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Dental Distress

2009-11-20T16:06:00.000-08:00

There is plastic in my mouth. It's just a temporary crown, but my tongue is well aware of it, and sends my brain a distress signal every time it touches the plastic. My taste buds apparently really don't like the plastic at all. It doesn't have any particular taste, but it seems like I jump every time my tongue touches it.

The soreness in my jaw is receding. Slower than I expected, but still going away. When the numbness wore off yesterday afternoon, the pain was fairly intense. I waffled on whether or not to call the dentist back and ask if it should hurt so much, but since the pain was in my entire lower jaw and not localized on my tooth, I decided to keep quiet unless it continued. Now that it's going away, I don't think I'll call.

I go back in two weeks to get the permanent put in. It will be of a different material, so I hope I won't notice it as much. I suspect by the time I go back, my tongue will be used to the temporary enough that it doesn't constantly seem to jolt me.

I'm not allowed to eat anything sticky for Thanksgiving. I cannot floss between the temporary crown and my regular teeth. And I'm supposed to call the dentist if it comes out.

Single Link Post

2009-11-19T18:53:00.000-08:00

Pug For the In-Laws.

Too Soon

2009-11-17T13:49:00.002-08:00

I just finally finished bundling up my Hallowe'en lights and decorations, I still need to put them in the garage somewhere but they are at least organized for next year now. And I grabbed the mini Christmas tree I bought a few years ago and put it in the window. It's not "on display" yet, but it's over in the general area where it'll be for the season. Ok, yeah, I plugged it in, but just to check that the lights were all good. It's too early for any other decorations, although at least three houses in the neighborhood already have their full Christmas displays up.

Watched the new Doctor Who last night with hubby-Eric. No spoiler review: Not the best story, but has some moments to really think about. I may try to write a spoilerific review later, but I'm still thinking about it now.

Tried to read the Ted Kennedy autobiography True Compass from the library. I didn't get very far into it before it had to be returned. Usually four weeks is plenty for me to read a book, but I just couldn't get into this one. I may try again later because I do want to read his perspective on some certain events, but for the moment I let it go. I couldn't renew it because it had too many holds on it.

Made my famous meatloaf for dinner last night, and just made up a batch of my fudge brownies for Eric and I to use as desserts for a week or two. The meatloaf turned out really nice this time, thank goodness. My previous one didn't hold together very well. For someone who couldn't cook at all just a decade ago, I'm progressing nicely in my baking and cooking skills. The fudge brownies are particularly pleasant, and keep well enough to use for awhile. My cakes tend to go stale too fast.

I am trying to rekindle my interest in updating my Aquaman page. With the lack of Aqua-action it's been hard to keep going, but now that Mera is a major part of Blackest Night, I feel like I can get going again. That and I've started watching the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and have finally seen his dreadful (but funny) Aquaman skits, so I have a little more motive. The Wiki-fied part of the site is so much easier to update now, I think I'll probably be moving more of the site to that side as I go along. Now if only I could find a handful of fellow Aqua-fans who are as crazy as I am and want to help update the site... *sigh*

Winter?

2009-11-16T16:14:00.002-08:00

I don't have much else to write about, so I'll write about the weather. It's been strange. Since we moved out here to Churchville, in the middle of the Eastern Washington desolation, we've had tons of sun. Until about a week ago. Now, please note that I've already survived one Eastern Washington winter, so I thought I knew what to expect. But this one has been different so far.

Cloudy, cool one day then warm the next. It hasn't gotten truly cold yet, although my body is over-sensitive to changes in temperature and pressure so I'm hurting more often than not.

And we've had rain. Not much, admittedly, but we've had Seattle-like rain, the kind that mists across the land and doesn't drop a lot of water but definitely makes you feel kind of down. So it's been an odd week.

My weather bar is currently showing three days of rain out of five total, and the final day has snow mixed in. I don't really expect the snow to happen, but then... I don't really understand the weather out here yet. I just hope it's nice enough for us to get over the pass for Thanksgiving and the family time we're due over that weekend.

Hey, if you've read this far, how about some even more boring news? I went to the dentist last Thursday, and now I must get a crown for one of my teeth. The filling that I got in that tooth as a child has cracked. I'm due to sit in the chair for a couple of hours and get a temporary crown on Friday. I made sure to ask if I could still eat Thanksgiving dinner, and was assured I would be fine. As the nurse/tech said, "gotta make sure of the important things first, right?" I also saw my doctor and got the usual physical which so far has been normal (still waiting for blood test results). And I got my first ever mammogram (for a baseline) today. Now I know. Breast in the fridge door... I understand now.

Anyway, that's my life. Anything cool going on in yours?

A Sunday Review

2009-11-15T10:24:00.000-08:00

TV this week:

