Friday, January 12, 2007

Rorbert Anton Wilson merges with The Infinite

I read very little RAW. In fact, Illuminati! still sits unread upon my shelf.

I associate the name more with a time in my life and a culmination of tiny, tiny little events which led to...

It was a different time and, possibly, a different League (if I were to still buy the same things I bought back then). But I'm glad I read some of him, but somehow the day-to-day of these days has overwritten what it was I read, by and large.

I wonder if he'll get those answers now...?

Painfully cute

Mei Lan, the Atlanta Panda


Mei Lan's first steps


Makes her public debut

Lots more Mei Lan

Beckham

Whoo hoo!

David Beckham is headed to the US to join the LA Galaxy. I just watched a softball interview with him on CNN and he is coming. For $250 million. Pretty good for a guy on the downside of his career.

It's honestly a little weird to see a guy like this slumming in US soccer, but he sees it as an opportunity to grow American soccer, and that ain't a bad idea. Further, there are some good players coming to the end of their pro careers who could really add a lot to the MLS (Ronaldo, my fellow weight-fightin' brother, the Dynamo needs you).

As Leaguers might guess, this is a bit of a novelty, and, honestly, The League doesn't know much about soccer. But, as Mary Jo Mitchell has said, Beckham could "bring it to the big stage".

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Mission: Judy Morrison

When the League was in high school, he was a fair-to-middlin' student, gaining access to the NHS and all that great stuff. Despite a "C" in Pre-Calc one semester, I was also inducted into the AABBIT society (All A's and B's Because I Try. No, really.)

But we never would have made it through High School Physics if not for our charming lab partner, Judy Morrison.

There are a lot of folks I would like to track down from Klein Oak High School and just see what happened to them. Just to name a few: Travis Breaux. Chris Shaw. Vince. Julie Simmons. Camilla. And Scott Wiser, until I had lunch with him last week. (He's doing great. Thanks for asking. And he has remarkably good hair.)

But for some reason it always comes back to my old lab buddy, Judy.

I think part of that comes from my near-psychotic obsession with trying to entertain people who clearly do not find me remotely amusing. You could juggle three chihuahuas while riding a unicycle and be hard pressed to see Judy crack a smile. To me, that was my license to try all the harder. Who cares about the folks you've already won over? I knew one day I would find a way into Judy's good graces. Alas, our time together was all too brief, and I never did convince Judy I was amazingly great.

Judy was friends with my lady-friend from High School, so I already knew her before Physics I. But it was sitting next to her for a whole year that made me really appreicate Judy's almost misanthropic take on each and every event. I don't know if Judy meant to be funny, so I really hope I was laughing with her.

Also, like our own Denise, Judy worked at the Randall's bakery. Denise really made the little flatcap her own, but Judy never looked very happy to be wearing the hat. Maybe she just didn't like peering over glass pastry displays. We may never know. Denise might provide some insight.

Upon Shannon L-C's request, I took a look for Judy. Turns out the names Judith and Judy Morrison are fairly common when Google is applied. Further, I am sure a fine young lady like Judy Morrison may have married, so she may have taken another name.

So if anyone has any information about what became of Judy Morrison, Klein Oak High, Class of '93, e-mail me. I'd love to know. I know I can win her over this time.

And then we'll hunt down Chris Shaw. That guy borderline despised me.

News Bits

Lily Munster actress, Yvonne De Carlo dies at age 84.

One of my earliest memories is of our house in Canton, Michigan and sitting in front of the TV watching The Munsters. Like most kids, I was a big fan of Hermann and Grandpa Munster, but even then, I always thought Yvonne De Carlo brought a certain grace to the screen as Hermann's consummate straight man.

Also, I adored how Lily Munster was semi-obsessed with how "ugly" her niece Marian, the Donna Reed clone, appeared to be in her eyes.

Yvonne De Carlo also plays a supporting part in "McClintock" as John Wayne's friend and ranch house manager whom Maureen O'Hara believes to be Wayne's mistress.

