Retro Brett

Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know by Dr. Meg Meeker

2010-01-21T05:50:00.000-05:00

Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know
by Dr. Meg Meeker
Ballantine Books
0345499395

As you may or may not know, we recently welcomed a new baby girl to our family. I'm also the first to admit that I don't know the first thing about girls. Never have. In raising our daughter, I need whatever help I can get.

I heard about Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know via Dave Ramsey's recommended reading list. Reading it was an eye-opening experience for me. I told my wife that it made me want to lock up all our kids (girls and boys) until they were thirty. There are a lot of scary, scary things in the world. It's a predatory society in which we live. And I am only partly talking about people deliberately trying to harm your daughter. But that's far from everything. On top of the obvious threats, it's clear that the world does not have the best interests of your child in mind. Kids are exposed to adulthood far too early. They play grown-up before they can even begin to understand what that means.

While I don't promote living in a constant state of paranoia, I really don't promote naivety. Kids--yes, even teens--are not grown ups. They need guidance. They need protection. Providing these things are the job of the parent. If the parent doesn't, someone else will. Kids will look to celebrities, friends, other parents, Victoria's Secret, and any number of other sources to decide what adulthood is. We can't trust those sources. And we can't expect politicians (despite their banner waving) or teachers to raise our kids. They can't. And it's not their job.

There's really too much for me to cover in any sort of detail. The table of contents hits the big points:

You Are the Most Important Man in Her Life
She Needs a Hero
You Are Her First Love
Teach Her Humility
Protect Her, Defend Her
Pragmatism and Grit: Two of Your Greatest Assets
Be the Man You Want Her to Marry
Teach Her Who God Is
Teach Her to Fight
Keep Her Connected

Raising kids is a big task. It cannot be done with passivity. Man up. Yeah...I said that.

And God help the kid that tries to date my baby girl.

Goals Twenty-Ten

2010-01-14T05:58:00.001-05:00

I welcome 2010. I'm going to own 2010. I think it's going to be a good year.

Like so many others at this time of year, I'm putting together some goals for the future. Goals have been a popular subject on the Dave Ramsey show recently. You can read/listen to a recent call about goal setting here. It was a good call. Dave identified several categories for goal setting: Career, Financial, Spiritual, Intellectual, Physical, and Family. I've given these some thought and here's my initial list. I'll leave them open to ongoing review.

Career

Do something with those picture books I've written. Write that cover letter. Send it out. That fits under Career, right?.

Financial

Tweak our envelope system. Already done.
Bump up college savings.
Replenish our savings (just bought a new HVAC system for the house...ouch).
Work on long range savings (vacation, car, etc).

Spiritual

Finish this read-through of the Bible.

Intellectual

Dig into my non-fiction reading list. At least one per month. Probably two with some fiction thrown in.

Physical

Run a local 5k trail run in the spring.
Put on another 10-15 pounds.

Family

Family/Couples Devotions. Also falls under Spiritual
Family Vacation!

A less tangible goal for the year would be to pursue my strengths. That is, spend less time worrying about my weaknesses and, instead, invest more into what I do well. That doesn't mean I'll slack off on things I don't enjoy activities where I don't feel gifted. I just not worry about it as much. God gave me my strengths for a reason.

The real question, of course, is whether I'll follow through with this goals.

Soul Searching

2010-01-04T21:03:00.000-05:00

I've been doing some soul searching recently.Maybe it's the New Year. Maybe it's our new baby girl. Whatever it is, I've been asking myself a lot of questions.

What am doing?
Where am I going?
Is this what I want to be doing?
Is this where I want to go?

Conveniently, these questions have fit in well with a couple other outside influences. I've been reading Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival by Joe Simpson. I may review it later but, related to this post, the book references a quotation:

All men dream: but not equally, Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible.
T.E. Lawrence from The Seven Pillars of Wisdom

It's not dreams that make the dreamers dangerous. No, it's the action. It's making those dreams real that's dangerous. I've been dreaming for, well, forever, but I haven't necessarily been dangerous. I need me some danger. I need to put legs on my dreams.

The second thing I've read recently came from an unlikely place. There's a site dedicated to, well, James Bond. Yes, 007. And, yes, I check the site out periodically. Anyway, there was a posting about finding your mission. Not necessarily infiltrating a villain's island hideout (sign me up) but identifying and pursuing you're own mission. Making the sacrifices for the greater reward. Always moving toward the goal. Huh? Life by 007.

I believe we achieve exactly what we set out for. It's all nicey-nice to set goals and say you're doing something but, if those dream just sit there in your head (or even on a blog) and you're comfortable where you are, you're not really trying. If, you set out for more of the same, you'll almost certainly achieve it. Pursue those goals...well...that's something different altogether.

To that end, I'm working on my goals for 2010. I see it being a big year. Huge.

Nerdy Excitement!

2009-12-14T11:15:00.004-05:00

I received some exciting nerdy news recently. Hamilton County (HamCo) currently has several separate library systems. We're in the Hamilton East Public Library district so we have access to library branches in Fishers and in Noblesville. There's also a Carmel Clay system with one large branch. We were briefly in this district during or various moves a couple years ago. There's also a system in Westfield where we lived for several years. Additionally, there are a couple more systems that aren't quite as close to our home.

The New Year brings a countywide borrowing program that will allow us to check out materials from any of the HamCo libraries. The systems will still be separate but we'll have access to them all. I'm seriously pumped about this. The Carmel Clay library is very close to my office so I imagine I'll be stopping there semi-regularly.

I am curious about the details. I know there will be some additional registration when I first want to check out from a different library. And materials will need to be returned to the same library from which they were checked out. But how will holds be handled? Or will they? And what happens if someone does return something to the wrong library? Should be interesting.

Anyway, good news. I know Carmel has some books that our home library does not. So far, here's the list:

Inventing Toys: Kids Having Fun Learning Science by Ed Sobey
The Flying Circus of Physics by Jearl Walker
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life by Donald Miller

Outnumbered!

2009-11-19T08:05:00.003-05:00

The adults are officially outnumbered in our house now. I was very blessed to have been able to spend the last two weeks home from work with the expanding family. It was terrific. Here’s the rundown on the last two weeks:

The induction started at around 7:30am on 11/5/2009. By 12:30pm, we had a baby girl. It was fast and Denisa rocked. I am again reminded of my wife’s awesomeness.
Our little Norah is beautiful. She’s sleeping and eating well. She has a couple of very loving older brothers.
The hospital stay was calm and uneventful. We had great visitors. Due to the whole flu scare, kids under 15 weren’t allowed as visitors so, sadly, Jesse and Jonah couldn’t come see us. On the other hand, that meant the hospital was a lot quieter than when we’ve been there before. Previously, there were kids running up and down the hallway.
Visited with a lot of friends/family.
A lot of people have been bringing us food. A LOT. Friends from our current Life Group, our old Life Group, MOPS, parents, and the play group. Seriously, it’s been amazing and we are truly grateful (and full).
I had guy’s morning out and took the boys to Half Price Books and the hobby shop. We played with the hobby shop’s train tables, checked out their train sets, stared at the RC planes hanging from the ceiling, and seriously trashed a couple planes with the RC plane video game/simulator.
The whole family went to the Indianapolis Children’s Museum. Brave. Good times.
Had the first guys meeting from our new Life Group.
Had a bunch of siding re-done.
Read some P.G. Wodehouse and a couple Graphic Novels.
Finished writing a children’s story.
Did a little woodworking.
Didn’t really sleep all that much.

I’ll get pictures posted shortly.

Cash for Clunkers

2009-11-02T05:48:00.001-05:00

The Cash for Clunkers program is old news now. Some consider it a success but I'm not sold. I was never really a fan of it. Actually, my first thought when I heard about it was "But I already own a clunker. Why should my tax money buy more?"

I don't like that so many semi-decent cars were pulled off the road and destroyed. As someone that refuses to finance a car, I like the cash car. A lot of those inexpensive cars are no longer on the road. No, they weren't going to win beauty contests. No, they may not have gotten great mileage. But they worked, they were affordable, and, if purchased right, were interest-free.

There are also a lot of people that don't have any kind of transportation. A so-called clunker may have been very much appreciated. They could really have used a low priced Ford Explorer to safely carry their kids, commute to work, or even start their own business. Now that Ford Explorer has been destroyed. Was it green? No. But sometimes dirty brown is better than clean green.

While I can't blame people for taking advantage of the program, I hate to think about how many car loans were issued during the program. Did we not learn we couldn't loan/borrow our way out of the economic mess? From what I've read, I'm not the only one expressing remorse about the program. According to this article, the levels of buyer remorse for those using Cash 4 Clunkers is about twice the normal rate. Yikes!

Here's what really hurts me. The other day I heard about the actual cars that were turned in. Overwhelmingly, the list includes the expected SUVs, trucks, etc. But that's not all. AutoBlog offers a staggering lists of other vehicles. Here are a few that, when I read about them, made me feel like I'd been kicked in the stomach:

373 Mazda RX-7s
327 Toyota Supras
6 Porsche 928s
61 Pontiac Fieros -- based upon the mpg requires, I'm guessing these were the GT model
A GMC Typhoon
A 1989 20th Anniversary Pontiac Trans Am
A 1987 Buick Grand National

A TYPHOON?! AN ANNIVERSARY TRANS AM?! A GRAND NATIONAL?! Are you kidding me?!

I previously said I couldn't blame people for taking advantage of the program. I was wrong. I blame the person that traded that Buick. I blame the person that traded that TA. What were they thinking? That's wrong. So very wrong. I wonder if they traded these in for Ford Focuses? I wonder if they realize that, with immediate depreciation, their new car may now be worth less than what they traded in (even in crummy, but running condition). And that without considered the sheer awesomeness they gave up. Ugg.

Breathe, Brett. Breathe. I need to look at a Grand National. Here's one from Auburn a couple years back.

Canned Ham: How to Succeed

2009-10-28T06:24:00.000-04:00

Better Success, well-wigged

I knew there was something holding me back. I guess the sideburns aren't doing it.

71 minutes

2009-10-27T07:03:00.000-04:00

Jonah was up the other night for, I don't know, an hour or so. We try not to look too closely at the clock when we do have to get up with one of our kids. Fortunately, it doesn't happen very often. Regardless, it was a long night. And it was such a bittersweet moment. On the one hand, I was frustrated to be awake and exhausted in the middle of the night. On the other hand, it was so nice to see the little man drop off to sleep in my arms. He doesn't often sit still.

Recently, a couple at church shared the story of their recent pregnancy and childbirth. Essentially, they found during their pregnancy that their child had health complications that, according to the professionals, were "incompatible with life". That phrase makes me shudder. I'm sure it's kept especially clinical to help distance everyone from the emotional aspect of the news. Still...shudder.

When their baby was born, the family was surrounded by family and friends. Seriously, surrounded. They had pictures of everyone at the hospital and there was so much joy in everyone's face. Joy...even while knowing the situation. Their baby lived 71 minutes. Those were some of the most precious 71 minutes in the lives of everyone there.

It certainly made the frustration side of my 60 late night minutes with Jonah a lot less...well...frustrating.

Built-ins Complete

2009-10-19T08:30:00.009-04:00

Our family room has as decent sized fireplace right in the middle of one wall. It looks nice but does limit our use of that wall for furniture placement. The previous owners of our house had a pair of pre-fab bookshelves on either side. They were functional but didn't really fit as each one left a weird gap between the bookcase and the fireplace. A couple months ago, I started down the path of replacing those bookcases with built-ins. They are the biggest project I've had in a long, long time and certainly the most complex project in my limited woodworking career.

I'm happy to say I wrapped up the last of the bookcases this past weekend. We even started piling on the books (they still need organized). I could easily point out mistakes but I'll hold off on that. Instead, I'll just say I'm very happy with the results. They're sturdy, functional, and I think they look good.

Some construction highlights/comments:

1. The openings on each side of the fireplace were not the same size so the bookcases had to be slightly different widths. Both are the same height with the bottom cabinet being 36" high and the top cabinet being 48" high.
2. I knew I'd paint the bookcases so I used birch plywood and poplar for the construction. Both of which paint well. Stain would've been nice but I don't think it would've gone with the room as well. Also, paint helped hide my mistakes.
3. I should've gone with a glossier paint. They already have a few scuff marks.
4. I bumped out three electrical boxes (2 outlets and a light switch) to be flush with the bookcase. Easy enough to do though difficult to get the holes cut just right.
5. I think hanging the doors took nearly as long as constructing the doors.

And many thanks to those who allowed me to borrow tools.

Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream

2009-10-15T05:56:00.005-04:00

Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream
by Adam Shepard
Harper
ISBN: 0061714364

The premise of Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream is an experiment. The author, recently out of college, took $25, his journal, and an empty gym bag and set out to see if he could make it in a new town. His goals were pretty simple. After one year, he hoped to have $2500 in cash, a furnished place to live (with or without a roommate), and a functioning car. The book chronicles the author's journey through living in a shelter, searching for a jobs, working with social workers, and all the highs and lows in between.

To some extent, the book is a response to Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America by Barbara Ehrenreich. I have not read Nickel and Dimed. Maybe I should but I doubt that I will. I've read some excerpts on Amazon and my impression was that the author's goal was to complain and, ultimately, fail in making it. That just didn't feel right. I apologize if I'm off on that. Again, I haven't read it. Neither is this a review of Nickel and Dimed.

In any case, I enjoyed Scratch Beginnings. It was obvious Shepard, the author of Scratch Beginnings, set out to succeed and that appealed to me. He did got lucky on several things. He landed a particular job that went a long way to helping him pursue his goals. He also stumbled into a homeless shelter with a lot of useful programs to help the residents. As life goes, things did not always go his way. Through it all, he was focused, he sacrificed for his goals, and he went after it.

The friends Shepard makes during his journey are an eclectic group. There are those with similar goals and work ethic and there are those content to let the world happen to them. The point at which Shepard explained his experiment (at the end, of course) to his friends was interesting. In particular, explaining it to the guy that, well, had already succeeded in the same experiment. The only difference was that the experiment was his life.

About the only complaints I had about the book concerned the writing style. Some of it was preachy. Some was a little egotistical. Then again, it was autobiographical. If I wrote a book about me, it would almost certainly seem egotistical.

So, will Scratch Beginnings change anyone's mind about the American Dream? Probably not. Those (like me) that believe you can make it with focus, determination, and hard work will find the book appealing and fitting into their ideals. Those that don't will complain that Shepard was far more privileged than many others. He had youth, education, health, and no family to support. All are maybe valid complaints--Shepard actually points several out--though they'd still be missing the point. Either way, previously held ideas won't be swayed. My guess is that Nickel and Dimed is similar...making good points that will be lauded by those that agree and dismissed by those that don't.

Goodwill Finds

2009-10-12T07:00:00.001-04:00

I had the opportunity to hit three different Goodwill stores recently. It's been awhile since I'd been able to find much to get excited about at Goodwill but these trips did not disappoint.

Here's what I came up with:

1. Blades of Steel for the NES.
2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the NES.
3. A sweet Little Tikes Rugged Riggz dump truck for the boys (and me).

4. A vintage (1977) Fisher Price Adventure People Daredevil van. Just like the one I had growing up...just dirtier and missing a few stickers.

I regret passing up on Batman for the NES. We started using a modified envelope system for our budget this month and I had to prioritize. I had to pass on Batman in favor of other things I'm saving up to purchase. Still, all good finds.

Thanks Goodwill!

The Way Toys Work: The Science Behind the Magic 8 Ball, Etch A Sketch, Boomerang, and More

2009-10-08T06:00:00.001-04:00

The Way Toys Work: The Science Behind the Magic 8 Ball, Etch A Sketch, Boomerang, and More
by Ed Sobey and Woody Sobey
Chicago Review Press
ISBN: 1556527454

I don't remember how I found this book. I might've just been browsing the library. Maybe I heard about it somewhere. It doesn't really matter. What matters is that it was a lot of fun to read. It's no secret that I love toys. I also love tinkering with things. This book was a cool combination of those two topics.

The authors essentially gathered a collection of toys for the sake of taking them apart to figure out how they work. The toys ranged from the very simple Magic 8 Ball to the potentially very complicated bicycle. For the more complicated toys (e.g. the bicycle), they authors glossed over a lot of details. That's to be expected, I think. Bicycle tinkering, alone, could fill a library of books. Overall, the toys were well covered. My one complaint--and I'm not sure it really counts as a complaint--is that several of the toys seemed a bit repetitive. Ok, not so much the toys themselves the scientific principals behind then. Again, I think that's to be expected. If two toys both operate on compressed air, it's only natural that the details would be pretty similar.

I did really like that the authors covered the history of many of these toys. And I especially liked how the authors provided information on how to create your own, homemade versions of the toys. I'll be making a stomp rocket in the near future.

I also now know how the Nintendo Light Zapper works. It wasn't what I expected. Interesting.

Further Thoughts on Fitness

2009-09-23T07:00:00.000-04:00

It’s been about a year since I started exercising with more intensity than I had for, well, a very long time. I kept with it for quite awhile. By the time summer arrived, I'd put on a few pounds and that was good. And, by a few pounds, I mean something like ten. I did slack off a little with summer when time was consumed with other activities like mowing the yard, building bookcases, and even taking vacations. Honestly, I'm hoping to put on another ten. That would put me close to my BSU graduation weight.

Fast forward a bit. I had my annual physical a few weeks ago and everything looked good with the exception that my HDL cholesterol (the good kind) was a little low. To fix it, I can a) stop smoking, b) maintain a healthy weight, or c) get regular exercise. Since I've never smoked and my weight is good, that narrowed the options down quite a bit. Anyway, I’m back at exercising and, in addition to re-hitting the weights, I picked up running again.

The running has been good. So far, I've managed to work up to around 3 miles in a run. I'm slow but I'm doing it. I did run cross-country in high school. By that, I mean I participated. I was never very good. I’m still not a big fan of road running, preferring grass, trails, etc. I've been circling the local school grounds in the early, early morning hours. It's actually pretty cool. I can stop for pull-ups on the playground between laps and there's also a good tree line that provides both a good slalom course and zombie-dodging practice. I'd really like to get in a 5k trail run race sometime. There's one locally in October but I’m not sure the schedule will allow for that. Maybe next spring. I probably won’t shoot for much more than a 5k…maybe a 10k. I think I'd find a fast 5k/10k more fun than a marathon. And, let's face it, I'm really training for the zombie uprising. If I haven't made it to a mall/farmhouse/prison/hospital/outpost/etc. within 5k, I'm going to have to stop and make a stand.

Speaking of zombies, the one drawback to the exercise is that I'm hungry all...the...time.

Cha..Cha...Changes

2009-09-17T06:41:00.000-04:00

Yet another long gap in blogging. I am still around. Honest. Here's the rundown on the last few months. I'll keep them brief with the plan to post more on each later.

