Part 12 - The Final Weekend

The Friday before heading back to Toronto, we did some more shopping for the Baby Shower. After that, we had dinner at one of my Aunt's house. But before the dinner, we said our "Good-Byes" to our sister, Lan, since she was going to Vegas for the weekend.


Danny, Lan, Me

Just before leaving the dinner, we said our "Good-Byes" to the family members that are not attending the Baby Shower. Then headed back home to start the packing. We bought a lot of crap... well, my bro did. I just bought a lot of comics. Dai, Kay and Danny then went somewhere in Los Angeles to get some nachos to bring home. Those were some great nachos. The meat was shredded beef, rather than ground beef. It was actually so much better. What a great late night snack!

The next day (Saturday) was the Baby Shower. Prior to the baby shower, me, bro and my dad went to Fry's Electronics, to buy a DVD-Burner. Made our last trip to Frank & Sons. Picked up the new releases of comics for that week. Then headed home. Installed the DVD-Burner, and spent the next 5-6hrs. trying to figure out how to burn a DVD from a camcorder mini-DVD. It was very frustrating.

Took a break, left the house for a bit, came back, had a beer, continued packing, continued with the computer. Sometime inbetween that, we said our "Good-Byes" to our sister, Debbie. Then took another break for the opening of the presents for Thanh and Nancy's Baby Shower.


Thanh and Nancy

I eventually gave up on the computer, went back to packing, then joined in the Hold'Em game that was taking place in the backyard. Dropped $10. Chilled in the backyard with everyone, until they left. Then went back to packing. Said our "Good-Byes" to Thanh. Went to bed, to get up for our flight in the morning.

Got up the next morning, said our "Good-Byes" to my dad, and step-mom. Woke Dai up to drive us to the airport. Had breakfast at Jack-In-The-Box before we headed to the airport.

Got to the airport, said our "Good-Byes" to Dai, and then the rest is here.

Part 11 - Huntington Library & 24-hour Wal-Mart

So the trip to Huntington Library was one that was planned like a week or so in advanced. And despite the name, it's we didn't go to the library part of the part. It's one huge garden. It's a nice place to walk around and it's a great place for pictures. Me and my bro went with our cousins, Bryan, Veronica, Roseanna and Michelle. Also, with Michelle's friend, Sarah.


Roseanna, Veronica, Michelle, Sarah


My cousins Michelle (left) and Roseanna (right) with me (middle)

After the library, we hit up a International House of Pancakes (IHOP), before everyone headed home. IHOP has great food. Better than Denny's.

Once me and my bro got home, we decided to head to another Tower Records and Toys R Us. At the Tower Records, I picked up a Marvel Select Emma Frost figure. At the Toys R Us, we got the Baby Registry for Thanh and Nancy's baby shower that weekend. Picked up some nice stuff for them.

After that, we headed home, then out to dinner at Victory Café. After dinner, seven of us took a road trip to the 24-hour Wal-Mart. It wasn't really a road trip, just a 20-minute drive. Really just went looking for toys. Found a Harley Quinn Barbie for my little sister. Got something for my little bro, but then we used it as a last minute gift for someone else. We did bring him home a lot of toys to play with.

After Wal-Mart, we spent about 20-30 minutes looking for a place to eat. Ended up hitting IHOP. For me and my bro, it was the second time that day. For the rest, it was their only time for that day.

Got home very late that night, and went right to bed.

Next update: Part 12 - The Final Weekend

Part 10 - Cabazon, More Gambling, Pinks

After a day of relaxation, and a kick ass Pizzookie, it was time to head around California again. First stop was to the Outlets in Cabazon with my bro, Dai and Kay. Didn't really want to do any shopping, though I did make a stop at KB Toys. Picked up a Wonder Woman flying figure, that doubles as a statue. It's where I got the Superman and Batman flying figures. Right now, I have them displayed as statue-like.

