Halloween and NYCC!

Happy Halloween folks! Usually I post some kind of obligatory entry for Halloween but once again time escaped my claws yet again. But a few weeks back I attended New York Comic Con and got lots of pictures of awesome cosplayers!

I know I should've written a post on that as soon as I got back, but I ended up catching the Con Flu and was out of commission for a week. And then I got obsessed over the new Pokemon game. Add in my work schedule and Halloween is now upon us.

I swear I'll post about my full experience soon (in short: So much stuff I saw and did, but so little time), but for now let's look at my favorite costumes that I saw!

Out of all the Pokemon you coulda cosplayed as, you chose Buizel. There were SEVERAL Pokemon cosplayers this year, and i found these good ones (among others)

Vaporeon as a sexy woman!

And here's a kickass Jolteon! It seems Eeveelutions were popular this year since I also saw Espeon, Umbreon and Sylveon.

Here's the best Ash I saw. He's burnt to a crisp and he had a Charizard plush poking out if his backpack. Totally cool.

Freakazoid!

Oh, there were lots and lots and LOTS of Adventure Time cosplayers this year, it was definitely the most well-represented franchise. Fionna (the gender-bent version of Finn The Human) was definitely the most popular costume this year, followed by mainstays Batman, Wonder Woman, and Deadpool.

In order to truly stand out, people had to combine costumes, like Bane Finn here. Variations of Princess Bubblegum were probably more common than the regular version, as observed by Scientist Bubblegum.

Sailor Moon Princess Bubblegum

Here's the gender-bent version of Princess Bubblegum, Prince Gumball. Who is being cosplayed by a girl. Sometimes you gotta go meta, I guess.

Speaking of mashups, Sailor Deadpool because why the fuck not?

Need a costume? Why not Zoidberg?

These were the folks at the awesome Mideval Times booth. Spin the wheel and get a prize! They were mostly giving out crowns, but I already had two of them thanks to previous trips.

Oh yeah, variations of Iron Man were pretty popular, too. Got this slick Tony Stark while in line to see William Shatner (he wasn't cheap. More on that here).

Samurai Iron Man because, again, why the fuck not? The metal parts were metal, too. That couldn't have been light at all.

Obligatory Slenderman.

Saw these folks in line for the Archer Panel. From left to right we have Malory, Cheryl/Carol (with Babu in tow!), Gillette, and Pam.

Another set of Archer cosplayers, who were also at the panel. From left to right: Malory, Pam, Krieger's Hologram Anime Wife (one of two walking around!), Cyril, and Dr. Krieger. I didn't see any Archers or Lanas, but I think it's because they'd be pretty though to pick out in a crowd.

I call this pic "Virgins Among Virgins." All kidding aside, nice costumes, albeit creepy.

Mermaidman and (female) Barnacle Boy were pretty awesome. I heard that at one point during the weekend, someone told Mermaidman "There's evil afoot" and he proceeded to go NUTS. I would've paid good money to have seen that.

Bee & Puppycat! The cartoon is only a few months old, so it was great to see people dressed as her! Btw, Puppycat actually played the music from the cartoon when you squeezed it.

There were quite a number of Venture Bros cosplayers too, mostly 21 and 24. This Shore Leave was pretty great.

Cap'n Crunch is a character I never thought would be sexualized. But here we are.

Darkwing Duck and Nega Duck! Complete with Gas Gun! I've been seeing plenty of couples costumes this year.

Such as this pair of Legends of The Hidden Temple contestants.

And another! I also saw a pair of Silver Snakes

One of the Daft Punk guys! The other guy was walking around, too.

Here he is!

Seems legit.

Gotta mention all the Doctor Who cosplayers, too. Mostly 10 (David Tennant) 11 (Matt Smith) and girls in TARDIS dresses. Here's 5 (Peter Davison) and 9 (Christopher Eccleston) looking awesome. I saw plenty of 4 (Tom Baker), as well as an 8 (Paul McGann).

Pretty awesome Cyberman right here.

An entire Bob's Burgers family, minus Linda. You guys should really watch Bob's Burgers, it's slowly becoming the best show on the Fox Sunday lineup. I even went to the panel, and it was great fun. Again, will get to that later.

Another obligatory costume.

Hey Vegeta, how many times did people ask about your power level?

Yeah, I don't know why, either.

And now for my personal favorites and award winners!

Best Couple Costume was this amazing Work Loader & Xenomorph.

Pi Patel from Life of Pi definitely earns Most Random Cosplay.

