All you Smallville fans, take note. The Chloe Chronicles are now on-line. These are solo shorts with the character of Chloe Sullivan, played by the impressive Allison Mack. Yet another dimension has been added to the already neat Smallville universe.

We got nineteen (19!) comics for Free Comics Book Day, as did customers who went to our wonderful, amazing, fantastic, awe-inspiring, shop: Corner Comics. All books are Free Comic Book Day editions, with the Free Comic Book Day logo on the cover and a spot for the store to stamp their logo.

I just want to point out that "free comics" aren't free for the retailer. Yeah, they are at a mightily reduced price, but at least one of the books was 75 cents an issue, which is a lot for a retailer to swallow (especially in this economy). If you didn't get as many free books, it's because your retailer could not justify the cost.

Way of the Rat: I'd already read this, since it's the first issue of the series. But there's a bunch of neat stuff in the back related to the movie and such. And Popo's horoscope is a hoot (and one more reason not to trust the things). Overall, the added stuff makes this already neat book a lot neater. This book is All-Ages.

Courtney Crumrin & the Night Things: Ok, this is a very odd book. Fun, but very odd. I think I like it. This book is All-Ages, but may be scary for younger readers.

Frank Miller's Robocop / Stargate SG1: The essays at the beginning of each... preview... were mildly interesting. Otherwise, this book sucked. Barely enough art to make a judgement on the style, and nothing at all besides the essays to give a feel for the stories themselves. This book is for Adults (18+).

Skinwalker #1: Considering the subject matter and the tendency towards gore in modern comics, I was expecting something a lot different. I was pleasantly surprised, to the point that I wouldn't mind picking up the trade of this story. This was, indeed, pretty darn good. This book is for Older Readers (13+).

Ok, more later. This is enough of a taste for now. I'd rather not list the remaining books (it's laziness, not secrecy), but 19 minus 4 means that I've still got 15 books to review. !!!

By the way: I'm putting what "age" the books are appropriate for at the end of each capsule. This is my opinion only. Parents should check the reading material of their children whenever possible for unsuitable items.

The BBC Website has a new, sort of, Doctor Who story up as a webcast. This was a story originally written by the great Douglas Adams, but the production on the story was never finished. The name of the story is Shada. It was originally written for the Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker, but Paul McGann has reprised his role as the Eighth Doctor to do an audio recording of the story. At the website, you can either just listen to the story, or you can view a Flash animation of it (the animation is a little hokey, but it works well enough).

I snagged the above banner from the fantastic and comprehensive Outpost Gallifrey. Don't beat me up, Shaun.

Go to the above website. Use their nifty search engine to find a store near you. Take a few minutes tomorrow to crawl/drive/bicycle/leap/walk to the aforementioned store. Pick up FREE comics, no strings attached. If you are an adult, read and enjoy. If you are a kid, have your parents check 'em first, then read and enjoy. No further obligations. Just fun books for free.

And, if you are feeling a bit flush, go ahead and buy a copy of Aquaman. After all, it would be nice to support the store that's giving you free comics, right? You don't have to, but they would like it. I bet. Starting tomorrow: Rapid Reviews of the free comics.

Blogging first. When I made my last update, I then went to this page to check that it had posted properly. To my surprise, I got the words "Under Construction" with not much else. This also happened to my husband last night, when I hadn't changed anything. The only why to get my page back was to close the browser and restart it. That's very odd. If you notice this happening, let me know. There's probably not a thing I can do about it, but at least I'll be aware of it.

Now, baseball! The Mariners have dropped two straight to the Yankees, which doesn't much surprise me. I'm very impressed with their performance in those games, and especially in the first game (which they won with a shutout). That's puts the M's at 17-11 which is a very respectable win/loss record. Tonight they play the Chicago White Sox. Detroit still only has three wins (ouch) and look at Kansas City go! Wow, 17-8! Not bad! Ah well, the season is still young.