Here's the big, big news. We're having another baby! That's right. Number Three is due in early November. Our oldest was born in late November 2006. If you do your math and Baby Three is reasonably on time, we'll have three kids under the age of three for about a month. Yikes!
Denisa and I went on vacation. We spent a few days in Michigan's Beach Towns while the boys stayed with my parents. Everyone had a blast. And we very much appreciated the time.
I'm constructing built-in bookcases to surround our fireplace. The first (of two) is nearly complete. I'm in the middle of working on the second. I hope to have everything except the doors done by the end of the September (of 2009).
I have a couple other creative projects in the works. Some writing. Some woodworking. Some artwork. A lot of general awesomeness.
Speaking of awesome, I wrote a Mission Statement. Here's the short version: Bring the Awesome. I'm debating whether or not to post the longer one.
I'm doing a six-week study at church based on Raising a Modern Day Knight by Robert Lewis. I read the book awhile ago. The study has been a good supplement.
I started running again. Not a lot but I'm steadily able to run longer, faster, and with less pain.
I've been reading some good stuff:

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by CS Lewis
The Silver Chair by CS Lewis
The Last Battle by CS Lewis
Me, Myself, and Bob by Phil Vischer
Story by Robert McKee
The Luck Factor by Richard Wiseman
Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household
The 39 Steps by John Buchan
Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser
Diamonds are Forever by Ian Fleming
The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
Jesus Among Other Gods by Ravi Zacharias

Positively Glowing

2009-05-04T19:07:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile since I completed He's Got a Knife. And, by awhile, I mean about a year. That's unfortunate. Where did the year go?

While it certainly didn't require a full year, I did recently complete another sculpture. I call the little guy Textron. Really, he's not that little...probably 10 inches tall total. He's a mixed media kind of thing...a combination of Sculpey, plaster of Paris, recycled food containers, coax, and a handful of random parts scavenged from the garage. These may or may not have fallen off a bicycle, a moped, or a TR6. The finish is several layers of primer, sealer, silver paint, and sealer. Amidst that was a lot of sanding.

And, yes, the brain, the brain-juice, and the eye all glow-in-the-dark. It's a shame glow-in-the-dark doesn't photograph well. I tried but just couldn't capture the awesome.

Anyway, here are the results. I'm happy with how it turned out.

As a side note, I would recommend being very careful about buying second hand toaster ovens. The one I bought to bake sculpey in the garage (rather than stinking up the house) burns about 150 °F hotter than the setting. It's true. After baking some Cajun-style robot parts, I checked it with the oven thermometer.

Months!

2009-04-30T16:30:00.001-04:00

It's been months since I've posted anything. Not really sure why. I think I've just been distracted by...well...a lot of stuff. Maybe I was testing to see who noticed my absence and said something. If that were the case, every single one of you failed. Miserably. Not that I'm keeping track.

Some quick updates:

1. The boys are growing like crazy. Jonah has passed through crawling to cruising in a blink. He's a determined little guy. Jonah's first birthday as well as his dedication at church is in just a couple weeks. Jesse is full of questions and curiosity. He's sleeping in a big boy bed and even memorizing Bible verses. Amazing!

2. I banged up my Honda Civic on my commute home in February. Poor Rhonda ended up totaled. She was a loyal friend (not that you would know anything about loyalty) and I miss her. This prompted me to buy another car. The new ride is another Civic EX. It's pretty close to what I had...just black and with 2-doors instead of 4. We'll call it the (semi) sporty version of Rhonda. I got a great deal on it. I haven't named it yet. Maybe Coop. Or Cooper.

3. Worked on and completed another sculpture. I'll get pictures and details posted shortly.

4. We refinanced our mortgage and started college funds for the boys. We've been meaning to do both for awhile. With rates low and investments on sale, it seemed like prime time to get going. I think this put us working on Dave Ramsey's Baby Step #6 (Payoff home).

5. More reading. I finished the last of the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis. I love Lewis. Good stuff. I also read Me, Myself, and Bob: A True Story About Dreams, God, and Talking Vegetables by Phil Vischer. This book was a look behind the creation of Veggie Tales. And interesting story of a man pursuing his mission. I think that's it. Currently, I'm reading Story by Robert McKee and Jesus Among Other Gods: The Absolute Claims of the Christian Message by Ravi Zacharias. both are pretty intense.

6. Pondering my next creative endeavor. Sculpture? Graphic Novel? Not sure.

Sorry I don't have more pictures. Here's a start.

Iron West, Tommysaurus Rex, and Creature Tech

2009-02-12T07:00:00.011-05:00

	Iron West by Doug TenNapel Image Comics ISBN: 1582406308
	Tommysaurus Rex by Doug TenNapel Image Comics ISBN: 1582403953
	Creature Tech by Doug TenNapel Top Shelf Productions ISBN: 1891830341

I like westerns. I like robots. Why not have both? That's what I thought when I found Doug TenNapel's Iron West graphic novel at the library. Ok…I admit that I think similar thoughts on a pretty regular basis. This was different as it was prompted by the finding of book rather than…well…boredom.

Anyway, if the name Doug TenNapel sounds familiar, it’s probably not surprising as he’s worked on a lot of different projects. I was most familiar with his Earthworm Jim creation.

Iron West featured the humor and, let’s face it, off-the-wall-ness you’d expect from TenNapel. There were portions that seemed a little gimmicky but, overall, I really liked the book. It had humor, action, character development, and character growth. In this case, the main character grows from a man that runs from challenges to one the accepts and responsibility for those around him. I liked the silliness of the story. I enjoyed the free-flowing artwork. And I liked that the story was wholly contained in one book. You start from scratch with no preconceived ideas as to who the characters are or should be. Well done.

I enjoyed Iron West enough that I proceed to read the other TenNapal works in the library’s collection. Next up was Tommysaurus Rex. I actually enjoyed this more than Iron West. Like Iron West, the story is solid and well told. Again, there’s silliness but I’d consider that a good time. Through the telling of a story that involved a boy finding and befriending a dinosaur, the boy learns valuable lessons about kindness and sacrifice.

Third in my TenNapel reading trilogy was Creature Tech. Maybe my favorite of the three. The silliness is still there. The solid story and characters are still there. The silliness (thankfully) is still prominent. Space eels? Demon cats? A symbiotic organism? Good stuff. Here, the main character finds a faith he’d previous put aside for science. Yes, there’s a message of faith here. I wouldn’t call the message thinly-veiled though I didn’t find it preachy, either.

All in all, I’m disappointed the library doesn’t have more TenNapel works. From what I’ve read, it’s lively and fun without being superficial. While I didn’t know it when I first picked up his work, TenNapel’s is a professing Christian and it shows through. As in several of my previous book reviews, I was pleased to see these books fall into the category of things I wouldn’t mind my kids reading. The language was clean. There may have been a cheek shown in Creature Tech but it’s brief (you know, assuming you don’t read the same panel over and over).

Bone: The One Volume Edition

2009-01-29T07:00:00.001-05:00

Bone: The One Volume Edition
by Jeff Smith
Cartoon Books
ISBN: 188896314X

I've fallen behind on my reviews and my blogging in general. I've been busy, ok?!

Anyway, I've always heard good things about the Bone series by Jeff Smith but I never really got into them. No, it's not that I didn't get into them. I don't think I really even tried. I'm pretty sure I picked up the books and thought they looked too childish and left it at that. I know...this from someone that still watches cartoons. Recently, though, I thought I'd give them a real try. Fortunately, the library has copies and I was able to pick up a few of the books published by Scholastic. I was impressed and, with the help or Christmas gift cards, I scored a copy of Bone: The One Volume Edition.

Well, I'm still impressed. First off, the edition is something like 1300 pages. I own some pretty big books but I think this is definitely the biggest. But, yes, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The artwork is a terrific mix of realism and stylization. The fact that three of the main characters are, for lack of a better description, blobby people only adds to the fantastical nature of the story. And it really is fantastic. There are twists and turns. Humor and horror. Action and drama. It's pretty intense. No wonder it's 1300 pages.

I think part of why I liked the book was that is offered something for both adults and children. It is childish, as I initially thought. But, unlike my first feelings, there's a lot for grown ups too. It's something I can enjoy without worrying about my kids also reading it. That scored big in my book.

It should be noted that Bone: The One Volume Edition is in black and white. I believe that's how the books were originally published. I know you can get them in color as the Scholastic copies at the library are printed in color. Really, I could go either way on it. I like the black and white for it's originality and simplicity. On the other hand, the color looks really good, isn't distracting, and might draw in those that are turned off by lack of color. Either way, it's worth checking out.

Baltimore,: Or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire

2009-01-06T07:00:00.001-05:00

Baltimore,: Or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire
by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden
Spectra
ISBN: 0553804715

I think I've been through just about all the Mike Mignola Hellboy graphic novels in the local library's collection. I enjoyed each of these a great deal. They packed in a lot of action, mystery, and humor into a package of fascinating artwork. This led me to look at other works by Mignola. I think there are a couple short story collections that I'd like to eventually read but, sadly, these were not part of the library collection. However, they did have Baltimore,: Or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire which was written by Mignola and Christopher Golden. The cover featured artwork by Mignola, the book was peppered with pretty cool woodcut-type art by Mignola, and the story sounded pretty interesting. So, I picked it up and read a good vampire story over the holidays.

I really enjoyed the book. It was...I don't know...different. It doesn't follow a linear kind of "...and then this happened..." story. I don't want to give away much of the book as reading it really benefits from not knowing what's going to happen next. Essentially, though, the story follows a man named Baltimore as he transitions from warrior on a battlefield of man to warrior on a supernatural level. Much of the story is told by three of Baltimore's friends as they wait for him in a strange little inn. Each was summoned by Baltimore and each showed up without really knowing why they were summoned. None of the men previously knew each other so we, the readers, learn a lot about them as they learn about each other. As the talk, each man answers essentially two questions:

How do they know Baltimore?
Why did they show up when Baltimore asked? That is, why do they believe the strange things he says?

The first question prompts them to recall to their experiences with Baltimore. What's their connection? The second opens the door to the weird occurrences the men have experienced in their own lives. And these experiences are genuinely weird. While the world is normal on the surface, there's definitely something strange going on just below. Whispers of the unexplained.

The actual world reminded me a lot of the old Tales from the Darkside series..only a little less 80s and a little more bleak.

Anyway, in summary, I really liked the book. It's a pretty quick, intriguing read. Give it a shot.

Farm Fresh!

2008-12-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

We're trying something new at home. It's a service called Farm Fresh Delivery. It seems like a pretty cool idea. They deliver fresh organic produce directly to your door. They offer a number of different packages on either a weekly or bi-weekly plan. And there's no contract to sign...it's just a standing order you can cancel anytime. You can even make substitutions if there's something on your delivery that you don't like.

This really isn't a sales pitch...

Anyway, we signed up to have produce delivered every other week. Our first green tub of fruits and vegetables arrived this past Tuesday. In two weeks, I believe we simply set the old tub out on the porch and Farm Fresh Delivery swaps it out for another one with our new order.

So far, our experience has been very positive. We did make a couple substitutions in our delivery. I think we requested grapes instead of Brussels sprouts. Seems like we opted out of something else but I can't recall. What we did get included oranges, apples (2 kinds), pears, onions, potatoes, garlic, lettuce, and kiwi. We've tried a good deal of it. I know the the apples, oranges, and pears have been really good.

With no contract, we figured we didn't have much to lose by trying it out. We'll see after a couple months if it still makes sense for us. Will we use the food we get? Will it be enough? What's the budgetary difference between this an buying food at the supermarket?

Has anyone else tried it (or something similar) out? What was your experience?

Sketchy Schemes

2008-12-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

For those of you that may not be keeping track on your own (well...first...shame on you), I did post my most recent drawing to my Shady Dealin's Etsy shop. Still no sales on the shop but I'm encouraged by the fact that there are actually a couple Etsy users that marked my shop as a favorite.

I do have plans for some additional monster drawings but I think I'm going to take a couple weeks off from that project. I'm not taking the time off from drawing so much as a break from that specific set of drawings. I've rekindled my love of comics over the last few weeks mostly through reading some Bone by Jeff Smith and various works by Mike Mignola. That reading prompted me to revisit some of the comic book ideas I shelved a long time ago. I began putting some character drawings together. That went...ok. I couldn't put a finger on it but something was missing. So, I went through some published comics and it didn't take long for it to be clear. My drawings were lacking life. They seemed stiff and awkward. Oh, technically, they were decent drawings. They had nice proportion, the shading was good, and even the hands were well drawn. The problem was they felt like you were looking at a drawing. Reading Jeff Smith and Mike Mignola feels like you're looking at action, motion, and life (yes, even with drawings of the zombies feel alive). I needed to capture that life...the fluidity that the eye wants to see.

I'm not exactly sure how to fix that but I do have a couple ideas to get me started:

Relax. Ease up on the technical side and work from the imagination. As previously proven, correct isn't always right when it comes to drawing.
Practice. I can't expect perfection right off the bat. Ok, I can (and do)...but I need to realize that's not realistic. I also can't expect change without effort.

These are a lot easier said than done. How do I put it into action. I just started a new Sketchy Scheme. Instead of trying to put together a whole, I'm spending my time putting together parts. I'm working on a lot of quick drawings that may or may not go together. So far, I've filled several pages with these drawings and each sketch has more life in it than a lot of the other stuff I've done. Really, it reminds me of a lot of the sketches I did during various lectures in school. Much easier and fluid.

As a side benefit, the sketches are a lot of fun...both to work on and to look at. This was also missing in those first drawings.

Anyway, I plan to follow this for a week or so. I've got a few days off of work at Christmas which should offer some good opportunity for either this assignment or whatever this assignment leads to.

Popular Science-ing

2008-12-10T08:02:00.006-05:00

I just found out that Google has digital copies of old magazines available for free view. Maybe I'm behind the times. Anyway, while I may not be interested in their issues of New York magazine, I am ecstatic about their offering many, many, many issues of Popular Science. It's a step back in time. Now I can read the February 1981 article about new import cars getting 40 mpg! I can read intelligent articles about the Chevrolet Corvair (not just sensationalized garbage). I can see the September 1951 issue about the new Sports Cars (looks like a Jaguar XK120 on the cover).

And it's not just the articles, either. You get the almost-as-fascinating advertisements, too. Seagrams. Camel. The Atari 600. A solar watch. The gang is all here. And that's just the January 1980 issue.

I'm a geek. Not a geek in the I have a family room full of servers kind of way. No, I'm the guy the wants to take things apart. Sometimes, I even put them back together. I buy into Make Magazine's mantra of "If you can't open it, you don't own it". So, for me, this find is like...it's like...Christmas morning.

This also might be just the thing to force my internet service hand. Maybe it's time to look at something other than [gulp] dial-up. It's a big step.

Where was I...

Witch Way Next?

2008-11-26T07:11:00.000-05:00

Well...I'm still waiting to have the first sale on Shady Dealin's Etsy shop. It's a little disappointing that there hasn't been a flood of orders but that's not entirely unexpected. I probably need to invest more effort into promoting the shop. Really, all I've done is mention it in this blog. So, you know, that means I've reached about five readers.

Anyway, that hasn't kept me from working. I actually just wrapped up another colored pencil drawing and it will soon be posted on the shop. I actually finished previous drawing a couple weeks back but that looked a lot better in my head than on on paper. I think I'll redo that one at some point.

So, here's the latest. I'm still working on a name...

Exhaustion

2008-11-19T18:04:00.001-05:00

I don’t often use this blog for journaling. That is, simply documenting the events of my usually uneventful life. But these last couple weeks have been pretty intense in a lot of different ways. I’m feeling it physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I thought I’d share. If nothing else, it’ll be cathartic for me. Still, I don’t want to get too personal.

I have a close buddy. We’ve been friends since the fourth grade. We played on the same little league teams. We played GI Joe together. Our families vacationed together. His family was and is like a second family to me. Anyway, several years ago, his Mom--this second Mom to me--was diagnosed with cancer. Two weeks ago, I visited her and the family in hospice care. She passed away soon afterward and the funeral was last week. That hit me hard. I don’t really know how to put into words all that I was and am feeling. Sorrow. Fear. A tinge of anger. And, strangely, a little happiness that her terrible, valiant struggle is over and her earthy chains are gone.

…

I had more about the physical and mental exhaustion but, you know what, never mind.

Updates

2008-11-11T07:10:00.005-05:00

So I haven't really been feeling the blog lately. I've had a lot of other things going on and keeping the blog updated hasn't exactly been a high priority. Here's a couple quick on various aspects of my life:

1. The family is awesome. Jonah had some stomach funkiness a few weeks ago but he's over that. He's rolling over now and even eating rice cereal. He's growing so fast. Jesse is picking up new words all that time. More than that, he's starting to put them together in actual sentences. We've been participating in MOPS date night recently. Ok, only once so far as the MOPS season has just started. But we're really liking that. If you're not familiar with it, it's kind of like a babysitting co-op. There are 18 couples working together and every couple weeks, three of the couples watch the kids of the other 15. Through the 18 week schedule, I think we'll work three and have 15 date nights of our own. I would highly recommend that kind of thing to parents.

2. Reading. I've read a lot of 007 books by Ian Fleming lately: Casino Royale, The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only, and one whose title would likely bump the blogs rating up a bit (Bond fans, you know what I'm talking about). They've all been a blast to read. They'd better be or would've been silly for me to read so many. The 007 books are a lot different the movies. Much more realistic. It's funny to see the covers of the books and their portrayal of the scantily clad woman when you know that it has absolutely nothing to do with the actual writing. I think they're just trying to play up the relationship to the movies. I also read Men and Cartoons by Jonathan Lethem. It's a collection of short stories in several genres. All were interesting and fun to read.

3. I've been exercising more. Ok, not necessarily more but definitely with more intensity. I'm putting a more concerted effort into it. For me, that planning, simplification, and turning off the television while I work out. It makes a big difference. I feel better and the bathroom scale has me slowly inching back up to my college weight.

4. Speaking of college, I went rock climbing with a couple college buddies at Climb Time this past weekend. It was the third time I've gone and the second time I've gone with this two friends. It is really a lot of fun. We had a good showing and we all successfully climbed walls that we really didn't think we'd do. There is one section of evil blue wall that I could never get. Next time, Blue! Anyway, I'm definitely feeling it in my forearms. I'm also feeling a nice bruise on my knee and another on my chest.

5. My priorities seem to be in a constant state of flux. Without going into too much detail, the shortness and preciousness of life have really been at the forefront of my mind lately. I'm not sure how I'll use that just yet. Part of me says "Why mess around with saving for retirement when I can enjoy things now? To heck with my Roth IRA, I'm buying an Alfa Romeo." But I also know that's not entire healthy. I'll keep you posted. And, if I get an Alfa, I'll take pictures.

Later.

Canned Ham: Slow News Day

2008-10-24T09:08:00.002-04:00

It's been too long since I've posted a SPAM subject. Sorry about that.

U.N. Report - avi’s can ruin y0ur marriage

Hey, United Nations, don't you have other things to worry about?

Giving up

2008-10-22T07:00:00.002-04:00

I had an interesting conversation with a co-worker the other day. It began with a discussion about debt and the desire to get out and keep out of debt. My anti-debt feelings should be no surprise to the readers of my blog. Anyway, the discussion eventually transitioned to things less tangible than family budgets. Most notably, we discussed how the handling of our resources reflected our faith, our general view of the world, and our feelings about our place in the world. It was an appropriate conversation with the with the holidays and holiday gift-giving/receiving coming up. That conversation also introduced me to the Junky Car Club. Check that out sometime.

Anyway, I shared part of my gradually developing story. Over the last two years, my wife and I have worked hard to clean house. Now I won't go into the anti-debt-speech as I've done that several times before. Beyond that, though, I've been working to run a tighter ship. That sounds vague, I know. What I mean is that I've been trying to concentrate my time, money, and effort on those things that mean most to me. What am I passionate about? It's really been an exercise in saying no. As a result, there have been a few hobbies like woodworking, sculpting, and Flash animation that haven't received a lot of attention lately. On the other hand, I've been able to focus my attention on other things like drawing. I miss those things and do expect to get back to them but it might not be for awhile. As it was, keeping everything on the plate meant that I couldn't really focus on anything.

