A New Frontier

I stopped buying monthly comic books a few months ago. That was a big deal for me if for no other reason than than I'd been making a semi-weekly trip to the comic shop for several years. It's not that I've given up on comics as that's certainly not the case. If anything, I'm more into them than ever. But that stoppage has freed up both time and money (but mostly time) to invest in reading either graphic novels or collected reprints of monthly comics. I enjoy having everything "right there". There's no waiting for next month's issue. There's no trying to figure out what I missed before I started picking up a title. Anyway, I've written about that before.

I've read some books I've really enjoyed. I liked DC's Showcase Presents: Jonah Hex. I also really enjoyed Superman: Secret Identity. Of course, I've also read some that I didn't care for like Son of Superman.

Most recently, I've been reading DC: The New Frontier. It was published a few years ago so I'm a little behind the game as I only found out about it recently. And that was only because of an email I received about the upcoming animated movie based on the book. I've got to say, the book(s) (it's actually published in two volumes) have blown me away. Here's why:

1. It's a great story. It spans several decades, weaving several generations of characters into a something that ultimately gives us the first incarnation of the Justice League. Characters that really don't interact...ever...are meeting under believable circumstances. Obviously, it's a comic book so I'm using a pretty loose interpretation of the term "believable". Still, it's impressive.


2. It's set during the mid-/late-fifties. Why is that a big deal? Well, first, it's about the time the Justice League was actually developed (1960). Several of the individual characters like the Hal Jordan Green Lantern (1959) and the Barry Allan Flash (1956) also debuted during that timeframe. In other words, it's not a modernized version of the characters. It's not taking place in some other dimension. The time feels real and there are plenty of semi-accurate historical tidbits.


3. More important than the time of the setting is the mood of the setting. The time period just fits, for lack of a better term. Space was a mystery. Communism was a threat. The heroes of the day were astronauts, test pilots, veterans not juiced up athletes or grandstanding celebrities. People had a genuine sense of duty and honor. I don't know. It's not like I was alive during the 1950s so maybe I'm just being nostalgic for a time that at least appears less murky than today.


4. It does justice to the characters. There seems to be a trend to make comic book characters...you know...trendy. They've been created and recreated to make them more human and more flawed...ordinary people with flaws. The thing with DC: The New Frontier is that, while the character still have flaws, these characters were, at their core, extraordinary even without the powers. If they weren't extraordinary...well, that's where the supervillians come from. Anyway, the heros (superpowered and otherwise) inspire courage which, I think, is what they're meant to do.


5. It introduced me to characters the I either a) didn't know about or b) was unfamiliar with. The Challengers of the Unknown. The Sea Devils. The Suicide Squad. I'll be looking them up.


6. The Flash and Green Lantern, awesome characters that tend to get overshadowed by Superman and Batman, save the day. The Flash is fast. Really, REALLY fast. Seriously.

There's good interview with Darwyn Cooke, the author and artist behind DC: The New Frontier, on the Comic Book Resource site. He hits on a lot the things I mentioned. After this, I will be checking out some of his other work.

Check out the trailer for the animated movie.

2008 is Enough

2007 was a huge year at the RetroBrett house(s). To name a few of the big things to happen:

1. Sold our over-big house.
2. Didn't buy multiple houses.
3. Moved to an over-small apartment.
4. Bought a reasonably sized house and moved in.
5. Sold a car.
6. Bought a car.
7. Successfully parented our first child.
8. Found out we're having a second child.
9. Went on a Men's retreat.
10. Paid off all debts except the house.
11. Stopped buying comic books (that really was big for me).

2008 is looking better than ever. It's comforting to look at the above list and realize the most stressful events (i.e. the house/car things) shouldn't be happening again in 2008. Trust me...we're NOT moving in 2008. In theory, it should be a quiet year, right? Well, we'll see. Having the second child is our really big thing and that alone guarantees the year won't be quiet we couldn't possibly be more excited about it.

Anyway, as is customary with a new year, I have a list of resolutions that I hope to implement in 2008. Ok, I started to make this list but realized that everything kind of fell under one BIG resolution. So, one resolution with a lot of sub-resolutions/results.

1. FOCUS! FOCUS! FOCUS! Seriously, don't get distracted by meaningless junk...tv, computer games, self critisism, etc.

• Finish reading the Bible. I guess I’ll never really finish reading the Bible but I do want to finish this pass through. I’m deep into Psalms right now.

• Read for pleasure. My to-read list gets longer every week.

• Get up earlier. When I do, I want to actually use that time for drawing, sculpting, writing...creating in general.

• Actually work on my list of creative projects. I have notebooks FULL of ideas and sketches. They aren't doing any good there.
  

• Continue to fix up/organize the house. Paint. Finish the workbench. Fence the yard. Again, a long list.

• Follow our written budget.

• Stick to a fitness program. I really need some cardio work. And putting on a few extra pounds wouldn’t hurt.

2008, bring it on!

Canned Ham: Regular Users

This is a very special installment of the RetroBrett Canned Ham How it is special? Well, it's RetroBrett's very first SimulBlog. At the very time this Canned Ham is posted, my friend and fellow blogger over at Professional Cool is blogging about the very same subject. No, not about spam. Rather, he's blogging about the subject of this particular spam. That subject? Colon cleansers.

(America’s Favorite Colon Cleanse Try it Free)

Yes, America has spoken. In a poll of several hundred users of colon cleanser, this one was chosen as the least detestable of them all.

I also like that the subject is in parenthesis. It's like the email is sharing some kind of secret that only the "in people" know.

In related spam, I almost always delete any email coming from the sender Colon Flush. Ok, I always delete them.

Baby Dos: Week 19

Size Comparison: Masters of the Universe Moss Man figure

I felt Baby Dos move the other night! That was the first time I've been able to feel the baby. Amazing! The pregnancy feels more and more real each week.

Ah, Moss Man...he's like a breath of fresh, moss-scented air. Seriously, the original Masters of the Universe Moss Man toy was scented. Really. You just don't find many scented action figures. A new version came out with the 2002 cartoon series but it was some kind of MOTU exclusive thing. You can pick one up on eBay or, if you can pick up a cheap Beast Man figure, you can customize your own. Me? I'll go with the latter at some point. It'll go well with my custom Faker figure.

Canned Ham: We all scream

Re: Be the a la mode with our cheapo watch.

I suppose if I were "a la mode" I could, technically, be "fashionable" or "stylish". Me? I'd prefer to think the a la mode version of myself to be pretty much the same as usual...but with ice cream.

So Long, Star

Well, I sold the Star the Moped. Yep, someone bought and took it home last night. It's a little saddening as I did put a lot of work into the thing. And it had a lame coolness that I'll miss. Still, I made a decent amount money on it...probably a $100 more than I put into it. That's a good thing. Of course, if I look at the hours I invested, it probably translates to me earning something like $1/hour. Those were enjoyable hours, though, so looking at the hourly income is a little meaningless.

