Friday, October 06, 2006

Oh my! What a week!

PORTABLE MEDIA EXPO 2006

Friday, September 28, 2006:

Got up to the expo late and missed the live recording of TWiT. They had sound problems and started late and I still missed it. I did see Leo Laporte and watched him do some interviews with a Japanese reporter and a guy from Kaboom Energy Drink.
Headed out to the Podcast Awards Reception and met Dawn & Drew, Chris Marquardt, said hello to Randal Schwartz, and saw a bunch of others. Some of them I knew and others I did not until later.
I couldn't get any decent pictures of the reception because I was too nervous and the camera shake was out of control. These podcasters have become a part of my life in the last couple years and so these people were celebrities to me. All of the podcasters I met were really cool. In fact, I'm sure that with hundreds of podcasters, there has to be a few that aren't good people but I didn't meet any jerks all weekend (podcasters OR listeners).
I headed out to see my aunt and uncle before the party. My aunt is a great cook and she gave me a bowl of vegetable soup that I loved and a couple slices of absolutely delicious butter bread. Andrea (cousin) came home from work and we talked for a while before I left. Had a great time seeing everyone and it was the perfect segway between the expo and the parties.
At 8:30 I arrived at the Sheraton Hotel in Ontario for the Dawn and Drew Show "Dippin' Dots D'Shinding". Dawn carded me up to the 6th floor. As soon as I got out of the elevator I could hear the party. Already there was a good number of people there. Met quite a few people from the forums and a few podcasters. Lots of big names there that night including Chris Marquardt, The Invincibles, Soccergirl and Ryan, Rumor Girls, CC Chapman, Michael Butler, Franklin McMahon, Randal Schwartz, and quite a few others.
There must have been at least 100 people there. It was a hotel suite and got shoulder to shoulder thick. So full it was, that people went outside because it just got too warm and close for some people to handle.
Food and drinks ran out quick. Mass quantities of pizza gone. Lots of soda and water gone. Lani and I headed out for more drinks at the local Stater Bros. but by the time I returned I realized I was really tired, it seemed like the party was winding down and Chris, The Rumor Girls and Franklin were leaving as we returned. So I said my thanks, shot a quick picture of their award with my cell phone and headed out for the night. I was only there for a couple hours but when I got home I was absolutely exhausted. It was such a blast. More pics by Drew...


Saturday, September 30th, 2006:

Woke up around 8:30 or so. It felt like 11am or something. I checked the schedule, realized there really wasn't anything I'd be missing so I just stuck around until about 12:45 when I left to pick up Andrea and head out for lunch. Andrea and I hadn't ever really talked. It's always pretty much been Jen and I, Andrea and Stephanie, Rachel and Erienne. Now that we're grown up, we thought it was time to really get to know each other better. Not something that can be completely done over lunch but we did our best.
We headed out to Kazama Sushi which is a favorite of the family I guess. It was my first time there. She got the dragon roll, baby octopus and ordered some Nigori Sake. I ordered the Kalamari Roll, Terryaki Beef with Chicken Katsu and a Diet Coke.
The food, like the conversation, was really good. Definitely worth doing again. I took most of the Kalamari Rolls home and had them for breakfast the next morning.
Headed back to my aunt and uncle's house after lunch and spent some time there talking with my aunt and catching up on the Tips From the Top Floor forum to set up the meetup the following day.
Headed back to grandma's for dinner of fried chicken, rolls and baked beans. Simple but yummy. Went to bed kinda late but then again, the only thing I had planned that following day was the meetup and that wasn't until 3:30pm.

Sunday, October 1, 2006:

Headed out to pick up Chris Marquardt from the Doubletree Hotel by the Ontario Airport around 3:30 and we headed out to Victoria Gardens for the Tips From the Top Floor meet up at the Yard House. It took us a while to find it. I knew it was on North Mainstreet but oddly North Mainstreet is completely different than South Mainstreet. Usually it'd be the same street but just the north or south sides of it. Apparently the planners of the Victoria Gardens like to live dangerously.
Anyways, we met up with Steven Georges, David Nelson, Michelle and Brian Nambus, Ibarionex and Cynthia Perello, Randal Schwartz and Mari Len. I think we all felt like celebrities with all the flashes going off around our table. Lots of pictures being taken but the best were taken by Steven Georges. I saw people around the restaurant turning in their seats, mumbling and pointing. It was pretty cool. Oh and the food...wonderful. I had the Shrimp Garlic Noodles and it was great. Plus, Chris let us all sign his Podcast Award. AWESOME!
After dinner we headed outside, said goodbye to the Nambuses who had to drive back to Arizona and then Mari who headed back home. Ibarionex and Cynthia headed out and that left Randal, Chris, Steven and myself on our way to the Apple Store. Chris had never been to one so we attempted to document it. Problem was, once we got there they were just closing so the security guard wouldn't let us in. So instead, Randal gave Chris a tour of a sprawling American outdoor shopping village. "Once you get within 3 blocks of a Baby GAP, you've reached marketing hell." That and pointing out that the Johnny Rockets building was not once the Continental Hotel because a year ago it was dirt in the middle of a field. All tricks to give a "feel" to the place.
Anyways, I drove Chris back to the hotel and headed back to my Grandma's place to pick up my stuff and head home. I was SO tired when I got home.

I have more on the playoff games I attended on Tuesday and Thursday but frankly after all these good memories, why bring up the bad ones?