Introducing, Esther... Our NEW circus dog extraordinaire!

Meet Esther, everyone!

She's a 2-year-old Chihuahua mix that Tommy and I recently rescued from the county animal shelter, and the latest addition to our circus family. Since we lost our beloved 14-year-old Mr. Scoots back in February of this year (R.I.P.), we're VERY happy to, once again, have a little animal friend roaming around the house (and fairgrounds).

Aren't those BIG ears great?! Maybe we'll find out she can fly, just like Dumbo! Or, maybe, we'll soon discover that all she can really do is receive satellite radio with those dishes. Even if Esther has no special talents to speak of, we'll love her regardless. Besides, we already do... BIG TIME!

My very first art film, 'The Red Balloon'

I must begin by clarifying that my post title is not intended to infer any involvement on my part with the creation of this wonderful film. That credit goes to the Academy Award winning writer/director of 'The Red Balloon', Albert Lamorisse. Besides, I wasn't even around when it came out in 1956! But 21 years later, sitting in a darkened 2nd-grade classroom, I had my first experience viewing this memorable piece of foreign cinema and it made a real impression on me.

Even at the tender age of 7, I realized on some level that this film was special. Or, at least, it was special to me. It really struck a chord, deep within...

I received the newest, restored and digitally transferred edition of the film on DVD as a gift a while ago, but hadn't actually sat down to watch it until yesterday. Boy, I was so glad I finally did because it was even better than I had remembered it! I mean, I was grinning ear-to-ear from the very start. It certainly took me to my "happy place".

I found it interesting that the film was brighter and more colorful than I remembered. I guess that could be directly due to the restoration and high-definition transfer, but all these years I had thought of it as having much darker tones in both mood and color. Except for that BIG red balloon, of course! In fact, Tommy told me I'd have to watch the DVD without him because he hated watching the film back in elementary school. "It was too depressing", he said. And I was like, "Are you freakin' kidding me?! You're completely missing the entire point of the film, dude!" Well, I might be paraphrasing a bit, but that was the gist of our differing opinions on the matter.

I do feel passionate about this little french film. And I think that anyone who watches it can see the amount of passion that Albert Lamorisse must have felt for the project, as it plays like a cinematic love letter to the city of Paris. The shooting location couldn't have been better, either. It was in the Menilmontant section of Paris, a labyrinth of narrow alleys, cobblestones and steep streets. Since this was my first impression of Paris, I know that if I ever do travel there I will want and expect to see all of the key scenic backgrounds featured or I won't be satisfied... NOTE TO SELF: Prepare for disappointment.

For those of you who may not be familiar with the simple story of this precious gem, here's the brief synopsis right off of the DVD:

"Pascal, a young Parisian boy, retrieves a balloon tied to a lamppost, only to discover that it seems to have a mind and personality of its own. At times the balloon follows him around like a loyal dog, at others like a teasing best friend. The two form an almost inseparable bond, one that only an uncaring world would dare untether."

I couldn't help giggling as I typed that description because I kept hearing Mr. Deep-Voiced-Movie-Trailer-Announcer-Guy saying it! Then I had to actually try doing the voice! Good thing I'm alone, right now... By the way, does anyone know what that guy's name is? Oh, wait. I think I heard somewhere that he died. Oops, here I am making fun of him. Do you think that whoever gave the eulogy at his memorial service delivered it with a similar deep voice, like it was also a movie trailer? That would've actually been pretty damn cool, huh? Some might think it was in poor taste, but not really, if you think about it. Of course, it would sort of depend on whether the guy had a sense of humor...

Sorry, about that! It's getting late, and the A.D.D. is kicking into high gear. Where was I before all of that? Oh, yes. I was going to share a gallery of production stills.


So here's the gallery...





On his way to school, Pascal (played
by 5 1/2 y.o. Pascal Lamorisse, the
director's son) discovers something...







The temptation is just too great. Aaaand since no
one's around to stop him, he shimmies on up the
lamppost to take down that shiny, red floaty-thing.







Pascal and his new "friend", running late for school!







