C2E2 2026 Cosplay Highlights pt. 2
More awesome costumes, featuring some friends who went out with awesome looks! Ding dang do I love Chicago, Comics, Entertainment, and all the people who love this stuff too!
The other night, I took a stroll down to the ole Taco Bell, and on the way there and back, I took some photos. It was a lovely little chance to noodle around and put some reps in on my art. These took a lot of post work in Lightroom, but I'm pretty pleased with them!
I'm proud not to have this many people attend my New Years Eve party, but to have this many people I care for so dearly, and for there to be even *more* beyond this photo. I will never take for granted how rare that is and how incredibly lucky I am.
Goddamnit, do I love my friends. They fucking rock. All bops, no flops.
Come hang out with us this year. I wanna go do laser tag.
P.S. Let's do this loads before we die
We don't only review domestics here, imported nog is on the tasting menu. This fine vintage comes to us all the way from the far-off state of exotism that is Iowa. Transported very kindly across borders by my generous friend Andrew, this gift was a tasty one!
It's got a thicker body, which long-time readers know I prefer in my nogs, without feeling *too* dense on the tongue. It's also got a really nice creaminess to it, stopping at the right spot before getting overwhelmingly sweet. Continuing the parade of compliments, the spices are present without overwhelming, with a good balance of the holiday blend. Overall, it leans towards the more decadent side of the spectrum, its richness encouraging savoring small doses. This places it alongside local titans such as Oberweis, which is quite the rarified air to breathe.
All in all, my only real complaint about this nog is its proximity to me, or lack thereof. If you're on the road and come across it, I encourage you to grab a box. Grab one for me, too, please.
I was over at the Music Box a little while back, parked by the Jewel down the street, and as I was walking back after the movie, I popped into the store because I have some distant memory of it being a place that specifically had a big nog display. I'm sad to report that the fine people of that storied establishment did not provide that same experience I remember so fondly and instead, my meager prize from their slim pickins was this bottle of Organic Store Brand. In fairness to Jewel, I have yet to try this one, but that this was as exotic as I bottle that I could find was disappointing.
The quality of the nog once uncorked, however, was not.
This one is a solid, middle of the pack, but enjoyable experience for me. It's got solid body, with a consistency that sits on the thicker side of center, which is not unpleasant at all. It's the spices that hold it back from necessarily being a good Everyday Nog though, as the cinnamon is just a *bit* too strong that it borders on having a heat to it. I'm white enough to love eggnog as much as I do, but not SO white as to find the drink *spicy*, but cinnamon is a hellava drug and overpowers enough here. Oh, and that it's "organic" didn't affect the sipping experience at all.
All and all, a solid entry. Has a distinguishing taste, but not too much of an impact. Happy to have tried it, but won't necessarily be going back to Jewel for another bottle.
Franz Bares All...Again #podcast #niccage #movie #comedy #nicolascage #film #cityofangels #cagedmen
I have a sneaking suspicion that this City of Angels scene was in Dennis' contract.
Another amazing year at Gen Con in the bag! I was joined by some of my favorite people, piled into an Airbnb that had... charm, and played so many games my brain couldn't stuff any more rules into it, even if I tried!
I've made it a yearly tradition these last couple years to find an interesting looking Airbnb out in the woods and take a solo trip to hike around and veg out. This year was to Kentucky, to a cabin that exactly the secluded situation I was looking for. It didn't have running water or electricity, but that was fine by me. Plenty of rain throughout the week, but it didn't stop me from going on a couple of great hikes and a little zip lining!
One tree, four seasons.
I generated all the digital artwork in a combination of original art and remixes of licensed stock assets, depending on each season. I then laser cut the designs out of cardboard for the tree and paper for the leaves/snow, finishing them all with sharpie detailing. Next step was to hot glue paperclips on the backs of the leaves and snow, then bend the clips out to make hooks, and finally, hook them all onto the branches.
P.s. That paperclip-hook method took a second to come to, as I had, for the first version of the fall leaves, double-sided taped them onto the tree and unintentionally created a slow motion "live sculpture" when the leaves started falling off the wall on their own accord.
