Monday

Placed in small room with government employees.
Nice people, tasty snacks, took tea tetrahedron home. Alas, scarves scarfed early.
Met Smiles developer - strong enough for a man, made for a women.
BARTed for 20, landed at Zachary's
3 inch slices go down easy.



Tuesday
Giant Moose throwdown. Full. No backbacon.
1/4 Social, 3/4 Biz. All provinces representin'.
Toronto wearing reeboks with the straps [with the straps].
Indies not impressed, vacate early.
Stay for tasty sandwiches, risk street cred.

Legs to Swink's Indie Cellar.
"San Francisco's only Subterranean Nightclub"
Sardine packed. Thumping tunes. Hot as in sweaty.
Perfect... if I was 20.
Eveyone talking, smiling & laughing.
Torn.

Stayed near back. Shouted conversation with friendly indie giants.
Nelson braved hordes, elbowed intentions to front. Fool's gold.
Returned exhausted, dehydrated... returned a man.
Retreated outside. Hung with smokers. They imparted wisdom.

Stumbled across amazing, cheap King of Thai Noodle.
BBQ pork, wontons, flat rice noodles, clear broth. Hot damn.
Wandered Google streets to find you this.



Wednesday
Awards show not messing around. Unforeseen highlight.
Fast, professional, hilarious, better-than-Hollywood.
How!?
Uneasy truce between Indies and AAAs holds.


11th Annual Independent Games Festival Awards

Schatz is mischevious, probably Canadian.
Machinarium thanked girlfriend - don't girlfriends disqualify?
Eel "Thanks alien friends".
Need to play Between and Osmos.
Cortex removed shirt, totally ripped "you ladies can thank Kyle".
Don't mess with Petri. Fuck yeah.
Strange blueberry shoutout "MORTEN!"


9th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards

Simon Carliss has accent. Wonderful!
2008 Best Debut "we've been doing this shit for 20 years!"
Schafer indeed comic genius "downloadable games entertain you,
   but you can't touch them - like strippers"
David Perry is seriously tall.
Tommy Tallarico choked up, thanked father for taking him to arcades early on.
   Wondered if father constantly drove tank backward, destroying son's hopes.
Harmonix thanked PaRappa Matsuya - classy.
Platformer won innovation award.
Game of the Year required wife to take kids on vacation without him.
David Perry and Mike Capps would be proud.


Nelson blazed path to Frjtz Fries.
Fries very good (alas Sarnia's vinegar nozzle absent).
Brancusi Crepe kick-to-face great. Fancy prancy root beer.
Ate too much. Rolling back encountered Jim Munroe avec Messhof,
then Jonathan Mak followed by a wandering ToxicHealth.
Toronto running wild on streets of SanFran.



Thursday
IN-N-OUT Burger expedition.
Nelson wanted one. No-one had better idea.
There's ONE in San Fran.
Muni'd until we couldn't, then walked.
Passed Pier 39 en route, quick visit.
Watched magic show. Mike: "I used to busk." Us: "What!?"
Alcatraz silhouetted against fading blue sky. Perfect.
Enough light to distinguish sea lions from pier. Disarmingly quiet.

IN-N-OUT packed, seats scarce, people lined up outside door. For burgers!?
Ordered Double Double. Worth the Muni. Heart stops.
Washrooms outside. Neat.
Mike: "I was home schooled in Nunavut" Us: "What!?"

Returned to civilization via historic cable car.
Held onto front pole for dear life.
World's strangest stop & start roller coaster, avec traffic.
Best 5 dollars spent... ever.
Games have nothing on this... yet.

Crashed Kongregate Office Kegger. aka. Beer + Rock Band
Packed. Lots of indie developers drinking, talking, and relaxing.
Rock Band in adjoining room. Lots of drinks, NO cups.
While forging replacement vessels met parched Michael and thirsty Rob.
Rob's Kongregate office emptied for Rock Band, unbothered "there's free beer."
Asked Phil why head featured on every IGF poster "they didn't even ask me!"
Thanked Erin for "Hold me closer, Giant Dancer" shout-out at IGS rant.
Old friend McGrath and new "just-met-at-YYZ" Piotrowski present.
Toronto... inescapable.



Friday
Joined forces with Nimblebit for dinner.
Didn't drive to "Mel's drive-in"
Ordered Salad. Surprisngly great. Secret? Hot grilled potatoes
Looking forward to Zero Gear. Main reason (besides massive physics props)?
They ordered manly hot dogs.
Note: Mel's website uses former Jugglin' font Fontdinerdotcom. Small world. Great font.

Nimblebit taking sound effect virtuoso Tapio to "Monsters vs Aliens"
3D IMAX's extremely rare in Finland.
Left them for dead.

Plane leaves 11pm, Giant Robot unexpectedly far away. Sorry Miguel.
Need unique souvenir for wife, salvation Japantown
Bought Piperoid - the ultimate fragile transportation challenge



Utterly Final GDC 2009 Thoughts
Like Toronto, San Francisco is amazing.
Like Toronto, San Francisco has a homeless problem.
Juxtaposition of people picking through garbage,
while thousands of GDC'ers walk by, is heart breaking.
Never far from someone begging, or sleeping in doorway.
Toronto has less homeless, but adds winter.
Believe more can be done.

Neglected to blog breakfast. For completists:
Suitcase crushed granola bars.

During Dim Sum, Asian in your group will be automatic spokesperson
(regardless of pedigree, or ability to speak native tongue).

Hotel Tip: Bring earplugs in case air conditioner exposes street noise,
featuring nightly 3am garbage truck pickup & crush.

Heading to GDC 2010?
Hang off that goddamned cable car. It's fucking amazing.

Piperoid landed in Canada safely.
Wife easily assembled. Much joy.

Friend recommended picking presentations by speaker, as opposed to subject. Sage Advice.
Better yet, just follow Simon Carless' advice

Would I buy a GDC 2010 All-Access pass?
Absolutely. If you're willing to listen, there's a lot of stuff there.
Even Friday at 4:00pm.


Jimmy's Top 4

GDC MicroTalks - Various Sharp & Focussed People
Micro? More like bursting.

Interpolation and Splines - Squirrel Eiserloh
Spline student is now master. Best integrated demoes at GDC.

Fault Tolerance: From Intentionality to Improvisation - Clint Hocking
Transformed abstract ideas into concrete reality. Quick, hilarious, concise, entertaining.

All About NOBY NOBY BOY - Keita Takahashi
Bizarre! Think sideways... maybe don't think.


First time I've tried blogging...
   Muchos respect to fellow bloggers.
   Don't know how you do it.
   Super muchos respect to readers.
   Don't know how you do it.


Returning to what I do best
   Creating funny, strange games,
      organizing TOJam,
         and growing The Hand Eye Society.


Blogging GDC 2010? Heart says Yes...
... arms, job, brain, life, hands, friends, eyes, and lower back say "mercy".