Saturday, June 19, 2004

Here's another sketch I got at the 2000 San Diego Comicon. I got this sketch on the last day of the con during a spat of lovely insanity in Artists' Alley. Roberta Gregory is best known for Naughty Bits, and I don't recommend that my mom or anyone else who might be bothered by "adult" content go visit the website. If anyone is wondering if I'm intentionally avoiding naming the character, yes, you are right. I am intentionally avoiding it.

Anyway, I love this sketch. Aquaman's look of mild resignation is second only to the fish's shock at where he's just been swimming. That's one expressive fish! I keep thinking I need to do a montage of fishes that artists have drawn with Aquaman. Maybe if an artist doesn't want to draw Aquaman, I should suggest a fish or other sea creature...

AQUAMAN
by Roberta Gregory
23 July 2000
(permission to post given 29 Feb 2004 in person)
robertagregory.com

by Tegan at 5:45 PM Seattle time - Permalink

It's Juneteenth. Reflect for a moment that slavery is no longer considered acceptable, then go out and celebrate. That's what Juneteenth is about.

If you want an alternate view of history, Today in Alternate History also covers Juneteenth.

Comic World News claims that CrossGen has filed for bankruptcy. If so, it could finally mean the end of the slow lingering death of one of the most promising comic book companies to have come along in ages. Somehow, I suspect this will continue to be drawn out, though. Thanks to Kevin Melrose for the tip.

Lucy the Cat reads and reviews comic books, and wants you to send her your work. Blame ADD for this one.

The recently posted Girl Genius Secret Blueprints moved from the spot I indicated, but are still available. The best way to get to them is to go to the Free Stuff page from Studio Foglio. At the moment there are six pages of the Secret Blueprints up, and more coming as Kaja has time and energy to post them.

Speaking of free stuff, the WildGuard On-Line Strips are continuing at the WildGuard forum.

Round Three of Comic Book Idol promises to be quite cool! This week's assignment: three sequential pages from the plot script of Green Lantern #178 written by (yes, you guessed it) the one and only Ron Marz. The artists get to see the whole script, but only draw three pages. This one will be fascinating to compare to the published work, which will be out in two weeks. I think my favorite of the artists is probably Carlos Rodriguez, but there are several really good ones, so it's hard to pick.

Boing Boing has news of Monday's First Civilian Spaceflight. The Mojave Airport has been officially designated by the FAA as America's first inland spaceport, and SpaceShip One is due to launch from the spaceport on Monday, June 21st 2004. There will apparently be live coverage on CNN as well as from bloggers who intend to watch.

I wasn't imagining it! Thursday night and very early Friday morning I was awakened by thunder and lightning storms, which seemed pretty odd considering that the sky was completely clear when I went to bed. When the first rolls of thunder sounded just before midnight, I assumed it was a truck or something. Then at the stroke of midnight, there was a long, loud peal of rolling thunder that went on for at least ten seconds. It woke me up fully, and I saw flashes of light out the window for the next half hour or so, punctuated by thunder. I could tell that the storm wasn't close, but part of me was convinced I was dreaming. But the front page of the the Times has photographic proof.

by Tegan at 12:17 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Hedge Knight TPB: As you may know, this is the comic book adaptation of a story from the first Legends anthology. It also happens to be a quite excellent adaptation, and a great choice of story to adapt. The visuals in the original story were compelling, it's wonderful to see them here. The art is by Mike S Miller, who does a wonderful job throughout. Not only are the characters each distinctive, but they are nicely consistent. There is a lot of action, including a series of jousts. The action is clear, which is no small feat in this tale. I don't even have to say how great the writing is, the more I read by George R. R. Martin, the more I like his writing. Anyway... Add in the four pages of coats of arms in the back, along with a short bit from the story in Legends II, and you've got a very cool package.

