Another Old Postcard

This one is funny and I love how vivid the colors are despite it's age. Isn't it hilarious to see some of the risque cards from the past. They seem so low key compared to what we see nowadays. I find it interesting that the blonds face is reminiscent of Blondie from the comics. I wish I knew what year this was from.

Spokane's Dancing Silver Spurs

Here's another postcard from the boxes. I looked them up on the internet and apparently they still exist. There was an email address so I think I might send them a digital copy of the postcard and see what they have to say about it.

Going Postal!

Recently, I've been in the throes of my new art project which is making collages from old postcards. My friends and family have responded to my need for postcards with great generosity. I'm usually more attracted to the side that has the writing on it. I just love the interaction of the handwriting, the description of what's on front and the various marks the USPS puts on them. I never know what part of the postcard is going to inspire the theme. Sometimes it's the description...other times it's something in the handwritten text. I'm having a great time with it though. I just wish there were more hours in the day for me to dedicate to this project. (and I still get inspired to do the odd piece of artwork that is non-postcard related)
If you'd like to see some of my postcard related art, you can click here.
And now, I must report a miracle. Today, a lady donated some items to the theatre. Little did I know that my wife had spoken to her on the phone before. The theatre wanted everything she had except for 4 boxes of...wait for it...antique postcards! There are literally thousands of them. About 1/4 of them are written on and have dates from 1909 to the 1970's. The rest are not written on but are equally as old. There are some real beauts in the bunch. I think I'm going to post some of the funnier or more interesting of the cards on this blog so stay tuned, faithful friends. Marty's gone postal!

I Love This Picture!

I've been scanning my old photos lately and I have come across some real winners. Here's one from Company days. This was taken at Jericho Week at Ridgecrest, SC in the summer of 94 (I think). I believe we had all just finished a meal at the Olympic Flame restaurant in Black Mountain. Ragan Courtney and Cynthia Clawson were there with us. I remember my sandals broke and I had duct taped them back together. Somewhere there is a picture of Cynthia and I comparing our shoes.
Another of my favorite memories from that time was when we were at Jericho in Glorieta, NM. Some of us had done some large panels of art to display on stage. When we got there, our art was overpowered and displayed incorrectly due to the gigantic "Experience God" banner that had to go up. Ragan was witnessing our art getting downgraded so he looked at me and said, "Isn't that just like a Baptist. Screw art and put up a sign." Classic! I wrote it in my journal so I wouldn't forget.
Anywho, as I get all these photos cropped and color corrected, I am going to put them out on the web so all my old Company compadres can snag 'em if they want 'em.

Parade Update

Not much to report this year. The Seafair Pirates were well-behaved. Sarah and I had Super Soakers ready for them but they didn't do anything mean. We squirted them anyway. Beyond that, it was a pretty low-key parade. It took me a while to get my snappy banter going. Luckily there was a very animated family across from us. They interacted with us and we all had a good time. I think the Masons were the most surreal. They had various vehicles in the parade all accompanied by disco music. Those Masons...what a bunch of party animals!

Greenwood Seafair Parade

Tonight is the 56th Greenwood Seafair Parade. On the morning of the parade, people arrive early to stake out a good place with chairs. (and no one steals them) It's a huge event for the neigborhood.
Amazingly enough, Sarah and I got asked to emcee this parade for the 2nd year in a row. Last year, Sarah had been here 5 months and I a mere month. We knew nothing about Seattle and we're hosting this parade. Sheesh! (got the gig thru the theatre...I guess no one else wanted to do it) We got thru it and actually were complimented on doing a good job. And the biggest compliment, I guess, is being asked to do it again. And we're getting a raise from last years compensation. (we're gonna renew our zoo membership and go out to eat with the $)
I'll give a report on how things go tomorrow. Last year, we had some interesting run-ins with some interesting characters including the Seafair Pirates. I believe we're borrowing a Super Soaker to deal with those brigands this year. Wish us luck. Film at 11.