Street corner shenanigans...







"Now, don't go anywhere! I'll be right back."

While passing a boulangerie (bakery) shop window,
Pascal sees something he'd like to have. So he leaves
his balloon outside the shop for only a moment...
Just long enough for some bratty kid to sneak up
and take off with it!







I don't have a picture, but Pascal manages to get his
balloon back. Here, he's desperately running down a
narrow alley to escape the gang of mean bullies that
took it from him! Oh, what now? A fat, old woman
carrying groceries?! Come on, give the kid a break!







Sadly, they do catch up to Pascal. They completely
outnumber him (the gang of bullies is much larger
than pictured), too, which is totally unfair!
But, then... so is life.







After much bullying ensues, a real nasty boy pulls
out a slingshot! Then, as you can clearly see, he turns
'The Red Balloon' into... the dead balloon.







Do not despair! Yes, Pascal just lost his best
"friend", but somehow, magically, all of the
other balloons in Paris start floating right to
him! So many, they're overwhelming. Then...








It's up, up and away!



If you've never seen this award-winning film, you should check it out. Even if you have, but it's been many years since (like about 30, in my case), I highly recommend watching it again! Especially this latest restored, high-def print on DVD. I'm gonna try talking Tommy into watching it with me because I really don't think it's as depressing as he remembers it being, but that might be fruitless effort on my part. He'll probably just shoot me down like that poor balloon...


~All photos via Google Images~

My Disneyland Birthday!

August 22nd is my birthday, and since I registered for Disneyland's FREE Birthday Admission, both Tommy and I spent Saturday playing in the Magic Kingdom! But, of course, even though I was getting in for nothing, we still had to purchase a $72.00 ticket for Tommy. Can you believe what they charge now? And that only gets you in the gate! You still have to eat and drink... If I remember correctly, water alone goes for almost $4.00 a bottle! So, obviously, I didn't really go to Disneyland for FREE. That was just another one of Disney's many illusions!

Don't get me wrong, I loves me some Disneyland! I just also happen to be a realist, therefore I tell it like it is. And what it is, is expen$ive! However, it's also a whole lotta fun!

We started my special day by arriving at the park around 9 am. When we redeemed my admission and paid for Tommy's, the ticket booth lady gave me a big "I'm Anthony and It's My Birthday!" button to wear. She also gave Tommy one that said "I'm Celebrating with Him!" or "I'm with Stupid!", something like that... My instinct was to not wear mine, but Tommy suggested that it might get us special treatment, maybe even front-of-the-line type treatment (wink, wink). So we pinned 'em on, and began our adventure!

As I'm sure most of you can guess, or may even know from experience, we were not allowed to circumvent any of the lines, and had to wait just like the common folk. Oh, well. At least, everyone that worked there who saw my magic button (except one or two, and they will be reported) said, "Happy Birthday!" to me. It's pretty funny how obvious it is that all of the "cast members" must have been programmed to say it as part of their basic training. Several of them even delivered their line in a bored, robotic monotone. After a while, it wasn't funny anymore. And besides, we weren't getting any real privileges, so we took off our birthday badges and blended right into the crowd.

Actually, one special thing my birthday badge did get me was a li'l cup-o-chocolate mousse with whipped cream and a candle. That was presented to me after we finished our "nighttime" lunch beneath the glowing lanterns of the Blue Bayou. Located in New Orleans Square, Blue Bayou is easily the most beautiful and atmospheric dining experience to be had in all of Disneyland. Imagine dining alfresco under moonlight (even though it's actually sunny and about 90 degrees outside) on the banks of a swampy Louisiana bayou, complete with fireflies and chirping crickets. And the occasional sound of screaming tourists, as their boat plunges down the first drop on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. That is what the Blue Bayou experience is like! The menu is a bit pricey, but I think that it's well worth it... at least, once! If/when you do go, and you're not a vegetarian, make sure to try the Monte Cristo sandwich (the crispy, battered ham & cheese one that you dip in jelly) because it's absolutely wonderful, and probably the best thing they serve! It's also quite obviously not for the health-conscious! But it was my special day that only comes once a year, so I said, "Screw it!"