I read an article quite awhile ago (it's been on my to-blog list for a long time) . Essentially, it discusses how we, as humans, tend to place a higher value on things simply because those things are ours. That is, once something is in our possession, we're suddenly more zealous in keeping it that we ever were to get it. It's probably best to use a for instance. I have a old Huffy banana-seat bicycle. It's metallic green, has a sparkly green vinyl seat, sparkly hand grips, and is, overall, flippin' sweet. I picked it up at Goodwill several years ago. Here's the thing...I really can't ride it. Seriously, the wheels are 20". It's made for a kid and it's downright painful for my 6'+ frame to ride it. I could sell it for more money than I'd realistically pay for it now. But I keep it around because it's mine and it's cool. Well, I was keeping it around. Its up for sale now. I'm saying no to cluttering up the garage. It'll be sad to see it go but I really won't miss it.

Wow. Talk about a lack of focus...

Shady Dealin's (Part 2)

2008-10-13T12:00:00.001-04:00

Breaking news!

The Shady Dealin's Etsy Shop is officially open for business! I posted not one, not two, but three prints just today. I'm actively working on a fourth and hope to have it done in time to order more prints of them all. Guess that depends if/when these three sell.

Anyway, check em' out.

By the way, if you're a) a regular reader of RetroBrett, b) you happen to have my personal email address, and c) you're interested some prints for yourself, let me know. We can work out some kind of deal. Maybe a codeword sale for friends and family.

Movie Reviews: Casino Royale, et al.

2008-10-08T07:00:00.000-04:00

So, while my wife was out of town this past weekend, I did my typical stay up late to watch action/sci-fi movies. Atypical was the complete lack of zombie movies. Maybe I'm growing as a person. Maybe I just ran out of time. Anyway, here's what I did watch.

1. Predator. The 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger classic. I'd seen this few times before so I knew what I was getting--violence, state-of-the-1987-art special effects, delightfully awful one-liners ("Stick Around!" delivered after throwing a knife) all wrapped in a thrilling and fun sci-fi package. I don't know. I was just in the mood for Predator. Really hit the spot.

2. Justice Legue: The New Frontier. Now, I loved the graphic novels on which this movie was based but I wasn't sure what to expect from the movie. Overall, I'd say the movie was so-so. I enjoyed it but it wasn't nearly as good as the books. Granted, the graphic novels were pretty rich in that they contained multiple story lines, spanned decades of time, and delved pretty deeply in to the culture and environment (the cold war, race relations, the space race, etc) of the atomic age. The movie was pretty linear and, with the 75 minute running time, a lot of the details were left out. It wasn't bad but I definitely prefer the books.

3. Casino Royale. Ok, I saved the best for last. I loved this movie. First off, some background. I grew up watching Bond movies and I've always enjoyed them, drawn to their action, cars, gadgets, intrigue, and the sheer over-the-top-ness.

Casino Royale is a huge departure from the previous movies. Oh, it still has some of the Bond staples—the exotic locales, the women, a fabulous car (a proper British Aston Martin [gone are the blasphemous BMWs used in several of the later films]), and it's still over-the-top—but it felt entirely different. It seemed so much more real. Gritty even. The women don’t automatically swoon when Bond appears. The gadgets are realistic. Bond has genuine conflicts with his superiors. Then there’s the Bond character himself. I thought Daniel Craig was terrific. The later, pre-Craig incarnations of Bond seemed almost superhuman to me. You know, above us lowly mortals. Emotionally, there’s a real humanness to the character in Casino Royale. He has flaws. He gets duped. He hurts. He feels. He fails. He succumbs to feelings of revenge. Physically, Craig brings a more believable presence to the screen. As much as liked the previous movies, I always had a hard time believing that some of the later super-suave and super-sophisticated Bonds could have survived an intense fight. Craig looks grizzled and hardened, like he can really bring it.

Now, I still love the previous movies. I just love them for different reasons than the latest movie. And I admit I’m really looking forward to Quantum of Solace when it comes out next month.

Testosterone Weekend

2008-10-06T07:30:00.001-04:00

I just came off of a pretty exciting weekend. My wife spent the last few days at a conference so it was my first multi-day solo experience caring for the boys. First off, my wife had a terrific time. She came back recharged and encouraged. By far, that is the best part and I'm glad she was able to go.

As much as I (and the boys) missed her, I really had a lot of fun spending the weekend having quality time with my sons. We went to the park, visited a Renaissance Faire, roughhoused, read stories, and generally had a blast. It was good to see the boys 24 hours a day as my time with them is generally confined to what will fit in between work and bedtime. Even weekends are pretty busy.

Anyway, I managed to keep the house together. Nothing ended up too too out sorts. I even managed to make some progress on a few things:

I replaced a bathroom light fixture.
I worked on my old radio control car so I could race it with the boys. Got a nice, blistery burn from a soldering iron on my finger.
Cleaned up/patched bedroom walls for later painting.
Did some drawing. Also wrote out some descriptions for Etsy ads.
Sketched out ideas for some built-in bookcases.
Watched a few action and sci-fi movies (more on this later).

Now, just to be clear. I'm not under the false belief that my weekend at all represented what it's like to be home with a four-month-old and a nearly two-year-old every day. I had it easy only because my wife worked so hard to get me, the kids, and the house in such good order. That left me able to concentrate on just keeping everyone fed and uninjured (ok, everyone but me uninjured). I am very, very appreciative.

McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories

2008-09-30T08:14:00.009-04:00

McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories
by Michael Chabon (Editor)
Vintage
ISBN: 1400078741

I've grown fond of short stories. There are several reasons for that. First, they're short. My time for leisure reading is pretty tight and I appreciate that I can read an entire short story in one sitting. Second, I appreciate the art form of the short story. It takes a special kind of author to create characters, situations, and a story that readers will care about in only a few pages. I have a few collections of short stories on my shelf. These represent the works of Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury, and Elmore Leonard and I like to pick them up as I can. Still, I like to grab a more varied selection of authors at times.

That leads me to McSweeney's... I've enjoyed the McSweeney's website for awhile and I was happy to find the McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories collection of short stories at the library. Anyway, I enjoyed the stories. Admittedly, I did not get into all the stories. There were a couple that I started but eventually skipped over. I imagine that's typical for short story collections. I figure it's akin to my picking up a dozen books from the new books section at the library. Of those dozen, there's bound to be a few that don't appeal to me. That's not to say they were bad stories by any means. But, again, it goes back to my shortness of available time. If something doesn't grab me, I have to move on. In this case, I moved on just a few pages.

I especially liked 7C by Jason Roberts, the Miniaturist by Heidi Julavits, and The Fabled Light-house at Vi-a del Mar by Joyce Carol Oates. All were creepy and, really, just plain weird.

Shady Dealin's (Part 1)

2008-09-23T08:00:00.002-04:00

A college friend* mentioned Etsy.com to me a few months ago. Since then, I've perused Etsy with some thoroughness. I've been impressed with both the site and most of the items I've found for sale. I also admit that I have yet to actually buy anything but I've marked several items for potential future purchase. And Christmas is coming up...

Anyway--and I know this is probably a bit premature but I'm pretty excited about it--my own Etsy store is almost up and running. I did set up a stop but I say almost because I have yet to actually post anything for sale. That part is in the works. I've been working to get some artwork complete and ready for posting. I wanted to have at least three pieces to sell and I've recently hit that goal. Just in the last week, I ordered a couple prints of each to see how they'd turn out. I liked the results.

So, I'm very close to having something posted. I plan on ordering a few more prints to ensure I have inventory beyond one. I still need to figure how I'm going to handle shipping and pick up any supplies needed for that. Finally, I should probably set prices for the artwork, too.

I'll post more information as it comes available. In the meantime, take a look at the Shady Dealin's shop. Looking won't take long...there's not much there

My one remaining question is with regards to the size of the prints. Here's where you can help. I'm taking an informal poll to gather my reader's thoughts. Take a minute to make your voice known. If you don't like any of the options, post a comment with other options. Rock the vote!

* Interesting trivia: This is the same college friend that was instrumental in getting my wife and I to go out on our first date. I am forever indebted to this friend.

Raising a Modern-Day Knight: A Father's Role in Guiding His Son to Authentic Manhood

2008-09-18T12:00:00.002-04:00

Raising a Modern-Day Knight: A Father's Role in Guiding His Son to Authentic Manhood
by Robert Lewis
Focus
ISBN 1589973097

I have two sons. One will be two years old in November. The other was born just this past May. Raising these two guys is painfully important to me. And I deliberately use the work painfully as is pains me to think about the consequences if I don't raise them to the very best of my ability. I guess that concern is a good starting point but I want more.

Raising a Modern-Day Knight: A Father's Role in Guiding His Son to Authentic Manhood by Robert Lewis was mentioned in a conversation with a coworker and I am grateful for that. I appreciate that mention as I really, really liked this book.

As you would expect from the title, Lewis uses the idea of medieval knighthood as an ongoing analogy. The romanticized/idealized knight of olde was a chivalrous, honorable, courageous man in an age wrought with greed and darkness. But these knights didn't just become knights. It required years of teaching and training. There was a defined process. There was a ceremony to mark knighthood. Similarly, we can't expect our boys to simply become men. Manhood, in Western society, is very, very different. Genuine manhood is not something that's often actively taught, or even defined. The concept is clouded in ambiguity. What is a man? How does a man act? When does a boy become a man? Sons need guidance and direction.

That direction comes from scripture and Lewis draws heavily on the Bible to define manhood and how a man should act. He details what's missing from Western culture and lays out a plan for fathers wanting to raise sons to be Godly men. The overarching theme is that Dad's need to be deliberate in their fatherhood. Pulling directly from Lewis, men reject passivity, accept responsibility, lead courageously, and expect the greater reward. This is how men should act and this is how men address fatherhood. This is how fathers remove the ambiguity regarding manhood. This is how our sons know we truly care about their growth.

I also liked the Lewis is a big supporter of ceremonies. Similar to a page becoming a squire and a squire becoming a knight, fathers ought to mark a son's transitional periods. When a squire was knighted, there was no uncertainty as to what was happening. The new knight was honored and celebrated. Similarly, we should celebrate our sons. We remove yet another ambiguity. With a ceremony, sons know their lives are changing. If marking a transition to manhood, they know they're putting away their childish ways. They know that, going forward, they'll be expected to act like a man and they'll be treated as a men. Investing time and effort into this will prove to them that it's the big deal that it should be. They will want to meet those expectations.

There is so, so much more I could write here but you're much better off just reading the book. I've taken it to heart. While my sons are very young and I'm a little limited in what I can explicitly teach them (we have worked on a couple of the Biblical ideals -- kindness and perseverance) -- defined by Lewis) , I know the other things will come soon enough. My first step, though, is to be the kind of man I want my sons to be. My boys are watching how I live with incredible closeness. They're learning from me without my sitting down and directly instructing them...maybe more from my example than anything I'll teach.

While it was definitely written for the father raising his sons, I really think it has a lot to offer others. Fathers of daughters. Husbands. Singles. Women.

If you'd like a second, better written review, check this one out at John Calvin's Ghost.

Nine Years!

2008-09-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

My wife and I celebrated our ninth anniversary last Thursday. I really can not believe we've been married for nine years + three years of dating before that. I can't even believe we've been out of college that long. Where did the time go?

Our anniversary was excellent. That's even with everyone in the house having some kind of cold/sinus thing. We had a quiet (doesn't happen very often) dinner together after the kids were in bed. Dinner was delicious. And we made it a point to talk about things other than the kids. It was fun reminiscing about how much has happened in the last nine years. Apartments. Houses. Churches. Neighbors. Friends. It's been a busy nine years. I don't see the next nine+ being any less busy. But I do see them getting better and better.

Here's a couple pictures. My wife is more beautiful than ever. Me...well, I'm alright. Overall, I think we've aged pretty well.

THEN (9/11/1999)

and NOW (8/30/2008)

Wow...our ten year anniversary is right around the corner. We're thinking of doing something big. Maybe a trip together. Maybe Florida. A cruise. I don't know.

Politics

2008-09-11T11:00:00.008-04:00

I don't follow politics. It's not that I don't care. It's not that I don't feel they're important. And I don't begrudge those that do follow politics. So why don't I? Frankly, I have enough going on in my life that, in order for me to invest in politics (or much else), I'd really have to cut something out. What do I cut? God? Family? Work? Friends? Art? Sleep? No thanks. What I've got going on has a much bigger effect on my life (and the lives of my family members) than who happens to be in an elected office. Don't get me wrong. When election day rolls around, I'll have carefully and prayerfully evaluated the candidates. I'll vote. And I'll do so proudly. I really feel voting is not only my duty but a great privilege and I'm genuinely thankful to have that opportunity. But I'm not going to let the process overtake my life.

So that's the short answer. Since this is likely to be my one and only political post, it seems like I should take advantage of it and provide the longer answer(s) regarding my political beliefs. Some notes:

First and foremost, my hope for the future comes from God and not from those in office. God's track record is far, far better than any political party's.
Regardless of who happens to be our President, Governor, Mayor, or HOA President, I will give them the respect due to them both as people and as our elected leaders. They will be in my prayers.
Second to trusting God, I trust in myself. And, no, I really don't think it's an ego thing. Am I better off now than I was four years ago? Yes. Eight years ago? Yes. Does this have anything to do with the who was in office? Probably not . I'm better off because I work hard and God has blessed me far more than I ever deserve.
I have low expectations from government. Let me explain. I dislike the general feeling that the government can/will fix our lives. I don't expect the government to provide for my retirement (I'd gladly opt out of Social Security if I could). I don't expect the government to provide health care for my family. I don't expect the government to cover my mortgage. I am charged with those things and I will be responsible for them. I don't share the feelings of entitlement that seems to have flooded our world.
Likewise, I don't expect any one administration to solve the problems that took decades to create. Terrorism. Gas prices. Poor hurricane safeguards. Foreclosures. All building for years.
The government is a reflection of the people and I don't buy into the notion that the government should do that which we choose not to do. Can we demand health care for all if we look the other way when we see a sick person? Can we demand care for the poor if we ignore the homeless? Should the government balance its budget if 43% of Americans spend more than they make and the average American has thousands in credit card debt? Perhaps we should first raise our expectations of ourselves.
I find the political hate tiresome. You want to put a pro-anything sticker on your car, fine. But, when you put a hateful, anti-candidate message out there, I stop valuing anything you have to say. If your political statement fits on a bumper sticker...well, maybe you didn't have much to say.

All in all, life is going to go on regardless of how the elections go. The decisions I make aren't related to any office. I'm still going work hard to provide for my family. I'm still going to be debt free and live on less than I make. I'm still going to develop a loving, God-centered home, raising my kids to know the Lord.

Business as usual.

Something I Need to Work On

2008-09-04T08:53:00.007-04:00

Conversation.

Ha! If I left it at that, you'd think I wasn't even trying.

Seriously, though, I don't talk no good. Maybe it's less the conversation as it is my introversion. Then again, maybe I'm introverted because I fear my conversation skills stink. I've been like that for decades.

My wife's family had a Labor Day cookout this week. It's one of those things where you get together with people you really only see for a couple hours during holidays and/or long weekends. It seems like it would be a great time to catch up with people, right? Well, here's what I end up doing. I hang out with my wife. I talk with my wife's parents. I talk with my wife's siblings. And I play with my kids and my nephew. That's it. I'm essentially doing the exact same things I do with my in-laws every couple weeks.

Don't misunderstand me. I love hanging out with my wife's parents and siblings. They're great people and I love them dearly. I consider her family to be my family. But it's silly to limit myself. I'm being far too...insular (I'm not convinced I'm using that term correctly).

I don't expect to be best friends with my distant cousins but I can do better. I'm really only hurting myself by not engaging these near-strangers in conversation. And, by isolating myself, I fear I'm running the risk of looking like a snob. That's no good. To go further, I don't believe God has put me on earth (or in family cookouts) to be a wallflower. I really don't feel I'm representing Him by with my current inaction.

Anyway, Christmas and Thanksgiving are coming up so I'll have plenty of opportunity to talk with family I rarely see. Maybe I'll break the ice with a magic trick. On the plus side, if I mess up the conversation, I probably won't see them again until Memorial Day.

Auburn 2008: Sale-A-Bration

2008-09-02T09:08:00.010-04:00

Labor Day has come and gone. As is usual, my Dad and I hit the Kruse Auction Park in Auburn, If for our annual trip to the enormous collector car auction. We've been going on Saturdays recently. Typically, that's when the most cars are there. That also means that's when the most people are there. This year, we shook things up and went Friday evening. It was a good decision. For one thing, admission was half price after 6 pm so it only cost $10 instead of $20. The crowd was a lot smaller too. That means no fighting to see things, no fighting to get food, and no fighting to find a place to eat your food. The weather was a lot nicer too. We had the cool evening breeze instead of the 90 degree afternoon heat. And there were more than enough cars.

Some notes:

1. We saw 5 AMC Javelins. That's more Javelins then I've seen at Auburn for the past 10 years...combined.

2. We saw probably 10 Avantis and 10 Studebakers.

3. And the Edsel count had to be close to 20.

And there's something special for you Hardcastle and McCormick fans out there (you know who you are) It's the first picture of the bunch.

Bittersweet

2008-08-21T08:45:00.007-04:00

Our little Jesse will be two years old at the end of November. He's definitely growing up. He's vocabulary is getting larger and clearer every day. He's stringing words and thoughts together. He asked yesterday to pray for his Na-Nas and Pa-Pas. And he adores his little brother. It's amazing to see him grow up. I have to admit it's also a little sad knowing he'll never be a baby again. It's a good thing that we see this growing up happen slowly because sudden changes tear us up.

As silly as it is, we faced one of those sudden changes last night. Jesse had his first haircut. As much as we loved his fabulous long hair, we knew it needed to be done. He had to constantly brush it out of his face, eyes, and mouth. And, no matter what we dressed him in, strangers always thought he was a little girl. Seriously? He's wearing camouflage shorts and a muscle shirt with a fighter plane on the front and you're calling him Princess? Normally, that didn't bother me but it did get old after awhile. I always took comfort in knowing that our little boy was what's known as Man-Pretty.

Anyway, Jesse got his haircut at the local Cookie Cutters. At first, he hated it. He cried when the stylist just sprayed his hair with water. He did eventually calm down though there were still times when he really did not like what was going on. Cookie Cutters is, of course, very kid-friendly so he got to sit in a toy VW Bug and he loves to steer his Cozy Coupe so that helped. He also watched some tv which was fascinating because the only tv he ever sees at home is the weather radar channel (and usually he just jams to the Muzak).

He looks completely different. He looks like a grown up little man now. Yes, this kind of sudden change tears us up.

I still say he looks pretty dashing. I bet he still will have no trouble meeting the ladies.

Doc Savage: Brand of the Werewolf/Fear Cay

2008-08-19T12:00:00.000-04:00

Brand of the Werewolf / Fear Cay (Doc Savage, Vol. 13)
by Lester Dent as Kenneth Robeson
Nostalgia Ventures
ISBN 1932806865

Man, what a find! Have I mentioned that I love libraries? I don't normally keep up on newly released books but I did wander through the new arrivals section of the other day. Much to my surprise, the library had purchased a large collection of reprinted pulp novels of the 1930s! Rows and rows of The Shadow! Volumes of Doc Savage! Superheroes before tights were all the rage! I was familiar with some of the character's histories but I hadn't read any of the actual stories. I limited myself to just one volume containing two Doc Savage stories, Brand of the Werewolf and Fear Cay.

