So here we are in San Francisco, and so far the trip has been a blast!  I know I'm having fun, and I'm pretty sure Duane is too (need to ask him since for some reason I no longer possess the power to read his mind).  It's great to be back in the city, every time I come here it's like coming home.  It's been a bit cold, not as cold as back home, but that just adds to the fun!  No, really, it does.

 Anyway, so far we've been to the Metreon, the Cartoon Art Museum, and the Isotope Comic Book Lounge.  We were supposed to do more today, but I was pretty tired, and he had to go to orientation for the GDC.  So after 5:30 I was pretty much on my own.  I ended up hanging out at Isotope until closing, then I caught the train up to the Embarcadero and wandered for a little bit.  After that, I headed up to Fisherman's Wharf to get the one food I've been craving since I set foot here on Saturday; In & Out burgers.  I had a Monster cheeseburger with fries and a Coke...  I think if God ate burgers, they'd taste like In & Out burgers.

After that I went back to the Metreon to complete the next task...  To see Coraline in 3D.  Anyone who knows me knows I love Neil Gaiman books.  And whether they're written for adults, teenagers, or very small children, I'll read whatever it is.  I haven't gotten to all of his work, but when I'd heard they were making a movie about Coraline I picked it up and instantly fell in love with it.  The movie isn't spot on the book, but it does it justice.  I was a bit disappointed with the 3D aspects though, it seems as though they were trying for the 3D effects and then slacked off halfway through.

And of course, last night we saw Watchmen in IMAX.  Now I'd already seen Watchmen; the day it came out in fact.  But I was totally not ready for this.  I've never actually been to an IMAX movie before, and just the sheer size of the screen nearly knocked my socks off!  And of course, it was very loud and I sort of wished I'd brought ear plugs.  But seeing the film like that...  It was almost like being IN the story!  Epic.

And when we went to the Cartoon Art Museum today, I was completely blown away!  They had costumes, props and art from the movie (I found out that the pin up painting of Sally Jupiter in The Comedian's apartment was actually done by James Jean, who did the cover art for Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suit and of course the album artwork for My Chemical Romance's The Black Parade).  I think if I could've stolen anything in there and gotten away with it...  It would've been those earrings.

For those who don't know what I'm talking about, here's a recap.  In the film and the comic, Dr. Manhattan has a pair of earrings specially made for his girlfriend Janey Slater.  They're basically his symbol (an atom of hydrogen) made into jewelry.  They show them in the film of course, and they were on display in the museum.  They were a bit antiqued (I'm sure on purpose) but they were beautiful, and I thought the stones in them looked like aquamarine which is of course my birth stone.  I started wondering if I could get the case open and try them on.  Then I sort of kicked myself for being so silly and walked away to stare at the Silk Spectre II costume.  I couldn't help but wonder if they had to grease up Malin Akerman to get her in the damned thing because I couldn't figure out how anyone, aside from maybe a person so skinny they're below a size 0, could fit in it comfortably.

Isotope was a real experience too.  It wasn't nearly as big as I thought it would be, but they were fairly stocked with comics.  The only disappointment was that they didn't have Walking Dead Volume Two, and I'm starting to wonder if I'm ever going to find that comic.  I ended up buying Sin City: A Dame To Kill For and asking them to hold a copy of Umbrella Academy: Dallas #5 for me.  The girl behind the counter was very nice and helpful, and we chatted for a bit as I flipped through a few comics.  I didn't get her name, but I'll ask her next time.

Whew!  Awfully chatty, aren't I?  Well it happens.  I'm going to get some much needed shut eye, as tomorrow I'm hitting the California Academy of Sciences (I wanna see the penguins).

Good fortune, and good journey,

Aliro