Hallowe'en Live Blogging 2010

Many of you know I love Hallowe'en. I love seeing the costumes, love living vicariously through the joy of the children out in the streets. I love the sense of danger, usually sanitized enough nowadays to keep kids safe. But we've had a very tough summer and fall, and just returned from a family funeral so we're both a little subdued. Our financial situation means that we got much less candy than last year, so despite it being a school night I fully expect to run out long before the night is quiet.

We actually got our first trick-or-treaters very early, at 11:40 am. It was Cookie-Girl and three family/friends. Cookie-Girl was dressed in a cheerleader outfit, there were two zombies with her, and a cat (well, he had cat makeup on, but regular clothing). I have a suspicion that they are headed out of town again to ToT in one of the larger cities, so I'm not too surprised to see them early. But... before noon? Well, Eric and I scrambled to open the candy, then gave it out, and now I'm getting serious about putting up decorations.

Update 2:20pm: Got the decorations all up. Lights, Hallowe'en flag in the window, signs that say "No costume no candy" and "No disfraz no dulces", neighborhood map, bowl of candy by the door. The weather is being entirely too nice, it is bright and inviting out there. Clouds are set to move in tonight, so it won't get freezing. The only difference between this and last year is this is a school night.

2:43pm: After reading last year's entry, I counted all the candy we have. Including the four pieces we already gave out, 521. In my notes for next year I mentioned that I thought 500 pieces would be enough to get us through this year. Let's hope I'm correct. Unfortunately, we did get Whoppers, which were NOT a hit last year. *sigh* I needed to read that note before we started Hallowe'en candy shopping.

4:28pm: Five more, in a wave of three followed by two more. Rang the doorbell over and over, and were reading the signs to each other when we got there (we were in the living room watching TV). More are coming.

4:32pm: Two more, with their mom. They didn't know the words to say, too young and shy. I think another couple bypassed the house, but I'm not certain. Maybe they weren't wearing costumes and saw our signs, I couldn't tell.

4:36pm: Superhero with hover-mom. Turned on all the lights even though it's not really dark yet. Figured we'd give the recognized sign that we are accepting ToTers.

Sunset here is 5:47pm, twilight will end at 6:18pm, then it will be full dark.

5:02pm: Three more with hover-mom. Cute girls in hand-knitted outfits, and a little boy in a plastic fireman's hat. I see teenagers that appear to be dressed as "High School Students". I hope they take my sign seriously. And don't decide on tricks instead. Running total = 15 kids.

5:12pm: Very little girl, princess, with two hover-parents. She was a cutie.

5:16pm: Argh, noticed a typo in my monster sign when I went out to take a picture. *sigh* No time to fix it now. I guess I'll just look illiterate to my neighbors.

5:24pm: Eric is watching an Addams Family marathon, but a wave of seven just came up. We asked the young man in his mask if that was his real face or a mask. Running total... er... 23 kids.

5:26pm: Lost count already in a giant wave. Five? Ten? Fifteen? Lots of hover-parents as well. And they are still coming to the door and Eric is handling the crowds. Very cool. Whew... two minutes later the string of kids stopped. Still 20 minutes to sundown.

5:30pm: Another wave, another lost count. They weren't sure if their outfits counted as costumes or not, but they had made an effort, and that's what counts.

5:32pm: Little baby in pumpkin outfit. Another total cutie!

5:33pm: Two Iron Man costumes. A bunch of teenagers passed the house, but they had costumes on.

5:36pm: We got our first Dorothy! And lots of hover-parents, including some in costume. A great hover-dad in Dracula get-up! Pictures were being taken.

5:40pm: Cute little cheerleader and Wolverine. I wish I had comics to give out this year!

5:42pm: Spider-men! Two of them. And a pirate who didn't come up the walk holding dearly to his hover-mom.

I believe the "No Costumes No Candy" sign may be backfiring. Some kids are bypassing us, clearly daunted.

5:49pm: Three more. A little zombie that came right in when the door opened until his dad called him back. Eric acted scared and amused them. Then another group, asking if they were in costume. I said, "we're trying to stop kids dressed as 'high school students'" and the hover-mom laughed. YAY!

5:53pm: more little ones, and a little boy dressed as Spongebob. Two hover-moms have said they love our "No Costumes No Candy" sign, so maybe it's not all bad. Another wave after that. Not sure how many, but one teenager who wasn't really dressed up, but still got candy because she was with a little one. Two boys came up who appeared to not have costumes until they smiled, and showed fangs. That counts.

5:57pm: A group passed that didn't have costumes, then a little girl carried by her mom. Another group is approaching... One girl saw the sign and read out loud, "NO CANDY!" and started to pass until hover-dad called her back and said that she had a costume, so it was ok.

6:00pm: A couple of Buzz Lightyears, very young. And more. Another large wave.

6:03pm: Wow... that was a long string. More coming. So nice to have Eric home.

6:06pm: More... already through the first bowl... We didn't close the door for over ten minutes... Yikes.

Seems the crowds are out right at dusk.

6:13pm: Waves of kids. Eric went to start dinner. Wow... lots of kids. The Thing, Batman Beyond, lots of Supergirl, Wonder Woman, ...

6:22pm: Another long crowd, more coming.

6:26pm: So... many... kids...

6:30pm: Skeleton on crutches tried to get up on our step, nearly fell over. I got to show off my Aquaman hoodie to an appreciative hover-dad. Very cool. More coming... So... many... kids...

6:39pm: A moment to breathe.

6:46pm: Down to the last bowl. We aren't going to make it until late, are we?

6:50pm: Lots more, but I think we'll make it until 7pm at least. I think next year's signage will have to be a little better.

6:59pm: Nope, we didn't make it to 7. Sad.