While I found the book in New Arrivals, it should be noted that the stories date back to the 1930s. The first Doc Savage novel was published in March of 1933. For comparison, Superman was created in 1932 and first published in 1938. I believe I have those dates right. Now, if you're familiar with the earliest versions of Superman, you know he was a lot different than his current incarnation. He and the writing behind him were reflections of the times. Doc Savage is no different.

Savage is a renaissance man. He's incredibly strong. Through various exercises, he's heightened his senses to near superhuman levels. He's an engineer, a chemist, and an electrician. He's wealthy so cash isn't a problem. He even has a Fortress of Solitude before Superman had a refuge of the same name. He travels with a team of guys, all of which are the tops in their particular field. It's like Captain America meets the A-Team. They're a bunch of guys seeking adventure simply for the sake of adventure. They help others where there's no profit for themselves. I guess that's just a mentality I don't see much of these days. Sure, we still have superheroes but it just doesn't seem the same. Savage is more real. There's no element of fantasy involving radioactive spiders, gamma ray mutations, or alien power rings. He really is just a normal dude that's worked hard to be the best. This feels more attainable.

As for the writing, I'd say it was decent. The characterizations and some of the dialog amongst the main characters is a little repetitive. Ok, there were actually two consecutive paragraphs that were nearly identical so maybe is would be more accurate to say it was very repetitive. Then again, these were pulps. I don't know that they were ever expected to be more than disposable escapism. Anyway, the actual stories/mysteries are actually pretty good. I didn't find them to be predictable and that was good. There were enough twists and turns to keep it going.

The books were reasonably family friendly as they're clearly intended to appeal to adolescent boys. Keep in mind, though, that the 1930s was a lot different than the 2000s. This was before political correctness. Before society began sheltering children from, well, just about everything. So, while Savage and his team have a vow to never take another's life, people do get hurt and/or killed. People and they're dialog are often stereotyped. Something to keep in mind.

Anyday, in a world where basketball players get more praise than nearly everyone, Savage is a refreshing change.

From the Vault: Fortune Telling

2008-08-13T08:14:00.008-04:00

I haven't posted for awhile. I've been a bit busy lately. To get the ball rolling again, here's a gem from the old scrapbook.

From the header of the paper, this was a "make-believe diary" of what I thoughts I would be doing ten years from the time I filled it out. So, here's what nine-year-old Brett thought nineteen-year-old Brett's day would be like. I'm reprinting them here for clarity and for spelling correctness:

7:00	I will be going to college.
8:00	I will be going to classes.
9:00	In computer room.
10:00	Going to vet (veterinary) school.
11:00	In artist class.
12:00	I will be eating at Arby's.
1:00	In library.
2:00	In scientist school.
3:00	Watching television.
4:00	Eating dinner.
5:00	Getting ready to go to arcade.
6:00	Going to the video arcade.
7:00	In the video arcade.

First off, I love the spellings/misspellings. Sintest school? Arabys?

But my favorites have to be my plans for the last three timeslots. That's three documented hours dedicated to the arcade. There's a full hour just to prepare (probably doing some kind of hand stretching). Another hour to get there. And at least one hour playing games. I have to assume there would be a fourth hour to get home. There's also probably an undocumented fifth hour to cool down from the intense gaming. And I have to think nineteen-year-old Brett wouldn't invest four hours in arcade warm-up/cool-down/travel for a single hour at the arcade. Surely there's another hour or two of gaming. That's six or seven hours or arcade! Where on earth would I find to time to keep up with my art school studies?

Unclutterer

2008-08-04T12:30:00.002-04:00

Over the last year, my wife and I have been working pretty hard to clean up a lot of the stuff we'd managed to accumulate over our lifetimes. We've put comics and toys on eBay. We've sold things on Craigslist. A lot of stuff went to Goodwill. A few things were put on Freecycle. We've just gone through our very full 2-drawer filing cabinet and managed cut what's filed in half by shredding a ton of unneeded documents. I even sometimes find myself perusing the Unclutterer website for cool ideas on organization and, believe me, they have some good ones.

We've had a few reasons for doing this:

We have less space. We moved last year and now have one less bedroom and one less garage space. This, combined with the the addition of a new child, there's simply less space for stuff.
We have less time. With the growing family and a strong desire to really be with my family and my kids as they grow, there's less time to use/enjoy/mess with unneeded stuff.
Changing philosophy. I've had several collections over my lifetime...comic books, action figures, Transformers, etc. The problem was that, eventually, I lost interest in the collections and they just ended up packed up and stored. I've whittled this stuff down significantly. I'd really like to keep only those things I'm truly passionate about. Oh, I still love comics and action figures and other things...I've just gotten a lot more selective about what I get and what I keep.

Anyway, in many cases, our uncluttering has involved getting rid of things. But, there have been a few instances where simply meant making good use of space. Where my wife previously had most of a guest bedroom for crafting, she now has to share the dining room with my drawing table and the computer. We recently sprung for a Sauder Craft Armoire and it's worked out very, very well. It looks really nice. It has a ton of storage. And, when not in use, it really doesn't take up much floorspace. Plus, it keeps all the crafting supplies organized and on-hand rather than packed in tubs under the bed.

For me, I've had to get creative in the garage. Where we previous had space for three cars with one bay set aside for bikes, tools, etc, we now have a scrunched two-car garage. Bikes have been hung. Workbenches have been mobilized to allow the parking of cars. Most recently, I scored a sweet toolbox off of eBay. It's a monster. Big. Red. On casters. It was local and proves there really are some good deals still on eBay. Like the armoire, it'll keep my hand tools handy, dust-free, and organized.

There's still more to do. I'm selling things on eBay now. But, it's definitely getting better.

A Friday Without Donuts

2008-07-25T08:06:00.007-04:00

Here's something I started...oh, I don't know...months ago. It's a short, short story in the vien of the classic Choose Your Own Adventure novels. I think it's a fun idea and I may expand on it later. We'll see. For now, it's just a little Choose Your Own Adventure diversion. Enjoy!

Read A Friday Without Donuts

Invicible: Ultimate Collection Volume 1

2008-07-24T07:45:00.001-04:00

Invincible: Ultimate Collection 1
by Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley
Image Comics
ISBN 9781582405001

Up until this past week, it had been months since I’d read a superhero comic. Actually, the last one was DC’s New Frontier. I hadn’t been avoiding them. I’d just found myself in the mood for other things. Then I found the Invincible Ultimate Collection 1.

I wasn’t previously all that familiar with the Invincible series but I do like to read new stuff. I had heard of it. In fact, I had heard very, very good things about the series. I’d even flipped through a couple issues at the comic shop and I remember thinking it looked pretty cool. Unfortunately, my comic-buying budget was already maxed out and the series was already several issues along. Those things discouraged me and I didn't buy it. That’s a shame because this is a book that really did live up to the hype.

Without giving too much away, here’s the rundown on the story. It follows a high school student named Mark Grayson, a normal high school guy with homework, college prep, a job at a burger joint, and the typical adolescent awkwardness. Ok, so he’s not so normal. And, no, this isn’t Spider-man. He’s known for a long time that his dad is the world renown superhero, Omni-Man. He also knows that, eventually, it’s very likely he’ll develop the superpowers of his father. And, no, this isn’t Son of Superman. A lot of things happen to Mark. He does get his superpowers, he joins his first Super Team, he fights alongside his Dad, and he faces terrible, terrible tragedy. The story arc is well paced over the 13 issues and we see Mark really grow as he faces numerous challenges both as a hero and as a kid. You can read vast amounts about the series on Wikipedia Invincible entry but be forewarned that there are spoilers aplenty.

The writer, Robert Kirkman, is someone I’m familiar with from his work on The Walking Dead series (another book I sadly didn’t discover until well after it began). I really enjoyed The Walking Dead and Kirkman’s work on Invincible is no less appealing. It’s concise. It’s clear. And, even while creating a new universe of characters, you feel like you know each of them quite well in a very short time. Yyou get a real feel for the heroes as both heroes and as people. You know them as both the costumed figure and the alter-ago…and they’re the same person. That is, it’s the same personality in both. You don’t read them and think “there’s no way these are the same people”. That’s a good thing.

The artwork is equally impressive. While the characters do lean toward some of the typical over-buff superhero physique, it’s not outlandish. It does a good job blending realism and stylization and, most importantly, the artwork is believable (to the extent that a superhero comic can be believable). Proportion is terrific. The surrounding details are amazing and add a great deal to the atmosphere.

The book doesn’t try to be anything other than what it is. Does that make sense? It’s not forcing itself to follow any sort of trend. It doesn’t try to be a gritty drama. I don’t get that it has any sort of big political agenda like so many other books. It doesn't have any big summer movie blockbuster tied to it (though it looks like it may eventually be a movie). It’s a very good, very well-developed story that’s fun to read (and re-read, if you're like me).

Some of the issues have some pretty violent and even gory images but the language and story are generally family friendly.

I’ll be looking for more.

Selling Out Online

2008-07-23T15:52:00.006-04:00

It wasn’t that long ago that I was shopping for a new-to-me car. I don’t know if you’ve been car shopping recently but, let me tell you, the internet has revolutionized the shopping experience for me. I’m actually a guy that likes looking at cars. And if they’re old cars, well, then I love looking at them. Ironically, though, I really dislike shopping for cars. You know, when you’re really in the market for a car. If you’re anything like me, the research and the decision making can get pretty consuming.

A big part of what I dislike about buying a car is feeling like the person on the other end is really trying to sell me a car. That’s where the internet really changes things. I can lookup values, compare car features, and check inventory all from the comfort of my own home. And if I know the exact car I’m looking for and there’s nothing nearby, there’s nothing to stop me from expanding my search. For instance, if I’m looking for a 1963 Ford Falcon convertible, my chances of finding one at a local ford dealer may be pretty slim. Even finding one in the state may be difficult…especially if I’m looking for a specific color (red, of course) or the Sprint model with a four-on-the-floor manual transmission. Well, to find one of those, I may need to go as far as a Ford Dealer Seattle. In this case, I could even chat online with a someone about the car. Somehow, that seems less intimidating than being face to face with a salesperson. Maybe it’s that trick you learned when you had to speak in front of a group. You know, imagine the audience in their underwear and you won’t be intimidated by them. For me, I imagine that the person I’m chatting with is in a clown suit and sitting on a penny-pony ride.

Ok, so this Seattle Ford Dealer doesn’t have a 1963 Ford Falcon Convertible. But, they do have a nice site, a cool chat feature, and some pretty useful car maintenance tips under their FAQ menu. They also have information on this rather cool small commercial van.

The Ol' Orange and Black

2008-07-21T11:29:00.004-04:00

I am constantly amazed at the growth of the motorcycle industry. I grew up in a family that had motorcycles. I’ve actually had two bikes: a 1994 Yamaha XT225/Serow and a 1985 Honda Nighthawk S/CB700SC. Both were terrific bikes for completely different reasons. Perhaps I’ll write about them in more detail at some point.

Motorcycling as a hobby, as a sport, and as an industry has boomed over the last couple decades. Bikes have grown more accessible. Bikers have grown more accessible (i.e. friendly). And I think people have simply grown fonder of the sport. What was once deemed a dangerous, fringe activity has grown into a fun way to experience the road (or the off-road, if that’s your thing).

While motorcycle popularity has skyrocketed, so have the industries that support motorcycles and motorcyclists. A quick look at the motorcycle magazines at your local bookstore can be overwhelming. Motorcycle charity rides are a regular weekend occurrence. I’m guessing there are more companies offering motorcycle insurance than ever before. My local library even has a section for motorcycle parking.

Then there’s the market for the actual accessories. I visit motorcycle shops whenever I can and I’m astounded at the selection of motorcycle stuff. The selection of Harley Accessories, alone, is mind boggling. You could, seriously, decorate your entire house in Harley orange and black. Billiard tables. Dart boards. Kitchen accessories. Pet goods. And if you want to decorate yourself, there are Harley goods to help you out. And it’s not all made out of leather either. Ok, most of it is…but not all.

And tricking out your bike is another thing altogether and Harley shines like no other manufacturer. There enough Harley Parts available that your Springer could very well have more chrome than all of 1957 Detroit…combined. With a little effort, you can probably make your Harley sound just as loud as all of 1957 Detroit, too.

Sure, you could go somewhere else for your accessories but if you want genuine Harley expertise and genuine Harley Davidson Parts, you’re only going to get it at a genuine Harley dealer. Something to keep in mind.

From the Vault: Guess the Year

2008-07-11T08:00:00.000-04:00

Here's another gem from my school scrapbook. Before you do any math based on this blog's tag line and the age printed on this scanned sheet, try to guess the year.

1. In what year could someone have listed Ghostbusters as their favorite movie, their favorite record or tape, and their favorite song? And, yes, I know there are several of my friends that would list these even today...please don't say 2008.

2. In what year could Michael Jackson have been listed as a kid's favorite person without prompting several sessions with a counselor.

3. In what year should Diff'rent Strokes have been listed as anyone's favorite anything? Again, no 2008.

My favorite number was 999,999,999,999,999,999,999? Pretty clever, Brett.

And my favorite thing to wear? Clothes. Nowadays, I thinking pants might be funnier. But I still like that actor, James Bond.

Book Review: Colored Pencil Texture

2008-07-10T12:15:00.002-04:00

Creating Textures in Colored Pencil
by Gary Greene
North Light Books
ISBN 0891346538

Ok, this book has a pretty targeted audience. Namely, artists looking to improve their skills in painting realistic images in colored pencils. I happen to fall into this demographic though I don't know how many readers of this blog also do. Still, I think it's certainly worth reviewing.

First, some background. I kind of fell in love with colored pencils in college. They're simple and straightforward. The economical side of me likes that the pencils and the drawing surfaces are reasonably priced. The practical side of my likes that they're compact, easy to transport, and clean. The nerdy, mathematical side of me likes the precision available with pencils. Finally, like many other mediums, a skilled user of colored pencils can create artwork that's absolutely amazing. I've seen incredible, stylized colored pencil drawings and I've seen amazingly realistic renderings. Despite all the aspects that I love, I feel out of practice over the last several years. It's only recently that I've gotten back into them. In doing so, I wanted a good source of information. That's where this book comes in.

Creating Textures in Colored Pencils answered many of my questions about the medium. There's information on the types of pencils, the kinds of surfaces, erasers, solvents, and many of the other tools that you may or may not need (many I wasn't even aware existed). The information on techniques was very useful. While I'd been using the layering technique for years without realizing it, I was completely unaware of burnishing. From there, the book contains dozens of examples with detailed information on how to create realistic images. The examples range from flowers to fabric to people/skin tones to man made materials like highly reflective chrome.

If you're interested in colored pencils, you may find this book helpful.

The Four-One-Nine

2008-07-09T10:00:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a big day for me. At around 11:30 am I received the following email:

JAPAN JUMBO DRAW
FOREIGN SERVICES MANAGER,
PLAZA DE MAR ZHENG HONG KONG
...
We happily announce to you the draw (#1035) of the JAPAN EMAIL PROMOTION LOTTERY, online Sweepstakes International program held today in OSAKA JAPAN. Your e-mail address attached to ticket number: 45375600545 188 with Serial number 5368/02 drew the lucky numbers(14,33,36,39,42,46)and bonus ball(13), which Subsequently won you the match 5 bonus prize in the 2nd category match 5 plus bonus .
You have therefore been approved to claim a total sum of US$500,000,00 in cash (five Hundred Thousand, united state dollars) in cash credited to file ktu/9023118308/07.This is from a total cash prize of US$2,650,000.00 shared among the international winners in the Second category.

Participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from 2,500,000 email addresses of individuals and companies from all part of the world as part of our electronic business Promotions Program.

Please note that your lucky winning number falls within our CHINA booklet representative office in ASIA as indicated .In view of this, your US$500,000.00 ( five Hundred Thousand, united state dollars) would be released to you by any of our payment offices in ASIA as soon as possible.
Our CHINA agent will immediately commence the process to facilitate the release of your winning funds as soon as you fill the claims verification form below and send to him.
...
For security reasons, you are advised to keep your winning information Confidential till your claims is processed and your money remitted to you in whatever manner you deem fit to claim your prize.
This is part of our precautionary measure to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program by some unscrupulous elements. Be warned to file for your claim immediately.
To avoid unnecessary delays and complications, please quote your reference/batch numbers in any correspondences with our designated agent or us.
Congratulations once more from all members and staffs of this program.
Thank you for being part of our promotional lottery program.

Ok...$500k comin' my way. That's pretty good news. You know, enough to make my day look darn good. By the afternoon, everything was looking pretty rosy.

But wait, the day gets better. At 2:30 pm, I received yet another fabulous email:

THE BEIJING 2008 PARTNERS
ASIA AND PACIFIC REGIONAL ANNEX
CORPORATIONS IN ASIA AND PACIFIC REGION
IN SUPPORT OF BEIJING 2008 OLYMPIC

Sir/Madam

We are pleased to inform you of the result of the ONE WORLD ONE DREAM 2008 BEIJING AWARD PRIZE programs conducted and finance by COMMITTEE OF MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS. IN ASIA AND PACIFIC REGIONS Your e-mail address was selected among the balloting done today in the control room , as to keep awareness of the celebration next year, you are also to have five tickets and free flight and hotel accommodation in the whole event
and your price amount is U.S..AD 500.000.00 (Five hundred thousand United States Dollars
As all the big multinational in Asia has join hand to make the event a success
to file your claim and booking contact your Asia accredited agent engr Lee Yang
and provide your details for your payment.

Let me tell you, I was flabbergasted. The second one is especially interesting with the Olympics taking place in Beijing...no doubt the Committee of Multinational Corporations (in Asia and Pacific Regions) is pulling out all the stops. They have to know the whole world is watching the games so they can't afford the promotion to be anything less than amazing.

I have to admit that I was a little stunned by the second email in that they say my price amount is U.S..AD 500.000.00. That seems a tad pricey. Had I not just won $500K in the Japan Jumbo Draw, I wouldn't even be able to consider the One World On Dream 2008 Beijing Award Prize. But, so help me, it's the least I can do if I can help all the big multinational in Asia to join hand to make the event a success.

Even Steven!

Car Smart

2008-07-07T08:00:00.002-04:00

I'm a car person. I tend to find beauty in some form or another in just about any vehicle. Whether it's the wooden frame of the Morgan, the off-road prowess of a Jeep CJ, or the everyday functionality of a station wagon. That being said, I'm intrigued by the new (new in the States, at least) Smart ForTwo despite my tendency to poke fun at them around the office.

There are certain things that I really like about them. I like that it is what it is. Does that make sense? I mean, it doesn't pretend to be the family truckster. It doesn't pretend to have any off-road capability. It's basic transportation for one or two people. I like that it takes up so little space in the garage/in the parking lot/on the road/etc. I also like that it's inexpensive relative to other new cars. Even the appearance has started to grow on me.

