Geeking Out: My Salt Lake Comic Con Experience

If you've never been to a Comic Con, you need to.

They are an amazing spectacle to behold.

I had my first experience at the Salt Lake Comic Con a few Saturdays ago.

And since it was my sister's birthday, we both dressed up for the event.

She went as Princess Bubblegum, and I went as a soldier.

I knew it'd be an action-packed, fun day, but it was even better than I'd expected.

Hoards of people, most of them wearing costumes.

Tons of booths for comic books, animators, and companies.

A whole lot of short films, celebrity panels, and movie star meet-and-greets. 

There was so much to see that we actually had to make the conscious decision to eat lunch.

And we didn't eat until mid-afternoon (because we forgot until then).

I could write quite a long post, but I think I'll let my pictures and quick captions do most of the talking.

Had to get a pic with Star Wars peeps

We totally thought this was the real actress from DS9

Hey, look! It's the Fonz!

An expert photo-bomb by the Doctor

The 501st Legion had some pretty impressive costumes and a great booth

Ah, good ol' Evil Dead the Musical

Dean Cain is such a good guy
He even gave my sis two birthday hugs!

Fun finding my friend Deena Marie in the main hall

And my talented artist friend Brandon Dayton was there, too

I'm so glad Megan's friend Carrie (dressed as Apple Jack from My Little Pony) joined up with us

It really was an incredible day, and I am already looking forward to next year.
Maybe I'll even put in more than a week's thought/work on my costume next time.

Did you go? What was your experience?
If you've been to multiple Comic Cons, I'd love to hear how they differed and which you liked most.

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The DFW Monorail

Ah, Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW).

Every time I go through this airport and have to switch terminals, I have the opportunity to remember the classic 'Monorail' episode of the Simpsons.

If you've never seen it, you need to look up a clip or at least read the lyrics. Actually, no, only watching the clip will suffice.

For example, it includes such lines as:

Apu- Is there a chance the track could bend?

Salesman- Not on your life, my Hindu friend!

Just go watch it.

Update: Since I love you guys so much, here is the clip.

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Current Commercial Successes

Recovering from reconstructive surgery on a torn Achilles means you have a lot of time to watch TV.

Most commercials are an annoyance.
But some aren't so bad, or can even be entertaining.

Here are three that I kinda like right now.

1) NFL: Player safety with Tom Brady & Ray Lewis

2) Temptations: Cat food

and my current favorite:

3) Nissan Altima: Tire-fill alert system

Any others that you've gotten a major kick out of lately?

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Flashback Friday: Utah Commercials

It's been a while since I did a Flashback Friday, but yesterday I was inspired.

Being back in Utah, I saw a commercial for Primary Children's Medical Center, and it ended with the old "Hold on to Dear Life" jingle from my childhood. Thank goodness for YouTube and people uploading old commercials, because I thought of another Utah commercial to go with that one.

Don't Waste Utah

Hold on to Dear Life

They're maybe kinda downers, but isn't the 'Don't Waste Utah' production value classic?

And didn't you want to be this guy when you were a kid?

Because I did.

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Jim Henson's Genius Pitch for the Muppet Show

My fascination/obsession with the Muppets continues...

This time I'm impressed by their creator: Jim Henson.

Have you seen the original pitch he made for the Muppet Show?

Isn't that great?!?

Pretty cool how he immediately catches the attention and builds the argument for his show.

And I'm just really glad they bought into what he was selling.

What did you think of Henson's Muppets pitch?

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Barney from HIMYM Shares His Wisdom

In the bad-advice-givers rankings, Barney from "How I Met Your Mother" is easily in the top 5.

But this one is spot on and dripping with accuracy.

My sister pointed out that this goes both ways. True statement.

We can all agree that it sucks being in the "friend zone".

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Jon Stewart on Newt Gingrich's South Carolina Debate Answer

Note: I'm not a super political guy. I have my political preferences, and I have friends that are extremely into politics (on all different sides of the issues and aisles). Due to its high humor factor, this merited sharing.

If you watch the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, then you saw this.
If not, you should take 9 minutes and watch the clip below.