Anyway, I have some extra cash. And I have a pretty significant chunk of my garage floorspace back. I'm happy about both of those things.

I was also happy to see the moped go to a good home. I know that sounds silly and part of my means it to be silly. There's another part of me that's serious. The new owners live in Bloomington, Indiana and it sounds like they have a pretty close group of fellow moped riders. Star will get to feel the thrill of the open road far more often than it ever did with me.

So long, Star. The journey we shared was slow, sometimes hard-starting, and often frightening. More importantly, that journey was always fun. Thanks.

Baby Dos: Week 17

Size Comparison: A Choose Your Own Adventure novel

Ok, I missed a week. I'm sorry. Relax. Anyway, everything is still looking good. I think Denisa is officially feeling the baby move. From what I've been told, it's a weird fluttering sensation. It'll be a few weeks before I can feel anything but this definitely psychs me up a bit. Denisa is doing well. She's at a point where it's no longer really safe to sleep on her back due to the circulation issues. That's not just her. That's all pregnancies at this stage.

We have the big ultrasound scheduled for early January. This will be the one with extra time spent measuring bones, checking organs, etc. This would also be the ultrasound where we could potentially find out the gender of Baby Dos. We don't want to know but, you know, if we did...

So, Choose Your Own Adventure. I enjoyed these though I don't think I ever had or read all that many of them. I did own "You are a shark" and I remember that being a good time. Specifically, I remember being a wombat in the story. A little obscure but I guess I learned some biology while reading about how I was about to be eaten by a leopard or something.

Canned Ham: Too Little, Too Late

Seriously, I could've used this email about a century ago...I would've been very cutting edge.

20th Century Jobs are Now Available.

• Newsie
• Bodyguard for Warren G. Harding
• Crystal Pepsi taste tester
• Speakeasy Manger
• Gaslight lighter
• Telegraph Operator
  
• Cobbler
• IBM punch card operator
• Packard Mechanic

Hipster

As I was unpacking a few weeks ago, I found my stack of extra index cards that I had been using to supply my Hipster PDA. What's a Hipster PDA? Well, for those of you unfamiliar with it, it's an extremely low tech system of managing one's time/to-do list. I'm typically low tech. And, I'm typically on the lookout for better ways to manage my time. So, when I heard about the Hipster PDA a year ago, it appealed to me.

The general idea is that you take a stack of ultra cheap index cards, clip them together with an alligator-type paper clip, and use these to track your to-do list. I personally like the cards with the color coded margins as they help feed my need for organization (I use a different color for various task categories) but they aren't quite as obnoxious as the full color pastel cards. In theory, you're supposed to use one card for each item on your list. I don't follow these guidelines exactly but it's pretty close. I use one card for each big item on my list. These include creative projects, house projects, or anything else that will involve multiple steps and/or days. I usually top the card with the idea and use the rest of the card to write down sub-ideas, shopping lists, measurements, sketches, etc. For instance, I used a card for the rotary phone project and I quickly filled it up by listing the various supplies I'd need and what I spent on them...kind of like a project diary. I veer from the Hipster PDA's guidelines putting all my immediate/current week tasks on a single card. This is usually filled with things like mailing something, stopping at the grocery store, and, occasionally, the sub-tasks from the other cards.

I like the concept of the Hipster PDA. I used it pretty faithfully last winter. Unfortunately, I strayed last spring when we got wrapped up in our move. Ironically, that was when I was busiest and really could've used better time management. Anyway, I'm trying to get back in the habit. And before you ask, I do reuse and recycle cards.

Baby Dos: Week 15

Size Comparison: Nearly full pouch of Big League Chew

We had an doctor appointment yesterday. Everything looks great. After some searching, the doctor found a good strong heartbeat. It’s a little disconcerting to NOT immediately hear a heartbeat on the little Doppler device. No matter how reassuring the doctor's words are, that period of concern is frightening. But, no, the baby was just a little lower than expected. No big deal. The doctor said the location wasn’t a problem…just a matter of logistics. Good news.

We’re working on cleaning up the new baby’s room. My wife has cleared just about all of her stuff out of there but I’ve still got a few boxes sitting around in there…mostly comic books, art supplies, and some random collectibles. I hope to have that taken care of by the end of the year so we can get started on painting the new nursery.

Big League Chew. Wow, bubble gum designed to look like chewing tobacco. Seriously, chewing tobacco. It was, of course, a big hit at the little league games. You know, kids cramming as much of it into their mouths as possible. I don’t think I ever bought that much of it but, when I did, I think I always opted for the grape flavor. I don’t remember the flavor lasting all that long and I don’t think it was great for blowing bubbles…too much of a grainy texture.

First Birthday: Retro Style

Jesse turned one this past Friday. Unfortunately, he had to celebrate with his one-year checkup at the doctor. A few minutes of poking and prodding combined with four shots kind of put a damper on his day. Saturday, however, was party day! Jesse invited his grandparents, great grandparents, aunts and uncles, and a couple friends over for cake and celebration. Based on Jesse's reaction to his first taste of cake, it looks like it successfully offset the unpleasantness of the previous day's shots.

It's incredible to think where we (and Jesse) were last year at this time. Just twelve months ago, Jesse weighed seven pounds and fifteen ounces. His diet was extremely limited. He slept a ton. And we could comfortably set him down (in a safe place!) without worrying about whether he'd stay there when we turned our back. Now? Oh no. He's twenty-five pounds and two ounces, his second tooth just broke through the other day, and he is all over the place. He's not slowing down, either.

The year has been stressful. But, even bigger than the stress, the year has been more rewarding than I'd ever imagined. Seeing Jesse develop his skills, personality, and, (most noticeably) his sense of humor has been a joy.

Oh yes, Jesse's cake...that was Mommy and Daddy's idea. It's not exactly the shape of a 1968 Dodge Charger but the effect works. And the concept of the pull-apart cake/cupcake is pretty sweet.

Unpacking: Monkeys with Jetpacks

Unpacking from our semi-recent move has been and interesting experience. To be honest, I’m really getting anxious to wrap it up. Fortunately, we’re to a point where there are really only two places that need work. The first is the new baby’s room. It’s not packed with stuff but it is housing a lot of things like comic books (a side note, I’ve cut my comic book collection down from 7 boxes to 3), my unassembled drawing table, and some sewing/quilting supplies. Having my art supplies so inaccessible hurts my heart. The second place is half of the garage. Granted, most of what’s in the garage is stuff that will stay in the garage--tools, sporting goods, lawn/garden stuff--but the trouble is that it’s piled in with absolutely no system. Not being able to find things in the garage is frustrating. And not having room to park my car in the garage isn't helping.

On the plus side, we are making progress. The other night, my wife sorted through yet another box of old books, setting aside a number of them to either give to Goodwill or post on Craigslist. I also unpacked a box of office things and old projects. The most notable thing I found was my homemade monkey sculpture shown in the attached images. The little simian did suffer a bit during the move. A foot, a hand, and a few pieces of the based had to be glued back on. He’s fixed up and he’s back in fighting shape once again.