Sarah Jane Adventures: "The Eternity Trap" - Ghost Hunters! EMF! And a truly haunting haunted house! YAY! Hubby-Eric and I both thought that the gentleman playing Lord Marchwood looked an awful lot like the fellow who plays Sir Guy of Gisborne on Robin Hood, but they aren't the same person. As for the story itself, I was only annoyed by the fact that Sarah Jane and her gang were ignoring the first rule of Ghost Hunting (never go off alone). The rest was a lot of fun.
Robin Hood: "Cause and Effect" - Surprisingly touching story of rebellion. The newest cast member, Kate, makes an impressive debut tormenting Robin. And what happens to Gisborne... well, this changed things a little.
Robin Hood: "Lost in Translation" - Ah, the reason for the Abbot's deception was terribly real. I love how Tuck reacts, and the reactions of the other members of Robin's gang, particularly John, were fascinating as well. I love Much's response as well. Another good episode.
Dinner Impossible: "WWE: A Mission on the Mat" - I am not a wrestling fan, so the stars they presented didn't amuse me. Although that guy (The Big Show) is really really big. I know that Robert is very tall, so seeing him dwarfed was good. I thought for sure Robert was going to have a full-on brawl in that kitchen. Good thing Robert is a pretty strong guy too. Oh yeah, the food? Looked like standard Robert fare. I'd love to try a meal by him some day.
Ghost Lab: "John Wilkes Booth" - Ok, bringing in an audience was just funny. I really wonder what they thought of the performance by the Klinge-ons. The idea of the ghost of a single person haunting two locations is an interesting one, but I would think that they should prove that a ghost is actually a person haunting a place. The theories about Booth surviving are ones I'd never heard before, so that bit was fun to learn about.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold: "The Fate of Equinox" - YAY! AQUAMAN! Oh, yeah, and Doctor Fate and Batman. But Aquaman! The Bat-collective was pretty cool, too. And I liked seeing a lot of heroes at once, even if they didn't get lines. And seeing Atlantis is always neat as well. And Aquaman! Yay!
Heroes: "Shadowboxing" - Sylar... ug. Claire... eh, ok. Circus guy Samuel... yuck. Matt's solution to the Sylar problem... interesting. Peter and Emma, very good. Next week's previews: gives away the entire show.
Numb3rs: "Ultimatum" - You know, the guy who plays Ian also played Aquaman's dad in the ill-fated pilot. And this was a pretty good one, even though I wasn't entirely sure what Ian was trying to prove until the end got closer. Lots about friendship and trust in this one.
Ghost Hunters: "New Hampshire Gothic" - I really wish they wouldn't talk into their walkie-talkies while driving. It just seems a bad example. Anyway... The Amos Blake House looks like a good little museum. A ghost cat! I wanna have a ghost cat! I wasn't convinced by the chain and tools moving: old house equals shifting walls, floors, and ceilings. The Arbona Building was a similar structure, old and creaky. I like the advice to put up webcams. If you are having a haunting, putting up cameras seems like a no-brainer.
Ghost Hunters Academy: "Web of Deceit" - I guess training new blood is good, but I'm just not impressed by the candidates. The prize of investigating with the GHI team, and maybe eventually the main TAPS crew seems nice enough. They go to Fort Mifflin, which TAPS investigated before. The medium refuses to go on the tour, which is both good and bad. I do like Steve's lesson on the power of suggestion. And good grief, the other woman claims to be an empath? A medium and an empath? *sigh* Give me a break.
Sarah Jane Adventures: "Mona Lisa's Revenge" - Not the best, but still better than a lot of TV these days. The plot was fun, if incredibly ridiculous, and the solution was fairly obvious. I have to wonder what the folks who got trapped in paintings thought of the whole thing. And I wonder if the canvas of the Mona Lisa still has "This is a fake" written on it from City of Death?

This week's comic book related review is Power Girl #1-6. Hubby-Eric hunted these down, and I have NO idea why, no none at all... ok, yeah, hubby is a JSA fan so he wanted to catch up on her adventures. He also considered getting Magog, but didn't. Anyhow, we finally managed to get all the issues, and I read them all at once. I thought these were great. I particularly love the artwork. It just makes everyone look great. I like the new Terra, though I was extremely confused by her at first. I didn't read the mini, so I had no idea who or what she was and had to go hunting online until I found a wiki entry that explained her.

My library book this week was The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga. This book is oddly intense. While reading it I got a horrible sense of time, and how it's been moving along and how I will never, ever, understand the next generation because they are being raised in a foreign world. And yet, they are still the same as us, human at the core. And I understand the emotional conflicts of these two quite well even if the trappings of their lives are completely different than what I grew up with. Anyway, enough with the deep thoughts... although this book hit me hard in a lot of ways. The major plot point, Fanboy's meeting with a Bendis, felt like watching a train headed for a cliff. I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out, but I knew the odds for a good result were against Fanboy. The actual scene exceeded my expectations, and made me really curious if Bendis has read this book. In some ways my knowledge of the comic book industry denied some of the fun of this book for me, but I think it helped in a lot of ways that I understood most of the comic book references. Highly recommended.

Agatha Christie this week was A Murder is Announced from 1950. A local newspaper announces that there will be a murder at a local home, so everyone shows up expecting some sort of silly game. Again, there were twists and turns and red herrings and I got some bits but completely missed the biggest bits. I don't know that I will ever get any of these, because Christie is so much more clever than I am. This one even gave me a headache from trying so hard to figure out what I wasn't seeing. Ah well, I love the Miss Marple stories. As a side note, one of the characters writes a play called "Elephants Can Remember" which I seem to recall is the title of a later Christie novel.

Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews -- My Wishlist

Want

2009-11-12T01:09:00.000-08:00

Really. I really want this. XL. Maybe two. Or three. Or fifteen.

In Flanders Fields

2009-11-11T07:45:00.001-08:00

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

— Lt.-Col. John McCrae (1872 - 1918)

Where Was I When The Wall Came Down?

2009-11-10T15:27:00.002-08:00

My most vivid memory of that time was sitting in band. The band director had brought in a TV and we were watching the coverage of the Wall coming down live. We hadn't got out our instruments, it didn't seem important enough. What was happening on TV was far more important than the next concert or football game.

One of the band members that year was a German exchange student. She played the flute, I think. I honestly don't remember much of the class itself, although the images of the celebrations on the Wall are engraved on my mind. But I remember the reactions of the German exchange student, whose name is lost in the morass of my mind, better than just about everything else.

As you may know, there were signs of big things happening a few days prior to the Wall coming down. Gates were opened, and East Germans were visiting the West for the first time in decades. I remember someone asked our exchange student what she thought, expecting her to be all joy and pleasure. She wasn't happy. She was worried. She tried to explain, but she was just a high school kid and she was trying to convey deep concepts in a foreign language. Her eyes told us as much as her words.

The day the Wall came down I think I saw her crying. Both joy and terror. Joy at the fact that no more lives would be lost trying to cross that evil thing, and terror at what was going to happen to her country now. She was understandably worried about how the East Germans were going to impact West Germany. How the two economies were going to be able to deal with each other. Would East Germany drag the West down? Or would the West be able to pull the East up? Would East Germans try to move to the West in case another Wall went up? She wanted to know what was happening in her own home town. And so, deep in the joy of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, I was able to catch a tiny somber glimpse of the larger picture. And I've always been grateful to her for that insight.