Still, there are things I'm unsure about. As a family man, I don't think I can get by with just two seats. If I'm getting just two seats, I'll be looking at a well-used Mazda Miata. That's not so much a problem with the Smart ForTwo so much as simple buyer incompatibility. Also, I'm genuinely surprised by the Smart ForTwo's fuel economy ratings. From SmartUSA the car is rated at 40 city/45 highway mpg according to 2007 EPA standards and 33 city/41 highway mpg according to 2008 EPA standards. While those are great numbers I would've expected better. I'm basing that expectation on my 1995 Honda Civic EX that's regularly pulling in 35+ mpg (probably 40+ with some tuning)...and that's with four seats and less-than-economic driving habits. While my Civic won't make the numbers of the Smart ForTwo, it is pretty close and there are older cars that will match the Smart FotTwo. If one is willing to give up frills and attention, older four-seaters like the Honda Civic VX (48 city/55 hwy) and the Geo Metro (44 city/49 hwy) are fine examples.

What I'm most anxious to know is how well the car will sell. The commuter car isn't a new idea. It's been done repeatedly. There was the Pontiac Fiero that started out selling like crazy. While it was a successful commuter (and even sporty driving car), the initial models fell short of the hard-driving sports car one would expect from a mid-engine two-seater [all that changed with the GT model, of course]. The Fiero certainly isn't the only two-seater commuter. Long before, there was the Isetta, a successful minicar that didn't really fly in the States. More recently, The Suzuki X-90 didn't sell well at all. The Honda Civic del Sol might fall into this category. I think it sold well but even it is out of production. Granted, times are changing. Perhaps the Smart ForTwo will be successful where other cars have not been. They definitely generate a lot of talk...much more than most cars. It'll be interesting, to say the least. I'd really like to stop by the local dealership and take a look at them...maybe even take one for a test drive. Not sure if/when that will happen...with a 19-month-old and a 6-week-old, test driving a car for fun isn't a high priority.

As a side note, is it just me or does it seem like it takes a lot of styling cues from the Little Tikes Cozy Coupe?

Rocketo: The Journey to the Hidden Sea by Frank Espinosa

2008-07-01T11:59:00.000-04:00

Rocketo Volume 1: Journey to the Hidden Sea
and
Rocketo Volume 2: Journey to the Hidden Sea
by Frank Espinosa
Image Comics
ISBN 1582405859 and 1582407355

Here's a book I found by chance...Rocketo by Frank Espinosa. Ok, actually, two books. Ok, one story, two volumns. Back off!

Anyway, I was checking out the graphic novels at the local library. I honestly can't remember what I was actually looking for but, while I was in the neighborhood, I checked out the books on the New Release shelf. That's where I found Rocketo. I had never heard of it. I wasn't familiar with the author. I didn't have any clue as to what I should expect.

Well, I was pleasantly surprised. The artwork immediately caught my eye. The colors and inks are bold. While it's heavily stylized, it's incredibly engaging. Every brush stroke drives the story. And every brush stroke is driven by the story. Nothing is wasted. Rocketo represents the perfect example of Scott McCloud's theory stylization can be healthier for the story than realism.

As I read, I found the story just as engaging as the artwork. This is no superhero comic though there's certainly no shortage of action. In fact, it's packed with action. But there's also intrigue, deception, friendships, and magic (not Harry Potter kind of magic but the kind of magic that comes from engulfing oneself in the unknown). The story takes place on earth, far into the future. Life on earth is nothing like it is now. Land masses are different. New lifeforms exist. Dogmen. Birdmen. Living storms. All of this has led to a new age of exploration. It's the story of one such explorer...one that's lost, so to speak. And it's the story of how this lost explorer finds his way back.

As you can probably guess, I would highly recommend the books. For those of you with families, there is quite a bit of violence but both the language and the artwork are clean.

From the Vault: Favorite Subject

2008-06-27T08:07:00.003-04:00

Another one from my school scrapbook. It really speaks for itself. I'll note that it does go a long way to explaining my grammar (or lack thereof).

Maybe a math blog...

Book Review: Appointment With Death by Agatha Christie

2008-06-23T08:59:00.014-04:00

Appointment with Death
by Agatha Christie

I'm terribly behind in writing up my book reviews. I'm going to try to catch up in the near future.

I'm guessing my regular readers weren't expecting a review of an Agatha Christie novel on RetroBrett. Surprise! Honestly, it wasn't something that was sitting on my to read list so picking it up was kind of a whim. Here's what happened.

With the birth of Jesse, the labor was induced. That meant it was scheduled and we had time to plan, pack, and prepare. I knew we'd likely have a decent amount of down time in the hospital while we waiting for labor to actively begin so I packed It's Superman by Tom DeHaven. With Jonah, it wasn't so scheduled. Oh, we had plenty of time to get ready but my picking out a book from my shelf wasn't a top priority. The plan, actually, was to grab a Narnia book but I completely forgot about it.

Anyway, we're in the hospital...waiting. I needed to run out for some lunch and contemplated a stop at Target or Barnes & Noble to pick up...I don't know...something to read. Instead, I opted for Goodwill. I knew I could find something there. I knew it would be cheap. And I knew stopping at a bookstore would overwhelm me with choices. I wanted something engaging but still something I could put down/pick up/put down/pick up/etc as needed. Something fun but still with some meat to it. I wasn't sure what I'd find. What I walked out with was this Agatha Christie book.

Now, I'd read Christie before but it's easily been a decade since. The book fit what I was looking for perfectly. I found myself wrapped up in the mystery. It easily passed the long hours of waiting at the hospital. And it was actually fun to read. I haven't read many mysteries so I don't know how it compares to others. Now, I'm not really one to play Clue with the novel. I don't try to pick out the culprit as I read. Really, I'm more along for the ride. This was even more the case when I was sitting in a chair, anxiously waiting for our second child to arrive. Regardless, it was a good ride...to be along...for.

Anyway, I really enjoyed the book. Probably the biggest testament to this has been the direct results of reading it:

1. I've since read another Christie book (yet to be reviewed).
2. My wife and I have gotten hooked on Poirot DVDs from the local library (I'll post more on this later).

Operation: Early Bird (continued)

2008-06-18T14:00:00.000-04:00

I've been doing a decent job of keeping up with my art endeavor. Time is rather tight but colored pencils (my modus operandi) are nice in that they don't require a lot of prep or clean up. By that, I do NOT mean colored pencils are easy. That's certainly not the case as they require just as much effort to master as any other medium. What I mean is simply that they don't require some of the extra work other material require. There's no cleaning of brushes. There's no curing of clay. You get the picture (Hah, get it...picture). I have taken and developed a few photos to serve as reference points but that's not exactly labor intensive.

I've been pleased with the results thus far. My goal is still to get an Etsy store up and running but, before I do that, I really think I need to have at least three different pieces of art to sell. So far, I have one completed and one in the works. More importantly, I think the second piece lends itself well to being the start of a kind of series and that feels promising. It at least puts off the question of "What will I work on next?" as I'm stare at a blank sheet of paper.

Prepping for Etsy leads to to this question...how does one go about getting prints made of artwork? Does anyone have experience in that? Or, do you just search the Yellow Pages and try out a printer? I'm curious if any of my regular readers have any ideas.

And don't get me started on coming up with a name for an Etsy shop. I have no idea.

Reel Deal

2008-06-12T09:23:00.000-04:00

I love garage sales. It's like having a Goodwill store on every corner. Over that past few weeks, I've managed to hit a decent number of garage sales. I've specifically been looking for tools, a small desk to replace our over-large desk, kids toys, video games, and anything else that catches my eye. Thus far, I've picked up good deals on some toys for Jesse, a jigsaw, and even some random free stuff people were looking to unload. I'm still looking for a small desk and a couple bench-top power tools but we'll see.

Anyway, this post is specifically about something I picked up last weekend. We came across a reel lawn mower at a nearby garage sale. It's a couple years old and I think it originally came from Walmart or Sam's club. I'm not sure. It really doesn't matter. Since we moved to the new house and now have a smaller yard, I've been thinking about a reel mower for some time. We have a perfectly good gas mower so I couldn't justify buying a new mower just for fun. But, it's hard to turn down a good deal on something you were curious about anyway.

Well, so far, I really like the mower. It cuts reasonably well. I did have to sharpen the blades and I greased the whole thing while I had it apart. I think it will do even better if I adjust the blades a bit more. Otherwise, the mower has a lot going for it:

No need to buy gas specifically for the mower.
Environmentally friendly.
I need the extra exercise.
Doesn't require extra time...just more effort.
Takes up less space in the garage.
Quieter. This means I can actually hear the music from my headphones. It also means I can mow earlier in the day and later in the evening without bothering the neighbors. I can also mow during nap time without worrying about waking the kids.
It's kind of therapeutic to see all the grass clippings go flying.

Anyway, I haven't gotten rid of the other mower. I'm not sure I'm ready for that just yet. Still, we'll see how the next few mowings go.

Welcome Home, Jonah! Part 2.

2008-06-10T10:00:00.000-04:00

My previous post was a quick one to get the announcement of our new arrival posted. I did want to post a few more details regarding our past several weeks.

It all started early Thursday morning (05/22/2008) when my wife woke up during the night with some contractions. This wasn't really all that out of the ordinary and she was able to get back to sleep without too much difficulty. Once she woke up, the contractions did get stronger but they still weren't too bad. Like I said, contractions weren't all that uncommon so we weren't getting our hopes up, fully expecting them to pass and nothing to happen. We actually had our weekly Dr. appointment scheduled for 10:30 that morning so we figured we'd just wait and see what the doctor had to say...again, fully expecting to find out they were normal Braxton Hicks contractions.

I was at work and the plan was for me to meet my wife at the doctor's office while Jesse stayed home. Knowing we were getting close to the due date and that we have an 18-month-old to keep up with, my Mother-in-Law had already planned to visit and stay with Jesse while we were at the appointment. I got a phone call mid-morning from my wife saying the contractions were getting worse. Well, by 10:00, the contractions were hard enough that my Mother-in-Law had to drive my wife to the appointment.

Still not expecting a lot, we were surprised to find that my wife was already dilated to 4 or 5 centimeters. My wife must be pretty tough because she was still smiling through the contractions. Anyway, the doctor said it was time and called the hospital. Soon, we were racing to the hospital.

Late-morning/Early-afternoon was pretty uneventful at the hospital. The contractions got stronger and more frequent. And my wife got pumped with fluids to get ready for the birth. Eventually, the epidural was administered and that smoothed out the contractions. My wife could still feel the contractions but they weren't painful.

So we waited and waited some more.

By 4:00 in the afternoon, we were getting close. By around 4:15/4:20, it was time to start pushing. Not that I had a lot to do with it, but it seemed to go pretty smoothly. By 4:53, we had a new little baby boy.

The doctors did have to rush Jonah to the room's baby alcove to clean out his lungs (he had a stool mishap in the womb). That was a little stressful...not getting to hold him right away. But, we were told ahead of time about the situation and we knew what to expect. We were very grateful for the warning.

We spent two days in the hospital and everyone recovered well from the birth. We had a few visitors but not so many that it was crowded or stressful. We appreciated the peace and quiet. The doctors and the nurses were awesome. We especially liked the night nurses. All were incredibly helpful, patient, and knowledgeable.

I was fortunate to be able to take two weeks of vacation with the birth. Memorial Day even fell in there so I got an extra day off. The time off was terrific. It was, of course, a lot of work. It continues to be a lot of work. But, still, it's an amazing blessing. I can't wait to go home at night.

Welcome Home, Jonah!

2008-06-06T12:40:00.005-04:00

This will be a quick post. I know I disappeared for a couple weeks but those of you that read this blog probably already knew why...we had our second little boy!

Jonah Benjamin was born 05/22/2008 at 4:53pm. He weigh 7 pounds 6 ounces and measured an even 21 inches. He just had his two week appointment with the doctor this morning and everything is looking great.

My wonderful, lovely wife is also recovering well. She's handled the last two weeks in stride. Brig brother, Jesse, is fascinated with the new addition, "Jo-doh".

Here are some initial pictures. Maybe I'll post more details in the near future.

Canned Ham: Risky Business

2008-05-19T14:46:00.004-04:00

This one comes from Victoria's Secret:

Try our pants risk free! Details inside.

I'm thinking they need to specify it's financially risk free. I'm pretty sure if I tried their pants...there would be all kinds of risk.

Baby Dos: Week 38

2008-05-16T09:24:00.006-04:00

Size Comparison: Green Machine Ride-on toy

We're well into the single digits with our pregnancy countdown. Officially, Baby Dos is due to join the outside world one week from tomorrow. Yow! Our weekly appointments are going well. The baby's heartbeat is strong and my wife's blood pressure is great. The only issues involve the discomfort that you would expect with being 8.5+ months pregnant. We've been fortunate to have a pretty cool spring so the heat hasn't been too bad. Still, sleeping is difficult, muscles are sore, and there's an ever-growing baby that's quickly running out of space. My beautiful wife is amazing though. Through it all, she manages to keep up with our increasingly fast eighteen-month-old son. How she does it, I'll never know.

When will Baby Dos make their debut...who knows? Things could change at any minute but, as of yesterday, the doctor didn't feel like the baby was coming any time soon. Jesse was a week late when my wife was induced and our doctors are saying history tends to repeat itself.

As for the size comparison, I never had a Green Machine. My impression is that they're a Big Wheel with a twist. You still pedal with the front wheel but steering is with the back wheels...so the potential for sweet spinouts is excellent. I'm happy to see you can still get these. I even saw them at Target the other day. An adult-sized Green Machine is on my to-do list.

Operation: Early Bird

2008-05-14T07:18:00.010-04:00

For the most part, I enjoy getting up early in the morning. I think that started in college. I could get up, exercise, read, do any number of other things before the campus was buzzing. Even after working the residence hall desk until 2am, I'd still be out of bed by 5:30 or so. Of course, college was a prime napping time in my life, too. Strangely, as my commitments have increased and my time has grown more valuable, it's actually gotten more and more difficult to get up early. I want to change that.

That's where Operation: Early Bird comes in. Over the last month or so, I've managed to get myself out of bed pretty close to the 5:30 am alarm clock. Before, I was setting my alarm for 5:30 but I would hit the snooze button until 6:30. Not cool. To make the change, I started with a realistic wake up time (6:15, maybe) and used that for a week or so. Gradually, I bumped the alarm back in 15 minute increments until I was back to 5:30. As a side note, the change of seasons has probably helped...much easier to get out of bed when it's not a pitch black winter morning.

So, why am I doing this.? Well, there's a couple reasons:

1. Family Time: I'm fortunate enough to have a very flexible work schedule. The earlier I get to the office, the earlier I can leave (within reason). This translates into more family time in the afternoon.

2. Flex Time: I've been trying to go to most of our pregnancy-related appointments. If I get into the office early, I can make up this doctor time without too much hassle.

3. Art: Even with making up the time for the pregnancy appointments, I've got extra morning time. I could continue to come into the office early but I'm not sure I can get away with leaving at 3:30 in the afternoon.

My plan is to take that time and direct it towards artwork. I've broken out some of my art material. I'm starting with my Prismacolor Colored Pencils. I remember really enjoying them before and I was fairly adept at using them. I may venture into some gauche painting and/or artist markers but we'll see how that goes. In the meantime, I noticed my colored pencils tout the fact that they feature a NEW Complete 90's Color Range. That tells me how long I've had these things. It also makes me wonder if I'm missing Blind Melon Green and Vanilla Ice Blue.

Today was my first art session and it went well. I did a quick sketch of this werewolf guy. It's decent. It also really looks a lot like this guy in my Bible study. Hmm.

Wish me luck.

Safer Roads Through Wheelies

2008-05-13T08:13:00.000-04:00

Here's what I think could make roads safer...put more people on motorcycles.

Wha...? But motorcycles are so unsafe, right?

I know it sounds weird. I know it's not practical and I do say it half in jest. At the same time, I genuinely believe some time on spent on two wheels can help us all to be more careful when we're on four.

Here's the thing, there are so many people on the road that really aren't driving. They're talking on the phone. They're messing with their satellite radio. They're shaving or putting on makeup (not necessarily the same driver...but that would be interesting). With all the multitasking taking place in these steel and plastic cocoons, the actual driving has become secondary.

Motorcycles are different. Sure, you can have a nice stereo on your motorcycle but, ultimately, your focus must be on the road, you hands on the handlebars. A bike doesn't allow distractions. It doesn't take much time on a bike before you learn to be proactive, to drive defensively, and really pay attention. When you're hanging out there in the open, the right-of-way quickly becomes less important than safety. That's the first lesson you learn in a riding course...don't assume you can take action just because you're right to do so, you have to take the extra step to verify that you can survive the action. All these are valuable lessons even for those on four wheels. I know my automobile driving skills improved dramatically after only a little time on a motorcycle.

Maybe motorcycles aren't for everyone. Then again, maybe it is for a lot of people that haven't tried it. It really is a beautiful thing. The closeness with a machine. The rush. The pull of the engine. The sheer openness. It takes effort, sure. You may arrive to your destination a little tired but it's incredibly refreshing. It clears the mind.

As for the safety of the actual bikes, the biggest threat are the multi-taskers in their cocoons. While bikers can't force them to pay attention, steps can be taken to increase motorcycle safety. Take the ABATE riding course. Get your motorcycle endorsement. Wear a DOT approved helmet (preferably SNELL approved, as well) and proper riding gear. Be as visible as possible. And, like so many other activities, practice.

And, you can do wheelies...carefully, of course.

Book Review: Making Comics by Scott McCloud

2008-05-08T07:52:00.010-04:00

Making Comics
by Scott McCloud
Harper Paperbacks
ISBN 00607809

I've previously reviewed Understanding Comics and Reinventing Comics by Scott McCloud. I thoroughly enjoyed both books. Naturally, I was pretty pumped when his book, Making Comics, came out recently. I was not disappointed. Where the previous two books focused on the past and future of comics, Making Comics focused on the actual craft. This fit in nicely with my current aspirations.

One might think that this would be a step-by-step, how-to-draw book but this is not the case. Really, the core is storytelling via comics. How do you tell a story with artwork? How do you make it not only readable and worthy of reading? H0w do you make you characters interesting and convincing?

Here are some of my big takeaways:

1. How does the artist balance clarity (simplicity, ease of reading) with intensity (the flash that catches reader's attentions). What to include/exclude. Framing. POV. Really, it's like directing a film...on Bristol Board.

2. Facial expressions. Seriously, Making Comics includes pages upon pages about expression, facial musculature, and the ever-so-slight variations on expressions. These pages, alone, might make it worth buying the book. It's really impressive. It prompted me to pull out my copy of Burne Hogarth's Drawing the Human Head.

3. Word use. Details about sound effects, bubbles, even fonts. How can they help/hurt the story.

4. Making the world of your comic feel real. It really is the little details that pulls the reader into this world. Taking a little time (i.e. space in a comic) to really show the world will go a long way.

5. Tools of the trade. Honestly, I was expecting a greater focus on art mediums, materials, techniques but was pleasantly surprised. Don't misunderstand. Having the right tools can make a task a lot easier and, if having something like a t-square means I can spend more time telling the story and less time making parallel lines, I'm all for it. I appreciated McCloud's documentation of what successful artists use...having a few guidelines make the art supply story feel a lot less intimidating. I also appreciated, though, the mentioning that great artists can make terrific artwork with just a few basic tools like printer paper and ballpoint pens. Ok, I wrote more about this, the smallest aspect of the book, than any of the other takeaways. Sorry.

There you have it. I really liked the book. I'd really like to own a copy but we'll see how that works out...I'm terribly cheap.

He's Got a Knife: Exciting Conclusion

2008-05-06T07:06:00.000-04:00

So the monster and the man have color. Let's wrap this up already.

