LATE FORCED ENTRY! vs. Tardy By Nature

I spent most of the day working on a new video with AK, so no update again? Pretty much. I'm eating a horrible QT sandwich and beginning to catch up on comics from the last month. I must say, despite my cries of "SAVE US BEN REILLY! YOU'RE OUR ONLY HOPE!" following the One More Day storyline in Amazing Spider-Man (Marvel really shat all over some great work by J. Michael Straczynksi), I've really been enjoying the onslaught of new AS-M stories following Brand New Day. Good, fun stories and the art has also been pretty consistently rad; especially Chris Bachalo's work. I really dig sketchier pencils... Skottie Young's art is similar and equally awesome (there was a free "Oz" sketchbook at the Cup featuring Young's work... kewl stuff). I recently had to cut back my pull list at the ol' comic book shop due to financial limitations... sad. I'll still be picking up AS-M, Deadpool, Captain America, Uncanny X-MEN, X-Factor, and Walking Dead... and trades of Fables, Criminal, and DMZ. I'm really cutting back! Not making the cut? X-MEN Legacy, Young X-MEN, X-Force, Thor, both Iron Man titles, Fantastic Four, Invincible, and so many others. I was buying WAY too many books and many of them (I'm looking at you Fantastic Four) were consistently awful (I blame Sue 'Sluthouse' Richards). Any Houser, M.D.... I'm going to get back to reading some more comics. SO MUCH CATCHING UP TO DO!

Another hump day sans humping.

First things, I just did a quick Wikipedia search to reveal the mystery behind the name Wednesday (random knowledge never hurt anybody, unless that random knowledge is sound economic policy and your name is Ron Paul - then it hurts your chances of your colleagues listening to you). Guess what? Wednesday is pretty cool. "The name comes from the Middle English Wednes dei, which is from Old English language Wēdnes dæg, meaning the day of the English god Woden (Wodan) who was a god of the Anglo-Saxons in England until about the 7th century. Wēdnes dæg is like the Old Norse Oðinsdagr ("Odin's day"), which is an early translation of the Latin dies Mercurii ("Mercury's day"), and reflects the widespread association of Woden with Mercury going back to Tacitus." The key part of this information is that Wednesday is relative to "Odin's day." Odin is the father of Thor, which I haven't done the research (brief Wiki lookup), but I'm going to assume Thursday was once actually "Thor's day" because it immediately follows "Odin's day." IT JUST MAKES AWESOME SENSE! NEXT!

I read about twenty comics yesterday (finally catching up). Stand-outs among the last month's books included Deadpool, War Machine (Iron Man Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. #33), and Ghost Rider. The new Deadpool series is perfect thus far (three issues in). The three-part Secret Invasion tie-in was able to establish that ol' Wade Wilson is still wacko, yet he's got the skills to pay the medical bills (or maybe Agency X has a sweet health care package?). One reveal here is that Deadpool is actually working for Nick Fury on this assignment. Looking at the solicits for the next two issues, it looks like DP may be headed for some darker adventures (similar to the pre-Cable & Deadpool, Deadpool series). I'm down. Unfortunately, Medina isn't doing the pencils going forward... hopefully Marvel doesn't pull an X-Factor on me and throw an awful art-scribe on my new favorite book.

War Machine: Weapon of S.H.I.E.L.D. was a solid read (much better than any Iron Man: DoS books since the Extremis story). Away from the book, I read yesterday that Don Cheadle will be taking over for Terrance Howard as James Rhodes (aka War Machine) in the movies. I thought that TH was a perfect casting choice, so I'm a bit bummed... at the same time though, Don Cheadle is awesome and I'm sure he'll serve the role well. Hopefully he's locked up for a couple of films, so we can really see the WM in action. Back to the comic, the coolest thing in this book was the ending (a particularly gnarly new WM armor). Check it out!

Finally, the Ghost Rider series has been fantastic since Jason Aaron took over. His spin that the Ghost Rider is actually a tool of Heaven, mixed with naughty nurses and nuns, as Johnny Blaze seeks Zadkiel for a reckoning - all excellent. The only thing I'm not 100 percent a fan of with this series currently, is the art. The style is fitting most of the time, but here and there the character's faces get very warped and goofy... the inking doesn't help the matter much. Luckily the story is solid enough to cover for any art issues. I wish I could say the same for X-Factor... what a fall from grace (I blame the She-Hulk crossover).

