tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52563172024-03-13T13:20:05.640-05:00League of Melbotistotally jazzed about stuff nobody else cares aboutThe Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comBlogger3401125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-42606431384837827742023-04-16T17:47:00.007-05:002023-04-16T21:10:03.511-05:00Birthday 2023 - The Anti-Vibe, Very Good B-Day Week<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHrdrAL9B4AdGiLhbbSD9jT_-IgGZu9jvWYZlhE_-4btnSQVXduUjto3a6AZCUFOZnZr9cKoRg_eZ5umP6Pda9bc9qAOKlfmOAMpZMZ8X557NiqRiK1k6At8pvg_QTljS33ROa4fXSiYbXSSN1AfI1sv4S0_vu5oqhy4c4cOHjZtwGw1i4w/s923/Austin%20FC%2004_15_2023.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="923" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHrdrAL9B4AdGiLhbbSD9jT_-IgGZu9jvWYZlhE_-4btnSQVXduUjto3a6AZCUFOZnZr9cKoRg_eZ5umP6Pda9bc9qAOKlfmOAMpZMZ8X557NiqRiK1k6At8pvg_QTljS33ROa4fXSiYbXSSN1AfI1sv4S0_vu5oqhy4c4cOHjZtwGw1i4w/w640-h480/Austin%20FC%2004_15_2023.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Wednesday was my birthday. The celebration lasted a full week as we had some neighbors over last Saturday, and this week we went to see Austin FC play Vancouver. In the middle was the big day. I'm now 48. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Holy cats.<span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">On my actual birthday, we went to Jason and Amy's house and cooked up hot dogs, ate potato salad and enjoyed the great weather while the kids ran around and Andre actually spent time outside with us. Normally, he'd be looking for a sofa to occupy.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWb9xVJ7ofVKrCNCc43SignJgFRkZCmx3RFiNBD-ySx4eZFVZKTqSd7JLCJMfKmhG5cWkv0SxCegiIDGxIh_s3wmegdejSEPdJYKrRG2V3qBQKKsdKa65il6oi8cHuJL38VJZt35gB_2djIM_wdyWH_2yJZF5zjboZxU0J6eKvTYHM7bNaDg/s692/turtle%20glass.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="519" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWb9xVJ7ofVKrCNCc43SignJgFRkZCmx3RFiNBD-ySx4eZFVZKTqSd7JLCJMfKmhG5cWkv0SxCegiIDGxIh_s3wmegdejSEPdJYKrRG2V3qBQKKsdKa65il6oi8cHuJL38VJZt35gB_2djIM_wdyWH_2yJZF5zjboZxU0J6eKvTYHM7bNaDg/w300-h400/turtle%20glass.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">They'd recently taken a trip to the Texas coast, and purchased a lovely birthday present for me in the form of the above Sea Turtle pint glass.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlzfVE2m3PPrmkAyHeq0Lsgfx0ogwtAT4VRhIvVAw-LyS7VGPdKTNNb4moCYXlMh_mzafDEYvGgnCSnpYA0edQ9G75RuwrreaCAFTylzkevekN4dLAdk1J9Y937EVFs3K3oSOX6zdA_MNZx6V-t6g8cy2C9DkI9ltZSyEngFSLfSwYLeeC4g/s292/popcorn.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="219" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlzfVE2m3PPrmkAyHeq0Lsgfx0ogwtAT4VRhIvVAw-LyS7VGPdKTNNb4moCYXlMh_mzafDEYvGgnCSnpYA0edQ9G75RuwrreaCAFTylzkevekN4dLAdk1J9Y937EVFs3K3oSOX6zdA_MNZx6V-t6g8cy2C9DkI9ltZSyEngFSLfSwYLeeC4g/w300-h400/popcorn.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">My parents are on a trip to Egypt, and have sent pics from Cairo already. It's pretty wild to know they're in one of the cradles of civilization at the moment. Some time back in March I mentioned I'd like to get one of the nice popcorn tubs for my birthday as they often mention gifting them to other people, but tend to get me things like work shirts, which is appreciated, but... popcorn. Anyway, Mom and Dad delivered.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Anyway, I don't expect much on my birthday. You expect nothing, and everything is a huge surprise. Even when you ask for popcorn and aren't sure what they're going to do.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Saturday of our little get-together, Jamie fulfilled my request for a cake with lemon icing (I love lemony baked goods, and all fruity baked goods, which becomes relevant further down the post). On Wednesday she also made cupcakes for the kids and one for me. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">She got me possibly the most extravagant gift I've ever received for my birthday, and I'm a little stunned, but it seems weird to discuss it here. More later, maybe.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">But other folks also sent things, and I feel like maybe being very-online has both paid dividends and maybe I've told on myself a bit over the years.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">From Dug and K, a present on a theme. Can you guess what it is?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7liH-mOYXRpxromYUkHje0DMsoxBcVp4ibrmhwY8_DK54P-VDN9nc8ZrkQ4T4GN_H9u_aDh7OSrxM5dW1GTY48y2ywTRpTv8TLDGyw7qNcHP30Pa7U6yj5ebBLQAiKxpmo7MejqQAFHc8e0cBprM2TZDCwG_krhJID8--eAt5VM9hqPp0zA/s872/Birthday%201.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="654" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7liH-mOYXRpxromYUkHje0DMsoxBcVp4ibrmhwY8_DK54P-VDN9nc8ZrkQ4T4GN_H9u_aDh7OSrxM5dW1GTY48y2ywTRpTv8TLDGyw7qNcHP30Pa7U6yj5ebBLQAiKxpmo7MejqQAFHc8e0cBprM2TZDCwG_krhJID8--eAt5VM9hqPp0zA/w300-h400/Birthday%201.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">no one will judge you for clicking on the pic for a closer inspection. It's a nice hammer.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">As a middle-aged guy, I am weirdly excited by the gift of a hammer. I am also delighted that the hammer is "anti-vibe", which is much how I've lived out the last 48 years. I have already used the hammer, and it works like a charm.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I am also more than happy with the collection of pics and write-ups on the Hammer stars contained in the book. It's a gorgeous photo-essay book, and if you like Hammer, it's a great guide to the stars and films.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Stuart sent along a few BluRays that are ideal gifts - the gifts of Madonna and Geena Davis. Truly, if you want to win me over, you can do way worse than surprising me with Madonna and/ or Geena Davis.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisMVCYeF0q8J9xavdrEkpGyK7dggTfdd9ybKcwcp-pERk6VOURIlyaVSmxgS43XQqdVaV9sFetM0tAjI7LfRwL7x5zho4rK1a1j6EzJwX9AscfNg6Ovxn6dGrL6uXOnFeWf74JjJLEegH9iXGTAtNxcfDXTRu2o-oUrYXa9xIa_sjb1H3ZvA/s1163/Birthday%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="1163" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisMVCYeF0q8J9xavdrEkpGyK7dggTfdd9ybKcwcp-pERk6VOURIlyaVSmxgS43XQqdVaV9sFetM0tAjI7LfRwL7x5zho4rK1a1j6EzJwX9AscfNg6Ovxn6dGrL6uXOnFeWf74JjJLEegH9iXGTAtNxcfDXTRu2o-oUrYXa9xIa_sjb1H3ZvA/w400-h300/Birthday%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I haven't seen <b>Truth or Dare </b>in 30 years, and I've never owned either film. But, boy howdy, do I have my answer for the next few times Jamie asks "what are we watching tonight?"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Well done, Stuart!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Also, some of my local pals basically placed a future invite for themselves over to The Hall of Gentlepersons with the gift of booze. I won't go on too long about these two items, but if you've not tried either, do yourself a favor and pick these up. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVAKvUfTmGCABnDRbBm2_1BA4s727NhE2A-69Mr8gbP4IMk5CrvMyVZaEIGnb5lW6bVVHKlAh8jFKi_yRnn0VcYD-9vctW2mclYvV102vGL1LFNRX5fDJ8eYZhFEuZwzBEhWcow5ki04E1Tffwi-JyjIWsdkqo0-5HAte8edEAMU8QbCJUg/s872/Birthday%202.5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="654" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVAKvUfTmGCABnDRbBm2_1BA4s727NhE2A-69Mr8gbP4IMk5CrvMyVZaEIGnb5lW6bVVHKlAh8jFKi_yRnn0VcYD-9vctW2mclYvV102vGL1LFNRX5fDJ8eYZhFEuZwzBEhWcow5ki04E1Tffwi-JyjIWsdkqo0-5HAte8edEAMU8QbCJUg/s320/Birthday%202.5.