Where was I when the Wall came down? I was in High School, getting ready to graduate into a brave new world. What about you?

A Sunday Monday Review

2009-11-09T06:46:00.002-08:00

TV this week:

Dinner Impossible: "Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Rock the Chef" - Yay, Seattle Grunge! Boo, coffee was the first thing he thought of. C'mon, why not seafood? Yuck. That's a Seattle course I wouldn't want any part of. Destroying perfectly good chocolate by adding coffee (BLEAH) to it should be a crime. Utter waste of good chocolate. Anyway, the rest of the challenge was suitably difficult. It was typical Robert to see him yell at that poor chef that volunteered his efforts but couldn't handle the workload, and very uncomfortable viewing. The food went over well, as usual. They were lucky the weather didn't mess 'em up. Except for the awful coffee crap, a good episode.
Numb3rs: "Hydra" - Kidnapping case. Always makes me feel squicky. The dad didn't seem very likable in the first scene. The direction of this episode is very different from the usual feel of this show. The gratuitous car chase scene was frenetic. And the subject matter... well, not entirely out there, but close. I liked the resolution.
Ghost Lab: "Murky Water" - Fifth episode. First location is Nottoway Plantation in Louisiana. The hypothesis is that the Mississippi river is generating electromagnetic fields that are "feeding" the ghosts in the plantation house. To test the theory, they compared the conductivity of the river water versus bottled water. Then they checked to see if there was any movement of EMF from the river to the house. Then they noted that only areas of the house in the direct path of the EMF from the river were reported to be haunted. I don't think they proved it, but at least there was a semblance of science there. The second location was the Metro Club in Chicago. They found a source of running water under the building to link it to the first location, but otherwise it was a pretty standard investigation.
Heroes: "Strange Attractors" - I like Matt, I hate Sylar's nastiness. I'm not fond of the situation with Claire and Gretchen, because I really hate invisible girl. But Jeremy's story is a good piece of tragic fiction. A surprisingly strong episode.
Dinner Impossible: "Double Jeopardy" - Nice theme, and nasty helpers! I'd like the desserts. Raspberry and chocolate rock. I like the notion of Robert being his own Evil Twin. I don't think I'd ever want to work with Robert. My self-esteem is low enough, thank you. Nice how the weather again gets in the way. Another good episode.
Destination Truth: "Bhutan Yeti" - I absolutely ADORE the cultural bits in this one. The monk's cellphone ringing was a highlight, but the roadside fire ceremony was just cool, especially how they practically ran them over.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold: "Inside the Outsiders" - Fun opening with Green Lantern being grossed out. And the Outsiders are an interesting little team in this cartoon. Needs more Aquaman, of course.
Numb3rs: "Dreamland" - UFO hunters witness a woman being killed by unexplained lights from the sky. I was thinking this would be a farce, but except for a single character who claims to be from the Pentagon, it was a fairly serious story. It was nice to have a fairly light story, even if it involved four deaths.
Ghost Hunters: "Ghost of Buffalo Bill" - Another celebrity guest ghost hunter in this one. The Buffalo Bill Museum looks kind of fun. The discovery of high EMF fields makes TAPS say, "there may be nothing here" but would make the Ghost Lab people say, "Oh, fuel for hunting!" That's one of the differences between the two groups. I'd be interested to hear if the activity slows or ceases when those towers are taken out. The second place, in Georgia, was a nicely spooky house. But it's old and therefore very creaky. The TV problem sounds like you need an electrician, not Ghost Hunters... amusingly, they agreed with me.
Heroes: "Once Upon a Time in Texas" - Poor Hiro. Even when he succeeds he fails. I really really hate the circus guy. Even more now. I'm not sure what to make of Bennett's little rendezvous.
Numb3rs: "Shadow Markets" - What an incredibly idiotic hacker dude. I mean, I know some of them aren't exactly saavy about the world, but that is a little beyond the pale. Wow. This one never felt resolved because enough of the action happened off-screen while we focused on nerd-boy. Alan's new boss is a hoot.
Sarah Jane Adventures: "The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith" - Not feeling it. Sorry. No chemistry at all between Sarah Jane and Peter. If I'd felt a little chemistry, I would've bought the story as a whole, but there was nothing there on screen. Nice to see the Doctor, and nice to see Rani and Clyde's response to him. But the story fell flat for me because of that utter lack of on-screen chemistry.

Here are reviews of the DCBS comic book shipment that arrived this week, of books originally released October 21st and 28th:

Blackest Night: Superman #3 - Zombies. As my hubby pointed out, regular and Marvel Zombies go for the brain. DC Zombies go for the heart. Will Image or Dark Horse Zombies go after courage? And I wonder, do some zombies just want to go home?
Justice League of America #38 - Detroit League rejects and DC Zombies. *sigh*
JSA vs Kobra #5 - Not really sure what is going on in this one, but it's not too bad.
DCU Halloween Special 2009 - Standard mixed quality anthology. I'm actually less impressed overall in this one. Still, it was nice to see Aquagirl named as one of the most powerful Titans by Wonder Woman. Needs more Aquaman.
Tiny Titans #21 - Yay! Mera! Soapy sudsy ocean! Yay!

Blackest Night #4 - Yay Mera! Kick butt and take names! Yay! And AquaZombie appears as well, *yawn*. I liked the appearance of Scarecrow.
Blackest Night: Titans #3 - TulaZombie and GarthZombie double-teaming Victor? I lost track of TulaZombie in the fight, but I see GarthZombie escaped to fight another day. I'm amused by the redesign of GarthZombie's scar and uniform.
Green Lantern #47 - More cosmic zombie adventures. Trying to care. Failing.
Justice Society of America #32 - Stretching out the Mr Terrific tale for another issue? I like the bounty listing showing the members of the JSA.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold #10 - This is such a fun book. I love the reaction of Green Arrow to Batman's, er, problem. Good thing Atom was there.
Astro City: Astra Special #2 - Aw man. Not what I expected to happen. And it was odd, but I was sitting there reading it and thinking, "Astra can't leave Earth! She's a superhero!" And then I realized that she's part of a universe that can change at any moment because it's not set. YAY!
Northlanders #21 - Brutal start to a promising story. I like the character we've been introduced to here, and I hope her story is more happy than I expect it to be based on the start.

