VA Weekend Redux

It's been a week now since the fun and festivities in Red Bank. I still my my friends from the View Askew web board, but life is returning to a semblance of normalcy. So here are some random Good Thing/Bad Thing memories from last weekend:

Good Thing: Seeing so many Boardies I knew again at the Dublin House before Thursday's Q&A.

Bad Thing: It was really hot upstairs and most people fled to the outdoor patio, where smoking was permitted.

Good Thing: I found out my seat at the Q&A was right next to my first Secret Santa, Zeta. She's a marvel.

Bad Thing: When I came back from the concession stand with bottled water for Zeta, Drena and I, Drena was in my aisle seat. She looked at me and said, "No, I'm sitting here. You're sitting over there," indicating her seat further in the aisle. Zeta, sweetie that she is, then asked, "Is it okay if you switch?" Despite the fact that I deliberately bought an aisle seat 'cuz I'm a big guy, I couldn't resist Zeta's charms. Of course, ten minutes into the Q&A, Drena disappeared and never returned. I didn't know that, so the seat I really wanted sat empty for almost the entire evening.

Good Thing: Sitting in Drena's seat placed me next to another Boardie -- the incredibly sexy Rob, with his towel and sandals. I immediately forgave Drena.

Good Thing: I offered my friend Adam a ride back to the hotel from the Q&A.

Bad Thing: I got lost. I always get lost in Jersey. The problem is, I only go every couple of years, just enough time to forget my bearings. I always try using the Mapquest directions that involve getting on the Garden State Tollway instead of the much-easier two-turn directions Ming always shares. Still, we eventually made it back, after a few missed turns.

Good Thing: Taking my friends Tanya and her hunky husband, Chris, into Red Bank with me for a pilgrimage to The Secret Stash and then following Ming's suggestion and getting lunch at a little Italian place called the New Corner.

Bad Thing: The dish I ordered at lunch had a LOT of garlic on it. My olfactory sense is still a bit addled by recent events and the pasta smelled like skunk. I still ate it of course and the taste was wonderful.

Good Thing: Being able to pick up some VA merch I'd been wanting, but knowing I could get it signed at The Stash.

Bad Thing: Going back to my car and discovering a parking ticket, despite having 2 hours and 2 minutes left on the meter!

Good Thing: Upon seeing me at the Browncoats Askew Big Damn Prom Shindig bash, my friend Gavin said, "You look younger."

Good Thing: Enjoying every single minute of the BCA bash, although I didn't watch that much Firefly. I stuck around and helped Tami and Gavin clean up.

Good Thing: Changing, then going down to Kelvin's birthday soiree in Morgan's. I wasn't there long before the party got hooked to another location, but I got a big hug from Chay as she was leaving. I decided I had imbibed enough and went to bed. The hotel had Sci-Fi, so I think I fell asleep to Doctor Who.

Good Thing: I sat around in the lobby Saturday, chatting with Boardies and eventually went into Morgan's for some lunch. The service left something to be desired, but the club sandwich was pretty good. As I sat munching and reading some comics, the Beeftrain Incident guys joined me. God, these cats reminded me of me in my mid-to-late 20's.

Bad Thing: When I went back to my room to get ready for prom, there was NO HOT WATER! My room was pretty cool from cranking the AC, so the cold shower was not fun.

10,000 Good Things: Prom. 'Nuff said.

The drive home, feeling hungover and dehydrated wasn't exactly fun, but worthy penance for the night before. I stupidly almost ran out of gas in PA, doing that, "I can make it one more exit" thing. Note to self: Exits on I-80 in Pennsylvania can be few and far between. Idiot!

As you can tell, Good Things vastly outweighed the minor annoyances I encountered last weekend. Heck, I chalk these up to the little bad things all of life throws at us every day to help us appreciate the positives.

And, speaking of positives, here is my little tribute to the Hunks of VA Prom 2007:

Not a comprehensive representation by any means, but taken from the photos I have on hand. I'll work on a Hot Ladies of VA Prom when I've had more coffee. There's more to choose from, in my humble opinion.

VA Prom: Never Say Goodbye

Kevin Smith's View Askew prom was 10,000X better than my own prom ever was. I spent the entire evening with people I genuinely liked, drank to my heart's content (and my wallet's lament) ate fantastic food, danced and genuinely had a blast.

I rented a vintage, light green tux at Mr. Fun's, as shown above, which garnered a good deal of interest. Thing was, it was mostly polyester and hot as a sauna-suit. Ah, the things we do in the name of fashion.

Everyone was greeted as they entered prom by Kev, his lovely wife, Jen, and adorable daughter, Harley. The Grand Ballroom at the Holiday Inn was decorated in a Hollywood theme (what else?). Attendees had the option of getting professional photos taken. Dinner was a fantastic buffet -- one of the best I've ever sampled. And trust me, I've sampled a lot. Kevin announced that the Mister Softee truck was parked behind the ballroom and soft serve was free for the next two hours. The hotel also provided dessert -- a selection of cheesecakes, pastries and a cupcake tree with little "37's" on the cupcakes.

