Hallowe'en Live Blogging

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

Just a few more pugs in costume for my parents.

Linkdump

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

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

Dark Symphony

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

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

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.

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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.

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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.

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

Seven Years Ago

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

CSI In a Thumbnail

Click to Embiggen

What Cats Are Really Thinking

The original is here.

A Sunday Review

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.

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

CameraPhone Zen

Banana Grassing

Ok, maybe not banana grassing, per se, but I just ate a banana. With some chocolate ice cream and a bit of chocolate syrup. Just to jazz it up a little.

I know I haven't posted in awhile, but "things" are happening. I'm hoping after these "things" finish happening that life will be a lot easier. Not that we have a lot of choice now, our options had narrowed to almost nothing.

Anyway, I've been busy dealing, and will continue to be busy. I hope to someday post about this, but I don't know what will happen.

A Sunday Review

TV this week:

• Ghost Lab: "Disturbing the Peace" - I decided to check out this show because I want to see if it's a truly scientific look at the paranormal. Ghost Hunters has kind of opened the door on a scientific look at ghosts, without going through, so my hope is that this one at least takes a step toward that door. This review was written while watching the show.
  First location is the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium, which I didn't know was haunted. I like that they do debunking before they turn off the lights. And they have gadgets ("dataloggers") that constantly monitor EMF and temp, instead of only carrying stuff around. I think these guys are WAY better funded than TAPS. They brought in an astrophysicist to explain parallel universe theory and how it relates to ghosts. They also stay at a place multiple nights... good. They bring in a band to get the ghosts interested ("era cues"). Definitely better funded than TAPS. I wonder who is funding them? Their declaration that the place was haunted was a little disturbing. They have some evidence, maybe even scientific, but what does that evidence really say?
  Second location is the Myrtles Plantation, which TAPS already investigated so I'm more familiar with it. They open with a ghost photo, but don't seem to show the whole thing. I'm not liking the style of this show. It's bad in a different way than Ghost Hunters, although this show is also overproduced with too many sound effects. It's interesting that these guys immediately review any evidence they find. It shows they have more time. Cold spots and being touched don't make for compelling TV, I'm afraid. And again, they make their declaration that the place is haunted. But where's the science?
  Science is NOT just evidence. Science the the testing of the evidence in a rigorous way. I'm getting the impression that this show is just a better funded Ghost Hunters with leaders who aren't out to disprove a haunting (like TAPS) and thus are automatically suspect before they even start. I'll give it a few more episodes, but it is a disappointment so far.
• Destination Truth: "Alien Mummies/Lake Van Monster" - I suppose hunting aliens in Chile is a form of cryptozoology. The cultural bits are always fascinating, and this one had some really good bits, including a haircut. I wonder what they dug up, and kind of wish they'd taken a small sample for themselves to get tested (I'm still leaning toward thinking it was a chicken). Handing it all over to the locals seems like a bit of a waste. The lights and sounds were intriguing, but not evidence of anything in particular. Moving over to Turkey, the monster seems a fairly neat local mystery. I'd like to see more of those carvings and painting on that old church. Running around on a boat in the middle of the night looking for a monster during heavy rain (and snow) isn't really that safe. Ah well, it was an amusing episode, if only for the haircuts.
• Ghost Hunters: "Glimmer Men" - *THAT'S* the Jay I like, the one who hedges his bets about declaring something haunted, and suggests more investigation. Watching this after seeing the new Ghost Lab show reminded me why I enjoy Ghost Hunters in the first place. It's the healthy skepticism that makes them test and retest doors clanging, and it's the personalities who are eager for the paranormal but willing to find mundane explanations for everything. They listen, they guess at what something might be (besides paranormal), then they test. I don't much like investigations on ships (too much possibility of noise), but that was an interesting one with good stories. The Canadian prison (eh?) was a very nice building with a wretched past. The high EMF fields in both places could explain away a lot of the sightings. Good stuff.
• Heroes: "Acceptance" - No Matt? Hiro is good in this one, but you'd think that even he would have more sense than to keep going back repeatedly. I have to wonder where he went to at that critical moment. And I'm trying to actually care about the rest of the characters, and finding nothing there of interest.
• Numb3rs: "7 Men Out" - Intense. Again, not enough math, although there's a tiny touch on the statistical analysis needed to make the odds. Just not enough. The Larry subplot is strange, but one of the more interesting parts of the show now.

