I have been a fan of Alice Cooper since my dad gave me his greatest hits album to listen to when I was around six years old. I think it was School’s Out that got me hooked. And then my cousin gave me Raise Your Fist and Yell and I knew Alice was my favorite musician. Since that time, no matter how my musical tastes change, I still listen to Alice Cooper.

Originally I bought two tickets for the concert. One VIP ticket for me (which included a meet and greet with Alice Cooper) and another general admission ticket for my wife. After informing my wife that the tickets were for floor and not seated, she decided not to go. Trying to get a refund for the extra ticket (which I started before the order was completed and my credit card charged) took over a month.

I ended up getting a hotel room across the street from the concert location because I knew it would end late, too late for me safely make the drive home. I also found out that Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie were both staying in the hotel as well.

I went to the box office early to pick up my ticket, VIP pass, and instructions for going on stage. I found out I was selected for that since I bought a VIP pass. Of course, it took me some time to find where I needed to go to pick them up and when I did find it, they didn’t have the VIP pass. What they did have was two tickets. Even though I got a refund for the second ticket almost a month before, they still had a second ticket for me.  Figures.  They told me to come back a couple hours before the concert started to get the VIP pass.

When I did come back and go the VIP pass, I then had to figure out where I was supposed to go to enter the concert.  One of the benefits of VIP pass was getting into the concert earlier than everyone else.  Should have been an easy thing except no one at the ticket booth knew what was going on either. They finally figured it out and I got in the doors around 6pm and the doors didn’t open up for everyone else until almost 7.

Since I was the only person there, excluding staff, I didn’t have much to do.  I took a couple photos of the empty stage and updated Facebook from my photo.  Not the most exciting.  I was really hoping to kept Alice Cooper or Rob Zombie doing a sound check.

Once they opened the doors and I saw people coming in, I made my way a head of the crowd and grabbed a spot right in front of the center of the stage.  Best place to be.  The concert didn’t start for almost a hour so everyone just sat on the floor and waited. 

It was in that wait that I realized that I miss read some of the things I received when I got my VIP pass.  I had a piece of paper that said to meet someone right after Alice Cooper’s performance to go back and meet Alice.  I also had a note that said to meet a guy named Tony at 7:45.  Originally I thought it was the same note more or less twice, but I realized the note about 7:45 was about going on stage.  I also realized that I would be giving up a great spot to view the concert from.  Oh well.

I made my way out of the sitting crowd to meet this Tony guy.  When he did show up, he explained to me that while they normally have almost two dozen people buying the VIP passes, I was the only one for this concert. 

Right before he concert started, Tony took me back behind the stage and introduced me to a stage hand who explained what I would be doing.  During a the first song, School’s Out, I would be tossing giant balloons out into the crowd. 

Alice Cooper hit the half way point of School’s Out and I was signalled to go.  Even though they are just balloons, they were big enough to point some force behind them.  Enough force to possibly knock someone over.  This thought crossed my mind every time I tossed a balloon out because I ended up having to throw them over the bass player.  It was an awesome experience.  I really wish my wife was at the concert as well so I could have gotten a picture of it. 

Alice Cooper put on an awesome performance.  He played some of the classics like “School’s Out”, “Only Women Bleed”, “Cold Ethyl”, and “Nurse Rosetta” along with his newer stuff like “Vengeance is Mine”.  I was only a few feet from the stage and got a great view of the concert.

As soon as Alice Cooper’s set was over and they started to setup for Rob Zombie, I met back up with Tony so that I could go back stage and meet Alice Cooper.  Normally that have 10-20 people a show that get the VIP package to do this.  This time it was just me.

I was really nervous and worried about what I would say.  I would hate to have seen him, shake his hand, and not be able to think of anything to say.  Luckily that wasn’t that case.  Before I had the chance to get nervous, Alice started asking me questions and put me at ease.