Apparently not all the Iraqis are so happy with our troops, and when they've protested we've killed them. Twice. Here's the first and here's the second. To be fair, the Iraqi people are armed to the teeth (which just goes to show that an armed people is not necessarily a free people) which means that they could have fired first. But none of the media present saw or heard Iraqis firing on American troops.

A very good view of the whole war thing comes from Ashley Banfield, who saw both sides of many conflicts, and has a viewpoint worth reading. She also points out that many Iraqis weren't as happy to see us as the media portrayed. Since she was there, I tend to believe her. Link courtesy of Mark Evanier.

Gary Hart has updated his blog ("Democracy Dies Behind Closed Doors"). If I truly believed that he would be open and willing to talk about his policies if he were president, I would definitely vote for him. But it's always the same. Once they are in power, there are too many secrets that must be kept. I do, however, agree that the policies that Bush is trying to keep secret are pretty worrying. As a bit of an environmentalist, I'm worried about his policies that sure seem to be intent on destroying sanctuaries for profit. I guess time will tell. Back to Hart's blog, the comments aren't as illuminating this time around. One or two good ones, but there's a lot of the same flaming that is so common. Bummer.

Power Company #15: If this series hadn't been cancelled, this issue would be a very nice break from the team format to highlight one character. Unfortunately, I was hoping to get more stories with the whole team. So, while this was very good, it left me a little disappointed.

Superman: Red Son #1: As an Elseworlds fan, I've been anticipating this book for years. Literally. And it did not disappoint.

Ruse #19: An odd tale, more to my liking than the adventures in volcanoes and such that we've had in other issues recently.

That's it for this week. Free Comic Book Day is Saturday, and I've no idea how long it will take to get through the books. Next week's scheduled books are League of Extraordinary Gentlemen II #5, Batman: Nevermore #2, Green Arrow #25, JSA: All Stars #1, Justice League Adventures #19 and Way of the Rat #13. Wow. That's two weeks with an awful lot of comics.

Comments (2)

Thanks for the 5 and a half stars for Red Son.

dave

Reverend Dave Johnson | Email | Homepage | 05.03.03 - 2:19 pm

4 1/2... and they are starfish. Actual images of starfish, much reduced. I've already sworn to only give 5 to books that are perfect. 4 1/2 is just about the highest you'll get from me, as I've yet to read the perfect book.

The art on Red Son was fantastic.

Tegan | 05.03.03 - 8:07 pm

Green Lantern #163: Gah, I hate to admit it. I've liked everything I'd read by Raab before this, but it's clear to me that his parts of this crossover aren't as good as Winick's. I think the biggest change is the tone of the relationship between Kyle and Ollie, and it just works better when Winick is writing than Raab. This issue is one of Winick's, by the way.

JLA #80: Hate to say it, but Luthor's got a point. One that the readers of the book have been making for a while now. Just who are these extras, and why are they JLA material? With much of the League missing in the past, they made sense... but why have they stayed on? By all means, I hope this story can answer that question... but I have my doubts.

Namor #1: Pretty good art, pretty poor story. It really plods along, and there are some very odd historical inaccuracies in the opening pages. 1920s? No one would use "Man" as an exclamation. Multiracial beach? Not likely. A beach that busy in the Pacific Northwest? HA! Some of the men are wearing trunks... in 1920? Sorry, no. In short, before I ever got into the story, I was shaking my head at all the mistakes. If this were a plot point, I might be interested... but it doesn't seem to be. In short, it was worth the 25 cents I paid, but not a lot more. The only reason it's rated this high is because of the artwork:

Smallville: Witness: There are a number of changes in this episode that, at first glance, don't make a lot of sense. And Clark apparently shows off his abilities to too many people. This could go down as one of the weakest episodes in a long time, or it might prove to be the set-up of some truly fascinating stories. Time will tell.

Don't forget to visit The Smallville Ledger for more fun stuff (visit the Classifieds for in-jokes and possible hints to upcoming plotlines). Still to Review: Power Company, Ruse, and Superman: Red Son. Not to mention all the free comics coming on Saturday.

Newsarama has an interview with Rick Veitch which is mostly about his leaving Aquaman. While I'm not positive that I am Aquaman's number one fan, it's nice to get a name check.

