Throwback Thursday: Meeting Kevin Conroy & why I love Twitter

Some people have favorite movie stars and singers. I have a favorite voice actor, Kevin Conroy (sidebar: voice acting is my "dream job"). He's not exactly on Taylor Swift's popularity level, but I think a good number of people who grew up through the '90s recognize the name as the voice behind Batman/Bruce Wayne in Batman: The Animated Series. Batman: The Animated Series was one of my favorite cartoons growing up. When people ask, I can't really pinpoint when my obsession with Batman really started, but I'm pretty sure it has something to do with this cartoon.

Batman: The Animated Series

Season 4 a.k.a. The New Batman Adventures

Kevin Conroy's also voiced Batman in the Justice League animated series, the following Justice League Unlimited animated series, Batman Beyond, and various video games and animated movies. It's come to the point now where it's disappointing if he's NOT voicing Batman in animated movies. That means I'm SUPER excited for The Killing Joke coming out this year! He'll be back as Batman along with Mark Hamill (Star Wars' Luke Skywalker) as the Joker. It's like a '90s Batman fan dream come true.

At San Diego Comic Con 2014, when they were celebrating Batman's 75th year anniversary, Kevin Conroy was in attendance and I had the opportunity to meet him! I think that was the first time he'd made an appearance since I started attending in 2010. I think he may have attended in 2010, but I missed my chance then too. In 2014, he was in town promoting Batman: Assault on Arkham with Warner Brothers.

He was speaking on a panel and also had a free movie poster signing at the Warner Brothers booth. I preferred the signing since it would give me a chance to actually speak with him. The catch was that you needed to get up extremely early in the morning to get in line to get a wristband for the signing that would be happening later in the day. So roundabout, right? That's SDCC for you. Wristbands for all signings at the WB booth were being released at 8am and it was first come first serve. I ended up in line too late to get wristbands for anything so like any normal person I went to TWITTER!

Just kidding, I don't think that's what ANY normal person would do, but it should be. I looked up some relevant hashtags including #WBsignings and #SDCC2014 and found a girl who had an extra Assault on Arkham wristband that she didn't want! I reached out to her, met up with her around downtown, offered to pay for the wristband, but she ended up giving it to me for free. She said that she just wanted to at least give it to some one who actually cared to go. SHE MADE MY DAY! SHE MADE MY WHOLE COMIC CON!

At the signing, I shook Kevin Conroy's hand, told him he was my hero, took my signed poster, and was on my way. Unfortunately, they wouldn't let him sign anything else... even the Batman: The Animated Series Season 1 I had hidden in my back. ;) Hehehe. I wish I had the opportunity to take a picture WITH him, but they were really just trying to move the line along. It was a still a great experience to finally see and meet him in person.

Kevin Conroy signing

Signed poster

THIS is why I love Twitter and so should everyone else. It's a great way to find conversations and connect. It's particularly useful at large events such as conferences and festivals. It's also amazing for customer service inquiries.

Reasons why I love Twitter:

1. See above story
2. I won my current Samsung Galaxy S5 on Twitter. Granted it was smaller Twitter contest within the advertising industry, but I GOT A FREE FRIKKIN' SMARTPHONE!
3. I've also randomly won a $10 Pluckers restaurant gift card for "The Tweet of the Day," which was doubly sweet because that means they thought I was funny... or at least mildly entertaining.
4. I've tweeted at Ben & Jerry's truck when they were on a "tour" and got free ice cream for my whole company at a previous job.
5. I've also tweeted at a branded coffee truck and got free coffee for my whole team at my current job.
6. I've gotten some great customer service that resulted in credit from companies like Southwest and Nordstrom Rack. Twitter is my go-to channel for customer service. I LOVE brands that have great Twitter presences including Chase, Southwest, and Nordstrom Rack. It's so much faster than going through their website.
7. It's a great way to get updates at large live events. See #1 as an example. Another personal example involves updates on lines at SXSW or SDCC. There are Twitter pages and hashtags dedicated to providing information on how long lines are or how quickly they're moving. It's extremely helpful in informing your own schedule. I also actually use it a lot when planning and registering for SDCC. In the convoluted badge and hotel process, it's a quick way to get real time updates on what might still be available.
8. I also think Twitter is the quickest way for brands to communicate with consumers on-site. I believe hashtags are most natural in the Twitter space, no images are required like on Instagram, and the direct messaging doesn't require another app like Facebook's messenger. Example, Late Night with Seth Meyers had people tweet a joke with a specified hashtag right on the spot for a free t-shirt from their representatives. Samsung has had people tweet with a specified hashtag to get fresh Samsung smartphone batteries from their representatives running around SXSW. They sent direct messages to find your location. There are more examples, but you get the idea.
9. To further drive the point of quick communication, the 140 character limit makes it super easy to consume content which I think is what really sets it apart from other social platforms.
10. ETC.!!!