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">B-day gifting kudos, Shoemaker and Juan. Standing invitation. Come help me empty these.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Pal Nicole was out of town and unable to check in when we had folks over, so she door-dashed me a lovely treat from local baker, Sugar Mama's!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIx4V7KIaxRxcGxc3AE2cXSZJ-x0R4z3N2HH3FzVb1-11L3Tj_g6VshuJAZjR_FvSX4rk6CYDTqO6-7ZmrjUF-asTIK8TAcP-e7iNecilADBci8Qs9aFzD8dT3hcWkTwE791cuvoVfr8dGksH33hdMHQY7s_ykbJH4LfrZjXKt4ibEpICzdw/s872/Birthday%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="654" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIx4V7KIaxRxcGxc3AE2cXSZJ-x0R4z3N2HH3FzVb1-11L3Tj_g6VshuJAZjR_FvSX4rk6CYDTqO6-7ZmrjUF-asTIK8TAcP-e7iNecilADBci8Qs9aFzD8dT3hcWkTwE791cuvoVfr8dGksH33hdMHQY7s_ykbJH4LfrZjXKt4ibEpICzdw/s320/Birthday%203.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNVdgrpzr_cs2fyeUdHv-lfGNT2zQbuFyf9pDBavbu5B5ms5mUq1kW-fHZV0JTatNhYSxQEfHNBAAgITg4IUr8wvqjmvpBbORE-Nwb7t_RygI4yjQ6thJFDhc-5UUE1GvBQbHkShr3oacD13fPbldLisNf2Gj_4dXNzWglR-W5L-SP9VC2w/s872/Birthday%204.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="654" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNVdgrpzr_cs2fyeUdHv-lfGNT2zQbuFyf9pDBavbu5B5ms5mUq1kW-fHZV0JTatNhYSxQEfHNBAAgITg4IUr8wvqjmvpBbORE-Nwb7t_RygI4yjQ6thJFDhc-5UUE1GvBQbHkShr3oacD13fPbldLisNf2Gj_4dXNzWglR-W5L-SP9VC2w/s320/Birthday%204.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">yes, I keep Halls on my desk</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>It's a lovely fruity handpie and a sort of pecan pie thing! Folks, you may be driving me to Type II Diabetes, but this sort of thing is always welcome. Much appreciated surprise from Nicole!<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC14ewoftUE_wJkQjTKvABtJbzlsvGbvwY_M9C_j8SortZEEqvcdPQxFJOQKfz1MpF__3u1wJ8XcpSwqDnMScYc8QRihZXLoPDn4Z6znHll9q-UUBNrmCrqK0uOTaXuZVxwsxww3vuMafrT7dbW5wpFOewe6-MLdKgJ0dR5EDaZkYMQ2hykQ/s872/Birthday%206.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="654" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC14ewoftUE_wJkQjTKvABtJbzlsvGbvwY_M9C_j8SortZEEqvcdPQxFJOQKfz1MpF__3u1wJ8XcpSwqDnMScYc8QRihZXLoPDn4Z6znHll9q-UUBNrmCrqK0uOTaXuZVxwsxww3vuMafrT7dbW5wpFOewe6-MLdKgJ0dR5EDaZkYMQ2hykQ/s320/Birthday%206.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div>With the smell of handpies and whatnot in the air, Andre came to see what was going on in my office. And just kept asking for attention as he is wont to do.<div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqvIwvrrApYqplLEm5-GUWj-T5q8_XwPdwDXXc3AewL1QJHlH22riD7fvMIPPwprNOPxAtgPH1f36E9-Y0dTOhRNFJY1woqpIdS2FkWqCOGdcHGSfNcj-9FmORtjBXIXT1QAqIiUQFKZu-7FTagPbSFB-wOYSk3Lb6yS60Gz90wMXd2EbUg/s215/Birthday%205.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="161" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqvIwvrrApYqplLEm5-GUWj-T5q8_XwPdwDXXc3AewL1QJHlH22riD7fvMIPPwprNOPxAtgPH1f36E9-Y0dTOhRNFJY1woqpIdS2FkWqCOGdcHGSfNcj-9FmORtjBXIXT1QAqIiUQFKZu-7FTagPbSFB-wOYSk3Lb6yS60Gz90wMXd2EbUg/w299-h400/Birthday%205.jpg" width="299" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">when your constant companion would also like a snack</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I also received some Ghiradelli chocolate from Katie and Bryan, and Joel across the street brought me salmon he'd smoked himself! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And, months ago, we purchased tickets to see our local Major League Soccer franchise, Austin FC - of which we're both big fans - play the Vancouver Whitecaps.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We splurged and got third row seats.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZSIS7gie8AiismvpbYnraO7d2_moRrdvqHhRZzJLsQfjieuZQbRB-JyfdaVCyjIf_Oz3WIWOLLLNejLk5u85ilNQVOZjNYptby1ZbJEWUGIV-SmSrAvspbCGTyhCumFGRt0nTDcKnhA7wg1GGoZ2w8FBF0yefAoFt5NhWvPYRBKtCyAcbA/s923/Austin%20FC%2004_15_2023%2004.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="923" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZSIS7gie8AiismvpbYnraO7d2_moRrdvqHhRZzJLsQfjieuZQbRB-JyfdaVCyjIf_Oz3WIWOLLLNejLk5u85ilNQVOZjNYptby1ZbJEWUGIV-SmSrAvspbCGTyhCumFGRt0nTDcKnhA7wg1GGoZ2w8FBF0yefAoFt5NhWvPYRBKtCyAcbA/w400-h300/Austin%20FC%2004_15_2023%2004.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selfies are hard when your spouse is tiny and you're the size of a Ford Pinto</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Kj7a1Ojr4Gb5bi5HdlNhEwYR_NLWf1vQ8fCyxfFTx7mTxlZqSs8YyEJR6lqY_dihHmjOgH7dZjbcpKe2TElVTSoVt7W5mqBqaFN8o_esaaIeBGUUtz55a4cZ7H6kdgmsOfewYC_esZ4EtlDdLA3Gs0jpdmXZuDqSvxSUsQ9243Wd0Mck-g/s923/Austin%20FC%2004_15_2023%2002.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="923" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Kj7a1Ojr4Gb5bi5HdlNhEwYR_NLWf1vQ8fCyxfFTx7mTxlZqSs8YyEJR6lqY_dihHmjOgH7dZjbcpKe2TElVTSoVt7W5mqBqaFN8o_esaaIeBGUUtz55a4cZ7H6kdgmsOfewYC_esZ4EtlDdLA3Gs0jpdmXZuDqSvxSUsQ9243Wd0Mck-g/w400-h300/Austin%20FC%2004_15_2023%2002.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre Kick-Off</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCpa7Y_l_0fyIvTbPzvdhfOt3b6G7M_PCSghuUmSWuCPgFv58nf_BIN7WvdZTgjz8fwR-PWVm54Ns-2h7hcFMskBvo4Xllgc4ICe2YpyxqCTk9BtQaMX1DX7V0WCsCFKUdFLElo1rDCxGQRz6b7t1RV8H3JeJoQK9BfCnxkZsJZUrjF6h5w/s923/Austin%20FC%2004_15_2023%2003.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="923" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCpa7Y_l_0fyIvTbPzvdhfOt3b6G7M_PCSghuUmSWuCPgFv58nf_BIN7WvdZTgjz8fwR-PWVm54Ns-2h7hcFMskBvo4Xllgc4ICe2YpyxqCTk9BtQaMX1DX7V0WCsCFKUdFLElo1rDCxGQRz6b7t1RV8H3JeJoQK9BfCnxkZsJZUrjF6h5w/w400-h300/Austin%20FC%2004_15_2023%2003.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our beloved Brad Stuver and a worn out defensive line</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Anyway, we were pretty close-up! Also, it was interesting to just trust the world and take a city bus and hang out with 20,000 people, which is not something we've done much of since Q1 2020. And, we were <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/udozim9UHk3EeXa7A" target="_blank">near the Supporters Section</a>, so got to participate without standing for 3 hours.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">All in all, a fantastic birthday week. I have zero complaints. 5 stars. Would do again.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">join us at The League of Melbotis</div>The Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-90660765933415330162023-04-03T22:20:00.003-05:002023-04-04T10:06:05.373-05:0020 Years of Blogging, Part 2 - Together, We're a League of Something!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhirMz6WUMIxKq4v3bs77J0or2-94tyVqEQOLgx9NIp5xU4GIH_gnedMn452988mp-ElJQ26T2QA4liRhwu63yPvMDXtnVDqgc4d44pNNkVjW9tq3oeSt92syK3CJiDeRoH-jDWnrt-kzgPjHk-8chE0s8JQy03SvZwXX6AuWzEwub3Ye3BJY81KC2k/s1024/p.ryanturkey-719569.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhirMz6WUMIxKq4v3bs77J0or2-94tyVqEQOLgx9NIp5xU4GIH_gnedMn452988mp-ElJQ26T2QA4liRhwu63yPvMDXtnVDqgc4d44pNNkVjW9tq3oeSt92syK3CJiDeRoH-jDWnrt-kzgPjHk-8chE0s8JQy03SvZwXX6AuWzEwub3Ye3BJY81KC2k/w640-h480/p.ryanturkey-719569.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b>Editor's note: </b>This is Part 2 of a series. You can view <b>the first part</b> <a href="https://www.melbotis.com/2023/04/20-years-of-blogging-no-really-part-1.html" target="_blank">with just the click of a button.</a> </i> </div><div><br /></div><div><i>also, this is a cross-post with media review site and PodCast, <b><a href="https://www.signal-watch.com/2023/04/20-years-of-blogging-part-2-together.html" target="_blank">The Signal Watch</a>.