LIVE FROM VINTAGE SPACE TOAST TOUR PASADENA: Wednesday was 1983, yesterday was 1985, today is Botcon 2009

Holy crap I am three days into Vintage Space Toast Tour Pasadena and since Tuesday I spent 23 1/2 hours at the Pasadena main library looking for old toy robots newspaper ads. Pasadena was the perfect storm of microfilm, with both the local Pasadena paper and the Los Angeles Times going well back to the Toy Robots Wars of the 1980s. And I thought I was in heaven not only because the library was open 12 hours a day so I could stay till I passed out, but the Los Angeles Times microfilms were the complete uncut "Record Editions", unlike the LA Times microfilms I've found in other libraries (like El Paso and Tucson) which are the LA Times "Library Editions". Unfortunately I found that in 1987 LA stopped archiving their newspapers' ads and store circulars on microfilm so I sort of hit a wall. But it was enough.

I found some good stuff like more Zoids giant Zrk ads and even another Diakron Car Robots ad from 1983. And of course, lots and lots of Transfromers. Right now I don't know when I'll get that stuff up at the Vintage Space Toaster Palace but I found enough here to keep me busy for months and months. Speaking of Transfromers, now it's time to put the microfilm away and get on with Botcon 2009. Because after six months of being a stay at home dad and watching Barney all day, there's nothing like getting away to do adult stuff like going to a toy robots convention.