Quick Trip Clips

The following is a quick rundown of things that occurred between the Blu Monkey and my return to Boston:

• Choose Your Own Adventure (YouTube): Testers: Dan has been working on a CYOA for YouTube about a Video Game tester, and on Sunday he got his group of actors and a director and began filming the first episode. I appear in about 5 seconds of it in the beginning. It was a fairly good time, but most of the people working on it were a few years older than I was, which made me feel a little awkward. Nevertheless, it was a good time and I think it will come out well. When the video is posted, I'll make a link to it. Make sure that when you watch it, you vote on what should happen next by writing a comment... UPDATE: Here is the link. If you can't make a comment on YouTube, you can make one here on my blog about what should happen next (I'm sure Dan won't mind)
  
• Super Paper Mario: Both of Dan's roommates are video game testers, so there are a lot of systems lying around. I just happen to see a copy of "Super Paper Mario" sitting there, so I started playing it, and now I am hooked. Of course, I did not finish it before I left. But now I wanna Wii more than ever.
• The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Earlier in the week, I scored tickets to the Late Late Show (partially because I was disappointed that I could not see TPIR). I arrived there well before the time they said to and I checked in. I was there alone because Dan had to work, so I sat on the bench waiting. This small group of elderly ladies came and sat next to me. Then one of them began talking to me about how she and her friends came from a cruise ship that was docked here in L.A., which I found very cool. They asked me what I do and why I was there, and I told them about how I wanted to see TPIR and how I wanted to be a game show host. That sparked a discussion about the game shows of the past and how much we loved them. I walked into the studio hallways with the crowd. As I did, I met a British couple who were traveling around the world. They had already been to Japan, Fiji, and Australia. Since I had no one to sit with, they offered to sit with me. They were so nice and had very interesting stories.
  
  Anywho, the taping would last a bit longer than usual because they were taping for future shows. If I remember correctly:
  
• Ne-Yo was a guest (and musical guest)
  
• Larry the Cable Guy was a guest
• The guy who beat Oscar De La Hoya in that fight on Saturday was a guest
• A girl from One Tree Hill was a guest
• and Bright Eyes was a musical guest

Craig is a nice guy, and he interacted with the audience a bit, but unlike when i went to The Colbert Report, he did not take questions from the audience, which I would have liked to see. All in all, an enjoyable way to spend my Monday afternoon/evening.

• Host Your Own JEOPARDY!: It's just like it sounds. It's basically a home version complete with wireless buzzers, a nice scoreboard, and you can even make your own questions and save them on cartridges. It'll help me practice my hosting skills. Plus my friends will love playing it.
  
• The Return Flights: I had a flight that left at 7:30AM. Of course, I get there at about 6:45AM, cutting it real close. I got to the counter and I had to check a bag, but apparently I was a bit late, so there was a chance that my baggage would not make it to my flight. It actually made all the way back home on both of my flights (So Take THAT, Midwest!). AND, on my way to the gate, I bumped into the couple I met at The Late Late show; they were on their way to Cancun. It was a very nice surprise and I wished them a safe trip around the world.

In short, my trip to Los Angeles was productive and fun. I loved every minute of it and I cannot wait to get back. A big thanks to Dan for providing me with a place to stay and fun things to do (even though he was working most of the time). Also a big "1UP" to all the people I talked to about furthering my career; I'll be keeping in touch with all of you in the near future. And A big thanks to everyone who has been reading my blog and calling me and stuff during the last week. It was uplifting to hear from you all.

So, that's basically it. I'll post all of the photos I took during my trip on a Facebook Album so you can take a look at that. And I'm still determined to see TPIR within the next month (crossing my fingers). Jeopardy! Tournaments this summer as well, so look out for those. And I'll be continuing to make and test out my games, so keep reading this blog for any and most updates on that subject; this summer is going to be rockin'!