Wow. I expected very little or no response to that math problem I posted. I'm a little surprised at how many of you decided to take a shot at it. Here's the problem once more:

During a basketball game, Jen makes 60% of her free throws. Donna makes 75% of her free throws. If, together, they made twelve free throws out of eighteen attempts, how many free throws did each woman attempt?

As I mentioned, I was standing with a customer trying vainly to explain how a handbook could help her solve this problem. I sort of blanked out for a moment as I tried to visualize how to solve the problem. For me, there were some important facts stated in the problem. The numbers are free throws, which means they are whole numbers, no fractions or decimals. Because they are free throws and not normal baskets, they could be even or odd. There were six misses... and those misses made up 25% of one set and 40% of another. And that's how I attacked the problem. I first assumed that each woman had missed three and told myself, "If Donna missed three, then she attempted twelve. Which leaves six for Jen, but three is half of six, so that's not right." So I plugged in two for Donna. "If Donna missed two, she attempted eight, which leaves ten for Jen, and that four left over is forty percent of ten, which means that I have the right answer." I then attempted to explain my method to the poor mother, who understood well enough, but like me couldn't figure out how to teach that to her daughter.

Although I came up with the answer fairly quickly, if a professor wanted me to write it down I would be in loads of trouble. So later that night, before sleeping, I posed the question (complete with my confused answer) to hubby-Eric, who first came up with a set of equations with four variables, then two. His explanation made perfect sense to me, and reminded me how to solve that type of problem. I can now confidently explain it to the next person who happens to hand me that sort of thing (and thanks to Rich I've got an even more elegant example of how to set up the equation if that poor mother wanders in again).

Comments (1)

I tutor for a class of fourth graders and they were working on something like that as well. The teacher taught them how to put it in the equation form, but I like you would have done it the first way.

Lisa Dunham | Email | 05.01.03 - 1:49 pm

As hubby-Eric and I went to get our free scoops of ice cream, we realized that a precious opportunity had been missed. We should have taken Free Comic Book Day stickers or flyers or something and handed them out to the huge crowd at the ice cream shop. We need to remember this for next year! If the days are close again, we need to take advantage of all the people out to get free ice cream!

As it was, hubby-Eric and I talked about free comics loudly enough that anyone within earshot could hear, and when asked about it, we told everyone to go to Corner Comics in Kenmore, and gave directions. Earlier, Paige (the owner of Corner Comics) showed us the grab bag she's put together for Saturday. People going to her shop are going to get a major treat!

Tomorrow: Rapid Reviews of some of the comics we got today. Sleep well and dream of ice cream.

For those people who insist that the Patriot Act changed nothing about the way the police can work, please read this article about the Patriot Act in action. Link from This Modern World.

I also recommend this article about the current President's lies. Clinton lied about his sex life and got impeached, Bush lied about our reasons for attacking a sovereign country and is a hero. This is a strange country we live in. Link from The Johnny Barcardi Show.

And, if that's not enough, check out this blog about the great desert snipe hunt. This is a very long article, and it's a bit of a masterpiece. Give yourself some time before sitting down to go through it. Link courtesy of Unqualified Offerings.

Usually I can succeed at debates because I understand the other side's viewpoint. By knowing why they are arguing the way they are arguing, I can explain my opinion to them in a way they will understand. Even if I don't win the debate, at least both sides leave the issue better enlightened. But I simply don't understand the Bush-supporters. I cannot get into their heads. How on Earth can anyone support a president who has taken away our rights enough that a restaurant can be raided BY MISTAKE because of the genetic heritage of the owners, and who started a war on false pretenses against the wishes of virtually the entire world, not to mention a large portion of his own country's population? How can people support a president who applauds and apparently agrees with a senator who believes that we have no right to privacy? Someone is living in a fantasy world, and I really hope it's me. I'd much rather live in the sweet and pretty world that Bush-supporters seem to think we are in than the terrifying reality that I see around me.