We then went to Morongo, the Indian casino in Cabazon. It was weird. They have electronic roulette. You place your bet on a touch screen, and then it shoots out the ball afterwards. I don't like it as much as the regular roulette. I feel more comfortable placing actual chips on the table, rather than picking off the screen. Played some blackjack, after losing some money at roulette. Continued losing money at blackjack. Just kept on pushing and losing by 1. With all the losing I did in Vegas and Morongo, it got me contemplating quitting casino gambling. I don't do it often, but everytime I do, I never leave a winner. We'll see if I do or not.

Headed to Frank & Son Collectible Show after Cabazon. Bought some more dollar comics. More Green Arrow comics from Kevin Smith's run, and a bunch of others. Since it was the 4th of July on the Monday, the new comics were released on the Thursday, which means they weren't out the day I went, which made for an early Saturday morning to the show.

After Frank & Son, we headed home to rest for that night. It was Bike Night in Hollywood. It took place behind a Denny's. Didn't take any pictures of the gathering (of like 200 bikes), cause we didn't want to get shot or anything. Walked around for about 10 minutes before heading to Pinks.


Dai, Me and Kay in line at Pinks

While in line, all the bikes that were at Denny's drove down the street, heading to another area to perform tricks.


Some of the bikes taking off infront of Pinks

Spent about 30-45 minutes in line at Pinks. Ordered the "Muholland Drive" hot dog.


Muholland Drive hot dog at Pinks

Contained some of the ingredients we used at AMC. Hot dog, nacho cheese. But this hot dog also had bacon, onions & mushrooms. I must say, it was a very good hot dog, but I was still hungry after. Headed home, and I found something to eat there.

Up next... Part 11 - Huntington Library & 24-hour Wal-Mart

Part 9 - Didn't Do Much Today

I'll make it quick, cause it's late.

Hit up West Covina. Spent a lot of time in Tower Records looking at toys. Went to Babies R Us to chill waiting for Thanh and Nancy to register for their baby shower. Dinner at BJ's. Great dessert. Think it's called the Pizzookie. Fresh baked cookie, pizza-sized, with ice cream on top. It was so good! Home after that.

That's it.

Stay tuned for Part 10 - Cabazon, More Gambling, Pinks

Part 8 - Independence Day

Before I go on with my vacation, I would just like to bring up that on July 4th, 2005, was the birth of Rebecca and Maurice's little baby boy. Big "Congrats!" goes out to them.

Now back to my vacation. The only thing we really had planned was to visit Tristan and his family, go watch fireworks, then watch a movie or two at his place. Well, those did happen, but we were told of a BBQ that was taking place at Burt's house, so we headed there. We got there a little early I must say. Spent most of my time trying to figure out how to reformat Burt's computer with WinXP. Only done it once since I got my computer, so I'm not that familiar with doing it with WinXP. Oh, I was unable to do it...

Anyways, after dinner, we went to an Army base to watch the fireworks.


Us watching the fireworks

After that, we went to Tristan's house to watch a movie. Originally, we were watching Ocean's 12. Cut that after the first 20-30 minutes to watch Bride & Prejudice.... a Bollywood version of Pride & Prejudice. Good movie, though I never really liked musicals.

Went home after the movie. The roads were so clear at night. Wasn't used to that, being in California, where it's traffic most of the time.

Stay tuned for "Part 9 - Didn't do much today"... That's right... it should be a short one.

Part 7c - Weekend in Vegas - Day 3

So we got up and checked out. We decided we'll have breakfast at the Paris Hotel and Casino.


Eiffel Tower at Paris Hotel and Casino

The interior of the hotel was very nice. A lot nicer than most casinos.


Me inside Paris Hotel and Casino

We wanted to hit up the breakfast buffet, but that line up was huge. Decided on have breakfast at "le café."


le café


Me reading the menu at le café

After breakfast, we started to leave Las Vegas. Made a stop at the Fashion Outlets at the state line. Little disappointed at the stuff they had there. Wasn't as good at the last few times I was there. So after an hour or so, we headed back home. Took about 4 hrs. to head back to home.