7:19pm: All the lights are off, all the signs are down, and a couple of kids had to be alerted that there wasn't any candy left. We had 521 pieces, and we got through them in less than two and half hours. I hope we can get more candy next year... *sigh*

Linklets

Phil and Kaja Foglio in Locus Online.

Teach the Controversy!

Don't Flush!

Ten great optical illusions, including a version of the magic triangle I hadn't seen before.

Taking on the "Vaccine Book".

How to Degauss a Cat.

Now, here's a hero!

I'm Not In Hot Water

Since we returned from over the mountains on Sunday, we've had no hot water in the house. I'm beginning to get a little... ripe... because I'm unwilling to take a freezing cold shower for fear it will trigger a fibro attack. Everyone please feel sorry for Eric now.

This is Not a Post

So you shouldn't bother to read it. Eh, too late, right?

A Sunday Review

This week's movie was The Batman vs. Dracula from 2005. We watched the series when it aired, but somehow missed seeing this little gem. Seeing the Penguin making jokes at both Dracula and Batman's expense was fun. And Joker as a vampire is even scarier than this version already was. Yikes. Lots of cool extras on the DVD that we watched after the movie. There were many little pieces on the acts of creation that go into a movie like this.

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Here are reviews of the DCBS comic book shipment that arrived this week, of books originally released Oct 6th and 13th:

• Brightest Day #11 - Plenty of Aquaman here to keep me happy. More like this!
• JSA All-Stars #11 - Hrm. Not really sure about it.
• Superman: The Last Family of Krypton #3 - Nicely resolved at the end, not at all how I expected it to be resolved.


• Green Lantern #58 - This whole Green Lantern thing isn't even close to being over, is it?
• Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #3 - Lots of talking.
• Untold Tales of Blackest Night #1 - Some good stuff in here, some annoying stuff, and just some stuff.
• Justice Society of America 80 Page Giant 2010 - Wow, some good stuff in here. I was particularly pleased with the Cyclone story and the origin of Obsidian.
• Knight & Squire #1 - Very strange, very amusing.
• Northlanders #33 - Still don't like the main characters, which makes it hard to care about their fate.
• Tiny Titans/Little Archie #1 - Steve Grundy!!! WAH! Love this book!

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My library book this week was Ranger's Apprentice Book Eight: The Kings of Clonmel by John Flanagan. Eight books in, and the series gets more interesting. There's a tiny bit of formula in the stories, but each one differs enough in both details and settings to make it work. And this book builds on previous hints and comments. I suspect there's a lot more life to this series, and I know there's at least one more book because this one ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. Good popcorn reading, and certainly something that young adults would enjoy.

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Agatha Christie this week was The Mirror Crack'd, also published as The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side from 1962. Miss Marple is getting older and needs something to perk her up, and just in time a murder comes along for her to unravel. I actually had this one almost entirely figured out early, but wasn't sure enough of my facts to be certain. I was happy when the reveal happened, because for once I had it almost completely right. Yeah, I missed a little of the motive, but that was it. I feel this is a classic sort of mystery with the standard hidden identities, obvious motives, and clues dropped on the reader early and in quantity. A regular Christie story, but be careful as it reveals details about an earlier Marple story in it.

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

Saturday Story

I recently decided to try my hand at short stories. Really short, and limited in a way that should result in me working hard to edit them. This is the second of my efforts, written in 750words.com and edited to my word count standards. If you are reading on an RSS feed you should see the story right after this paragraph. It you are reading on my blog itself, you may have to click "Read more" to get the story. Feel free to comment, criticize, enjoy, or ignore.

Holy Flaming Cows! Eight Years of Bloggity?

October 22nd 2002 --- October 22nd, 2003 --- October 22, 2004 --- October 22, 2005
October 22, 2006 --- October 22, 2007 --- October 22, 2008 --- October 22, 2009
I haven't been as faithful about writing every day for the last couple of years, but I have updated regularly. I don't have any idea how many readers I have since I removed all tracking bugs long ago, and I don't think I would want to know even if I could. I know the most important people in my world have the ability to keep up on me if they so choose, and that's what's important.

So, here's to the next year! Let's hope it's the best one ever!

Original Wonder Woman Sketch

Wow, look what I found online! It's the original 1941 sketch of Wonder Woman, with William Marston's notes. Cool! It's right here.

Ripples Through Time - 207

I'm reading every Aquaman solo adventure in publication order. After I read each story I will post the cover/splash page and a few thoughts on the story.

Showcase #32 (May 1961) - The Creature King of the Sea!

Aquaman and Aqualad inadvertently assist a criminal to turn into a dangerous creature that steals gold.

Regular Supporting Cast: Aquaman, Aqualad, Topo

Aqua-Exclamations: Great Sea Horses! Suffering Starfish! Great Guppies! Leaping Lizardfish! Suffering Swordfish! Great Waves! Suffering Sardines!

Captured/Knocked Out report: The creature traps a whale in the smokestack funnel of a wrecked ship, and the pair are captured when they go to help it.

Quotefile: Jed, during the rescue, "Imagine... me at the ocean bottom, breathing fresh air!"

Finny Friends Report: A giant devil ray brings a pocket of air from the surface to the trapped diver. Giant clams protect Aquaman and Aqualad from the barrage of coral. A lion fish and some hatchet fish cut the roots that attack the pair. A group of jellyfish attack the creature to allow Aquaman and Aqualad to escape. Pilot fish, lantern fish, and midshipman fish gather Aquaman's armies. Whale sharks attack first and are deflected by the creature. Swordfish try a sneak attack and are trapped in deck planks. Whales hold up the ship the creature attacks and take it back to port. A legion of octopi steal back the gold and place it on the backs of sea turtles who take it inland. A lantern fish lets Aquaman know the stealback is done. After the fish turns back into a human, fish follow him. Flying fish knock the gun out of his hand when he prepares to fire on the whales surrounding him. Sea gulls rescued Aquaman and Aqualad from the desert using blowfishes and sponges. Topo deflects the grenades, then wraps up the criminal until the Coast Guard arrives. Aqualad rides dolphins at the end of the story.