Twilight Artist Collective

Well, it's official. Sarah and I now have art in a gallery in Seattle. And it's located in the Pike Place Market which is the #2 tourist attraction in the city. (can you guess #1) That means they get a lot of traffic. Will our stuff sell? Who knows. At least it's out there and that's the main thing. I haven't had work in a gallery since the early 80's in Pensacola. This is extremely exciting for me even if it is a big experiment. There is another gallery that has been interested in my work but they only wanted prints or cards so I think I will concentrate on matting some prints for both places. I guess there's also the possibility of selling prints on the web. Lots of options. I just hope we make a little money. I'm sure all proceeds would be poured back into the endeavor...at least for now. Heck, Sarah and I might become icons of the art world and...okay...I can dream, can't I? Andy Warhol once said, "Everyone is famous for 15 minutes." I'm looking for at least a half hour.

Some Things I Don't Miss About the South

In no particular order:

- The weather. Man, the summer's here are gorgeous. Low humidity. Most days in the 70's. Nights in the 50's. Oh mercy. It's like heaven. Oh sure, it gets pretty dang hot here sometimes (which is tough due to the fact that no one here has AC 'cuz they don't need it) but for the most part, it's nice. Real nice.

- Lack of support for the Arts. Seattle is the third ranking city in the US for live theatre. There are tons of galleries and museums here. It's a very artsy place. I like that. And if you tell someone you're an artist, they don't look at you like you just passed gas. I really like that.

- Rednecks. Sorry folks. Don't really miss 'em, bless their NASCAR lovin, deer killin', hook wettin', truck drivin', beer drinkin', trailer dwellin' little hearts.

- Southern Baptist churches. In the South, there's one on every corner. If it's an intersection, there are 4 facing each other with competing messages on their signs like it's a gas war or something. Out here, you would have to throw a rock a long way to hit an SBC church. I've heard that if you show up here wanting to start an SBC church, they make you turn around and go back home.

Some Things I Miss About the South

In no particular order:

- The friendliness of people. Yes, I harp on this alot. It's just that it's very difficult to form relationships here. People are distant, cold and condescending.

- The food. You would think that a booming metropolis like Seattle would be a veritable smorgasbord of culinary delights. 'Taint so...or at least we've not found them. Our favorite places to eat are mostly chains because the restaurants people rave about out here are not so great. Plus, sometimes you just want to go out and get fried chicken or grits or something southern. Can't do that here or at least not conveniently. We passed a Popeye's Chicken way down south (figures) of Seattle last weekend. I'm not a huge fan but I was almost salivating for some good ole' southern friend chicken. The good thing about it is we eat out less. (good for our finances that is)

- The darkness and the light. In the summer it doesn't get dark here until after 10 pm and it gets light again between 4 and 5 am. In the winter, it gets dark at 4:30 pm. I feel almost like I'm living in Alaska sometimes.

- Free parking. And I don't mean winning the stash in the middle of the Monopoly board. Parking is expensive in Seattle and you have to pay to park most everywhere you go. Sarah and I are learning the cheapest places and the hours you have to park to get the best rate. But I miss those bygone days of just showing up and parking. I laugh at myself now about getting upset that it cost $1 to park in downtown Asheville. That's a drop in the bucket compared to here.

- Folks who like to share a meal after a church service. Man, in the south, there was hardly a Sunday I didn't spend time with friends after a church service. It was one of the highlights of my week to hit a favorite haunt, eat some comfort food and shoot the breeze before the grind of the work week hit.

- Just plain folks. It seems like there is an overabundance of people in Seattle who are trying just a bit too hard to be cool. You know the type. The conforming non-conformist. The ones who try so hard to be different but, in their own way, they are conforming more than anyone else. It takes a great deal more effort to be a goth than to be a "normal" person. I'll bet it's exhausting.
I kind of want to be cool but I don't have what it takes. I've tried sitting in a coffee shop with a book or my sketchpad but I get distracted too easily by what's going on at that table or behind the counter. I'll just stay home to read and draw. There. I've made a decision. I'm not going to conform any longer either. I'm just going to be me. That's exhausting enough.