He makes both hilarious and spot-on comments about Romney and Gingrich, and it makes for great TV.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Indecision 2012 - The Gingrich Who Stole South Carolina
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

I love when comedians point out the absurdity of politicians and the political scene.

Because the more I'm around it here in the Washington DC area, the clearer their absurdity becomes.

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Why I Love "The Big Bang Theory"

I was going to use bullet points and all kinds of explanations to describe why I love "The Big Bang Theory", CBS's comedy about four nerdy scientist friends and cool female neighbor Penny.

Instead I'll just share this clip:

I rest my case.

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You Should Follow Ken Jennings on Twitter

If you're on Twitter and don't already follow Ken Jennings, you're doing yourself a great disservice.

Not only did he dominate Jeopardy for 74 straight games and make $2.52 million in the process [source], but his Twitter feed is hilarious and hits a broad range of topics, from intellectual and political to inane and day-to-day. If you like my blog and/or my sense of humor, then I think you'd enjoy Ken's tweets.

To whet your appetite (not wet your whistle, which is very different), here's a quick sampling:

Included especially for my friend Larissa

Not sure why this is funny? Here's the definition of gamboling

The world is ending! Want another scoop of ice cream?
The only right answer to that question is "yes"

And those are just from the past 10 days! Lots more where that came from.

So if your life could use more smart, mostly-clean humor, you can follow Ken Jennings on Twitter [here].

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I'm Not That Aaron Smyth

If you're reading my blog, you probably know me.
If not, I'm flattered that you're here, and you're certainly welcome to stick with us.

Sometimes I get emails that aren't meant for me, though.
How could that be, you ask? How could someone mistakenly send me an email?

There's another Aaron Smyth.
[Cue your shocked and surprised look, plus an audible gasp. I'll wait til you're done to continue.]

And he's (arguably, though a pretty cut-and-dried debate thus far in life) more famous than me.

I first found out about Aaron Smyth #2 when I got a Facebook friend request a few years ago.
The young lady from the Eastern Bloc was wondering why I lived near Washington, DC, and if maybe I was dancing with a new company something. I had no idea what she was talking about.

So I Googled my name, adding 'dance' on the end.

And I found out that Aaron Smyth #2 is a renowned Australian ballet dancer.

Aussie Aaron was even a top 4 finalist on Australia's Got Talent in 2008.

According to his website, he's currently touring with the American Ballet Theatre in New York.

Now that I'm aware of him, I'm not as confused when I get emails like these:

 
You can't imagine how tempted I was to have them actually fly me to Boston and then film their reaction when they realized the pas de deux is miles beyond my basic BYU Social Dance 180 abilities.

But instead I just email back and say they're probably looking for Aussie Aaron.
Sorry to disappoint you, Boston Ballet and University of Iowa.

And best of luck to you in your career, Aussie Aaron Smyth!

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Action Movie Heroes Never...

It's been a little bit since I've done a good rant. I'm due, so here goes.

Action movie heroes don't do certain things, which we all do often or would be subject to in their situation.

Use the bathroom
Very rarely does/could/would this contribute to plot development, unless a sweet restroom fight scene is necessary, but it deserves mentioning. Actually, I'm kinda glad we never see Jack Bauer walking out of the men's room. And we all know Chuck Norris metabolizes every single molecule of ingested food and drink, so he has no need for waste facilities.

Eat or hydrate
I know it'd be boring to watch them eating a sandwich or downing some V8 juice, but they all sure spend plenty of time drinking alcohol and having flashbacks or pity-parties-for-one. I wouldn't mind seeing some food on the table while they plan their big heist. Maybe this is why I love Rusty, aka Brad Pitt, in the Ocean's 11 movies [debatable on qualifying for "action" genre]. He eats. All. The. Time. Just like normal people would do when needing strength for high-risk activity.

Break bones (at least not their own)
You've seen the fights these characters get into. Brutal and ultra-violent. Yet somehow, though a knee gets kicked sideways and some massive steroid-fueled villain bends the hero's arm into a pretzel, our star hobbles onward for about 30 seconds and then is able to sprint and leap from an exploding building to grab onto a helicopter at the last second. Granted, they probably have ridiculous amount of adrenaline at the time, but even that can't compensate for compound fractures, can it?

