Whoever said there’s nothing worth watching on TV in a hotel obviously hasn’t seen this channel:
Seriously. Best thing on the in-house TV system. It helped me get to sleep last night.
While I’m wolfing down the blandest turkey sub ever recorded in the history books of either human or turkey, a few musings. The Expo’s been fun so far – really no hassles. I was truly appreciative of the DP forums’ own PapStu for winning my PS1 StarCon proto at the auction last night – I got $10 more than what I paid for it a few years back, so I’m happy. I wasn’t crazy about selling it, but it’s baby time back home and This Will Help. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I think you guys are gonna dig the auction on DVD. John Hardie at his best, the CoronaCam 😆 , and plenty of the lovely Crystal for ya, guys. 😛 It was quite a blast, lots of really active camera work (I haven’t had to sweat that much since the days of running live camera for sporting events). I can’t wait to get home and start editing this stuff together.
Huge thanks to Scott “Stonic” Stilphen and Scott “Tynstar” Williams for looking after me yesterday while I was hobbling around gathering video. I just didn’t get a chance to “break for lunch” yesterday and they at least helped me stay hydrated. Joe and John checked on me every chance they got to see if I needed anything. And I’ll admit I got a big kick out of being up on the auction stage with them, joining in the banter (“Well it’s not a very solid Snake then, is it?”) and mouthing “WTF!?” to the crowd when something sold to the book.
On the shuttle bus ride from the airport to the Riviera, I passed a place with a big sign out front that said CATHOLIC CHARITIES CHILD CARE CENTER. As God is my witness, I swear on my heart that the first time I glanced at that sign, I thought it said CATHOLIC CHARLIE’S. Um……no further comment. 😆 Come on down! Free balloons for the kids!
I didn’t make it to the Pinball Hall Of Fame Museum last night either just for myself or as part of the Retrotopia party. Dammit. I hope they’re open tonight.
My apologies to anyone to whom I’ve blurted out really vague greetings to, such as Mezrabad and Atarigirl. I wasn’t trying to “get rid of” anybody, I was just…on the move and on the clock, so to speak. If there’s anything that’s kinda bummed me out about this year’s show, it’s been that the camera work didn’t leave me huge amounts of time to catch up with old friends. Granted, Rob and Brian can see me any old time since they’re in the neighborhood more or less, but it’s not every day that I get to see everyone else. The keynote speeches end a bit earlier today, so maybe I’ll have a chance to shoot the bull a bit more. When I got back to my room after the auction last night and finally got off of my feet, which weren’t just content with killing me but were actually torturing me for information and then slicing bits off of me slowly, I felt like I had been eaten by a hideous grue. I didn’t move again until my wife called me this morning to wake me up at the appointed hour.
Jarett from PackratVG.com and I were talking baby stuff Saturday when, after about 5 minutes or so of talking about it, he reaches under his table and brings out the baby himself. I was amazed that kid could sleep in the roar of the crowd and the throaty thump of 8 Bit Weapon in the background. 😆 We spent a bit of time talking about how we don’t want to see the superstars of the Odyssey2 homebrew scene get burned out like some of the superstars of the 2600/5200 homebrew scene have. We’ve been spoiled with a glut of homebrew and repro stuff in the past 2-3 years, a lot of it really good, and it’s easy to let yourself think that Ted S., Rene and Dieter will keep cranking this stuff out. My take on it is: only if they’re encouraged politely and patiently. Calm the beef min and let these men do what they do best, rather than pestering them for constant updates.
This CGE may be my all-time lowest-spending gaming event, not just because I’m broke, but because I’ve had Important Work To Do. I’ve spent the following amounts on the following incredibly rare items:
1. $7 on a Startegy X for the 2600 with a decent label on it
Um…that’s it. Otherwise, I’ve been spending more time talking to people, listening to people and shooting people. (Um…with a camera – let me rephrase that.) I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if you come to CGE and pass up the opportunity to catch up with old friends and meet new ones and put faces, names and voices to folks you only know online…you’re missing the best “CGE Exclusive” of them all.
I’m glad I could help you out. I’ll give it a spin (or three) and do my best to enjoy it like you have over the years. And maybe if it has some weight to it (and we can get thru level/s) it might make a broader appearance.