I was tired

regarding my concern over the title of the post and then my quote, I did a little googling, and figured out that Journalista was actually referring to the article further down in the body of the article.

Apparently the title referred to a now defunct comic strip featuring cartoon animals with colorful names. As we've noted before, The League doesn't end up reading web comics for reasons that remain a mystery. But web comics are exactly the kind of territory that Journalista! does cover.

So, anyway, looks like being tired and alarmed was not a good combination.

Here's a link to the comic in question.
The name of the site is not G-rated.

He Lives! He Walks! He Conquers!

Who? Who? Who?

This was all over the internet today, plus I received an e-mail or two linking the pic.

The first pic from the upcoming Iron Man movie has been shown.

It's the original, gray Kirby Iron Man armor.

The thing to keep in mind is that Iron Man changes his armor like you or I change our socks. Expect multiple suits of armor.

birthday thanks, spit curl, Judy, notoriety

The new job goes well. I'm a bit shell-shocked as I expect to be when starting a new job, but things are looking good. As per the hair from Day 1 of work...

Jamie's car is in the shop, and I needed a ride to work as Jamie needed my ride on Wednesday. My new job is literally five blocks from Jason's office, so he took me in. The stipulation was that he didn't want to tack an extra half hour onto his commute to go South and then north again, so I slept at his house. The hair care products in Jason's guest bath are different from my own, and I think what you're seeing there is what happens when I stray from my own hair care plan. Longtime pals know that when my hair grows out, I get the spit curl whether I like it or not. In AZ I mostly kept my hair too short for the spit curl, but here in Austin, the barbers do not give you a crew-cut no matter what you ask them to do. Here they left me with some length, and with some humdity, the spit curl has made it's return. In the picture in question, the spit curl just looks silly.

The chubbiness is, however, completely self-induced.


Thanks a million for the birthday greetings and well wishes. It means a lot to me. Aside from mandatory birthday greetings at work, etc... I do not believe I've ever had so many wish me a happy birthday. You Leaguers are tops.


I'd like it if everyone could put some positive vibes toward my mother-in-law, Judy. She's having surgery tomorrow, and we're all hoping it goes well. Jamie is up in Oklahoma with her now, as is Doug and Kristen. Starting the new job, I couldn't go, and I'm feeling no small bit of guilt over that. Judy is always here for us when we need her, so I'm feeling a bit like I'm not holding up my end of the bargain.

Anyhow, well wishes are welcome.


Here's the risk of going online with your opinion. Dirk at Journalista! has chosen a less than flattering way to describe either me, my post or the state of comics. It's unclear who, really, he's referring to. I confess to not being a regular reader of his blog, so I really hope I'm missing some context, but I have to assume it's not flattering.

And on my birthday! Egads.

Why is it when I get linked to, it's invariably by someone pointing out that I'm an ass? How come nobody ever links back to the League or Comic Fodder from well read comic blogs and says, "That Ryan kid is really on to something!"

I know I'm an ass. I just didn't know it was so obvious...

Anyhow, I'm a little perplexed by the quote, and, in my self-centered, defensive way, I think he's taking a line from a very lengthy post out of context, but, heck... I wrote whole history papers in college the same way. So more power to Journalista!, I suppose.

You wants to writes the comics reviews, you's gots to learn to roll wit' the punches.

32

Transdermal Celebration
by Ween

Transdermal celebration
Caused a slight mutation in the rift
It toppled down a nation
And left the people runnin' for the hills
But the mutants that I see
Shine their beauty unto me
I wish you could see them

Tectonic tribulations
Formed a crust of green beyond the reef
Waves fell in formation
Caused the plants to bend with spiked leaves
I'm growing with the land
Time has taken my hand
And let me touch them

Hey, hey, a million miles to mark A
Lay on the lawn
He's already home
When the morning rain hits his face. . .

Transdermal celebration
Jets flew in formation I could see them
Dropping their crustaceans
Leaving trails of flame in their wake
But where is the mutation
That once told me it was safe?
I can't find him

Hey, hey, a million miles to mark A
Lay on the lawn
He's already home
When the morning rain hits his face. . .

New Job = Light Posting

I started my new job this week. Please forgive me for lighter blogging than usual.

This unfortunate photo was posted to the company's intraoffice blog welcoming me.



My hair was not doing well today.

Anyway, the company seems super cool, and I am very excited.

Hey, Leaguers.

Hope you Easter Weekend was fabulous. Ours was unseasonably wintery and freaky. There's nothing sadder than an unshaven, weeping Steanso sitting on your front stoop looking out at the mud and the rain and asking why he can't hunt for eggs. I never want to go through that again.

After more interviews than I want to think about a lot of self-loathing, Friday I may have finally found gainful employment. As always, I'm keeping details to myself, but this place is a lot more in line with what I had in mind when we came back to town. I'm pretty darn excited. Should be starting pretty quickly.

