Koona t'chuta Solo? (Going somewhere Solo?)
Well tonight was the Monster Con!!! It is the first time that they have ever done an event quite like this. This was a collection of vendors, groups and ghouls of all sorts. One vendor was selling the most amazing cupcakes...with an eye on them!! It was a free event and by my estimation it was a complete success. I have a personal connection to this event because I was part of the commercial promoting this event. I was a zombie demon...naturally ;)
There were tons of people in costumes tonight. Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Wolf Man and ghouls and goblins of all kinds. There was a lady dressed as Rose from Titanic...as a zombie. Pokemon was represented and some furry creatures, that I am not sure of their origins. A mutilated sexy nurse caught my eye and took a picture of her. I saw a Ghostbuster, who I guess was slacking on the job tonight, haha. There were zombie Star Wars and regular Star Wars characters. Yes, my kind of people. :)
By now, you might be wondering, Jonathan, did you dress up? Were you brave enough or just a spectator tonight? The answer is....yes and no. I did indeed dress up as Greedo from the first Star Wars film. It was a costume that I worked on all summer long. It started with me buying the mask off Ebay. And it wasn't cheap. Ha! It was actually a spirited auction and I was lucky enough to win it. The reason that I was so interested in Greedo is actually because my niece likes him. I bought her a mask last year as well as many other Greedo toys. But I digress. The next big purchase was the costume. It is a detailed jumpsuit and a vest. I actually paid less for the costume than I did the mask. It was from a company from China on Ebay once again. It was actually a very easy process. I sent in my sizes and they had it made in less than a month and delivered to me. I found the boots on Ebay, they are good but way too tight, I am gonna explore finding new ones. The gloves I bought at a costume store and spray painted green and they look great. The gun I bought off a friend of mine. So now you know the back story...
This was actually my first public appearance as Greedo and I thought it was the perfect venue. When I walked through the Crossroads Mall, the venue of Monster Con, I was immediately asked to pose for pictures. THIS IS WHY I DO THE THINGS I DO. I love making people happy. They see me and the Star Wars nerds know exactly who I am. People my age, older and younger than me, love Greedo. I could have easily dressed as a Jedi, I do own a costume and a lightsabre. But I like Greedo, he was only in one movie but he is also kind of controversial because of the big debate on whether he shot first or not. Star Wars geeks, I am not getting into that right now...but Han shot first!!!! :)
But like I was saying, I like making people happy, correction I love making people happy. I posed for tons of pictures in the brief time I was in costume. They loved my pose with the gun. I took pictures with kids, and kids of all ages. It really warms my heart when they come up to me. But the smile on their faces when they walk away is priceless. I did mention a brief time because honestly, I was very uncomfortable in the boots and had to repeatedly keep removing my mask so I could breathe. It was extremely sweaty and left a funky smell that stayed on my face.
With all that said, would I do it all over again? Without a doubt!!! Making people happy makes me happy. It is very important to find the things in life that make you happy and when you do figure out what those things are: do it as much as possible!!! :)
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Friday, October 12, 2012
Nerds of the World, Unite!!!
"We have news for the beautiful people. There are more of us than there are of you."-Gilbert, Revenge of the Nerds
Today I met a nice young waitress at Pizza Hut. She had on a necklace with a Mockingjay on it. Many of you may not know what that is but let me, a major nerd, explain. It is a cross breed between a mockingbird and a blue jay made famous by the Hunger Games series. I made a comment that I liked the Mockingjay necklace and the conversation continued from there.
We talked about Star Trek, Hunger Games and other nerdy things like that. She even told me about her wedding next year. May the Fourth to be exact. May the Fourth is the unoffical high, holy day for us Star Wars geeks. May the Fourth be with you, get it? Ha She told me how the bridesmaids will have Star Wars tunics on at the reception and the guys will have Han Solo-esque costumes as well. She told me that each table there will be named after a planet from the Star Wars universe. All very awesome in my eyes :)
Two things occured to me. The first one is that this person may soon be a good friend to me. I told her about Comic Con in Austin, which is another nerd Mecca, and all the guests who will be there. The entire Star Trek: The Next Generation Cast, including Wil Wheaton!!! Sorry, my geekness slipped there. I showed her a picture of me dressed as Greedo, the bounty hunter Han Solo killed in the first Star Wars, she even noticed the Darth Vader cut out on my mantle. Yes, I am an admitted nerd...So we exchanged emails, not numbers, because we are true nerds and I walked out of the restaurant smiling.