1. The Base.

I debated whether or not to have a base for quite awhile. Eventually, I decided I needed something to a) keep the two figures physically together, b) bring the figures together in one scene, and c) help keep the figures from tipping over if they get bumped. I originally thought I'd go with a plain grass or sand covered base but that wasn't enough. I then thought about simulating a sidewalk so I could have it all cracked and dislodged under the monster's feet. I finally decided on the pier idea. It brought the figures together, raised the man enough to make it appear the monster's bulk sunk him in a bit, and it gave something for the monster to demolish.

The base is a piece of Oriented Strand Board (OSB) leftover from another project. I trimmed it to the funky shape with a jigsaw. It was covered in Original Sculpey and baked. The pier is Super Sculpey, rolled flat, and sliced with an X-Acto knift. The individual boards are just pieces sliced smaller.

2. The Sea.

Like the figures, the base was painted in artist acrylics. I had to repaint the base as the water came out looking much too crystal clear Carribean blue the first time. I did some investigation online and found that mixing complementary colors can make a good brown. I had good luck with mixing purple and yellow. This, combined with some grey-blue-green made a decent swamp.

3. The Assembly.

Putting it together. The monster's eyes and teeth are attached with cyanoacrylate glue (i.e. Krazy Glue). I really like this glue for my sculpture projects. I've had good luck in using it to fix broken pieces on other projects and it seems to hold well and it dries quickly.

The monster is attached to the base with three screws from the bottom up and into his feet. These were pre-drilled plenty large to prevent breaking the clay. I then filled the holes with wood glue and inserted the screws. Maybe not the best method but it seems pretty sturdy.

Everything else was attached with more cyanoacrylate. This includes the pier to some dummy supports, the dummy supports to the base, the pier pilings to the base and pier, the random pieces of splintered wood to monster and base, and, finally, the man to the pier.

4. The Clear.

The last thing I did was spray the whole thing with a clear acrylic sealer in a matte finish. This keeps it clean and cuts down on the acrylic paint's tendency to to shine and/or remain tacky.

Then again, the project is a bit tacky all on it's own.

He's Got a Knife: Now in Color

2008-05-01T07:46:00.005-04:00

Ok, so I have a modeled monster and man, both sculpted and sanded to a point where they actually look like a monster and a man. Next up? Fun stuff.

1. The Bits.

I sculpted the monster's teeth and eyeballs separate from the beast. These were very basic chunks of Super Sculpey, modeled into crooked cones for the teeth and unevenly squashed spheres for the eyes. I'll add these to the whole later.

2. The Paint.

Let's bring this thing to life with some color. If I had an airbrush, I may have given that a shot. I don't have and airbrush (nor do I know how to use one) but that still left me with plenty of options.

I went with my Liquitex Artists Acrylic paints. Acrylic paints are easy to use, easy to mix, easy to clean, and can be used in a surprisingly number of various ways. It also dries really fast. This can be a mixed blessing in some cases but worked really well for the sculpture as it required frequent handling and turning.

I started by painting the guy. I kept him pretty basic and didn't do much color mixing. Actually, I painted the guy's skin using Testors model paint as I already had a flesh-toned color. everything else is in acrylic. The little man's horseshoe-bald head and goatee were painted using basic black paint and a drybrush technique to keep it loose.

Painting the monster was a lot more fun. The bulk of the body is painted in a dark green that's a mix of various colors that I really can't remember. I started with one of my greens, added Bronze Yellow (a gold-ish, rich tan), some blue, and maybe some other colors until I got something I liked. The tan-ish sections are a standard Bronze Yellow. The acrylic spread and colored easily so a thin coat was plenty to cover the beast.

I drybrushed some Bronze Yellow and some black over the creature, especially on the ends of the scales to add some detail and depth. This also kept him from looking like he was just one, flat color and not a swamp beast that just pulled himself from the muck.

The gills were touched with some red paint that had been thinned with water.

Acrylics...is there anything they can't do?

Next up...let's finish this thing already.

He's Got a Knife: Finishing Touches

2008-05-01T07:30:00.000-04:00

By now, I had a monster that pretty closely represented what I wanted from the finished product. Not done yet, though. FYI: I'm out of pictures until the final, final product. Sorry.

1. The Dust.

Here's where I cleaned up the finished product. This involved a lot of sanding and dusting. Not exactly difficult work but definitely messy and a little tedious. Fortunately, the Super Sculpey modeled pretty smoothly so I really didn't need to do much sanding. Just a bit to clean up some of the fingerprints and the sections where I seamed pieces together (i.e. fingers to arms).

One thing to note is that sandpaper does not like Super Sculpey. You're essentially sanding plastic and the sandpaper tends to gunk up pretty quickly. I burned through a lot of sandpaper.

2. The Man.

I haven't discussed the sculpting of the guy much outside of mentioning the aluminum foil skeleton. I went right to Super Sculpey with the man...he was small enough that he didn't need bulking up and I wanted the strength of the Super Sculpey. Even though he was small, I still modeled/baked the guy in two cycles. The first cycle resulted in a body without any hands or feet. Those were added as part of the second cycle. I knew these would need extra modeling and I was afraid I'd mess of the body if it wasn't pre-baked. The hands are pretty basic...one flat and one pointed. The feet are really just oversized bases to allow the figure to stand upright. As for the face, it's pretty vague. I did rough in a nose and eye sockets but left the rest for the painting.

He's Got a Knife: Detail Construction

2008-04-30T09:05:00.001-04:00

The last post dealt with the core construction of the monster. Now to take the previous blob of vaguely monster-shaped clay an turn it into something that you wouldn't want to see coming at you with a tiny knife.

1. The Bod.

With the the Sculpey Base, I covered the entire thing with a thin, thin (1/8 inch) layer or Super Sculpey. This was the first time I'd used Super Sculpey. My opinion? It...is...awesome. Seriously, I really like this stuff. It models well and bakes up super hard. Even with the just the thin layer, the thing was solid. I flick it with my finger and it stings a bit. It's maybe a little firmer than Original Sculpey but it feels smoother. The color is completely different, too. This is more of a skin tone color like an old G.I. Joe than Original Sculpey's stark white. I will definitely be using Super Sculpey more in the future.

I'm not sure I needed to cover the entire thing. I did it thinking it would provide a uniform Super Sculpey base as I add details later. This step also smoothed out a lot of the lump I left in the Original Sculpey. The only downside is that it caused the sculpture to be a little bulkier than it probably needed to be but it turned out well.

Anyway, after baking the initial Super Sculpey, I still had a pretty blob-ish chunk of clay with few features.

2. The Face.

Here's where I started added features to the monster. This took place through several modeling and baking cycles as I gradually built up the specifics. Over a couple evenings I added toes and claws, head shape with mouth and eye sockets, fingers and claws, finger webs, and, finally, the scales and gills.

Another thing I like about Super Sculpey is that is seems to adhere well to itself. I was able to model fingers and kind of smoosh and smooth the unbaked clay to the previously baked model easily. After baking, the transition is reasonably solid and unnoticeable.

There was a pretty tense moment while baking the monster. The baking sheet warped in the oven and the monster tipped over, breaking off a couple fingers and toes. It glued back together well but the lesson is that Super Sculpey is pretty soft while in the oven.

He's Got a Knife: Core Construction

2008-04-29T07:55:00.000-04:00

Thus far, I've reviewed the design process for He's Got a Knife. Now it's time to get our hands dirty with the core construction.

1. The Skeleton. I used aluminum foil to build the inner core of both the monster and the man. There are several reasons to build the core:

It provides an solid internal structure to which the clay can adhere.
It's useful to rough out the main shape and get the scale right.
It cuts costs. Foil is significantly cheaper than clay.
It allows for thinner, more easily baked sections of clay (i.e. you're not baking a tennis ball-sized chunk of clay...you're only baking/curing the .5 inch outer layer).

I used foil because it's cheap, light, bake-able, and we already had it on hand. I created a very rough estimate of the monster's outline with some tightly wrapped and heavily crunched foil. It was close enough that the foil monster would actually stand on it's own but that's the extent of my exactness here. I made a similar structure for the guy but it ended up being little more than a skinny stick figure.

I have heard of people using wire armatures or materials like chicken wire to build the core. I haven't tried this but I think if I were making something where I might want to reposition something mid-sculpt, the wire would hold up better than foil.

2. The Bulk. Using the foil as the base, I began bulking up the creature using Original Sculpey. There are other similar products like Fimo but I have yet to try them. I've been pleased with my previous work with Original Sculpey and, well, I don't don't like change. If you're not familiar with Sculpey, it's a polymer clay that remains soft until you bake it for 15 minutes at 275 degrees for each .25 inch of thickness. It's also easy to work with and relatively inexpensive. It does tend to be a bit brittle after baking so I'm hesitant to use it for small or thin pieces. It was perfect, though for building up the monster's beefiness.

At this point, I had already decided to make the monster a swamp beast but the figure was still pretty rough. No fingers. No toes. Just a stump for a head. The details come later.

He's Got a Knife: The Design

2008-04-28T07:23:00.009-04:00

I'm terrible with documenting my various projects. I usually start with a goal to photograph my progress but I inevitably fail to do so. On the one hand, it's unfortunate I don't have a good step-by-step history of the process. On the other hand, the fact that I didn't slow down enough to pull out the camera is pretty indicative of how into the project I was. That is, I'm passionate about it to the point that I don't want to pause for photos.

As for the He's Got a Knife (HGK) sculpture, I did take the time to snap a few photos...mostly because I had to wait for clay to harden. With this and a couple future posts I plan to document the steps I took to create the sculpture. Maybe you'll find it interesting...maybe not. I'm hoping it'll spark some fellow sculptors to take up the clay and, by all means, if you have suggestions for how something could've been done better, please share. I would love to get your ideas.

1. The Idea. HGK really started with the knife. It was leftover from a custom action figure project where a Hercules: The Legendary Journeys figure was the source (somewhere in my stash of goodies there's a tiny spear and diminutive crossbow just waiting for a project). It's a good knife. Plain. Simple. More importantly, it's sized realistically...not some huge, stylized mystic machete. The idea to build a nasty monster around a tiny knife came to me at work one day. The irony and the humor struck me. I'm a sucker for both monsters and funny so the combo was a one-two punch.

2. The Design. I sketched out a couple ideas. I didn't do a lot of this initially. The idea to make the monster more swamp-themed came later, after I decided that sculpting fur would be too difficult for a first sculpture of this magnitude. Eventually, I had a monster and a man but no base. I put more effort into the sketching of the base than the actual characters.

Those are the pre-construction steps.

Next up...construction begins.

Baby Dos: Week 35

2008-04-24T16:21:00.004-04:00

Size Comparison: Betamax VCR

Our due date is May 24th which, you know, is exactly a month from today. So we're officially scheduling appointments with the doctor weekly now. Wow! The last appointment went well. The baby is still positioned head down...mostly. The baby is a little more sideways but still generally head down. It sounds like that's not out of the ordinary. It's gotten a lot warmer here in central Indiana which, for me, is a welcome change from what seemed like a really long winter. Of course, I'm not carrying around an extra person. My wife is definitely felling the heat. Let's hope things don't get too uncomfortable.

I grew up with Betamax VCR. Not only that, it was Hi-Fi. In all seriousness, it was a great VCR. I would say it had far better picture and sound quality than our current VHS. Granted, our VHS is pretty cheap and I bet the Beta wasn't but, still, that says a lot about Beta quality for, what, 1982 or so. Sadly, the Beta got fried when our house was struck by lightening. So sad.

He's Got a Knife

2008-04-21T09:43:00.006-04:00

Here's a happy picture. As you can see, it's my very messy art desk. It's not the table or the messiness, itself, that makes me happy. What makes me smile is the fact that the messiness is proof that the table has seen from pretty extensive use recently. All too often, I've looked at the table and seen it looking spotlessly clean. That's sad. Even worse is when it's actually dusty.

What have I been working on? Well, a sculpture titled He's Got a Knife. I just wrapped it up over this past weekend. I'll post some of the detailed steps over the next week or so but, for now, here are a few simple images. I'm happy with the results. And let me tell you...I love Super Sculpey. It's some very, very cool stuff.

As for the sculpture, I hope the pictures turned out alright. The creature is holding a knife from an action figure that I can't even remember anymore. Everything was handmade.

Currently, the piece is on loan from my private collection at home to my private collection at work.

Earth Quaker

2008-04-18T07:25:00.005-04:00

No, I'm not talking about Earth Quaker, a character from The Tick. I'm talking about a little earthquake we experienced here in central Indiana this morning. Earthquakes aren't really anything we regularly notice. I guess that's kind of nice. It helps offset the ice storms and the tornadoes.

Anyway, it was an exciting start to the day. I've had trouble getting up early recently and this definitely did the trick. You can't really snooze your house when it's shaking around you. Here's how it happened. My alarm went off at 5:30am. I thought "Just a couple more minutes." I'm sure I was on my way to another hour of sleep when the house rumbled at around 5:37am. The bed, the dresser, the window blinds were all shaking. Our son slept through the whole thing but it woke up our dog who proceeded to curl up right near me at the head of the bed.

There were news reports the previous night about a sonic boom just north of us as part of an Indiana Air National Guard training session so we wondered if this was something similar though there wasn't any sound. I found the articles on the quake this morning.

Lesson: it takes an earthquake to get me into the office early.

From the Vault: From Bad to Worse

2008-04-17T07:58:00.014-04:00

This one is short by sweet. Basically, it looks like there's a motorcyclist in a pretty tight spot.

He's fallen off his motorcycle. If that weren't bad enough...
He's also caught on his motorcycle by something that looks like fabric. Maybe a cape. Or a scarf. If that weren't bad enough...
There are several sticks of lit DYNAMITE also attached to the bike. If that weren't bad enough...
HE'S STUCK THIRTY (estimated) FEET IN THE AIR! ITWBE...
THERE'S NOTHING BUT A RATTY LOOKING MATTRESS (possibly a large chunk of stinky cheese) TO CATCH HIM!

I've had two motorcycles. I have my MC license endorsement and I've completed the ABATE of Indiana Inc. Basic Riders Course. I love motorcycles. I would really like to have another one at some point.

Seriously, it's motorcycle season, be careful out there. Leave the cape at home. Keep the dynamite unlit. Wear a helmet.

Payment Plan

2008-04-15T07:46:00.004-04:00

Retro Brett is a decent blog. I know there are things I could do to make it better. Probably the the best thing would be for me to write shorter, more focused posts. Rather than one horrifically long post, several shorter posts would certainly be more readable. That's one of my top goals for the blog. I think my reworking of my categories was a help. They're less fun but they're also a little less cryptic.

Another goal...making blogging worth my while. I like blogging but, let's face it, it's not exactly paying any bills. I have several friends that have been working with services in which they actually get paid to blog. While I enjoy blogging, I also enjoy getting paid. Why not try to combine these two things? Well, I did some (not a lot...but some) research and, of the various blog advertising services, I opted to try out Smorty. Here's why:

I liked their website. It was clear, easy to use, and easy to navigate.
I liked the idea of accepting assignments rather than feeling like I had to post about something of which I had little to say.
The pay is decent. More importantly, there seems to be opportunity, as I continue, that the pay will increase.
Their rules regarding qualification and posting seemed more in keeping with the nature of my blogging.
Smorty seemed on the ball with regards to communication (i.e. "you'll hear back from us within 72 hours...").

This chance to get paid for blogging should be interesting. I'll let you know how it goes.

Action, Figures

2008-04-14T14:15:00.000-04:00

I dearly love toys. I'm particularly fond of the toys the bring back a piece of my own childhood. Legos. Hot Wheels. Fisher Price Adventure People. Old video game systems. Transformers. GI Joe. Even the lowly Go-Bot. You get the picture.

I'm not typically enthusiastic about new toys. I don't know why. I think they feel trendy. And I'm hardly ever trendy. Still, there are occasions when something new will catch my eye. Since college, this has really been limited to three lines of toys:

1. The newest series of He-Man/Masters of the Universe figures. I enjoyed the original MOTU lines of the 80's but there's no getting around the feeling that they were pretty repetitive and geared more towards marketability and sales than quality. These new toys were amazingly well sculpted figures and featured incredible detail. While they tended to be more like display pieces than toys, I fell in love with them. I was especially fond of Mer-Man, Buzz-Off, and Beast Man.

2. Stikfas. Stikfas seem like the direct opposite of the new MOTU figures. While the MOTU figures sacrificed moving parts and pose-ability in favor of detailed realism, Stikfas are simplified figures with an innovative ball-and-socket joint allowing infinite positioning. They're really the 3D version of the stick figure. I have a handful of these little guys and have successfully used them to recreate at least a dozen professional wrestling moves like the Boston Crab and the Vertical Suplex. They get a little pricey for the themed Stikfas but I highly recommend the generic blister packs...you can occasionally find them on sale online.

3. Xevoz (Zee-Voz) represent a kind of blending of the two above lines. They were developed by Hasbro off the Stikfa toys and use the same joint system. However, they're much more detailed and sculpted than the normal Stikfa. There were scorpions, robots, praying mantises, along with many, many more cool designs. They were, quite simply, a lot of fun. It's a shame the line didn't survive. They weren't really marketed here in central Indiana and I don't think they ever got the recognizability of a lot of other toys. It's hard for a new line, no matter how cool and innovative, to make it when competing against established lines and the latest movie franchise merchandising.

Anyway, that brings me to this...I'm once again excited about some new toys. Actually, two lines that are very similar. I've already mentioned Automoblox and I'm excited that these are now showing up in Target stores. I don't actually have any but I wasn't shy about opening a box at a Target and checking it out. Very, very cool. I like the simplicity and just the feel of the cars. It's not something I can really pinpoint. They feel, I don't know, wholesome. Clean. Solid. Makes me wish my Honda Civic were made of wood.

Similar to Automoblox, are these new wooden toys I saw in the latest Toys "R" Us ad. It looks like TRU is starting up entire line of more eco-friendly toys. There's a train, a fire engine, and a pretty cool truck. My favorites are the formula race car and the Indy style race car. I need to get down to TRU to check these out. I like the concept of more natural and simple toys. If I manage to get a hold of one, I'll be sure to post a review.

Baby Dos: Week 33

2008-04-11T10:30:00.002-04:00

Size Comparison: Jarts/Lawn Darts

Man, this pregnancy thing...it's like there's no stopping it. We had another doctor appointment this week and everything is looking great. The baby's heartbeat is nice and strong and he/she is still situated head down. The baby's heartbeat is a little faster (around 150 beats/minute) than Jesse's ever was (usually 140 beats/minute), whatever that means. We have another appointment in about a week and a half. I'm guessing we'll be moving to weekly appointments after that.

The baby's room did get painted this past week though we have a little stenciling yet to do. I'll post some pictures when it's really, really done. We also worked on our list of baby names. We sliced and diced the girl's name list down to just two possibilities. The boy's name list is still around six or seven options but even that is a big drop from the twenty or so we originally had. The naming is a difficult thing with so many things to think about. Do the initials spell anything? If we pick another J-name, will indicate a planned trend? What sounds good if you yell "Jesse, [fill in blank], dinner's ready!"? And once you start reading name books, it gets even more interesting. Fortunately, it's actually a lot of fun. Some of the published subjective evaluations of names are especially entertaining. For instance, the book, The Baby Name Wizard, says the name "Jesse" is "Timelessly, Lawlessly Cool". I also enjoy the Baby Name Voyager. It's a good way to check name popularity over the years. It's especially useful when you're looking for something that's not overly popular.

