Steel City Con December 2009

Steel City Con returned to Monroeville, PA in style with it's debut at the newly christened Monroeville Convention Center. Reminiscent of the old Expomart extravaganzas, December 2009 was a sold out show with toys sometimes stacked fifteen feet high, and a "capacity crowd" (Why quotes? More on that later -J) clamoring for for a great guest list. I had as much fun as ever, but for whatever reason, I heard more dealer bitching this year than ever before.

More so than usual, I labored to hawk my collection of Japanese toys and comics, although I did have a few key sales which would allow me to pony up for more Micronauts and Shogun Warriors. My display gets kind of busy, as you'll see here:

and here:


Basically, I go to Steel City Con to unload the bottom feeder swag accumulated over the course of the collecting lifetime. If it's a last minute thing, I usually just do Japanese stuff, maybe a mix of domestic stuff and a few imports that I'm tired of.


This year I had a ton of manga, including several Roman Albums, and a heaping pile of Shonen Sunday Weekly Jump.


In keeping with the scaled down theme of this years presentation, I incorporated this decent-sized jewelery display. It worked out, mainly as a way of keeping little items from disappearing, but also as an interesting object unto itself. The yellow Cliffjumper sold because this guy was adamant that it was a Bumblejumper. I'm not so sure, but I don't want to do the research and find out he was right!

That's a high price to pay for being altruistic, and a real case for just sticking with ebay.

That said, setting up at a show is an experience unlike any other in toy collecting. No matter how friendly the buyer, ebay can never come close to the type of one on one interaction that you get in an endeavour such as this. It's total sensory overload combined with enough geek-speak to ease the burden of Toy Collector-dating significant others everywhere. Here are some classic pics from past shows:


A pint-sized rogues gallery


Hotwheels coming out the...


A shot of my past offerings.


Shogun-D2?! Not quite, but still very dope.


Here I am looking like a long-haired, toy collecting nerd.


After the weekend I like to gather up all the stuff I purchased to see how nuts I went. This wasn't a bad show in terms of frivolous spending.

The next show arrives February 26th thru 28th, and I will be there one way or the other. If the show covered here is any indication, you'll want to arrive early for a parking space close to the door. Being a recovered space and former furniture wharehouse, the building and surrounding lot wasn't conceived to accommodate this amount of foot traffic, resulting in the afore-mentioned complaining dealers. It's safe to say that bad weather, combined with parking a quarter-mile from the building, was enough to turn away the otherwise merely curious, and those people buy stuff, too. As far as the guys who depend on this activity for a living goes, this show was a disaster. If February lives up to it's local rep, these conditions will worsen. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

For the hardy souls that can't be kept away, however, it's too much fun to miss. See you there!

Christmas 2009: Impulse Buy Necessity, or, "Hamster me, ASAP!"

Ah, Christmas! Let the paganism begin!

This year it's 2009. Things are different this year, and people are going into 2010 with a whole new outlook. Retailers are exhibiting smarts by not not keeping huge inventories, the ramped up production of this year's super-hyped toy is taking longer than usual, and the public finally understands that it should have all it's shopping done before Thanksgiving.

It's a mellower holiday season. I heard about someone getting trampled over Zhu Zhu in Colorado, but that's about it. Using the "local" barometer, this year's Black Friday was a tame affair. Instead of operating like a herd, holiday gift givers have been conditioned into Guerrilla shoppers, taking out whatever bargains they can, and snagging the must-have gift when they see it. This is the Christmas of "when you see it buy it," because you won't get a second chance.

As far as the Hamster thing goes, I must admit to feeling like we're all getting schtuped somehow. Last year we all went nuts looking for Bakugon, and when our kids finally got them they didn't know what to do with them. After a few weeks of socializing, Bakugon is a legitimate hit, and the kids want more, but I'm pretty sure it has more to do with parents egos. Adults create these trends, it could be any toy. This year it's Zhu Zhu Pet Hamsters, and they're pretty annoying.