</b></i></div><div><br /></div>So, yeah. <div><br /></div><div>By April of 2003, we were blogging. For a look at the initial form of League of Melbotis on Blogspot/ Blogger, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030606014144/http://melbotis.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">click on over to The Wayback Machine</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>As mentioned in the first post, soon I was emailing and managing comments from friends and strangers. But, also, some of those pals already had their own blogs or quickly started one. It was easy, often free, and gave folks a chance to speak their mind. People were religious about their choice of platform. Livejournal people developed quite the mythologizing about themselves that arguably continues to this day. WordPress users constantly complained about what they were using but refused to change. </div><div><br /></div><div>JimD started his first blog of many. RHPT joined in. Soon I was aware of Maxwell (she of the podcast) starting up Cowboy Funk, which detailed her life as a Texas ex-pat in NYC. I knew her husband before we met via his own web-presence and mentions on the blog. <span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Even folks like MikeS who recently did <a href="https://www.signal-watch.com/2023/02/podcast-234-raid-redemption-2011-action.html" target="_blank"><b>The Raid</b> PodCast here at The Signal Watch</a> kept a blog, along with a number of other people I still keep in touch with one way or another. We sometimes wound up meeting in person (Natalie showed up to have BBQ with me for my birthday circa 2007!), and sometimes I never knew who folks were on the other end of a handle. There's still folks I talk to occasionally here in 2023 I've never met. Meanwhile, some commenters have stayed at my house. I've been drinking twice with Randy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's a list of then-active links from the blog from 2007. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpsfG_7GMqynn-qKXEf60tqUteD8V4UJTmB7yBuQYWpcOZviOFs7sWukwK6RSx8JYcGh_2TjO2FZfTItOzQri3dUa0sFZ-djz216gzFeel9Ev_iPJzYW1cDablnZoIKoJ_PwaKyZttIAc0WlLDJw4diNgrhjR4bgxOO0tMxacCEWGB_jm8FgeRp45G/s362/League%20Links.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpsfG_7GMqynn-qKXEf60tqUteD8V4UJTmB7yBuQYWpcOZviOFs7sWukwK6RSx8JYcGh_2TjO2FZfTItOzQri3dUa0sFZ-djz216gzFeel9Ev_iPJzYW1cDablnZoIKoJ_PwaKyZttIAc0WlLDJw4diNgrhjR4bgxOO0tMxacCEWGB_jm8FgeRp45G/s16000/League%20Links.png" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div><i><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimJbHfxIpdeNqnQee_8lqbbjDnkYLs75pvBPHxL43CKi5ZFYq6kRt00m9I1a2WnbEWy22gx4uT1d-cFCtLHVWSiRBYXpm4SEI8TJnSZOCj7ZIEsDWfMxiRm-RyuDRZhb9P77nVuvspUYJQ3w-pjIdUKqcl1J9FZ_l4r9ZYXRas_MCa_DKzLoq-M7o0/s400/randypz.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimJbHfxIpdeNqnQee_8lqbbjDnkYLs75pvBPHxL43CKi5ZFYq6kRt00m9I1a2WnbEWy22gx4uT1d-cFCtLHVWSiRBYXpm4SEI8TJnSZOCj7ZIEsDWfMxiRm-RyuDRZhb9P77nVuvspUYJQ3w-pjIdUKqcl1J9FZ_l4r9ZYXRas_MCa_DKzLoq-M7o0/s16000/randypz.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and sometimes Randy is in the Phantom Zone</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></i></div></div>There were a whole bunch of you! I don't even remember who was behind some of these. And, yes, there was briefly a store at Zazzle, I think. My pal Denby recently sent me a pic of the official mug of the League of Melbotis, making me about spit out my coffee.<div><br /></div><div>And, similarly, by 2007, we were comics-linking.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLwpsPLjR_KU65MhgGFe1CfZ74CRUaLOrAvuKyhFMuD8Ux_iqk3amVLfMOkE7IpxPf5067hXgoOzIr0D6yssjxWL5seJum_t_9eIfDha_1hdE7iA-e6TQlXcRbb-nwUhxCucpa6OvSGmMaBxczUuGkoOqwDlMMo44ngeATa_1VmgWFlvp9O5ch_kA/s275/League%20Comic%20Links.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLwpsPLjR_KU65MhgGFe1CfZ74CRUaLOrAvuKyhFMuD8Ux_iqk3amVLfMOkE7IpxPf5067hXgoOzIr0D6yssjxWL5seJum_t_9eIfDha_1hdE7iA-e6TQlXcRbb-nwUhxCucpa6OvSGmMaBxczUuGkoOqwDlMMo44ngeATa_1VmgWFlvp9O5ch_kA/s16000/League%20Comic%20Links.png" /></a></div><div><br /></div>There's a mix of comic sites and blogs, including my brief dalliance with writing for another site, the now defunct and gone <b>Comic Fodder</b>. But there's <a href="https://bullyscomics.blogspot.com/"><b>Bully.</b></a> Weird I wasn't linking to <b><a href="https://www.progressiveruin.com/" target="_blank">Progressive Ruin</a></b> at the time. I know I followed Mike. Ah, the folly of youth.<br /><div><div><br /></div><div>The first year or so was kind of strange. I was just doing my thing, but much like when I selected bands to listen to or what books to read or movies to watch, I didn't consult with my folks. Nor did I tell them "I started a blog". </div><div><br /></div><div>I don't recall when I told my brother. And because I wasn't using my real name, I don't really remember how folks found out about it. But the internet was a small place in the Naughty Oughties. But, yeah, soon enough my brother was a regular reader and started his own blog.</div><div><br /></div><div>Somehow my cousin found the blog, who asked my parents about it, so then they knew. And... man, one of the weirdest interactions I've ever had with my parents was explaining to them that they didn't get to tell me what I put on the internet. Especially not at age 29 or so. I don't even really recall what the topic was, but something rubbed them the wrong way, and I heard about it. And I welcomed them to not read the blog, and that didn't go well. But it was a learning moment for all of us. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>It's also worth noting, the first generation of bloggers had grown up with a basic education that included literacy re: journalism. We understood that your job when going to print was to not lie or bullshit except for comedic effect. You really did research and worked to get your facts as close to accurate as possible given limited resources, if you were going to tell a true story. *And* unless you were a classless dick, if someone presented you with contrary evidence, you adjusted. Sure, there were nasty debates in comments, but if you wanted some integrity, you generally<i> tried</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>The monetization of the blogs and news-sites was not yet in place. The model back in the 00's was not to crank through 10 "stories" per day for pop culture sites. If you wanted your blog to have any credibility, you kind of needed to adhere to *something* of a journalistic standard. Unlike most comics and pop sites today, one did not glance at Wikipedia or try to remember what someone told you over beers and then rank starfleet captains from best to worst after lunch before moving on to five more short and badly thought-out articles.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not pretending <b>League of Melbotis</b> was a bastion of journalistic integrity, but I did genuinely grind my teeth when it came to accepting items for review, any contact with creatives lest it impact my opinion of the work, and other things that impact your life less when you're writing about movies from 1945 as my current blogging has slowly morphed into. </div><div><br /></div><div>Arguably, I wasn't wrong on the comics-front. Once <b>CBR</b> and <b>Newsarama</b> decided access to DC and Marvel's talent pool was super important (and they were clearly being played for chumps by the pros), it was the start of the end for either site being worth a look.</div><div><br /></div><div>But comics weren't the only topic we covered, of course. We talked TV and movies to a degree, especially if they were about comics. </div><div><br /></div><div>We also had some regular features.