Last night we had an early meet-up with Leaguers Carla and JAL and their respective spouses as well as Hilary and Stuart of The Flyin' A's. It was a Canyon Vista Middle School/ Westwood High mini-reunion, and was wildly entertaining. Finally met the man brave enough to marry CB, not to mention be her baby daddy (baby Xander was not there as he had some errands to run). And it'd been a while since I'd seen Justin and Tania. Hit the Draught House, and then popped over to Waterloo Ice House for a late dinner. And ice we had. In our freakish Texas storm, sleet came down on the roof of the Waterloo, and formed on our cars. But, luckily, nothing stuck.

That said, I was supposed to go to a karaoke party after the Warrior engagement, and ended up skipping out when the weather seemed to be just getting worse. I feel pretty bad about skipping, but The League fears Austin drivers on Saturday nights under the best of conditions.

We also watched the film adaptation of "Running with Scissors". I don't really understand why the director omitted certain vignettes and plot points from the memoir. Or why they cast a guy who was pretty clearly much older than the 14 years old that Burroughs was supposed to be, or why they added in certain elements, some of which seemed to stem from press that came out after the release of the book. On the whole, not a great movie.

This morning I woke up late. We met up with Jason, then headed to iHop for a sort of bleary Easter lunch.

This afternoon I was checking the new grass growing in our yard to see if last night's storm had taken out my Bermuda seedlings, and Jamie detected the scent of gas. I have a few theories on why, but Jamie's car apparently developed a drip from her gas tank, which should be nice and expensive to repair, and now I have to figure out how to get gas out of my driveway.

If it's not one thing, it's the other.

Showbiz Nightmare Fuel

You have seen nothing until you've seen The Rock-Afire Explosion perform "Smooth Criminal" about 2/3rd of the way through this video. Also note how iPod stole the look of their commericals from the Rock-Afire Explosion.

Pics from April's First Thursday with Mono E

I didn't announce it as it was approaching, but I should have. Jason and Reed's band, The Mono E(nsemble), played last week. Here are some photos.




Mono E takes the porch/stage at Ben White Florist (the "bwf" to the hip*).



My brother doing what he does best: taking up space



Jamie



World's Greatest Drummer: Reed Shaw



Some kids goofing around on the hill. I don't know who they are. I just like this picture.



Reed's kid, Meredith, explains something to Jen and Anna



The band rocks out



And you can tell things get out of control when guitarist, Frank, has to work and isn't there to keep things under control. The Reed drum solo came to a nerve shattering conclusion with Eric stepping in for a climax worthy of the Rock-Afire Explosion. Also, note bassist Jim (not OUR Jim, but A Jim, nonetheless) in the back, hiding in shame.


Rock on, gentlemen. Rock on.


*this is a lie. Nobody has ever said "bwf" to my knowledge. But it IS on their free refrigerator magnets.

The name Ben White Florist isn't actually terribly accurate, and every time I try to go to the location on So. Congress, I first go to S. 1st by accident. It is only when I ponder why theya re playing, usually somehwere near Polvo's, that I remember where I'm supposed to be going.

Liz Pieper

Jamie and I wish to express our heartfelt sympathy to the family and friends of Liz Pieper. Liz passed away this weekend after a long battle with cancer.

Liz was a good friend of my brother's, and a good friend to a great number of people. She will be missed.

You can read more atJason's site.

Hey, Leaguers!

Last night we headed down to Ben White Florist to see drummer Reed Shaw and Jason's band, The Mono E, play a show for the First Thursdays thing they do on South Congress. Those guys put on a good show, considering their usual guitarist was AWOL and Jason and Eric had to step up a bit.

And I missed the context was, but there was also an Easter Egg hunt. (Oh, I know it's Easter. I don't know who the people were or how they knew about the Egg Hunt). There were all of these families with little kids who rocked to the sounds of the Mono E, and then, in what's probably a first, the Mono E had to pause for the egg hunt. Anyway, I've now learned why egg hunts exist. Watching little kids toddle around with an oversized basket and try to find eggs is just good comedy. I first came to this conclusion when Jamie, Doug, Kristen and I came upon the egg hunt at the Hotel Coronado in San Diego and saw some poor hotel employee in a bunny suit get mobbed...

So congrats to the Mono E on another show successfully pulled off! And congrats to Reed Shaw for a stellar drum solo (man that Reed Shaw can rock the HOUSE)!!

That said, I may arrive late to the next First Thursday as I'd like to actually walk First Thursday at some point and see what the rest of the street has to offer. I like flowers and all, but...


So I don't know if this is all part of the "Day After Tomorrow" scenario of global warming or what... but it's supposed to be crazy cold here in Austin this weekend in the evenings. One report suggested it might even fall into freezing temperatures. I don't think that's likely to ccur, but it could drop into the low 40's or high 30's, and that, Leaguers, is not the usual lovely Easter weather one sees in this berg.

Meanwhile, the UN released a report forecasting that the Southwest is to be become a dustbowl thanks tp global warming. I've already lived in one desert, thank you.

This is on my mind as Saturday I'm scheduled to catch up with some old pals at Freddie's, which is a mostly outdoor venue. Our plan may need some re-adjusting.

I felt like I've been just dropping links and stuff for a while. I need to put nose to grind stone and work on the Mellies questions so we can get some real content up and going once again.

some enjoyable links. sorta.

I don't know how funny this is to folks who've never worked a helpdesk, or to people who've never worked in a tech-based arena.

At any rate, both Jamie and Steven G. Harms sent this to me in the past 24 hours.

Go to the link. I plead of you, go to the link.

And the video below is NOT parent friendly. There is repeated use of some bad words and some generally grim stuff. But I think I'd be remiss if I didn't share. Thanks to Randy for the link.


So much like Jason in high school, it's creepy

Jim, you had a good unicorn related link and I failed to post. Please resend.

Comic Fodder Needs Writers

Hey, Leaguers!

Comic Fodder needs writers!

Do you read an unhealthy number of comics?

The Fodder Network is looking for writers to help us build Comic Fodder into a must-read site for every comic geek with an internet connection. Are you a reader of comics who can put a critical eye to the comics they love, and who isn’t afraid to get a little scrappy defending their opinions down in the comments section?

Read the whole article here.

Acceptable TV

Acceptable.Tv

New show in which they show several new "shows" each week, and viewers vote on which ones they want to see the following week. Only two of the five shows make it. In addition, viewers can create short shows and send them in.

And, the show claims, the clips are only as long as the average attention span.

TV for the internet age.

Spider-Man week in NYC

Apparently it's pretty difficult for Spidey to get the fear and loathing in the real world which he gets in the comics.

Somebody... I'll say it's Bloomberg, but who knows... has declared the end of April, beginning of May "Spider-Man Week" across the five burroughs.

go here

Sadly, Austin has no local superheroes in either the DCU or Marvel Universe (although The Initiative will surely change that fact). I read once that the current Hawkgirl is from Austin, and, in fact, was getting a film degree when she received her powers or wings or whatever, but no mention has been made of that fact in years.

But we do get Spam-A-Rama this weekend.

Opening Day

Well, both the Astros and the Cubbies lost the season opener. I watched a good chunk of the Astros game, but was then sidetracked by my decision to grill some burgers. So today also marked the start of the cook-out season, although we kept it simple at League HQ. I suppose we'll need to have some folks over for some grilled meat.

The 'Stros were doing okay until the 8th inning when one of the Pirates hit a homer, and I think that was the beginning of the end. I'll never know. For some odd reason we were taping two shows, which meant we couldn't watch a live show on our DVR. So I didn't see that, but I did see the conclusion of Season 1 of "I Love New York". Yes, yes... I'm still following the "Flavor of Love" programs, and will leap right into "Charm School" later this month. God bless you, VH1.

I'll also be watching the behind-the-scenes show about how the Jerry Springer show is put together. Longtime Leaguers will know that I firmly believe that the endless line of nimrods they find to put up on the stage represents the real America in many, many ways. So much poor decision making.... so very much... And not afraid to air their laundry before a national audience.

I do watch a few minutes of Springer now and then. Just as I catch myself watching a few minutes of Maury, and my new favorite... The Greg Behrendt Show. Sadly, Greg's clueless style of trying to help people by utilizing the sage wisdom of an aging LA hipster did not pan out and we will only get one season of the program. But I will always remember it as a show that had absolutely no point, and even the host looked like he didn't want to be there.

I do get to watch a considerable amount of television as an unemployed person, and I'm this close to picking up the phone and calling The Everest Institute. They've now convinced me I could be making more money.



We went and saw Blades of Glory on Sunday at The Alamo South. The movie is exactly what one would expect from the trailers, and, yes... John Heder isn't actually very funny. He mostly plays the straight man to Will Ferrell's... Will Ferrell.

Amy Poehler and Will Arnett play a competing skating duo, and some of their stuff is okay. JD asked me if this was a theatrical must-see of one to save for Netflix. And I gotta say... Netflix. At times the directors and writers weren't trying hard enough, and at other times, maybe a little too hard. Still, it's comfortable middle ground for Will Ferrell. And this is going to reveal a bit more than I'd like, but I expected more out of the skating than what I got. Yes, I wanted silly CGI skating, but for anyone whose spent as much time as The League keeping his wife company during the winter olympics, I'm not sure why they didn't employ more actual skating stuff.

That said, the movie features Scott Hamilton, Peggy Fleming, Sasha Cohen and other skating greats. But, curiously, no Michelle Kwan.

Oh, and The Office's Jenna Fischer is in the movie, but you sort of get the feeling she's barely able to keep it together in most of her scenes. That's okay.

What else...?

Oh, yes...

Somehow this little video of Bully locating the famed Forbidden Planet comic shop was both funny and sweet.



Which makes me want to go ahead and link to...




Ah, Audrey...

Transformers: Robots In a Slide Show

Here for Movie Transformers photos. Here for trailers.

Dear Hollywood,

Was it really that hard? I've been asking for one thing out of a movie since 1991 or so... and that was to see giant robots blowing up the landscape. Why did this take 16 years?

Hollywood, I don't want much out of a movie, but here's what I want:

Fire
Explosions
Robots
Giant Robots
Superheroes
Kung-Fu
Apes or Monkeys
Fighter Planes and/ or Spaceships
Laser weapons
Alien Beings
Heroic archaeologists
Michelle Yeoh
Cowboys
Shoot outs

I do not need, nor really desire, all of these items in a single movie. But it doesn't hurt to include most of this list into your summer faire.

So, thanks, Hollywood, for the movie featuring giant robots and explosions. I owe you one.

Sincerely,

League of Melbotis

Lawyerbear

There are four total posts here today. Let's start with the one for the lawyers in the audience.

here.

LaLa Weds, Provides Booze and Food

The League's own LaLa got hitched up over the weekend. No pictures, sorry.

LaLa married a gentleman named "Michael", who, by all accounts and my own observations, is a decent sort of a fellow. Michael and LaLa had been seeing one another for quite some time since our sojourn in Arizona, and we'd begun to believe Michael to be a fiction as LaLa would make many an appearance when we'd be in town, but her gentleman friend was never anywhere to be seen.

We adore LaLa (she's the potty-mouthed embarassment-to-the-family I never had), and we wish she and the husband the very best. She won't read this as she's going to be in Mexico for a while, soaking up sunshine and pina coladas in equal measure. I just really hope she likes the wooden hangers I got her for her wedding gift. Nothing says, "Enjoy a life full of love" like the gift of neatly creased trousers.

Matt and Nicole rode out to Driftwood with us for the wedding, and Dan and his fiancee, Ilana (sp?), flew in from Chicago. Matt still refuses to dance, so I was skeptical of my own chances, but who can turn down "Sex Machine"? Not Mr. & Mrs. League, that I can tell you.

I hadn't met Ilana, and I was waiting to kick the tires before agreeing with everyone else that she was okay. Ilana passed my rigorous questioning with flying colors, and they now have my approval to proceed to the altar. Well done, Dan.

A lovely evening at the newly established Mandola's Vineyard out in Driftwood, kind of past The Salt Lick, and then down a bit on the left.

Anyhow, congrats to LaLa and Michael. The League of Melbotis wishes you buckets of happiness.

Maxwell Propagates the Species

...and you can already tell it's Maxwell's child...

From Maxwell's e-mail:

As some of you already know, our first child arrived Wednesday March 28th at 4:14 pm. We're in love with all 7lbs and 7oz. Her name is Sophia Mari Scott, but you can call her Sophie. She's named for Mari Scott, Eric's wonderful grandmother. Mom, Dad, and Baby are all healthy and very happy.

So, a new chapter for our own Cowgirl Funk. It seems like just yesterday that I was driving this little Drama Club freshman home and was amused that she was pleasantly less annoying than most of the rest of her class. God bless 'er.

Congrats to the whole Maxwell clan on the arrival of Sophia.

When the time is right, the League of Melbotis shall be ready and available to teach her The Robot.

A Post for April 2nd

From Mark Twain:

At certain periods it becomes the dearest ambition of a man to keep a faithful record of his performances in a book; and he dashes at this work with an enthusiasm that imposes on him the notion that keeping a journal is the veriest pastime in the world, and the pleasantest. But if he only lives twenty-one days, he will find out that only those rare natures that are made up of pluck, endurance, devotion to duty for duty's sake, and invincible determination, may hope to venture upon so tremendous an enterprise as the keeping of a journal and not sustain a shameful defeat.

- The Innocents Abroad.

Yes, the announcement of the conclusion of The League of Melbotis was an April Fool's Day sham. I sincerely appreciate the words of encouragement even in the face of the unlikelihood that we'd shuttered our doors and cut the pilot light.

As with any good lie, there's some truth to the post. Of late, I feel much of the relevancy of League of Melbotis has tipped it's hat and ridden off into the sunset. But I think that comes with each spring time and each anniversary. After all, I think April 2nd marks the 4th anniversary of LoM, and after all this time...

Well, a lot of ink's been spilt.

Happy April 2nd, Leaguers.