Yesterday was my first day back to Hawaii in a year, it couldn’t have come at a better time, and I couldn’t be happier. There’s always a huge smile on my face as soon as the flight lands.

One of the first things we did as soon as we got back to the northern part of the island? Dive immediately into the ocean… where I pulled an “Elissa” (the first year we all went together) and injured myself. Could’ve been a lot worse, of course. It just stings and looks like I stepped on a small nail… But hey, it’s a small price to pay for beautiful experiences.

My friend offer to take me out to shark dive with him… in the open waters… ya know, without a cage… and I’m considering doing it. (So far, still considering, so Mom, don’t freak out yet.)

Should I risk it?

Here is a shot from last weekend’s getaway:

Yes, I know I’ve been slacking on posts lately. After E3, I had a few days to take a breather before having to dive back into the madness known as “prepping for Comic Con.” There was also a weekend vacation to Mexico, which is where this picture of me about to drink rattlesnake tequila came from.

So over the weekend, the full schedule for this year’s SDCC was announced. I managed to express the first day panels that I was most interested in the other day. I figured now that I have a few moments, I’ll mention a few for the rest of the days.

DAY 2: There’s a whole bunch of Marvel panels that I may or may not stop by depending on how caught up on the floor I get. There are also the Fable 3 and Fallout panels… and then:

• 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM – Pixar Animation Studios: Ronnie Del Carmen— As in comic books, the expression of storytelling in movies is done with images, staging, acting, and a myriad other skills. The Pixar Story process uses the same focus and much more. Ronnie Del Carmen (story supervisor, UP) delves into the Story process few rarely see and offers a glimpse of what it’s really like to work in Story @ Pixar, followed by Q&A. Room 26AB

   

• 5:15 PM – 6:15 PM - True Blood Panel and Q&A session— Mixing romance, suspense, mystery, and humor, True Blood kicked off its 12-episode third season June 13 on HBO. The series, which has earned two Golden Globe nominations for Best Television Series-Drama, follows the romance between waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin, Golden Globe winner for True Blood season one; Oscar-winner for The Piano), who can hear people’s thoughts, and her soulmate, 173-year-old vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer). Alan Ball (creator of the Emmy-winning HBO series Six Feet Under) created and serves as executive producer of the series, which is based on the best-selling Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris. The series also features Nelsan Ellis as Lafayette Reynolds, Sam Trammell as Sam Merlotte, Rutina Wesley as Tara Thornton, Deborah Ann Woll as Jessica Hamby, Kristin Bauer van Straten as Pam, Denis O’Hare as Russell Edgington, the Vampire King of Mississippi, and Joe Manganiello as Alcide Herveaux. (Note: names in bold will be appearing on the panel.) Moderated by Tim Stack ofEntertainment Weekly. Ballroom 20

• 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM - Archer— Creator and executive producer Adam Reed (Sealab 2021, Frisky Dingo) screens selected scenes from the FX animated series Archer, which recently won a NowNewNext Award for “Best Television Show You’re Not Watching” from cable’s Logo network. He will take questions from the audience along with Aisha Tyler, who provides the voice of Agent Lana Kane, the strong, voluptuous, and often exasperated secret agent. Adam and Aisha will discuss the evolution of the series as well as the voice-over process. Room 7AB

And then if you’re around afterwards, go see my friends from Machinima:

• 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM - Machinima: The Artform and Opportunity— Future filmmakers and animators are embracing Machinima as a way to make movies they otherwise couldn’t create, and with unprecedented success! Machinima has matured as an artform and an exciting storytelling medium. Panelists Hutch (Machinima Respawn), Adam Kovic (Inside Gaming), Khail Anonymous (Critical Flaw), Lyle Burress (Sanity Not Included), Ralph Sanchez (Dragon Age: Warden’s Fall) and moderator Jeremy Azevedo share the why and how of their accomplishments. Also, learn how Machinima.com can help you “Greenlight Yourself!” Room 4

For more of Day 2′s programming, click here.

Notable mentions for DAY 3:

• 11:15 AM – 12:15 PM – Spotlight on Gerard Way— Comic-Con special guestGerard Way, writer/creator of The Umbrella Academy, is joined by guests in a 60-minute deconstruction of the comic book industry, featuring helicopter rides and Jonesy the Human Ferret. Room 6DE
  
• 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM - Disney Epic Mickey— Warren Spector (creative director, Junction Point — Disney Interactive Studios) and Peter David (award-winning comics writer and author of upcoming Disney Epic Mickey comics) share their insights about bringing the world and characters of the Disney Epic Mickey video game to life in two media — video games and comic books. Warren and Peter explore “Wasteland,” a world of forgotten, retired and rejected creative efforts from the Disney archives, and discuss the joy and challenges associated with writing for Mickey Mouse and his “brother,” Walt Disney’s first cartoon star, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. The panel includes discussion, gameplay demo featuring never-before-seen areas, concept art, previews of comic pages and Q&A. Room 9

For the rest of Day 3′s programming, click here.

For DAY 4‘s programming, click here.

See you guys soon!

Alicia and I decided to lay low today and give our bodies a rest… so much that we literally didn’t leave the resort at all today.

We woke up, grabbed lunch, went snorkeling on our beach, laid out in the sun and read for a while, grabbed a drink on the way back up to our villa, laid around some more, grabbed dinner, laid out under the stars, then went swimming and hot tubbing. Now we’re sitting around in our living room, going through underwater footage and treating our faces to mud masques.

Tomorrow, it’s time to become shark bait.