Amazing Adventures From Zoom's Academy: I was expecting a comic book, so what I got instead was a bit of a surprise. A lightly illustrated children's book. It's good, but it wasn't what I was expecting, and that threw me off. I'm having to fight the urge to compare it to the Sidekicks series, because the only thing they really have in common is young superheroes and a narrator with a lot of common sense thrown into an uncommon world. The main character in Zoom's is Summer, who doesn't know about superheroes at all, and has a remarkably low self-esteem. The realization of who and what she is makes up the focus of this story, and it's a pretty good one for younger readers. A fun little book, good for light reading.

Still to review: Birds of Prey, Another Nail, JSA, and Outsiders. I also still get to review Hench, and True Story, Swear to God: 100 Stories.

by Tegan at 9:25 AM Seattle time - Permalink

Friday, June 18, 2004

Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson: I enjoyed Red Mars, and could barely wait to get my hands on this one to find out what happens next. I wasn't disappointed. The book picks up years after the end of the first book, with the first generations of children born on Mars becoming adults. As the political situation on Earth gets nastier and more dangerous, the implications of having a whole world out there available starts to sink in a bit. Like in the first book, there is a build up of ideas and philosophies, all of which is let loose due to one cataclysmic event. The mastery of these books lies in the exploration of the different people involved in the tale. Each of them contributes, but each one has a different viewpoint that comes out as you read. You get the sense that there are no simple answers, because some of the people involved are so far apart there is no way for them to ever have a true meeting of minds. And so you are along for a ride through history. It really is quite an amazing series. The last book is in my reading pile now. Even if it doesn't live up to the standards of the first two, this is quite a remarkable series already.

by Tegan at 9:47 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Plastic Man #7: Er, ok. This is a standalone story done by Scott Morse, in which Plastic Man helps Woozy to get a date. I wish I could say I thought it was great, but it was only a little amusing. Nicely done, yes, but the comedy seems to be a bit off. Mildly recommended.

Seaguy #2: The first issue I felt I enjoyed despite the weirdness because I started to take the universe it was set in on its own terms. I attempted to do the same with this one, but found that it disconnected itself too much. There are two jumps in the story that were annoying enough to distract me from even trying to figure out the universe. The art is absolutely gorgeous, but the last issue is going to have to have something spectacular to make up for the narrative holes in this one.

Still to review: Birds of Prey, Another Nail, JSA, and Outsiders. I also still need to review Amazing Adventures From Zoom's Academy from last week, Green Mars, Hench, and True Story, Swear to God: 100 Stories.

I also need to point out H's review of Aquaman #19. I agree with him on 90% of his points. At least.

And, just for kicks I'll mention that I e-mailed my shop owner last night and asked her to add Ursula (MAY04 2205 $9.95) to my order and got confirmation this morning (thanks Paige) that it's added. I also looked at the Diamond Order Form for Jul/Sep and noted that in addition to Demo #10 there's Jax Epoch and the Quicken Forbidden Volume 2. Ouch... we're going into summer, Larry, my husband is a school teacher. We have no money for all these neat things you keep putting out...

by Tegan at 9:33 AM Seattle time - Permalink

• Weight = X-5
  
• Change From Last Week = unknown (no reading last week)
  
• Met Exercise Goal? Yes
  Goal was ten minutes a day (walk/bike/swim) at least six days.
  
• Current Exercise Goal = ten minutes a day (walk/bike/swim) at least six days.
  
• Kept food diary? Yes.

by Tegan at 9:19 AM Seattle time - Permalink

Thursday, June 17, 2004

The Previews site at Diamond has updated and redesigned. The new order forms are up. The redesign threw me a bit. For a moment I thought I had gone to the wrong place. Unfortunately, they haven't increased the amount of stuff, just changed the design.

MLB Cartoon by Choi Hoon, as profiled in The Korea Times. Unfortunately, the cartoon is in Korean and I can't read it. Still, I've been looking for a cartoon/comic about baseball. At least there's something out there. Many thanks to Thought Balloons for the link.

The Leaky Cauldron points out a travel site that has a currency converter for the currency used in the Harry Potter universe. Thus I know the repairs on my van would have cost me 23 Gold Galleons, 15 Silver Sickles, and 11 Bronze Knuts.