I kind of like the set up of this one, in which Aquaman's urge to help backfires. On the other hand, the whole thing about the potions belonging to the guy looking for them is bunk. Aquaman should have been a little more cautious about the whole thing. Helping people is well and good, but he's a freaking super hero, he should at least check out the guy's story first!

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Did I Mention Doctor Who?

A Sunday Review

This week's movie was Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. After we got the trade, I remembered that I'd never actually seen the original. I somehow missed it when it was online free. So I finally attempted to use Netflix streaming on my computer, and finally got it to work (possibly due to all the junk I've removed since my last try). And wow, that was intense. I was not expecting to have such an emotional reaction at the end. Definitely worth a watch, and my opinion of Neil Patrick Harris goes up another notch.

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This week's comic book related review is Dr Horrible TP, a complement to the Sing-Along Blog. I made sure to watch the original before reading this, but it wasn't really necessary. Everything in this took place before the events in the Sing-Along, and were mostly background and support, including a series of linking stories. I enjoyed this, but not nearly as much as the original material it was based on.

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TV this week:

• Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated: "The Secret Serum" - Hell hath no fury! The team starts to fall apart as the relationships are strained to the limit. And Daphne finds a clue after practically being walloped over the head with it. The mystery wasn't as fun or interesting as some of the others on this show, but this was definitely a character episode anyway.
• Sarah Jane Adventures: "The Nightmare Man" - Luke is moving on, but not before one last intense case. The episodes moved a little slow for my tastes, trying to build up tension that may work for the younger crowd but didn't work for me. I like how Mr Smith and K9 actually work together for once instead of constantly sniping at each other.
• Destination Truth: "Ghosts of Menengai Crater/Kalanoro" - Yay, running around a volcanic crater in the middle of the night looking for ghosts! Wee! I admit my favorite part of the entire show was when Josh's pants were repaired by a street vendor in Nairobi. I liked his visit to Madagascar, particularly his visit with lemurs in the zoo. Pity they couldn't find the Kalanoro with the backwards feet. That would have been an interesting find.
• Batman: The Brave and the Bold: "Menace of the Madniks!" - Blue Beetle! I liked this one for a lot of reasons, although at the end of the story I almost expected Beetle to have survived due to the clues he got. I do love this show. Goofy and fun.
• Battlestar Galactica: "A Disquiet Follows My Soul" - I'm beginning to not like Zarek. And learning the truth about Tyrol's kid was a powerful little moment. Unfortunately, we have to wait for the next disc from Netflix to get more of the show... so we'll wait. But we're getting close to the end now.

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My library book this week was Masked edited by Lou Anders. This one started off with a powerful story that left me a bit stunned, and ended with a traditional superhero story that created an entire universe in just a few pages. I kept expecting a "bad" story, like you always get in an anthology, one that just doesn't work for you as a reader. I didn't run into any. There were stronger stories and weaker stories, but every single one was what I would call "good" at its worse. The mix is good, although they are all about super things, some are science fiction and others horror, and each one unique with a distinct voice. Anyway, I'll just get to the stories themselves.

• Cleansed and Set in Gold by Matthew Sturges - A superhero must deal with his variable powers and their source. Wow. This one was just a punch in the gut. From the moment you figure out what is happening until the end, it's a gripping story with real teeth. Again, wow.
• Where Their Worm Dieth Not by James Maxey - A detective hero discovers more than he wanted to know. Another punch in the gut. I was pretty impressed by the twist, but it made a lot of sense when you put everything else together. Another wow.
• Secret Identity by Paul Cornell - What happens when your alter ego has significant differences from you? This was a thoughtful little story, with plenty of goofiness to make it work.
• The Non-Event by Mike Carey - A heist goes horribly wrong. This one fit together like a puzzle, each piece adding to the whole. I like the way it is narrated and wasn't annoyed by the mildly clumsy info-dumps that filled out the world.
• Avatar by Mike Baron - A young man decides to go vigilante. While this one was predictable in a lot of ways, the comparison of the protagonist to a character in a video game worked well to bring home just how innocent he really was.
• Message from the Bubblegum Factory by Daryl Gregory - A former sidekick figures out when everything went wrong. Amazing little tale that makes entirely too much sense for a superhero world.
• Thug by Gail Simone - A henchman learns why his life has become so miserable. Great story, if difficult to read because of the narrator choice. Still, the horror gets to you.
• Vacuum Lad by Stephen Baxter - A man discovers he can survive hard vacuum, and decides to help people and earn a little money. Thanks to the flashback format, it wasn't hard to get a little idea of what was going to happen. But the entirety of the situation is still powerful.
• A Knight of Ghosts and Shadows by Chris Roberson - A pulp fiction writer's works are based in his own adventures. I kept thinking of Zorro, only supernatural. Very nicely pulpy and fun, and I love the dig at comic books.
• Head Cases by Peter and Kathleen David - A group of super-powers meet and talk about life in a bar. This is Friends on superpowers. Good, and amusing, but the story isn't one with an end.
• Downfall by Joseph Mallozzi - A former villain is dragged back into his old neighborhood. Wow, another powerful tale. This one is all about family, in a lovely roundabout way. And ... well, anything else would spoil it. I just love the layers in this one.
• By My Works You Shall Know Me by Mark Chadbourn - After being saved from death, a rich man turns to superheroing. Another punch in the gut one, especially as you get close to the end and realize what is happening.
• Call her Savage by Marjorie M Liu - An old retired hero must face down her past to save the world. A stylistic story, a little hard to get a grasp on, but somewhat chilling once you do. It's also an alternate history story, so fun in that way as well.
• Tonight We Fly by Ian McDonald - An old retired hero deals with neighborhood kids and the return of an old nemesis. A good little story that might be the most likely to put off readers in its sheer banality, but I loved it.
• A to Z in the Ultimate Big Company Superhero Universe (Villains Too) by Bill Willingham - The story of an epic battle is told through an A-B-C. I was particularly amused when the underwater character appeared. Overall, pretty good.