I haven't been doing Smallville reviews because it turns out we don't get Smallville out here. If we want to watch it, we'll have to find an online source.

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Here are reviews of the DCBS comic book shipment that arrived this week, of books originally released September 23rd and 30th:

• Wednesday Comics #12 - Finally, the final issue! Ok, so... Batman: So normal. Kamandi: Good art, good story. Superman: So normal. Deadman: Pretty good. Green Lantern: Solid. Metamorpho: Silly. Teen Titans: Incomprehensible. Strange Adventures: Strange. Supergirl: Oh, almost too cute for words. Metal Men: Eh, ok. Wonder Woman: Almost incomprehensible. Sgt Rock: Solid. Flash: Um, what? Demon/Catwoman: Cute. Hawkman: Oh sweet Aquatic action! Ahem. Um, pretty fun little story. Overall, not a bad package, and I'm glad we got it. There was almost enough Aquaman to please me, but if they do this again we need an Aquaman feature, darnit.
• Blackest Night: Superman #2 - Blah blah blah, Smallville, blah blah Kal-L blah blah... wait, WHAT villain is that? Coming into a situation where the baddies feed on emotion? Oh, nice touch. Very nice. I can almost forgive the rest just for that villain in this circumstance.
• Justice League of America #37 - I liked the development that put Roulette and Amos Fortune into the same storyline, but otherwise this was just a run of the mill story. Needs more Aquaman.
• Super Friends #19 - A Super Friends version of Black Alice?!?? Ahem. I'm guessing people can figure out what my favorite bit was... it comes after, "Oh man, Batman's after me!" Heh. Annoying cardboard ad stuck in pages was... well, annoying.
• Bart Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror #15 - Every year we get this, and every year it's very odd and sometimes very good. This year it was very odd. And really, that's all I've got to say about it.
• Doctor Who: Black Death White Life - Nice set up, and the payoff wasn't entirely bad. I wanted something more, it felt like there was something missing. But I can't quite figure out what was bothering me, sorry.


• Usagi Yojimbo #123 - Wow, it's been a LONG time since we've heard from Hijiki. Interesting bit of Usagi's past there.
• Blackest Night: Titans #2 - That trio on the upper part of the last page... aren't they occupied elsewhere in the storyline, or am I just making the assumption that this has to make sense?
• Green Lantern #46 - Zombie corps fights Care Bear corps. Yay!
• Justice Society of America #31 - I want to like this, but the story seems to be flailing a bit right here. Confusion in the plot, which may reflect the attitude of the team at the moment, but doesn't make the reader happy.
• Justice League of America 80 Page Giant #1 - An anthology based around the premise of the JLA being sent back in time. There are a few nice twists in there, and all the stories are ok, although some are much better than others. I like the appearances of some of DC Universe's lesser known heroes.
• Batman: Brave and the Bold #9 - Because I know a little about the DCU, I knew what the twist of this story was going to be before I got to it, but it was still fun to read. And I do wonder what kids who don't know about the DCU thought of it.
• Astro City: Astra Special #1 - College already? Wasn't she just playing a playground game... just a couple of issues ago? Has it really been that long? Nice set up, with an incredibly uncomfortable boyfriend being introduced to the true weirdness of the Furst family. Reminded me a little of Noble Causes. The second issue will determine if I enjoy this special.


• Moon Knight Saga Free Comic - A surprisingly well-written summary of Moon Knight's career, nicely retconned, I'm guessing, to fit in the bits that really don't fit. Still doesn't make me want to pick up the comic, but at least I'd understand it if I did.