The second thing that occurred to me is that she found someone who loves all the same things she does and loves her just the way she is. That is the most important thing. She does not hide her nerdyness, she does not pretend to be something she is not. She is who she is and next May she will be married to someone who loves that. :)
Now I am not saying we should all be Star Wars nerds or Trekkies but we should love who we are and never run from what we love and be more tolerant of people who are not like us or what we think is normal. Accept differences in others, but more importantly, accept yourself. Resistance is Futile, May the Force be with You and Live Long and Prosper!!!
Today I met a nice young waitress at Pizza Hut. She had on a necklace with a Mockingjay on it. Many of you may not know what that is but let me, a major nerd, explain. It is a cross breed between a mockingbird and a blue jay made famous by the Hunger Games series. I made a comment that I liked the Mockingjay necklace and the conversation continued from there.
We talked about Star Trek, Hunger Games and other nerdy things like that. She even told me about her wedding next year. May the Fourth to be exact. May the Fourth is the unoffical high, holy day for us Star Wars geeks. May the Fourth be with you, get it? Ha She told me how the bridesmaids will have Star Wars tunics on at the reception and the guys will have Han Solo-esque costumes as well. She told me that each table there will be named after a planet from the Star Wars universe. All very awesome in my eyes :)
Two things occured to me. The first one is that this person may soon be a good friend to me. I told her about Comic Con in Austin, which is another nerd Mecca, and all the guests who will be there. The entire Star Trek: The Next Generation Cast, including Wil Wheaton!!! Sorry, my geekness slipped there. I showed her a picture of me dressed as Greedo, the bounty hunter Han Solo killed in the first Star Wars, she even noticed the Darth Vader cut out on my mantle. Yes, I am an admitted nerd...So we exchanged emails, not numbers, because we are true nerds and I walked out of the restaurant smiling.
The second thing that occurred to me is that she found someone who loves all the same things she does and loves her just the way she is. That is the most important thing. She does not hide her nerdyness, she does not pretend to be something she is not. She is who she is and next May she will be married to someone who loves that. :)
Now I am not saying we should all be Star Wars nerds or Trekkies but we should love who we are and never run from what we love and be more tolerant of people who are not like us or what we think is normal. Accept differences in others, but more importantly, accept yourself. Resistance is Futile, May the Force be with You and Live Long and Prosper!!!
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Page turner
So today was a big day for me. I got the good news I had been waiting for from my doctor. My blood pressure is under control and it looks like they finally found the right combination of medications to regulate my blood pressure. I am excited beyond belief!!
The past couple of months have been hard. I have exercised and dieted but each time I walked into the doctor's office my blood pressure was still high. I was disappointed in myself and thought, What was I doing wrong? It turns out I was not letting doctors be doctors.
We often have a God-like respect for doctors. We expect them to have all the answers and know how to fix whatever ails us. That is not fair. They are human and medicine is a science. And as a science, alot of it is trial and error. There is not one magic pill that doctors can give us and everything is all better. Sometimes it takes trying a pill with a different pill or a higher dosage of one or the other. I am grateful that he didn't give up on me. A page has turned for me and now I am ready to start a new chapter...
The past couple of months have been hard. I have exercised and dieted but each time I walked into the doctor's office my blood pressure was still high. I was disappointed in myself and thought, What was I doing wrong? It turns out I was not letting doctors be doctors.
We often have a God-like respect for doctors. We expect them to have all the answers and know how to fix whatever ails us. That is not fair. They are human and medicine is a science. And as a science, alot of it is trial and error. There is not one magic pill that doctors can give us and everything is all better. Sometimes it takes trying a pill with a different pill or a higher dosage of one or the other. I am grateful that he didn't give up on me. A page has turned for me and now I am ready to start a new chapter...
138/80
This is my first time ever posting a blog out in the open. Many of my friends do so and they have much more talent than I do. However, I know I am not much of a writer but I do know one thing that every good writer should know. If you have something to say, say it. So here it goes...
I have had my battles with health for several years now but the latest one was the stroke I had in late June/early July. This was my third stroke and it was mild but it did get me thinking. A few weeks before then the person I thought was the love of my life had broken my heart and fell in love with someone else. As much as I loved her, I do know that we had a tumultous history together. But that knowledge didn't change how I felt when I learned of her new found love. It is really easy to say that you are happy that another person has found happiness, it is a much different thing when their happiness causes you misery. I do not think my unhappiness led me to another stroke but it sure was terrible timing.