If these examples don't give you a reason to start using or hop back on Twitter, then I can't help you anymore. Twitter is fantastic. The end. Just in time for Twitter's birthday. Happy 10th Birthday, Twitter! #LoveTwitter

Legion of Collectors Debut Box

I'm not a big fan of subscription boxes mostly because there are very few things, if anything at all, that I'd be interested in receiving on a monthly basis. These subscription services are getting out of hand. You can seriously subscribe to anything nowadays including cheese, wine, meals, shoes, clothes, toys, etc.

With that in mind, I totally got suckered into buying the debut box from Legion of Collectors thanks to the Armored Batman from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Funko Pop that was guaranteed to be included.

It's just so cute! Look at it.

These subscription boxes are all DC Comics themed with new goodies every other month. They're currently going for $25 per box. They have a Marvel equivalent over at Collector Corps if that's more your speed. Legion of Collectors and Collector Corps are both powered by Funko Pop so if you're a big DC or Marvel Funko Pop collector, these might be right up your alley due to the exclusive nature of the Pops that come in these boxes.

Since this was my first ever subscription box, I decided to do an unboxing video. Check it out below. Before you ask, I thought about having a glass of whiskey with me for this first YouTube video, but it was Sunday evening when I recorded it and I wanted to be "responsible"... or something... since I had work on Monday. I think for any future videos, I'll make it a point to have a glass of whiskey with me just to keep my videos truly in line with the Batman and Whiskey theme. ;)

This box was Batman v Superman themed. Here's all that was included:

Legion of Collectors Wonder Woman patch and Legion of Collectors Superman pin

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Dorbz figures, Henry Cavill's Superman and Jason Mamoa's Aquaman (meow)

Vintage design Batman vs. Superman t-shirt. It's a size small, but it's a men's t-shirt so still really big.

Legion of Collectors Batman Superman comic

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Armored Batman Funko Pop!!!

These things are so friggin' cute.

I actually didn't care too much about anything other than the Funko Pop in this box since I'm almost strictly a Batman collector. I've since unsubscribed from Legion of Collectors. It's nice to know that their subscription only sends something every OTHER month in case that helps you decide whether or not it's for you. It was also extremely easy to cancel the subscription, no hassle whatsoever. If you're a fan of DC Comics in general and a fan of subscription boxes, this could be for you!

First 1,000 Instagram likes! + Suicide Squad at SXSW 2016

I know I said I was going to be off the grid because of SXSW, but this was too exciting for me not to post! One of my recent Instagram posts went viral and received over 1,000 likes! That's never happened to me before. I'm up to almost 250 followers on Instagram now after a little under 2 months. I'm hoping this means my blog and all of its associated social pages are going in the right direction.

The Instagram photo in question (above) is from "Harley's Tattoo Parlor." The people behind the marketing for Suicide Squad branded a whole tattoo shop on Dirty 6th in Austin, TX for SXSW Interactive and gave away free real and temporary tattoos. They had a limited number of real tattoos per day, but designs for both real and temp tats were incredible. They had their own Suicide Squad running around Austin, TX dressed in bright green t-shirts, each  showcasing a different character's head. They gave away giant lollipops that were also emblazoned with each character's head and directed fans to the tattoo shop at 513 E. 6th St. where a bunch of lovely ladies dressed as Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn were waiting to get everybody tatted up. If you're in the area, their last day is today. They're probably all booked up for real tattoos, but they'll be open until midnight tonight so run on over for your last chance at the awesome temporary tattoos if you can!

Apologies for the bad quality of these pictures. I didn't anticipate sharing all of these so didn't bother taking any good ones, but since I ended up detailing the whole branded experience I figured I'd show you what some of it looks like.

Some of the Suicide Squad lollipops among other SXSW swag

Here are some pictures of the outside of the branded tattoo palor on Sixth Street.

