Dear Friends:

2011 stared on an unnatural high, positioning the back half of the year as the humbling balance needed to enjoy such luxurious periods in life.  I have yet to enjoy a single day off work in the past 6 months, suffered a dislocated finger in our basketball league, bid adieu to several cornerstone Angelenos, and face an increased production crunch at Disney entering 2012.

Nonetheless, a 17-mile day hike through Yosemite National Park was a nice change of pace from the local trails this summer, and a quick fall getaway took me to St. Louis for a sports, grub, and Budweiser infused weekend.  Overdue firsts included Nokia LA Live for Kid Cudi and Copley Symphony Hall for Daniel Tosh.

Conventions kept my summer "educational", making my way to downtown LA for the Electronic Entertainment Expo in June, San Diego for Comic Con in July, and Anaheim for the D23 Expo in August.  I've definitely developed an immunity for these things, where the Klingon Lifestyles Presentation no longer appear to phase me at its extreme awkwardness.

At D23, our current project, Disney's "Wreck-It Ralph" (formerly "Reboot Ralph", November 2012), screened the first 4 minutes in storyboards to the 4,200+ person arena and was positioned on the convention floor inside a 1980s classic 8-bit arcade cabinet.  In addition to my daily work routine, I've had the opportunity to geek around on our new motion camera capture stage and collaborate with software engineers to develop the studio's production tracking system.

"Tangled" continues its success as TIME magazine's 19th best animated film of all time, Rapunzel's recent coronation into the Kensington Palace royal court, and a new short "Tangled Ever After" in theaters with "Beauty and the Beast 3D" (January 2012).

This holiday I'll make one of my few remaining trips back to Philadelphia to witness the first Huang child (Jennifer) to be joined in holy matrimony. 

See you on the other side,
-Mike