The coveted winner of the "I laughed, then wanted to punch this guy in the face for making me laugh at that" award.

"Best Kid Costume" is for Little Boy Frozen in Carbonite. That was definitely one of the most awkward costumes as it was this big silver box, but definitely one of the coolest.

This totally wins Most Obscure. This guy is dressed as El Chaupulin Colorado, a famous Telenovela superhero that walked around in a grasshopper outfit for some reason. He's most notable for inspiring Bumblebee Man from the Simpsons.

This won I Totally Took The Picture Due to the Star Wars Mashup. Yeah, That's The Ticket.

The "I don't know where this is from, but there's breasts on this and it makes me feel weird." Award.

(UPDATE: The actual cosplayer somehow found this article and contacted me to say that this is a Black Cat Symbiote Queen cosplay from the Spider-Man: Web of Shadows video game. Definitely gets lots of points for obscurity. Well done, Geisha VI.)

The rest of these pretty much win Best in Show:

Voltron kicked ass.

Soundwave looking awesome.

Gotta love the commitment on Gizmoduck, supplying his own unicycle and everything.

Mario & Luigi as Ghostbusters. I saw a ton of Ghostbusters, these were by far the most unique. I love how they use Gamecubes as the ghost traps.

Inspector Gadget. You know, he could've done the extendo-arms or the umbrella. But no, he had to go the extra mile and lug around the helicopter on his head. Yes, that propeller was spinning the whole time.

I caught Steampunk Hawkman & Hawkgirl last year, but this was too awesome to not get again. Those wings were metal and were able to unfurl. Oh, and they made tons of noise whenever they moved.

I shouldn't need to tell you who this is or why this is awesome.

Really awesome Rita Repulsa.

And finally Super Mr. T. He pitied no fool.

This isn't even CLOSE to all the cosplay pics I have, and this is but a fraction of the awesome cosplayers at this con. I actually have a list of people I wish I took a picture of:

-Dante from Clerks 2. He looked EXACTLY like him and I had three chances to take his pic, and I never did.

-Afro Samurai

-a kid dressed up as Blastoise

-"Simon Petrikov" from Adventure Time. I'd go into detail into who that is, but it's an enormous spoiler.

-Showgirl Buzz Lightyear. As in, an old-school Vegas showgirl dressed as Buzz Lightyear.

-Finally, a guy that I couldn't tell if it was actually Mick Foley walking around or some cosplayer that looked a hell of a lot like him. I wish I asked him, but I'm pretty sure I'm not taller than the real guy.

And that's it for now. Happy Halloween, everyone!


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The Best Burger I Ever Ate

Gather round children, and I shall tell you a tale of the best burger I've ever eaten.

Well, we begin this story a few weeks back (I really should've posted it then, but as I mentioned in the below post you can blame work and my on/off battle with anxieties & depression). It was just a normal trip to New York City, just wanting to spend a day at a place that wasn't my house. Go see some sights, bother people in Times Square, that sorta thing.

But then I was accosted by one of those girls on the street giving out fliers. I normally brush those off, as they're usually shilling for some strip club or comedy show or bus tour or some combination of that. I walk a few feet and caught this place:

courtesy of Midtownlunch.com. Warning: Full of burger snobs.

Holy crap, it was a burger place! One I never heard of! After some research I found out that this location opened in 2010, yet I didn't stumble upon it until now. That's the city for ya. And it seems that it's the only one of two locations in the northeast, the other in Connecticut.

That's when I realized it: That girls wasn't handing out dumb fliers, she must've been giving out coupons! Burgers, cute girls, and coupons, how could I turn it down?

As I sat down, I discovered that the main attraction of the place was that you could customize every single aspect of your meal. Here's what the menu looks like:

I don't normally say this, but JESUS. I'm pretty sure you can click on that to make it bigger so you can see all the combos. So many choices, so little time. Seriously, it took me ten minutes to decide on the cheese. Sad you can only choose up to 4 toppings so you gotta convince yourself that putting marinated artichokes on a burger doesn't sound all that appetizing.

The "MP" you see on all the choices are all of the specials that day I do remember the meat of the day being Mahi Mahi while the bun was that freaking pretzel bread that's all the rage these days. Also, it's pretty sneaky that they charge you extra for going gluten-free. Here's what I ended up getting:

This one had bacon, lettuce, "bermuda red onion" (just fancy talk for onions, I guess), coleslaw and the pickles. With a side of hot wing sauce (just regular Frank's Red Hot), and all topped with jalapeno jack. Don't be fooled by the picture, that burger was bigger than what you see there.