Forgot to mention before, that we took the PT Cruiser to Vegas. Although it's a comfortable ride, it's terrible for power. Just seeing everyone pass us on the way back. We tried to floor it, especially uphill... it struggled it's way up all those hills. I wouldn't recommend getting a PT Cruiser... ever.

Once back, we headed out for dinner, then chilled at home for the rest of the night.

Part 7b - Weekend in Vegas - Day 2

I gotta tell you, I love hotel air conditioning. It actually makes the room cold. Not like this central air stuff I have at home, that used to get turned off when I was the only person home (to cut back on electricity).

Anyways, the family decided to head off to the "Shark Reef" at the Mandalay Bay.


Mandalay Bay

The "Shark Reef" is a pretty big indoor aquarium. Saw a bunch of fish, crocodiles, eels, jellyfish, and of course, sharks. Couldn't really get that many good pictures, since it's either dark, or there's glass all around.


Crocodile


Jellyfishes

After the "Shark Reef" at the Mandalay Bay, we headed for Luxor.


Me infront of the tram entrance to Luxor

This is where I got my first chance to gamble. Got to hit up a blackjack table, and left a winner. Won myself $15.

After Luxor was the dinner buffet at Bellagio. Damn, it's expensive, $40 per person. On the upside, there's a lot of high quality food you'll be eating there. The beef, lamb, turkey, pot roast.... oh, and all the desserts... so much to eat, but you'll be full before you get halfway through the food.

After dinner, we played a bit at Bellagio. Lost $20. We then headed outside to watch the water show. It was great, even from where we were.


Bellagio sign


Bellagio Water Show

After that, we headed back to Circus Circus. It was a lot busier, because all the parents with kids headed for that casino, so their kids can play in the upstairs Midway. It was a nightmare there.

I did manage to get onto a blackjack table and played slots... wasn't successful at any. Managed to drop about $60 that night at Circus Circus.

After losing that money, headed back for the room, and went to bed.

Part 7a - Weekend in Vegas - Day 1

Viva Las Vegas!!!

So, July 1st was the day we headed to Vegas. Didn't actually leave the house until 6pm. Our original time to leave was 2pm. Ahh well. Not as much traffic as everyone was saying there would be, especially for a long weekend. Got there in under 5 hours. Usually takes about 3 1/2 hours to 4 hours. And people telling us there would be traffic most of the way.

We stayed at Circus Circus. It's the place to be if you're under 21, because it has the upstairs Midway and nightly Circus acts. Too many friggin kids and teens.


Front of the Hotel


Sign of the Hotel on The Strip

That night, me and my bro spent walking part of The Strip. Saved the gambling for the next day. Just wanted to check out The Strip with all the lights on, and no sun shining directly on us. It was still friggin hot. Just picture on of them "Heat Warning" Toronto summer days... without the sun. That's the Vegas weather at night.

Anyways, we made it as far as the Wynn Hotel and Casino. Very nice place. Here are a few pictures of that little walk.


Westward Ho, next to Circus Circus. Gotta love the name.


Even the McDonald's had flashy lights!


Wynn Hotel and Casino


Waterfalls at the front of Wynn Hotel and Casino

On the way back, we were followed by some Mexican dude. Looked very drunk, and he kept very close. He was just standing outside of the Wynn property, on the sidewalk, when we came out. When stopped at a traffic light, he moved even closer. We took a detour into a Walgreens near Circus Circus. Spent about 20 minutes there. When we left and headed back to the hotel, he was still at the sidewalk infront of the Walgreens. At least this time, he was slightly ahead of us. Then we noticed him trying to hitchhike. About 10 feet later, he crossed the street, towards the Westward Ho. We crossed at the next light, infront of Circus Circus. He was gone by then.

Had to break this part into sub-parts. This weekend was long. Also, I'll post some more pictures at the end of all of this. Links to them at least.

Intermission - Shipping This Week - July 20th, 2005

Check out my vacation report of Hollywood & Beverly Hills 90210 in the next entry.