So, jarts...were these things ever safe. I know my family had a set though I don't remember ever playing it regularly. I do remember tossing around the target rings but those were just hollow plastic and not heavy, pointed steel. I have a friend who said he and his brother would position themselves with one in the front yard and one in the back. They would then throw jarts over their house into the other's yard. Yikes.

It's like the baby's really there!

2008-04-09T15:39:00.002-04:00

Many thanks to my friend, James, for letting me know about 3D Pregnancy and the brilliant little widget at the right of this blog. Very, very cool

Shock to the System!

2008-04-07T08:28:00.013-04:00

I happened to be checking out Woot.com the other day and there was semi-random mention of Billy Idol Fighting Zombies. It was a link and, because it mentioned both Billy Idol AND Zombies, I clicked on it as fast as possible. Anyway, it linked to Idol's Dancing with Myself video on YouTube.

First off, I strongly recommend you take a minute to listen and watch the video yourself. If you do nothing else today, this will make getting out of bed worth the effort. Face it, there's nothin' to lose and there's nothin' to prove.

Second, keep and eye on the chair that appears with Idol on the top of the building. It looks awfully similar to the chair my wife and I have in our living room. Merely a strange coincidence? I'm not convinced. I'd like to think this chair from Goodwill has seen from zombie action.

At the risk of being too racy, I'm officially naming that chair the Cradle of Love.

Baby Dos: Week 32

2008-04-03T11:30:00.000-04:00

Size Comparison: Tomy Omnibot

I've been lax in posting about the pregnancy. For that, I apologize. The good news, though, is that the baby continues to grow as it should. The pregnancy has been relatively easy and that's been a tremendous blessing. The baby is moving a lot and seems to have hiccups on a fairly regular basis. During the last appointment, the doctor kind of mapped out how the baby was positioned. We were happy to find that the baby is currently upside down. It was good to hear the baby is in the standard delivery position. Of course, that's also a good reminder that the baby will be arriving soon and we have a lot to get done first. Hard to believe there's only eight weeks until the expected due date.

We're working on getting ready for the baby. I'm painted the bedroom this weekend. Once that's done, we'll probably really get into setting the room up. At some point, you know, the baby will need some place to sleep and we have yet to get a crib. I did, finally, wrap up my list of potential baby names. We still need to combine our individual lists and run through the selection process. We started during our weekend getaway but my list was so deplorably short at the time that little was accomplished. This time, though, I'm coming to play.

Anyway, the Tomy Omnibot. The eighties were an interesting period for robots. There was certainly a fascination with robots as they were an integral part of pop culture. I mean, Knight Rider's K.I.T.T. was essentially a robot with a wicked Trans Am shell. Number 5 of Short Circuit represented the classic robot turned friend scenario. Bubo from Clash of the Titans portrayed the ever-popular robot as a friendly owl character. And who can forget that orange robot, what's-his-name , from Riptide? Naturally, robot toys were a hit. Long before the Robosapien, the Tomy Omnibot was the servent/friend robot of choice. I never had one. I remember thinking they looked pretty cool but, for some reason, it never really struck a cord with me. Maybe if it looked more like a Trans Am...

Want more robots? Check out The Old Robot's Web Site.

Goodwill Finds

2008-03-31T11:16:00.008-04:00

From our house, there are three Goodwill stores all within fifteen minutes of us. I love Goodwill so this works out well and I usually check one of them out each week. I've had good luck finding some pretty sweet things. As of late, though, I've been feeling like my luck has run dry. Is my timing off? Are the donations being spread thinly throughout the new Goodwill stores? Are all the good things going on Goodwill's Auction site? Or, am I just unlucky?

Whatever the problem, those unlucky feelings disappeared Saturday. Jesse and I were dropping off a few things and decided to quickly buzz through the store. I've been looking for small, retro-looking desk to replace our over-large corner desk and I thought it was worth a shot. Well, no desk but here's what I did find:

That's right...a Nintendo AND a Super Nintendo. $5.99 each! Score. I admit I have no idea whether they work or not. They do power up so that's a start. They're reasonably clean and had all the cables and controllers so they look well cared for. It doesn't end there...

I've been looking for a kneeling chair for my drawing table for quite some time. Here's the story: I picked up a desk chair at Goodwill awhile back and Freecycled our old chair before I remembered that I had been using the desk chair at my drawing table (this was during our move and the table was in storage). And the new chair was terrible at the drawing table so I've just been kneeling at my drawing table. It works but isn't exactly comfortable. The kneeling chair seems like a good answer to the chairless table problem. I did clean it up and quickly recovered it. The final result looks a lot better.

Thank you Goodwill.

Book Review: Reinventing Comics by Scott McCloud

2008-03-28T16:12:00.000-04:00

This is part two of my Scott McCloud book reviews. The earlier review focussed on his book, Understanding Comics. This will focus on Reinventing Comics.

Where Understanding Comics looked at the magic and the mechanics of comics, Reinventing Comics, as expected from the title, looks at some of the history of the comic along with where comics are/can be going. It also provides McCloud's ideas as to how creators and readers can maximize the potential for comics.

The first section of the book hits on a lot of history. There's a great deal of information regarding the birth of modern comics, the periods throughout history where comics experienced highs and lows. There is also a great deal of focus on Fredric Wertham, M.D. and his book Seduction of the Innocent, the resulting censorship, and the Comic Code Authority which greatly limited what was deemed publishable. Little violence. Restricted language. Most importantly, absolutely no zombies. All that was left was a lot of funny, talking animal comics.

Looking to the future, McCloud points out several events that need to take place before comics can really reach their potential. The general theme here is that comics need to reach more people. In order to reach more people, they need to appeal to more people. In order to appeal to more people, they need to grow more diverse. In order to be more diverse, they need creators that are more diverse.

The bigger question is this: how to get more diversity? If you walk into you average comic shop, the majority of it is dedicated to mainstream comics. That is, superhero comics published by a handful of publishers. These are the biggest sellers, so these are what shops, all subject to limited shelf space, stock. That makes sense. It's kind of a Catch-22 in that shops have to stock what people buy...but people won't buy what isn't stocked. McCloud gives a good timeline/sequence of events for this phenomena:

Comic shop opens and they give comics A-Z equal shelf space.
People come in and buy comics. They buy a lot of comics A, B, and C.
Comic shops start stocking more of A, B, and C. This eliminates some of the shelf space for D-Z.
People come in and continue to buy A, B, and C as that's what appears to be popular.
Eventually, the entire shop is A, B, and C and D-Z have all but disappeared.

At this stage, I doubt people just "wander into" a comic shop. I'm thinking the average buyer is something that makes a weekly Wednesday trip to the shop to pick up superhero books. I know that's a broad generalization but, let's face it, if someone is looking for a really good Crime Drama story, they probably aren't heading down to the comic shop.

Does that mean the biggest opportunities for comic book innovation aren't in the local comic shop? Well, I don't know. What does seem apparent is that the web offers amazing opportunity. This is where it really started to hit home for me because of my interest in web comics. McCloud provides another series of events, outlining the career of a "successful" comic creator:

Creator folds a 8.5 x 11 paper into fourths. They use each section as a panel and they draw a cartoon. It's for their own benefit and they do it because they enjoy drawing, creating, and their time at the drawing table. They have complete control over what they create.
Creator shows their comic to a friend. The friend likes it and encourages the Creator. Creator sells the comic to their friend for $.25. Viola! They've made their first sale!
Creator's friend shows the comic to their friends. They like it and also want to buy $.25 copies. Creator busts his bottom to hand-create comics. They still retain complete control of the work.
Popularity grows and Creator can't keep up. They start selling photocopies. They still retain full control but now they suffer three things: a) the degradation of quality via the copy process, b) the cost of making the copies which cuts into their profits, and c) time spent in the copy shop instead of at the drawing table (which is where they'd rather be, anyway).
You can probably see where this is going. The creator prospers and the comic's popularity continues to grow even outside the local area. To keep up with demand, the creator now spends a lot of time boxing and shipping books, handling payments, and filling out paperwork. This means even less time at the drawing table.
Finally, the creator farms out some of the responsibility for printing, shipping, marketing, etc. This buys them more time but the increased number of middle-men cut more into profits. Even worse, more people are trying to tell the creator what to do.
In the end, what was once done for pure enjoyment and art is reduced to business.

I know it's probably overly cynical but I'm not sure it's that far off. There's good news, though! with modern technology, there's a way to not only maximize the art and the enjoyment of the creation but also maximize distribution. Here are the things that struck me as major benefits to online comics (from both the creator and the reader standpoint).

Very little overhead. With software advancements and cheap internet hosting, the publishing of online comics is surprisingly easy and affordable.
The creator retains all creative control. No one telling them what to do, how to run the business, or how to be more marketable.
Assuming the comic is strictly online, the delivery charge amounts to nothing other than web traffic. What you deliver is entirely digital...no paper, no ink, etc. That translates to even fewer costs and fewer middle-men.
The degree of separation between the artist and the online comic book reader is (or can be) exactly one.
With all of this, we're right back at the beginning of the above scenario where the creator sells a folded 8.5 x 11 to a friend and they retain complete control over subject and quality.
Honestly, the web offers a lot of creative potential, too. The standard comic is typically confined to a certain, standard size for print and delivery. The web page is virtually endless. The potential for creative use of that space is incredible.

Now, there's some work involved in making money at it. McCloud is a big fan of what's called micropayments. I admit I haven't investigated the concept extensively but, at it's core, the creator would be able to accept very small online payments (i.e. the aforementioned $.25) in return for an online comic. It's something but it's still small enough that a buyer unsure of whether they'll enjoy a comic won't be discouraged.

Reinventing Comics was published several years ago so you'd think that, as far as technology goes, it would already be somewhat dated. Fortunately, the book sticks to broad concepts that don't really go out of date. If anything, the improvements in software and hardware have made McCloud's statements even more valid. Some might argue online publishing is getting too easy as it floods the web with, well, junk.

Do I think print comics are on their way out? No. At least, I certainly hope not. I still love the feel of the comic book in my hand. I like to flip through the pages repeatedly and I enjoy the tactile side of it. Though I don't make the weekly trip to the comic shop anymore, I still actively read graphic novels and I don't see that stopping anytime soon.

So, I actually found the book really encouraging to my efforts. McCloud has a newer book titled Making Comics. I haven't read it yet but it has definitely been added to the list.

Book Review: Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud

2008-03-24T08:20:00.000-04:00

In the past, my book reviews have been pretty short. That is partially because I don't want to "give away" too much about the books. But, I'm also kind of picky about what I read and I have no trouble putting down a book if I don't like it. The fact that I finish a book is indicative that I enjoyed it and would likely recommend it. Unlike my other reviews, this one horrifically long. I also know many of the readers of this blog aren't necessarily comic book fans so they may not jump out there and read a book about comics so I'm not really concerned with giving away the surprise ending.

While I'm not making a weekly trip to the comic shop, my interest in comics is as strong as ever. Most recently, I've grown more and more interested in the art and the future of comics. This is, in part, due to a renewed desire to work on some web comics and to increase my chances of making those web comics...not stink. In an effort to expand my knowledge of both the nature and the potential of comics, I went to two books by Scott McCloud. This was actually a re-read of these book but they were no less informative the second time around. I thought about doing one review of both but am, instead, opting for two separate reviews. This review is the first. My thoughts on McCloud's Reinventing Comics will be posted in a few days.

Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud is an interesting read for anyone at all interested in comics. It certainly takes what is often viewed as low-brow, trivial junk to be tossed in the garage sale pile or garbage pail and begs you to take a second look. McCloud breaks comics down, redefining the lowly medium as not only art but, specifically, as sequential art. That is, art that encompasses time, action, or motion (or all of the above) rather than one moment in time. The history of the medium is traced from ancient cave paintings to the Column of Marcus Aurelius to a visual depiction of the Martyrdom of Saint Erasmus all the way up to the works of such greats as Art Spiegelman (Maus), Will Eisner (The Spirit, et al), Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (Watchmen), and Frank Miller (The Dark Knight Returns).

McCloud also discusses the nature and perception of comics in other (i.e. non-North American) cultures. Specifically, he looks at the comics of Japan and contrasts them with western comic (comics from western culture...not comics about cowboys). Where western comics tend to focus on the superhero and non-superhero action comics that still feel like superhero comics, Japan comics are more diverse with genres that mirror your local library's selection (action, drama, romance, etc). The superhero theme is, of course, to be expected in the West as that's what sells the best. Naturally, publishers will print what people buy (more on that in my follow-up review). Also, Japanese comics are more often published and bound as novel-sized volumes rather than in monthly, episodic increments. The cultural differences run deeper and well into the actual art. Read on.

Even more interesting than the history and demographics of comics is the, for lack of a better term, magic of comics. Really, the relationship between what comics are/can do and how they relate to the human mind is fascinating. In particular, McCloud discusses the way time is represented in comics. More accurately, how time is perceived in comics. We look at a photograph and understand that it's a snaphot of a single instant and nothing more. However, if we look at a single panel of a comic, it could encompass any amount of time. It could be an instant (i.e. an image of a gunshot) or it could represent several minutes (i.e. an entire conversation). Actions and reactions can be captured within a single bound box. The tools used by the comic creator to represent time are varied with the most common being the basic word/thought balloons and simple object placement (following the Western left-to-right reading). There's more, though. A dramatic pause, for instance, could by shown via an extra wide panel, multiple silent panels, or a normal panel with extra wide gutters (the space between panels). Even more details are given regarding the mystical space that is the gutter.

Motion, like time, is another less tangible concept that requires some doing to fit into a static, two dimensional panel. McCloud looks at the various means comic creators have used to represent motion. The common methods involve multiple panels, motion lines, and the use of subjective motion (previously common to only Japanese comics but growing in popularity) which places the object as the focus and the surroundings being "blurred".

The nature of the panel is also discussed in great length. The various kind of transitions between the panels is the focus. What's represented when moving from one panel to the next? Motion? Action? Emotion? Tension? Nothing except a pause? Details and examples of all these are provided. The power of the panel is no more obvious than in the previously blogged Garfield minus Garfield comics. I'm not sure anything could represent awkward creepiness as well as an empty panel portraying absolutely nothing.

All in all, the images on the page are representative of some thing. McCloud points out that, no matter how realistic a drawing may be...it's still just a drawing. A highly detailed image of a pipe, for example, is still not an actual pipe though the eye and the brain still recognizes it as a pipe. A simplified drawing of a pipe is still translated into a pipe in the brain. Even more simplified would be the word "pipe" written on a page. It still invokes the image of a pipe despite the fact that the lines that make up the letters look nothing like a pipe. Stylization isn't bad by any means. In fact, making an overly detailed drawing can actually be distracting from the point. What is more evocative of a pipe? Something in a simple Courier font? Or something written in in a flowery calligraphy script. Both work, but which is better? The same idea works for drawings.

Finally, McCloud discusses the comic creators. What makes a creator great? Essentially, comics are a representation of something in the creator's mind. No matter how good a comic is, it will never rival what's actually in the imagination. A creator, then, is measured by their effectiveness at getting their imagination transmitted and translated into the imagination of the reader.

In short, I would recommend the book to my friends. In fact, I own a copy so if any of my friends want to borrow it, feel free to ask.

This is your brain...

2008-03-20T07:42:00.006-04:00

I realized two very cool, somewhat related things, this morning.

First, a close college friend--we'll call her NerdGirl--has a blog. I don't know why I didn't realize that before. I'll be checking it out on a regular basis. She is, after all, at least partially responsible for initiating the first date between my wife and me.

Second, I realized another college friend (also my wife's ex-roommate) is not only reading my blog but also has her own. Alexis, I'll be reading so let's keep it clean. :)

So the first thing I noticed while perusing the above sites was the great big image of a green brain on NerdGirl's blog. Anyway, it was an entry about a site that will help you determine the color of your mind. Interesting. With only a few questions answered, it figured out mine was purple. I assume that's under the gray matter. Either way, the diagnosis seemed spot-on.

What Color Is Your Mind?

Loveseats and Zeppelins

2008-03-19T10:10:00.005-04:00

My lovely wife and I just got back from what many people call a "Baby-moon." We took a long weekend to enjoy some time together before Baby Dos moves in this May. It was a the fun and relaxing few days we both needed. Here's how it went down:

Friday afternoon: We dropped Jesse and our dog, Maggie, off at my in-laws and headed out to Cincinnati. We arrived at our hotel, a SpringHill Suites, right around dinner time. We scoped out the local area, had dinner, and relaxed at the hotel that evening. We don't go out of town often but, when we do, we've really liked the suite-type hotels. They usually feel a little more spacious with multiple rooms and often have things like microwave ovens, small refrigerators, and better-than-average breakfasts. And they really don't cost much more than a non-suite hotel.

Saturday: We drove up to Dayton to the National Museum of the USAF and spent the day there. I'll try to write more information on this in the near future. I first need to see if any of the pictures taken in the various hanger buildings are actually worth posting. I will tell you this...the place is awesome. We went a few years ago and they've since expanded significantly. Really, we were there from 10am - 4pm and still managed to miss a lot. We saw the aircraft stored inside but we didn't get a chance to read all the historical data or see the outside planes (it was raining). And finding time for the Presidential Gallery or the Research and Development Gallery was out of the question. Another trip is definitely in order.

Sunday, we hit the new IKEA in West Chester, OH. It opened just last week so we expected it to be a complete madhouse. We were right about the madhouse thing but it was certainly tolerable. The place is well designed and, despite the sheer number of people, it didn't feel claustrophobic. We picked up a few things: shelves for Jesse's and Baby Dos' room, one of those kiddy-tunnel things, place mats, curtain rods, and a step stool). Anyway, we didn't exactly spend a lot of money and that's perfectly fine. The best things we took home were ideas for future decorating. And the nice thing about this IKEA is that it's only a couple hours away so a quick day-trip isn't out of the question if/when we start thinking about remodeling projects.

Finally, we came home Sunday afternoon. I took Monday and Tuesday off to recuperate and enjoy some non-committed, margin time. It was spent working on some drawings for a web comic idea, a nifty sculpture, and, most importantly, enjoying my family.

I also bought some new wiper blades (but not at IKEA).

Less is More. Also More Funny

2008-03-13T14:13:00.005-04:00

Less is often more.

We at the home office have realized this most recently when someone discovered there is a brilliant mind doctoring Garfield comics so as to completely remove Garfield. That's right, Garfield minus Garfield. At first, it sounds like a silly and unfunny idea. Trust me, it's neither. Well, maybe a little silly. But definitely funny.

Having attended college in Muncie, the home of Jim Davis, Paws, and all things Garfield, this hits a little close to home. But I'm not bitter in the least. What was once a comic strip about a fat cat and his quirky, neurotic owner, Jon, has been transformed into a hilarious but often disturbing strip about Jon, a man barely holding onto the fringe of reality. No longer do I feel sorry for Jon, his struggles to get a second date, or his having to purchase fern plants at an alarming rate. I think I'm a little afraid of him.

From the Vault: The Great Train Robbery

2008-03-11T15:12:00.006-04:00

In addition to westerns, I've always been a fan of superheroes. I don't really know where that came from. My parents aren't really fans. And I don't remember my older brother reading comic books. Still, he has mentioned that I used to go around the house saying things like "Brett Smash!" I don't remember that but, apparently, my love of comics and heroes goes back quite a way.