What’s next on the unpacking to-do list?

- Get some garage storage in place. I’m getting started on a modified version of this workbench. Some shelving is also in the in the works.

- Reduce our number of work surfaces. We’ve got a computer desk, a school desk with a sewing machine, an antique desk, drawing table, and a craft table. It’s crazy. Surely we can organize these to do double duty.

- Figure out where the re-evaluated work surfaces will go. Move them.

- Sort the bookcase designated as “mine.” When I unpacked the boxes of books, I just threw things up on the shelves. I’ve got Harry Potter books on three different shelves. I’ve got Ian Fleming next to a devotional, Constructive Anatomy next to Narnia, DIY stuff next to Musashi. How is it NOT driving my librarian wife crazy? I know it bothering me.

Wish us luck.

Canned Ham: Kohler than cool

During some previous home improvement project, I signed onto the Kohler Kitchen and Bath site to get diagrams of a particular faucet I was disassembling. As a results, I occasionally get emails from Kohler about new products, specials, etc. It's pretty standard stuff but the wording is often amusing. This one arrived just a couple minutes ago:

Make an artistic statement in the bathroom

Yeah. That's not art.

Baby Dos: Week 14

Size Comparison: a Schaper Stomper 4x4

The baby is a growin'! We'll have another appointment with the doctor next week so maybe we'll have more news then. There problem won't be another ultrasound unless, of course, it's like last month and the Doppler device doesn't zero in on the baby's heartbeat. NOT hearing the heartbeat made for some very nervous minutes. The ultrasound (image posted below) showed that everything was perfectly fine and moving around like crazy. Anyway, I'm guessing the heartbeat will be a little louder so maybe it'll be easier to hear. It was running at around 158 beats per minute last month...we'll see how it compares this time. Otherwise, we're wondering when Denisa will be able to feel the baby moving. Soon, if not already.

I had a few of the Schaper Stompers as a kid. Ok, I actually had them up through a couple month ago when I sold them on eBay. In any case, they were a blast. Actually pretty powerful for a single AA battery juicing four wheels. They'd climb just about anything and, believe me, I tried getting them to climb just about everything.

Phone Envy No More!

There's a previous post regarding a certain rotary phone I happened upon at the local Goodwill store. It really wasn't all that impressive at the time. Don't misunderstand, the fact that it was a rotary phone means it already has a lot going for it. However, there was certainly room for improvement. This baby had a lot of potential.

Over the last few weeks, I've weaseled in time to trick out the phone. It's not perfect but I think it's looking pretty sweet. I was tempted to tweak it even more but I'd just about reached the limits as to what could be done before the phone was no longer fully functional. As it is, it works for both ingoing and outgoing calls.

I'll let the images and video speak for themselves.

Book Review: Journal of the Gun Years by Richard Matheson

I admit that I love westerns. I know that western books and movie aren't exactly in these days (though I do know there are several new western flicks either out or on the way that might juice up the genre) but, then again, I'm rarely in. To be completely honest, I claim to be a big fan but I haven't extensively explored the genre. I've seen several Eastwood spaghetti westerns and I've read a handful of books but those barely scratch the surface of the Western. I'm working on changing that. I recently watched The Magnificent Seven for the first time (excellent, by the way) and I'm reading a huge 500+ page collection of Jonah Hex comics.

Anyway, I did recently read Journal of the Gun Years by Richard Matheson. I enjoyed it, of course (if I don't enjoy something, I have no qualms about putting it down). I had previously read some of Matheson's western work and this book definitely felt similar to The Gunfight. In fact, some of it was very similar but it didn't feel repetitive. I haven't bothered to look to see which book came first but that really doesn't matter.

Journal of the Gun Years follows the life of a young man as he finds himself growing into a gunfighter both feared and famous. It's interesting to see his rise to fame, his astonishment at his own fame, and how it all changes him. Yes, there's plenty of action but it's never really the focal point. It's almost a coming-of-age kind of story. It just happens that the coming-of-age involves a lot of gun play, some feudin', and a lot of fussin'. Good stuff.

Go for the head,
RB

Baby Dos (dose): Week 13

Size Comparison: Shipwreck GI Joe Figure.

If you’re reading Retro Brett, we’ve really probably met. In fact, we’re probably reasonably close friends and/or family. Let’s face it, I’m not exactly getting a lot of strangers checking out the site. Anyway, if we’re that close, the fact that my wife and I are expecting our second child probably comes as no surprise to you.

I’ll be honest, finding out that we’re expecting a second child did come as a surprise to me. Don’t get me wrong, it was an incredibly happy surprise but, still, as surprise. After it took so long (close to two years) to get pregnant with Jesse, I wasn’t really anticipating a pregnancy after only one or two months of NOT trying not to have another child. When we found out, I actually thought it was funny. I genuinely laughed out loud. I’m still laughing about it. It’s extremely exciting. It’ll mean some big changes. And, even though it’s a little scary, I’m surprisingly unstressed about it. Watch out world!

Continuing the Retro Brett tradition of comparing the current size of our new baby to something retro and cool, Baby Dos is about the size of one of the GI Joe figures I remember from my early/mid eighties childhoods. I picked Shipwreck for the visual as he struck me as one of the most memorable characters from both the toy and the cartoon series. Really, he’s got a parrot? Seriously? Ok, maybe Snake-Eyes is more popular but he certainly not as colorful.

I’ll get an ultrasound picture posted shortly.

You know, I wish that I had Jesse's books

My wife and I love reading. We hope that’s something we’ll be able to pass down to Jesse. Of course, Jesse is just about a year old so he’s currently more interested in grabbing, pulling, and biting books than actually listening to a story of any length. Still, there was a period when he was a lot less mobile and I really enjoyed reading to him (I still do but I just have to understand he’ll probably be petting the dog, pulling pillows off the couch, or banging on something [maybe me] while I read). I especially liked going back and sharing with Jesse some of the books I loved as a kid. Danny and the Dinosaur by Sid Hoff stands out. As does the Harry the Dirty Dog series by Gene Zion. And how can I forget just about anything by Shel Silverstein?

We’ve also stumbled upon the work of contemporary author/artist by the name of Adam Rex. We first found his Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich at an independent bookseller in my hometown and I immediately fell in love with the artwork. He manages to create work that is both whimsical (I never thought I use that word in this blog) and realistic. The writing is also fun and imaginative. One of my favorite poems of Rex’s is titled Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Henderson and involves one Dr. Jekyll drinking the wrong potion prior to a dinner party. Instead of the monstrous Hyde, Jekyll transforms into Henderson, a dull but no less terrifying insurance salesman. Excellent stuff. That said, the book was part of Jesse’s Christmas last year and we’ve read through it on multiple occasions. We’ve also read Rex’s Tree Ring Circus which was also quite entertaining though I’m personally fond of the vampires, werewolves, and zombies in Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich.

