I'm Published, and Other 2012 Surprises

The thing with social media is that people, if they want to, can see your latest vacation photos, which you brag about to no end. Some may even claim the photos would be great for a magazine.

Well, dig this...



I took a photo of a guy from the Pizza Rock restaurant in downtown Sacramento on the day regular car traffic was re-opened to K Street. Someone e-mailed me, asking if his magazine can use it. I said yes, and now this photo is seen by tens of people looking for a good pizza place, and relying of a magazine available at airports and train stations. I still have the issue, so I can at least prove it to someone. The photo itself is found here.

The other big surprise was at my neighborhood Goodwill store. I looked through the CDs and found this...



an autographed Garbage CD. Yep, that's Shirley Manson's signature. It takes me back to when she was at Wondercon a few years back when she was a Terminatress during season 2 of the Sarah Connor Chronicles. Latest word is that she's heading back to the studio, but I wouldn't mind seeing her in sci-fi again. It's not every day you find an autographed CD at Goodwill, but it's a nice bargain.

Now that everyone has had their Christmas breaks, it's now my turn. I'm still hoping to be a seat filler at the Critic's Choice Awards, which is what I was hoping for. I'm on the waiting list. If that doesn't work, I'll be happy to sit on some bleachers, if there are any. In any case, at least I'll have a chance to see a movie that's not playing in Sacramento yet. Just haven't decided which one, but I also hope to throw in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy too. I'm also hoping to get in a taping of Real Time. The new season starts next week, just in time for the primary season. The Golden Globe,s of course, are out unless there's a secret way to get on the bleachers that doesn't require staying at the hotel. We'll see.

2012, Day 2--and a look back at 2011

Yes, this is my first project for the New Year. I challenge people to find meaning in this "revised" Mayan calendar to mainly honor what Joss Whedon has planned for us: three movies (including one made at his house) and four anniversaries of note.
It was one way to help me forget how the Oakland Raiders collapsed in front of our eyes as the NFL season wound down. Pundits are applauding how the 49ers did, but they think they'll probably lose to whoever they'll play in two weeks. I'll hope for Harbaugh Bowl II.

My first really big thing is going to L-A in a few days. I am really hoping to see the Critics Choice Movie Awards, mainly because you can get at the Red Carpet bleachers, at least, for free. If I wanted to get on the Red Carpet bleachers at the Golden Globes, I'd have to stay the weekend at the Beverly Hilton. If I had that much dough on hand, I'd get my car repaired first. If nothing else, I'm hoping to see a Real Time taping for the first time in a long while, plus head back to Universal Studios. Also, I might try taking a tour bus.

So what kind of a year did I have in 2011. Well, I did accomplish something new: I came up with lyrics to a Katy Perry spoof, met Nick Brendon in Sacramento, wrote a movie review of Hanna that seems to be popular after nearly nine months, actually got a close look at the Giants World Series trophy, saw Dr. Horrible live, and got a burrito that was (sort of) given out my a Time Lord at Comic-Con. As far as tangible contributions that I can mention, I got my name as a "contributor" in the credits of two DVDs of Incognito Cinema Warriors XP, and I invested in a romcom called Lust For Love thanks to Kickstarter. I also have been getting my Twitter comments retweeted by famous people like Felicia Day, Charisma Carpenter, Kristy Swanson, Marcos Breton and Jane Espenson. I also got a tweet reply from a Nog Hog, that pig that Conan didn't put on is show...yet. It hasn't translated to more followers, but I can always hope.

Could I make a real mark on the world, in a good way, in 2012? I sure hope so. If a movie review I wrote nine months ago still gets views, there's hope.