Agatha Christie this week was Three Blind Mice and Other Stories, also published as The Mousetrap, a 1950 Collection.

Three Blind Mice - A murder leads police to a guest house to investigate possible future murders. This is the short story that was based on a radio play that later became The Mousetrap, the long-running play that is still going in the West End. I was surprised by the solution, which made me extremely happy. The potential for having had this story spoiled on me in all these years was high. I'm amazed I never heard it before.
Strange Jest - The heirs of a bachelor cannot find his fortune. I love Miss Marple. I'm not sure what more to say. There were idioms in this that I didn't stand a chance of understanding, so I could not have solved it.
Tape-Measure Murder - A woman is murdered and her husband is accused, but the facts don't add up. More Miss Marple, and I was impressed at seeing her actually get angry, showing it by her interference and her almost-rant at the end.
The Case of the Perfect Maid - A maid is fired after being accused of stealing a brooch, and the new maid is too perfect. Miss Marple again uses her observation skills to protect the reputation of the fired maid.
The Case of the Caretaker - A boy returns to his hometown with his rich bride. I love the framing for this one, with Miss Marple recovering from a flu and being given a "puzzle" by her doctor. Again, she observes what I didn't see, even though it was there.
The Third-Floor Flat - A murder is discovered by men trying to get into a flat they are locked out of. This is a Poirot adventure, and I was very happy to see him appear. I love the short stories when we get a mix of Marple and Poirot. The stories complement each other.
The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly - The case of a kidnapped child is child's play for Poirot. The motive behind this is just... wow. Impressive.
Four and Twenty Blackbirds - Poirot becomes interested when a reliable pattern is broken. I had a feeling of what was happening, but I didn't figure out the exact motive and method before the reveal.
The Love Detectives - On the way to a murder scene, Satterthwaite runs into Mr Quin. Any time you start a story with Satterthwaite you can expect a touch of the supernatural to appear. Mr Quin is a supernatural being, after all. And Quin's snark made the results of this one obvious even to me. And so we finish the book with a story that I figured out before the reveal... Ah, this was a great book!

Put all together, this is a great collection. I wish I could see the play itself, but I'll settle for this version of the tale. While I love the longer novels, I think the short stories are fantastic as well. I sure hope that I can find and read every story eventually.

Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews -- My Wishlist

Belated Halloween Pugs

2009-11-08T18:39:00.002-08:00

Just saw this post on the Sheldon website. And thought of my parents and their pug. So, here you go, Mom and Dad. Maybe some ideas brewing for next year?

Deep Thought

2009-11-06T21:39:00.001-08:00

Hubby-Eric thinks that somebody should make a version of Lemmings for the Wii.

Hallowe'en Notes for Next Year

2009-11-01T12:52:00.003-08:00

Ok, this year was extraordinary because of the perfect weather, full moon, and the day falling on Saturday. I suspect 500 will be enough for next year, although it never hurts to have a bit extra. If anyone wants to donate age-appropriate comic books, I'll take 'em. We couldn't afford the ashcan packs this year, but we might be able to next year if life treats us well.

Candy: anything squishable, like the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, are not a good idea. Also, Whoppers were very unpopular because they look so small compared to everything else. They weren't, they just looked that way due to the packaging. Pure chocolate was most popular, snickers and kitkat close seconds.

Lights behind me inside the house were a hit. Kids LOVED it. Little kids were entranced, older kids thought it was cool. The display was lame by my standards, but it worked. The Candied Apple candles made for a strong atmosphere inside the house, as well. All said, I think I hit the right tone with the lights I had up.

Handing out candy: need something to kneel on. I tower over many adults in this area, the kids are tiny compared to me. But this morning my legs are in sheer agony from all the kneeling I did to be on the kids' level instead of looming over them.

I wish I had a livecam to share the crowds with people on the internet. Since I really want to get a cam to put up anyway, maybe I'll manage this some year. I think it would be fun to have a "spot the doublers" and "watch for hover-parents" contest on my blog. If I do get a cam, I need to record the night for sure!

I want to laminate my signs. The "Trick-or-Treaters Welcome... Beware the Monster Under the House, Though... He Likes Trick-or-Treaters Too... Dipped in Chocolate" sign got a LOT of amused squeals. I want to put it out at the end of the porch under the garage light instead of on the door next year so kids can read it. Maybe I can make it look like there is a hole that a monster could climb out from as well... someday.

I'm trying to remember what superheroes I got... Lots and lots of Spider-Man and Batman, a few Captain America, Superman, Hulk, and Wonder Woman. No Aquaman, no surprise. Lots of Japanese anime style heroes. Not many of the old standards. I swear I saw a Wicked Witch of the West, but I couldn't say that for sure. There was a Care Bear. Lots of "Day of the Dead" type white makeup with black outfits.

Need to have some canned food and pocket change near the door next year for the folks collecting for charity.

Now if I can just remember to look at this blog entry before getting prepped next year... *sigh*

A Sunday Review

2009-11-01T09:45:00.000-08:00

Didn't get much TV watched this week, but we'll get to it eventually. We really do most of our TV watching on Friday and Saturday nights, and this week Eric was gone both nights, and well, you know what happened on Hallowe'en!

