Adding value

Curated Chaos (Kotetsu Is Viktor now)

I know, I know.

I haven’t posted in IG in forever.

Not because I vanished from there, but because I treat my feed like a sacred gallery curated by a neurotic museum director who spends half a day writing captions and refuses to post anything that doesn’t spark existential feelings.

It’s not for the algorithm.

It’s not for the followers.

(They don’t care and I adore them for that).

It’s me.

That feed is my personal pride, and I won’t hang up a blurry pic just to stay relevant.

But today? Chaos won.

I took this photo while bitching about Riot’s refusal to release affordable Arcane figures. Like, where’s my budget Viktor?

Or, honestly, not-even-budget-just Viktor?

Making my point, I got this Jinx and Kotetsu (doing his best Viktor cosplay) shot.

And somehow, I loved the photo.

No staging. No lighting setup.

Just pure, impulsive toy drama.

So yeah, I might start a reel series on IG where I review all the stuff I own.

Not fancy. Not curated. Just me and my hoard of questionable purchases.

Hoot hoot

Meeting Bryce Pinkham was everything I expected to be: sharp and soulful, with just enough "jelly sandwiches" to keep things delightful.

We talked about Stolas—that bird-adjacent demon with a voice that makes you feel all the  tragedy of being emotionally a mess.

Bryce knows Stolas has an impact on us; he’s seen it in the eyes of fans, like one young person who, just before me, shared how the character helped ease their mental health struggles. But voice acting is a job without constant applause. There's no curtain call every night, no emotional feedback loop. It’s a career of quiet influence, sometimes so quiet it’s hard to hear.

With the emotional core of a theater kid, Bryce didn’t set out for the screen. That’s why conventions matter. They’re not just for autographs and selfies—they’re his weekly soul refills. He’s got eight lined up this summer, one each weekend. That’s not a booking frenzy; that’s yearning for connection.

He stressed—twice, with that classic Broadway repetition for emphasis—that he loves voice acting. Really. Loves it. But he’s hungry for something more tactile than screen-time metrics. He needs moments. He’s careful not to sound ungrateful. It’s that actor’s humility: a sort of 'thank you for watching me spiral into demonic royalty, but also… I hope we’re really connecting now.'

And yet, he’s acutely aware of the fickle showbiz shelf life. “One day you’re ‘on top of the world,’ and ten years later, people blink when they hear your name.” He doesn’t say this with bitterness. It’s all perspective. Gratitude laced with realism—not a eulogy, but a heads-up.

The "butterflies" discourse came up. The flutter in your chest before a big moment. I told him how one of his panels unlocked something that now I teach my students about. That feeling, love or exams, which is all natural and beautiful.

We veered toward teaching. Masterclasses—singing, voice coaching, passing on the magic. He’d love to teach more, but there’s no time for a semester course right now. Still, his mentor instincts flicker through. He loves teaching. You can feel it. He’d probably correct your pitch and also make sure you eat lunch.

Then came my question about the "jelly sandwiches" monologue. He hadn’t expected it to be released unbleeped (I'm still not sure it will be). It wouldn't be “appropriate,” he said, face shifting somewhere between amused and politely horrified. He ignores if he signed the rights away unknowingly—classic contract fine-print chaos, I guess. To him, it felt more blooper than broadcast.

We spoke of Brandon, his opposite—on-screen and off. Bryce described him as “sweet” behind closed doors, a performance powerhouse in front of an audience. The phrase “over the top” came from me, and Bryce agreed— completely different energies which translates perfectly in Stolas and Blitzo. He took his time to find the word “magnetic” for them (the characters), the kind that means complicated, intense, necessary.

When it came time to sign one of my high quality art prints, Bryce insisted on a very specific marker—light blue. Not silver. Not black. It had to be perfect. He left the booth to search for it. The line behind me wasn't probably thrilled, but he made the time.

He greets every fan with a chirpy “hoot hoot,” as you can expect from a whimsical owl with a Broadway résumé (Tony nominated!). At the end of our meeting, he said, “Thank YOU for meeting me,” flipping the script in a way that makes you believe he meant it.

And I did.

UPPERCASE

I promised myself that, whoever hit a home run during last week's three games, deserved a customized jersey in this house.

So I bought two.

However, this post is not about baseball. 

This post is about WHOEVER JUDGED MY SPENDING FOR *STAR WARS* OR *ARCANE* OR ANY OF MY *NERDY THINGS* AND THEN IS TOTALLY OK WITH A MLB JERSEY COSTING ***135*** DOLLARS.

Just saying.

This statue is HUGE, super HEAVY, painted BY HAND by an ARTIST, limited edition, 1000 copies in the WORLD, numbered.

It does cost **LESS** than two f---- MLB jerseys *made in Thailand*. 

Now.

Don't get me wrong.

I'm TOTALLY fine with sports jerseys.

In fact, *I* bought TWO. 

What pisses me off is that the world judges my Star Wars statue, telling me I'm "wasting money", I'm "not a kid anymore", and that 'this is stupid", but it's tooooooootally fine with sport fans spending waaaaaaaay more on their teams merch.

My last third

"No matter how good you are, you're going to lose one-third of your games.  

No matter how bad you are, you're going to win one-third of your games.  

It's the other third that makes the difference."

My life has always been what I could build out of Plan B.  

Plan A never worked.

(I earned a PhD in Chemical Engineering at 33, in Taiwan, and now I teach and live in f----- Iowa, so please—spare me the debate.)

So this quote is one of my all-time favorites. 

And I truly treasure my last third.

Le avventure del commensale solitario

Me: "I think I will keep going with my Korean theme weekend and I will *just* have a Bibimbap."

googling new Korean BBQ and hot pot **all you can eat**

Me: "Ok, let's try this one."

at the place

Me: "Is it ok if I'm alone?"

Waitress: "Sure, no problem."

Me: "Do I have one hour limit?"

Waitress: "Two."

Me: *MWAHAHAHAH*

I'm at my 10th order, and it has been 46 minutes.

Spam

While I'm waiting for the pitch (delayed at 8.30), I spam.

A foodie is a foodie EVERYWHERE, *especially* where peculiar food is served.

And stadiums are TOTALLY included.

Personally, I do "rank" hot dogs and pretzels, so I normally start with that.

But, I will be here all weekend, so I searched for some specific specialties to try. 

The "cheesecake-on-a-stick" is a classic, and I will probably indulge in some form of ice cream.

But a couple of offers are worth mentioning.

The DOUBLE hot dog with MAC & CHEESE AND CHEETOS (! #no), and, apparently, an Italian specialty that I NEVER, in almost 50 years of life, heard of: "Vinnie’s Italian Beef Pasqwich."

I am confused.

🙃

Also.

You know that a ball game is long when INSIDE the stadium there are a MINIGOLF and a CAROUSEL.