Thursday: Chianti, Carnival, and Kung Fu Hustle.

"Sir, could you please move the meat cart?"

9:00 a.m. our fearsome foursome was up and ready for caffeine. While Todd and Jeff made a breakfast run at Starbucks, Tim and I headed back to the tavern to try to get the jump on healing, after being promised by the magic shop guy that he would re-stock on potions and scrolls that morning. In any universe other than Gen Con, that sentence would have made no sense at all...

We made it to the exhibit hall a little after 10:00, and the caffeine combined with the pre-exhibit hall buzz was overwhelming. The first thing that caught our eye upon entering was the gigantic, ruined church wall that formed the Wizards of the Coast booth. More impressive was the fact that one side of the wall was a gothic red to promote the release of their new Hecatomb card game, while the other was a burned out backdrop for Axis and Allies, with jeeps, tanks and life-size army men (medic and radio tech included ;) ) completing the picture. At three o'clock every day, they would add a sound demonstration of moving tanks, men shouting, and helicopters whirring overhead. And yes, everyone within a ten foot radius looked up at the ceiling when they heard the helicopter sound...I was watching. It was pirates last year, but this year between Axis and Allies and Flames of War, World War II was definitely the new black in the gaming industry.

Our first stop was the PJCC booth to say catch up with our friend John and pick up our free custom poker chips. Then Jeff and Tim broke leash and were off to the Dwarven Forge booth like pure-bred terrain bloodhounds on a scent. Taking early advantage of their blowout sales and breaking the cardinal rule (Jeff's rule, mind you) of "never buy anything before completing the first pass through the hall," they came away from the booth loaded down with bags of Master Maze dungeon pieces. Finally, we were back on track, progressing steadily from one end of the hall to the other. With the inclusion this year of the art show in the main exhibit hall, the room seemed more cavernous than usual, and we only managed to make it through two-thirds before afternoon came and hunger threatened to do us in. Our usual habit, in this dire circumstance, in to hit the food court in the mall, but somehow, someone (I blame Tim) suggested going to the Old Spaghetti Factory near the pub. So we ended up with four plates of sampler spaghetti, a carafe of thier house Chianti, and an Italian cherry cream soda for me....mmm....cherry....cream....

Sorry, momentarily lost my train of thought. Back at the hall, with the help (or hindrance) of the Chianti, we finished our circuit and split up to shop, planning to meet at 6:00 p.m. at the auction, which was also enjoying a new location just across from the exhibit hall. I stopped by Midnight Syndicate for another spooky soundtrack, after the great success I had using the one I bought last year for Masque of the Red Death. I also picked up some missing Fruits Basket manga I'd been wanting and started my hunt for some 2nd edition Forgotten Realms material to use as reference. Technically, I already had what I was looking for in downloads, but there's nothing I crave more than hard copy and a good bargain hunt, and happily, I didn't fail at getting either. =)

The auction was packed at closing time, but when it had cleared we took a brief run through the store, and Todd made a few purchases before we headed back to the box to discuss evening plans. We all agreed we were hungry, but we stoically put off food for the moment in favor of a trip to the annual Party in the Plaza for Jeff, Todd and I, and an epic quest at the mall for Tim to pick up Kung Fu Hustle so we could watch it later using Todd's electronic superstore.

Carnival was the theme for this year's plaza gala, but aside from the possessed balloons, the face painting, and the strong-man competition going on at one of the booths, most people seemed to be there for the free food and the pay bar provided by The RAM. I picked up a box of popcorn and a bag of cotton candy for future snacking opportunities, and Todd and Jeff split corn dogs ("It's an appetizer, I swear!").

Dinner, when we finally managed to get to it, was at Shula's in the Westin. The steakhouse was to be our indulgence for the weekend, where the menu is on a football but the side dishes are ala carte.

Tim: "17 and 0."
Jeff: "Perfect season."
Me: "Huh?"

Proving once again that I'm not even remotely a football fan.

The steaks were heavenly, and the Pinot we tried was definitely one of the most unique wines I've ever tasted, but the dining experience was marred a bit by the following encounter:

Before we order, our waitress wheels up a display cart of meat and seafood, holding up each cut of meat in turn. All perfectly fine, I'd seen this routine before and had already decided which steak I wanted.

"...or our live main lobster," the waitress was saying, but I was spaced out thinking about something else...dice, maybe. She holds up a huge, fake or dead lobster, I couldn't tell which. Fine. In no way, shape or form did my budget include ordering that, so I ignored it. Waitress keeps talking...and the lobster starts undulating on the platter not two feet from elbow. The lobster is not fake, is not dead. It's alive and crawling around the platter with its pinchers clicking, staring at me with an expression that I interpreted to mean either: "Your budget is too tight for lobster," or "Please kill me and end the humiliation of being put on display on a parsley garnish next to the saran-wrapped porterhouse. Now, I have no illusions about where my food comes from, but I would never ask a farmer to walk the cow around in front of me with a piece of bacon wrapped around its butt. But other than that, and having to ask the busboy to move the cart when the waitress left it and the lobster unattended in a corner behind me, the meal went smoothly.

Back at the box, we settled in to enjoy the fruits of Tim's successful mission, assuring Todd that he would love Kung Fu Hustle. (And anyone else who hasn't seen it, go now!) By the end, I was starting to feel the day, and we crashed hard after the credits rolled.

Go to Friday