Photo via Google Images

For those who've never been, this is a good shot of the Blue
Bayou's (exterior) interior. The lanterns are more colorful
in person, and the actual (artificial) bayou is to the right. It's
like you're dining on the veranda of a southern mansion,
somewhere along the Mississippi River...






Photo via Google Images

This must be an official Disneyland press release photo, or
something. It might even be from around the time they first
opened the restaurant? It just has that perfect, unique Disney
quality. Whatever the case, it's a good shot of the bayou view
that diners get to enjoy. Only, it's a bit darker than this in reality.







Not the best shot from a technical standpoint (nor the least
bit flattering), but we had to document the moment. It was
my FREE special birthday treat, you know! Also, being that
it was so dark and atmospheric, we didn't want to risk ruining
anyone's fine dining experience by using the flash. Besides,
we thought this might look pretty neat.





We had a blast on all 11 of the rides we managed to cram into our day. Some of the highlights included the carefully (Thank goodness!) updated It's a Small World and Haunted Mansion. On It's a Small World, they've added several iconic main characters from Disney animated film classics like Pinocchio, Lilo & Stitch, Alice in Wonderland, Toy Story, Cinderella, The Three Caballeros, Little Mermaid and others I can't recall. When I first heard about this "embellishment", I was a bit scared that it was going to completely ruin the ride, but now having actually seen it, I'm relieved to say that it's mostly unobtrusive. The people at Disney really worked at trying to match the art style of the original doll/puppet/marionette children, and for the most part they do blend in quite nicely. There was only one or two that made me cringe a little. Woody, from Toy Story, comes to mind. That one just plain sucks, and whoever worked on him must have been lazy!







The Mad Tea Party spinning teacup ride is one of my favorites,
not only because of its dizzying fun, but I also really like the
look of it. All the eye-popping colors... and those lanterns!







Tommy, being a teacup cutie!







Me, just taking the cup out for a spin.







Here we both are, about to take off on Peter Pan's Flight.





The update in the Haunted Mansion was well integrated, too. There may have been more done than what we noticed, but here's what Tommy and I compared notes on: In the hallway, right after exiting the elevator, a few of the changing portraits on the gallery wall have either been tweaked or replaced. So if you have a particular favorite, you might be disappointed. One that I'm fairly confident is popular among fans, and was not there any longer, is the one of a pretty young lady that morphs into an ugly old biddy. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember it being called 'April-December'. It was one of my faves, as well, and the gallery just didn't feel right without it. Once on the ride, the main changes we noticed were in the attic. It was almost completely different, in fact. There are now 5 (?) wedding portraits of the bride with each of her doomed grooms, so to speak, and as you pass each one, the groom's head disappears. In case you don't know, this ties in nicely with the background story of how the bride beheaded all of her husbands. Then, you see that the bride herself has gotten a total make-over. She even has an animated face now, done in much the same way as the singing busts out in the graveyard. It's a neat effect, and executed (No pun intended) quite well. She's also been moved from the right side to the left. Purist fans of the Haunted Mansion will probably have issues with these revisions, but I found most to be very well done and kind of cool. Tommy did, too, I think.







This shop window display, in New Orleans
Square, caught my artistic eye. I'm drawn
to this kind of collage-type arrangement.







Here's the same window, a bit closer.







And even closer, yet!
This particular half-bird/half-child trinket just
pulled me right in. I think that dressing a shop
window in this style would be a lot of fun!





Well, I could go on (and on...), but this has already become another one of my MEGA-posts! That being said, I will now pick up my toys and go. Thank you, for letting me share my exciting Disneyland birthday adventure with you!

My New Zoo Review! (w/Family Foto Fun, Too!)

The San Diego Zoo isn't new, but this review of our family visit last Saturday is. And actually, the Elephant Odyssey exhibit that's there is a beautiful new addition, only a few months old. But I think, now that I've seen it in person, it's a bit overrated.