Then the dancing began -- totally 80's style. After several hours of dancing, karaoke was served up hot and delectable. I will never forget my friend Zeta's singing or Malcolm's version of Elvis.

I snuck away a couple of times with Dave & Dave (Captain Whacky and Mr. Plough) the Beeftrain Incident guys, for Irish Car Bombs. When the prom shut down at 1:00 a.m., we went back to the room for more drinking and B.S.ing until the wee hours. I have no idea what time I finally staggered back to my own room.

I awoke the next morning still pretty buzzed and dehydrated, but needing to start the long drive home. Thank God for Big Finish audio.

Honestly, I'm still basking in the afterglow of the weekend. I can't remember having a better time -- possibly ever. I know that makes me sound like I've lead a sheltered, uneventful life, but that's not true. This was just one helluva kick-ass weekend!

2007 Red Bank Adventure: Day 2 BCA Party

There weren't any "official" ViewAskew events on Friday, but there were plenty of unofficial ones. I spent the morning hanging out in the hotel lobby and restaurant and hooking up with old friends. Then, I went into Red Bank with my friend Tanya and her husband, Chris. We made the obligatory stop at the Secret Stash and then had lunch at The New Corner for some really excellent Italian food.

The only negative of the weekend occurred when we got back to my car. Despite still having 2 hours and 2 minutes on the meter, I somehow got a parking ticket for having an expired meter!

Then, back to the hotel in time for the Browncoats Askew (BCA) party, also known as the Big Damn Prom Shindig. This was fantastic! Not only did I get to spend time with some of my favorite people AND make new friends AND win fabulous prizes, the group raised $500 for charity! I even managed to watch a couple of episodes of Firefly. I was one of only two people to wear their knit Jayne hats. Considering that it was still friggin' hot out and the room's AC couldn't keep up with all the body heat being generated, I had to take it off frequently.

Door prizes included an actual Fruity Oaty Bar, like those in the Serenity movie, a Chinese takeout box chock full of all kinds of chochkes, fortune cookies with Firefly-themed fortunes, and more. I won three raffle prizes; a copy of Serenity #1 signed by Nathan Fillion, a copy of Firefly #2 signed by Ron Glass and a signed photo of Nathan and Morena. I also managed to snag a Firefly shot glass! Quite a haul!! Throw in pizza and booze and it was an evening of 100% pure fun.

At 8:00 the BCA shindig wound down and a birthday party for Kelvin, a cute young Scottish Boardie, started in the hotel lounge. I went down for a bit of that until about midnight, when it was time for this old fart to call it a night.

Did I mention that some of the guys I met at the BCA party introduced me to a new drink obsession? It's called an Irish Car Bomb. You drop a shot glass of 1/2 Bailey's and 1/2 Jameson's into a glass of Guinness, then chug it. Delicious and oh, so bad for you! Kudos to the guys from The Beeftrain Incident for hooking me up with these!

2007 Red Bank Adventure: Day 1 Recap

It is freakin' hot in Jersey.

Seriously, it was like 100 degrees yesterday, when I arrived in Red Bank, NJ, for the Kevin Smith Birthday Extravaganza weekend. Just carrying my luggage from the car into the hotel had me drenched in sweat. (Okay, the 50 pounds of blubber I carry with me at all times probably contributed to that as well, but...) Fortunately, the cleaning staff here at the Holiday Inn Tinton Falls had the AC cranked all the way up in my room.

I agree with the demon Azrael, in Kevin's film Dogma: "No pleasure, no rapture, no exquisite sin greater, than central air."

After resting for a few short minutes from the 7-1/2 hour drive (with only one bathroom break and one stop for petrol) I went into Red Bank, stopped at The Stash to pick up my name badge and then went to a local pub, The Dublin House, for the web board meet-up. I saw many of my favorite people, especially Tanya, Karla & Cheryl and met a few more Boardies I hadn't actually peeped before.

Then, it was off to Kevin's Q&A at the Count Basie Theater. This special birthday Q&A show was being recorded for release on DVD. So keep your eyes peeled for the latest seconds-long installment in my 15-minutes of fame, people! The Q&A started at 7:00 p.m. with Kevin's wife, Jen, and daughter, Harley, introducing The Man and leading the sold-out crowd in singing "Happy Birthday to You." The Q&A went on for about seven (!) hours. After a confusing, weary drive back to the hotel (I always get lost in Jersey!) I chit-chatted with some Boardies until the wee hours and then collapsed into bed in my icy cool room.

Today: Pick up prom tickets, wander around Red Bank and then the Browncoats Askew party! Can't wait!!!