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My library book this week was The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. This is a beautiful book. It just is. I don't want to spoil anything by telling you all about it, but if you like dogs and want a good read, read this book. The story is told from the point of view of a dog named Enzo who is owned by a racecar driver named Denny, and they live in Seattle. And it's just GOOD. It one of those books that I cried at the end, but it was happy tears. Your mileage may vary, but I adored this book, and being able to recognize the locations was just a nice bonus.

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Agatha Christie this week was The Rose and the Yew Tree from 1948, written as Mary Westmacott. An invalid tells us the story of the brutish and unscrupulous John Gabriel after first letting us know how the man died a virtual saint. This is the best of the Westmacott books so far. Yeah, it's got a bit of that depression that the others do, but it rolls along such that it feels right. It doesn't pull you down into it. And the strengths of Christie's abilities to create characters are showcased in this. She starts with the stereotypes, just to make sure you can follow the character, then fleshes them out with small details and quirks. She makes them real. Instead of a bunch of cardboard cutouts running around filling their role, each one has life and emotion and things you wonder about. In any case, this was a solid Christie novel, and not another depressingly hard read. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit.

My Agatha reading may be delayed a bit over the next few weeks. The library system here weeded last month, and from the looks of the catalog, they threw out a LOT of their old Christie paperbacks that I was relying on to keep this going regularly. So I'm going to be getting a few of them via inter-library loan, which always takes longer. So there will be Christie-less weeks coming soon.

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

Possible Future "Onion" Headline

"Obama's Nobel Peace Prize Rescinded After Declaring War on the Moon"

Bible Study... Wha' Happened?

I tried. I tried to read it from a literary point of view, but it just doesn't work that way. It's not a book that can be taken simply. I ran into problems in the second chapter of Genesis, in the fourth verse, where a second version of the creation story seems to be jammed into the first. Worse, the second version directly contradicts that first version, saying that humans were created before the animals.

And I just couldn't keep going. I just couldn't read it the way I intended.

So I pretty much stopped reading. I suppose I might get back to it at some point, and maybe I'll even write about it, but for now don't expect anything from me. When the first two chapters of the Bible contradict themselves, reading it as a simple story doesn't work for a brain like mine. I have to look again and read it from some other angle.

Hurray Hurray It's Viking Day!

Lief Leif Erikson Day, October 9th.

Wii Fit Plus Game Review

I've only had the new disc for a few days, so I hardly can give you a genuine review of all the features. I will say I was pleased at how quickly it transferred my old data over, and that what little I've played with in the new features I've enjoyed. But this is a more focused review. I'm going to tell you about the fifteen new games in the Training Plus section of the Wii Fit Plus.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Wii Fit, the exercise screen had four sections: Yoga, Strength Exercises, Aerobics, and Balance Games. Wii Fit Plus added a new section called Training Plus. There are actually only twelve new games, along with three advanced/different versions of older games.

Perfect 10 is a body movement game that involves math! I've only played the first level, but in that level you have to move your hips to bump the numbers that add up to ten. Sounds simple? Well, once I figured out what the heck I was doing, yes... but then the negative numbers showed up and I nearly lost it laughing. I think math teacher hubby-Eric will be amused by the game, and I hope to watch him play it some time.

Island Cycling is a steering and stepping game. You hold the Wiimote vertically horizontally in front of you as your handlebars and step to peddle. Your goal is to hit the flags and return to the start as quickly as possible. I enjoyed it, but I'm really very bad at it. This one I'll play again. Lots.

Rhythm Kung Fu is an all over movement game. You need the nunchuck along with the balance board and Wiimote. And the goal is rhythm. My poor Mii got bonked on the head by falling things repeatedly before I figured out some of the tricks.

A note on the nunchuck: I don't like it. It doesn't seem to have as much sensitivity as the Wiimote, and I always feel like half my misses are due to the fact that it just doesn't register my movement, not because I missed. Is this a common problem, or unique to me?

Driving Range allows you to practice your golf swing. You have to turn the board sideways for this one. And I found it really boring.

