8BitKid: Living Bit by Bit

A friend of mine has started a weekly dance party at Barcopa in Santa Monica.  It is every Wednesday, and is a great blend of indie dance, classic jams, and many surprises.  I am not one known for “busting moves”, but I have a great time every time.  Things tend to pick up on the later side, so I’d recommend getting their 10:30ish.

Check out this Facebook page for more info: “Get Wet Wednesdays”

Today I had my first real earthquake since moving to the west coast.  My apartment felt like a moon bounce.  Only Megaman and two Transformers were taken for a ride, but luckily, they survived.

I spent last weekend at Comic-Con in San Diego. It was my second visit to the show, and I had a blast reveling in the nerdy debauchery. MC Lars played at the G4/STRANGEco party, and unleashed this awesome song:

I spent a good bit of time perusing the show floor. While I didn’t have time to test out Street Fighter 4, I did discover an amazing booth for an American animation art dealer: Van Eaton Galleries. They had a mind-blowing assortment of work that spanned the last century. I spent hours digging through their collection rediscovering my childhood (I had completely forgotten about “Road Rovers”!). It reminded me of when I used to dig for vinyl, searching for the needle in the haystack. I really can’t describe how cool it was to see so many treasures from american animation, but it has definitely gotten me to consider a temporary transition from anime cels to those of the american variety. Luckily, the gallery happens to be nearby in Sherman Oaks, so I’m sure I’ll be spending more time there.

One of my favorite anime movies in the past couple of years, “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” is screening in L.A. at the Imaginasian Theater through this Thursday. It is the story of a high school girl who discovers that she has the power to literally “leap” through time. At first she takes advantage of her new skill in order to correct the minor mistakes that she identifies as catalysts for unpleasant situations: sleeping too late, saying the wrong thing, etc. However, she quickly learns the repercussions of her actions as she realizes the power of the butterfly effect.

I would highly recommend making your way to the theater to see this film. I actually was fortunate to see this screened last year and hear a panel with the director following the showing. I always take advantage of the chance to see animated films on the big screen, and this is one that I am happy to have the opportunity to see again.

- click here for showtime information

Last year was my first spring in LA, and with it came an amazing indulgent moment of geekery. The “i am 8-bit” exhibit brings together a phenomenal group of artists to create works inspired by this classic era of gaming. It featured a fantastic array of styles ranging from the hyper-real to the absurd. The opening-night party sported a gigantic Atari controller which people had to climb onto in order to play. I picked up this amazing Megaman piece, and my blue bomber bliss cemented my love of this show.

I check in with their website periodically to make sure I keep it on my radar screen. For the past couple of months it has said, “new site coming Monday!”. After enough new weeks came and went, I stopped taking stock in this claim. This past week, I was greeted with another message: “New Show. New venue. New website. August 2008.” So now we know that we will know more in the future. It isn’t much, but I’m still excited…