Day Forty-One: Universal Studios, Part 45

7/22/13, 12:34 PM PDT

Thus kicks off the Evangelista family vacation! Packed our stuff and now on our way to Universal Studios, the first stop of a week of traveling. Fell asleep after playing a few rounds of SSB along with a few minutes of Pokémon Random Emerald on my PSP. Woke up in the middle of a desert, like most days. Only today, there was a McDonalds nearby, so I can only assume that I've been kidnapped by Ronald McDonald.

I don't know where I'm getting at with this kidnap thing, I'm just really drowsy from a long nap.



Same day, 3:23 PM PDT

Universal Studios at last. Sweet JESUS, does it burn. We have an annual pass, and compared to the other times that we've been here, it is a THOUSAND times more crowded than the times before. Added with the fact that the sun's pounding on us full force and there's not a cloud in the sky to defend us, the two set up MISERABLE conditions. Not only does it feel way hotter than it normally is, but like a piece of food left in a car on a sweltering summer afternoon, the stench is BOUND to be awful.

Granted, it's not that bad right now since I'm wearing a huge blob of sunscreen near my nostrils. But just wait until it runs out.



Same day, 4:24 PM PDT

An entire hour waiting in line and we're almost there. My calves hurt so much, they barely had any rest after Comic Con yesterday.

Note to self, my Pokéwalker's running out of battery. Gotta replace it soon. Wooper's been sitting there for a good two months or so and I haven't sent him in since the Del Mar fair, so his stubby little legs should be feeling the burn now too.



Same day, 6:53 PM PDT

Saw my cousins. They got stuck on the Jurassic Park ride because of technical difficulties, unfortunately. Or, maybe not, because they got CODEWORDS TO SKIP RIDE LINES. "Daisy" to skip the Transformers queue, "Sunflower" to skip the Mummy ride, and "Waterfall" to skip the Jurassic Park ride. We rode the Transformers ride (which was a LOT cooler than I remember) and the Mummy (got a pretty awesome photo there), but didn't bother with the Jurassic Park ride since they were still fixing it.



Same day, 9:57 PM PDT

Went for the late-night studio tour with an okay tour guide, then watched the night show of Waterworld. The staff all hyped it up, saying that it's way better than the day show, but I disagree. The day show had way better actors and they made less mistakes. But they did have an Asian guy, so I guess that's what they meant.

Oh, and it's very nice here in Universal Studios at night.

Well, not really night, more like sunset.

I had to dangle my iPhone off the tram for this.

This picture would be beautiful if it weren't for that zombie horde. 

Dat mountain fade in the distance.

Then, ate at the CityWalk, obnoxiously sang along with songs I know that played and stuff like that.

Now at the hotel. Best Western, right next to Six Flags. It's a mediocre room, nothing special abo-HOLY SWEET JESUS, AN N64 CONTROLLER MODIFIED TO BE A REMOTE.

IT'S... BEAUTIFUL.

AND IT HAS GODDAMN SMASH BROS.

HELL YEAH.

Go to Best Western. Pack your bags. AND JUST GO.




RFotD: Movie sets are typically made of pressed fiberglass painted to look like the real thing.

SGAT: None.

Day Forty: The Partial Comic Con Experience

7/21/13, 11:39 PM PDT

Church, then went to Comic Con! Well, not really. More like walked its perimeter to hoard free stuff. But still, it was nice.

You know what wasn't nice though? The drive there. We were running late since church ended at 1, so we ate in the car. Greasy chicken nuggets, barbecue sauce, and freeways are not a good mixture at all.

Anyway, back to Comic Con. We got there really late, but we still managed to see some pretty nice things. Like these Tetris ladies advertising Tetris Blitz.

I don't know how that guy in the foreground's leaning so far
back on his chair.

Didn't get a picture of the I block girl because she broke her neck after
trying to walk through a door.

We also saw a few neat cosplayers in here.

Deadpool tried to kill me. Also, I look the same
in every picture.

This... guy?

Well, he got the girl, so I guess it worked?

Then hit up the Nintendo Lounge. Got to ride a pirate ship.

Told you I look the same in every photo.

Got shoved down an exit pipe by Nintendo staff because I didn't have a badge. Worth it though.

I look strangely compliant for someone about to
be banned from Comic Con.

Also found a Pikachu accidentally exposed to near-lethal quantities of Pokérus.

What an abomination.

Resisted arrest and walked around Comic Con a bit more. Got some nice free things, including this poster from The Oatmeal, which is awesome.

I'm hanging this in my room. No joke.

And an ADVENTURE TIME SHIRT.

The single greatest free thing I've ever gotten.