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Ask Melbotis</i></b> was a column where folks could write in and <a href="https://www.melbotis.com/search?q=ask+melbotis" target="_blank">ask my dog anything under the sun</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>We had regular interaction events where we'd put out a question to readers and print their response. Folks would write in about their best Halloween costumes or tell their favorite spooky story. We did this for Christmas, too, and maybe some other events. Mostly, I was always delighted at the time and effort folks put in. I can't imagine any readers doing this now. Heck, no one comments anymore.</div><div><br /></div><div>There was a controversial feature named "<a href="https://www.melbotis.com/search/label/DITMTLOD" target="_blank">Dames In the Media the League Once Dug</a>" which was more or less me writing about attractive women from TV and films, and what it lacked in taste, it somehow bottomed-out with being woefully uninteresting. We *did* give Jamie equal time and a chance to write up on Dudes, but she rarely took me up on it.</div><div><br /></div><div>There were <a href="https://www.melbotis.com/2006/05/summer-of-superman-super-lifestyle.html" target="_blank">posts on living a Super Lifestyle</a> that went modestly viral. The funniest thing to me about this post now is that it's such a 20-something or 30-year-old's take on what it means to have a collection. Friends, this was but the beginning, and now a fraction of the collection as it currently exists. Maybe I need to re-do this post for the next Superman film.</div><div><br /></div><div>And, we also went semi-viral with with a post I wrote about<a href="https://www.melbotis.com/2009/04/me-and-chuck-e-cheese.html" target="_blank"> working at Chuck E. Cheese</a>. The only reason this post exists is that I flew to Minneapolis a day before a conference and forgot to bring my coat and was trapped in the hotel. And yet, people really took a shine to my no-holds-barred take on my first job.</div><div><br /></div><div>There were, also, <a href="https://www.melbotis.com/search/label/taste%20test" target="_blank">of course, the taste tests</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not sure "regret" is how I feel about the taste tests, but then people start writing in telling you to eat things you really don't *want* to eat. And you realize you've become the carnival geek on some level. I'm not saying they weren't usually kind of fun, but...</div><div><br /></div><div>Look, one thing that was kind of true was that people started making requests for content. And that's both very sweet and a slippery slope. Some ideas you want to do, but most you do not. And while there's clickable reasons to follow the whims of your readership, I wasn't getting paid for this, so I wasn't really beholden to do anything I didn't feel like doing. But if you're just writing or doing tricks for readers... well, that's why YouTubers tend to come off like shrieking morons.</div><div><br /></div><div>With the current blog, I don't think I've had a request for me to cover anything in the past five or ten years. I'm watching movies. The formula is simple. But with the original formula <b>League of Melbotis</b>, I suppose it seemed like we were up for whatever. And I am not that guy. I'm chipper here, but I'm a bit grumpy in the flesh. We *do* get requests for movies on the PodCast, but generally that just means I extend an invitation to come on, and people do! It's not bad!</div><div><br /></div><div>One reason I wanted to just do whatever I felt like was that I needed an outlet . I haven't talked about it much so far in the prior post, but upon review I'm surprised is mentioned so much on <b>LoM </b>- Jamie was very ill when we lived in Phoenix. We were in and out of the hospital a staggering amount. And not just Jamie, it often felt like we were dealing with a variety of issues with friends and family. I had a whole tag for <a href="https://www.melbotis.com/search/label/hospital" target="_blank">"hospital"</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, yeah, part of the pivot from <b>League of Melbotis</b>-style blogging to the media-discussion of <b>The Signal Watch</b> was that I no longer wanted to be as open of a book about our personal business. I felt like that chapter had closed. I'd enjoyed the <b>LoM</b> experience and appreciated folks reading and following and reaching out. But I also wanted to keep our life separate from a blog anyone could stumble onto. </div><div><br /></div><div>But rather than end this section on a downbeat note, I'll also remind folks of <a href="https://www.melbotis.com/search?q=italian+buffet" target="_blank">the Clambake Jake's incident</a> which certainly helped color how I wanted to proceed and shone a light on how being online had real-world impact going both ways. </div><div><br /></div><div>Basically, we went to a new Italian All You Care To Eat Buffet, it was bad, I wrote about it, and the owner <a href="https://www.melbotis.com/2007/04/leave-gun-take-cannoli.html" target="_blank">called the house lightly threatening us</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>In the end, I did agree that I could accidentally torpedo a new business, and I embargoed the post until a couple of years after Clambake Jake's went under. But it was absolutely a wild ride.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer">join us at The League of Melbotis</div>The Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-37199263632784405512023-04-03T07:25:00.002-05:002023-04-03T07:45:35.382-05:0020 Years of Blogging. No, really. (Part 1)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgAGekNCGtYQ2dRbYTbQOyOSHvxYaPxZ8Dg4PgIOH0fWEtTeLtz72hgSMU8XWkwusl2GMUgjKDXKAf-ZivWmSumMjVmCgBQYaQmtXfSGwSC3x9xzywxj5Q9xPLC9ryofHGRLA-PUl3DoH5TGY8zeK4SLLz7_7HKyx3OAzjD0HqwEClP6IBfyRKGEI/s640/LoM_golden_age.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgAGekNCGtYQ2dRbYTbQOyOSHvxYaPxZ8Dg4PgIOH0fWEtTeLtz72hgSMU8XWkwusl2GMUgjKDXKAf-ZivWmSumMjVmCgBQYaQmtXfSGwSC3x9xzywxj5Q9xPLC9ryofHGRLA-PUl3DoH5TGY8zeK4SLLz7_7HKyx3OAzjD0HqwEClP6IBfyRKGEI/w480-h640/LoM_golden_age.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>So, twenty years ago Jamie and I were living in the wasteland suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona in a town-turned-bedroom community name of Chandler. We'd moved out to Phoenix in pursuit of a new job for Jamie. But, also, we figured we were young and didn't have that many roots down in the years after college and marrying fairly early (2000). Now seemed a good time for trying new places and things. </div><div><br /></div><div>It didn't work out.</div><div><br /></div><div>You can visit <a href="https://mcsteans.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jamie's occasional remembrances of our time in Phoenix</a>, and that's a goodly part of the story. But, also, between Jamie's health, the fact I was working crazy hours, and a general lack of opportunity to meet people, we just didn't know many folks in town that we could call "pal". I either managed or was supervised by the people I worked with, and Jamie mostly worked with men - so she wasn't meeting many women she could pal with- and everyone she worked with seemed to be at a different point in their lives from hanging our with two 20-somethings. That, and, man, if you asked me what the culture was in Phoenix in 2003, I'd say "strip malls and pretending you're rich". We just didn't click with many folks.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, that's where we were at in some ways.