Segway Circuit is hilarious. You are driving around on a beach trying to pop beach balls that are being deflated and/or stolen by giant mechanical moles. I lucked out on my first run, getting a solid score and finishing the course quickly. Let's not talk about my second run. I'll probably play this one a few times.

Bird's-Eye Bull's-Eye makes you flap your arms. And I am absolutely miserable at any game that requires me to move my body subtly to turn, so I was horrid at this one. I may try it again, but after I get more balance practice in.

Snowball Fight does not require you to make a throwing motion with the Wiimote, but does require some quick reflexes and attention to detail. You duck out from your protective screen, aim with the Wiimote, and click to throw. It's IMMENSELY gratifying to hit someone, I think I got hubby-Eric's Mii multiple times... but he got me as well. This is fun, and I may have to play it more.

Obstacle Course makes me wave good-bye to my Mii as it falls down down down into the ocean far below. I can't get the hang of "jumping" on the balance board. I had the same issue with the tightrope game. This one is easier, but still frustrating. I did allow my Mii to get hit by one of the giant swinging pendulums and watched in horror as she flew off into the ocean. All the other times she just fell while jumping. *sigh*

Tilt City was one I thought I'd hate, but actually liked. You control tilting boards, some with your Wiimote, others with the balance board. You try to drop the balls into the correct bins. Easy, and a little hard. I did ok with this.

Rhythm Parade also requires the nunchuck. If it has the word "Rhythm" in the name, get out the nunchuck. This one brought back many marching band memories. You are the drum major of a marching squad, and you have to march in rhythm AND toss the baton at the right moments by moving the Wiimote and nunchuck. I enjoyed it, although the usual caveats about the nunchuck apply.

Big Top Juggling is another one that needs the nunchuck. The less said about this one, the better... except hubby-Eric's Mii as a circus performer was kinda hot. rrRRRrrrowl!

Skateboard Arena requires you to turn the balance board, and apparently has some secret to it to getting up speed. I couldn't seem to get the game to register when I was trying to kick off. I wonder if I would do better if I could actually ride a skateboard? The arena itself is cool, and I think I'd like to try this one some more.

And now we get into the three games that were updated, but aren't actually new.

Table Tilt Plus is more levels of the table tilt game that is part of the original Balance Games section (and is still there, so you can still play it). I stink at this. I mean, really stink. I barely got past the first level, and spent the rest of the timer on the second one making the balls fall off and getting reset. Blah. Hate the original, hate this one.

Balance Bubble Plus is a more complicated course than the original balance bubble, part of the original Balance Games section (and, yes, still available there). I'm better at this than table tilt, but only just. I probably won't spend much time with this.

Basic Run Plus is another running course, yay! This time your guide is a cat! And there's a quiz when you finish! No, seriously, there's a quiz. Be sure to count the freaking dogs when they run past. I'm actually more interested in this one because of the quiz than the original runs from the Aerobics section. I may end up playing this a bit.

So that's the new games in the new section. There are also some new Yoga exercises and a few new Strength exercises, but I tend to really work my way through those carefully, so I won't be doing them for awhile. For the games alone, this disc was worth more than half what I paid for it. Add in the rest of the stuff and I feel I definitely got my money's worth. I'm particularly happy with the calorie counter. And I'm looking forward to putting together custom workouts that I can just start on mornings when I'm too grumpy to try to figure out what I want to do. And the basic balance exercises appear to be available from the locker room, too. And... ok, I'll shut up now. More about this game later, maybe.

Writing For A Living

Now that I'm actually writing for money, writing for pleasure is less fun. But I still want to write my blog. I just find I have trouble getting started.

Unfortunately, I have a bit of trouble getting myself started on my paid work as well sometimes. I have to set up rewards, like reading my comics or watching something I've got on the DVR. Once I get going, it isn't difficult to write, but getting started... man.