Titanic in 30 Seconds (and re-enacted by bunnies). Via Nodwick.

by Tegan at 9:42 PM Seattle time - Permalink

So I went out to my trusty Dodge Caravan yesterday to drive down and get the comics. I hadn't driven the van for five weeks, but I didn't anticipate any problems. Yes, it was parked out under a tree, but it's a good little van when it isn't misbehaving, and I got the last spat of misbehaving fixed some time ago. So I got into the van, put the key in the ignition, turned the key... and nothing. Not a thing. Not even a click.

I figured the battery was dead, which isn't all that unusual for a vehicle that's just been sitting around. So I put the van in neutral and rolled it out into the street so I could get a jump from somebody. I miscalculated, however, because without power steering the van is VERY difficult to maneuver. So I ended up with the van partly stuck out in the street, in a very bad spot. Ooops.

I called my little sister, who is usually quite amazing in such circumstances. However, she was very busy. They could come and help me later, but not right then. I don't know many people up in Bothell, since I'm a bit withdrawn in general. However, I did have the number of one neighbor who belongs to the same church I grew up in, and I called her. She wasn't there, though. Her husband answered, and when I explained who I was and asked for help he hopped in his car and came over right away. I need to get a thank you gift for him (any thoughts?).

We managed to get the van started, pretty much on the first try. He suggested I drive around for at least 20 minutes, then only stop at a place where I could get help. I told him I was going to Jiffy Lube, since they regularly service my van. He offered to follow, but I declined. I figured once I was down there, help would be all around. At least the van was no longer in the middle of the street.

The Jiffy Lube I picked was very near the comic shop. I figured if worse came to worse I could walk over to the shop. When I got there, they looked at the car, but found nothing obviously wrong. However, I miscalculated again. The guys at Jiffy Lube are really good at one thing... changing oil. They aren't mechanics. So when the van wouldn't start again, they were clueless.

We were all agreed that the battery was the most obvious problem, so we called Les Schwab, which is just down the street for a jumper truck to come out and give me a jump so I could get the van to a place where a new battery could be installed. In the meantime, the Jiffy Lube guys changed the oil on the van (it needed it anyway, although it felt a bit like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic).

The Les Schwab guy arrived, but couldn't get the van to start. He told me that the electrical system was shot, and it looked a little like something had been chewing on some of the wires (oh, joy). I was absolutely certain we could revive the van long enough for me to drive it somewhere, since I'd gotten it to Jiffy Lube in the first place. I noticed that the Les Schwab guy put the cables on the battery differently than the neighbor had, so I made a little suggestion.

Surprisingly, it worked. Simply rearranging the cables so the ground was in a different spot allowed me to start up the van. But the instant he pulled the cables off, the van died. We had a little conference, the Les Schwab guy, the Jiffy Lube guys, and me. We decided my best bet was an auto shop just up the street, less than a full block away. If I could keep the van running that long, the shop should be able to help me.

So we tried again. Once the van started up, I kept the gas on. Everybody cleared the way, and I lurched around the corner and up the street to Auto Max.

Let me give you an idea of the mental state I was in right then. I didn't want to stop the van because of the difficulties we'd had starting it up. I didn't want to leave it running, because I've been trained not to do that. I had never been to this particular shop before, and I had no idea if they were honest or not. In short, I was pretty stressed. I left the van running in the parking lot and went into the shop.

The gentleman who helped me recognized right away that I was stressed, and took it slow and simple. I explained the problem, he said they could fix it. I explained why I left it running. He said they could be able to get it into the garage even if they couldn't start it. He asked me what my "I'm blogging this" t-shirt meant. I told him. He asked me if I needed a ride home. I suddenly realized that I was in a pretty good spot to be stranded and said I was fine. He asked me if I was in desperate need to get the van back, and I calmed down even more as I realized that, no, I wasn't in any horrible need. I would survive without it if need be. I gave them my back-up key and information, and went out and turned off the van.

At that point I wasn't sure whether I was looking at a complete rewiring of the electrical system, or just a new battery. But I couldn't think about it any more. It was out of my hands. I walked over to the comic shop, where I got my comics and a ride home (thanks Carol!).

