calgary, but as his dad was telling me after ZEN was born.... he apparently just couldn't wait for the comic book conventions before making his debut.

(I Think this kid and I are going to have a connection)

I was glad I was able to see the family the day he was born, rather than waiting until I got back.

Congratulations Dug and Deb. He looks like a keeper.

More on Mom's Birthday

As I mentioned I would do earlier, here I am with more birthday wishes for my mom.... and an embarrassing photo!

It dawned on me just yesterday that she's just turned 60. Six-oh.

Wow.

The image I always have of her is in her 40's when I was a teenager, and she hasn't seemed to age any since then. (And I'm not just saying that. If you've ever met my mom, you wouldn't believe she's 60)

So here is the embarrassing picture:

That was taken at my graduation back in the late 80's.

Dig my awesome hair, and my brother is kickin' with his scrunched-up jacket sleeves.

And yes... our mom really is THAT short.

Among her many talents (one of them being an incredible cook... and the person whom I took after in the kitchen!) she is also a cake decorating instructor with many years of experience.

Last year, for the 5th aniversary of the Emerald City Comic Con she did a cake for the guests.

She designed, baked the layers and frosted it over at her place on the penninsula and then transported it over to Seattle during the show and put it all together.

It was a massive hit with everyone at the post dinner get-together.

She even copied the ECCC logo and made it into a frosting decoration!

During the show, I introduced her to several of the guests before the doors opened and then let her and her husband experience the convention while I attended to the guests.

She met Michel Gagne and he gave her an autographed book with a personal sketch.

She met Keith, (a.k.a. Gus F. Martin) from the self-published series "Crater On The Moon", of which I'm one of the characters in his book. (You should check it out. Seriously)

She met Kandrix & Laurie, self-publishers of the comic "A Monk's Tale" and the promoters for the Calgary Expo.

I introduced her to Terry & Robyn Moore, Brian Pulido and his wife, and many other guests from the show.

My mom, who has always supported my comic book habit, became a fangirl that day.

It was awesome.

Mom you rock! Thanks for being you and Happy Birthday!

It Ain't Mother's Day

But it is my mom's birthday today.
Happy Birthday mom!
And while she probably will never read this post (let alone this blog), I want her to know that I wish her all the best today and I hope she's enjoying it.
(I'll probably get online later this evening and give her a proper 'birthday-worthy' post, complete with embarrassing pictures!)

------
In other other news;
Hotness has been out of town the last three days on business. (Not far, though. She's still in the same state.)
She's coming home today, so I guess I should've cleaned up all the pizza boxes and beer cans from the living room before I left for work, huh? Ah well, at least she'll have a surprise when she opens the door, right?
(Just kidding! There are no pizza boxes or beer cans all over. Just porn DVDs. Sheesh! What kind of slob do you think I am?)

I'm glad she'll be back finally.
I never sleep well when she's gone, so I'm looking forward to getting a full night's RESTFUL sleep tonight.
Pretty pathetic, huh?

While I've been up late, I've been able to watch some movies:
A Night At The Roxbury
Ugh! Another SNL skit that should've been killed at birth.

Beowulf
Eh... I liked the story but I didn't like the CGI-enhanced actors. I think this would've been a much better film as live action (with CGI monsters).
... besides, who wants to see a naked CGI-version of Angelina Jolie? Real would've been much better. (Speaking of which, I need some 'alone time' now...)

Mi Hermanos

Today (although I'm rather late in actually posting about it) was my brother's birthday.

Year # 36 to be exact.

I just wanted to wish him a happy birthday and let him know that I appreciate him.

And what better way to show my appreciation than to share this goofy picture of us from about 30 years ago:

That's us in our Easter suits circa 1976 (I believe).

I'm on the left and he's on the right.

(And you can obviously tell that lawn maintenance was not a high priority in our parents lives)

Happy Birthday M.

I hope it was a great day.