He asked me how I like the show, which I loved, and explained to me how they hired the guy that did Beauty and the Beast on Broadway to develop the concert.  After hearing that and thinking back, I realized how the concert was broken down into acts and was much a show as it was a concert.  I did tell him how I liked that he still brings the old stuff like Nurse Rosetta into the concert and it isn’t all his new stuff.

When I told him I first heard his music from my dad’s vinyl copy of “Alice Cooper’s Greatest Hits” (which I later stole from my dad), Alice complimented my dad on his musical choice and said he was a “smart man”.  I later told my dad this and he doesn’t even remember ever owning the record.

I did suggest to Alice that he should do a musical like Rock Horror or Repo: The Genetic Opera since he albums tend too be theme based and tell a story.  He laughed and said he had something in the works.  And that he just got done working on a movie called Suckwhich I will pick up when it comes out.  It has a great line from Alice in it. “You are 30lbs of junk food and a retail job away from suicide.”

The best reaction I got from Alice came from when I told him that I not only have seen Monster Dog, but own a copy of it.  His personal assistant had no clue what we were talking about.  I also found out why the acting in it seems so bad.  Because it is bad dub over.  They filmed the movie and then the studio dubbed over the audio so it isn’t even Alice Cooper that you are hearing in the movie.

After we chatted for a while, I got a few pictures taken with Alice and a photo of Alice autographed.  We talked a little bit more and then he had to go.

I got back a few minutes before Rob Zombie started his concert and the crowd transformed.  You could tell the part of the audience was there for Alice and the other part for Rob.  During Rob Zombie’s set there was a lot more crowd surfing and moshing.  While Alice Cooper was more of a show and a story, Rob Zombie was a high energy concert.  Two different styles, but both equally enjoyable.  And I must say, I am not as much a fan of the music Zombie put out after White Zombie split, but the concert seemed a lot heavier; more of a White Zombie energy.

I have only been to three concerts in my life: Weird Al, Alice Cooper (2005), and this one.  This was the best by far.

At 18, you can sign up to defend your country, fight for your country, and die for your country.  You cannot drink though.  Old enough to die, but not old enough to get drunk.  This is one thing I would like to change as President of the Unites States.

I have always felt that active duty personnel (as well as Reserve and National Guard) are not your normal citizen once they sign up.  I am not saying they are better or anything like that.  I am saying that the state of the world and the decisions of government affect them differently.

What I would change is the drinking age of service members.  If you have a government issues military ID for active duty, reserve, or national guard, you are able to buy cigerettes and alcohol regardless of age.  This doesn’t put them above the laws in regards to drinking.  It just lets them drink.  It would also let them in any place that required you to be 21 or older because of alcohol being served. 

This does bring up one more point about the military ID card (or common access card as it is called now).  When I was in, I smoked briefly as did a few of my friends.  We found that some places (mostly AM/PMs) would not accept our military IDs as proof of age to buy cigerettes.  I even had a strip club give me grief over it, but I won’t get into that now.  So I would also make it so that the military ID could not be turned down as proof of age in regards to things like cigerettes and alcohol since you would have to have it to buy alcohol under 21 anyways.

The inital reason for this move was to see if it would help with some of my stomach issues because soda does typically include at least one acid (phophoric acid).  I also wanted to see if the lack of caffeine would help with my insomnia.

Previously, the removal of caffeine from my system had been my downfall.  For those of us that have experienced one before, a caffeine headache is one of the killer headaches you can get.  Because it is a withdrawl symptom, the only thing that really seems to help is caffeine, normally from soda.  This time I made use of Excedrin Migraine to help as it has caffeine in it.  This helped greatly in dealing with caffeine headaches. 

 Since 99.999% of what I drink is soda and typically Dr Pepper, I had to find something else to drink.  I remember my coworker once asked me how my water I drink because it helps with his stomach issues.  I paused for a long time trying to figure out not how much water I drink, but when was the last time I drank water.  So I replaced soda for water at first.  It didn’t last long.