Fill up on gas
Government vehicles keeping gas in the tank makes sense to me. What I don't understand is how when action heroes are forced into a split-second decision about which car to hijack or steal in whatever manner, they never, ever pick a car where the driver likes to run the gas right down to the E line. Maybe I'm the only person in the whole world that ever does that. Even when I mostly try to fill up at 1/4 tank.

Get a flat tire
For all the high-speed chases and ramming and side-swiping, these action heroes never, ever pop a tire. It's a Festivus miracle. Because I know when I run into a curb wrong, there's a chance I'll get a flat. Yet somehow, even when stealing a random tiny car in some European town, the tires are made of steel and can withstand any blow inflicted on them at break-neck speeds. Miraculous.

Anything you've noticed from action movie heroes which I may have forgotten?

Carry on saving the day, heroes!

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Sesame Street Answers "How Does Santa Get In?"

Do you remember when the Sesame Street characters would ask kids to explain things?
I had forgotten about this, but just felt joy at coming across this video about how Santa gets into houses.

Kids are hilarious, and I'm definitely digging those clothes. Wish I had sweet vintage duds like theirs.

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Celebs Who Share My Birthday

I probably forget and am reminded every year, but there are some pretty awesome celebs that share my December 9th birthday.

Here are a few of the big ones:

Judi Dench

Known for being James Bond's boss. Pretty sure that's all she's done in her 50-year career, right?

John Malkovich

He'll always be Lennie from Of Mice and Men in my eyes. Yeah, you get to tend the rabbits.

Felicity Huffman

Not a desperate housewife. She is and always will be Dana from Sports Night. I loved that show.

and best of all...

Donny Osmond

Yes, I have the honor of sharing my birthday with everyone's favorite Osmond (sorry, Marie). My two favorite things for Donny are 1) seeing him live in Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat and 2) his singing "I'll Make a Man Out of You" in Disney's Mulan.

So what do I need to do to join this elite group? Is a picture in the same style enough?
I guess that'll do for now.

Not a great pic, plus it's old, but I don't have many profile-view pics laying around

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Mad Gabs Poetry: Noah Wyle & Tricky Dick Edition

Do you love the game Mad Gab?*
Do you love poetry, especially writing it?

Last night, Emily and I made up an activity combining Mad Gab and writing poetry.

After playing the game for a few minutes, we held onto the last 5 cards (which is 10 puzzles) and had to write a poem using some of those Mad Gab solutions.

Here are the words/phrases we had available:

1. bet your bottom dollar
2. don't talk to strangers
3. exterminator
4. big man on campus
5. Noah Wyle
6. when do we start
7. liquid detergent
8. I am not a crook
9. Subaru Motors
10. I Dream of Jeannie

Here's the poem that I came up with:

When Doc Noah Wyle walks into a room,
The ladies may faint or at least start to swoon.
They struggle to walk; they can't find the door;
Like bugs that have been sprayed by an exterminator.
As the hospital's big man on campus, or BMOC,
He's the star, like Larry Hagman, from I Dream of Jeannie.
Where is the patient? When do we start?
Noah asks as the nurses wheel in the cart.
Are you good at your job? Do you stick to the letter?
Bet your bottom dollar, sir, you're gonna get better. 

Remember when the show E.R. was a big deal?

And here's Emily's poem:

Bet your bottom dollar
To get ring around the collar
Out of all your shirts you'll need liquid detergent
And dear Nixon should have known
That his scheme would soon be blown
"I am not a crook" he said; a new president's urgent.

Tricky Dick

Fun, huh?

This activity may sound ridiculous (and maybe it is), but you should give it a try. We sure had fun with it!

*In case you're hooked, you can play Mad Gab online [here].

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Two Things I Love: Star Wars and Golf

Just a quick funny video I stumbled upon. I don't know why Spike was advertising this, but I love it.

Star Wars + golf = happy Aaron

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