A note here, I claim friendship with two of the authors and the editor of this collection. I didn't know exactly what to expect from the book, but I was very pleased by the result. This is one that ought to be in every superhero fan's collection, and if you like comics you kind of owe it to yourself to check this out.

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Agatha Christie this week was the Rule of Three, a set of plays from 1962. The library was unable to find any collected edition of this work, but I managed to get all three plays through inter-library loan. I'm going to review each separately, but first, an historical note about one of the plays.

When I started reading Agatha Christie, I thought I had never read any of her works before. However, I learned when I received these play scripts that not only had I read Christie before, I'd actually been IN an Agatha Christie play. It convinced me that I just wasn't cut out for the job of acting. I do not remember how many performances there were, but on the first there was a technical problem. In the tale, a technician assures the doctor that the machine is working. I was playing the technician. But it wasn't. The light on the machine didn't come on. It turned out that a master switch controlling the outlets on the stage was turned off, but the crew didn't figure that out before my role in the play was rendered ridiculous. The lead went on beautifully and rescued the performance, but I didn't get over it and never tried out for a play again. And I nearly killed the crew member in charge of the lights, who apologized to me repeatedly for several weeks afterwards. Until I read the first few lines of "The Patient", I had successfully deleted that memory from my mind. What's amazing to me is that I didn't remember anything at all about the play beyond my part in it and how the fellow playing the doctor managed to salvage the performance when the light didn't work. Anyway, here's my thoughts on the plays that make up Rule of Three.

• The Patient - This one act play concerns a paralyzed woman who was pushed off a balcony. Because she has movement in one hand and can see and hear everything, a technician rigs up a machine that can convert those slight movements into a light that everyone can see. This is a solid little play with a nice twist ending.
• Afternoon at the Seaside - This one act play is about a group of people on the seashore the morning after a daring robbery of an emerald necklace. The ending of this one is a bit unusual for an Agatha Christie work, but the deviousness of the whole thing is usual for her. An excellent little tale.
• The Rats - This one act play is about a woman invited to a party by people who aren't in town. Pretty interesting psychological study of people who have a lot to hide. None of the characters are in the least bit likable, and the whole thing is a little off for Christie. Not her best.

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

Saturday Story

After my recent fun writing short pieces for an anthology project, I decided to try my hand at a few more short stories. Really short, and limited in a way that should result in me working hard to edit them. This is the first of my efforts, written this morning in 750words.com and edited once. If you are reading on an RSS feed you should see the story right after this paragraph. It you are reading on my blog itself, you may have to click "Read more" to get the story. Feel free to comment, criticize, enjoy, or ignore.

And You Can Do CPR To It...

Job Hunting...

So... I'm not your normal employed person. I've been technically out of a job for awhile, although I've had writing contracts and a database contract and have helped out with my old employer on a couple of trivial things. So when I've worked the last few years, it's been out of my home. In addition, most of the jobs I've held I didn't get through the normal application and interview process. For instance, a job I held in High School I got through a friend's recommendation, my first "real" job happened when I posted a plea for work on usenet (although I did end up interviewing for it), my retail work happened because I attended a LEGO meet-up and met my future boss, and my contract work was acquired through contacts. In short, I don't really know how to look for or apply for work.

Enter WorkSource. I don't know how widespread WorkSource is, but in Washington state if you are looking for work and haven't got a clue where to start, WorkSource should be your first step. They have all the basic needs met, including classes on resumes and interviewing, counselors, and tons of information. They don't find you a job, but they prepare you for finding a job. I recently attended a WorkSource resume class and got my resume whipped into shape. And Eric suggested we go to a Job Fair being held in K--- at the WorkSource, so I also printed out a few copies of the thing to give out there.

I've never been to a job fair. I've heard about them, but I didn't have any idea what to expect. So I was more than a little anxious as we drove the long drive to the River Cities. When we got there, it was immediately apparent that this was a big deal, as there was already a long line. We got in line, then were informed by a guy ahead of us that we needed to sign in. So I went first, with Eric holding our place in line, then Eric went. Once back together, we looked at the handout to see what companies were at the fair, and Eric deflated. I started to chat with folks in line, and felt like something really familiar was happening. In a long queue with a bunch of anxious people holding portfolios. Hrm.

The line started to move suddenly, and we were in. The potential employers were divided up into three rooms in the building. We started in the farthest room, where an employer I've been thinking of trying to get a job at took my resume. The woman suggested that I would have to do a lot of traveling if I got the job, which isn't ideal, but it sounded like the job has the potential to be just what I'd want. I thanked her, and moved on, leaving Eric to go to one of the other rooms. I handed out my resume to three other potential employers and picked up some swag (two mugs, candy, a flashlight, an insulated lunchbag, a jar opener, and some mints). The company that I felt most qualified to work for had the least professional crew at the fair, and while I gave them my resume I didn't feel very confident about it getting to the right people. Two employers I wasn't at all qualified to work for gave me the most swag *after* I told them I wasn't qualified.