And here's the fries and the shake I got with it. Of course the fries and the shake are customizable too. The fries were plain because the coupon that got me in there made them free with any burger. The shake was strawberry banana.

This all comes together from the main point: The taste. TIS GOOD. ALL OF IT. Well...the fries are okay, but the rest of it was fantastic. The shake was sweet, the strawberry and the banana were distinct tastes and were really good.

As for the burger itself...every single aspect of this burger is great. Usually SOMETHING on the burgers I eat have something "off" to them. The bread is too burnt, the meat is too dry or greasy, the pickles don't taste right, etc. None of that is here. Meat was tender and delicious, the bun was soft and rich in bunly goodness, and all the toppings tasted great (trust me, it's REALLY easy to screw up coleslaw, pickles and bacon).

I don't usually say this, but my burger was perfect. My only complaint was the fries, I've had better but these were free so I can't really complain about that. And had I known the sauce was served on the size, I would've went with ranch.

But other than that, this whole experience was fantastic. It's a chain place so you'll find better stuff at a mom & pop place or even your own backyard but for what this is, it's pretty damn good. I've been dreaming about this burger for weeks, people. If you remember that burger review challenge I did a few years back, the last time I was this gung-ho about a burger was from Five Guys.

So if you're in Times Square (or at their dozens of other locations), and willing to spend about $20 for the whole shebang, definitely check it out!

Yeah...should've mentioned that price earlier. But I posted the menu up there and it's the end of the post, so there ya go!

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I'm getting older.

This has been some very trying times, folks. Time seems to be moving too fast for me. It seems like just the other day I posted the previous entry. Which was a month ago. And it still feels like the year just started, and tomorrow it'll be September. For years I've been clinging to summer for as long as I could, but this is seriously the first time I've said "fuck this, bring on the fall." But thankfully, that's passed and I want summer to continue on for as long as possible.

I'm 26 and I feel old. I shouldn't be feeling like this, but I do. I know I'm still young and have lots of years ahead of me, but I just don't what to do with myself. I have a job, a car, lots of other things. But what? But what does it all lead to? I'm falling back onto my anxieties, I'm afraid of taking the first step towards the journey of 1000 miles. I feel like I've covered this ground before.

But what new thing can I talk about? Oh yes, I do have something! In a month and a half, I'll be at New York Comic Con, and a month after that I'll be at the Long Island Doctor Who Con. Those'll be great weekend.

And after that, it'll be Halloween. But you know, Halloween stuff usually started around September after the Back To School stuff is cleared out. But this time around? All the fall stuff started showing up LAST WEEK. It's still August! I know people like Halloween, but it's always too early.

I know you guys like your pumpkins and horror movies and your Frute Brute and Yummy Mummy coming back, but please: STOP IT.

This all goes back to my first point, I do feel older and I hate it. Hell, I even got a mug that I can finally call "My Mug."

See, it's a genuine "Troy & Abed In The Morning" mug from Community. I bought it when I went into Manhattan a few weeks ago. I'll shank anyone who tries to use it.


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Soundtracks For Summer: Hot, Hot, Hot

Part 31 of my ongoing "Soundtracks For Summer" series.

Now where did the time go?! Crap, it's still summer, time to write about another song!

Today we cover that famous one hit wonder by the great Buster Poindexter. Who who ever expect David Johansen from the New York Dolls would have a meltdown and just put out a weird salsa hit like this? Well whatever, it's a damn catchy song.

And it's perfect for summer, what with the repetition of "hot" and all. I honestly don't know why I haven't covered it sooner, even during that brief period where I was updating more than once a month.

If a song that just screamed "PARTY" was needed immediately, people usually went to this one. Whether you're having a raucous get-together or more likely just pretending to have one, this song just encapsulates fun during a warm night while brightly colored drinks are being strewn about. The fires being twirled by nonexistent jugglers are chasing bugs away, dazzling everyone into a stupor because, fuck, you're partying and nothing's gonna stop you.

Despite the video clearly being filmed in New York City (I spot a McDonald's in the background there), I'm just being reminded of my childhood vacations in Florida when I hear this. It was hot, I'm waiting in line at Disney World, and I want to have some fun. I really want to go back there, haven't been since 2001. I need to stop looking at other people's vacation videos and getting sad you guys.