Shipping This Week - July 20th, 2005

Adventures of Superman #642 - Part 3 of 4 of the "Sacrifice" arc. This is the issue Karl Kerschl draws. Didn't really like the cover in the solicitations, but this recoloured cover just ROCKS! Something big is going down in the Superman world, and he doesn't remember a thing. The only thing that's known is that Batman was hurt really bad.

Astonishing X-Men #11 - Part 5 of 6 in the "Dangerous" arc. Professor X vs. the Danger Room. This is also issue 11 of 25 in the Joss Whedon/John Cassaday run on this book. It's been hot, but not as good as the "Gifted" arc (issues 1-6).

House of M #4 - SPOILER ALERT (LINK)!!! I believe this issue will be the first appearance of Layla Miller. She is said to be another character to watch for in the near future. Also, she is said to have a major impact on the Marvel Universe. If you do/did click the link, the character above returned from the dead. This is the House of M reality.

Girls #3 - This title has been hot. The Luna Brothers (Jonathan and Joshua) had one successful mini-series (Ultra), before starting up Girls. Ultra was a very good series, and Girls is getting good. It's only the third issue, and it's also looking very successful. Just check the next to books I'm getting.

Girls (2nd Printing) #2 - So hot that issue two sold out and has a reprint.

Girls (3rd Printing) #1 - So hot that the 2nd printing of issue one sold out, that they issued a third printing.

JSA Classified #1 - The long-awaited origin of Power Girl. Gotta get this just for that.

Marvel Knights 4 #20 - Only reason I'm getting it, Valentine De Landro. No other reason.

Ultimate Spider-Man #80 - Ultimate Moon Knight! Well, Ultimate Moon Knight made his first appearance in issue 79, but this arc looks promising.

Ultimates 2 #7 - The traitor is gonna be revealed very shortly. I still can't figure out who it is.

Wolverine #30 - Two more issues in the "Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." arc. Wolverine vs. Gorgon. Said to be a two-issue fight. Should be very good.

That should be it. I'm getting tired of writing.

Part 6 - Hollywood & Beverly Hills 90210 - June 30th, 2005

The first day of the vacation that I actually felt like a tourist. Actually, it was the first time, out of all the times I've been to LA, that I was a tourist.

It starts out like this. Once we parked our car (on Hollywood Blvd), we walked over to the Grauman's Chinese Theater. On the way there, we were stopped by some guy that was trying to pawn off his own CDs, just to get his name out there. I wasn't really up for it, but my brother somehow caved in... the guy wasn't threatening, but my brother fronted the $10 for the CD. Not a bad CD, and the quality was good as well. No scratches, and it doesn't sound like it was home recorded.

Now off to Grauman's Chinese Theater. Took some pictures, and then headed for the Kodak Theater. There wasn't really that much at the Theater, just the celebrity signatures on the ground.

Anyways, there wasn't that much at the Kodak Theater, just some shops like Louis Vuitton. Headed to the area of the theater where you can view the Hollywood sign.



Gotta love California SMOG!!!

Left there to visit the Hollywood Wax Museum. Although not bad, we were thinking it was Madame Tussauds' Wax Museum. Sucks for us, cause I wanted a picture with the Paris Hilton. Anyways, here are some photos taken inside the wax museum.


Donatello and Michaelangelo of the Ninja Turtles


Mario


Spider-Man


Me with Spider-Man

Got a lot more, but don't want to add a lot of pictures to the blog.

Next stop was Golden Apple Comics on Melrose Ave, in hopes of seeing some celebrities picking up some comics. Didn't see any. Next on the list was Rodeo Dr.


Me on Rodeo Dr.

There really wasn't much to do there, unless you're a friggin millionaire. Just walked around it, stopped off at Jamba Juice. That's some amazing juice! Very filling.

Last stop of the trip was to Westwood Village. There's actually quite a lot of shops at Westwood Village, but the only shop I wanted to check out was, Jay & Silent Bob's Secret Stash.