I needed something else to drink.  My first thought was kool-aid.  I love kool-aid, but the store only had fruit punch flavor in the quick mix stuff.  I settled for Tang.  Good stuff but too much citric acid in my opinion.  Then it was Tang with a little Orange Anabolic Halo mixed in with it, but since I am not working out right now I didn’t want to make a habit of that drink mix.

Currently, I have swapped Tang for Gatorade.  I still drink water, but need soemthing with flavor.

The only time it gets hard is when I am not eating somewhere.  Someplaces have bottled water and even lemonade (I love strawberry and raspberry lemonade) which works for me.  Tap water on the other, doesn’t.  I don’t keep my discrimination of tap water just to Mexico.  I prefer not to drink the water anywhere.  

So, has the switch been of any benefit?  I am not sure if it has helped with my stomach to be honest.  I have been stressed later and that eats up my stomach.  I have been able to sleep with having to take sleep aids on most nights, but wake up all the time to use the bathroom because of all the water I drink.  I have also noticed I am starting to gain some weight (almost 5lbs in the last couple weeks), but this is a good thing for me.

The only issue and it may not been caused by the switch, but by something else.  I wake up feeling thirsty and with a slight headache.  Almost like having a slight hangover.  If it doesn’t pass soon, I may have to visit the Dr about it.

Wedding

It started with Brie and I getting up at 6am to meet Sekou and his family at ECCC around 7:30.  From there, Sekou would quickly marry Brie and I while we waited in line from the comicon to start.  The marriage didn’t happen then because it was already too crowded.  While it was better than last year, we were like a bunch of cattle waiting for the slaughter.  Thankfully, we only had to stand cramped in the middle of the crowd for two and a half hours.

Once they opened the doors, we split up.  Brie went the ECCC booth to get an exclusive ECCC Witchblade print, I went to the Steam Crow booth to get their exclusive, and Sekou and family got in line to get Stan Lee’s autograph.  I then met back up with Brie and we wondered around until about 11 for Sekou.

Brie with Jason Pearson

Taking a break from the con, we found a quite corner in the convention center so Sekou could perform mine and Brie’s marriage.  It wasn’t anything big.  It was more or less signing of the paperwork.  Sekou did do it like the Old Spice commercial where the guy says “Ladies, look at me.  Now look at your man.  Now look at me…” or however it goes.  I think Brie was more excited about getting the ring than the marriage.  We are planning on doing something big later when we can afford it.

After that it was back to the con to get more prints and meet more artists.  Brie and I got prints from Jason Pearson, artist of Deadpool, and Brie got a picture with him.  Actually, she asked to get a picture with him and he said something in the effect of “for the girl with awesome red hair, yes”  then he lokked at me and said “but not you”.

We then went by Joshua Ortega’s table to get my Gears of War 2 collector’s edition signed.  Josh is the main writer of Gears of War 2. I guess my copy was only the second collector’s edition he has ever signed.  I then picked up a copy of his book, Frequencies, but more on that later.

Me with Thomas Jane

Following Josh Ortega and after lunch, I met Thomas Jane and got a photo with him.  He seemed very hung over.

Brie with Jhonen Vasquez

Brie then tried to get in line to get Jhonen Jasquez’s autograph.  He is the creator of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac and Invader Zim.  This was not the best experience of the con.  People tried to line and a guy at the table told everyone not to line up and to disperse because they weren’t ready yet.  Later people lined up again and the line went all over the place, blocked other tables, and was just unorganized.  The guy didn’t know what to do.  Brie then suggested they line people up again the wall and he was like “good idea”.  Brie got here autograph and a picture with Jhonen which made her happy.