Eventually I met up with Eric to compare notes, and we decided we'd hit enough employers, and left the building. As we exited, Eric noted that I was in "con mode" and the whole situation suddenly snapped into focus. The long line to get in, the people sitting behind tables with long queues to talk with them, the anxious feelings, the portfolios... this was just like a comics convention, only with a tinge of desperation instead of fun. Eric was disappointed because the employers he most wanted to talk to weren't there, so he felt it was a bit of a let-down. But at least I seemed to have fun.

So, I've got leads on a half-dozen jobs that I need to follow up on, including a cover letter to write. I have e-mails to send, and websites to visit. And if I do it all right, perhaps I'll finally get a job the normal way. And maybe I can get health insurance again and finally be healthy for good?

Idle Note: One company had a listing for Zamboni Drivers. I almost picked that one up, even though it didn't look like a position with much potential.

Partly Related Note: This morning I got news that two of my pieces were chosen for the 22 Stories Project. That made my day before we went to the job fair.

Ripples Through Time - 206

I'm reading every Aquaman solo adventure in publication order. After I read each story I will post the cover/splash page and a few thoughts on the story.

Adventure #282 (Mar 1961) - One Hour To Doom!

An ongoing effort to capture a smuggler turns into a lesson for Aqualad on how to survive on land with the one-hour limit.

Regular Supporting Cast: Aquaman, Aqualad, Topo

Aqua-Exclamations: Leaping Lantern Fish! Great Guppies! Holy Mackerel!

Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman and Aqualad are repeatedly trapped in areas with little water, and eventually are captured and tied up by the smuggler.

Quotefile: Aquaman, "This will be an important experience for you, Aqualad! Whenever we're ashore, we're almost like fish out of water! So let's see how good you are at finding water in unlikely places!"

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman and Aqualad are riding an octopus (probably Topo) and dolphin. A porpoise holds marine scientists' mail for them until they surface in their diving bell. Swordfish shred the sails of the smugglers' boat. Topo and other octopi secure the smugglers. Whales form a landing strip for the airliner in distress. Dolphins pull the sea ambulance for the injured manta ray. Topo bandages the ray, then finger-squid interns set the broken fin. Aqualad rides a dolphin and witnesses the swordfish's accident. Topo sharpens the swordfish's sword. Flying fish return garbage to littering boaters. A swordfish punctures a speeder's gas tank. Electric eels shock fishermen trolling restricted waters. Fish report on the location of the stolen sub. Octopi divert and disarm the torpedoes. A legion of sea turtles act like magnetic mines to scare the sub to shore. Whales trap one of Rowe's smuggling ships.

Ancient typo, the word "thought" lost its final "t" in the last panel on page 3.

I'm not a fan of the one hour limit. In its first appearance, it kind of made sense. After an hour out of water, Aquaman began to lose strength, but he was still alive. His powers, derived from the sea, left him as he became dehydrated. In this story, Aquaman indicates that Atlanteans will drop dead after an hour with no water. Silly and stupid. In addition they repeatedly make it clear that just physical contact with a tiny amount of water can reset the clock. It's magical and it doesn't make any sense at all except as a crutch for lazy writers.

The one-hour limit has been mentioned several times since its debut, but this is one of the first times the rules of the limit are defined. Which isn't a surprise, as the entire story is about making those rules clear to the reader by making them clear to Aqualad. If the start of the one hour limit is Adventure Comics #256, this story is the one that writes it into stone for the rest of the Silver Age.

Have you read this story? What do you think?

I'm Sick, So I'll Whine A Little

Ok, I caught a cold. Not unexpected after my adventures at BrickCon. In fact, I would have been very surprised if I didn't at least get the sniffles. Unfortunately, this one is an annoying little monster of a cold that started with sniffles, then progressed to a full-on war with my throat (ow) and then attacked my inner ear just for kicks. Last night I was up most of the night coughing, and every cough sent my head spinning into another dimension. By the time I could see straight again, another bout of coughing would start. Not as painful as it may sound, but definitely frustrating. My throat is still very sore, but the vertigo has become minor.

I'm feeling a little better. To my amazement, I apparently stumbled on a fix for my fibromyalgia. I hesitate to say much about it, because I haven't been on the medication long and the effects might not last. But after I'd been on my new medication for about a week I noticed that my depression was lifting and I no longer hurt everywhere all the time. The medicine was for a completely unrelated condition. I'm not depression-free, but I feel a heckuva lot better than I have in a long time, which is nice. Now I just have to watch my health very closely to make sure that my vertigo isn't a negative side-effect of the new medicine and not just a frontal assault by a persistent cold. Hopefully, it's just the cold. Although, frankly, I would trade annoying and persistent vertigo for the sheer agony of fibro and depression. I'd rather be dizzy than in pain.

Anyway, that didn't sound as much like a whine as I thought it would. I guess I *am* getting better. Maybe that means I'll get back to regular blogging. We'll just have to see.

Minor Update: I just want to mention that we no longer have health insurance. This may mean that my new medicine will soon cost more than I can afford. If that happens... well, I don't know what will happen then. I'll probably cry for a very long time.

Smell Like ... Grover?

A Sunday Review

Missed posting last week because I was busy at BrickCon, but hey, here's some reviews for you now!

TV this week:

• Destination Truth: "Ghost Fleet/Japanese River Monster" - I think Josh is insane. Underwater ghosthunting, at night? Those wrecks are dangerous without the added uncertainty of total darkness on the surface. I really am curious what the engine sound in that wreck was. I really enjoyed the intro to the Kappa, and the travelogue featuring a capsule hotel and the theme from the Brady Bunch. Their trip up the river looked tough. Running around in hip-waders on a slippery riverbed in the middle of a freezing night isn't my idea of a good time. And... no, they didn't find anything, as usual.
• Destination Truth: "Siberian Snowman" - Quite a trip for them. Still one of the best ever travel shows, and this time wandering around Siberia in ancient vehicles. Oh, and they were hunting for a giant snowman, too. They found some interesting things, including a pack of wolves that apparently surrounded them, but nothing that could be considered proof. Great episode.