There I am again, walking into the Stash

There was a lot of stuff signed by the View Askew crew. Toys, books, other stuff. Also, the Daredevil costume (or maybe a replica) worn by Ben Affleck was on displayed there. As well as this piece of art by Jim Lee, on the stock room door.


Jay & Silent Bob with Superman & Batman by Jim Lee

I picked up a signed copy of Kevin Smith's book, "Silent Bob Speaks The Collective Writings of Kevin Smith."

After that, we headed back home, to try and beat rush hour traffic. Took us less than 2 hours to get back home. Everyone kept telling us, if we don't leave by 4pm, then stay there until 8pm, cause we'll be in traffic until then. We proved them wrong. HA!

Once home, saw some family that I either saw a really long time ago, or met for the first time. Went out to dinner. Didn't really want to, since I just walked into the house with a fresh hot pizza.

Ahh well, that was it for the day. Stay tuned for Part 7 - Weekend in Vegas.

Part 5 - Using the Mileage - June 29th, 2005

The first decision was to use the PT Cruiser for delivering of the bakery products. Hit up Gardena, CA... ain't that far from Compton. Well, for a long while, we regretted taking the PT Cruiser... just too small, with what we had to bring. Even loaded up the thing more, because there was a last minute change in the delivery. We had to drive to Irvine, CA as well. With no traffic, it ain't that long of a drive. Oh, but there was a lot of traffic.

Anyways, after the last delivery in Irvine, our plan was to hit up Frank & Son Collectible Show. It's a great place to go for comics, toys, and other collectible items. That place was great! Bought quite a few dollar books, as well as the new releases for that week. It's a place that I wish we had in Toronto. I would love to have a place like that around.

Went to Wal-Mart that night to drop down some digital pictures (of the wedding) for printing. Headed home to plan for the next day.

Stay tuned for Part 6 - Hollywood & Beverly Hills 90210

Part 4: Renting the Car

So, the day after the wedding, originally, me and my bro were supposed to help Michelle and move Michelle's stuff from Riverside, CA back to Garden Grove, CA. They called... I thought it was the house alarm beeping when someone closes the front door. Felt so bad when I woke up at 11am, and checked that I missed their call. Called many times to get a hold of them. Left a voicemail apologizing over and over again... well, it turned out there wouldn't have been enough room for us, but still doesn't matter. I messed up, and I'm so sorry!

Later in the day, I started calling around places for rental quotes. The main problem was that we didn't bring our car insurance from home, and would've had to pay double just for insurance. So we couldn't rent a car that day.

Went to the bakery after, and ended up working for 6 hrs, just for a ride home. Once home, we got ready to head out for dinner. Seafood Hot Pot. Another place that we had to cook our own dinner. Ahh well, it was still good. After dinner, me and Lan went to the supermarket to get snacks. Mainly, ice cream. Gotta have ice cream.

Once home, spent most of my time at night trying to figure out how to extract movies from a mini dvd-r to the computer. Well, camcorder to computer. Took me a while to figure it out, and even longer to extract them. The outcome, I was successful! I was also tired, so I finished it in the morning.

After all the extraction, we went to rent the car.



Can't really see me in the car, because of the shade, but I'm there. Only car available to rent was the PT Cruiser Touring Edition. That car was comfortable, smooth ride, but sucked at turning and struggled going uphill.

Once we got the car, the touring began! Hit up West Covina Mall, Tower Records, and went looking for a comic shop. Well, the shops that were supposed to be close to the house. Two weren't there. One, although had "Comics" in their name, did not sell a single comic.

Found one, but it looked so ghetto. Got my books, but still looked so ghetto. I think my room is bigger than that shop.

Went to Chili's for dinner that night. Great food! Steak rocks!

Stay tuned for "Part 5 - Using the mileage."

Part 3 - The Wedding

So on Sunday June 26th, 2005, Dai Do (step-bro) and Kay Wong (now, step-sis-in-law), got married. It was one fun day.

It all started when me and Thanh had to go pick up the roasted pig for the Chinese Wedding/Tea Ceremony. What we noticed while waiting for it to come out... a man getting arrested.