TV this week:

Ghost Lab: "Under the Skin" - A correlation between tattoos and paranormal activity? Oh-kay. That is one incredible Tattoo parlour, though. I can see why Richie was so attached to it. Now, getting a tattoo just to draw out a ghost seems a little extreme to me, but I have to admit that's a pretty cool logo to have tattooed on your arm. And then an EVP that swears at them, so they can't actually play it on TV. That's pretty amusing. Then they go to a haunted brothel in Texas, and leave the one female member of the team alone in the building, taking a bath. No, I'm not kidding. These folks try everything to bring out the ghosts.
Destination Truth: "Werewolf/Africa Monster" - This is the "trip and fall" episode. They start in Romania looking for a werewolf, and the cameraman takes an impressive tumble. All they find are regular wolves, possibly large ones. Then they wander to a hostile desert in Chile and find dinosaur tracks and possibly find a dino descendent. This time Josh slips down a mountainside on a loose piece of rock. This show has one very impressive moment when Josh actually refuses to get into an old plane with engine problems. Remember, this is the guy who had the windshield of a cockpit fall off in mid-flight. If he doesn't want to fly in that plane, I think it's time to junk it.
Ghost Hunters: "Rocky Mountain Hauntings" - This investigation was in Manitou Springs, CO at Briarhurst Manor, picked as part of the Great American Ghost Hunt. It was suitably creepy, but again, not much of substance was found. There's a part of me that really wants to believe that ghosts are external, but the more I see on various ghostie shows, the more I think that ghosts are an internal expression of something common to human nature.

This week's comic book review is Beasts of Burden from Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson. I was introduced to this from a Hallowe'en mini-comic, and enjoyed the first story, Stray (the complete story is available on the Dark Horse website at that link). Eventually I heard about the ongoing series, and Evan Dorkin linked to all three shorts available free online from his Livejournal. I read The Unfamiliar and Let Sleeping Dogs Lie and suddenly realized that I really like this series and I wanted to read the mini that's coming out. Problem is, I hadn't ordered it, and without a local comic shop, getting my hands on it was going to be difficult. Luckily, a trip to civilization meant I was able to catch the first two issues, and except for the fourth short story (A Dog and His Boy) I'm all caught up.

The stories concern a group of six animals living on Burden Hill that stumble onto the supernatural and slowly become experts. The animals are: Pugsley, a skeptical and obnoxious pug; Rex the cowardly Doberman pinscher; Whitey, a hyperactive Jack Russell terrier; Jack, a beagle whose haunted doghouse started the group's involvement in the supernatural; Ace, the sensible and compassionate Husky, and Orphan the homeless marmalade cat. They are supported by the Wise Dog, a bearded collie who has knowledge of the mystic and Apprentice Wise Dog Miranda, a black lab. Another local dog is Red the Irish Setter. The first short story involves Jack's haunted doghouse, then the group faces off against a coven of witches. Then there are zombies (sigh) and the fourth short story apparently involves a werewolf. The first issue of the new series involves a rain of frogs (yay, Fortean!). The second issue is about lost puppies. And, of course, these one-line summaries don't do any justice at all to the stories. They are funny, touching, beautiful, grim, brutal, and just generally awesome. I highly recommend this series to any animal lovers (and a few animal haters as well) and plan on getting the collection when it comes out.

Agatha Christie this week was Crooked House from 1949. A woman will not consent to marry her love until the murder of her beloved grandfather has been solved. Again, do not rule ANYONE out as the murderer in a Christie mystery. I briefly had the right person, but quickly dismissed it despite the stuff staring me in the face. *sigh* I'll get one of these eventually. Maybe. I've still got a great many years of her stuff to read. Maybe I'll get one that isn't a short story before I'm done. Maybe.

Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews -- My Wishlist

Hallowe'en Live Blogging

2009-10-31T13:00:00.056-07:00

Well, getting set up for the holiday now. I'm about to make a couple of signs to put out... one to cover the "NO SOLICITING" sign, and another to show kids where they are in the housing development (yup, I'm going to put up a map!). I've strung some more lights inside the house to make a backdrop for my gift-giving (because that's what I consider Hallowe'en candy to be) and laid out the bags of candy (over 700 pieces of "fun size" candy) and comic books (around 50 quarter-bin comics my old comic shop gave me when I visited last weekend - THANKS PAIGE!).

I've got the space heater aimed at the door, although I'm not entirely sure I'll need it because it's a VERY nice warm day outside, and it looks like enough clouds are moving in that it won't get too cold tonight. It's not likely to rain at all, but we may have some trouble with the wind.

I've set up my computer near the front door so I can blog, but if last year is any indication, I will have precious little time for it. Last year we ran out of candy in two and a half frantic hours, even with Eric taking another trip to the store to get more candy. We know we got over 300 kids, but I lost track early on and kept count by seeing how much candy was left. Which made it really hard when I ran out of candy and only had comics.

Anyway, I'll update this entry as the day progresses into night. I have no idea what will happen this year. It's Saturday, perfect weather, and I hope I'm prepared.

2:00pm - About four hours until dark. I suspect the action will start a little early this year because it's Saturday. I've put up most of the signs, swept off the porch, and got my costume ready (Mad Scientist, same as most years). Just had a rather late lunch. Now I guess I'll read some Agatha Christie and wait.

4:05pm - First two visitors, but they were not trick-or-treaters. I went out to get the mail (avoiding ninja Chuhuahuas*) and when I came back I heard one of them walking along the sidewalk mention to his father that he hadn't even been able to ask for canned food before the lady next door shut the door on him. In my driveway I asked what they were up to, and he said they were collecting canned food (duh on me) so I said I thought I had some and raced inside and found some chicken noodle soup that Eric and I eat really slow. They thanked me, and then I asked if they wanted any Hallowe'en candy. The older boy politely said, "No thank you, we don't celebrate Hallowe'en." So I asked if they wanted some non-specific holiday candy, and he looked befuddled for a moment before again refusing. I thanked them and they went on their way. I wonder what they were collecting for, and if I would have shut the door on them as well if they'd gone through whatever spiel they gave the woman next door?

*Regarding ninja Chuhuahuas: The other day when I went out to get the mail a Chihuahua that lives next to the mailboxes "attacked" me. I've noticed him sizing me up every time I go out, and this time I didn't see him at all until I heard the owner sharply yell for him, at which point I looked down to see he was about to trip me. I'm sure he would've then jumped upon me and torn my throat out. Definitely a ninja Chihuahua.

4:30pm - Group of seven, then two more older girls. Seven were crowding, hard to tell what they were. I have a vague sense of a camo jacket on one of the boys and a little girl with a totally inadequate bag. One of the two older girls was dressed as a devil with a very nice make-up job. Running total is nine.