Today, after I finished a job that I have been meaning to do for a long time (more on that in a bit), I came into the house and found a message on the phone from Auto Max. The problem was with some wiring, not too serious, and they would have it done for me tonight. However, the battery does need to be replaced. I told them to go ahead and do it, and breathed a sigh of relief. Not a pleasant experience, but at least I'll have my van back soon! And it appears I have a local shop to take the van to in the future.

The other exciting real life thing isn't nearly as thrilling, but did manage to keep me away from my computer for a couple of hours this morning. I mowed the lawn. Now, now... I know you are thinking, "big deal," but it really is a big deal. Our lawn, while small, has a lovely hillishness to it that makes mowing rather difficult. And I've been suffering from fibromyalgia long enough that I have often wondered if I'd ever be capable of doing simple things like yardwork again.

Don't get me wrong. I hurt all over right now, and I fear I may have overdone it a little. But the yard looks almost like a normal yard instead of a dandelion farm, and hubby-Eric has one less thing to worry about. It took me about two hours, and it was hot and getting hotter as I worked, but I stayed out of the sun for the most part and got it all done. I even grabbed the weedwacker and tidied up some bits on the hillside that the mower couldn't reach. So I'm pretty pleased with myself at the moment. I can't wait until Eric gets home and sees it. I'm dying to hear someone say "Good job".

And now... I think I need a nap before I get back to comic book reviews. Lots to read already, and another package arrived from AIT/Planet Lar that I haven't opened yet (I still haven't read Hench!). And so to bed.

by Tegan at 2:19 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Wednesday, June 16, 2004

Amazing Spider-Man #67/508: As expected, the "easy way out" in the end. However, there were enough explanations and unexpected revelations to make up for it. A nicely solid finish to a pretty good tale.

Thor #81: More of a jumbled mess, like the last issue. Basically, I don't like it. If I were buying this one for myself, I would have dropped it long ago, and even now I'm more and more inclined to not bother reading it. I'm still neutral on it.

Still to review: Birds of Prey, Another Nail, JSA, Outsiders, Plastic Man, and Seaguy. I also still need to review Amazing Adventures From Zoom's Academy from last week, and Green Mars.

by Tegan at 10:03 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Hubby-Eric was sent a link to Dorothy of Oz, a dark version of "The Wizard of Oz" that's done in comic book form with photos blended into artwork. Eric naturally purchased it right away, and I'll be sure to review it once it has arrived. Check out the gallery to get an idea of the style of the book.

If you register to vote on June 19th, you can get a free comic book! Brian K. Vaughan is offering free copies of Wildstorm's Ex Machina to comic book readers who use this link to register to vote on June 19th. This is a first come, first serve deal, so register early on the 19th (but wait until the 19th). If you live in San Francisco, you can register in person at Isotope - the comic book lounge. This press release brought to you by an e-mail from James Sime.

Coming through Franklin's Findings is news that hubby-Eric will be very happy to hear, as we were just discussing this the other day! Star Trek: The Animated Series will be released on DVD next year.

Fanboy Rampage let's us know that DC Comics is taking their letter columns on-line. On the one hand, it's nice that they are making an effort. On the other hand... how many people will notice this? Well, one more thanks to Fanboy Rampage, at least.

Via Shane Bailey comes this delightful rumor: Not only has Chris Columbus been tapped to direct a Sub-Mariner movie, but The Rock will be playing Namor. Excuse me whilst I giggle for a few minutes.

The Marvel solicits for September were leaked a bit early, and Neilalien is happy to see the new Doctor Strange series being solicited. While I'm not that interested in cosmic stories, this baby is co-written by JMS with art by Brandon Peterson. I'll be giving it a shot. The official Marvel Solicits are now up at Toon Zone.

Out of the blue, Larry Young sent me a copy of Hench, which is a story set from the point-of-view of a typical henchman. I'm looking forward to reading and reviewing it. Larry also reports that Variety's Bags and Boards gave Ursula an "A+". I'm thinking I ought to go back and order it...