It's a small picture. All I had was the cell phone camera, and it was set on the smallest setting. Got back to the house, and they started then everything got started.

Chinese Tea Ceremony took place at the house. After that, everyone chilled and ate at the house until the Priest arrived. That was a few hours later. Once the ceremony was done, everyone headed to the front of the house, and took pictures with the happy couple.


Left to Right: Nancy, Debbie, Lan, Grandma, Step-Mom, Kay, Dai, Dad, Thanh, Danny, Me


Left to Right: Danny, Dai, Kay, Me

The reception was later on in the night. I arrived at the reception a couple hours early, then all of a sudden, became a doorman, because there was two weddings going on in the same restaurant. Also, it would've helped if I spoke more than once language, and if I knew the people that were coming. Ahh well, managed to stop the doorman duties like 30-40 minutes later.

The reception was great! Everyone seemed to have fun. It was hilarious seeing Dai getting all red when going around table to table, thanking everyone for coming. All the wine and champagne he had... then the picture I have of Dai and Kay cutting the cake. I won't be posting that one, but it is a classic.

After the reception, me and my bro were looking for a ride home. Everyone was driving others home. Luckily, Michelle and Roseanna were available to drive us. Next problem was a key and the security code into the house. Woohoo! I'm trusted! No worries to them, that code goes down with me. Kinda already forgot it. Anyways, me and my bro owe Michelle and Roseanna a big "THANKS!" for driving us home that night.

Once home, we started clearing up the backyard. Had to move all the chairs and tables to the front to be picked up from the rental company. Also, had to take all the trash outside for garbage day the next day.

It was funny, when I brought the first two bags out to the curb, I noticed a cop stopped at the nearest stop sign, watching me. Mistakenly put a bag next to the curb, so I was afraid they were gonna ticket me or something for that. Quickly grabbed another couple bags, brought it up to the front, and moved the one on the road, onto the lawn. Cop drove away then.

Relaxed afterwards, chilling with some of the family. Went to bed late that night.

Part 2 - First Weekend

Well, the first weekend of the trip was the weekend of the Wedding I took the trip for, but that isn't until the Sunday. So, the first Friday was spending time with all my cousins. Had lunch at some little restaurant next to Little Saigon on Bolsa Ave. It was me, bro, Burt, Veronica, Bryan, Michelle and Roseanna.

After lunch, me, bro, Burt and Bryan went around, looking for Mile High Comics, which was located a couple miles south of Disneyland.... keyword being "was." Got there, found out it's been closed down. Got us thinking, how the hell did Mile High Comics close down?

Started drive back to Burt's place, then I noticed another comic shop. Pulled into the plaza and went in. The place is called, Netherworld Comics. It turns out Netherworld Comics is under the same ownership at Mile High Comics.

Later in the night, we were taken to dinner at a Mongolian BBQ place called, Genghis Khan. I think that's what it's called. Anyways, it's an all you can eat joint, that you cook your own meat. Great food, but you'll definitely be heading for a toilet after.

After dinner, headed home, then to visit another cousin, Tristan. It was nice seeing him and his wife and kids again, but that night, I was just so tired. I'm sorry for not really participating in any conversations, and acting somewhat impatient. I just wanted a bed.

The Saturday, we visited Michelle and Roseanna's house, because houses in the area were having garage sales. It was also the house we met our ride home. Once we got back home, Dai gave me a prepaid cellphone, for my trip there. Afterwards, we helped in the Wedding setup. Chairs, tables, etc. The Wedding Ceremony took place in the backyard. Later, hit up Santa Anita Mall again. once we got back home, everyone, but me, went out to dinner. I was already full from my earlier meal. Read the comics I picked up and watched Pulp Fiction on TV. "I gotta stab her in the chest three times?" Relaxed for a bit more, before going to sleep.

The Wedding was the next day. I'll continue with that later.