So long, Lily Munster. You were one of the greatest TV moms of all time.


Jim sends in this bit about an episode of Naked City which just happens to feature a copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 displayed at a news kiosk.

Amazing Fantasy #15 is, of course, the first comic to feature The Amazing Spider-Man. It's an eight page, story, I believe, in true Ditko style.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

wrong

I just took this quiz, based mostly on how inaccurate the last person who took it claimed it was (grammar).

Brainy Kid

In high school, you were acing AP classes or hanging out in the computer lab.

You may have been a bit of a geek back then, but now you're a total success!


I was IN AP classes. Acing them? Not so much. Further, I was lucky I knew where the computer lab was. The computer class I did take (Micro Computer Applications) turned out to be a vocational class for teaching the future hourly employees of the world how to use a 10-key. (I might add, I was awesome at 10-key).

I was not the only one duped by the title of the course. All of the non-vocational kids would peer over the top of their CRT's at each other, wondering what we were doing in this class which had a description hinting at some cool stuff. But we all became fairly good at Minesweeper, which is what we were told to do when we finished an assignment.

As per success? Oh, yes. It's hard to blog with all these stacks of money falling on my keyboard.

But... the Brainy Kid? I can tell you there were at least 81 kids brainier than me in my class. And they even got a special luncheon.

No, I think I was, and remain, The Bitter Kid.

your blog for today

Happy Wednesday, Leaguers.


Sometimes you can handle individual people fine, but when you combine them, they're trouble? Such as, a few friends who, individually, are fun to talk to, but when they get paired up, it spells trouble for everyone else? In college, we called these people "Voltron". Individually, they can be handled, but together, no force can stop them.

Tomorrow, Jason takes off for fun in the sun in the Yucatan, so this evening we will be taking in Jason's three-legged pup, young Hop-a-Long Cassidy, for a few days. What chaos awaits? Only time will tell. But I'm putting all of our breakables up on a higher shelf. My dogs are going Voltron for a few days.


The comic blogging thing is fun, even though my readership is currently floating somewhere near zero. I think I had more genuine comments on my re-direct from The Beat than on the actual post, but, hey... I am hoping there will be some growth at some point. This week I will be contacting several folks who own comic blogs and try alerting them to the fun at Comic Fodder. I felt I needed a few posts up to demonstrate I was serious before trying to get some attention.

I spoke with JimD last week regarding expectations for Comic Fodder, and, unlike here at League of Melbotis, I'd like to see readership grow. At some point, LoM turned into a one-way conversation with family and friends, and at the time, I think I jettisoned any notions of expanding the basic premise of what you see here. LoM is what it is, and hopefully you might find reasons to come back once in a while. It's free, after all.

Maintaining two blogs is a bit taxing. I knew that from back when we made an attempt with Nanostalgia last year. In the end, if it doesn't work out with Comic Fodder I can always circle the wagons and bring the comic reviews back here to be ignored.


Life is a still life here at League HQ. Today I have a few errands to run, such as purchasing an anti-Cassidy perimeter. Lucy is literally sprawled across my feet and snoring (which is nice as I don't have slippers or socks on, and my toes had been cold). Jeff is curled into a ball somewhere upstairs and Melbotis is snoozing on his big bed. Jamie is also crashed out in her post-dialysis nap.

My workless schedule has me all crazy.

***update***

I have changed the schedule, not to make myself look better, but because Jason pointed out a certain timeframe which was totally inaccurate and would give my parents a conniption. I look for a job every time I sit down at the computer. I do not block off a full chunk of several every day the way I do on Mondays when perusing the job boards. Instead, I break it up. For those of you who have ever been unemployed, looking for a job is dispiriting. I like to break up that soul-crushing experience throughout the day, so I can feel that pain all day long.

That said, there is always a concentrated period of time when I look for a job in the AM and PM. So, Mom and Dad and Dick and Judy... relax. I'm awake 18 hours a day. I don't spend all that time reading comics.