Art Pad

I found this nifty painting site the other day. Now, you're talking about a guy who has Photoshop and I'm all a twitter about this stupid thing. What can I say. The brushes and paint seem more fluid than the others. And it has this nifty feature where you can do splatters like Jackson Pollock. It's a fun diversion and actually kind of cool for working out some simple art problems. I call this piece "Excess." Why? I dunno. C'mon. It's art.

Bill's Collage at Infuze

For those of you who are interested, I submitted the collage I did for Bill to Infuze Magazine on the web. (Thanks for that recommendation, Carey) They have, very graciously, posted it. Also, it's a pretty cool website to check out. You have to sign up for an account but it's free. Once you're signed up, to get to the artwork, click on the title above.

Me & Wolvie

This is me and Wolverine before one of our missions back in the old days before I became a saint and a janitor. As you can see, my claws are a bit more impressive but I have given up that life for the sedate yet satisfying life I live now. Wolverine, however, is still the violent SOB he's always been. But deep down inside he wants to be loved. He is currently seeking a girl named Badger on Eharmony.com.

Okay, actually just posting a pic to use on my profile. But you were hooked there for a minute, weren't you? Yeah, you were.

Booklist

Urban Shaman by C. E. Murphy - "Joanne Walker has three days to learn to use her shamanic powers and save the world from the unleashed Wild Hunt. No worries. No pressure. Never mind the lack of sleep, the perplexing new talent for healing herself from fatal wounds, or the cryptic, talking coyote who appears in her dreams. And if all that's not bad enough, in the three years Joanne's been a cop, she's never seen a dead body--but she's just come across her second in three days. It's been a bitch of a week. And it isn't over yet."*
I didn't enjoy this book as much as I had hoped. I really liked the interaction of the characters such as Joanne and Gary, her cabbie sidekick, and all the other cops that supported Joanne in her wild adventure. But the story involving the Wild Hunt wasn't very engaging. I've read other books giving a new spin to the old legend of the Wild Hunt and the Horned God and they were better than this one. I might read the sequel. It showed enough promise that I would like to give her work another chance. I enjoy most of the books in the urban fantasy genre that I read but no one beats Jim Butcher. I read this book because Butcher recommended it. (I've had Butcher's new one reserved at the library for a while and it came in today. Tonight, I read the further adventures of Harry Dresden. I can't wait)
I think Joanne could be a character that develops into something strong especially with the Native American spin and folklore to draw upon. And it's set in Seattle but she should make better use of the Seattle landscape. Even though the finale takes place at the Space Needle (of course) it could have been used in more effective ways.
So, this one is average with potential in future books. Meanwhile, I'll be on the lookout for more urban fantasy books to read.
PS: I hate the cover.

* From the back cover description

Plant Amnesty

Today while driving home from Target, Sarah and I saw a car with a bumper sticker that said, "I Support Plant Amnesty." Now, this got me to thinking. I'm thinking amnesty is granting freedom or pardon for political crimes. Now, you can set a plant free, but where's it gonna go. It's not the same as freeing a bird or a person. Lynyrd Skynyrd didn't write the song "Free Birch." A plant pretty much has to stay where it's rooted. So, as I am prone to do when I see things that seem a might off kilter, I decide to look up this info on the internet.
Turns out, Plant Amnesty is an organization whose "mission is to end the senseless torture and mutilation of trees and shrubs." Now, that sounds a bit tree-huggy to me but I think it's a good thing. There are (were) some beautiful trees near our apartment and ASPLUNDH (what does that mean?) came and chopped the hell out of them one Sunday morning. Ruined the trees and woke us up. I say leave the trees alone and let the people sleep. We're doing Sunday night church this summer thank you!
So, being one who loves trees but not enough to really hug one, I must also support Plant Amnesty. I boldly stand with my brothers and sisters and shout the battle cry with a loud voice, "LEAF THEM ALONE!"
Oh, you don't have a battle cry? Well, do you want one? I thought that was a good one. Okay...I won't come to your meetings.

Reality TV I'd Watch!

"In a tribe on the island of Santa Maria, old men used to stand by with bows and arrows and shoot every dancer who made a mistake. The perfect way to raise the stakes on American Idol."

A. J. Jacobs from his book The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World

Aging Rocker Seeks Church That Fits

It's been so hard finding a church in Seattle. That sounds goofy because you would think Seattle of all places would have cool churches. Well, there are some good churches around but so far I haven't found one that feels completely right. What am I looking for? Good question. For right now, here are some answers. I may add to this so check back from time to time.

I am looking for a church...

- that doesn't require a genius IQ to attend. There are a lot of intellectual Christians in these parts. They tend to sit around drinking coffee and discussing theology. I don't like coffee and only enjoy a light round of theology every once in a while. Whatever happened to the fine art of shooting the breeze? You know, just sitting around talking about nothing and laughing a whole lot. I miss that.

- that doesn't require you to be (or become) a real estate mogul to attend. These "prosperity" churches scare me to death. Seems to me they've missed some of the key teachings of Jesus and misinterpreted the definition of "blessings." I'm an artist. It stands to reason that I'm gonna be fairly destitute. Then after I die, someone will make a fortune with my art.

- that has good music. I know, this is purely based on the opinion of the listener, but this listener is pretty picky. And it's not just the quality of music that I'm looking for but also are they actually leading worship? Are the worship leaders actually worshipping themselves or just performing? Are they teaching the congregation about worship? These are important things.

- that is casual. And I mean in attitude as well as dress. But, to be specific, if I walk in wearing my cut-offs and sandals and someone has a problem with it...then that ain't the one. As far as attitude goes, I just want to hang with some real folks not a bunch of uptight, conservative Republicans that think Jesus spoke the King's english and had a copy of the KJV with his name etched on the front in gold leaf. He didn't. It was NIV with silver leaf.

- that values people over programs. I would love to visit a church where someone asked me what I was looking for as a prospective member. One of the things I would tell them is that I would love for them to get to know me just a little before they start hammering me about going to the membership class and trying to plug me into this group and that group. The things I'm interested in are not the things other folks are interested in. A 12-week study of the book of Ruth? Probably good but not my thing. A small group comprised of people with small children? Sorry. Try again. Granted, I know it's going to be difficult to find a church with a rockin' band, a ministry to artists, a drum circle and all those other weird things that I like but the least they could do is find out a little about me before inundating me with letters and such begging me to "be a part of this" and "join that."

- that is Christ-centered, not personality-of-the-pastor-centered. This is a bigger problem that it may seem. I hate it when the pastor becomes this entity that becomes bigger than John Lennon. (ha!) People climb all over each other just to be near him (or her). This even becomes a problem in smaller churches. I've been in one church where the entire male culture started dressing just like the pastor. Everywhere you looked on Sunday morning it was these pastor clones...the Stepford Pastors as it were. And all the women were little clones of the pastor's wife. The Merry Kay agent in that church was thriving. A good pastor will step aside and point to Christ. 'Nuff said.

- where the preacher is brief, bold and brilliant. I was so disappointed when we attended a church out here that has a rep for being a great church. The music was great (not much worship leading though) but the preacher spoke for 1.5 hours. And he was extremely repetitious. He could have boiled what he had to say down to about 30 - 40 minutes and it would have been awesome.

- where the preacher "rightly divides the Word of God." There's a lot of shaky theology being preached out there these days. A lot of it is coming out of the "shiny, happy Jesus" churches where it's more a lesson in improving your life than serving Jesus. I don't want to go to a Dr. Phil church. Being a Christian is tough and people should know that. And besides, what do you think those churches look like under all the sheen and glitz of happiness?

- where creativity is truly practiced. Lots of churches claim they are creative but they're not. They don't know what creativity is. They know what they've been told it is at the latest conference but they have a hard time going back and duplicating it with any success. Why? Because they are being taught creative methods and not how to be creative. Methods can be taught and duplicated (most of the time badly) but teaching someone to be creative, to have original thoughts and develope unique worship experiences, that takes time. Churches today don't have that kind of time. They want an instant fix of creativity so that they can get those numbers up above 200. Let's just slap a few praise songs, some powerpoint and a really hokey drama together and...wow...that's creative. Give me a break.

- that promotes relationships and community. I've harped against "social club" churches before but let's face it, many significant relationships revolve around church. I know many churches have small groups and this is a good thing but instead of just putting people in groups, let's try to put people in the "right" group for them. Sarah and I are really having a hard time with the issue of making and having friends. So far, it's been hard to find folks we "click" with that are willing to make a commitment to friendship. Thank God for our friends from back home. Without them, we wouldn't have any social interaction at all.

- that accepts me for who I am. This one is tough. I'm an opinionated, introverted, aging rock and roller with a poor wardrobe and an artistic side that constantly battles with my anal retentive self. Yep, I'm a keeper. So, if anyone knows of a church in the Seattle area that caters to this type of person, give me a hollar. Otherwise, I'll have to start one myself. Let's see there's me and Sarah...but then we'd disagree on something and it would split. A church of one? Maybe I can live with that.

Prude Juice

I hate prudes. Can I just say that? Never mind what occurred that got me on my soapbox. I'm on it and I'm not climbing off until I've vented.
Prudes are everywhere. Most of the time you expect them only at church, but that's not always the case. They can jump out of the bushes and surprise you sometimes. Just when you least expect it, someone is there to make sure you know that what you just said offended them. Well, ask anyone who knows me, I've never been too terribly "politically correct." But I don't wake up in the morning thinking, "Okay, who can I offend today." I tell you though, if there's a prude around, I want to say stuff just to piss them off. I can't help myself.
This happened alot when I was in seminary. I remember a time I was playing cards with a bunch of compadres in the basement of the Student Center (Cards? I'm offended!) and the subject of nude figure drawing came up. Some Baptist school was thinking of starting a class featuring nude life drawing and the entire Baptist population of Texas was up in decently clad arms. I, possessing a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and having taken several hours of nude figure drawing, opened my mouth with the opinion that I didn't see anything wrong with it. Oh my! You'd have thought I shot someone. Chaos ensued. Some lost their religion. I lost at cards.
Another time, I was taking a preaching class and wrote a drama instead of a sermon for one of my projects. The title of the drama was, "The Butt-Kissers Banquet." I don't remember the grade I got but the prof. wrote this in his note to me: "Be careful of your use of four letter words. Some people might be offended." I took the paper immediately to one of my other profs and showed it to him. He looked it over and said, "Shoulda used ass. That's only 3 letters." Classic!
And do you know, I did have someone tell me not to say butt anymore around them because it offended them. So what did I do? I said it more...and more...and more. "You don't want me to say butt? Butt...why?" That sort of thing. I guess it was a cruel thing to do.
I shoulda said ass.

Hill$ong by Chasers

Hill$ong

This is so funny and a little sad too. These guys are the Chasers, an Australian comedy team...SNL for Aussies.

More Camp Stories

Okay, I have to tell this one. It's too good.

- During one of the 3-6th grade camps, I had to take care of a little boy named Wade. Wade had cerebral palsy and he was one of the sweetest kids in the world. On one occasion, someone came by the cabin looking for him. He was in the shower but one of the boys stuck his head in there and told him someone wanted to see him. Well, see him they did. Wade walked out of the shower buck naked and out the door to see who wanted to see him. It was horrifying and hilarious all at the same time.
Another time, the boys came to me and said, "Marty, Wade keeps kissing us." I said, "Well, he loves you all and he just wants to you to know it." They answered back in true boy form, "Yeah, but boys don't kiss boys." So I said I'd talk to him. We gathered together as a group and I tried to explain the situation. Wade simply answered, "But I love them." Before I could say anything else, Wade wrapped his arms around me and planted a huge, wet kiss right on my belly (I had no shirt on having just come from the lake) and said, "And I love you too." I looked over at the boys and said, "You're on your own."

Summer Camp

Ah, those heady days of youth when you could throw off the shackles of home and spend a week at church camp. The picture above is so true. There is no way I would have wanted my parents to know what happened at camp. And for those of you who say, "At church camp?" it's obvious you've never worked with kids. I have spent more time at summer camp as an adult than as a kid. I've been a counselor or performer at dozens of camps. Let me tell you, a lot of those "little angels" ain't so innocent. I have hundreds of stories. Here are a few.

- As a counselor for a 3-6th grade camp, I listened to a late night conversation amongst the boys about girls. (they thought I was asleep) It was innocent enough for a bit but then the little bugger's inner horndog came out. I nipped that conversation in the bud with the voice of God piercing the dark. "Boys! It's time to go to sleep!"
- When I was a wee pup, our funtime privileges were taken away because the older boys were throwing the girls in the creek so they could see thru their shirts. (thus, the history of the wet t-shirt contest)

Now, these instances are rare. What I like are the funny stories.

- At one camp, my boys kept telling me that we're gonna sneak out the last night and go skinny dipping in the creek. I said sure, that's fine. Well, earlier that night, we took the kids to the creek and the camp director told ghost stories. That night around midnight I told the boys it was time to go. They immediately went into excuse mode. "Marty, I'm too tired...boy, I sure am sleepy, etc." They were too scared to move. That camp director knew his stuff.
- When I was travelling with the Company, we hooked up with the camp staff one night for a water balloon fight in the dark. We had tons of water balloons and those launchers. We split into 2 teams and went to opposite ends of the field. We then proceeded to launch balloons at each other in the darkness. You knew you scored a hit when you heard, "Splash. Ow!"

And yes, there are more. Lots more. Boy, camp is fun. I miss it.

Cyber Skull Orchard?

Actually, this is an art project by Adam Brandejs but I can see it as a viable future for cemetaries. Actually, what I can picture is going into a mausoleum type building with screens set into the walls. Each screen would memorialize the deceased. I thought this was very clever.

Magical Maestro

This is a classic Tex Avery cartoon done at MGM Studios in 1952.

Feelin' Groovy?

Okay, Sarah and I are eating dinner after church last night at Wendy's and they are playing this music over the system that I can't figure out. Then, perhaps the worst song in history, "Feelin' Groovy" comes on. I make a comment about how that is possibly the worst song in history (but I said it in more of a Marty way) and Sarah says she thinks it's Simon and Garfunkel. Well, I get all bent out of shape thinking there's no way those classic bards S & G did a song that lame. So, we get home and I look it up on the internet. Sure enough, it's by S & G. It's called "59th Street Bridge Song" as if that's supposed to make it better. Just look at the lyrics.

Slow down, you move too fast.
You got to make the morning last.
Just kicking down the cobble stones.
Looking for fun and feelin' groovy.
Ba da, Ba da, Ba da, Ba da...Feelin' Groovy.

And that bassoon thing? C'mon! Actually, I found out that a group called "Harper's Bizarre" also recorded it. I think they are the ones with the bassoon jams. S & G's version just has some guitar and a little tinkly bell thing. (how sweet) But they still wrote the darn thing. You know, it's not that it's a bad song. There're lots of bad songs out there. But it's a bad song by S & G. Yeesh. It just soils my image of them is all like "Muskrat Love" by America. Captain and Tenille can sing it all day long but it makes me shiver thinking it was recorded by America. I just don't want my faves from the past tarnished in any way. It would be as if Jimi Hendrix recorded the Barney the Dinosaur song. Gack! So, my wife got one right. Kudos to you honey for being right and shame on you for knocking my musical heroes off their pedestals.

Golden Girl

Here's one of Sarah at Golden Gardens. She's been a good model and puts up with my shutterbug eccentricities. We haven't taken many pictures during our relationship and therefore we don't have a good photographic record of things up to a certain point. I am going to change that but hopefully not an annoying level. What's great is that I am good about taking pictures but not so good with what to do with them after that. Not my Sarah. She organizes them and puts them in albums and scrapbooks. Now I am shamed and trying to organize my old photos and memorabilia too. It's going to take a while but it will get done eventually.

Golden Gardens

There's a beach area near us called "Golden Gardens." We love to go there and walk. Sometimes, when the tide is out, you can walk quite a long way down the beach. I have taken my camera down there several times and gotten some pretty good shots. I minored in photography in college and I'm just now starting to remember the enjoyment I had in doing it. These are some shots I took back in the winter. Now that I know my camera is in good working order, I'll be taking more shots soon. But I'm sure the best shots will come in the winter. Right now, because it's warm, everybody crowds the beaches and I hate crowds. I like it quiet so I can hear the wind and the surf and the birds and I can forget that we live on a busy intersection in a big city.