Part 1 - Arriving in LA

I already posted about the flight there, so I'll skip ahead. For the most part, we stayed at my dad and step-mom's house, with the step-sibs. First night, was probably the only family dinner we had at the house. Steaks... friggin great steaks! We ended up taking Debbie's room, pretty much forcing her into Lan's room. Sorry Debbie!

Earlier in the night, before we were home for dinner, we hit up Santa Anita Mall. Didn't really do any shopping, but spent most of the time in Suncoast, because of the movies & toys. Didn't pick up anything.

Anyways, for the first night, tired and all, it was still great to see the family.

The second day was when we discovered the reality TV shows on MTV... damn, they're so good... well, The Real World and The Inferno. They also had stupid shows like "Date My Mom" and "Room Raiders." Both of those seem so scripted.

The second day was also the first and only time I took a dip in the pool. While in the pool, I found out that my Grandmother and cousins were coming over. So we waited for them... then also found out that we're spending the night over there. I, personally, didn't want to, being the second day and all. Anyways, it was nice seeing some of my cousins that night. It became an early night, since we were sleeping over at another aunt's house.

I'll try to post something after work or tomorrow. Got to get ready for work now.

I'M BACK!!!

So, officially, this is the third blog entry I've written since I got back to Toronto, but probably the first you'll read. Be sure to read the other two I've written. It's about comics, but it's still good.

Anyways, I won't go into detail just yet about my trip. I'll just mention a little about my return flight from LA.

EL AL Israel Airlines. Like the flight to LA, the security was tight. Totally expected it to be even worse after the London bombings.

First they moved me and my bro to another line. We realized that the line contained only coloured people.

Second, they started asking questions about the luggage, and if anyone was packing stuff for us. Understandable, don't want anyone packing in a bomb for us.

Third, they screened the crap outta three of our luggage, which older bro labelled two of them for me, because he was tired of security going though his stuff. We brought 5 check in items and my one carry on. They opened up two of my boxes, and my duffel bag.

Last, as if the gigantic x-ray machine wasn't enough, they screened my carry on item before they boarded us. Some sort of chemical test. Funny, this time, they also chose the coloured people...

Aside from those, and those security guards with more machine guns, the service on the flight good. Flight attendants spoke English as well as Hebrew, those the intro safety movie was still entirely in Hebrew. Glad I wasn't next to the Emergency Exit.

Spent most of my time on the flight reading Silent Bob Speaks by Kevin Smith. Got a signed copy, from Jay & Silent Bob's Secret Stash.

Downside of the flight, all those kids. Screaming, kicking/hitting my seat, crying. Geez, they were so annoying. And they surround our seats.

At least that's over with. It was really good to see the family back home. Missed them a lot.

Also, missing all the peeps back in California. Missing you all!

I'll start posting about the trip very shortly. Still gotta go through the pictures and upload them.

I'm off to bed...

Boughts and (very short) Thoughts - June 22nd-July 10th, 2005

Condensing it, do to the amount of books, and because it's getting late.