<span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div><br /></div><div>For technical context, in 2003, we had BBS's, but we didn't really have social media. Facebook as you know it would happen closer to 2007. Friendster and MySpace would happen in quick succession around 2004, but they were barely interactive. If you wanted to email someone when you found them, you could. But including posts and comments and all that came with FB, really. Twitter would happen closer to 2009.</div><div><br /></div><div>But in 2003, we were experiencing the golden age of blogging.</div><div><br /></div><div>The web as we know it started happening in the mid-1990's. My first modem came into my possession in 1994 when a guy on my floor, who had just replaced his hardware, was punting his old modem down the hall and was willing to just let me have it. I got an account, got an email address, and was online in 24 hours. </div><div><br /></div><div>Websites were more or less a thing by 1995 or 1996, so that first year was mostly BBS's and figuring out who had email. Which was PINE, I think.</div><div><br /></div><div>By the time I was wrapping up college in 1998, my friends were working as web designers for a living, and the first internet boom was off to the races.* While companies looked for angles for how they could sell their stuff online, people were out there creating individual websites, which were hard to set up and maintain until GeoCities and other companies made it possible to set up a light (and often horrible looking) web presence. It was a bold new frontier.</div><div><br /></div><div>By 1999, I was already working in online video and early streaming efforts, delivering courses to the internet. I was already *very online* by 2003. The last thing I wanted to do when I got home was spend more time putting content on the web. </div><div><br /></div><div>When we moved to Phoenix, we were suddenly 1000 miles and a couple of time zones from anyone we knew. Add in, I used to sleep about 5-6 hours per night Monday to Friday, but like 10 hours on Saturday and Sunday. Suffice to say, I had some downtime. And pre-blogging, you'd sometimes find yourself sending out missives and correspondence via emails, and you'd have chains of folks you messaged. But not everyone was good about it. Somehow I fell into emailing a lot with a pal from college/ film school, JimD, who would CC folks I didn't yet know into email chains. And thus I met folks like RHPT.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was also, and had been, into comics, sci-fi, etc... for a good chunk of time. And Jim and I would email about movies and comics, and then one day he suggested I start blogging. </div><div><br /></div><div>I had no illusions about writing for the comics sites that were mushrooming up at the time. Comic Book Resources. Robot 6. There were others. I can't remember what Heidi's site was before The Beat, if, in fact, she had a different name for it. But as Wizard Magazine self-immolated and failed to bring it's brand of comics nerddom to the internet, the websites gained steam. And there was a pretty good cross-pollination of individual bloggers just writing for the hell of it and folks trying to make it a business. </div><div><br /></div><div>Folks would set up Blog Rings or Circles, so you knew who their peeps were. And, of course, they'd use good ol' http to make sure they were linking to one another. </div><div><br /></div><div>But, man, it was the wild west. No one knew who anyone really was. People used handles a lot (I think I was 2 years into blogging before I went by anything other than "The League"), and all the old barriers of zines and magazines and spending money to get to print went away. So it could be literally anyone out there talking comics from any angle they chose. Like Bronze Age funny animals? GREAT. Go get a blog. </div><div><br /></div><div>But here's the kooky part - and the thing I miss. They were also *personality* blogs. Folks were as likely to discuss a day at the dentist or their passion about stamp collecting as they were about Bronze Age funny animal comics. And that deeply informed what became <b><a href="https://www.melbotis.com/" target="_blank">The League of Melbotis</a></b>. </div><div><br /></div><div>In addition to just me and Jamie in Arizona, we also had Jeff the Cat - an utter bastard of an animal who only liked me of all other living things. And, Melbotis. Mel was a 100 lb. golden retriever of great intelligence and an phenomenal disposition. He was so loved that I still get a little teary thinking about the guy. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVN7pQ4eUPu0pu_6L2u63Neyklg29xDCjEg7WwSZIpWsOuD6mktCsgELGJB0Ymo--WYNdcaOzTi3QjrIMm-0UUCKoosHUiSan1ijs9_Anse08kMtWi1S8bU70H9ypOi3hWPvgBH2pqlEICRHBXOcEGgjVXLyAbZBezOyOO2drH4DQ8jAot8eldxEL/s500/melbotis.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVN7pQ4eUPu0pu_6L2u63Neyklg29xDCjEg7WwSZIpWsOuD6mktCsgELGJB0Ymo--WYNdcaOzTi3QjrIMm-0UUCKoosHUiSan1ijs9_Anse08kMtWi1S8bU70H9ypOi3hWPvgBH2pqlEICRHBXOcEGgjVXLyAbZBezOyOO2drH4DQ8jAot8eldxEL/s16000/melbotis.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>I grew up with some good dogs, Puffy and Misty, and wanted a dog very badly after Jamie and I got married. Shortly after we got married, some friends of ours split up and moved to separate coasts, and neither could take their dog. So we did. And he became our great pal.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijCQtWBQuTmYXr7_0DyACoDIcuLG-wTx8axiL-yoxokwTd8ji-SKHlu89R1lH41K2YVpW1_ya8bBHHQ6ZSxh-7XeDaOdn8WVXJwBdIO1MGFI-qZWXhAPJVAI4Y3UIrHkPrTmWgRiwhSXjBrOgeyIyK3EDQFAZfgOWJQYaKMclcTDv0POGLQtqaOT6o/s255/unnamed.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijCQtWBQuTmYXr7_0DyACoDIcuLG-wTx8axiL-yoxokwTd8ji-SKHlu89R1lH41K2YVpW1_ya8bBHHQ6ZSxh-7XeDaOdn8WVXJwBdIO1MGFI-qZWXhAPJVAI4Y3UIrHkPrTmWgRiwhSXjBrOgeyIyK3EDQFAZfgOWJQYaKMclcTDv0POGLQtqaOT6o/s16000/unnamed.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>I don't really remember where the name "League of Melbotis" came from. "Melbotis" was his name when we got the dog, and it was some gag between them I won't explain here. The "League of" came - I am sure - from Justice League America and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and something sounding official around our buddy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway - at some point Jim gave me the right push, I picked Blogger as a platform as the easiest and free-est one to manage, and thus launched <a href="https://www.melbotis.com/2003/04/friday-april-04-2003-this-is-my-cat.html" target="_blank"><b>League of Melbotis</b> on March 30th, 2003</a>. And a few days later I was like "this is dumb. I'm not doing this." and pulled the plug. </div><div><br /></div><div>I think it's very hard for people to understand in 2023 that in 2003, employers and people in your life expected for you to present a certain face to the public world, and they didn't love it if they could Google you and up would come something as silly and trivial as comic books. You were allowed to have hobbies and lives outside work, but you weren't to bring them into your work life, and the internet's eye meant that the lines blurred and crossed. So there was concern there.