First, you can't find one anywhere, and you get stuck paying twenty bucks if you do. Second, you keep hearing about the little kids that supposedly came up with the concept, and how they're millionaires now, and then you're reminded that you're not a millionaire, and that you can hardly afford to heat your home much less waste your time looking for a the latest and greatest trinket for your daughter. When you see the blank faced reaction the Hamster gets on Christmas day, you'll know what I'm talking about.

On a personal note, I skimped on a couple of my friends kids this year by picking up a few dollar action figures at the local toy show. That's right, I buy for my friends kids, at least the ones I see a lot, and this year we're cutting back for the first time. It's the best thing I ever did, because, carded action figures from the 90's (The Worst Decade) are plentiful and cheap, and when you buy for so many kids that you can't remember who likes/ has what, it's time to stop by your local swap meet with a Jackson and clean up.

Captain Planet, Bucky O'Hare, Star Trek, and more! Figures are mint on the card and polluting thrift shops, flea markets, and comic shops with harmful PFC gases, all over America. When you buy new, at retail, you only prolong the greenhouse emission apocalypse. All of those old toys need to opened and unleashed on the atmosphere. And they're not making any new toys anyhow. Have you been to Toys'R'Us lately. Empty shelves instead of Hamsters. Instead of buying in this year, save yourself a few bucks and guarantee that nobody gives the kids the same gift by purchasing a twelve year old MIP action figure for cheap at your local, independently owned retailer. Everyone will appreciate it in some way.

Banner Kaiju Collection

Here's a better look at the monster toys in the new banner.





Peace out, Yo!
-Juice

S.D. MACROSS

This is the heart of old school anime.

The Women of the 2009 G-20 Summit

The G-20 Summit is the biggest media event to happen to Pittsburgh in generations. It was to be many things to many people, and deliver to the city a new level of respect. The latter remains to be seen, however the local media was basking in their glory. Like most Pittsburghers I helped shutter and turn Downtown into a ghost town by staying at home and monitoring the media coverage. What a circus! I imagine there will be a lot of G-20 centric highlight reels coming out the 'Burgh shortly. A lot of bleached blonde hair, too. There will definitely be a ton of editing so as not to look like erudite pricks.



For the hopes that Pittsburgh would receive accolades, the ABC Nightly News with Brian Williams ran a gushing feature on our beloved hometown. I guess Hearst Argyle is a good friend to have sometimes. They probably want to own us (if they don't already.) Yeah, Pittsburgh is great if you have a graduate degree and are cool with CMU developing WMDs behind your back, otherwise it's surrounding pristine wilderness that keeps most of us still hanging around. BTW, that beautiful house owned by the bourgeois yuppie was in the same neighborhood as the riots, and Mayor Ravenstahl still has about as much charisma as your local Chief of Police.

CBS News wasn't too big on Pittsburgh, but they let us embed their footage as long as we watch thirty seconds of commercials. This is as much Pittsburgh as you were likely to see on CBS;



At least it looks like people in Pittsburgh give a shit. Not that we don't, we just don't destroy private property while doing so. Throughout the coverage CBS seemed to want to downplay Pittsburgh's achievements in recent years, but on the subject of rioting they weren't too far off the mark. Yes, somebody actually did start people onto rioting.

Irresponsible mercenary Police from all over came to the summit to crack skulls. Think about the mentality of a Law Enforcement Official willing to "volunteer" (for pay)and imagine what is going to happen at a demonstration where this guy is assigned. Or don't because it's the 21st century and everything is visually documented. Not much good video online of this one, but check out these pigs roughing up an adorable co-ed. Be sure to re-watch her "Throw the bike at the police"



Great job with the unbiased reporting, douche. I know the right wing are a bunch of closet homosexuals, but this action and resulting commentary really shows just how gay U.S. conservatism has become. And they got the media! That's not a criminal, that's a sexy little hell cat, and there's a difference. A "Liberal Media" would allow for that when attempting to convey information. Here's more on her side of the story. Here also is a petition to get the charges against her dropped.

Another notable event was the first official use of sonic weaponry by law enforcement in a country other than Russia. Nice work guys!



Yet the G-20 Summit wasn't all Lawrenceville and Oakland.