Speaking of ordering, someone pointed me to this answer about my question on PS238 being cancelled by Diamond: When a comic is "cancelled" by Diamond, it just means that particular issues were late and must be re-solicited. Sadly, Dork Storm Press had apparently used up it's "final chances" on books due to previous cancellations of other titles. So, wheras the comics would have been listed as returnable items, we now have to wait until August 1st. On the up side, both Nodwick and ps238 will come out on the same day at the beginning of August, and ps238 #8 will come out at the end of August! So all is well, just a little delayed. On another up note, the trades for both Nodwick and ps238 will be out at Origins and in stores soon after! :) I still don't quite understand what that means, per se, but it looks like the books aren't going to be massively delayed by the cancellation, so I'm happy. By the way, if you aren't currently reading PS238, START. It's excellent. There's a trade coming out soon (APR04 2574), I highly recommend it. Order it now. Zodon commands it.

My lukewarm reaction to Identity Crisis #1 was not the norm, as most fans seemed to embrace it wholeheartedly. Silver Bullets says "Wow." Don MacPherson says "Highly Recommended." Captain Custard says "One of the better issues of the year." H of The Comic Treadmill says "This was an outstanding set-up. Captivatingly written. Captivatingly drawn. And prior knowledge of the main players is unnecessary. It's a good story."

I also hunted for some more reviews of Aquaman #19, and ComiXtreme echoes my complaint, only a little more forcefully: "And it was going so well, too." MediasharX focuses on the character that Will is giving us in the new book, but also seems a little down on the latest issue. Ain't It Cool News pulls no punches in saying they were disappointed.

For the record, the Seattle Public Library Central Branch that I think is really ugly and completely inappropriate for Seattle was designed by Dutch Architect Rem Koolhaas. The Experience Music Project building, which I think is even uglier, was designed by Frank Gehry.

Ok, ok... Happy Bloomsday. Sheesh.

by Tegan at 12:44 PM Seattle time - Permalink

A big happy b-day to my big brother David, who is a mere eighteen months older than me. If I could ever remember how old I am, I could remember your age, too. Sunny day, isn't it? Maybe I'll crash your party tonight.

And a slightly less big but no less enthusiastic happy b-day to my oldest niece Morgan, who, if I'm remembering right, turns seventeen this year! My, how time flies...

Just for the heck of it, here's some other people who were born on June 16th: Stan Laurel (comedian), Barbara McClintock (genetic scientist, Nobel winner), Gustav V (king of Sweden), Nelson Doubleday (publisher), Takamiyama (1st non-Japanese sumo champion), and Tupac Shakur (rapper). (from History Orb)

by Tegan at 9:03 AM Seattle time - Permalink

Tuesday, June 15, 2004

So I dragged Eric away from his grading (if any of his students are reading this, I apologize for slowing him down) and forced him to attend the Gala premiere opening of the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. This was the opening for charter members only, the regular opening is on Friday.

When we got there, I found out that my membership is at the "Hive Mind" level, which is the family level. Doesn't make much of a difference, since Eric and I have no children. However, I'll be a charter member no matter what.

The layout of the museum is two exhibit levels and a reception area. We started by going up to the reception area to grab a little food. It was good stuff, as was only to be expected by a catered event in a Paul Allen financed building. We intended to go up to the mezzanine, but the elevator attendant misunderstood Eric and took us to the first floor instead. So we started looking at the exhibits.

We exited the elevator right in front of "The Interplanetary Lounge", but I was so overwhelmed by everything that we walked past it to "Baggage Claim" before getting our bearings. The main piece in "Baggage Claim" is the Alien Queen, and I gaped a little before moving on to "Metal or Mortal", a section about robots and androids that had both R2-D2 and Twiki in a jam-packed case. We then stopped for a short visit at "The Interplanetary Lounge" before moving on.