But back to the song at hand, there's limbos going on! Thanks to this song people are actually enjoying it! It's weird how people can get in the mood do any stupid thing during a party, that's how powerful this song is. Does anyone actually limbo anymore? I don't think I can. My back isn't what it used to be. Great, now I'm sad, yet in a good partying mood again. Thanks Buster.


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Soundtracks For Summer: Palisades Park

Part 30 in my ongoing "Soundtracks For Summer" series

Allright folks, it's June, we're in the midst of summer and I want to write about a cheery little summer song for the thirtieth time. So I hope you sit back and enjoy the ride.

This little gem was brought to us by Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon and Chuck Barris (yes, the guy that hosted The Gong Show) from way back in 1962. Another gem from the Surf Rock era, this song was about, well, Palisades Park in New Jersey. And, okay, let's admit it. It was yet another metaphor for sex. But back to the park, this place had the works: rides, roller coasters, the Tunnel of Love, an animal freak show, and a wave pool decades before every park had one.

The park itself had been operating since 1898, making it one of the oldest and well-known amusement parks in the country. So why did this park close in 1971? Believe it or not folks, one of the major reasons was that it was TOO popular. You see, since it's in New Jersey, it had a prime location away from New York City and everyone knows that one of NYC's major exports has always been traffic. Traffic going to the park, coming from the park, and nowhere to park the cars. Can't get there, can't park there, can't get out. Certainly a recipe for success in post-war America. This song had only helped this place get MORE popular, too. Kinda ironic when you think about it.

Why does this song remind me of summer? Obviously, it's about spending the day at a amusement park with someone you love. Could be a best friend, an awesome cousin, or a whole group of people, you shouldn't be alone at a fun park.

Also awesome: This song was also covered by The Ramones!

Palisades Park was just a popular park at the time, surely Freddy (and later Joey and the gang) would've sang about a different park had he recorded it today. Perhaps, say...Six Flags?

Okay, that was a cheap attempt at a segue but that was to goad you all into seeing my pictures from my Great Adventure trip two Saturdays ago.

Man, that's a great picture. And that was taken on my phone to boot! I never got quality that awesome before. And I went on a perfect weather day. Nearly clear of clouds, sun, and not TOO hot. It only got too hot when you're, you know, just standing right in the sun for long periods of time. But not too bad.

I know the first thing you're gonna ask me, which is the first thing anyone asks when you come back from a theme park: "How were the lines?"

Answer: Not as bad as they thought they were gonna be, especially for a Saturday in June with gorgeous weather like that. The average wait time for a coaster was roughly an hour, but for THOSE rides, that's still pretty decent for this time.

For instance, this was Green Lantern's line. At roughly 40 minutes, this was one of the shortest waits I had all day. And this was after my group going to Superman: Ultimate Flight's line, seeing it was 90 minutes long and soundly said "NOPE" to it. Green Lantern was one of those neat Stand-Up coasters. That's where you ride while standing on a bike seat the entire time. Add the fact that I love all things Green Lantern and you have a hell of a great ride. To think that Great American Scream Machine stood on this spot. Good riddance.

This was El Toro's line. Roughly an hour to get on, but so worth every second spent in the sun. See that tiny thing in the upper left? That's Kingda Ka actually being consistent for once. My group (which consisted of myself, my cousin and a bunch of her co-workers) came by bus and were we not worrying about catching it back home, we would've waited on the line for it. That one was about 45 minutes, an hour at most! Kingda Ka! It's gonna be ages until I get that chance again. But we made the bus, thankfully.

Speaking of buses, they have a replica of the bus they used to have in those annoying dancing old man commercials. This one had the sweet original Great Adventure logo on it.

Amongst other things I got to do for the first time that day was try Dippin' Dots for the first time. The Ice Cream of The Future™ tasted just like regular ice cream...except in little ball form. I think I'll just stick to the regular kind, not this overpriced version from now on. You know, I always get reminded of that old "Chef of The Future" bit from The Honeymooners whenever I look at Dippin' Dots. It could explain why "the future" is only relegated to theme parks for the time being.

And before we left, I knew I HAD to get a ride picture with everyone.

I was gonna get this picture from Bizarro anyway, but see that guy in the middle row? You see him? You know the one I'm talking about. He's pretty hard to miss. He's the reason why I took one look and said "I HAVE to buy this!" I, as well as everyone else looks ridiculous. Except for this guy. Whoever he is, if he's out there and somehow stumbles across this: please know that he is awesome.

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