***end update***


10:00: Wake up
10:05: Make coffee
10:07: Give Lucy allergy pills
10:10: pour cereal into bowl
10:11: turn on TV. Watch Headline News.
10:15: Check e-mail
10:45: Check blog comments
11:00: Look at job postings. Apply to jobs.
11:15: Switch to News8 Austin
12:00: Check other blogs, look at CNN.com, comic websites, etc...
12:45: Wander house.
1:30: lunch.
2:15: Run some errands.
4:30: Try to go running.
5:45: Check e-mail. Check comments.
6:45: Begin coordinating for dinner.
8:00: Check e-mail. Look for a job.
9:00: Try to blog some.
11:00: Look in odd places for a job and watch horrible TV.
3:00: Realize it's 3:00 AM. Go to bed.
10:00: Repeat.

It's not a bad schedule, but you do find yourself watching programs like "I Love New York" and "The (white) Rapper Show" on VH1, and feeling kind of bad about yourself and the state of humanity. On the other hand, there aren't too many TPS reports to wrestle with and it doesn't require a tie.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

YouTube Tuesday

This will not be a regular feature, but, hey... It's Tuesday and I needed a title.

Either Jim or Randy sent this in. I forget. But it's... It's... It's abso-ludicrous. And it reminds me so much of my own high school experience.




Nathan demonstrates that he knows me all too well with this clip. Old Timey Star Wars.



And Jamie found Office Space Superfriends. It's sort of PG-13, but nothing you haven't seen on Superfriends or Office Space.

Monday, January 08, 2007

two things

Congrats to Univ. of Florida. They played an absolutely great game, dominating OSU for the vast majority of the game.

Also, about a week ago Jamie and I were driving past an empty shell of one of the Albertson's grocery stores that had pulled out of Austin. "We should open something in that," Jamie said.
"Okay."
"What could we do with superheroes?"
"Well," I said looking at the decaying grocery. "I have no idea. It's about 20 times larger than a comic shop."
"We could do, like, a superhero place," Jamie said. "Like, we could throw superhero birthday parties and have a super hero restaurant, and sell superhero stuff. Like capes and shields and other superhero gadgets."
"Wow. Well, that sounds pretty good for kids, but..." the idea of running something that complicated sounded like a bit of a nightmare.

But maybe these guys in Brooklyn have done it right. Maxwell, I'm dispatching you to check it out.

Thanks to RHPT for the link.

Nothing to Report

It would be shameful for me to let a Monday pass without much in the way of blogging, I suppose.

Today your League is tired. League HQ pal Heather Wagner is on winter break from the grad program which she is currently enrolled in, and has come back to Austin to touch base with family and friends. Last night Wagner stayed in the guest quarters here at League HQ, and we had a lovely dinner followed by a firepit in the backyard.

Long story short, by the time Jamie and Heather had both retired, it was 1:45 AM, and The League was due to post DC Weekly Reviews at Comic Fodder. Sure, I managed my usual genius, but it was 3:55 AM when at last I crawled into bed. I was up again at 9:15, ran for a good distance this afternoon (I'm starting to love the hills) and am now coming down from whatever energy boost I previously enjoyed.

Normally, I caffeinate until I'm shaking like a chihuahua on a chilly day, but today I am low-key and droopy.

Plus, when I woke up, I thought maybe Pat Robertson's vision of mass deaths in 2007 may have come to fruition.

Yes, the mysterious "gas" fumes in NYC left me a little twitchy, but when the NEXT story on Headline News features dozens of dead birds near the state capitol, we start seeing boogeymen all sorts of places.

So I'm running about town and lovin' a ricin free life.

I still think Gov. Perry snuck out of the Governor's Mansion and poisoned those birds because they pooped on his Geo Metro.

Sunday, January 07, 2007

they start so young...

The League is sad to report young Arden has been seen running with a tough gang of kids lately and may have fallen in with the wrong crowd.


flashing gang signals, Arden sticks it to the man

More details as events warrant