High above all this commotion, Carla Bruni made France an okay place by complementing Pittsburgh's beauty.



She was all over the local news giving the city her stamp of approval,



and generally bringing an element of glamor that just doesn't occur here naturally.



Actually,



if you're French and enjoy history,



Pittsburgh is a very interesting place to visit.







How do you take this woman seriously?

Interestingly, for all the coverage of all the world leaders and all their wives, I don't recall seeing any mention of Great Britain. They showed up, right? I want to be able to invite them again, ya know? Bruni can come over anytime, because she totally owned all the shrill bitches that pass as reporters around here. She looks like fun to be around. Maybe she busted out the guitar and sang the G-20 one of her songs.

The G-20 is over now, and I doubt that much acclaim will be achieved by this event. Rather, it is likely it ended up hurting things for locals in the long run. The Police brutality and the local leadership's willingness to severely curtail basic freedom of expression is something that will continue to resound among disciples of Liberty everywhere. Pittsburgh Cops are pretty cool, so I think we can blame the bussed-in rednecks for marring our towns otherwise decent rep. Local Politicians are another story, and Gubernatorial candidate Dan Onerato needs to be carefully observed after signing off on all of this nonsense. The message these guys are sending out is that Pittsburgh was, is, and forever will be a "Company Town"

Yet, I don't think that is the most damning aspect of this event. No, I think Law Enforcement idiocy will forever take a back seat to the members of the local media, including the aforementioned politicians, who were permitted to take the national stage and flounce around in their dated attire, hairstyles, and ideas. The local media's fixation with Pittsburgh's working class foundations permeated every feature, every interview, every report, and have effectively turned back the the clock another twenty years on the region's already lagging national perception. Fawning over the French bitch, cheering on the pigs, trying to buy any and every dignitary a cheese steak at Primanti Bros, it was all these jerks could do to line up and reinforce the ultimate message that Pittsburgh is as stupid and desperate as the rest of the world thinks it is.

No one can deny the Blue Collar legacy of the Steel City (I said it! "Steel City!") but the media's pitch was a poor reflection of what's really going on around here. The closest it came to truthfulness was in showcasing the massive student population as it ran from riot squads. Were the local more aware of and understanding of the youthful energy that charges this town then the rest of the world might finally be let in on the secret, but alas, we'll have to keep it to ourselves a while longer. Letterman may continue with his occasional pot-shot, and other nerdy, geek internet forums may sneer, in the meantime Pittsburgh will remain surprisingly independent and underground, while still being home to two of the best sports franchises.

The city of Pittsburgh fails when it follows, and wins when it leads, and if local media understood that they wouldn't operate so openly as cheer leaders for the Next Big Corporate Thing.

1955 Buick Special for sale

Four door 1955 Buick Special, garage kept over thirty years. Body and interior require some work, overall in excellent condition. V-8 Dynaflow with 111,000 miles. All original or OEM parts. Does not currently run, but engine turns. Matching numbers. Cracked windshield and new starter motor are needed. Original manual, parts catalogs, and dealer literature included. Additional pics available, however this car must be seen to fully appreciate. Asking price $5,000 negotiable.











Because Summer always has to end sooner or later.

Presque Isle State Park, Erie PA

Like a day at the beach.



Lake Erie is a natural wonder and a tremendous resource, although this piece focuses on the great lakes merits as a tourists destination. For mid-western beach lovers Presque Isle State Park is a must.




Empty beaches on weekdays


"DO NOT CLIMB BREAKERS"


I'm doing everyone "tiny" in these photos. In these photos the peninsula is facing the town of Erie, PA.





Canada was not so evident in the background while visiting the park, however these static photos reveal a friendly wave from our northern neighbor.

Presque Isle is a great beach fix and one more reason why Pennsylvania is the worlds best kept secret (after we get rid of Harrisburg)

There is no camping in the park, however there is Sarah's Campground just outside the park entrance (and next to a roller coaster and amusement park) and a KOA about fifteen minutes out, but for the money I would suggest looking into hotels in town.



With the range of activities available, from cycling to boating, to good ol' fashioned power-relaxing, Presque Isle belongs on the "to do" list.