Halo Stuff

While we were in line for Jhonen, I noticed they were doing some kind of signing at the Microsoft/343 table.  We went over and a bunch of people that have worked on Halo were signing free posters.  I was game.  The first guy signing turned out to be Greg Bear (who is writing a new trilogy of Halo books).  Just wish I knew he was going to be there before hand so I could have brought something else for him to sign.  About halfway through the line or people signing, one of the MS guys asked how we liked the con.  That is when we mentioned we just got married a few hours earlier.  Next thing you know, after loudly expressing her disbelief, one of the reps asked if we wanted a wedding present from Microsoft.  We said sure and they gave us the grand prize for the raffle they would be holding.  The prize was a Halo backpack stuffed with Halo strategy guides, Red vs Blues DVDs, and other Halo related goodies.  I am a big Halo geek so it was an awesome present.

We didn’t stay much longer after that and would be back the next day.

The next day, we slept in longer than planned because of the time change and me not changing the time on my watch before going to bed.

The biggest thing of the second day was Brie getting her picture taken with Leonard Nimoy.  We did find out while in line that I could be in the photo as well without pay twice and I got my picture taken with Brie and Nimoy.  But to be honest, I never saw Nimoy’s face.  We stepped into a room where Nimoy waited sitting on a chair not facing us.  I walked behind him to get in place while Brie got next to him.  By the time I got to the other side of Nimoy, the photographer took the picture and we were sent on our way.  Because they were not able to print the photos there, we have to wait for them to send us the photo.  Not sure how it turned out.

Me with Joshua Ortega

The last big thing of the day was another trip to see Josh Ortega, not that he remembered us from teh day before.  I wanted to get a photo with him and tell him I started reading his book.  The guy is really friendly and talkative to the point he was going hoarse from the day before.  I then mentioned that I had started reading Frequencies and how I liked that it took place in Seattle and I knew the places we mentioned in the book.  This set off a whole level of excitement and him pointing at me a saying “I love this guy”. 

Also, have to mention Snakebite, the artist sharing a table with Josh, is an awesome artist.  I picked up a really cool print he did of G.I. Joe.

Can’t thin of much else that happened during the Emerald City Comicon other than someone asking to take a photo of my tattoo and seeing a Sonny Bono impersonator that looked just like him.

Can’t wait for next year.

The first was about a guy in California that held down his 7yr old son while another gang member tattooed a gang sign on the kid’s hip.  From my understanding, the guy could have faced a life sentence if the judge determined the tattoo was a permanent and painful disfigurement.  Instead he faces up to seven year in prison for cruel and inhumane treatment of a child.  The tattoo is now being removed. 

Then there is the couple in Georgia that were arrested for using a homemade tattoo gun which used a guitar string instead of a needle to tattoo little crosses on the hands of six of their seven children.  They were charged with cruelty to children, reckless conduct, and tattooing.

My tattoo artist also mentioned hearing about a guy who killed his kid by tattooing a body sleeve on the kid and his system went into shock.  But I haven’t been able to find anything on that so it may just be gossip/rumor.

I have read the arguement that it isn’t different than piercing your kids ears, but I tend to disagree a little.  For a lot of people, if you remove a piercing, the hole closes up.  Tattoos don’t just wash away.  You can have them removed, but I heard that is more painful than getting the tattoo in the first place.

My two biggest problems with these parents are 1) the kids aren’t old enough to decide if they want something permanent like that on their bodies and 2) the tattoos were not done professionally.  A homemade tattoo gun using a guitar string is not hygienic and adds unneeded health risks.  And in the case of the 7yr old, if the tattoo wasn’t removed, he would have had an association with a gang permanently inked into his skin which could cause issues with his life.  But that is why I think those parents are tattooing idiots.

Maybe this wouldn’t be as great as I initially thought.  If my mind wondered then so would the subject matter of what was being written.  My mind drifts too much.  Then I would be spending more time editting and rewriting.  And I am too lazy for that.

I should just find an artist to draw out my ideas as graphic novels or learn to draw myself.

Captain Heroic vs Professor Ubel

Original Tattoo