</div><div><br /></div><div>But, also, I was of the (correct) opinion that it was semi-pointless and useless to put your thoughts into print. This was when having legitimate publishers behind you meant something, so a blog was less than that. Heck, it was thumbing your nose at that idea. Who was I to write down and send my thoughts on anything into the ether? </div><div><br /></div><div>But then I decided: I'm not using my real name. It doesn't @#$%ing matter. </div><div><br /></div><div>Though I'd blown away the original blog, it turned out, JimD had somehow stashed the first blog posts, and sent me the text. So the first few posts are very strange as they're recovered from the erased first take at blogging. </div><div><br /></div><div>For the very earliest posts, which include random thoughts on comics, <b>American Idol</b>, the situation in Iraq and my moment of pause at turning 28 years old, you can visit, why not hop over to<b> <a href="https://www.melbotis.com/2003_04_06_archive.html" target="_blank">League of Melbotis</a></b>? </div><div><br /></div><div>It was, as I said, a personality blog. Sure, I talked comics, but as we did back then, I talked about the news, about my dog, about what was on TV... basically anything that crossed my mind became fodder. Because one thing I did want in 2003 was an easier way to stay in touch with people, and have the chit-chat you don't realize you miss until it's gone.</div><div><br /></div><div>Fairly quickly after the blog launched, I reconnected with some folks I'd lost to time, moving, etc... Friends from childhood, high school, college, etc... popped up shooting me emails. I employed a comment plug-in and conversations started. New folks popped up. Who was this Harms fellow? Strange Canadians eventually showed up. </div><div><br /></div><div>In an era before centralized social media, I could tell people were checking on the blog during their coffee breaks or in the evening. The sorts of posts I'd make that now would be a one sentence facebook post became lengthy comment threads. Pondering about sports - and I was very in the tank for the Phoenix Suns at the time - drew all sorts of commentary, often from friends of friends. </div><div><br /></div><div>For good or ill, most of the comments from the first years of League of Melbotis have been lost to time and the ether. That plug-in I was using went defunct, and all my comments went with it. It's a bit of a bummer as I'd like to track when people showed up in my life, but I also think maybe for folks' personal lives and to protect the innocent years on, it's good that our Golden Era of Blogging comments are lost to time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Because it wasn't all pleasant. As folks engaged in "someone is wrong on the internet" behavior, suddenly I was monitoring and managing arguments between folks who didn't even know each other wanting to debate (endlessly) in the comments, and any attempt to tell them to knock it off was met with fury and "help! help! I'm being oppressed!" </div><div><br /></div><div>And I'm sure my attempts to keep an open door at The League of Melbotis also both made it easy for these tiffs to start and made it confusing when I had to play Dad. It certainly prepped me for the stuff that would spiral out on facebook and twitter in the 2010's.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, if my primary mission was to talk to folks outside of the greater Phoenix area on an ongoing basis - that worked out.</div><div><br /></div><div>My secondary mission was, in an era where Spider-Man movies were now a thing, and people now knew who the X-Men were thanks to High Jackman, to talk about the wide world of comic books, superheroes, and the general hidden corners of pop culture that people generally didn't discuss much in polite society. </div><div><br /></div><div>There was an element of boosterism. This is an era where one bad movie could have reset everything back to people thinking comics were for children or the mentally deranged (or perverts, which... fair enough). Anyway, I wanted to share my enthusiasm for all-things comics using Superman as a lens. </div><div><br /></div><div>In truth, I was still learning about Superman at the time (and still am. It's lifelong learning). But I would make a post about a bad time at the post-office one day and then discuss a comic book series the next. Or sometimes in the same post.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was fascinated by the work of publications like <b>The Comics Journal</b>, or <b>Alter-Ego</b>, but I wasn't trying to turn LoM into a job. I was pretty aware that even my meager government job at the time was a better deal than the gig life of trying to make articles about comics a full time job.</div><div><br /></div><div>I did link a lot to comics news sites. <b>Newsarama</b>, <b>Robot 6</b>, <b>CBR, The Beat</b>. This was when they wrote actual think-pieces on comics and hadn't traded their credibility for access, and then the death spiral into listicle sites. That all came later. Circa 2003, those sites were excited young adults writing actual articles that had a point of view </div><div><br /></div><div>And then... sometimes they linked back. Which was amazingly weird. </div><div><br /></div><div>(End Part 1)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.signal-watch.com/2023/04/20-years-of-blogging-no-really-part-1.html" target="_blank">This is a cross-post with <b>The Signal Watch</b>, our ongoing media discussion blog</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>*it's here I want to tell the story of how my family tried to tell me in March of 1998 that the media studio I was working at part time wasn't developing pages that would appear on "the real internet". Which is as crazy a story as it sounds like. </div><div class="blogger-post-footer">join us at The League of Melbotis</div>The Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-31117572454438669502023-03-16T18:29:00.006-05:002023-03-16T18:49:15.500-05:00Jason: Half a Century of Rocking America<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjohi-TaITO6YsYzbChE9DxdCVkkEOkaQkaJ8pLzUfnunJiDDKZ36SBn9fSSRYvDnUvIBwvGkesO_qIj52yTrzP-Lwa9TuZAKpYN9i3PLWnyVSZBtfhGH-5bNReRhh0SFaAzKFM_P4LQhS1wY3ow1P1XGKiwWWvjd9ylJdMrSQyLudizGYekg/s720/uganda-mountain-gorillas-720x450.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjohi-TaITO6YsYzbChE9DxdCVkkEOkaQkaJ8pLzUfnunJiDDKZ36SBn9fSSRYvDnUvIBwvGkesO_qIj52yTrzP-Lwa9TuZAKpYN9i3PLWnyVSZBtfhGH-5bNReRhh0SFaAzKFM_P4LQhS1wY3ow1P1XGKiwWWvjd9ylJdMrSQyLudizGYekg/w640-h400/uganda-mountain-gorillas-720x450.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have no recent photos of Jason and Family</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>March 17th marks my brother's 50th birthday. </div><div><br /></div><div>That's a peculiar milestone, because I can remember his birthday parties from elementary school and taking him for a beer while he was just finishing law school and I guess maybe he was turning 25 at the time (we were under the tent at Dog & Duck). </div><div><br /></div><div>Jason's birthday was always tricky as it falls on St. Patrick's Day. In recent years, he's had his own way of keeping his birthday (pizza and beer, essentially) and it's worked well til Covid hit. Also, he's got kids that went from small and distractable to elementary school age, and I think there's a different gameplan.<span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div><br /></div><div>The Jason you knew when this blog first "hello, world"ed nearly 20 years ago is a relic of the past. While our man remains an attorney, he's since met and married his terrific wife, and they have two kids, who are more or less now the gravitational center for the family (this is a feature, not a bug). They've added on to their physical house, and been on many adventures. It's a whole scene.