Outside of the Marvel Universe, Driving While Stupid plays tonight. I need to sit down and run through the songs by myself at some point today to make sure I've got them down... I'd say I'm 90 percent certain I won't make any big mistakes. One of the things DWS is known for are crazy, generally obscene things happening at shows (Kenny). I don't think anything is planned yet for this evening... we'll see. It should be fun...

Check. Check 1. Sibilance. Sibilance. Check. Check 2. Sibilance. Sibilance.

Something I haven't yet mentioned nor reflected anywhere on this page: I intend to update this regularly, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Also, I'll probably jot some things down randomly between here and there... so, that's the goal.

Notice to company's providing public restrooms:
What kind of customer service is it to provide a place to relieve one's self, yet provide sub-par toilet paper!?! Here's the thing... if I'm using your establishment for some Mambo #2, it's a situation that merits a decent toilet paper; otherwise, I would just return home and use the toilet paper of my own choosing (2-ply, fluffy, w/ quilts, roughly 4" wide). Given this, why would you taunt me with a place to poop and no way to clean it up! This one-ply, width-of-a-baby's palm junk will not suffice! A) I don't want to smear poop all over my butt. B) I don't want to smear poop all over my hands. C) I don't want to be standing in this restroom for the next twenty minutes! What if you provided a quality TP? Guests of your business would use less TP and leave with more than a chaffed, red bung-casm. Sure, you're at greater risk for poor people and/or college students ripping off your paper, but damnit! You owe them so much, what with the alcohol and Krispy Kreme sales (if you're a gas station)! Please, I beg you. I had to take two showers today because of this problem (and an upset stomach).

I have been absolutely enthused with "Babygate" ever since reading the first rumors a couple nights ago. For those not hanging on every Digg article, there was talk that Sarah Palin's four month old child is actually her 17 year old daughter, Bristol's. The argument behind this is that Sarah Palin doesn't appear pregnant in photographs and video taken after she announced she was pregnant (seven months at this time), shocking her staff (who hadn't noticed). Meanwhile, Bristol had been removed from school for five to eight months with "mono." Fast forward, Sarah Palin goes into labor at a speech in Texas. She then boards a plane to Seattle. She then boards a plane Anchorage. She then drives past two hospitals to Wasilla (where she was formerly Mayor) to deliver her child. WHAT!?! That's crazy! She flew at least eight hours while giving birth to a premature child with Downs Syndrome!?! ZOMG!!!1!
This is some of the best political murmoring ever!!! Imagine my disappointment when I returned home this afternoon to read that Sarah Palin announced her 17 year old daughter Bristol is five months pregnant. Alaska's Governor Sarah Palin believes in abstinence-only education. She is a pro-life conservative. Her 17 year old daughter is five months pregnant. She also endangered her child and her own life flying across the continent to give birth. WTF John McCain?
This confirms my suspicion that the GOP is throwing away this election to regroup for 2012. Letting McCain throw away his and a Governor-nobody-had-heard-of's political careers and limiting damage to future potential candidates. It's kinda wonderful. President Obama looks so incredibly promising...

"Geezuz effing christ, no way! Ugghhhhhhhhhhhh! Damn this administration!" After reading this article, that is what I said. How bad is it that I can't just write this off as ridiculous? That while our country's military is tied up in Iraq and Afghanistan... our administration just annoyed both Russia and China... that tension between Israel and Iran seems so sensitive, such a thing is not absurd? Why wouldn't GW spark the wildfire in Iran right before he leaves office? He wouldn't want to tarnish his legacy... Get those warhawk Republicans all fired up to hit the polls in November! It's sick and sad and I don't want to think about it.

On a pleasant note, as I had Twitter'd, I finally read issues #1-4 of Marvel's 'Guardians of the Galaxy' last night. It has made the jump from sat-aside to one of my favorite current books... granted we have to make it out of the first story arch and a Secret Invasion tie-in (... shit). I really dig the team dynamic, the miscellaneous characters (Cosmo ftw), and the Real World Real Room interview frames. The tie-in to the old GotG series (which I wasn't aware of until speaking with Chris today) is a pretty cool move as well. I look forward to the next issue of this as much as the [re]start of Deadpool's series this month. Yey, Marvel!

It's September, which means some great weather is ahead of us... nice cool days and nights. I look forward to chieng'n out and slowing down this year by really enjoying this autumn. Another nice thing about September is the Pirates' season is almost over. I never thought I would miss Jason Bay. His horrible defense, weak lobs to the infield, and inability to hit with runners on base only annoyed me! Then, he started to turn it around this year with some big late-inning hits... Then, the Pirates trade Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte. I liked X a bunch and really hoped that he would be able to stick around. The guy is so clutch at the plate late in a game. He would make some great catches and some strong throws to the plate. He was one of the best players I've seen in a Pirates uniform in so long. Gone. Marte, I can live without. Relief pitchers don't win games. When Bay was sent to the Red Sox, I thought the return looked very much worth the move. But alas, LaRoche looks like his brother in April... Hansen is a nut-job and can't throw strikes... Morris was shut down in AA with a bad shoulder... and Moss is obviously still a bit light on his ankle and maybe a five-spot guy in the lineup at best. Ugh. If only MLB would enforce a salary cap and the Bucs could get and keep some quality talent around. If only the Pirates could hire a manager who is out for the win every single inning of every single game. It's brutal watching them now. McCutchen should be called up this month. Let him get his feet wet for next season. Let fans have a chance to witness for themselves what this guy is about and judge if waiting for the 2011 and 2012 seasons is going to be worth the wait! Give me a reason other than my receeding hairline to sport my Bucs cap...

Iron Man and Sarah Palin

Thank you Robert Downey, Jr., Jon Favreau, and Marvel Studios. Thank you for giving cause to bring about two new comic books, "The Invincible Iron Man" and "Viva Las Vegas," the second being a four part mini-series written by Jon Favreau. Near the beginning of Invincible #4, Tony Stark and Reed Richards are playing chess on multiple boards simultaneously and chit-chatting; Tony Stark departs after putting Reed in check on each board. During this time, he finally came up with an idea as to how to track down Stane and puts this into play as only Mr. Stark could. In "Viva Las Vegas," we're witness to some sentimental junk with Pepper (which is OK because Pepper is a ginger and I'm all about the red-heads!) clogging the middle of this book as the plot develops, but the story ends with Tony Stark taking a nice leggy blonde to a casino opening, and oh shnap! [Mecha]FIN FANG FOOM is back! Fight!
This is all pretty sweet because the "Director of S.H.I.E.L.D." book, which is thankfully turning itself over to War Machine for a stint soon, doesn't show off this Tony Stark. A Tony much like Robert Downey, Jr. portrayed in the movie. The Tony that's brilliant but also chiengs out with all the fly ladies! Marvel can let the Sentry fight everybody, he's a shitty OP character akin to Superman (I'm not a fan of DC books for the most part). Iron Man books should be different because Tony Stark is WAY more interesting than Iron Man. That's the big difference between him and Batman (aside from their universe differentials and the lack of clear and interesting stories). Eff Bruce Wayne. Batman is kinda cool. Tony Stark could drop the gauntlet and still carry a title. Tony Stark, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. would be interesting. Anyhow, it's nice to have a couple good Iron Man books to read every month... I don't have to feel as bad about the twenty or so issues of DoS that I own.

So, McCain has chosen Alaska's Governor, Sarah Palin as his running mate... Did all of his buddies turn him down in hopes that they'll have a chance to run in four years? I know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about Sarah Palin except that she photographs pretty well. Seriously... kind of a babe. I haven't seen any video of her yet, though. I need to see how she moves before I endorse her for Vice-Bonerdent.
The vibe I'm picking up is that McCain wants to create dissention in the Democratic ranks, swaying some of Hillary Clinton's base to his side in November. Is that really even feasible? I don't think people are going to get confused and vote for him just because there's some estrogen on his ticket now. Any Hillary Cunton supporters that are going to vote McCain, were going to do so when Hillary finally conceeded the nomination. You can't purchase their bitterness now with a nicely packaged Alaskan MILF. Perhaps, this is a beaurocratic way of riding out the next two months and regrouping for 2012?