So long, San Diego!

What a magical place San Diego is! For those who don't know, last week I flew to San Diego for Comic-Con (a massive convention dedicated to fans of comic books, sci-fi, and pop-culture). And while I had a blast at the convention itself, my favorite moments were spent with friends - podcasters and podcast listeners, many of whom I was meeting for the first time.

Me, Alirio, Laurie, and Kirk

Of course, several outings were spent with my hostel roommates Desiree', Alirio, Chris, and Rob, as well as the usual suspects Chris(inBoston), Adam the Rando, Colleen, and Jay. I also had fun getting to know Ben (from The Dharmalars), his girlfriend Harmonie, and cute couple Kirk and Laurie - who, as it turns out, live only 20 minutes from my hometown of South Berwick, Maine. Camping out for the Lost panel, I met Jana, Michael ("Friendly Communist"), Ralph (from The Dharmalars), and Jim W.

Alirio, Jim, Chris, and Me (sitting)

One of the highlights of my trip was when I went to see Doug Benson and Brian Posehn at the Balboa with Gabe from The Top 5 Podcast. I had Gabe on Trivia War a handful of times, but was quite shocked when I met him. I totally was expecting a quiet, stoner type, but Gabe showed up relatively sober, quite talkative, and cool as shit. The comedy show featured four additional comedians: Chris Hardwick, Graham Elwood, Patton Oswalt (!), and another equally funny comic, whose name eludes me. Gabe and I stuck around after the show to score some pics and autographs, then headed over to Fred's Mexican Cafe for drinks. We were surprised to see Brian Posehn chilling out with his buddies, including Anthrax's Scott Ian.

Brian Posehn and Me

Another night a bunch of us met up with a bunch of Heroes fans, including 10th Wonder hosts Derek Russell and Graham Hancock, as well as fans Kim (KKJordan) and Chris Griffin. Randomly, we met Ron Jeremy and James Purefoy on the streets of San Diego.

Me, Ron Jeremy, Colleen, and Kim

But probably the best night of the trip for me was my last night in San Diego, when I got to meet Mike, from the Top 5 Podcast and Chain of Fools, and hang out with him and Gabe. We had such a blast hanging out at the rooftop bar at Hotel Solomar, then bar-hopping around the Gaslamp.

Me, Mike, and Gabe

Of course, I can't forget trying to play Balderdash with Rob while we were both inebriated, walking past Felicia Day on Fifth Ave, kicking Chris's ass at pool (even if it was on a technicality), bursting into song with everyone at the Blarney Stone, or the countless margaritas at Fred's.

Lost fans at The Blarney Stone

And remember when I said San Diego is magical? It is! It's a magical world where skylights need no glass or barrier between the room and the sky; where you can walk down the street and run into a movie star; and when you can find yourself seated on a random connection flight next to the same random passenger you flew next to on a previous flight. It's a place where it's perpetually 74 degrees and sunny, and home to one of the largest geek fests in the world. San Diego, I love you!