I’m always on the lookout for children’s book suggestions. Does anyone have additional recommendations?

Canned Ham: Add this to my Christmas List

Take better pictures with a Cannon Camera

Is there such a thing as a Cannon Camera? If so, I needs me one. As for the "better pictures" part, I'm pretty they'd all end up featuring some kind explosion. Which, you know, would be pretty sweet.

The H-Bomb is ours!

Well, we've finally done it. My wife dropped the very last of our car payments off at the bank the other day. As of now, our 2005 Hyundai Tucson, the car I affectionately call "The H-Bomb" is ours. That last payment was a doozy, covering probably a couple years of monthly payments but, boy howdy, does it feel good to have it done. Now, all we have to do is wait for the title. And, from now on, NO MORE CAR PAYMENTS! At least not if we can help it.

As for the debt situation, all we have left is the house. That puts us through the first 3 steps of Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps to financial peace:

	$1,000 to start an Emergency Fund
	Pay off all debt using the Debt Snowball
	3 to 6 months of expenses in savings
	Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRAs and pre-tax retirement
	College funding for children
	Pay off home early
	Build wealth and give!
	Invest in mutual funds and real estate

We got steps 2 and 3 out of order but, hey, works for us. Step 4 should be cleared once we get to our annual opportunity to adjust our 401(k) account.

I have to admit, though, that I'm disappointed not to find "Purchase Ferrari 308 GTS" on the list. These are just guidelines, right?

Canned Ham: Once in a Lifetime

This one sounds rather ominous:

Live Complete Life Today!!

I mean, what if I want to live my complete life as it happens? Why rush it?

Go for their head,
Retro Brett

Book Review: World War Z by Max Brooks

I recently finished reading Max Brook’s World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War and I must admit I liked it. The gist of the book is that it’s been several years since the Great Panic, a pandemic sized outbreak of zombie-ism (a word?). Essentially, mankind was nearly wiped out with the earth overrun by the undead. Even years after figuring out how to battle the threat, things are still a little shaky. Entire islands are still “white zones” and completely infested by zombies.

The book is well written and interesting. The nitty-gritty details of the Great Panic and mankind’s recovery are told in the manner of one individual interviewing numerous survivors. The “voices” of the interviewees sometimes blend together but that never detracted from the book and I actually really liked the format. The book definitely gives what feels like very personal accounts. It also offers a very wide variety of views ranging from dog trainers specializing in zombie recon to a blind Asian monk living in the wilderness to a family fleeing to the Arctic where zombies would freeze (though the do thaw just fine).

I did like that Brooks kept zombies in their place. There was no dressing them up into intelligent and agile predators to make them more threatening. No, these were the classic slow-moving creatures with poor motor skills and zero intellect. Being as “weak” as they are, you wouldn’t think they be a threat, would you? It’s like being pursued by a knife-wielding tree sloth, right? Wrong. Brooks manages to make the situation dire. For example, one interview involves a downed pilot having to hoof it up an overpass to reach a helicopter rendezvous. She has a leg injury and is pursued by zombies. This is problem enough. But then she encounters zombies reaching out at her from car windows despite being trapped by their own seatbelt. Creepy.

The sheer scale of World War Z is impressive, too. It's global and the event unfold over several years and isn't limited to a small group of people stuck in a farmhouse or holed up in a shopping mall. I also addresses questions that I often ask (and am asked by others). How would the military react to an undead enemy that never tires, has no emotion, and can not be threatened? Where would people go to escape? An island? Underground? What if outbreaks occurred there? Zombies don’t need to breathe, what about those that end up underwater?

A side note about that book involves some of the reviews I read on Amazon. Specifically, there were readers that claimed this book was leftist propaganda. There were other readers that claimed this book was rightist propaganda. There’s no doubt that Brooks makes some pretty heavy-handed insinuations about several groups and a number of unnamed but stereotyped people but I can’t say the book is either left or right. I think it would be more accurate to say he simply takes shots at things like the pride, stupidity, and greed that put mankind at risk.

If you like zombies, read the book. Interesting stuff. In the meantime, check out the risk calculator to see how likely you are to survive a zombie outbreak (I scored a measly 39%). Otherwise, remember to go for their head.

More like Funky Winker-MEAN (Part 2 of 2)

I greatly admire the really good cartoonists. I like the poignancy of Peanuts. The offbeat humor of The Far Side always gets me. And I’m amazed at how Calvin and Hobbes can make you laugh and make you think (perhaps I’ll follow up with another entry specifically on Bill Watterson and his creation). I know those three strips are no longer in development but let’s not forget that there are certainly some terrific comics in production today. I think Mr. Boffo by Joe Martin is terrific but surprisingly unknown. Speed Bump by Dave Coverly is interesting and works well. And Dilbert by Scott Adams reaches people that would never pick up the funny pages otherwise.

[Warning: rants ahead]

There’s a downside, of course. Maybe it’s because I love comics so much that it hurts so much to see them so...not good. My issues start with the newspapers themselves. Several decades ago, a decent Sunday paper might have a comics section of 30+ pages. And each of those Sunday strips might have half a page with which to work. Considering the real estate allotted to comics today, that’s astounding. I think the Indy Star, a reasonably “large” paper, prints something like six pages of Sunday funnies with the strips being little larger than the minuscule weekday strips. Add to that the fact that the first two panels (essentially the first line) of today’s Sundays have to be “throw away” work to be printed or not printed at the paper’s discretion and…well…it’s bad.

The other downside? The strips. They simply aren’t funny. Now I could probably read Flash Gordon, Tarzan, or Spider-Man but those aren’t intended to be funny. But, c’mon, has anyone read Funky Winkerbean in the last ten years? Seriously, alcoholism, cancer, chemotherapy, death, missing limbs, lost biological parents, etc. It sounds more like a season of Degrassi Junior High than anything funky. Of course, the odd thing is that I actually read Funky but only because the thing's a train wreck. Then there are the reprints of Peanuts. Reprints?! Not cool. It seems like most of what’s left in the funnies are heavy-handed political or social commentary. Asking readers to think about an issue is great. Unfortunately, so much of it now is the literary equivalent of a sucker punch in the face…with brass knuckles…embossed with some kind of bumper sticker-ism. Ugg. Don't we get enough of that from John Mellencamp?

I do have hope. Most notably, that hope springs from the web. Nowhere can one get their work “out there” as easily as on the web. The possibilities are endless. Online comics can be animated, any length, color, black and white, you name it. Sure, it creates even more competition for the printed strips. And, yes, the ease of online publishing has created a sea of junk which makes it difficult to find “the good stuff”. Mr. Boffo, Speed Bump, and Dilbert are all available online so that’s a plus. While I’m surfing, maybe I’ll find something else new and, you know, not painful.