Also visited the Sega Lounge, which was boring compared to the Nintendo Lounge. But hey, they had a pretty nice giant statue of Sonic out there.

"We're number 1 because we're riding piggy-back
on Nintendo's success!"

"Eh... it's less 'platonic' and more 'parasitic,' I'd say"

We also saw a few Jesus protesters out there after we left to walk to Horton Plaza, where we parked. Unfortunately, dad forgot exactly where we parked. This wouldn't be such a bad thing under normal circumstances since I'm pretty good with on-foot navigation. But this is Horton Plaza we're talking about. And it looks like something designed by M. C. Escher.

I DON'T KNOW WHERE ANYTHING IS
(via http://cl0ckw0rk-prince.tumblr.com)

We eventually found our way back. As soon as I touched the car, I fell asleep, exhausted, and when I woke up, I was in my garage in total darkness. My parents didn't bother tell me that we arrived.

Well. Time to go pack my things since we go on vacation tomorrow! Blog entries might not be formatted as nicely as before since I'll be posting exclusively from my phone, but I'll try to make it legible!





RFotD: Horton Plaza is named after Alonzo Horton, who was responsible for Downtown San Diego's current location. In essence, he is indirectly responsible for Comic Con overcrowding.

SGAT: None really.

Day Thirty-Nine: Ghost Hunting

7/20/13, 8:15 AM PDT

Didn't do much today. Started watching a playthrough of "The Last of Us" on YouTube and my god, does it look amazing. I'd consider buying a PS3 just to play it, but they're ridiculously expensive and I probably won't use the PS3 for anything else later on.

Guests arrived at 3-ish, so we went to Pho in Black Mountain. Food was pretty good, but I was more interested in my Super Smash Bros. games on my PSP.



Same day, 10:03 PM PDT

Adventure Time. How convenient, I happened to be wearing my Jake shirt today. Anyway, what sort of adventure? Well, we went to Coronado to go look at the San Diego skyline. It's very pretty, but my iPhone camera can't capture it well.

If you ignore the grain, it's actually quite pretty.

We also visited a store where they sold nerdy porcupines.

At least, I think it's a porcupine.

AND A GODDAMN 90 DOLLAR STUFFED PANDA.

I think buying a real panda off the Chinese black market would be cheaper.

Then, went to Hotel Del Coronado to see the alleged haunted room, since our guests are big on paranormal stuff. Pretty weird if you ask me.

But the inside was pretty, so I guess that's a win.

Look at that chandelier.

And this... thing.

I'm sorry if today's entry is watered down, I'm really tired right now, today's just been all walking basically. Heh.





RFotD: The name of the Hotel Del Coronado ghost that resides in room 3327 is named "Kate Morgan."

SGAT: None really.

Day Thirty-Eight: BBs and BMOs

7/19/13, 9:36 AM PDT

Dropped off my sister, then picked up film props courtesy of Kayteal Industries (sponsored by Brighid Bargains).  Look at it.

The most advanced weaponry 40 dollars and a tank of gas could buy.

But wait... what's this?

I wonder what it could be...

Target acquired.

Same day, 12:40 PM PDT

It's the last day of my sister's school. Picked her up and saw Vi, Tristan, and Jonah while waiting for her, which was pretty awesome. Let my sister run around Ericson park for awhile to play with her friends for the last time while I worked on annotating my script.

While writing, I saw this BADASS cowboy kid. There was a crowd of girls around this kid and for GOOD REASON. Oh my god, this kid is the best. I mean LOOK AT HIM.

Gasp in awe.

Women want him. Men want to be him.


Same day, 5:42 PM PDT

So I've been living in this house for five years. And I never noticed this in my garage.

I've never seen that can of WD-40 before.

Anyway, drove around San Diego looking for the cheapest shotgun around. Went to Golden State Sports at Miramar (nice place, by the way), then Sports Chalet (which had a staggering two airsoft guns on sale), and finally, Big 5. We found a really cheap shotgun, priced at 13 dollars, but unfortunately, it had no clip, so it's unusable in my movie.

But we did find the perfect shotgun. Unfortunately, it wasn't on sale anymore, which I mentioned in yesterday's entry. The Big 5 employee that helped us out, however, GAVE US THE SHOTGUN AT THE SALE PRICE. 30 DOLLARS FOR A 60 DOLLAR SHOTGUN. THAT'S A STEAL.

And look at how perfect it is too.

OHOHO, BABY.

Your name's going in the credits, black guy who works at Big 5 whose name starts with the letter "D." Sorry I couldn't remember your name.



Same day, 7:00 PM PDT

Waiting at Firestone for a tire change on my dad's car. Played with the new BMO app on my phone, then got hungry and decided to eat at Jollibee.