• Ghost Hunters: "Signals From the Past" - First the crew goes to the Rose Island lighthouse in Newport, RI, a local visit for them. They got a very interesting thermal hit near the barracks of an old fort, and a fun bit of research makes another person's experience seem more valid. I was impressed with what they came up with, but I was far more excited about their second investigation: The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. Just the tour was what I was looking forward to the most. Imagine getting to run around in there all night long! Never mind the ghost hunting, just getting to run around there... Grant acknowledges the fun, saying the TAPS team was going to have to stay focused. Not much evidence, but they clearly enjoyed themselves.
• Ghost Hunters: "Lemp Mansion" - The Ghost Hunters visit the Lemp Mansion in St Louis, MO. A big building with a plethora of stories, and a pretty intense history. This one has a ghost smell, and Grant got to experience enough of the smell that he almost lost his dinner. The "Atlantis" and "Comet" thing was hilarious. I liked the lightning storm as they were cleaning up. Nice backdrop for a haunted house, but it makes any sound evidence suspect. Not a bad case, for all the lack of solid evidence.


• Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated: "Howl of the Fright Hound" - I love it... "We'll be safer around all the dangerous machinery!" This is a show that knows it is being silly, and doesn't care at all. Scooby is framed and ends up in an animal asylum. Lots more of Velma and Shaggy figuring out their relationship. And the overall plot arc moves forward.


• Batman: The Brave and the Bold: "Requiem for a Scarlet Speedster!" - A story of three Flashes and a Batman. Good story, with lots of fun continuity. A good tale.
• Batman: The Brave and the Bold: "The Last Patrol!" - Wow. I had known about this story, but seeing it animated with all the Silver Age charm left intact was great. I loved it. And the Batgirl bits at the beginning were quite fun.


• Battlestar Galactica: "Sine Qua Non" - A touching and frustrating episode. You can see Admiral Adama spiraling into his own world and putting others in danger because of it. Zarek's situation is positively nasty, if understandable. And Lee couldn't see what was right in front of his face. And hey, ghost cat! I want more!
• Battlestar Galactica: "The Hub" - This one takes place at the same time as the previous episode, and features Laura Roslin seeing a dead person. Well, it's a lot more than that, but that in some ways seems to be the focus of the episode. Laura getting back to being human again. Very strange, very cool, and incredibly touching. Especially the bits with Admiral Adama and Roslin together. And frankly, the more I see of Helo the cuter he gets. I just wanna hug him!
• Battlestar Galactica: "Revelations" - AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH! They find it, and wow. That was a stunning ending. Thank goodness we don't have to wait for the next episode... well, not too long. We just have to wait for Netflix to send the next disc.
• Battlestar Galactica: "Sometimes a Great Notion" - As if that cliffhanger ending wasn't enough. A dead world with a crashed ship and the lost tribe. Lots and lots of shockers in this one. Amazing what you can do with a universe once you've set it up so well.
• Battlestar Galactica: "Webisodes: The Face of the Enemy" - If Gaeta hadn't been totally driven nuts by his previous experiences, this certainly must have put him over the edge. Wow.

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This week's movie was Orlando from 1992 starring Tilda Swinton. Ok. That was... unusual. I didn't for a minute buy that Swinton was a guy, even in that era. There were moments where it almost worked for me, but it never got over that critical edge. And the time jumps were disorienting and frankly the reaction of society to him/her didn't make any sense until the final monologue. I don't know if I liked it. I didn't hate it, but it's difficult for me to decide if it was good or not.

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Here are reviews of the DCBS comic book shipment that arrived this week, of books originally released September 22nd and 29th:

• Green Lantern Corps #52 - Still not interested in space stuff in the DCU. Not a bad story, but just not my cuppa.
• Justice League of America #49 - Creepy. Nice to see Garth in there.
• Power Girl #16 - Hrm, I don't like flashbacks that aren't resolved by the end of the issue. Sorry. Just a poor storytelling decision in my eyes.
• Royal Historian of Oz #2 - This gets goofier and goofier. I think I want one of those t-shirt advertised on the back cover, even though I don't have a dog named Toto (or fit the other criteria).
• Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror #16 - The usual mix, lots of good stuff in this one. I was amused by the pull-out Marge Attacks cards. A bit heavy on the gore, but they can get away with it in the comic.


• Action Comics #893 - Not enough Death and too much Lex in the main story. The introduction of Chloe into the DCU proper was dramatic enough for me. Nice cliffhanger.
• Justice Society of America #43 - Why do I think a city controlled by the Starheart sounds like a massively bad idea?
• Batman: The Brave and the Bold #21 - Nice and goofy.
• Powers #6 - Man I wish this book came out more often. That was a heckuva cliffhanger page. Great stuff.
• Incredibles #14 - Ah, the storyline begins to finally clear up. I wonder if I should be reading this in collections, since it doesn't hold together well as a monthly comic.
• Torchwood #3 - A good start on that first story. The second one, the continuing one, is still very odd. Text story was ok, but again just a start. No complete stories in this one at all.

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My library book this week was American on Purpose by Craig Ferguson. I got turned on to watching the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson fairly recently, after I was told he was doing Aquaman sketches on the show. Sadly, I missed most of those sketches, but quickly became addicted to the quirky Scottish dude adlibbing his way through a comedy show night after night. I heard about a show where he talked about his father, and heard he'd had problems with alcoholism. Then I figured out he'd been a character in an episode of Red Dwarf, so I'd seen him years ago. I was intrigued enough by all that to go ahead and get his book. And it was worth reading. The guy made a ton of mistakes, screwed up over and over, and eventually pulled himself back from the brink with the help of friends. The story of his life is funny and touching, and sometimes makes you wonder how he managed to survive. It's a sad but ultimately uplifting story, and you can't help but grow to like the guy while you read it. It's definitely worth checking out if you have the chance.