Perhaps I’ll review the work of Scott McCloud and his views on web comics. Pretty interesting stuff. In the meantime, I’m breaking out The Authoratative Calvin and Hobbes and The Prehistory of the Far Side.

Maybe this should've been 3 parts.

More like Funky Winker-MEAN (Part 1 of 2)

I’ve always loved comics. I love comic books. I love comic strips. The former has been mentioned before. The latter probably hasn’t. Nevertheless, I remember being a little kid and spreading out the full color Sunday funny pages to pour over the funny pages. I still have a number of anthologies of my favorites, Calvin and Hobbes and The Far Side. Their creators, Bill Watterson and Gary Larson, respectively, inspired me to nurture my own creativity, writing, and artwork.

While I was in college, I had the opportunity to attend the triennial Festival of Cartoon Art at Ohio State University. That was 1998 (the list of events/speakers is still available online). For a comic guy, it really was a blast. Kind of my own one-man adventure. I heard the legendary Will Eisner (creator of The Spirit) speak. That alone would’ve been worth the trip. But that wasn’t it. I also heard and greatly enjoyed hearing Dave Coverly (creator of Speed Bump), Patrick McDonnell (of Mutz), and Ted Rall (editorial cartoonist for Rolling Stone, NY Times, Washington Post). My only regret is that I didn’t stick around for the second day to hear Jeff Smith (creator of Bone) and Art Spiegelman(creator of Maus). [Sigh] Unfortunately, I’ve only recently become interested in these last two artists and writers. FYI: The 2007 Festival of Cartoon Art is coming up near the end of October.

My love of comics went so far as to prompt me to submit my own comic strip for syndication. The strip was promptly turned down by…well…ALL the syndicates. It was heartbreaking but, looking at my old copies of that strip, I can certainly understand why it wasn’t picked up. First and foremost, it wasn’t any good. I probably don’t need to expand on that though I will look for my original character sheets. I'm somewhat hopeful they were lost in our recent move. Not really.

Anyway, there’s my history with the funnies. I know it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the negative title of this blog entry. It'll make more sense after I post Part 2 which will focus more on what I don’t love about comics. Stay tuned. That sounds about as much fun as reading the latest Funky Winkerbean.

Canned Ham: Columbus Day

In honor of Columbus Day, I'm posting the spam I received last year at Columbus Day:

World isn't round. It's dirty!

I guess I'm not sure why the world can't be both round AND dirty.

Photo Op: A Boy and His Dog

Not much to say. I just love these pictures.

Book Review: Wild At Heart by John Eldredge

It’s not often I start a book and don’t finish it. Wild at Heart by John Eldredge is an exception in that way. As it is, I got 30 pages into Wild at Heart and had to stop. Seriously, I had to stop. There is something to be said for reading challenging texts and I strongly encourage the seeking of challenges. But Wild at Heart isn’t challenging…at least not a positive way.

Interesting, though, how timing sometimes works. I had starting writing a scathing review of Eldredge and Wild At Heart last week and I was all set to polish it up and post it today. Then we went to church (Northview Christian Life) and the sermon touched on the topic of criticism and some of its consequences. It made me rethink just how harsh I wanted to be. Particularly within the venue of an almost wholly one-sided blog.

There are plenty of other online reviews of Wild At Heart and I doubt mine would have had all that much to add. Note: if you search for reviews on Wild At Heart do not stop with the reader reviews on Amazon. Dig for more thorough, scripture-based reviews. There is a huge difference.

Would I recommend the book to others? Not likely. Especially in light of all the other terrific, more complete, and less flawed books available. I, for one, picked up John Piper’s Don’t Waste Your Life and, so far, so good.

RetroBrett: In Like Flint

If there's ever a RetroBrett movie, I think the part of Brett should be played by a young James Coburn.

I can't think of anyone more suited to the role than Our Man Flint.

2 New Goals

I have a number goals and I think I may have touched on them in the past. Many of them deal with family, work, time management, health, my ability to do (or not do) a handstand, etc. You know, the standard New Year's Resolution type of things. Recently, I've added a couple new goals:

1. Read more.
And I don't mean just staring at a page. I really want to dig into the text. Specifically, I want to devote more effort to reading the Bible but it applies to other things as well. I think this will also force me to be more discriminating in what I read. This side effect will come up more in my upcoming review of John Eldredge's book, Wild At Heart.

2. Pray constantly.
I have a horrible habit of hearing a prayer need, noting it for future reference, and failing to ever actually pray on the need. Anyway, I'm working on praying immediately when a need is recognized. This one is actually reasonably easy as the prayer often takes the same time and effort as making the mental note.

The Bronze/Pottery Anniversary

My lovely wife and I celebrated our 8th Anniversary yesterday. From what I've read, it's supposed to be the bronze/pottery anniversary. We celebrated with neither. Actually, we enjoyed a terrific night out last weekend while my parents watched Jesse for us (Thanks, Mom and Dad).

With the few extra years of dating at Ball State, we've been together nearly 11 years. It's been amazing. It really doesn't seem like it's been that long. As my wife said, it seems like we were just going to Fazoli's on our first date, using the dorm room desks for a dining room table, and making an evening of going to the Muncie Wal-Mart.

A lot has changed. Sure, I miss the simplicity of college life. And I certainly miss having the flexibility of the college schedule. Let's face it, homework can always be done in the middle of the night...planning a fun date needs to happen now. On the other hand, I think we've really grown with all the changes. Maybe when things like free time grow scarce, we realize their true value. It didn't hurt that I was younger and sleep seemed a lot less important (and necessary).

I'm excited about our future. Really excited. Even in the last year or two, we've really grown closer to each other. We've grown closer to God. And we're really working on growing closer to God as a couple. I see that trend continuing.

Thanks you for 8 + 3 awesome years.

Canned Ham: We should all contest this

I usually limit my collection of funny email subjects to only those that I receive as spam. This subject line represents one of the exceptions as it came from an apartment search/rating website that I used during our recent series of relocations.

Last Chance to Enter the Possession Obsession Contest

On the one hand, it's semi-funny. It's no Reportduckling or pain tolerance test but it's somewhat humorous to think of the possible meanings. I mean, do I win by being the most obsessed? Or, if the obsession the prize? Maybe the prize is an exorcism.

On the other hand, I actually find the subject line a tad offensive. Seriously, is this a contest glorifying possessions? Even glorifying obsession? Merriam-Webster defines obsession as "a persistent disturbing preoccupation with an often unreasonable idea or feeling". Is this something to praise? Maybe part of what disturbs me is that there are people actually playing this contest...though, I guess, many of us play the "possession obsession" game every day. I know I certainly do. After all, my previous most was about a collector car auction and a $650k Cobra.

Anyway, thanks, but no thanks.