The 7-acre habitat is quite impressive. However, the way that it's designed does not allow for any kind of close-up encounters with the elephants. Not even nearby encounters! They were way off in the distance, and even if they wanted to come closer, they couldn't. Their enclosure, and the landscape within it, prevents them from doing so. There was an area where, thanks to fortunate timing, we were able to witness one of the pachyderms getting a bath in fairly close proximity. Well, a shower was more like it because the animal keeper was actually hosing it down. And, boy, did it like the attention! You could just tell he was loving it so much that it must've felt like a Burke Williams spa treatment!

We came along just in time for Ranchipur's shower.

And if you listened real closely, you could hear

him quietly singing this cute little song:

"A sprinkle a day helps keep the odor away...

Have you had your sprinkle today?"

A hydro-massage and a pedicure?

Now, that's what I call service!

Among other animals featured in the same exhibit, and one of my favorites, is the capybara. I'm not real sure what it is about those guys... it has something to do with their cute, bloppy shape. They sorta remind me of Moomins, I guess. And they are certainly cute!

Capybara and Moomin via Google Images

See, don't these two look similar?

Well, I think they do...

Speaking of cute, after we walked out of the Odyssey exhibit we came across the meerkats. I could sit and watch those little guys for hours! And they're just always so busy... I was particularly taken with the designated sentinel of the mob. He sat atop the highest rock formation attentively watching for predators, his tiny head twitching in every direction. I wish that we had spent more time at their enclosure.

I was glad to get this meerkat shot! His little

noggin was jerking all over the place, looking

for anything that might be a threat...

I felt this was an interesting shot, too, because it shows

some of their many digging holes. They were all very

busy scurrying around, or digging. Lots of digging.

Another of my favorite animals is the giraffe. They are so tall and graceful. I'm pretty sure I overheard a tour guide say that a newborn, on average, is about 6 ft. tall! Could you imagine if a human mother had to suffer such a burden? Of course, women are strong, and they would be able to endure it... The pattern on giraffe hides is beautiful, too. It's just those long, dark tongues that aren't. In fact, they're kinda gross! Oh, well. Nobody's perfect.

Tommy and me, posing in front of the giraffe enclosure.

"Where are the giraffes?", you say. Well, see, they're

not in the shot because Mom was taking the picture...

We also managed to see lots of different exotic birds, some bears (including polar), a monkey or two, snakes, a komodo dragon, a few tortoises, two rhinoceros, an anteater w/baby riding around on its back and a few other creatures I can't remember at the moment. Still, after being there for an entire day, we only managed to see about half of the zoo's inhabitants. We were there until almost 9 pm, too!

I feel bad that I don't remember the name of this

animal. It was some sort of hairy, piggish looking thing.

But how super cute are they, all cuddled-up together

like that, in a ditch?

Why, what do we have here? I don't believe it's

anything we've ever seen before! It appears to be

a tame creature, at least... Let's take a closer

look, shall we?

Yikes! Look out! Whatever it is, it's fierce and most

unpredictable! We must use extreme CAUTION...

It's real neat that they do the whole Nighttime Zoo thing in the Summertime, so you can see the nocturnal animals when they're awake and more active. The zoo itself is very pretty at night, with its lush landscaping of trees and plants dramatically illuminated. It was especially impressive from the vantage point of a Skyfari bucket. We rode one of those twice! Once during the day, and then again at night. Even the buckets were lit up all purty-like, in the dark.

It's a bit hard to tell because it's at night, but this

is Tommy & my mom in our Skyfari bucket as it

whisked us along, high above the "jungle" below.







Yours truly, "impersonating" a dorky tourist.

We all had a great time! It was a wonderful Saturday at the zoo, as well as an awesome birthday gift from my mom! If you've never been, I highly recommend a visit to the San Diego Zoo. But if you go, Mom says, "Don't forget the sun-block and comfortable walking shoes."

Lions, Jaguars, and Elephants? Oh, My!