Apologies for the bad lighting!

Here's the Harley Quinn image that got washed out in the last picture

Outdoor signage

Here's what some of the inside looked like. You can see what some of the other tattoo designs looked like on the wall. Of course I went with the Joker and Harley Quinn. There was also a giant Harley Quinn decal on the floor (in the same design as the tattoo art) that I forgot to take a picture of, but hopefully you can imagine that that looks like based on my temporary tattoo.

Designs on the wall and girls dressed as Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn from Suicide Squad

More designs on this wall!

This turned into a longer blog post than I anticipated, but really just wanted to share how excited I was for my first ever Instagram photo to go somewhat viral. Thanks for your support in reading my blog! If you're not already, feel free to follow me on my social pages, too. My Batman collection will always be posted here on the blog, but I like to post some different Batman thoughts and images on other relevant social platforms as well.

Batman & Whiskey Instagram
Batman & Whiskey Facebook
Batman & Whiskey Twitter

New Toy Room

Happy March! Even with it being a leap year, February still felt fast.

SXSW is coming to Austin, TX again which means I may be off the grid for the next couple of weeks. We're hosting a couple of friends and will likely be out every single night while still making sure I get my work done at my full-time job. During my first SXSW in 2014, I had the worst hangover of my life. I blame it on FOMO. There's so much going on, you don't want to miss a beat. I was a lot better last year about taking care of myself and hopefully the same will be true this year. Austin is a city of alcoholics, guys.

My throat has been extremely dry lately and feels swollen such that it's uncomfortable to swallow for the last 4-5 days. I have no other symptoms (i.e. fever, aches, pains), though, so I've been hoping I just get better before the debauchery ensues. I've been using the humidifier when going to sleep, drinking tons of tea, and even took some Zyrtec thinking it might be allergies. If anybody has any tips, let me know!

Anyway, I didn't want to go into SXSW without posting something. I've been a bit lazy to take pictures for this blog, but luckily the last time I had Mickey's DSLR out, I took a bunch of pictures of our toy room, which I've been meaning to share.

We put it together this past holiday season. Mickey and I spent this past holiday season in Texas, our first holiday season away from California and away from our family. We made it count, though, by giving ourselves a project to work on: OUR TOY ROOM... because married couples who have a toy room together, stay together. I think that's how the saying goes. The room's relatively small, but we love how it turned out.

From the door

You can see the Mondo print that I shared in my earlier post hanging on the right!

Can you see the little shark hat eating the pillow in the above picture? Hehehe. I got it from Six Flags Fiesta Texas. This picture is a bit dark so sorry for the bad lighting!

The Batman side of the room. Other Mondo print on the right of this picture, next to the door

From the opposite corner from the door so you can see both shelves

The non-Batman stuff

Here are some close ups and teasers of what's on the shelves. I'm planning to share more thoroughly in future posts, but in case you're curious:

The first set of pictures are from the Batman shelves. The Assault on Arkham animated movie promotional poster in the top left of the shelves was signed by the cast and crew including Kevin Conroy i.e. THE Batman himself. Meeting him for the first time is a story for another time. :)

Other items include more Mondo vinyls which I can't wait to share with you, Funko Pops of course, the Batman symbol mirror which is probably my favorite touch, art and figures by Dustin Nguyen and others, Batman stamps, etc. The New 52 red Nightwing statue in the corner actually belongs to Mickey. Nightwing is his favorite Batman character.

There will be some future posts dedicated to these items so keep an eye out for those!

On the non-Batman shelf, we have some representation from Game of Thrones, Marvel, Harry Potter, Bob's Burgers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dragon Ball, Transformers, and Disney/Mickey Mouse.

Here's a close up of our Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood wands from Harry Potter World at Universal Studios Orlando (pre park expansion). We're going next month and planning to purchase some of the new interactive wands. So excited! Can't wait.

Luna on the left, Ginny on the right

There are also 2 smaller posters hanging in the toy room. Mickey and I love the prints. Both are by Dustin Nguyen, the same artist who brought you our proposal painting. It took us a long time to get them hung because they're an odd size, something like 12x19. We luckily found slightly larger frames at IKEA and just worked with it.

Dustin Nguyen art

Let me know what you think of our toy room or share your own. I know people have some crazy ones out there!