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Agatha Christie this week was Double Sin and other Short Stories a collection of stories published in the US in 1961. I'd already read three of the stories, but only commented on two of them. So here's the lot of them:

• Double Sin - Hastings and Poirot help a stranger in distress after a bus trip turns into a robbery. This one had some nice misdirection, the usual commentary from Hastings, and an almost twist ending. Pretty solid.
• Wasp's Nest - Poirot goes to prevent a murder after running across some evidence of the impending action. I found this one to be great, if only because of the way it was so nicely set up. Poirot is, as usual, ahead of everyone else in the story and out of it. I didn't catch on, that's for sure.
• The Theft of the Royal Ruby - This is a retitle of The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding which I commented on here.
• The Dressmaker's Doll - In a dressmaker's shop, a ragdoll slowly starts to take over. I realized that this collection might have some supernatural stories in it, so I wasn't entirely surprised to find this little gem. Shades of the Mennyms in it, as the doll moves around but only when it's out of sight. A spooky little tale.
• Greenshaw's Folly - I've commented on this Miss Marple story here.
• The Double Clue - Poirot is called upon to solve a jewel theft with too many clues. I liked this one a lot even though I had a very good idea of who the thief was due to the name and having read a lot of Poirot so far. A fun and very short little story.
• The Last Seance - A medium agrees to give one last seance for a mourning mother despite grave misgivings. I read this one some time ago, before I was reviewing individual short stories. It was creepy then, and it's creepy now. This is pure horror, nothing to solve. Not my favorite Christie by a long shot.
• Sanctuary - A dying man takes sanctuary in a church and Miss Marple must help his final wish come to pass. This was a straightforward mystery story with a satisfying ending. It also had some familiar characters from A Murder is Announced. A good way to polish off this collection.

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

10-10-10 10:10

Just wanted to be able to post it, is all.

Ripples Through Time - 205

I'm reading every Aquaman solo adventure in publication order. After I read each story I will post the cover/splash page and a few thoughts on the story.

Showcase #31 (Mar 1961) - The Sea Beasts from One Billion B.C.

A stolen invention allows a crook to control giant devolved fish that terrorize the oceans.

Regular Supporting Cast: Aquaman, Aqualad

Locations: The Aqua-cave

Aqua-Exclamations: Great Whirlpools! Shades of Davy Jones! Shiver my Timbers! Great Catfish! Well, I'll be a Starfish! Great Waves! Leaping Sea Lions! Great Sea Shells! Suffering Sea Snails! Great Guppies!

Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman is driven out of Cook's hiding place by fish controlled by Cook. Then Aquaman's whole army turns on him when Cook devolves them. In fact, Aquaman spends a lot of time rescuing people instead of fighting the bad guy.

Quotefile: "Shades of Davy Jones! I've been sailing the oceans for nigh on 30 years -- and this is the first time I've ever seen 'em!" Officer on a cargo ship, referring to Aquaman and Aqualad.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman and Aqualad are riding porpoises. Aquaman uses whales' spouts to board the cargo ship, and octopi act as extra propellers to get the ship away from the sea monster. Aquaman has the fish search for John Cook, and a "pop-eyed porgy" finds his hideout. Aquaman has an army of fish attack the hideout, but Cook devolves them and sets them to attack Aquaman and Aqualad. During Cook's reign of terror, Aquaman rescues people with whales, sea turtles, and dolphins. Luminous fish help obscure Cook's attack light, allowing Aquaman and Aqualad to reach him. Manta rays and dolphins help survivors of the future fish attacks. Aquaman draws off the future fish with a flock of sea gulls, getting them in range of the military guns. Aquaman and many other fish then disrupt the aim of those guns.

Another solid long story in Aquaman's tryout issues of Showcase. There is no story decompression in this one, just a lot of different actions leading into each other one after another. Each part of the story had its own cliffhanger, and they all fit together. I loved the designs of the "prehistoric" as well as the future fish. The blowfish managed to be cute even as a giant monster threatening everyone.

And again, we get the notion that an assistant to a scientist in the DC Universe is a good gig to get if you want to turn criminal and make a lot of money before getting nailed by the super-heroes. You would think they would just focus on being scientists instead, since they must have some serious skills to be a trusted assistant on some of those projects.

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Last Day at BrickCon

And it was a doozy. Almost 5000 people came on Saturday, and the crowds on Sunday looked as bad from where I was sitting. The article about BrickCon showed up in the Sunday Seattle Times, but I didn't make the cut (no surprise). The article itself was a little small, I thought, for such a big event. They supplemented it with a photo gallery of 15 images from the convention, but only online. The paper version only had about three images. The tenth image online shows a couple of folks picking through the bricks at the Math 'n' Stuff booth, pretty close to where I was most of the convention.

Let's start today's image gallery with the Big Hairy Spider, one of my favorite all-time LEGO creations simply because I never would have thought of it, and the way it was accomplished was so fantastic.

As you can see, it's BIG... it's hairy, and it's a spider. The dots around it on the table are a legion of little LEGO spiders from various sets. The entire table was devoted to bugs. Now, a close up of the Big Hairy Spider reveals what it's made out of:


Those hairs are the little handles that the minifigs use in their machinery. They are basically levers, the knobs at the end fit in a minifig's hand. It's so freakin' awesome that someone saw those handles and thought, "Those would make excellent hairs for a terrifying spider creation!"

Also on the "bug" table was this nightmare (click to make bigger):


This is an actual, living beehive with a ton of very bored and frustrated bees in it building their hive around a bunch of LEGO bricks. I don't know about anyone else, but it had me shivering from a bit of bee terror.

