Random Thoughts

Seems like a few folks hadn't heard about the Halloween Ashcans I mentioned in my first review for this week. Here's the scoop. If you have a July/Sep Previews magazine, they are on page 2 as a series of "featured items". It might be too late to preorder, but check with your retailer. They are supposed to come in bundles of 25. The codes are:

• JUL04 0001 - SABRINA VS ARCHIES ASHCAN 2004
  
• JUL04 0002 - DH 2004 HALLOWEEN SPECIAL
  
• JUL04 0003 - MARVEL AGE HALLOWEEN SPEC 2004

Yes, that's basically the first, second, and third items from the July order form. For some reason, I just assumed that after last year everyone would know about the ashcan giveaways. I mean, heck, didn't everyone know that is why my husband keeps commenting that he wants to eat my brains?

Loren Coleman took issue with my review of Bigfoot!, but only on a couple of points. Says Coleman: "Actually, those in the field have been telling me I was able to find many new things they'd never heard of and found to be challenges to their thinking - like the sexuality of the beasts, the interplay with crime figures, the aggressiveness to dogs, the specifics of some old stories with new details - like the Patterson interview or the kidnapping accounts." Being only casually acquainted with Bigfoot lore, slightly more than the average person but not as deeply as some, I didn't realize that these would be revelations to "serious Bigfoot experts", as I called them in my review. If what Coleman says is true (and I have no reason to doubt it) then this book is definitely for anyone even slightly interested in Bigfoot. In any case it's a good read.

The BBC news page makes the possibility of an eruption of Mount Saint Helens sound much more excitingly dangerous than it is. Frankly, I'd be far more worried if we were hearing rumblings from sleeping Mt Rainier. If you are curious, here are the current conditions of Mt St Helens, and a volcano cam so you can look at the mountain in her current glory.

Oh yes, I am definitely keeping my eyes on SpaceShipOne.

A statistical analysis suggests that women will eventually be faster than men in the 100-meter dash. But don't hold your breath. Only if current trends continue... it won't happen until 2156.

Over in the comics world, check out Will Pfeifer's FROG. Very very cool. I used to put together "magazines", but I'm pretty sure none of them survived the years to come back and haunt me.

Polite Dissent rips up Strange #1 in his lovely standard way. I love having a real doctor's opinion on the medical knowledge in comic books.

Shane Bailey has been linkblogging again, scroll down to get the total joy.

Mike Sterling continues to be well worth visiting, particularly for his nice reviews.

Going back to the challenged books list for Banned Books Week, I know I've read A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. There are a lot of books I think I've read on the list, and a few I haven't. One I've been meaning to read for some time is I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, so I checked that out of the library and started it yesterday. I won't make some silly vow to read every challenged book... I'm not for banning books, but that doesn't mean I'm inclined to read stuff I don't think I'd like... but I will try to read at least one challenged/banned book each year during Banned Books Week.

And lastly, a flower from Nancy's Garden: