This is more than a month old, but I wanted to state for the record: We had a blast at ECCC! Seattle is my favorite US city and though we only stayed the weekend, it was still great. I loved the friendly vibe and not having to wait four hours in line to get in!
The biggest highlight for me was meeting Kurt Busiek, who turns out is not only the most talented writer in the industry, but the nicest man in the world!
There was a charity art jam at a local bar, where we watched David Mack go nuts with paint, and local artists mix it up with big names to make some beautiful pieces.
And as usual, we got some quality original art. A few examples:
Axe Cop! Dinosaur! Dinosaur Gun Arms!
I adore Scottie Young's style. His work on the Marvel Wizard of Oz is just gorgeous. We got a cowardly lion and FROG THOR cover! Yay, FROG THOR!
Ryan Ottley, of Invincible fame.
I've just recently gotten into Elephantman, which is a freaking amazing book. They did these sketches for free!
Panel from The Darkness, a guilty pleasure of mine.
We got prints and lots of other sketches too. Since it was so laid back and chill, we spent a fair amount of time just talking to the artists and writers. While NYCC is a great event, it's good to attend a smaller Con and get away from the crush of people and attitudes. I think we may have to make an annual trip to ECCC!
Alternative. Minimum. Tax.
We got hit with AMT this year. This must be how Republicans are made.
Having slain the terrible fuzzy stuffed cow, the warrior pup takes a well deserved nap.
Sometimes I think she's a little cat trapped in a big dog's body.
This weekend I read through my T.S. Eliot collection and remembered how much I like his work. Today, I had images inspired by these lines running through my head:
I do not know much about gods; but I think that the river
Is a strong brown god - sullen, untamed and intractable,
Patient to some degree, at first recognised as a frontier;
Useful, untrustworthy, as a conveyor of commerce;
Then only a problem confronting the builder of bridges.
The problem once solved, the brown god is almost forgotten
By the dwellers in cities - ever, however, implacable.
Keeping his seasons, and rages, destroyer, reminder
Of what men choose to forget. Unhonoured, unpropitiated
By worshippers of the machine, but waiting, watching and waiting.
His rhythm was present in the nursery bedroom,
In the rank ailanthus of the April dooryard,
In the smell of grapes on the autumn table,
And the evening circle in the winter gaslight.
Excerpt from The Dry Salvages
It's been a long time since I've written poetry. This month I plan to read more, in celebration of National Poetry Month. Maybe I'll turn out a verse or two of my own as a result!
Where did Q1 2011 go? We're on the prowl for a new house, work is ridiculously busy, and oh, I turned thirty. Yeah. Thirty used to be mid life. Half gone. Crisis time.
Well, maybe not. Certainly we're living longer these days, so 30 isn't exactly panic time. I hate the thought of getting old, though. Despite all the shit life dishes out, ultimately, I'm content and don't want it to end. It's still early, but I'm finding it difficult to come to grips with aging.
It seems I've spent most of adult life fulfilling petty childhood dreams. I own a dog. I went to San Diego Comic-Con. I own a Lego Star Destroyer and Death Star. I routinely feed my insatiable appetite for books. I collect original artwork. I order from Previews. I indulge in pretty paper, paint, and all manner of art supplies. I have awesome sex. I watch whatever TV shows I want. I own more than one corset. All these things I wanted as a child, all these small wishes, I've spent the last two decades fulfilling. It sounds selfish and ignoble, but in the end, the little pieces add up to a significant whole.
The best is that I've achieved financial independence. As a teenager, this was my wildest dream, my greatest hope - that some day I wouldn't need to rely on anyone else for money. In my thirtieth year, I can pay my own bills, provide for my loved ones, and plan for the long term. I'm proud of this fact, and while I'm sure the inevitable fall will come, at least for now, it makes turning 30 not so bad.
But then again, mid-life crisis is a good excuse to buy a Maserati...
Had a lovely vacation in Washington DC before New Year's. It was so nice to take some real time off! I haven't been that completely disconnected from work since the honeymoon in March.
We stayed at The Monaco, which was wonderful. In addition to being pet friendly (we got to bring the dog!), the building is historic and beautiful (it was formerly DC's general post office) with friendly staff and complimentary benefits: coffee/paper in the mornings, wine each evening, reliable wifi. We were upgraded for free to a spacious room with comfy king bed. It was walking distance to the metro, national mall, and a host of eating spots. I would definitely stay there again!
We did the usual DC tourist museum hopping and ate lots of great food. My favorite was Jaleo, a Spanish tapas restaurant, where the mixed drinks were amazing and every dish was fantastic.
It was a nice, relaxing trip. None of the snow hit DC while we were there. We spent the days sleeping in, taking long meals, strolling the streets, and generally enjoying ourselves. I couldn't have asked for a better way to wind down.
A few weeks ago, I went to a firing range for the first time.
Having never held a gun, much less fired one, I wasn’t sure what to expect. There were two experienced shooters in our group: a long time gun owner and a state trooper. Because of that, the range allowed the rest of us to rent pistols. The folks at the range were no-nonsense and quite friendly. And gun safety is really just common sense. Don’t point a loaded gun anywhere except down the range, wear ear protection and goggles, set the safety back after shooting, hands off the gun when talking to someone, etc.
I shot around 80 rounds, which isn’t really much. It proved to be a wonderful mental exercise and actually relaxing. My mind was focused on nothing but the gun and what I was doing with it – the immediacy of handling something that could so easily kill pushed aside all other worries and stress. The routine of loading, checking safety, taking stance, aiming, breathing, created its own kind of zen. I can definitely understand why some people love shooting and could spend hours at a range just being in the moment.
The rental was a semi-automatic .22 pistol and hardly had any kick at all. I think with enough practice, I could have shot that thing one-handed with considerable accuracy.
Then I tried my friend’s .44 and big difference! Thanks to Tai Chi, I didn’t fall over or hit myself in the face. But it definitely takes some strength to keep steady while firing. Movies and TV shows where the badass shoots high caliber pistols from each hand – yeah, I don’t think it works that way.
While I won’t consider owning a gun, I wouldn’t mind going back to the range and renting again. It was really fun and certainly a skill I wouldn't mind having.
Tried curling today! Super fun way to kill two hours on the weekend. It actually requires more stamina than expected and I totally fell while sweeping. But it's a good time and the folks at the rink were delightful!
Trees are awesome, until it's time to rake the fallen leaves in autumn. This year I learned how to operate the leaf shredder, which allowed us to process double the volume. The joy of being outdoors during lovely fall weather almost makes the cleanup worthwhile.