About half the time I need some background noise when I get started as well. Once I'm really writing, I don't hear any music or TV that's on. When I'm focused, the outside world vanishes for awhile. It's a very pleasant state. One that I wish I could stay in longer than I can. But to start, for some reason I need a little noise. It's counter-intuitive. And I have to be careful what I pick, because if it draws me in, then I might not get started. I've been watching a lot of the Weather Channel and Animal Planet. The overly dramatic documentaries seem to work the best.

Anyway, this is my explanation/excuse for my loyal readers. I'm not blogging as much because I'm finally working, and my job is writing (yay!).

Halloween Pugs for the Parents

Normally, of course, we get the occasional "Pugs for the in-laws" here. The trouble is, they're posted by my wife for the benefit of my pug-owning parents. So I, having found some great pug pics myself, can hardly call this post "Pugs for the in-laws," now, can I? So I'll just have to go with the title as seen here.

Anyway, here are a few pictures of pugs dressed for Halloween that I came across on Sci Fi Wire. Enjoy, Mom and Dad (but don't get any ideas for what to do with Buddy this year).

Darth Vader

Frankenstein's Monster

Batman

Some weird Spock/Scotty Star Trek hybrid character

Wii Fit AND Comic Books

I got my new Wii Fit software today, along with the usual bi-weekly comic book shipment, so I'm pretty "busy" now. Huzzah!

The Fair

Might as well write it down to remember it!

Hubby-Eric got a couple of free tickets to the Fair through his work, so we decided to go on the last day. Mostly because we already had another errand we needed to run in town, so we could kill two birds with one stone.

The Fair gates opened at 11am and there was a free shuttle from a local shopping center: so we planned to hit the shopping center sometime around 11, ride the shuttle down, and enjoy ourselves for a short time before heading off to do our other errands. We agreed that if we could find a fried Twinkie, we would share one. Otherwise, we had no particular plans.

The night before was windy. VERY windy, and rainy, which is rare here. The sounds of the wind blowing neighbors' garbage cans down the street woke me, and the changes in air pressure aggravated my fibro. Eric's cold got worse. Both of us woke up feeling miserable. Still, we decided after a slow morning that we could go do the Fair and our errands. We just planned to be deliberate and relaxed about it.

I layered my clothing as the wind was still blowing hard. Churchville was covered in a haze of dust. As we drove up the freeway to town it got a little clearer, but the wind was still blowing strong. We found the shopping center and parked, then waited at the stop examining the acorns dropped by a very young oak. I pocketed an acorn. I figure I'll plant it and see if anything grows. Seems unlikely, but stranger things have happened.

The bus ride was uneventful, and we got into the Fair at a good time. The place was pretty quiet as it was the morning of the last day. We started in the Dome... I haven't been in one since the Kingdome was imploded. This dome is much smaller, but had a better feel to it. Not so empty and echoing as the Kingdome always was. We wandered through the exhibits, stopping at the booth of the local comic book shop (the closest one to Churchville). I'd link to their website, but apparently they have none. We hurried past the Republican booth, and stopped at the Dems booth where I picked up a 2010 calendar. We mostly just wandered, but one booth sitter, desperate for business of any kind, managed to stop us by offering some samples of dips (Cucumber & Dill, Bacon & Cheddar, and Salsa & Sour Cream) on Bugles. Good stuff, but we weren't buying.

Back out in the open air, the wind was still blowing, but the clouds were finally moving out. We wandered the grounds and found a booth selling the deep-fried Twinkies, and so took the challenge. The thing was covered in powdered sugar, which quickly got all over me thanks to the wind, and a drizzle of chocolate syrup. It didn't taste like a Twinkie, but I'm not sure how I would describe it. I'm just glad I only had half.

After the experimental DFT, we went to the animal barns to see if we could find any of the animals owned by Eric's students. I didn't see any from the town he works in, but we didn't visit every single stall. We wandered the rest of the halls and such, and ended up at the gates a couple of hours after we had first arrived. We both wanted to eat, but the Fair fare was WAY too expensive for our tastes, so we headed off to Costco for a couple of hot dogs that together with drinks cost less than a single hot dog at the Fair. Then we finished our errands and went home, exhausted despite not having done all that much.

