Yesterday was my mom's birthday, so we took her to the Glory Days Grill for an early dinner (in addition to a couple of stores and a local festival, where I picked up a carded Star Trek Jadzia Dax figure and used copies of S. Darko and "Red Dwarf" Series 1 for $2 each). Granted, Mom chose the restaurant because she had a birthday coupon for a free Oreo sliders dessert -- and because she'd gotten a free submarine sandwich earlier at another place, she only ordered sweet potato fries for her "meal" -- so it wasn't exactly a proper birthday treat on us, but still. It seemed like a restaurant; I'd go there again.

And our waitress? Bloody gorgeous. Mom adamantly protested when I tried to order her a glass of sangria to help her celebrate (and also because it'd be nice to see her get over her weird fear of alcohol; she seems to think that a single glass of wine can make one stumbling, vomitously drunk and effect extreme, nutty behavior), so I ultimately told the perplexed waitress that I'd take the drink if Mom wouldn't touch it. At that point, the waitress gave me a quizzical look and asked if I was of drinking age, whereupon I presented my ID. She remarked that she'd thought I was younger than she was.

And then I stupidly asked how old she was. Perhaps even more stupidly, she said, "Guess." (more...)

...why I want this figure, and they don't count if I've already told you. 😉

Hint: It's not because I give even the slightest crap about Golden Pharaoh as a character. Super Powers figures were not my childhood playthings!

But I do give a crap about Cobra Commander and the Baroness.

I've never really cared about the 3.75" scale before, but sexy figures like these (and cheap, laughable, yet oddly appealing figures like these) are making a convert out of me. COBRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

Our exchanges in #db are always amusing.

<Sixshot> Wes: http://www.applegeeks.com/blog/2010/09/07/back-from-dragoncon/ -- Feel the envy
<Wes> over the sonics or the Glau autograph?
<Wes> I don't want Glau's signature, I want her body
<Sixshot> Either... but still, having her autograph is better than nothin' at all ;P
<Wes> not really
<Wes> it's just ink
<Wes> running my tongue over it would not be satisfying at all
<Wes> in fact it would be markedly unpleasant

I had my first lucid dream! Well, depending upon your definition of the term. I've had those "dreams" where I start off really thinking about a scenario and then enter it, but I've generally been in control of everything and have never lost awareness of my outer surroundings -- so those experiences have been more akin to daydreaming or fantasizing than actual, unconscious dreaming. But this time! This time I started off unaware that I was dreaming, deduced that I was dreaming, and then attempted to do things that I couldn't do when waking. How cool is that?

Okay, details. I found myself in a comic shop, and suddenly it occurred to me that I didn't remember entering the store -- I didn't even know where it was. (How have I not noticed things like this in dreams before?!) So I went to the front of the store to look outside and saw a grimy side street that suggested to me that I was in New York City, though I was aware that I might have been in any urban environment. In any case, I certainly didn't remember coming to NYC (would I have been as suspicious had I seen an area of Laurel?), so I went to ask the clerk for directions. I specifically avoided mentioning NYC, so as not to seem crazy if I was not dreaming and was actually somewhere else.

I said, "I think I got a bit mixed up on my way here. Can you direct me to...?" I let that hang, assuming he'd mention an obvious landmark that would help me to determine my location.

"Sure!" he said. "Just go left out here, then walk left down 37th. Broadway's several blocks down, and then --"

"I'm good from there, thanks!" I chirped. "I thought I was much farther down from Times Square than that, but I guess I got turned around somewhere." The clerk smiled.

I walked back towards the back of the store, now almost certain that I was dreaming. But how to test it? I didn't want to do something that would make me seem insane -- or put me in danger, since that would probably wake me up if I was dreaming or kill me if I wasn't. I decided upon a simple test: I would pinch myself.

Pinch. No pain. Pinch harder. No pain! DREAM STATE CONFIRMED! (more...)