Comments (1)

It's okay. We don't understand you, either. Although I personally greatly respect an intelligent and open-minded debater.

And about that article, INS stands for Incompetent Naturalization Services. One of the worst-run bureaucracies in the government, always has been. Needs serious retooling if not outright folding.

Jason | Homepage | 04.30.03 - 8:20 pm

One serious side effect of working in an educational shop is that many people who come into the shop assume that you are an expert. The honest truth is that I'm just a clerk. Yeah, I took math all the way up to calculus, but that was over a decade ago. Trying to dredge up how to set up certain equations is as difficult for me as it is for the people asking.

There was a question like that yesterday. A woman and her daughter came in. The daughter quickly vanished into the toys and games, but the mother handed me a sheet of the girl's homework and explained that she couldn't help her daughter with the problems. What she needed was a reference of some sort that would help her to figure out what to do when confronted with these problems. Well, we sell this great series of math handbooks, and I thought the best one would be Math on Call, a wonderful handbook organized by topic with reader-friendly descriptions of each... and it's at about the middle school level. So I confidently led her to the section with the books, pulled one off the shelf and handed it to her, and grabbed a copy of my own. Then we looked at the first problem on her daughter's worksheet. And I failed. Utterly failed. I couldn't solve the thing with the handbook.

I could, however, solve it without the help of the handbook. The problem was that I couldn't explain how I solved it in such a way that the mother could lead her daughter to solving it on her own. Here's (roughly) the problem:

During a basketball game, Jen makes 60% of her free throws. Donna makes 75% of her free throws. If, together, they made twelve free throws out of eighteen attempts, how many free throws did each woman attempt?

So, I solved it in my head, but I couldn't explain how well enough to help the mother. Other problems on the sheet were much easier, and I was able to demonstrate the usefulness of the handbook with those. But this problem was driving me nuts. Can you solve it?

Comments (12)

Jen's free throws=x
Donna's free throws =(18-x)
Jen makes 0.6x shots.
Donna makes 0.75(18-x) shots.

Total shots MADE by Jen and Donna:
0.6x + 0.75(18-x) = 12 total.
.6x + .75(1 - .75x = 12
.6x-.75x = 12-.75(1 -.15x = -1.5
So, x=10 (Jen's free throws) and
(18-x)=8 (Donna's free throws).

farsider | Email | 04.30.03 - 8:15 am

Whoops. Let's try that again.
Jen's free throws=x
Donna's free throws =(18-x)
Jen makes 0.6x shots.
Donna makes 0.75(18-x) shots.

Total shots MADE by Jen and Donna:
0.6x + 0.75(18-x) = 12 total.
.6x + .75(18 ) - .75x = 12
.6x-.75x = 12-.75(18 )
-.15x = -1.5
So, x=10 (Jen's free throws) and
(18-x)=8 (Donna's free throws).

farsider | Email | 04.30.03 - 8:16 am

I don't know. I kind of like the little sunglasses in the middle of the equation.

Tegan | 04.30.03 - 8:27 am

I am impressed! Working it out in my head last night in bed, I used two variables -- afer I initially started off with four! -- but you managed to show it simply with one. The scary part of that is that I'm a math teacher!

Hubby-Eric | Email | Homepage | 04.30.03 - 9:39 am

Yeah, and you were also confused by my distorted retelling of it which included the way I solved it. Had you had the question in text, and a few moments to work it out on paper instead of in your head, I'm sure you would have come close to Rich's solution (though maybe not as quickly, Rich posted his answer hot on the heels of the question).

Tegan | 04.30.03 - 9:51 am

Using one instead of two saves a step. Glad I could help. I'm a chemical engineer so I have to use algebra on occasion to solve problems at work. In fact if you have any more send them my way.

farsider | Email | 04.30.03 - 9:52 am

Heh, you would have been of use in the store yesterday. I really need to practice my math. I've already gotten quite a few mental workouts, but it's not the same as actual studying. It's been over a decade since I even used math on a regular basis. I went into a writing-based career after college.

Tegan | 04.30.03 - 10:02 am

Lessee, without looking at the previous comments....