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyhoo, it's a fairly substantial landmark of a birthday. On his 40th, I was cheeky and got him a bathrobe and slippers. And then I turned 40 and was like "oh. Shit." So, proper respect for what's coming for us if things go swimmingly. I believe he will handle this birthday with the same grace and shrug of the shoulders he handled previous birthdays. It's just weird to reach the point in life where the same guy you used to ride dirt bikes with and browse the sci-fi section at Bookstop is now eligible for AARP. Life comes at you fast.</div><div><br /></div><div>One bit of wisdom a pal once passed me which her grandmother had passed her was: age makes you more yourself. And this is something I find to be true for myself. But also - watching Jason now, he's a very good version of himself. He's very much the same guy I expect to call me dummy and insist we're now going to ride dirt bikes, but also- the guy I've always known is the one who wrangles two great kids and has made a great life with Amy. And, I assume, that same guy is the one who is doing good work out there as making the sqeaky wheels of justice turn, while also being a good pal.</div><div><br /></div><div>He still plays guitar and bass (Amy plays the concertina, apparently ready for a life at sea), and he still will make time for SXSW free shows this week. So, you know, some things change. Some things are vastly different. </div><div><br /></div><div>Oh, and special shout out to KareBear and the Admiral for first making all the crucial mistakes with Jason so I'd wind up great, and now being both great parents and phenomenal grand parents.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's to Jason as he turns the big 5-0. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">join us at The League of Melbotis</div>The Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-34965014251168541492023-02-06T11:21:00.004-06:002023-02-07T16:39:31.964-06:00Ice Like a Hurricane<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSQUG8gh4wT6v4Fc3gMUp4wiQaqtjPOjKQX0-i3bO_PkiHO5hewQwC1WknF1qmGLRsjEi94c-KeYX_XLDNnh8LYxknsoCm64-KbMgJloYJppUtL0oHPg87vVVWPnxEcI37v1CN2n-zjeUF_VjYnt5Qx56QRHikaWTczv5qNw7mclt7iksLg/s923/ice_on_trees.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="923" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSQUG8gh4wT6v4Fc3gMUp4wiQaqtjPOjKQX0-i3bO_PkiHO5hewQwC1WknF1qmGLRsjEi94c-KeYX_XLDNnh8LYxknsoCm64-KbMgJloYJppUtL0oHPg87vVVWPnxEcI37v1CN2n-zjeUF_VjYnt5Qx56QRHikaWTczv5qNw7mclt7iksLg/w640-h480/ice_on_trees.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We just had a few days of weather here in Austin, Texas. It's left the city a wreck. Again.</div><div><br /></div><div>To understand what happened, my memory of the days as they unfolded went a bit like this: </div><div><br /></div><div>Around Saturday January 28th, we knew we were getting a cold front and that the oddly warm weeks of January we'd been experiencing would soon end (the 28th had a high around 60, but we'd seen the 70's several times during the month). On Sunday the 29th, suddenly the "it'll be cold and just over freezing, and it will rain" forecast we'd been hearing changed. Suddenly we were to expect freezing temps, rain and ice. </div><div><br /></div><div>I work from home these days, and I didn't think much of it. It sounded like a pain, but this wasn't the same as the multi-day freeze in the teens and 20's we experienced in February 2021 that took out the city and led to PTSD for almost all of us who sat in the dark, trapped in our houses for days, wondering if we'd die in our own homes. This would be 24-48 hours of nasty cold and some wet and then we'd be back to normal temps. We do this every other year or so.</div><div><br /></div><div>But then on Monday the schools started closing early and planning closings on Tuesday and Wednesday. </div><div><br /></div><div>What happened, starting Monday evening and through Wednesday, was that Austin received a tremendous amount of rain, ice, grapple and other precipitation and the temps fell below freezing. My own measurements tell me we got something like 2.5 inches of moisture.<span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQciS_1FR33gMLkyn7EU4FTbmS3QmjhLB-bv-IemUYhW1Qa5CY1PRxWU4jIOaTlURvU83F6Et95J-8npPg7ZwEbC8wbPSl27vndxSqRmTrcQQNG79aqI6ox-uaBaM5ufJjdNaAXHOZ8XBwuh_UHqgbxNn9rdeQkffSxv1k8AoxNDy5L5Gkg/s923/moisture%20fall.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="923" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQciS_1FR33gMLkyn7EU4FTbmS3QmjhLB-bv-IemUYhW1Qa5CY1PRxWU4jIOaTlURvU83F6Et95J-8npPg7ZwEbC8wbPSl27vndxSqRmTrcQQNG79aqI6ox-uaBaM5ufJjdNaAXHOZ8XBwuh_UHqgbxNn9rdeQkffSxv1k8AoxNDy5L5Gkg/w400-h300/moisture%20fall.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>Of all times to come to town, JimD was here. Monday night we were scheduled to get together for a bit before his conference began that week, and the location I'd booked us a table canceled on us due to the weather. I said "forget it, just come to the house", and Jim and I had some beers and I tried to downplay the weather a bit, but I kinda knew his trip to town was borked. I believe he wound up changing hotels by Thursday as his lost power.</div><div><br /></div><div>When the ice first came down, it caused havoc on high speed roads like MoPac and other flyovers... essentially anywhere with bridges. Elevation and wind beneath the road mean bridges are always the first roadways to freeze in Austin. Pile ups occurred and people got killed. It was horrendous. We were begged to stay home as its not just you that's in danger, it's everyone else, including emergency personnel, but you can't always do that, and not everyone gets the message.</div><div><br /></div><div>But then, as the rain continued to fall, the trees began collecting ice on their branches. And that ice began to weigh the branches down. I worked through Tuesday, and sent the pic of the branches above at the top of this post to my colleagues, complaining it was cold and gloomy, but I thought that would be the worst of it.</div><div><br /></div><div>I wake at 6:00 in the morning each weekday, and on Wednesday, I woke to my alarm. But as I made it from my bed to the bathroom, the lights were strange. A green light was flashing on and off outside the bathroom window. I realized it was my neighbor's porchlight, which is always on (and green) coming on and off. And that was how I knew: the power was struggling. </div><div><br /></div><div>When the power cycles, our elliptical machine emits a loud beep when it comes on/ is plugged in. If we hear it in the night, it's what tells us we lost power and its now been restored. As I realized what was occurring, the elliptical whined. Jamie stirred and I said "the power is going on and off" and ran downstairs to fire up the coffee. </div><div><br /></div><div>The pot on, I checked ERCOT, as all Texans now do, and we had plenty of power. Whatever was happening now was local, and in some ways, that was a bigger problem. That meant transformers blowing, downed lines and actual physical, widespread damage. Not something that could be corrected with a fix somewhere upstream.</div><div><br /></div><div>By 6:30 or so, I'd messaged my office with the idea that we might lose power for at least a while. I then got dressed in layers and prepared for the inevitable, but figured I'd check in for our 7:15 stand-up. And just as I was settling down to log in, we lost power. </div><div><br /></div><div>I was able to Slack the team on my phone and tell them "Power just went out, not calling in on my phone. Need to reserve battery." and that was it for me for a while. </div><div><br /></div><div>I took Andre (our Great Pyr mix) out for a walk in the ice and spoke with two neighbors I'd never met, and they assured me "Austin Energy knows about the outage and is working on it". I figured maybe we got in so early, maybe this would be fixed quickly, but knew it wouldn't.