Skip to the last Friday of June, that was the day I first noticed I had gotten sick. I literally got sick in my car and came straight home. Over the next few days, I was sick and throwing up but I thought it was the flu. Boy, was I wrong. That following Monday I was scheduled to appear on a a tv show as Aquaman. However, I was not feeling very super heroic at all. I did the show and went to the doctor's office right afterwards. My blood pressure was through the rook, 228/118 if I remember correctly. I went straight to the hospital. The first hospital...
At the first hospital, they took my blood pressure and all sorts of X-Rays,EKG"s, MRI's and other words with inititals that I don't know what they stand for Hahaha But all the tests confirmed what I already knew, my brain was bleeding...again. They rushed me to another hospital, in an ambulance where I stayed for several days until my blood pressure stabilized. I had several visitors and phone calls all wishing me well. And I love them all so much, more than I can ever express.
The rest of July was mostly spent at home recovering but I was anxious to get back to work. I love my job and all those I work with. They were so supportive and I am blessed to work for them. When I was home, I used Facebook alot and many of the people on there I love with all of my heart. Facebook is my entertainment, my therapy and I am grateful that those have stood by me, even in my darkest times. LOVE YOU ALL!!!
August and September were spent in and out of doctor's offices. I even had the cardiac catherization test, where they stuck a tube up my groin to take pictures of my heart. Gladly, that test came out great and my ticker is all good. I kept getting stronger each day as time passed. I no longer needed naps to get through the day. I did not have to go to bed by 10 PM. I was getting better...with one exception, my blood pressure.
My blood pressure continued to be high and I kept going to the doctor's office to adjust my meds. Which brings me to today. My blood pressure was 138/80, which is an all time low for me!!! :) I still can't believe it but I am so happy!!! I still have alot of work to do and will continue to get better. The good news is that I do not have to see my doctor till next April, a whole six months from now!!! So what does the next six months hold for me? Only time will tell....
I have had my battles with health for several years now but the latest one was the stroke I had in late June/early July. This was my third stroke and it was mild but it did get me thinking. A few weeks before then the person I thought was the love of my life had broken my heart and fell in love with someone else. As much as I loved her, I do know that we had a tumultous history together. But that knowledge didn't change how I felt when I learned of her new found love. It is really easy to say that you are happy that another person has found happiness, it is a much different thing when their happiness causes you misery. I do not think my unhappiness led me to another stroke but it sure was terrible timing.
Skip to the last Friday of June, that was the day I first noticed I had gotten sick. I literally got sick in my car and came straight home. Over the next few days, I was sick and throwing up but I thought it was the flu. Boy, was I wrong. That following Monday I was scheduled to appear on a a tv show as Aquaman. However, I was not feeling very super heroic at all. I did the show and went to the doctor's office right afterwards. My blood pressure was through the rook, 228/118 if I remember correctly. I went straight to the hospital. The first hospital...
At the first hospital, they took my blood pressure and all sorts of X-Rays,EKG"s, MRI's and other words with inititals that I don't know what they stand for Hahaha But all the tests confirmed what I already knew, my brain was bleeding...again. They rushed me to another hospital, in an ambulance where I stayed for several days until my blood pressure stabilized. I had several visitors and phone calls all wishing me well. And I love them all so much, more than I can ever express.
The rest of July was mostly spent at home recovering but I was anxious to get back to work. I love my job and all those I work with. They were so supportive and I am blessed to work for them. When I was home, I used Facebook alot and many of the people on there I love with all of my heart. Facebook is my entertainment, my therapy and I am grateful that those have stood by me, even in my darkest times. LOVE YOU ALL!!!
August and September were spent in and out of doctor's offices. I even had the cardiac catherization test, where they stuck a tube up my groin to take pictures of my heart. Gladly, that test came out great and my ticker is all good. I kept getting stronger each day as time passed. I no longer needed naps to get through the day. I did not have to go to bed by 10 PM. I was getting better...with one exception, my blood pressure.
My blood pressure continued to be high and I kept going to the doctor's office to adjust my meds. Which brings me to today. My blood pressure was 138/80, which is an all time low for me!!! :) I still can't believe it but I am so happy!!! I still have alot of work to do and will continue to get better. The good news is that I do not have to see my doctor till next April, a whole six months from now!!! So what does the next six months hold for me? Only time will tell....
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