.6x + .75y = 12
x + y = 18

If I were still doing math contests in high school, I'd "cheat" and use real world knowledge. Namely, x has to be an integer, and .6x has to be an integer since you can't make or take a non-integer number of free throws. Since x has to be

Tom Galloway | Email | 04.30.03 - 4:50 pm

Hmm, somehow the last bit of the above got removed. Let's try the finish again: since x has to be 18 or less, that means x can only be 0, 5, 10, or 15. Y has to be evenly divisible by 4 for the .75y to result in an integer, and it plus x has to equal 18. So the only possible values for Y are 18, 13, 8, and 3. Only 10 and 8 work given the constraints. Check that .6(10) = 6, .75(8) = 6, 6 + 6 = 12, so we're set.

One of those math contests had a speed section where they'd put a problem like this one up on a screen, and the first three to scrawl the right answer and hand it to a proctor got points. I did very well on that, since the other kids would tend to solve things like the above using equations and canceling out and the like. I could certainly do that, but I'd try to understand the problem and its restrictions to see if there was a "jump" approach like I do above to just see the answer.

Tom Galloway | Email | 04.30.03 - 4:55 pm

I would definitely go with systems of equations:

Step 1: Set up systems
.6x + .75y = 12
x + y = 18

Step 2: Multiply -.6 by second equation to get rid of one variable
-.6(x + y = 18)
-.6 - .6y = 10.8

Step 3: Add new second equation to old first equation and solve for remaining variable
.6x + .75y = 12
-.6 - .6y = 10.8
.15y = 1.2
y = 8

Step 4: Plug and chug
x + (8) = 18
x = 10

Meghan | Homepage | 04.30.03 - 8:08 pm

Meghan, I also went the two-variables, two-equations route -- but I also did the substitution method as well as the combining equations method you used. So, I ended up with something like:

x + y = 18, which means y = 18 - x

.6x + .75 ( 18 - x) = 12...

...which then pretty much leads into what farsider did.

Laura, can we have more math problems like this to figure out? This is fun!

Hubby | Email | Homepage | 05.01.03 - 2:35 am

I got a nice note from Rick Veitch, apologizing that I was bushwhacked with the news of him leaving Aquaman. Let me just put in a few exclamation points here: !!!! Like he owes me anything! It was very sweet of him to write. His reasons for leaving are mostly due to the whole time thing. He'd already stopped writing the Comicon Splash, so it's not a big surprise that something else would have to go. I'm just a wee bit sad that it was Aquaman.

Rick also thanked me for my research efforts for him on Aquaman. I did very little, but was able to give him details he didn't have on a couple of items of interest. In return, Rick wrote that fantastic Secret Files story, which "reformed" my favorite Aqua-character after Aquaman himself. I'd say we're even.

Of course, now that I've flatly denied any wish to write Aquaman, I keep coming up with story ideas. 99.99% of them wouldn't get past any good editor. I can just imagine the exchange:

Me: I want to do a story that reintroduces Mupo.

Editor: Who?

Me: Mupo! He was a supporting character during Steve Skeates run on the book, helped overthrow Karshon, and was a potential rival with Aqualad for Tula's love...

Editor: Excuse me a moment while I go get the "fangirl-be-gone" spray.

Editor returns, sprays.

Editor: Now, what were we talking about?

Me: I want to do an Aquaman story in which he battles Black Manta again.

Editor: Much better.

Nah. I think I'll stick with non-fic. I don't think any editor would have the patience to deal with me. It somewhat reminds me of the comic-guy in The Simpsons: "But Aquaman, you cannot marry a woman without gills. You're from two different worlds...[sees the missiles about to destroy Springfield]... Ohh, I've wasted my life."

Something bad had to happen. Luckily, it's a minor sort of bad, but it's still very frustrating and slightly terrifying for me: Rick Veitch is leaving Aquaman. His last issue will be #12, and he hopes to wrap up everything he's set up. On the one hand, I'm glad he enjoyed the year... on the other hand, I thought his version had so much potential... There was so much already there and I was hoping to see much more.