Booklist

The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells - I have seen both movies and enjoyed them both but I finally decided it was time to read the source material. This book isn't so much an account of the invasion but a journal from a survivor. I've read that this is perhaps the "father of all science fiction" and I really do believe it. This book has inspired so many and sparked so much great sci-fi over the years, it's truly amazing. Now, it is true that the language is a bit antiquated and the pacing is a bit slow but it was written in a different time. 1895 to be exact. H. G. Wells was truly a visionary writer and way ahead of his time. I plan on reading more of his stuff. Batman/Superman Generations by John Byrne - I read them out of order because that's the way the library got them in. No matter. It's kinda fun to read these alternate universe comics. Of course, continuity in a comic is a big joke anyway. The point is to let yourself go and just be a kid again. Just have fun and enjoy the artistry of the thing. I do appreciate that. John Byrne is one of my favorite comic artists. I wish I hadn't lost his "Next Men" series in the fire that claimed my apartment about about 7 years ago. I'll have to see if I can find those again. Anyway, I love the way Byrne manipulates the history of these two heroes by forcing the continuity of time upon them. In our world, these guys never age and get reborn in new ways all the time. But Byrne forces time to have an effect on these supermen. They age. They marry. They have kids. They have happy times and sad times. Some of it's a bit cheesy. Byrne loves to infuse his books with a retro-style charm at times. In this instance, it fits. You know, it occurs to me that some of these comic book movies might be better if they let the guys that truly love them and know what they are doing write them instead of handing them off to some Hollywood writer who thinks he can reinvent the wheel. Go to the source, people. Let the comic book geeks have their day.

Igod

Click on the "Igod" above and try it out. It's a hoot if you ask the right questions.

My Cyborg Name

Fourth Fun

Over our 4 day weekend (sweet!) Sarah and I just had ourselves a great time. We went shopping and exploring all around Seattle. Here are the highlights...

- Saturday we went to the Roosevelt area of town. Shopped around a bit. Found some CDs and a couple of books. Had a great meal at 3rd Place Books.
- Sunday we went to the Arboretum which was a bit of a disappointment due to the fact that there were lots of trees and not so many flowers. (I took my camera) We hiked along the waterfront instead.
- Monday we went to the Market and I found a great book of art. We milled around a bit then ate a quick dinner at Red Robin and hopped on the Locks Cruise. While we were cruising around this chick in a pink bikini flashed our boat. Yep, pulled her top up then back down. Made me wish I had some beads to throw her or something. As we were heading to the jeep afterward, we passed an arrest in progress and a stripper on her smoke break outside the place advertising "Porn on the 4th of July." So original.
- Tuesday we went to see "Superman" (so-so) and stayed home the rest of the day. We could see some of the fireworks from our balcony.

The Meringue Menace

My mother has been sending us a bunch of recipes of late. We've tried a couple and they are good. Well, being the dessert lover that I am, I asked her to send the recipe for Lemon Meringue Pie. I love that stuff! So, we bought the ingredients needed to make it and I decide to make one this morning. I get all the stuff out and Sarah teaches me how to separate an egg. (I'm very teachable in the kitchen) I put together the pie innards and get it in the pie shell. Now, it's time to make the meringue. The instructions say to "beat egg whites and 6 tbs sugar until stiff peaks form." What it should have said was, "beat the livin' hell out of the egg whites and 6 tbs sugar until your arm falls off. Then, beat it some more and then maybe...if you're lucky...it will get stiff." If I knew making meringue was that hard, I would have made a chocolate cake. So, I finally get the meringue whipped into a frenzied stiffness. (I threatened to add Viagra to the recipe if it had taken longer) Now the instructions say, " Bake at 250 degrees until brown. It doesn't take long." Okay...oven at 250...pie goes in. Tick-tock...30 minutes go by and the stuff still ain't brown. All the heat did was make the meringue go flat. The pie tastes okay but there's definitely something wrong. I will be consulting with my mom on that next time we talk on the phone. Maybe it does need some Viagra.