Please, oh please, don't let us run into this guy, tomorrow! His name is Maynard Livingston, and he's the official Park Master & Greeter for both the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park. Ugh... Maybe, we'll luck out and he'll be over at the Wild Animal Park, instead.

Whatever the case, my mom, Tommy and I will have fun at the zoo on Saturday, anyway. The outing was my mom's idea, and it's also her birthday gift to me! She knows that I like elephants (and animals, in general), so she thought that I'd like to go check out the new Elephant Odyssey exhibit that just opened this last May. It's a $45 million, 7-acre addition to the main zoo that features elephants (obviously), lions, jaguars and California condors. The habitat has several pools for the elephants, including one that holds 137, 000 gallons of water and is 7.5 feet deep at its deepest end. That's certainly big enough for a swim, even for an elephant!

On these hot Summer days, I would love to join these guys.

I wonder if Esther is in the pool, somewhere...

Pinky TUSK-adero, taking a relaxing bath.

Lions are so majestically beautiful...

They make me proud to be a Leo.

I've always wanted to drive one of these.

It's probably crazy of us to go on a Saturday in August, what with Summer crowds and all, but it should be a fun family adventure! Then, the following Saturday (A.K.A. my actual birthday), Tommy and I will be going to Disneyland because I'll be getting in FREE! Did you know about that special promotion? They're letting people in for FREE on their birthdays, all this year! But you had to have registered for it by a certain deadline last year. They even aired T.V. commercials about the whole thing. I guess that it sucks to be you, if you didn't take advantage of it... (Hee-hee!)

Have a great weekend, everyone!


~All photos via Google Images~

San Diego Comic-Con... We Went, We Saw and We Conquered!

Well, we did it! Four days of comics, toys, lots of people, people in costumes and even more people! Did I mention the people? It's just insane. I wish that I'd taken more photos, but once you're afloat in that crowded sea of humans, you kind of lose your bearings and don't think about such things as cameras. Especially, if you're weighted down with bags of purchased goodies!

Speaking of goodies, we were anxious to get our hands on two of this year's Comic-Con exclusives: a My Little Pony that has two different sides (one side is green, the other purple), for Tommy, and a Littlest Pet Shop super-hero kitty, for me. We got 'em, too! It's weird, though, because on the first day, in order to buy them, people had to be somewhere at a certain time to get a ticket just so they could get in line, then they had to wait in that HUGE line which looked like something you'd see at an amusement park. But the second day was completely different. Tommy and I just walked right up to the Hasbro booth and bought both toys instantly! No tickets, no line. I'm sure glad we didn't have to go through all of that first day rigamarole. If we had, and then saw how easily people could get them the next day, we would've surely been pissed!

One side of Tommy's two-faced super pony...

... And here is the other side.

Look! Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

No, it's my Comic-Con super kitty

from Littlest Pet Shop!

Another highlight, for me anyway, was shortly after we entered the convention on Thursday. We must've only been walking the floor for about 10 minutes when, suddenly, I spotted her... A lady dressed as Alice (in Wonderland) who also happened to look like Bette Davis! I mean, she could've been Bette's stunt double! Not that Miss Davis ever did a movie role that would require such a thing, but man, this lady could've done it! Check out the pics below, and then let me know if you agree...

Curiouser and curiouser... Is that Bette Davis in Wonderland?

I'm sure that must be the Mad Hatter on the left. And Bette

is clearly holding the Cheshire Cat, so who/what is that on the

right? A human Cheshire? Creepy.

She's ready for her close-up, Mr. DeMille...





Of course, there were also real celebrities in attendance for various reasons. Among them were Zachary Levi (Chuck), Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory), Amanda Palmer (Dresden Dolls), Robert Pattinson (Twilight, duh!), Kristen Stewart (Twilight, double duh!), Tim Burton (Nightmare Before Christmas, super duh!), Johnny Depp (If you don't know what he's from, you probably aren't reading this because you're so out of touch with the world that you don't even have internet access, or a computer!), Lou Ferrigno (Incredible Hulk), Matt Groening (The Simpsons) and many, many more! I didn't get any photos of them, unfortunately.