I'm not looking forward to the long and agonizing wait for information on the new writer, whoever it might be.

And no, I have NO interest in writing Aquaman. I am not a good writer. Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to just write these stupid blogs every day? I haven't yet developed the discipline to write fiction, and especially not on the level comic book writers manage.

I do hope to contact the new writer and offer him/her any information on Aquaman wanted, including my services as a researcher. I've been able to look up old stories for Rick Veitch a couple of times, I would be willing to do it for any Aquaman writer.

Man, what a downer to end the day with.

What an utterly freakin' GORGEOUS day! Wow. Sunshine, birds chirping, a gentle breeze blowing warm air into the house... This is a perfect day, weather-wise. Wish I could bottle and sell it, I'd make a million. Ah... must enjoy it while it lasts...

Information on the new season of Justice League. I'm looking forward to seeing Aquaman again. His appearance in the comic version of the series was very nice.

As a coin collector, even as casual one as I am, this news about the Nickel redesign is very exciting. I wish we Americans would change our coins a little more often (five times a year is too much, but every five years or so would be cool). I'm ever-so-mildly disappointed that the design will revert in 2006.

The latest find of WMD in Iraq turned out to be a bust, but there's some interesting facts about the people searching in this article (NY Times, might require registration). It seems that our teams searching for the WMD are understaffed and underequipped, and being asked to stick to an outdated list instead of following up on new tips. Alright already! Time to bring in some help! Call in new UN inspection teams. Let's find those things before they get shipped to other countries. If they actually exist.

All this talk of Rick Santorum, and there's TONS of nasty stuff out there about him now, made me realize to my shame that I couldn't remember who my representatives are. I mean, I voted... but after that I just kind of put it out of my mind. I put my vote in and just had faith in the process. A pretty odd viewpoint for a hardened politician-hater like myself. Anyway, after reading the latest garbage of Santorum ("More on Slick Rick") over at This Modern World I realized that I am very remiss in my duties as a citizen because I can't even name my state reps, much less the Senators from Washington (and that should be easy!).

So I went to check out the information on the people who are running the state and country in my name.

I live in Washington's 1st Legislative District. My State Senator is Rosemary McAuliffe, a Democrat. The two State representatives from my District are Al O'Brien and Jeanne Edwards... both Democrats. I'm not positive I voted for any of them, but I suspect I did. On their websites at the state legislature site, it shows what bills they've sponsored and their voting records. I think I'll go through those lists at some point, since they affect me even more than what the folks in the other Washington do.

The Washington State Senators working in the other Washington are Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, both Democrats and both of whom I have a better knowledge of than I was afraid I would. Jay Inslee, another Democrat, is my Representative. The information on congress.org makes it simple for me to write to them, but it's a little harder to figure out their voting records and other information. For that, I have to go to their "home" sites: Maria Cantwell, who replaced Slade Gorton (who I met and hated after that meeting), Patty Murray and Jay Inslee. Their websites seem to reflect their personalities to an extent, and they have more useful information although it's spiked with a nice dose of spin.

Comments (2)

Why are people surprised to hear Santorum express his horribly obsolete morality when he never claimed to be anything but a staunch overly Catholic conservative? As a Pa liberal, I hardly support any of his beliefs but accept he was justly elected. Pennsylvanians collectively feel his morality and values reflect their own ergo he represents them better than his opponents. He's certainly not to blame for his beliefs which he always embraced; those who support him by voting for him or even by supporting a democratic system with free speech can only be blamed. Democracy is not always progressive... but shall we propose a better alternative?

Agatha | Email | Homepage | 04.28.03 - 4:16 am

I'm surprised because he seems to advocate tearing down the system that elected him. He doesn't believe in the right to privacy. He doesn't believe that the Supreme Court should be allowed to overturn bad laws.

He said some other stuff that sounds pretty bad, but I'm less surprised at his utter disregard for other people's beliefs than I am for his apparently strongly held belief that the government has the right to walk in on anyone having an intimate moment and check to make sure they are doing it properly. To be honest, I'm outraged that he thinks that way.