Auburn 2007: Sale-A-Bration

For me, Labor Day translates to my annual trip to the Kruse Auction Park in Auburn, IN for what's grown into one of the largest collector car auctions in the country. My Dad and I have been going each year since I was a little kid...back when the auction filled a high school football field. Now they have 480 acres and they expect to have 5,000 cars for sale. For a car-guy like me--especially one that loves old cars--it's incredible.

This year was no different. A few of the highlights:

1. $650k Cobra (the black one with the red, white, and blue stripes in the slideshow).

2. A metallic green Mercury Cougar (I think a 1968 or so).

3. 1970 Hemi Superbird. It's the bright orange car with the massive spoiler on the back. What I really liked was that the car had been used as the getaway car for a casino robbery in Reno. They robbers didn't exactly go inconspicuous, did they?

All that being said, the real highlight was spending the day with family and friends. My mom even enjoyed it...she got to babysit and have Jesse to herself for an entire day.

Canned Ham: Excellent Timing

Short but sweet:

15 minutes is almost instant.

Almost instant, eh? I would say it's infinitely distant, time-wise, from instant but that's just me. Maybe it's a lot closer to being instant than, say, 16 minutes.

2 Guys and a Truck (ok, 5 Guys and 2 Trucks)

As of last Thursday, we’re in the house. Jesse spent last Wednesday night at his Grandparents, we stayed up late working on some last minute packing, and we met the movers at 8am the next day. And, let me tell you, the movers (Two Guys and a Truck) were awesome. After only 3.5 hours, 2 trucks, and 5 guys (+myself) everything was at the new house. They were fast, courteous, and careful. It was amazing.

Then came the unpacking and, so far, so good. We immediately got to work on Jesse’s bedroom so he’d have someplace to sleep that night. Our bedroom went together pretty quickly, too. Over the last few days, the kitchen, family room, and most of the rest of the house got unpacked and situated. There’s still a lot of stuff in the garage and one bedroom is full of office/art/craft stuff but things are definitely coming together.

This is not to say there isn’t still a lot to do. My moped and lawn mower are still stored at a friend’s house. I kind of wonder if the lawn mower is going to run when I get it…I did absolutely nothing to prep it for storage. Well, if it dies, I really will think seriously about one of the reel style mowers. It would definitely be better on the environment. And, of course, we’ve still got boxes at my in-laws.

As for the house, we love it and we especially love the neighborhood. We’ve visited both parks (walking distance from the house), a neighbor couple brought us a pie, and everyone we’ve met has concluded the conversation with something along the lines of “If there’s anything we can do to help, don’t hesitate to ask”…and it feels like they actually mean it. We commented last night how it was great just to see so many people out. You know, people walking, riding bikes, having family baseball games at the park. People were actually waving to each other. I also thought it was cool that the dad across the street was playing football with a dozen kids in the cul-de-sac last night. Cool for the kids. Even cooler for the dad.

And, my commute? 25 minutes flat. Not actually much different than living in Westfield, only 5 miles from the office.

Count to Five

A few random things:

1. Jesse is crawling! And standing up at the table! The little guy's on the move.


2. I happened upon this article about another fun thing that's fallen victim to the latest streak of recalled items. It's an arm wrestling video game that, apparently, has resulted in a several actual broken arms. Ouch. I especially like the distributor's comments about how "The machine isn't that strong...". Kind of adding insult to injury.

3. I sold my first round of comic books the other day. I posted them on Craigslist here in Indianapolis as a last step before putting them on eBay and, amazingly, someone in Maryland wanted them. Anyway, they were issues 1-5 and 9-12 of the 1986/1987 Watchmen series. They went for my asking price which was probably low but I'm happy with the result.

4. Several weeks ago I was reading through the list of the Top 100 Sci Fi movies on the Rotten Tomatoes site. It was an interesting look at an extremely varied genre and I found many films that I had never seen and several that I would like to see. I started by watching Westworld (see it on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes) and was duly impressed. Definitely Michael Crichton's precursor to Jurassic Park. I followed that by watching Futureworld, the sequel to Westworld. Well, there's a good reason why Futureworld is NOT in the Top 100 movies. That reason...it's awful. Seriously, the worst movie I've ever seen that didn't involve Crow or Tom Servo. Consider yourself warned.

5. Moving Day is tomorrow! Wish us luck.

Comic Revelations

It’s finally come to this. My celebrated weekly Comic Book day is no more. Sure, publishers are still cranking out comics, new books are still showing up in shops on Wednesdays, and I’ll probably still track new releases but, officially, there are no titles I regularly purchase. None. I never thought this day would come. But two things happened to facilitate the change.

First, the handful of titles I regularly picked up eventually dropped off my list. Some were miniseries books that ended as scheduled. Others were dropped because I decided I simply didn’t care about the stories. Either way, they went away.

Second, I grew tired. As much as I looked forward to comic book day, I grew weary of watching the distribution lists to see what was coming out each week. Likewise, I got tired of waiting, buying bits of story each month to see “how things turned out”. Even the best stories were rarely worth the wait. And, if the story turned out lame after waiting so long, I was infuriated. Most recently, I dropped a title because its content quite suddenly grew inappropriate. Not only do I not want to buy that book anymore…I really want to get the whole lot out of my house. That’s the problem, it’s impossible to tell how good something will be until it’s already been. And it doesn’t help that comic books have gotten more and more expensive while I’ve remained impossibly cheap. It’s one thing for me to see a comic book and think “I can spring 3 bucks to see if it’s any good.” It’s another thing to know that you’ve really got to spring $20+ over the next few months. Ouch. There are a lot of other things I can do with $20.

The solution? Well, I’m not sure. There’s a trend in comics to collect books in graphic novels. They’re not as collectible as individual books but I like that I can have the complete store right now. I especially enjoy that I can read reviews of the entire story before buying in (some I can even pick up at the library). I know it’s silly but I also kind of like the fact that I can put them on my bookshelf. If I have the individual books I keep them stashed away in boxes and I never look at them. The novel, though, I’ll shelve but actually pull out and thumb through periodically.

Anyway, I’m looking at selling off some of my collection. We'll see how that turns out.

Goodness, Goodwill!

I have a problem with Goodwill. It’s not that I don’t like Goodwill. In fact, the problem is that I like it too much. I don’t normally enjoy shopping but Goodwill is the exception (ok, bookstores and the comic stop too) and I often find myself stopping just, you know, to see if that have anything super cool. Often times, there’s nothing that really appeals to me. Still, it’s always a surprise. Unlike “normal” stores, Goodwill’s inventory really does change every day.

Anyway, I had some great guy’s time with my son this past weekend. For the most part, we played, read books, and took naps (staying where it was air conditioned). It was a full weekend. We did, however, venture out to Goodwill where we found this super mod chair. I’m in the process of trying to figure out what, exactly, it is. Like most things I get at Goodwill, it needs some cleaning and a touch of paint but I’m thinking it will make an excellent replacement our less-than-comfortable office chair.

Note: The cat DID not come from Goodwill. She came from the Feline Friends rescue in Indianapolis.