100 Bullets #1 - Said to be a very good book, and currently on issue 61 or 62, getting the first issue for $4 was a steal for me.
Amazing Fantasy #10 - Debut of the new Vampire By Night.
Batman #386 - First appearance of Black Mask (Gotham City's new Crimelord). Got it for $4.
Batman #387 - Wasn't sure which was the first appearance, so I got both. Then I found out.
DC Special: Return of Donna Troy #2 - Haven't read it, but it's still Phil Jimenez and George Perez.
DC: The New Frontier #1 - Got it for $1. Darwyn Cooke's take on the Silver Age of DC.
DC: The New Frontier #4 - Same as issue #1
DC: The New Frontier #6 - Same as issue #1
Detective Comics #751 - First appearance of Sasha Bordeaux. One of the main characters in The OMAC Project.
Fathom #2 - Haven't read it yet, but it's still Fathom.
The Flash #223 - Weird, but cool ending. Two more issues left in the Rogue War arc.
G.I. Joe #1 (2nd Print) - Got it for $1. This is the series released by Image/Devil's Due, which was later moved to just Devil's Due.
G.I. Joe America's Elite #1 - New series, only getting first issue.
Girls #1 (2nd Print) - Hot title, this issue is getting a third printing.
Girls #2 - Like I said, this is a hot title. Issue 2 is getting a second printing.
Green Arrow #2 - Got for $1. Kevin Smith writes it. First appearance of Mia/Speedy.
Green Arrow #3 - Got for $1. Kevin Smith writes it.
Green Arrow #4 - Got for $1. Kevin Smith writes it.
Green Arrow #5 - Got for $1. Kevin Smith writes it.
Green Lantern #2 - Second issue of the relaunched Green Lantern title. Getting good.
Hellboy: The Island #1 - Really only a fan of the Hellboy movie. Book is to weird to read.
House of M #1 (2nd Print) - Marvel's Big Event for the Summer. Issue one sold out, got reprinted.
House of M #2 - Marvel's Big Event for the Summer.
House of M #3 - Marvel's Big Event for the Summer. Sick ending!
JSA #75 - Alex Ross cover. Wondering how this impacts the Day of Vengeance mini-series.
Legend of Isis #1 - Logan Lubera cover.
Marvel Heroes #1 - Got at a 7-11. Features Captain America #1 & New Avengers #1. Good for reading.
New Avengers #6 - End of the first arc, so wondering where it leads.
New X-Men #128 - Got for $1. Ethan Van Sciver cover.
Nightwing #1 - Got it for $3. The first solo series of Nightwing. Art by Greg Land.
OMAC Project #2 (2nd print) - OMAC Project is the main mini-series leading to Infinite Crisis, that I'm getting all of. Not sure of the others.
OMAC Project #3 - Same as issue #2.
Planetary #23 - History of "The Drummer," that looks like John Cassaday. Loving the concept of the book.
Prelude to Infinite Crisis - If you don't know anything about Infinite Crisis, get this. It tells the events that lead up for the Countdown.
Runaways #5 - Shocked by the ending. It was good!
Smoke #1 - Good book, but the $7.50US cover price still hurts.
Solo #5 - Darwyn Cooke's issue of Solo. Written, illustrated and lettered by him.
Spider-Man: House of M #1 - The HoM reality, everyone has a different life. Peter Parker is married to Gwen Stacy, Uncle Ben is still alive, Parker is rich, famous, and a professional wrestler.
Superman #219 - Part 1 of the "Sacrifice" arc, taking place through the Superman titles and concluding with Wonder Woman #219.
Tomb Raider #1 - Got it for $1. The series ended, but still a good pick-up.
Ultimate Spider-Man #25 - Got it for $1. Mark Bagley appearing in August.
Ultimate Spider-Man #28 - Got it for $1. Mark Bagley appearing in August.
Ultimate Spider-Man #79 - Start of the Warriors arc. The arc features the Ultimate versions of Moon Knight, Iron Fist, and Shang-Chi. Also, the return of the Black Cat.
Ultimate Tales Spider-Man #1 - Got it at a 7-11. Features issues #1 & 2 of Ultimate Spider-Man. Good book to read.
Villains United #1 (3rd print) - Dale Eaglesham appearing this August, and this is a Infinite Crisis mini-series.
Wolverine #24 - Jim Lee cover for $1. 'Nuff Said.
Wolverine #27 - Jim Lee cover for $1. 'Nuff Said.
Wonder Woman #2 - Issue #2 for $1. Good pick-up.
Wonder Woman #217 - Conclusion to the Bronze Doors arc. Nice ending.
Young Avengers #5 - Young Avengers vs. Kang. So wondering how the first arc is going to end.
Silent Bob Speaks - Not a comic, but it's the book that's written by Kevin Smith. Mainly articles and stuff he's written for websites and magazines, but still a very interesting read. He HATES (Greasy) Reese Witherspoon. Bought it at "Jay & Silent Bob's Secret Stash" in Los Angeles, CA. It was also signed by Kevin Smith.

That's it for the books I got in California.