I want him to be the first. I expect him, because of this belief, to invite the police over every time he and his wife intend to have a private moment. He believes they have the right to watch, so he should make absolutely sure they are there every time. Otherwise he's a hypocrite.

Not that he'd be the first politician to fall into that category...

Tegan | 04.28.03 - 9:50 am

Hubby-Eric is mowing the lawn. Actually, "mowing" is too polite a word for what he has to do to get this lawn into some level of tameness. See, the blackberry vines have now taken over parts of the "lawn" and we've got a mighty mess. When we first moved in, I made a serious effort to trim down the ivy and blackberries, and made some small progress, but the last couple of years have been... difficult, and the whole thing has gone back to its natural state of untidiness.

So he's out there, trying desperately to make it look like we actually do care.

The first thing he did when he went out to tackle it this morning was to try and remove the steps that the former owners had put in. They are/were obnoxious and poorly designed with wood and a single flat brick for each step. The wood was completely rotted out, and some of the flat bricks were broken, and the blackberry had decided that it was a good spot to grow, so the steps were completely unusable anyway. After removing the bricks and pulling out as much wood as possible, hubby-Eric discovered that the wood had been held in place with rebar. Rebar! Sure enough, he dug down a bit and there was nothing cementing them in place. Just nasty spikes in the lawn.

So, we now have a lovely hole in the front of the lawn, and lots of blackberries and ivy swirling out onto the lawn, and poor hubby-Eric trying to tame it all with his electric mower and lots of willpower.

Let's not even talk about the back lawn. Heh.

Comments (4)

Hubby-Eric has my sympathies. I just returned from doing battle with my lawn. Fortunately, the weed-and-feed I sprayed last month seems to have helped greatly, and the back yard is no longer choked with mower-clogging weeds. Unfortunately, the neighbors cats have pooped all over the place.

Franklin Harris | Email | Homepage | 04.27.03 - 12:57 pm

Well, now that I'm done, the front lawn looks decent. It should look better when I do a shorter, bagged mow in a couple of weeks. And let's just hope that the back lawn, if we ever get to it, doesn't become a case of "I Fought the Lawn and the Lawn Won." (Yes, you may now insert your own bad pun groan here.)

Hubby | Email | Homepage | 04.27.03 - 2:52 pm

Man, my hubby-Eric battled the lawn and actually made it look decent, in less than an hour!!! Wow, Eric, you kick butt!

Tegan | 04.27.03 - 6:10 pm

Having a pretty darned good mower helps...

Hubby | Email | Homepage | 04.27.03 - 8:51 pm

Hey, the Detroit Tigers finally won a third game this year, getting them up to 3-19 and only 14 and a half games behind the division leading Kansas City Royals... unfortunately, that third win was against the Mariners, which puts the M's at 15-9 and ended their five-game winning streak. Still, even the worst teams win a few. And, hey, I'd rather sweep Cleveland than Detroit anyway. What I'm not looking forward to is the games against the Yankees, who tend to be impossible for the M's for some strange reason. At least the New York games will be early enough that I probably won't see any of them.

So, now that the Mariners have had a good 24 games of the regular season to prove new manager Bob Melvin, I've got to say that I like the guy. Mostly. He hasn't shown the style of Lou, but he's got his own attitude. Last night's game, when he went out to argue a couple of calls, was the first time I actually felt like cheering for him.

Speaking of arguing calls, that slide into Boone at second base was crazy. Yeah, it was legal, but I think everyone knew how dangerous it was. Boone could have been seriously hurt. Luckily the only thing bruised was his ego (and the score). Still, I'm against legal plays if they are likely to hurt someone, and that was not a smooth move on Peña's part.

Comments (1)

"division leading Kansas City Royals" ... I just wanted to repeat that for everyone who says money is the deciding factor in baseball and that small-market teams can't compete. They CAN compete if run properly. (See also: last season's Twins.)

Franklin Harris | Email | Homepage | 04.27.03 - 1:00 pm