On July 13 our good friend TSgt Edilberto "Bert" "Suave" Malave was on the CV-22 that crashed. He is in recovery and doing well, but he obviously has a long road ahead of him. "Suave" is one of those guys who is always smiling, and I think he would get a big kick out of it if ALL you guys would send him a get well message. Send him a friend request or send him a private message and wish him well. His facebook page is linked here. Thanks, everyone!

That's right, the Black Bag Resources online store is LIVE. It is extremely small and under construction, but you can place an order. Look for updates and products in the coming weeks. Please keep in mind: I have no intention to run a full blown web store. I believe the heart of this business is direct consultation because it provides much better and more personal service. The store will be used to offer featured products and Black Bag Resources branded items (like T-shirts) to help support other aspects of the business. Credit card processing will be done through Square. As soon as I can set up discounts for our Facebook fans and regular customers, you will be able to take advantage of that feature as well. In the mean time, be sure to leave a note in the comment section of the order form.

I know it looks like I haven't been doing much lately, but I promise you- I have been busy.
Black Bag Resources now has:
Upgraded Mobile Capabilities- I finally bit the bullet and got a smart phone, allowing me to get emails, phone calls, facebook updates, etc. all on the go. This is going to make for some fun "interactive activities" for you guys in the near future.
Credit Card Processing- I know it's been a pain paying with cash/checks/money orders, and lots of folks have asked/begged/demanded for an upgrade. Hand in hand with the new smart phone, I've set up a Square account to not only process credit cards but do it anywhere and anytime you need it.
Upgraded Shipping Capabilities- I still intend to use USPS for the majority of orders, but by utilizing Stamps.com Black Bag Resources will be able to process and ship out orders quicker. That translates to reduced lead times and means you get your products in your hands sooner.
Upgraded Internet Access- Again, this integrates with the smart phone, because Optimum provides me with WiFi access and reduces operating costs on mobile data.

You guys know I don't just jump into things blind, so it's been a lot of research before settling on these products and services. The good news is this: As of today it is all up and running, ready to serve you better!

I had a blast at the Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Convention. I met a bunch of cool people, met some folks already familiar with Black Bag Resources, gave away some goodies and prizes, saw awesome costumes, bought a ton of neat stuff, and generally geeked out.
I have a bunch of people to thank:
My friend/customer/contributing writer/camera guy and first time Con wing-man Matt Bell
League of Hot Geeks
Tommy Castillo and Sammy Castillo
Eric "The Smoke" Moran
Dale "That Gears Guy" Harvey
FUBAR
ZQCostume
The Gotham Sirens: Han Pan, Lucid Cosplay, and Victoria Centeno
Alliance LARP: Scott and Dee Kondrk
Miguel Melendez: Thank you for the photos and continued support!
Zombie Survival Crew

For more photos, follow us on Facebook by clicking the link!

Sorry, gang. There's no blog post today. We're off to the Wizard World Comic Convention in Philadelphia. I plan on meeting celebrities, checking in with the Zombie Survival Crew, scoping out some amazing costumes and cos-players, buying some art and t-shirts, and maybe picking up a comic or two. In short, we'll be letting the geek flag fly and having a blast! If I'm really lucky, I might get to torment Jarret "The Diffuser" Crippen like I did last year at the costume contest. (You can check out the videos from The League of Hot Geeks aka GeekpinEnt on Youtube...)
What does all this mean to you? I usually give away a few goodies at events like this. So if you're going to the Wizard World Comic Convention in Philadelphia on Saturday, here's what you'll need to do:
Find the guy in the Black Bag Resources "Who's Watching Your Back?" T-shirt and introduce yourself! Just to see who is really paying attention- If you're one of the first 4 people to tell me, "Blue Shemaghs are cooler than any other color!" I'll hand one over on the spot.
See you there!