It seems that there is a lot of hoopla in my close circle of friends regarding one of their friends that I stopped actively keeping a relationship with a while ago.

The individual in question isn’t a bad person per se, but she has never (in my opinion) fully understood the… Read full post »

I’m sitting on Virgin Airlines flight 312 from LAX to MCO after an insanely productive weekend in Los Angeles.  Seriously insanely totally mega productive.

It was great.

The low point, though, is sticking in my brain and annoying the hell out of me –  so here I am writing about it.… Read full post »

Last Thursday night, I got to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in concert at the Amway Arena in Orlando, Florida.  That was something a LONG TIME coming.  You see, Full Moon Fever remains, to this day, one of my all time favorite albums.  Somehow, though, I never got the chance to… Read full post »

You know that fear that wells up inside when your parents dig up embarrassing old photos and videos of you and shows them to your friends?  I have found a way to combat that fear.

I show them to the Internet before they can.

In 1991, my friend Dave DeRosa and… Read full post »

Things have been busy, but I’m picking up where I left off on my post back on April 9th.

When we were last reading about my zany adventures in Japan, I had just left the Imperial Palace with Rob and Jason and the three of us were on our way to… Read full post »

Walt Disney was a lying sack of shit.

Allow me to explain.

About seventeen years ago, my father got remarried to a woman named Sharon.  At that point in my life, though, I was fully grown and had moved out on my own so he, she and I never lived under… Read full post »

Good morning Internet!  I am writing you a short note to let you know that I will miss you for the next few days.  You see, I am getting on a boat for the Bahamas to see some guy and some girl get hitched.

This means two things:

1. I won’t… Read full post »

[In "The Count" voice] Seventeen! Seventeen MAN V. FOOD locations! AH! AH! AH! AH!

• Philippe the Original in Los Angeles, California
• Orochon Ramen in Los Angeles, California
• Bub’s Burgers & Ice Cream in Indianapolis, Indiana
• Al’s #1 Italian Beef in Chicago, Illinois
• Edward’s Dri
… Read full post »

Before leaving for Japan in March, I took another trip to Los Angeles to attend meetings for Project Anime.  While there, I fit in a couple of exciting meals local to the area.  First was an insanely unique Asian pastry place called the 85°C Bakery Cafe (http://www.85cafe.us/).  We went there for… Read full post »

The Bloom County Library, Vol. 5: 1987-1989 by Berkeley Breathed

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In late elementary school and middle school I suffered from an overabundance of intelligence made worse by my insatiable addiction to reading. Unlike most of my peers in the geek industry, I wasn’t… Read full post »

Day four in Japan started the same way most of the mornings in Japan started for me (once I made that special discovery in Shinagawa Station.)

After that, Rob, Jason and I caught the train and went in search of BIG EFFIN’ ROBOTS!  We found our way to Diver City… Read full post »

After doing a sight tour for a potential upcoming event with the Cosplay Deviants team, Troy and I decided to grab dinner at a popular local restaurant (and MvF location.)

Now, this sign was a little confusing to me.  The last time I visited, the restaurant was called “Gladys Knight… Read full post »

Picking up where I left off on this post.

We took the train from Akihabara back to Shinigawa Station because Rob had to change clothes before we headed off to the Tokyo Anime Fair.

During the brief layover at the hotel I decided to embark on a small and possibly dangerous adventure.… Read full post »

Methinks it may be time to pick up a phone and call the Better Business Bureau.  Before I left for Japan last month, I ordered pizza from a Mossimo’s Pizza in Vero Beach, Florida (formerly Vitorrio’s II) and experienced one of the worst customer service experiences ever.

You can read abo… Read full post »

If you recall from my earlier blog posts, I went to not just one but two – TWO – Maid Cafes while I was in Japan.  There I discovered amazing things such as this Engrish menu:

Photo courtesy of the lovely and talented Courtney Kraft.

Well, I was hitting up… Read full post »

This weekend was great.  I managed to catch up on a LOT of missed sleep.  The batteries are recharged, and tomorrow is my first day 100% mentally back in the post-Japan real world.

Monday day will be spent doing the day job.  Monday night I’ve got the following things of priority… Read full post »

I mentioned that during my second day in Japan that Jason and I spent some time in a Japanese arcade in a place called Aqua City.  Here are some of the highlights.

This is what we walked into.  Most of the games were prize related (crane machines, etc.) but there were… Read full post »

So that whole thing about “there are vending machines all over Japan” that you hear?  Totally true.  They are all along the streets and in buildings and stations and pretty much anywhere humans can get to.  Anyway, I noticed a number of them featuring the American actor Tommy Lee Jones… Read full post »

Our adventure in Akihabara continued after the Maid Cafe as we further explored the area.  While perusing the shops full of anime, manga, electronics, and toys we came upon a prime example of the Japanese fascination with certain elements of American culture.  In this case, Kentucy Fried Chicken. Â… Read full post »

Still unpacking from Japan, so only a photo post this morning. I’ll write a complete blog entry tonight.  Promise.

Read full post »

I spent a number of my formative years in Orlando, Florida.  As a result, I have developed all the key skills needed to operate as a fairly efficient tourist.  My wife and I often return from vacations amazed at the amount we are able to see and do in brief periods… Read full post »

These young ladies were nice enough to let me take a photo of them yesterday. Mom was so excited that I asked (to photograph them) that she made sure they posed.  These two were living a the life at Disney Toyko Sea. Read full post »

While there are some interesting adventures, Day 2 in Japan was mostly a work day. We got up in the morning and (after a late start) caught the train to head out to Tokyo Big Sight for the Tokyo Anime Fair.

Tokyo is a city of trains and monorails. While… Read full post »

Running out the door this morning to Tokyo Disney Sea.

Here’s three photos to hold you over until I get time to write.  :)

Actual size!

Times Square has got NOTHING on Shibuya!

Yes. Tom Croom went to ANOTHER Maid Cafe. Don’t judge. Read full post »

Consider this a warning that the amount of beer I drank tonight probably means I am sleeping in later than expected in the morning and (thus) a blog post may be delayed.

Know this, though: I just got back from drinking and singing karaoke with a Japanese guy named Tsuyoshi.… Read full post »