So, here's another good drawing from my archive. There's a lot going on here with two heroes and a lot of action.

- Dude with a power beam. I'd think it was Green Lantern except the modern Green Lantern doesn't wear a cape. Maybe it's the Golden Age Green Lantern.

- Another dude. This one has x-ray vision as evidenced by his ability to see through the truly gigantic flying safe to the bomb and/or money inside. Seems like it might be Superman except he also has some kind of rapid fire beams emanating from his hands. Doesn't appear to be a gun. I don't know.

- An old timey train. Not sure what it's carrying but it's obviously something worth stealing.

- A villian. Not just a villain, a big villain. One willing go at a train head-on. I don't want to mess with him. It kind of looks like he may have a horn. If so, I'd think he was the Rhino but everyone knows he's a Marvel character whereas Green Lantern and Superman are DC. I wouldn't have made that kind of mistake. Maybe that horn is just brain splatter.

Canned Ham: Thanks, but no thanks.

2008-03-07T15:51:00.003-05:00

Find out if Jerry is a real woman.

Hey, if it's that much of a mystery, I'll just pass.

Money won. Money spent.

2008-03-06T12:45:00.002-05:00

I recently participated in a writing contest hosted by the Professional Cool blog. I'm proud to say I won. This is actually the first time my writing has actually paid off and I'm a dollar richer because of it. Of course, I think I was the only entry but that's the kind of contests where I can really excel. In short, though, the challenge involved writing a 200 word story about how bad of a situation a lost dollar could create. My story will be posted below.

What am I going to do with my new-found cash? I'll be honest, I've already spent it. In fact, I spent that dollar plus another two purchasing the cheapest baking sheet I could find at the local super center. I know that seems like a strange thing to splurge on. I mean, I could've been using it to buy candy, soda, or one-eighth of an Automoblox mini now being sold at Target stores (those are...so...cool). Strangely, the baking sheet counts as a non-cooking hobby/art expense as I'll be using it to bake various Sculpey projects. I figured the baking sheet is going to get nasty and gross over time and wanted something dedicated to Sculpey rather than something we'd later want to use in making cookies or something. Anyway, I used the baking sheet for the first time last night in the first round of baking my next project. I hope to complete and post pictures of that project in the near future.

Anyway, the story:

Rod McDurmitt is walking through the office with a cup of hot coffee. Being of the clumsy sort, Rob trips over his shoelace and takes a tumble into a bookcase. Several outdated programming books topple onto Rod and he suffers severe head trauma and extreme swelling around the head and neck. Fortunately, someone trained in handling that sort of thing—we'll call him Rhett—is available. Rhett quickly assesses the situation and springs into action. He produces a small penknife from his pocket and, using his own glasses to focus the light of the sun (pouring into the office via several large windows) into a beam of burning cleanser, he sterilizes the blade. In seconds, Rhett has begun and emergency tracheotomy on his coworker. But Rhett has nothing to use as a tracheostomy tube. No empty pen. No stir sticks (the coffee service is late this week). Nothing.

"Does anyone have a dollar bill and I roll and use?" he cries.

"I do. Just a sec," another coworker, Mavid, responds. There's a pause. "Well…there was a dollar bill here just the other day. I wonder what happened to it."

The story does not end well for Rod.

Baby Dos: Week 28

2008-03-05T10:00:00.000-05:00

Size Comparison: Lego Set #6951, The Space Series Robot Command Center. I loved this thing. Still do, actually. It's in a box in my bookcase and I keep meaning to get it out again. It had the core robot command center that featured robotic "arms", a huge missile, and some pretty sweet computer printed bricks. On top of that, it had a small rover, a small flying vehicle, and three minifigs.

Things are still lookin' good. Last week's appointment with the doctor went well and blood glucose/gestational diabetes test wasn't a problem. We're definitely feeling the new baby move a lot. And it's more than just kicks now and then. We can really feel solid movement as the baby shifts from one position to another. We're even able to make out real body parts. You know, that feels like a pointy elbow. That feels rounded. Cool stuff.

Jesse's room did get painted and we moved him back in last weekend. I'll be moving on to the baby's room shortly. We haven't officially picked colors for the room that that should be coming soon.

Big Brother

2008-03-03T09:00:00.001-05:00

The above pictures are of my older brother and I. I am, of course, the younger of the two. I think our ages were 2 and 10 in one and 3 and 11 in the other. And, yes, these would be from the late seventies.

My older brother got married this past weekend. I'm saddened by the fact that I wasn't there to help celebrate the event. I'm bummed I wasn't able to support my family in person. I'm also bummed that I missed the fireworks. On the other hand, I hope my immediate family can plan a real trip out to Texas to visit my brother and his new family in the near future.

In honor of my big brother's new venture, here are a few memories I have of our childhood:

1. Being out in the field behind our house. Ron would pick up a clod of dried dirt, say "This is your face!", and smash it into the ground.

2. In the same field, firing off Ron's model rocket.

3. Going with Ron in his 1967 Firebird Convertible (white, white top, red interior, and a 327 V8, I believe) to pick up a pizza at Godfather's pizza. I also remember his car breaking down on the way home and a flatbed trailer having to pick it up.

4. Trips to the arcade. This is back when games were $.25 and Q-Bert was the rage.

5. Going to Ron's baseball games, basketball games, and cross-country meets.

6. Playing Intellivision and being awed by my brother's prowess at Lock and Chase.

7. Water skiing with the family. Ron was extremely good at skiing and the knee board.

8. Ron had a Billy Idol button.

9. Ron once dated a girl with the last name of "Butz." I remember thinking that was pretty funny as a little kid.

Butz. That's funny.

From the Vault: Fool's Glod!

2008-02-22T08:16:00.010-05:00

I've always liked westerns movies. I'm particularly fond of the Eastwood flicks like The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Pale Rider, and the strange but fascinating High Plains Drifter.

A side note here: my wife and I have been watching a lot of the old Batman series off VHS tapes recently. The pair of episodes we watched last night actually featured Eli Wallach as Mr. Freeze. Eli, of course, played Tuco (i.e. the Ugly) in The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.

Back to westerns. There was a time when I wanted to be a cowboy when I grew up (I'm not convinced I've outgrown that phase) and the attached drawing is evidence of that. At first, it looks like a pretty straightforward depiction of an epic battle between two cowboys and two Native Americans. However, this battle comes with a couple twists.

One cowboy has not only a jetpack but a DOUBLE jetpack. In this little scene, the cowboy has emptied his entire six-shooter in what I would call the unkindest shot.
One Native American appears to have a rocket arrow which he's using to actually transport himself.

The second cowboy controls some sort of auto-firing, multi-projectile launcher. It's firing knives and cannonballs with incredible efficiency.

It appears that the entire battle revolves around a dispute about the local Glod Mine. All that fighting...more like Fool's Glod, if you ask me.

Baby Dos: Week 26

2008-02-19T10:49:00.007-05:00

Size Comparison: a fondue pot. I know fondue pots are still around. For that matter, there are even fondue restaurants like The Melting Pot. Still, fondue pots always remind me of the avocado green pot my family had while I was growing up. Whenever birthdays came around, I'm pretty sure fondue was a pretty frequent celebratory dinner request. No doubt is was terrible for my parents to clean up but I remember that fondue sizzle with oil-splattering fondness. Besides, this was the week our pregnancy book likened the size of the baby to a 2-pound pot roast so the food comparison seemed appropriate.

Things are good. We have an appointment next week. This may be our last monthly appointment. I'm not sure on that. We'll be going down to every other week appointments shortly. We're busily trying to get ready for the new addition. I'm planning to paint Jesse's room this weekend. Once that's done, I'll move onto the baby's room. We're also pondering what to do about the whole stroller situation. Should we get a double stroller? Do we need one? We're also strongly considering a pouch carrier from Wallababy. We've heard very good things about them and the fact that they're made locally is another plus.

How about the other parents out there? How did you handle multiple kids and things like trips to the grocery store?

From the Vault: Tiny Battles

2008-02-13T11:01:00.012-05:00

I'm fortunate that my parents saved so many things from my childhood. It's fun to go back and look through some of the photos, drawings, and writings that made up my childhood. More importantly, what do these thing tell me about the kind of kid I was? I still don't know that answer.

Anyway, here's a pretty exciting drawing. Check it out...it has everything you'd expect from a big-budget Hollywood movie. Fiery parachutes. Planes hitting helicopters. Motorcycles fitted with right-angle guns for mid-jump tank attacks. Finally, there's what appears to be the bombing of a Cord convertible. That's a lot of action to pack onto one sheet of typing paper.

I especially like the segment where it states the drawing represents WWII that Brett made. Don't count on it being historically accurate.

Canned Ham: Alarming

2008-02-07T14:33:00.000-05:00

Your neighbors lost their alarm-clock

Three words: NOT MY PROBLEM

Breed Schmeed

2008-02-05T11:47:00.000-05:00

I've had many pets over the years. I'm a pet person. When it comes to dogs, I tend to favor the mixed breeds. Our Maggie is a mix of...I don't know...brown dogs...and she's terrific. When we're ready to adopt another dog, we'll likely go to a local shelter and take home whatever we like. There's a good chance it'll be a mixed breed. Don't get me wrong, I like purebred dogs as well. To me, the biggest benefit to a purebred dog is the breed standards and the consistency you can expect. If I'm looking at a puppy of a certain breed, I know, based upon breed standards, the kind of adult the dog will likely be. How big? How much exercise will they need? What will their temperament be? For example, I know a Fox Terrier pup is likely to grow into an adult that's small, energetic, and constantly chasing things . And if I'm getting a dog from a reputable breeder, there's a good chance I can actually meet the pup's parents. That situation is even better. Let's face it, owning a dog is a huge responsibility that lasts many, many years. Knowing what to expect is a great idea...much better than getting a dog you're unhappy with later.

Anyway, I'm fascinated by the semi-recent popularity of hybrid/designer dog breeds. Have you noticed? I think it started with the Labradoodle but it's simply gone crazy since. Looking through the pet section of the local newspaper reveals numerous dogs with names made up of existing dog breed combinations. Even more fascinating are the asking prices for these dogs. Seriously, $1200 for something called a Havamalt?! I know they're trendy and hip but, designer or not, they're the same mixed breed dogs that have been in shelters for decades. You might you have a better idea of what the dog will grow into but I don't think there's any guarantee. Will my Poodle-Afghan Hound mix get the Poodle intelligence or the Afghan's supposed lack thereof?

Sidenote: there are still a number of mixed-breed dogs in the paper with reasonable prices (high enough to discourage those with less-than-honorable intentions but low enough to be sane) and I'm perfectly fine with those dogs and their owners. I hope these dogs don't go unwanted and unadopted because of the popular designer pups.

I'd be interested to know how the designer dog trend got started. Who first decided designer dogs were such a gold mine? I'm guessing one guy had a Lab, his neighbor had a Poodle, and, somewhere in there, the dogs got a little frisky. Just before they were about to give the pups away for free, there was a conversation between a poodle owner (PO) and an allergic friend (AF) that went something like this:

AF: Hey, do you hear that?
PO: What? The dogs barking?
AF: No, my sneezing, wheezing, scratching, and sniffly nose.
PO: But you're not sneezing, wheezing, scratching, or sniffling.
AF: Exactly!
PO: These dogs must be hyperallergenic! I'll be rich!
AF: I think you mean hypoallergenic.
PO: Whatever. I'll be rich!

On the positive side of the trend, making up dog breeds can be fun:

Spitz-Chow

Hava-Great Dane

Skye-Mal

Whippet-Whippet-Pood

Retrospective: October 1988

2008-02-01T08:03:00.000-05:00

I have a small box of old papers that I've been sorting through. It's mostly report cards, drawings, and occasional projects from school. I'll post more about some of this later but, for now, I want to look on an interesting newspaper clipping I found stashed in amongst the teacher reviews and little league photos. The clipping is from the 10/12/1988 issue of USA Today and focuses on academic advice for students looking forward to college. It's interesting but nothing that I'm overly excited about right now. Really, I'm surprised that in the midst of mowing yards to earn money, running cross country, and just being awkward around girls, I had time to look forward to college back then (I would've been thirteen and in seventh grade at the time).

Anyway, I was about to toss out the article when I struck gold! On the back of the education article was printing the TV Ratings for the week of 10/3/1988 through 10/9/1988! I don't have the bottom section of the ratings but it's still a pretty sweet score.

So, let's look back at the top 10 shows for week:

The Cosby Show
A Different World
Golden Girls
Empty Nest
Dear John
Jesse
ALF
NFL Football/60 Minutes/Hogan Family/Tonight Show Anniversary (tie)

Now, the bottom 5:

The Cavanaughs/Bugs Bunny Special (tie)
Perfect Strangers/Wiseguy (tie)
Simon & Simon
Live! Dick Clark Presents

I'm shocked that Simon & Simon rated so poorly. Then again, they were on Saturday night, opposite that ratings juggernaut, Golden Girls with their Amen lead-in and Empty Nest trailer. Perfect Strangers rated surprisingly low, too. Poor Balki. I do like the fact the Perfect Strangers and Wiseguy tied. Not only did the have similar ratings but they'd make a terrific bit of crossover fan fiction.

It really is a time capsule in print. There's ALF. Mr. Belvedere. 227. Vice Presidential Debates. It's all there. But not a single reality show. And, apparently, the FOX network isn't even on the radar. How times have changed.

Baby Dos: Week 24

2008-01-31T08:00:00.000-05:00

Size Comparison: A Capsela Kit. Ok, I never actually had Capsela. I leaned more towards Legos. But I had friends with Capsela and they always seemed interesting. Building toys have been big for a long, long time. They've grown increasingly more specialized which I find to be a bit of a bummer. Sure, the Star Wars themed Legos look cool but once you've built an X-Wing Fighter, what else do you do with all those special parts. Like Tinker Toys, Erector sets, and many Legos, Capsela was pretty open to design and redesign.

Baby Dos is growing. She's moving around a lot, too. It seems like her schedule syncs up well with ours, being more active in the evening but quieting down about the time we're going to bed. I hope the continues for, you know, the next several years.

Our appointment with the doctor went smoothly on Monday and it really was a quick checkup. The doctor listened to the heartbeat, asked if we had any questions, and confirmed that Denisa was feeling fine. All is well. The next appointment will iunclude the gestational diabetes test. As you can imagine, Denisa is really looking forward to that.

Maggie

2008-01-29T09:17:00.001-05:00

Around nine years ago, a mixed breed dog joined our family. My in-laws own a business near the Indy airport and, one day, a dog took up residence under their dumpster. We don't know where she came from or how she came to be sleeping under a dumpster. We checked newspapers and shelters to see if anyone reported a lost dog matching her description but never found a thing. We assume someone dropped he off somewhere. Terribly sad.

Fortunately, though, my in-laws like dogs, fed her a few ham sandwiches, and took her home. Anyway, she stole my then-fiancee's heart and has been with us ever since. Maggie is part of our family and we love her dearly. She's a terrific dog but still somewhat of a mystery as we have no idea what breeds combined to create Maggie. When people ask what kind of dog she is, we usually answer with something like "brown" because that's the best we've got. There are a couple tests (Mars Wisdom Panel™ MX Mixed Breed and MetaMorphic Canine Heritage Breed) available to help track down your mixed-breed's heritage and I admit that I'm tempted. We haven't sprung for it and I doubt that we will. Still, it's an interesting proposal.

Has anyone else tried one of these tests? What was your experience? Looking at these pictures of our 23 pound brown dog, any thoughts on breed? Lab? Dachshund?

Canned Ham: Conspiracy Theory

2008-01-25T14:04:00.000-05:00

The Secrets to Aging

I'd really like to know about this big aging cover-up. I mean, I've managed to age but that was mostly due to my own tenacious hardheadedness about not wanting to be dead.

Surely there's an easier way. There's probably some suit in a high-rise office that's keeping it from us.

Baby Dos: Week 23

2008-01-25T13:36:00.000-05:00

Size Comparison: A Mego Action Figure (Captain America, in this case). I never had the superhero-themed Mego figures but I was fortunate enough to have the Lone Ranger and Tonto figures. They were terrific. Their size made them a lot heftier to play with than a lot of the later action figure. They were kind of on the same scale as the original G.I. Joes. What's also great is that they came with real clothes. It's a good time to look through the eBay listings to see all the toys lacking the frequently lost items of clothing. It makes for some awkward but hilarious pictures. What? It's Captain Kirk, Spock, The Hulk, and Penguin all hanging out with no pants. Interesting. I missed that comic book.

It's hard to believe we're over half of the way through the pregnancy already. It's gone by with blinding speed. The baby is getting stronger each and every day and we're feeling her movements get stronger as well. Just the other day, I could actually see the baby kick. It was just a little blip but still...pretty amazing. The growth rate is hard to believe.

Anyway, we have an appointment with the doctor this coming Monday. I believe it's just the standard checkup and won't involve anything out of the ordinary (ultrasounds, glucose test, etc.) but, still, wish us luck.

And, yes, I did refer to the baby as her but that's not because we know the baby's gender. Using he/she makes it sound a lot more personal than always using it or the baby.

All things Retro

2008-01-23T09:53:00.000-05:00

I happened upon what it is maybe my new favorite site for all things retro. If you're into things like old toys, cars and/or bikes, Max Headroom, or, heck, almost anytyhing, check out Retro Thing.

There's an especially interesting story about how, in 1987, someone hijacked a local Chicago television signal and broadcast their own version Max Headroom. There's some good video of the hacking but, be warned, it does involve some mooning.

There's no way for me to summarize the site without continuing, as I've already done, to post way too many links. It's a good time and I plan visit Retro Thing on a regular basis.

Johnny Bench

2008-01-21T08:59:00.000-05:00

Despite the incredibly cold weather and that fact I could see my breath while I was out in the garage, I finished the workbench this weekend. And, I must say, it's a beautiful, beautiful thing. I started with the plans for The Ultimate Tool Stand but ended up making quite a few changes. The first change being a move to building the base out of 2 x 4s rather than MDF. That was partly for economy and party because 2 x 4s fit much better than sheet goods in a 1995 Honda Civic. The other change was to use particle board instead of MDF for the flat surfaces. Again, it was a little cheaper and I doubt the work I'll be doing will be putting so much stress on the thing that I need to worry much about it falling apart.

Anyway, the feature list:

1. The whole thing is on locking casters. When I want to use it, I can roll it out . When I'm done, I roll it into the corner and my car still fits in the garage.

2. Sliding doors. Combined with the enclosed ends and the dividers, the doors create two large , nigh dust-free compartments. Plenty of space for saws, routers, etc.

3. Three removable boxes. These provide several things. First, height adjustment. If I want to work on something tall like a bicycle, I can pull the boxes off. If I'm working on something smaller, I put them back. Also, when I use a miter saw, I pull out the middle box, set the saw in its place, and the two outside boxes provide a level "feed." Removing all three boxes leaves the bench at a good height to line up with my table saw...a perfect outfeed surface.

4. Clamp space. The open area sandwiched between the top and bottom of the boxes, provide ample space to clamp things. Per the Ultimate Tool Stand, I still have the ability to cut grooves into the boxes which would provide even more clamping capability.

5. It's incredibly strong. A lot stronger than I expected.

6. I think the whole thing cost me around $50. Not bad.

I'm still thinking I may coat the horizontal surfaces with polyurethane. That would definitely help smooth and protect the surface. Of course, it needs to get a lot warmer before I can even thing about doing that.