Poor Diego.  He’s hiding right now because the mean ladies cut off most of his fur.  He doesn’t realize it yet but he looks very stylish, and I’m sure the new doo will pay off big time the next time we’re at the dog park. 

Been kinda just hanging out since I got out of court Tuesday.  It wasn’t a big trial for anyone except the participants, and technically it was a trial de novo of a prior administrative hearing that I wasn’t even involved in.  Not pleasant though, and very draining. 

Cross-examining children about what their dog had done and whether it was legally vicious.  Legal arguments about whether this case was about the total life of the dog (apparantly a devotee of the Philosophy of Lassie who helps ADHD children cope and loves everyone) or the one permanently scarring incident that left a 9-year-old boy with 22 stitches trying to reattach the dangling remains of his upper lip. 

And now, waiting for a decision.  It might have been mailed yesterday.  It might not come down for a couple of weeks.  Either way the matter’s out of my hands, but still dragging me down.

I can understand China wanting to censor foreign media coverage of the upcoming Olympic Games.  The country is a dictatorship afterall, and that’s what dictatorships do.  I can’t understand, or accept, that the IOC finds this acceptable, and reportedly even agreed to it.  It just smacks of the corruption that has rightly tarnished the IOC in the past, and in an era when every amateur athlete is under incredibly invasive scrutiny into their training methods, finances and lifestyles, indicates a blatant hypocracy on the part of the IOC management. 

She brought us lecherous pirates, luscious mermaids and some tropical birds that made us laugh.  I never knew her, but Harriet Burns, Disney Legend, was of those rare people who turned fantasy into reality, and her passing certainly makes the world a less interesting place.

Woke up this morning to find a note from Giga in my inbox informing me of the demise of Scrabulous.  It’s starting out as a very sad day at Casa. 

I’m in court this afternoon though, so I hope things improve.  Quickly.

“It’s a First Amendment freedom of speech issue,” [Doug] Manchester said. “I certainly didn’t want to offend anybody.”

You gave $150,000 to an incredibly divisive ballot measure, yet didn’t want to offend anyone?  Well, what exactly did you want your gift to accomplish, besides end my marriage while somehow not offending me?  Moron.  And no, it’s not even a First Amendment issue.

On a brighter note, thank you.  Thank you very much.

Nice to do Sunday brunch this morning at a new local restaurant.  The Aloha Waffle at the Village Kitchen and Pie Shoppe’s new Escondido location (they’ve been an old standby in Carlsbad for years) was a pleasant surprise.  Don’t turn your faces like that!  Blueberry waffles rock, strawberry waffles rock, banana pancakes rock, and now I know that pineapple waffles rock.

The way the economy’s been going there have been a lot more closures than openings around here in recent months, and gas prices don’t invite Sunday drives like they used to.  Nice to have tasty options in what may even be walking distance.

ComicCon was a blast, as always, even only doing one day out of the four.  Lots of sightings, lots of photographs, seven autographs (Peter Mayhew, Al Jaffee, one of the Baldwins, Jean Schulz (twice), Dave Pryor and Bob Rissetto.), eight new bobbleheads, and some mighty sore feet.

As Randy commented last night, he had the opportunity to stalk Neil Patrick Harris for a while. In real life this was via the telephoto lens, but thanks to the magic of Photoshop he and Randy had the opportunity to meet and discuss some of Randy’s swag and Mr. Harris’ role in the new Harold and Kumar movie.

Trends noted: Spartan warriors and stormtroopers are holding their own, while Jokers and Batmen (of all vintages) were on the rise.  Johnny Depp characters (Sweeney Todd, Edward Scissorhands and Captain Jack Sparrow) were also very popular.  Very few Supermen and Spidermen.  No Hulks spotted, and very little from the Star Trekkians – I don’t think I saw a single Klingon all day.  Friday was Star Wars day though, which might have skewed the sightings.

Really have to respect LucasArts though for going the extra mile.  Not just exhibits, but actors to pose for photographs and people to talk to.  They really set the standard for promoting their storylines, with this year’s emphasis clearly on the upcoming Clone Wars.

If I am ever coerced into going in costume, was inspired by a couple of Green Hornet and Kato sightings.  I don’t have the abs of a Spartan Warrior or the heat tolerance of a Storm Trooper or Batman, but think I could pull off a good Kato without passing out.

Still going through the loot and the photos, but the day at ComicCon was a blast.  Even with the crowds this was probably the best the event has been in years.  I’ve got some photos up already and will get the rest up tomorrow.

We finally caught The Dark Knight at a matinee today.  Wow, did that live up to its hype.  The only negative I’d mention would be to echo Kyle’s review that it seemed to be a movie and a quarter. 

While Heath Ledger’s performance was as brilliant as the hype has it, I think more of the suspense came for me from the anticipation of the tragedy of Harvey Dent.  As with Anakin Skywalker before him, it’s tough watching a character and growing to like a character when you have certain knowledge about what a character’s going to become.