Let's move on. *shudder*

On the Microscale table I had to stop and take pictures of this TARDIS and Dalek.


Microscale is a tough one to master, as it is the art of suggestion along with the art of restraint. Personally, I'm very impressed with this pairing. There were a ton of great microscale models there, most of them incredible if only due to the sheer imagination that went into them. For instance, look at the dalek. The base is four minifig binoculars. The eyestalk is a minifig wrench. I'm not even certain what the plunger is, but the gun is a lever like the spider hair. Thinking sideways is required to be a good microscale builder.

On the other end of the scale is the miniland size figures. These are the size of figures that you will see if you go to LEGOLAND and look at their models. In this case, there was a set of superheroes. Four DC Comics figures with a couple of Marvel ones in the middle that I ignored (*grin*).


Green Lantern and Batman. The logos appear to be custom, but everything else was pure LEGO.


And Wonder Woman with Superman. Hey, where's Aquaman?!?? I need my Aquaman fix. *grumble*

Over near the Math 'n' Stuff booth was this wonderful arch:


On Friday, when we arrived, they were just starting to set it up. It took several hours and several people to get it put together safely. As I write this I'm willing to bet that some people may still be removing it. I left in all the background to it so you can get an idea of just how big it is. Very impressive.

Ok, this post is getting really long, so I'm going to put in a cut here. Just follow the link to get the full post. Folks reading this via RSS or a direct link should just see an extra line after this, then the rest of the post.

Another Day, Another Brick

Very very tired after a frenetic day at BrickCon, watching over children and trying to be helpful to people. I got some PR done, even got interviewed by a reporter (I think from the Seattle Times, but not certain).

I used my phone to try to video one of the coolest things at the LEGO convention, but the video that resulted was blurry and you couldn't really tell what was happening. I may try for it again tomorrow, but I can't make any promises. The display in question was a dual-layer one. On top there was an ocean with ships and sea life and stuff... and a whirlpool sucking down an old sailing ship. In motion. The whirlpool was spinning, at a decent clip, too. Then you went down under the table, and you could see the whirlpool spinning in the background as an undersea civilization went about their daily lives. All made from LEGO. And really, really cool.

But hey, you want to see more pictures, right? So here's three more. First up is a close-up of Miyazaki from the awesome Miyazaki display I posted about yesterday:


Next up is the entire Miyazaki display. Click to see a bigger image and ooh-and-ahh over it.


And last up is a test of your perception skills. How many ninjas do YOU see in this picture? And yes, you can click to make this one bigger too.


Tomorrow is the final day of the convention, and after that I'll rest here in my sister's apartment for a day before driving back over the mountains.

Banned Books Week, Day 8

What? you may ask. Banned Books Week is more than seven days? Yes, but only by one day. It's a big enough topic that it can handle an extra day. So here it is, the final banned book that I plan to highlight this year. But there are plenty of others, so feel free to take a look at the ALA's lists of frequently challenged books and read something that someone else thinks you shouldn't. You can do this any time of the year.

Kurt Cobain by Michael Martin (Capstone Press). Removed from all elementary and middle Farmington, Minn. school libraries (2009) because the book was "very dark and violent and made references to the use of Ritalin as being a precursor to the use of illicit drugs. It also covered topics such as mental illness and suicide." Er, how else are you going to tell Cobain's life story?

Still in Seattle

I was at BrickCon for most of the day, helping set up the Math 'n' Stuff area, as much as was possible. I saw a few old friends, met a couple of new ones, and got very hot in the stuffy Exhibition Hall. But first, I stopped by the Math 'n' Stuff shop where I saw this on the wall:

No one could tell me what the shop did to deserve the certificate, but they posted it anyway. Kind of fun!

I saw many many many great LEGO creations, and had to pick and choose what to take pictures of and show off, because if I posted a ton of pictures, I'm sure I'd bore the heck out of many people, and sensory overload any LEGO fan. So here's a choice selection of three pictures of LEGO creations that I found interesting.


This buzzard is part of a larger display of an old broken down car in the desert. It was a cool display, but the LEGO buzzard just got me where it counts. It's so freaking creative and awesome! And better yet, I think I might have the pieces that I could duplicate it with!


This is over near the Math 'n' Stuff selling area. It took me much longer than it should have to realize that the large LEGO poster is the cover of a Classics Illustrated comic book. It's just WOW!


This Totoro is part of a much larger display of Miyazaki-based LEGO creations, including Kiki from Kiki's Delivery Service, the main characters of Spirited Away, and ... I can't name all of them. Just a ton. And they were really well done. The guy setting it up was taking a lot of time and making sure he got it right, so by the time the exhibition opens to the general public tomorrow, I'm sure it will look even more incredible.

Well, I'm so tired right now that I'm not sure I'm going to finish writing this entry, so maybe you'll see a post from me tomorrow and maybe nozzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Banned Books Week, Day 7

We're in the homestretch now! Here's another book that someone doesn't think others should read, and it may be one of the most surprising of them all:

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl (Doubleday). Challenged at the Culpeper County, Va. public school (2010) by a parent requesting that her daughter not be required to read the book aloud. Initially, it was reported that officials have decided to stop assigning a version of Anne Frank's diary, one of the most enduring symbols of the atrocities of the Nazi regime, due to the complaint that the book includes sexual material and homosexual themes. The director of instruction announced the edition, published on the fiftieth anniversary of Frank's death in a concentration camp, will not be used in the future despite the fact the school system did not follow its own policy for handling complaints. The remarks set off a hailstorm of criticism online and brought international attention to the 7,600-student school system in rural Virginia. The superintendent said, however, that the book will remain a part of the English classes, although it may be taught at a different grade level.