While walking there, some guy sitting in the passenger seat of a red car stated right at me, then pulled out two airsoft pistols and fired them rapidly at me. He was dry firing, of course, but it caught me so off-guard that I kind of just looked at him weird and kept walking.

He had the most EVIL face on too. Like a distorted, wide smile. Joker-esque. It was simultaneously ridiculous and funny.

Kind of shaking now. Not sure if it's an aftereffect of the shock, or just that I played with BMO for too long.





RFotD: Pendleton Ward, creator of Adventure Time, states that his favorite character is BMO.

SGAT: BOUGHT A SHOTGUN.

Day Thirty-Seven: Food Hoarding

7/18/13, 8:57 AM PDT

Dropped sister off, then went to the orthodontist's for my last monthly checkup. They looked to see how my retainers are doing and they're perfect. They didn't even need tightening.

Meanwhile, mom's still wearing her braces. Bwahahaha! Thank you, youthful teeth, for not being too attached to your former positions in my gums.



Same day, 12:09 PM PDT

Went to Seafood City to go buy food. And by food, I mean a hell of a lot of mango juice, Ramune, and Clover Chips because magically, all of these things were on sale.

TODAY, WE FEAST LIKE KINGS.

Also saw Tai, Derrick, and a few others from the tennis team. Tai said they're having a barbecue today, which is pretty cool. I think I recognized a few of them from that one time Seth brought the tennis team to parkour. They were okay.

Worked on the prop suitcase a lot too. Check it out.

It's adorable.

I'll admit, it doesn't look as foamy as the sponge, but it gets the job done. Considering buying a bit of felt and such to make it look nicer.

Then, went to pick up my sister at school. Saw Tristan and Jonah at Ericson.

And right now? Shopping for good, cheap shotguns. I think I found some.

Oh, and I managed to get Pandora on TV, so while I finished up my suitcase, I listened to the calming sounds of dubstep. Oh yes.



Same day, 11:45 PM PDT

Teen Writing Club at the library. Wrote a poem about chameleons, then got these weird looking crayons.

They're like Beedril stingers. Or tiny gnome hats.

Also, Angela got back from Comic Con. She's now telling us the wonders of Comic Con and I feel so jealous that I couldn't go.

But she brought stuff back for me, which is awesome.





RFotD: In 1979, $12,000 in receipts was stolen from the Comic-Con International Treasurer’s home. As a result, the organization behind Comic-Con had to ask fans for donations to pay off the debt.

SGAT: More filmmaking stuff.

Day Thirty-Six: Microentries and Making Props

7/17/13, 9:24 AM PDT

Aaaaaaaagh, sneezing so much. Allergies, I think. My nose itches really bad. This sucks.



Same day, 11:27 PM PDT

Woah, huge time jump again. Got a bit more annotating done, bought foam to fill the suitcase since the sponge experiment was a pretty big failure, and couldn't buy the shotgun I wanted since it wasn't on sale anymore and I couldn't afford it. Bummer.

Also, Comic Con hype is starting, which means I'm gonna be sad the entire weekend since I've never gone and probably never will. *sigh* And they're gonna have such awesome panels too.

Sorry about lack of thorough updates today, never really had time to write stuff down. I'll be more interesting tomorrow!





RFotD: Comic Con alone adds 30-50 million dollars to San Diego's economy. Not only through badge purchases, but through hotel reservations, public transportation, and parking.

SGAT: More film work.

Day Thirty-Five: A Suitcase Fit for a Sponge

7/16/13, 10:18 AM PDT

Bought props at Target, Home Depot, and Albertsons, of all places. Food coloring, sponges, a water gun, a digital timer, and card stock. Don't worry, everything'll make sense later.

Also saw Mr. Tompkins at Home Depot. He looks exactly the same as when school ended.



Same day, 12:38 PM PDT

Prop working! Busy cutting up sponges to fill a suitcase as part of the intro scene for my film. Filling it was easy. The hard part was getting the phone slit in, but with a bit of help from my mom, we managed. Here's the almost finished product:

Such a snug fit.

Pretty pretty.

Of course, I'll be dyeing it black to make it look professional. We'll see how that goes.



Same day, 9:45 PM PDT

So we had to use food coloring to dye the sponges.

Look at this food coloring.

Probably should have worn gloves since they made my fingers all black and disgusting.

It's like I've been clawing at DIRT.

They're still soaking wet and they've been outside for hours in the sun. Gonna check on them tomorrow morning, I'll update you on how they're doing.





RFotD: This is what serving a flaming tennis ball looks like.

SGAT: Bought props, made a bunch of props for the film, and annotated my script.