4:44pm - Four - Pirate and others, including Cookie-Girl from last year. It's about an hour until sundown. Finished Agatha Christie (yeah, she got me again, review tomorrow) and am working on the latest Fortean Times. Appropriate Hallowe'en reading. Running total is lucky thirteen.

5:01pm - Five, including a very little girl who lost her basket and was collecting candy in the hood of her jacket. I gave her one of the really old Sky Captain bags and she was grateful. Running total 18. More coming.

5:04pm - Four. Another very little girl who was so taken by the lights inside my house that she hardly noticed I was giving her candy. She was led by an older girl in an elegant witch dress. Running total 22.

5:13pm - Four more. I thought they'd already hit my house, but they claimed they hadn't. As I sat down to write a solo Spider-Man came by and he got a comic book as well as candy. Running total is 27.

5:24pm - Five. Two babies in incredibly cute outfits being carried by parents. The oldest of the children noticed my sign that says the monster under the house likes Trick-or-Treaters dipped in chocolate. Running total up to 32.

5:30pm - Seven, including a convict in a prison outfit that was rather amusing. I asked him where he escaped from, but he didn't say. One last one popped up as I was writing, which makes eight. That's a running total of 40, total of 40 in the first hour.

5:39pm - Two, a clown and policeman. Very little. I gave them comics too, mostly for daddy who seemed interested. We're at 42 now.

5:42pm - Three more, and I think one of them was a doubler despite my attempts to keep them from coming back twice. They like me. Six more... coming in droves... six more including Dorothy (gotta tell Eric). That's... counting... 15? So I think I'm at 57 as a running total? Here comes another Dorothy! And Snow White. 11 more in a wave... that's... breathe... 70?

5:50pm - Sun has set, and that first bag of 100 candies had more than 100 in it because I've got 35 left and I KNOW I've had at least 70 kids visit.

5:52pm - Two more, including a kid "dressed as a high school student" (which is shorthand for "didn't bother to make a costume").

5:53pm - Three. Cleopatra, pirate, and pirate zombie. Then three more, two "scream" masks and a little red devil. That's a running total of 78 (plus or minus two).

6:00pm - Six more including Superman and Batman. And the second time tonight I've been accidentally threatened by a toy machete. And... five more... whew. That's 11 in this one. 89 total.

6:02pm - Seven, three, another ... 11? I ran out of the first bag of candy, opened the second. I'll say I'm at 112 now. Guesstimate. I could be off by a few. They come so fast and I want to talk to them!

6:06pm - Four. Whew. Waves of them out on the street. The neighborhood is ACTIVE. I haven't seen this many people on our streets since... well, last Hallowe'en. Running total is 116 now.

6:09pm - Four more. Captain America got an Avengers comic book. 120.

6:11pm - Five. Cars are bringing kids to specific houses now. 125.

6:13pm - I... have no idea. I lost track at 17... and there are more coming up the walk. HELP!

6:16pm - another "High School Student", notable because she was alone and I was able to take a breath. Four more after her. Then two more, including a little one who just yelled, "CANDY!"

6:19pm - AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! At least 20.

6:21pm - Ran out of second bag of 100. More coming. Send help.

6:23pm - Three. Only three? There must be more... yup, here they come. Only four more with hover-parents. I have no idea how many have come by. Lost track at 200-something. Kids are pausing to stare in wonder at my light bedecked room. It's not THAT impressive, I thought. I guess coming from the dark it looks more impressive. In any case, it's full dark now and I can see the moon outside. Beautiful night here.

6:28pm - Another wave. Included an AWESOME Michael Jackson. Lost track around 15 or so.

6:33pm - Four more. Seems to be slowing a little. Spoke too soon... ack! ... another wave. 10? I think? There's a traffic jam outside my house. Literally, cars backed up and trying to get around cars stopped to let kids off to visit... more coming... No idea how many. Not quite through the third bag of 100 yet.

6:37pm - Four more. They seem to come in fours.

6:41pm - Huge wave. Just opened bag number 4. That means I've had at least 300 so far. Still going.

6:47pm - Another huge wave. Fourth bag nearly gone already. Police are cruising the neighborhood with their lights on now. Was somebody hurt?

6:55pm - Wave after wave after wave. Ran out of fourth bag in the middle of a rush. That's over 400. Fifth bag is a 150 candy special. Nobody hurt, the police car just got caught in the traffic jam. I asked some kids about it.

7:01pm - A solo, followed by a HUGE wave. The solo had clearly never done this before, and was confused. His dad helped out. Then there was a shy one who absolutely refused to come up the one step to take candy from me.

7:08pm - I might get through the fifth bag at this rate. TONS more. Lots of clowns in the last couple of batches. I've been giving comics to any kids dressed as superheroes.

7:11pm - Apparently my height is VERY daunting to the little ones. I've been getting down on one knee to not scare them. My knee REALLY hurts. Another wave. Help. I wish hubby-Eric was here.

7:17pm - Another huge wave, with a few that really looked confused. More than one stared into the house, and at least one said, "I like your house!" The lights are a hit. More coming... Just one child with two hover-parents.

7:20pm - A small wave. There's a full moon. I'm at over 500 kids, based purely on the amount of candy I've given away.

7:23pm - Another small wave, including a Wonder Woman who got a Wonder Woman comic. Then another wave after that just as I sat to write this.

7:26pm - Just cut open one of the bags of 75, but there are still four pieces of candy in the bowl from bag 5 of candy. Many of the other houses on the street have turned off the lights.

7:28pm - Ok, into bag 6 now. Another wave coming.

7:35pm - Another small wave, including child in stroller. It's really slowing down now. (Famous last words?)

7:37pm - Yup, famous last words. Another wave came, another coming.

7:40pm - Catch my breath... ok, at least 550+ Trick-or-Treaters tonight, based on the candy I've given out. Some were doublers, but not a lot to my surprise. And, frankly, if they went home and put on another costume they deserve more candy. Whoops, another wave, hang on... another seven kids, including three superheroes.

7:42pm - Five more. No superheroes. What superheroes I've gotten have been mostly Spider-Man and Batman. A few Wonder Woman and Iron Man. ... Another group of four. Definitely winding down.

7:48pm - Another huge wave!!!! Into bag seven now (75 count). More cars coming into neighborhood. I think some event just let out. If my math is right, I've had at least 625 kids tonight.

7:55pm - HUGE wave. I may run out of candy. I cannot believe this. I MAY RUN OUT OF CANDY AND WE GOT OVER 700 PIECES!!!!!!!!!!!! Two adults dressed as superheroes stopped by and said, "we heard you were giving comic books to people dressed as superheroes!" I gave them comics, but no candy.

8:00pm - A long enough break to call hubby-Eric and whimper at him for a moment.

8:04pm - Another wave. Will go on until I'm either out of candy or haven't had a visitor for an hour. Dinner will be late tonight.

8:10pm - Three more. First to arrive in the last five minutes. Wearing heavy coats, as it's getting cold out there now.

8:13pm - Four more. I had to open one of the emergency bags.

8:14pm - Two more. I only have two small bags left, with about 18 pieces each, and I just opened one of those.

8:16pm - Five more. Hyper kids. I wonder if they've already started on their stashes? I'm glad I haven't eaten any of the candy myself.

8:17pm - One very shy boy. Bright smile when the "Trick-or-Treat" worked.

8:24pm - One. That's only two in the last... eight minutes.

8:27pm - Two more. Girl in cat mask, girl in witches hat.

8:30pm - Seven. The first of the small bags is gone. I have one more small bag, about 18 bars if the nutrition box is to be believed. Will I make it? Or will I run out of candy and have to shut the door?

8:34pm - Three more. There were nineteen in that bag. Now I have 16 left... no, three more, I have lucky 13 left.

8:38pm - One. Solo girl in green dress with green eye makeup.

8:39pm - One more, Iron Man. Gave him a comic with his candy bar.

8:41pm - Eight more. I have three pieces of candy left. Should I turn off the lights or not?

8:45pm - Turned off the lights. Don't want to risk another crowd of five or more, though I suppose I could just give them comics. No, lights are out, and I'm hiding now. Going PURELY by the number of candy bars that were supposed to be in the packages we bought, we had 733 Trick-or-Treaters. However, I know that the first bag had more than 100, and the last bag had 19 instead of 18. I found one half-candy bar in the bowl, apparently damaged at the factory. I can hear party music down the street. It's time for my dinner, then maybe some scary TV until I fall asleep. Goodnight everybody!

Halloween Pugs

2009-10-31T07:26:00.002-07:00

Just a few more pugs in costume for my parents.

Linkdump

2009-10-30T18:34:00.000-07:00

Flu Diagnosis Chart.

If you don't want to recycle those plastic bottles down at the transfer station, try turning them into a chandelier.

Gonzo as Davros.... it actually works... Now, I can't help but start casting my own Muppet Doctor Who. Let your imaginations loose on that one!

Better artificial bones: Made of Wood.

Here's yet another example of why I don't like flying, you can be held prisoner by the airlines.

This is old, but check out this intense video of citizens saving children from a burning car.

Another hard look at health care in "How American Health Care Killed My Father".

Pug (puppy) for the in-laws.

Remember to Turn Your Clocks Back

2009-10-30T07:35:00.000-07:00

I'm Lazy and I Hurt, So Here's Some Cats

2009-10-29T11:24:00.000-07:00

Dark Symphony

2009-10-27T10:33:00.001-07:00

The action starts almost two minutes in, at about 1:45, so if you don't like listening to good music you can skip ahead a little.

Weather

2009-10-26T19:22:00.001-07:00

Strange how I feel miserable when the weather spends all day switching back and forth from rain to sun to rain again.

A Sunday Review

2009-10-25T17:17:00.001-07:00

TV this week:

Ghost Lab: "Smell of Fear" - I like the biocam. It's funny. They didn't do enough tests with it ahead of time, but it was fun to watch. I'd like to play with it. As for the rest of that investigation... they spent less than 15 minutes of show time at the first place? That's lame. The second place, in New Orleans, was an intriguing spot, but it's run as a haunted house? Hrm. But I'm getting the impression that they really are just experimenting with techniques, not trying to prove or disprove hauntings, in this one. The fear experiment was silly, but I get what they were trying to do. I can't decide whether I like this show at all or not. I think I'll keep watching for the gadgets.
Dinner Impossible: "Sesame Street Scramble" - Oh, this was fun! I'm not a fan of Elmo, but seeing Cookie and Maria hanging out with Robert was lovely! And the challenge of foods beginning with "B" was a perfect one for Sesame Street. I really want to try some of those dishes. And visit that park. And hang out with Cookie Monster.
Destination Truth: "Haunted Lost City/Thunderbird" - I want to visit those ruins. My biggest frustration is that the crew does not go back during the day to get comparison images for us to see! I wanted to see the "bell tower" in daylight. And the tunnels as well. But no, all we get are night-vision images. The investigations are nicely set-up, but end very abruptly. Then the crew goes to Alaska to find a Thunderbird. That's a place I don't want to go. Too cold for me.
Ghost Hunters: "Congress Theater" - Are there any old theaters that aren't haunted? And the places, as Grant points out, are really hard to investigate due to the acoustics and size. Steve and Tango are a very funny double-act, and really fit in that theater. They should do a show together. Oh, wait, they are. Anyway, I wonder if ghostblobs are related to blobsquatches?
Heroes: "Tabula Rasa" - Ok, I really hate the circus people now. That was cruel what they did to Sylar. I'd feel funny writing that if it were actually Sylar inside that body. I'm liking seeing determined Hiro again. And it's nice that Noah has found direction.
Sarah Jane Adventures: "The Mad Woman in the Attic" - Wow, not exactly what I was expecting from this episode, but certainly pretty cool. Rani makes a wonderful mad old woman. This was a very dark episode, visually.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold: "Mayhem of the Music Meister" - Black Manta singing in a sweet voice! Aquaman dancing with Grodd! Oh, say, and some Bat-guy. But hey, Aquaman singing! And Atlanteans putting on a show.