Canned Ham: Long Vowels

The school year is fast approaching. The family of a co-worker and friend of mine will actually be starting a homeschooling program this year. I'm excited to see how that turns out. I'm certain it will be a lot of work but, like many things that are hard work, it will be extremely rewarding.

This week's spam is only somewhat related to education but is pertinent because this same family just received their new Phonics book.

With talk or violent phonics

Off-Roadin'

I’ve posted a few entries on this in the past but, recently, I’ve been trying to take better care of my physical self. Most notable is my attempt to keep at a semi-regular running routine. I did actually run cross-country back in middle and high school. While I wasn’t overly competitive at it, I’m sure Coach Shenfeld would be embarrassed by how I’ve “let myself go”. Anyway, I genuinely do want to shape up and I’ve found that running off-road is a lot more fun than running on.

I ran on the local high school’s cross-country cross a couple times over the past few days. The excursions were painful but, also, a lot of fun. I thoroughly enjoyed the clean air, the woods, and the quiet. I even spied a doe and her fawn. The other thing I like about running in the woods is that the trees have an interesting effect. Having them “rushing past” on either side at least makes it feel like I'm really going fast even if I'm not. That sense of velocity is a good motivator. If you happen to be someone interested in running but, like me, find road running incredibly boring, I recommend finding a trail and taking a jog.

A friend of mine, a personal trainer, recently recommended Do Indiana Off-Road (DINO), an organization committed to mountain biking and trail running. They apparently host events in various parks throughout Indiana. I’m thinking I might be interested in a 5k trail run. Maybe not THIS weekend…but sometime in the future.

Book Review: Devil in the White City by Eric Larson

My wife, a brilliant librarian, recommended Devil in the White City by Eric Larson to me a long time ago but I’d managed to delay reading it until just recently. She said it was fascinating and left her thinking something to the effect of “This is so interesting, how could I not have already known about these things.” She was more eloquent than that and I eventually felt the same way about the book.

It really is fascinating. Essentially, it’s the (mostly) true tale of the building of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition (aka The Chicago World’s Fair) and how that history intersect with theat of the serial killer, H.H. Holmes. I say it’s only “mostly” true because there are some details (the thoughts and motivations of some characters, for instance) which are not always reliably documented. To that end, Larson bases some of the narrative on what science now knows about psychology and other, more recent, serial killers. To his credit, Larson makes it clear where he had to make assumptions/speculations. The story was thoroughly researched and the notes section of the book is as copious as anything I’ve read in many, many years. This documentation is astounding in itself.

As for the story, the incredible feats involved in just getting the World’s Fair together are awe inspiring. The horrific acts committed by Holmes are chilling. Larson captures both the best and the worst of man and his accomplishments. Likewise, 1893 Chicago is both magical and squalid--kind of made me want but to visit (but not live there).

After this, several other Larson books have been added to my "To Read" list.

Canned Ham: I'm not the only one confused

This spam is a classic and always brings a puzzled smile to my face:

She will love you more than any other guy

What does that even mean? Who is she? Is she to love me more than she loves any other guy? Or, is she going to love me more than any other guy loves me? I don't even want to think about the latter option.

Beige with Phone Envy

A friend of mine recently posted an entry to his blog regarding his new mobile phone. I don’t personally have a cell phone. My wife does and we share it as needed. It’s one of those pre-paid phones that we recharge every so often. It works well for us since 90% of our mobile phone calls are just a couple minutes long and consist mostly of statements like “I’m on my way home,” “I’m running a little late,” or “Goodwill has something really cool today”.

That brings me to the phone I did recently purchase at Goodwill. It’s pretty big. Somewhat clunky. There’s no camera. It’s anything but digital. And the ringtones are pretty much limited to loud or louder. On the plus side, unlike modern phones, you can hang-up with some real force for those times when you’re really angry with the person on the other end. It’s a tank and I’m pretty sure it’ll withstand anything the world can throw at it. Anyway, here it is. If you happen to be the one that donated it to Goodwill, I offer you my thanks.


While it’s not red, I think I can reasonably replicate the Batphone per these instructions. I’m sure I’ll have to tweak the details a bit. Maybe make the LEDs point down rather than just housing them inside the phone. I’m half tempted to install it in my car.

UPDATE

I can't not post this. The Make blog has an entry about a rotary mobile phone. The videos of it mounted on the dashboard of a car are great.

Oldies but Goodies

I like old things. Old cars. Old motorcycles. Old furniture. Old people. Explains the whole "retro" part of "Retro Brett," doesn't it? When we moved to the apartment, it was a little sad that so much of our old/old-themed things had to go into storage. I know it's silly but I'm really looking forward breaking open that storage locker. The things I miss most? Well, here's the list.

1. Late 60s/Early 70s Sears Spyder. Maybe our best ever Goodwill find. It’s a 24 inch, 5-speed, glittery pink banana seat bike. It took a lot of effort to clean it up (new tires, tubes, cables, white cable housings, brakes, and a lot of polishing compound).



2. Late 60s/Early 70s Huffy. Another banana seat bike from Goodwill. Smaller than the Spyder. I rode it to work once and my back hurt for days. The wicked wheelies I can pull on it are worth the pain. Again, major cleaning and fixing up involved.

3. Arcade Cabinet. I finished this a few years ago so it's not technically old. It does, however, play a ton of classic arcade games…even does so legally. Each player has a joystick and ten buttons. That’s 28 switches between the two players. With two wires per switch and two connections per wire…sheesh…that’s 112 tiny, tiny soldered connections. Sorry for the bragging. My wife and I are fond of Asteroids.

4. Bookcase. My first attempt at building real furniture. Sliding doors. Low and long. Again, not really old but it's definitely a throwback to Mid-century modern design à la Brett.

5. Drawing table. Not old. Doesn't even look old. Still, I miss it.

6. 1984 Tomos Bullet A3 moped. Serious restoration on this one. I call it the Star Spangler. So lame it's cool.

Canned Ham: Ouch

In my offering of the greatest spam email subject lines I've received, I need to note one thing: I am not correcting any spelling or other grammatical errors made in the text. Sometimes, those errors are the best part.

This one caught me off guard:

You missed your Pain tolerancy test on friday

Yeah, about that test, Doctor…I probably don’t need to reschedule that.

Who, exactly, was the sender trying to lure? Were they thinking they just might reach someone that really did miss a pain tolerance appointment?

Fitness to get the Heart Racing

There's a cemetery across the street from my apartment complex. I went jogging on its paths last night when it was already a little dark and stormy. Is that creepy? It didn't feel too creepy. In any case, it was a great run and I'm feeling pretty good about it.

As a side note, my previous comments about running and the zombie uprising have prompted me to refer to the workout as "going on patrol".

Book Review: Perelandra by C.S. Lewis

First, a note…Perelandra is the second book in C.S. Lewis’ space trilogy. The first being titled Out of the Silent Planet and the third being That Hideous Strength. I have read but have not reviewed the first book. I should but it's been a couple months since I finished it. I would, however, highly recommend reading it.