The next few stops went so fast I zoned, but since I have a full membership I can go back and visit again. With that knowledge, Eric and I went through the exhibits fairly quickly. We plan to visit again later and spend more than a mere hour there. Anyway, we waltzed through the "Fantastic Voyages/Brave New Worlds" sections, then went back to "Them!", which is where we started. We ran into some friends who told us that there was a Fun Gun from the Doctor Who story "The Happiness Patrol" in "The Armory", so we ventured back into that section to look at it.

We ran into another friend near the Fun Gun, and then we wandered up to the "Homeworld" section (where most people actually started), and looked at the main exhibits.

Ok, overall first impressions: Crowded, but not too crowded. Literally every time you turned around, there was something new to look at. I was suffering from "oooooh! Shiny thing!" syndrome, big-time. The "Spacedock" and "Cities of Tomorrow" exhibits were absolutely stunning visually. As Eric noted, the "Spacedock" exhibit had the Planet Express from Futurama show up as one of the ships going through, among nearly every other one I could think of (except for the TARDIS). In the center of "Homeworld" was a video globe, and it was breathtaking to watch. I was particularly thrilled when it showed both Jupiter and the Moon. It was really cool. There was fanfic in the "Science Fiction Community" section. Wow.

Disappointments. Not many... There was as strong a focus on books and magazines as on TV and movies, but comic books were underrepresented. I think the only mention of comic books was in the Timeline. Not much by way of Doctor Who, either... but then, there really wasn't much from any one show or movie over any other. Still, it was a bit of a shock to not see the TARDIS anywhere, not even in the time travel section. The focus was very much on Science Fiction, not on Fantasy at all, which meant no Wizard of Oz stuff.

Let's see... what else? Ah yes. There was an interactive survey in the lobby which hubby filled out with prompts from me. The most requested feature was more interactive exhibits. The store area was laid out, but hasn't been stocked yet. It will no doubt be ready for the real grand opening on Friday.

And the Experience Music Project building is still the ugliest building in Seattle, even if what's inside it is pretty cool.

by Tegan at 9:54 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Thanks to Kevin Melrose I know that DC is reviving Johnny DC, the old logo that Sergio had fun with once upon a time.

The Stranger tells you ways to die in the new Seattle Library (via Tangognat). For the record, I think it's an incredibly ugly building, on the same ugliness level as the EMP (also known as the stuff the Weedle on the Needle threw up). Nice to know that it's dangerous, too.

I have confirmed that I am, indeed, a charter member of The Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, thanks to the oddly frantic auctioning at the KBTC pledge drive. Whether or not I go to the opening night gala depends on whether or not hubby-Eric gets enough done to go with me, as I sure as heck am NOT going alone.

There's a pretty cool Electoral Vote Map available. It updates based on polls. No idea how accurate it is, but it can give you an idea of where the most annoying political ads are likely to show up. I got it from one of the political blogs, but I can't remember which one now, sorry.

by Tegan at 4:36 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Angel [2-05]: Dear Boy: Ah, Darla really is back. And she's evil, but has a soul. And Kate thinks Angel is a murderer and kidnapper. Oh, the troubles Wolfram & Hart are causing. This was a pretty good, but incredibly frustrating, episode. The frustration comes from nothing being resolved. That's the problem with long arcs. Also, there are a few plot holes. How did Angel get back into the hotel without Kate knowing, since she left officers in place to find him? And was there really any point to Gunn's appearance in this one? Nice set-up, but not even a guy in a goofy demon suit to beat up at the end for a nice finish (no, that came at the beginning).

Angel [2-06]: Guise Will Be Guise: You could tell from the opening scenes that this one would be a Wesley story, and that's really what it became. Wesley saves the girl, Wesley gets the girl, Wesley... gets really embarrassed when people find out he's not Angel after all. This one was fun as well as showing that Wesley can accomplish more than just research. And Angel's bits with the swami dude were also pretty fun. I liked this one, a lot. But then, I really like Wesley.

by Tegan at 9:56 AM Seattle time - Permalink

Monday, June 14, 2004

Color me impressed. I don't know what it is about this one, but this cover REALLY works for me. Gleason has rapidly gone from "he'll do" to "Wow, he's good!" in my book.

by Tegan at 3:16 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Angel [2-03]: First Impressions: While Angel has intense dreams of Darla, Cordelia goes out to save Gunn. It was pretty clear that the first sequence, with Darla and Angel hanging out with Lorne, was a dream. It's sometimes very easy to tell what is supposed to be a dream on this show, oddly enough. I was impressed by Cordelia's determination to stick by Gunn, also. She clearly believed she could help. There wasn't much Wesley in this one. A nice, normal episode.