A Sunday Review

TV this week:

• Ghost Hunters: "A Bat Out of Hell" - Meatloaf is a very sharp questioner, and a VERY enthusiastic ghost hunter. I was impressed by the location, but not by the evidence they found. Not much there. The K2 meter, which measures electromagnetic fields, doesn't mean what they think it means: while the coincidences of getting "answers" were nice, I'm just not convinced it's anything more than random flare-ups. Now, the spiders... and Meatloaf jumping at Steve after he was creeped out by a spider was just lovely.
• Destination Truth: "Ghosts of Chernobyl; Sal'awa" - They seriously got permission to spend the night at Pripyat? And then they got through the checkpoints? Dining at the Chernobyl cafeteria? Ok, as much as I wish Josh would stop with the ghost hunting, this is incredible. Just to see that much video of the place. Wow. As for the Sal'awa in Egypt, that's a pretty good cryptid search. I think they may have hit upon the correct identification of the beast, but it sure seemed like anything at all could've been in those dense sugarcane fields.
• Heroes: "Ink" - Matt's dilemma is the most interesting of the plotlines, but I prefer Hiro and Ando's tale. So I'm annoyed they aren't in this one.
• Numb3rs: "Friendly Fire" - The rot at the heart. The uncertainty of life. Where is Larry headed? And how much longer can Don handle the heartbreak? Again, not enough math. Lots of techie and goofiness, but not enough math concepts. The drama is good, but I wish we had more of the math.

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This week's comic book related review is Boody: The Bizarre Comics of Boody Rogers edited by Craig Yoe. This is not a book that I would have purchased for myself, but I'm glad to have read it. Getting the occasional review copy is the incredibly nice thing about having a blog. This book has one of the most appropriate titles of any book I have ever read. These comics are bizarre. They are goofy, light-hearted, and truly absolutely bizarre. One story seemed to end very abruptly, but otherwise the stories were strange and self-contained. Worth a look if you like old comics.

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My library book this week was The Price of Spring by Daniel Abraham. Just like all the others in this quartet of books, The Price of Spring starts 15 years after the previous book and focuses on the lives of Maati and Otah. After the last book tore up their lives, the characters have spent 15 years trying to pull everything back together again. And as the story progressed I saw how everything could be saved, but wasn't sure, due to what happened in the last book, if it was going to happen that way. When it did, I was both gratified and a tiny bit disappointed. In some ways, this was the most predictable of the books, but it also brought a full sense of closure. Overall, I loved this series and will look out for other stories by Daniel Abraham. If you have the chance, give this series a read, starting with A Shadow in Summer, then A Betrayal in Winter, followed by An Autumn War, and ending with this one.

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Agatha Christie this week was Taken at the Flood from 1948 (aka There Is a Tide). A man killed in WWII leaves behind a widow and a family who expected to rely on his generosity for their futures, but something very odd is happening that draws Poirot into the fray. Wow, that was an unexpected twist. But then, most of the twists are unexpected for me. As usual, I had completely the wrong person fingered as the guilty party. I knew I had the wrong person when I realized Christie was leading me to believe he was the one. ARGH!

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

Wii Users - Don't Update!

Wii Update 4.2 Bricks Some Unaltered Wii Consoles.

In an attempt to get rid of homebrew software from the Wii, Nintendo has apparently released an update that can turn your legit console into a brick instead of a video game.

People who did hack their consoles apparently had no trouble. But those of us who are honest might get hit by the bricking problem. So if you are honest and have never installed any hacks on your Wii, DO NOT UPDATE YOUR WII.

Yay, Rio!

Rio is hosting the 2016 Olympics. Yay! Hubby-Eric will be happy, he was rooting for them from the start.

The Essence of Banned Books Week

Read this. It's about a book that a parent wants removed from the general children's section of the library, and the librarian's response to that request.