So, Perelandra…wow. This is a powerful book. Reading it took me a long time—not because I didn’t like it or because it was “slow” but because I could only read a few pages until my brain felt overwhelmed. It’s deep. It’s difficult. It’s incredibly fulfilling. Many parts I had to reread…sometimes because I couldn’t wrap my brain around what was being said but, other times, because I simply enjoyed the story and the writing. After every stint at reading Perelandra, I felt spent. Like I'd been tensed up for the duration.

Essentially, Perelandra is an Adam and Eve story. Without giving away too much, the main character, Ransom, is transported to a “new” planet. There he meets the planet’s Eve. Not only that, he meets Eve’s tempter. The dialog between Ransom, Eve, and the evil one is fascinating and it goes a long way to putting into words the temptations we face everyday.

[Warning: slight spoiler ahead]

I also found it…invigorating, I guess…that the evil one is not defeated (and Eve saved) by Ransom’s human reasoning. No. Ransom, empowered by God, thrashes the evil one. It’s a throw down. A slug fest you might see in Rocky or Rocky II. Probably Rocky III. The fight in Rocky IV is pretty good, too. Anyway, not all battles with the evil one are nicey-nice, intellectual debates. He's the great deceiver and his lies can be incredibly convincing. Don't think Satan will hesitate to fight dirty. It's his forte. But, with God, we can take what Satan dishes out. We win.

Of course, if you read the book, you'll have to supply your own Survivor music.

Goodbye De-Luxe Apartment

Alright! We found a house! Barring some kind of extreme unforeseen circumstances, we should be moving to Fishers within the next month. Interestingly, the place isn’t really what we were looking for. Initially (and throughout most of the house search), we had been looking for an older house. Something with swank. Something with a good sized yard. Most likely a ranch.

What we found, instead, is a newer 2-story house, smack in the middle of a housing addition. We walked through it last weekend and liked it a lot. It worked for us. The price was right. And, even though it didn’t “look” like what we wanted, it “did” everything we needed. We liked it even more after the nearly flawless inspection last week. Specifically, here’s how the place weighed in:

1. It has a tiny yard but there are two parks (one provided by the housing addition and one by the town of Fishers) just a short walk away. We’re minutes away from playgrounds, a place to picnic, and even baseball diamonds. All without me having to mow a baseball field-sized yard. Maybe I'll even check out a reel-style mower.

2. It’s smaller than the house we had before but that’s actually a good thing. We wanted less wasted space and we’re hoping it to keep our family close…physically, at least. Even still, it’s big enough for us, our hobbies (sewing machine, drawing table, workbench), and our friends when they visit. Besides, it’s less space to heat, cool, and clean.

3. It’s newer than we wanted but it’s also more efficient than most of the things we looked at. Newer windows. Newer furnace.

4. It’s on a slab. No worries about a crawlspace infested with mold, mice, or C.H.U.D.

5. It’s in a great neighborhood. There’s a family we’re close with from church whose house we can actually see from our driveway. They truly know their neighbors and, from what we understand, the neighbors are awesome…a real community. They even vacation together. Amazing. We’ve already got planned babysitting nights set up.

6. It’s a reasonable commute for me to go to work. And it’s only minutes from my wife’s job…close enough that, on the weekends she works, I can drop her off or she can ride her bike without our trading cars.

7. The public library is a bike ride away.

8. Close to church.

9. Close to everything else we actually care about…HamCo’s Recycling center, Super Target, Hardware stores, Greek’s Pizzeria, etc.

10. The price was right where we wanted it. The savings puts us a few years ahead in our saving for college and retirement. Enough so that more having more kids is not a financial question. It also frees us to pursue other things that weren’t previously quite as feasible...a lower paying/more fulfilling job for me, maybe more school, adoption, more charity, or even a big project like the restoration of an old car. Add to that the lower utility bills, and it’s a score.

11. The house has been well maintained. The water heater is only a couple years old. The roof was new with last year’s hail storms.

All this adds up to a house that’s move in ready and doesn’t consume either a) all our money or b) all our time. We’re pumped!

Canned Ham

Like most people, I generally despise the junk email that fills my mailbox. So, I applaud the advancements made in targeting and filtering out such spam. Still, there's a part of me that misses some of the mail. That part of me...is the funny part of me.

I'd be fine with eliminating all spam were it not for the 1% of all these messages that actually brighten my day. These elite messages feature humorous, intriguing, and ofter downright confusing subject lines. Oh, I don't open the messages. I'm not crazy. But over the last several years, I've archived the best of the subject lines. That's where this blog comes in. It seems like the perfect place to share this tidbits of humor. I hope my 4 loyal readers enjoy them as much as I do.

Today, I bring to you the subject line that started it all: [drum roll]

Wonderful Dynamic Equity Reportduckling

I received this, interestingly, at a time while I was busy designing many, many reports for work. Anyway, what's a "Reportduckling"? Why are they dynamic? Equity? To all these questions, I answer "Idunno". In any case, here's a nice Report Duckling sketch drawn by a friend of mine.

Book Review: 2 Amazing Stories

Why didn’t anyone tell me that reading non-fiction could be fun?! Seriously, I stumbled upon a couple good reads recently.

The first was titled John Ringo: The Gunfighter Who Never Was by Jack Burrows. It’s the story of a man seemingly lost in not only the Old West but also in popular culture. The biography was interesting in the fact that Ringo has to be one of the most famous unknown people of the west. He shows up in just about any book or movie, that involves the Earp brothers. But, more often than not, he’s only used to provide the perfect foil to Wyatt Earp. In fact, he was a real person...just one that no one really knows. So, he can be written to be whatever is needed to make a good story. Usually these depictions are tainted more by a historian’s opinion of Earp than they are actually representative of Ringo, the man. If the writer is an Earp fan, Ringo is a cowardly drunk. If they aren’t, Ringo is a chivalrous marksman feared by all. In the midst of that, he’s everything in between. In the end, Ringo is still a mystery. But, even while I still feel I only know what Ringo is not, I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

The second book was titled Treasure Islands by Cameron Platt and John Wright. This book follows the search for several buried treasures in addition to filling in the actual stories behind the treasure. I tell you what, those pirates were brilliant and crazy. Some of the ingenious lengths they went to in order to hide their stash is incredible. Amazing engineering, traps, and viscous backstabbing abound. And that was just the treasure hunters. The pirates, themselves, actually come off looking pretty good. I think my favorite account was one involving a treasure on Mahé island. The treasure (still undiscovered as of the publishing of the book) was supposedly hidden somewhere on the island but what makes it interesting are the clues. In various places on the island are hidden clue, one pointing to the next, that loosely follow the 12 labors of Hercules. Bravo to Olivier La Bouche (aka La Buse, The Buzzard) for making his loot worth reading about.