It’s weird when you take the time to think about how fast time flies, whether you are having fun or not. It was around this time last year that I took the same much-needed vacation to get away from all of the stress, all of the irritation, and all of the pain. It was this time last year that I made the same decision and had the same feeling of release as time passed on the island.

As much of a workaholic that I am, even workaholics need their breaks. The funny thing is, I found myself having to force myself to “detox” on the first day, slapping my own hands every time I looked down at my iPhone and saw a work email. I don’t think it’s common (or normal) to have to force yourself NOT to work when you’re supposed to be completely relaxing on a vacation. Being OCD about the way you handle your responsibilities probably doesn’t help, either. But alas… you are here to relax, Sarah, and for once, NOT work or even worry yourself with work.

So here I am, back on Oahu. I already mentioned Day 1′s adventure. Funny enough, the lights might as well have stayed out for the rest of the night. By the time we got electricity back, we decided we were tired from the flight anyway, and went straight to bed.

Saturday, we had breakfast at a nearby restaurant for some delicious eggs benedict and sweet bread french toast, then it was off to the same part of Shark’s Cove we went to last year. Turns out, it was super low tide… which wasn’t a problem by any means, it was just weird being able to see most of the rocks above water. It was nice not being knocked around by currents this time ’round, that’s for sure. After snorkeling at Shark’s Cove for a while, we grabbed some lunch at a nearby shrimp truck and spent the rest of the afternoon at Sunset Beach, snorkeling and relaxing until the sun came down. Then it was off to buy groceries now that we had a powered refrigerator!

After the sun set, we spent some time swimming in the heated pool before grilling up our dinner. We’re getting a ton of exercise. We also ended up hanging out with a bunch of Marines. Long story.

Sunday was not only my 27th (weird) birthday, but it was also Mother’s Day. I woke up and immediately gave my mother a call, and laughed as she asked me if her present was actually edible. For those wondering, I had a “little” gift sent to her on Friday, despite how much she argued with me NOT to “waste” my money on sending her a gift (but note, she does this every year, and regardless, I am stubborn and send her something anyways, hahaha)…

…that “little” gift being a GIANT fortune cookie that is, yes, edible and also has a “fortune” inside.

After making Mother’s Day calls, Alicia and I headed out to Waimea Valley (again) to do the same hike we did last year for my birthday, and once again, swim through the waterfall. On the way up to the waterfall, we took some shots with our camera equipment. Alicia took some general macro shots, and I mostly played with my newish wide angle lens, polarizers, and a couple of infrared shots… which I discovered are really, REALLY tricky.

After the hike, we went to Haleiwa to eat at Cholo’s (just like last year). Ordered a couple of margaritas. Afterwards, we headed back out to Shark’s Cove, but this time, snorkeled in a completely different area of it than we had ever been to in the past. Holy crap! Why we didn’t go there last year is beyond me… There were a LOT more fish, bigger, and more colorful. We plan to head out there again later this week, only plan to hit it up when it’s earlier and brighter (to prevent us from crashing into rocks… again).

Once we got back to our villa during the night, it was time for our nightly swim in the pool, then more grillin’. After being completely exhausted from getting way more exercise than I’ve ever gotten in a long, long time… I found myself crawling into bed and passing out.

Today, we are taking a day off from any extreme activities. Alicia is sleeping in, then we might hit up Matsumoto’s later for some shaved ice… before returning to our own beach and relaxing there all day. Taking it easy… before we jump back into the craziness tomorrow (starting with SHARK DIVING).

Here’s what you might have missed last week:
• 11 Days ’til Hawaii 2010
• 9 Days ’til Hawaii 2010
• The Ring 3D?
• Alan Wake: Bright Falls – The Prequel to the Game
• Electrolightz Play Colgate University – Spring Weekend
• Alan Wake: Bright Falls – Episode 2: Time Flies
• Super Mario Crossover
• Elissa on Friendly Fire
• Halo Reach: Birth of a Spartan – Extended Live Action Trailer
• ACDC vs. Iron Man 2
• ICP Sells Glade Plugins
• Left 4 Dead 2 Boomer Plush

As yesterday turned out to be a busier Monday than usual, I missed a day of the countdown. However, here I am, taking a spare moment in my early bird morning to get back into it. There are only nine full days left and then I will finally take some time to relax and get older.

I have a feeling that I will also become a coffee addict again.

Here’s what you might have missed last week:
• Videos from Renaissance Fair 2010
• Octopus vs. Paparazzi
• SNL Mocks Insane Clown Posse’s “Miracles”
• The “I Hate Kill Hannah” Lip Sync Extravaganza: Part 3
• Electrolightz In The Studio Prepping for Upcoming Shows
• RIKETS “All American Death Cult” Available Now!
• With the New L4D2 DLC, Comes a New Way to Play
• Batman vs. Random Couple
• 15 Days ’til Hawaii Trip 2010
• Left 4 Dead 2 DLC Available Now!
• 14 Days ’til Hawaii 2010
• The Dark Knight Trailer Recut: Toy Story 2
• 13 Days ’til Hawaii 2010
• Possible Outcome of the KFC Double Down
• 12 Days ’til Hawaii 2010

For those who have been following me for a while now, may remember the countdown from last year’s Hawaii birthday/vacation trip. Well, it’s that time again.

In 15 days, my best friend Alicia and I will be making a return for our annual much-needed relax time (and my birthday)!

This year, we will be equipping ourselves with two FlipCams instead of one… and she is currently working on securing underwater cases. Learning from last year’s trip, we’ve already started to prep on how little we’ll be bringing in our bags this year.

Stoked.