Here are reviews of the DCBS comic book shipment that arrived this week, of books originally released October 7th and 14th:

Mangalicious Tick #3 - Bad art does not make a book Manga. In fact, it makes it less like Manga to me. This is just poor artwork, bad storytelling, and cliche themes.
Incredibles #1 - Yay! More screentime for Jack-Jack! I like the henchmen as well. You know you always suspected they have a group or a union or something. It's not a new idea, but fun to see it in action here.
Justice League: Cry for Justice #4 - Well, the explanations for the choices of characters in the essays in the back may be the only saving grace of this book for me. I'm a sucker for the DCU history stuff.
Doctor Who Classics Series 2 #11 - Wow, definitely into stuff I've never read. Another Time Lord, old baddies, and alternate universes. Good stuff!

Blackest Night: Batman #3 - Trying to care, failing. DC Zombies, *sigh*.
Green Lantern Corps #41 - Mildly more interesting than the Batman one, but not by much. Zombies. Just more zombies. *sigh*.
Super Friends #20 - Not the ending I was expecting. I love Aquaman in this one... but then I love him in just about every issue of this book. I particularly like his expression on the cover. And, gee, that wouldn't be the Rutland Halloween Parade, now, would it?
DMZ #46 - So, yeah... what is the endgame? Or will there be one? More questions each issue. I hope we get some answers soon.
Doctor Who Ongoing #4 - A Sontaran, Ogron, and Draconian walk into a bar, and the bartenders says, "Hey, what is this, a joke?" "No," says the Draconian, "It's a Doctor Who story." What more can I say?
PS238 #41 - Yay! I like the Von Doom family now. And the Emerald Gauntlet stuff was fun! More like this! A lot more like this! I wish this was a weekly.

My library book this week was The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer. I got this from the library after seeing William on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. William explains to Jon that he had to drop out of school because of a famine in his country. The description of the famine in this book is so intense, so painful, and very personal, that the casual way he describes it on the Daily Show is almost horrifying when compared with what really happened. The book is a little slow throughout the first half as William's situation is described. It's not bad, just a little slow. And hard to read because of the pain he and his family and country go through. The book picks up a lot of speed when William starts to build the windmill. I love his description of a real-life "Junkyard Wars" search to find the parts he needed, along with his friends' help when everyone else thought he was insane or smoking something. And once the windmill is working, the problems he has refining it are thoughtfully explained. A relatively short portion of the book is the discovery of the windmill by the outside world, and how William is suddenly in the limelight as the enormity of what he's done is realized. And he did it with only basic schooling, using books written in another language. This is one book that will leave you feeling pretty good at the end, and hopeful of the future when there are guys like William Kamkwamba in it.

Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews -- My Wishlist

Seven Years Ago

2009-10-22T11:43:00.000-07:00

I started this blog... seven years ago. Wow. Impressive in terms of internet years.

CSI In a Thumbnail

2009-10-21T18:36:00.001-07:00

Click to Embiggen

What Cats Are Really Thinking

2009-10-19T02:38:00.000-07:00

The original is here.

A Sunday Review

2009-10-18T05:34:00.001-07:00

TV this week:

Ghost Lab: "Tombstone" - Not impressed. Nice wandering around the locations, and it's always cool to see more of Tombstone. The speaker going off in the Birdcage sounded more like a prank than anything else. They couldn't show that the thing wasn't hooked up. The EVPs sounded like noise to me. The shadow person photograph didn't look like anything either. So I'm not impressed. But I'd still like to visit the place.
Dinner Impossible: "Block Party" - What a lovely idea! Put Robert up against his assistant, with a whole neighborhood of helpers and hinderers. Way too much fun! As usual there is equipment failure and cheating. I called the identity of the judge. Lots of fun in this one.
Destination Truth: "Chullachaqui/Bermuda Triangle" - The first story was a good one, looking for an unknown primate thing in Peru. The quicksand was a new event for them. The Bermuda Triangle was... well, I groaned when I learned about it. Nothing cryptozoological about that. But the story of the woman who lost her brother was touching. When you lose someone and never figure out why, you look for solutions. I tend to accept that there are magnetic anomalies in the area, but I couldn't tell you what else might be going on there. Amusing that the crew got lost both on land and sea. I'm thinking that area is just dangerous naturally.
Ghost Hunters: "Fort Henry" - Nice big place there. Canadian fort, lots of fun. I think that glass-enclosed room had some structural issues that made the glass warp. Yeah, that's the scientific explanation for the tapping. Doors closing seemed more interesting, but I wanted to see more debunking. I see the appeal of getting to run around in a big building like that all night long.
Heroes: "Hysterical Blindness" - Sylar's body's story is a little intriguing. And Emma's color power is also intriguing. But Claire's story is really not that good. And I'm really getting annoyed with the circus folks. And with them tying two of the threads to the circus thread, well, annoying. The show is getting better, but it's still annoying.
Numb3rs: "Where Credit's Due" - This show has been emathculated. I still love it, but I wish the math would come back and the cool explanations and all. This episode, involving a copycat murder, was nicely goofy and yet intense. There is just not enough math.
Sarah Jane Adventures: "Prisoner of the Judoon" - I really really really don't like the Judoon. Sorry. I know a lot of fans find them amusing. I find them tiresome. However, this episode brought one of them a little more into the amusing column for me. I do like the idea of a police force so inflexible that they are as much a menace as the criminals they hunt. Sladen got to chew up the scenery in this one, and it was fun to watch, although cringeworthy.
Robin Hood: "Total Eclipse" - I was sure this series was over at the end of last season. How can you have Robin Hood after that? But it goes on, and the introduction of another of the famous characters worked well. Yeah, we're well behind on this series, but we'll slowly catch up (I hope).

And that's it, sorry. Didn't finish any books this week, didn't watch a movie on video. Just a handful of TV shows and too much else happening to get any reading in. Maybe next week. TV shows are easy, I can often do other things (even work!) while I'm watching them.

Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews -- My Wishlist