Friday night, we went to an exclusive Disney Press cocktail party at a hip restaurant/bar in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter known as Bondi. It's really neat. They have these huge basket pods you can sit in, like private booths! We didn't get to sit in one because we were in the bar, but they were sure cool to look at. And the ones that weren't "in-service" were actually raised up and hanging from the ceiling. I'd never seen anything like it! Here, take a look...

Bondi basket pods. I sooo wanted to sit in one of these!

Oh, well. There's always next year...

That just about covers the main highlights. I could bore you with a day-by-day itinerary, but I will spare you. Maybe, next year I will manage to take more photos. Ones of real celebrities, too!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

And beware of humans disguised as cats... Cheshire Cats.





"Meow."

San Diego Comic-Con, Here We Come!

It's that time, again!

Every Summer for the last decade or so, Tommy and I have been attending the San Diego International Comic-Con, here in California. For those of you who don't already know, Tommy Kovac is a comic book creator who writes and illustrates his own works for publisher, Slave Labor Graphics. So far, his body of work includes the books 'Stitch', 'Skelebunnies', 'Autumn' and, most notably, the highly acclaimed Disney Press published 'Wonderland'. That last one was a collaboration with artist Sonny Liew, who did all of the beautiful illustrations complimenting Tommy's well-crafted story. If you have any appreciation for Disney's 'Alice in Wonderland' movie, or Lewis Carroll's original books, you would probably like 'Wonderland'. Tommy based his tale on both, while creating something entirely new and inventive. You really should check it out!

Cover of the Disney Press 'Wonderland'

graphic novel.

(To be clear, SLG first published the story

as a series of 6 single-issue comic books.

Then, Disney Press published them all

together in one graphic novel.)

If you're not familiar with Comic-Con, let me enlighten you. The San Diego International Comic-Con is the annual convention for all-things comic related. And even some stuff that isn't! It's been drawing thousands upon thousands of attendees each year for about 40 years, now. You would not believe the crowds unless you'd been amongst them personally! It really is an "experience" being at the convention. And when we go, we always attend all 4 days of it, so I'm always more than ready to leave when the final day approaches! I do have some fun, and I like being a supportive husband, but 4 whole days of that craziness and crowd congestion is quite exhausting for most anyone.

This is but a mere taste of what it's like walking around

on the convention hall floor.

Here is what it looks like outside the convention center, at the

end of each day. It's chaos in the streets, I tell you!

One of the most entertaining things to see at the convention, is the people. Well, the people who are not afraid to wear a costume, anyway. You see all manner of dress, too! Everything from total head-to-toe Klingons (with those big prosthetic foreheads and face make-up) to barely there, skimpy, flesh exposing "outfits". And believe me, you don't want to see some of the people who choose to share their physical attributes! For some reason, they seem to think that they're quite a hot property, and most of them are soooo not...

Look at this gaggle of giddy girls in their goofy getups!

Of course, the skimpier ones are tame compared to some...

A Cylon from Battlestar Galactica attempts to intimidate his

way through the thick crowd of humans.

I rather like this one! I guess that

she's supposed to be like some kind

of burlesque interpretation of

Batman's Joker?

No, they're not martians. It's the Shreks, of course!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this one

actually is a martian! (...with a coordinating

green Starbucks drink, natch!)

O.k., I just threw this one in for the ladies...

No, I didn't. I really threw it in for the boys!

(But if the ladies enjoy it also, that's great.)

This one kinda scares me, and I'm not sure why. Is it some sort

of Super Panda Girl? What would her powers be, I wonder?

This one might be my absolute favorite! I mean, it's

Darth Vader on a rickshaw! I just don't think it gets

any better than this.

Well, that's about all I have time for. I still have to pack my suitcase and fill the gas tank so that we're ready to take off to San Diego tomorrow morning...

I know it's only mid-week, but have a great weekend once it gets here! I'll be having a weekend full of sensory overload, while wading through tons of people just like I've shown you.

Bye-bye!

All photos via Google Images