Angel [2-04]: Untouched: Cordelia's visions lead Angel into conflict with Wolfram & Hart again, not that he's ever been out of conflict with them. He just doesn't know what kind of conflict he's dealing with. Wesley gets dismissed early in this one, but he does have one of the best bits of the episode when he confronts Bethany and forces her to face her inner demons. This was a good one, with nice usage of the hotel set for mood.

by Tegan at 1:45 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Gallery of United States Flags, (thanks to Elayne for the link).

What the Heck is Flag Day Anyway?, (via Google).

by Tegan at 10:21 AM Seattle time - Permalink

Sunday, June 13, 2004

Shawn Liu just had to direct my attention to this make yourself as a South Park character Flash. I don't watch South Park, generally speaking, but look! There I am, surprised to be waiting at the bus stop. *sigh*

Kaja Foglio is now posting the Girl Genius Secret Blueprints on-line for all those poor souls who were unable to get a copy. She's not done yet, but you can check out the first couple of pages. Heck, check out all the Free Stuff available on the Girl Genius website. Then go and buy Girl Genius. It's fun.

Shawn Fumo direct our collective attention to CBR's look at "Daisy Kutter". I, too, like what I see. How is it I keep missing all these cool looking books? There's gotta be a better way to promote comics that will find the right audience. Anyway, thanks Shawn, for the heads up.

Here's a blog of daily events that never happened. The blog started on May 27th, so it's not hard to catch up to the various timelines, if you are so inclined. If you aren't, the daily stuff stands pretty well on its own anyway. Via Boing Boing.

by Tegan at 9:23 PM Seattle time - Permalink

A friend had some extra tickets to this weekend's Mariners games that he couldn't use, so hubby-Eric and I took today's tickets off his hands. So I got to go to the first game I've been to in a LONG time.

So hubby-Eric and I left the pugless house of not-so-many horrors this morning to go to the Mariners game via the bus. I was wearing my brand new Mariners jersey that hubby-Eric got me for Christmas and an M's cap while Eric was wearing his red Seattle Rainiers cap.

Because of my exercise kick, we walked down five blocks to the bus stop and had perfect timing, getting there just as the bus arrived. It was a nice ride down on one of those extended buses. When I got on the bus, the driver asked me when the game was, probably anticipating the crowds.

We got off the bus a few blocks from the stadium and started a nice leisurely walk toward the stadium. But as we were walking, Eric noticed Ebbets Field Flannels store on our way, and we went in to check it out. To our surprise, the Seattle Rainiers jerseys were on sale. A BIG sale. And Eric had just been telling me that morning how much he wanted one. So we walked out of the store with Eric wearing his brand new Seattle Rainers jersey.

It was a pleasant walk to the stadium, and The Safe is a nice field. We found our seats, then wandered a bit before the game started. I went down and got last year's media guide (I collect them) and I got some window clings and other free goodies.

On the way back up, Eric got some garlic fries. As we reached our seats, the rain was coming down pretty good, so we watched in mild dismay as the roof closed. It remained closed the entire game, despite the sun coming out in the later innings. We think the roof being closed might have contributed to what happened to me as the game progressed.

Eric left during the bottom of the second to get a drink, and I noticed that my throat was getting a little itchy. I started to cough a bit, and when Eric came back with his drink I gratefully sipped a bit. It didn't help. My throat tightened up severely, and I started to cough. As the bottom of the third rolled around, I started to think I would need to go get some fresh air or something, I kept coughing so bad. The M's got on a little scoring roll, and I just couldn't leave. As soon as the inning ended, Eric helped me down from the stands.

I felt a lot better once I was out in the breeze, but I continued to cough and I could tell there wasn't a lot of air getting into my lungs. I've never felt the sensation before in my life. It was like my body was desperate to get something out of my system while at the same time not let anything else in. After we walked around the stadium a bit, the sensation went away, and I began to feel pretty good again.

We got some ice cream, watched a little from the lower decks, then headed back to our seats.

It only took a few minutes sitting there in our seats before the horrible sensation of not being able to breathe came back. I lasted through the eighth inning, but then I had to leave because I simply could not breathe. It got to the point where I could barely talk because I was coughing so badly. Once we got out into the breeze, I felt a little tiny bit better, but I felt like throwing up and I could barely walk from lack of air.

Eric suggested I go to the first aid station, which was luckily very near our seats. When we got there, a woman was being taken away on a stretcher, so they didn't notice me for a little while as they dealt with her. When they noticed me, they asked if I was ok, and I said, "no". I was brought into the aid station but they couldn't figure out what was wrong, as every second I was getting better. They let me leave with strict instructions to go to a doctor if the problem started again.

Away from our seats, walking up to the bus stop, I felt much better. My throat was a little raw from coughing, and my chest hurt a bit too, but the walking was pleasant with the sun out and crowds of fans from the game headed our way. We caught the bus a little further from the stadium than necessary, and had a mostly pleasant ride back.

Behind us on the bus was a young nerd talking with a woman. He had all the right lines, and it was a pleasure to listen to as he angled for a date. Since we were riding right through the University district, there were a lot of student types around. At one point, the nerd in question had a friend interrupt his chat, but overall it seemed to go well for him. He left with a phone number.

After our adventure out, we approached the pug house of horrors and saw the camper parked along the street. Sure enough, as I approached the gate, the younger pug Buster came running out to bark at me. He was absolutely thrilled to see Eric and I, as was Buddy, the older pug. We learned why in moments, as the pugs had been abandoned by both parents for a bit and were very pleased to have someone to harass. When we went downstairs to see the grandparents, Nancy was down there. We talked for a moment downstairs and could hear the pugs whining and scratching at the stairwell door. Ah. Pugs.

So now I'm home after a bit less than five weeks of house-sitting. It was fun, but it's nice to be home.

by Tegan at 8:24 PM Seattle time - Permalink

As many of you know, I often volunteer to answer phones for the local PBS station... well, the local PBS station that actually shows Doctor Who, at least. And that's what I spent last night doing. Hubby-Eric, Jen, and I headed down to Tacoma around 4:30pm for the June pledge drive for Doctor Who.

It was a mostly uneventful night of answering phones, I didn't even get one crank call. The Klingons were out in force, helping us to fill the phone banks. And hubby-Eric got tapped as "talent" and got to talk to the cameras every break. Everyone agreed that he did a great job, and I noticed that the phones started ringing as soon as he got on. Whether that was because of his gorgeous face, or because people didn't want to look at him, I don't know.

We didn't quite reach our goal, but the station wasn't worried because we usually get more donations trickling in over the next few weeks, and the station buys the show six months ahead of time anyway so there's time for an emergency pledge drive if it comes to it. Eastenders is in trouble, though, as usual. We have hopes that it'll get enough money to continue.

A sponsor for this pledge drive was the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, newly opening in Seattle this week. I'm not entirely sure, but I think I ended up with a charter membership during a confused round of auctioning. We'll have to see. In any case, hubby-Eric and I definitely got some tickets to see it. If I got the charter membership, I'll get to go in early, on Tuesday evening, and get a preview. I'll have to find somebody to take if hubby can't go.

I also got tapped by the chairperson of Anglicon XVII to invite The Foglios to the con as guests, as the theme of Anglicon this year is Steampunk and Girl Genius fits right in. If they decline to come, I get to run the Girl Genius panel, which ought to be an experience...

Well, it's off to the M's game for me, to watch two of the worst teams in baseball battle it out. I don't mind the M's doing poorly, they are still my team.

by Tegan at 10:35 AM Seattle time - Permalink