</div><div><br /></div><div>Back in the house I shrugged at Jamie and curled up with the dog and crashed out on the sofa. Since high school I've known that my go-to move in stressful times when I can take no action and, for the moment, everyone is ok, is to fall dead asleep. </div><div><br /></div><div>During the freeze of 2021, we had some food, we had some water - but our biggest concern was that due to ice on the roads, Jamie's dialysis clinic was closed for days. She went for nearly a week without, and that's deeply unhealthy. This time I woke up around 9:00 AM to Jamie running out the door, declaring she had been called in for treatment hours early. And, honestly, because surface roads, those not on bridge, were just wet and no one was driving, I was delighted. Jamie is also 3x the driver I am, so concerns were minimal.</div><div><br /></div><div>But I was also now alone in the house with no power and a giant dog. Anyway, I sat and read a stack of Superman comics I wanted to catch up on by the light from a window. Andre was delighted that I wasn't moving and leaned into me as I stacked blankets over us both. </div><div><br /></div><div>I can't say exactly when I heard the first tree crack, but it was while Jamie was gone. And then another and another. The accumulated ice that had bent branches on Tuesday had kept gaining weight and was now so heavy that it pulled limbs straight down, snapping them clean off trunks or from other weakened, stressed points. The branches of old growth trees simply gave away, falling with great crashes to yards, roofs, cars... Newer trees saw their reaching limbs twist and snap. You'd hear a great pop, and then the rustle of ice clattering on shaking branches and leaves as they tumbled through other branches, the whole thing rattling as it hit the ground below. </div><div><br /></div><div>Through out the day, I stood on my front porch and watched more than one neighbor lose a branch or limb. </div><div><br /></div><div>With no power and no one on the roads, it was the only sound, and it was coming from near and far, with greater frequency as time went by. </div><div><br /></div><div>At noon I checked my phone, and around ten after, realized I'd lost service. The cellular networks were now a casualty, and any emergency would now be dealt with by the people on your street and in your house. I had no idea how my parents faired. Just three miles from us, my brother's family felt remote, but I figured they'd appear at our door if anything in particular occurred - if they hadn't traversed the dangerous roadways to my parents' house.</div><div><br /></div><div>I pondered the trees in my backyard, and watched a Mexican White Oak bend low. The other oak (a post oak, I think) would likely harm nothing if they broke or fell. The Live Oak in the front might lean into the house if the whole thing went, but it would most likely harm nothing if a branch fell. Instead, I thought about the pecan in the neighbor's yard, a mighty three-story affair with sprawling, huge branches - one of which has reached above our house. </div><div><br /></div><div>And then those branches began to fall. Huge reaches of the tree tumbled out of the sky, four in all, all within two hours of the first. The branches were bare, no leaves to rattle as the limbs came down, but the mass of those branches hit with a gravity that shook the house. But that one branch over the house? It never came down.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jamie returned sometime mid-day and followed her routine of catching up on sleep after dialysis and Andre and I kept on reading. Every two hours I'd mutter "any time now, Austin Energy" and then let it go again.</div><div><br /></div><div>I ate peanut butter and some chips. Drank water and coffee. We didn't lose water and didn't expect to - the temps remained just at freezing, and pipes wouldn't burst. For dinner, I ate a can of beans I heated on the stove, but I don't know what Jamie ate. Maybe peanut butter. We lit candles and got out the two Coleman lanterns. The sun was down around 6:45, and so we sat in the dark and just talked. Played 20 Questions. Killed time until bedtime. </div><div><br /></div><div>At 9:00 I took Andre out, carrying one of the lanterns. Mist continued to come down and the clouds blocked any light from the moon or stars. The only light I could see from a window on our street came from a candle in a single window. A blue halo surrounded our patch of darkness - someone out there had electricity. I recalled the shocking darkness of 2021, and this was not that. </div><div><br /></div><div>Moreover, we knew that even the next day, temperatures would rise above freezing by the afternoon. We made a plan - if we had no power in the morning we would load ourselves into the car and head to my folks' house, which had kept power all through 2021. </div><div><br /></div><div>Eventually we settled in. I'd sleep on the couch, boots still on, layered in clothes ready to go in case of an emergency. Jamie went to bed. </div><div><br /></div><div>Unlike the freeze of 2021, the cold held even through the night at just below freezing, not down into the teens. The insulation held enough that with a t-shirt and two layers, I felt the chill, but never worried.</div><div><br /></div><div>From the morning through when I finally fell asleep, the sound of branches giving way never really stopped. Pop. Crack. With perfect regularity. I was aware - this was just our street. This had to be the same on every street in Austin. The scale of what was happening was unfathomable. </div><div><br /></div><div>Our neighborhood was built twenty years ago, and the power lines are buried. I've lived all over this town, and in most of the older neighborhoods, lines run through yards, often near trees. People cut back, but it's intended to keep branches swaying in the wind or rain from knocking the wires. It doesn't account for trees snapping at the root, leaning over like drunks, and taking wires and poles and lights with them. But they came down on street after street.</div><div><br /></div><div>Just after midnight I woke to the sound of the power cycling on through the house. The lamp in the living room was on. The heat would kick on again soon. I rolled over and slept again. Sometime later, I woke to another power loss and darkness, but then after 2:00 AM, the power cycled back on. And it has stayed on. At our house.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the morning I rose around 6:00. I made coffee. I took a shower. I went to work by 7:00. The texts and emails and social media came fast and furious. To be honest, it was hard to work. I'd looked out the window to see the damage done, and almost every house had some wreckage in their yard, and I'd argue half of them saw something significant, with a few having something massive - but somehow, I think we'd all escaped harm to our houses. It was wild to see. But that came maybe from the trees falling straight down rather than blowing sideways as I was used to.</div><div><br /></div><div>It became quickly apparent that we were one of the lucky few who'd had power restored. I have some guesses as to why, but mostly that we likely experienced a single point of failure at the transformer, not dozens of downed lines in our area. And, of course, our neighborhood is only twenty years old with fewer trees, not 70 or 90 years old like some areas that are still, six days later, sitting dark. </div><div><br /></div><div>As a note, I made the mistake of sleeping near a candle all night and woke up with my lungs feeling like I'd been inhaling from a smoker for seven hours. I felt awful for two days after. Do not recommend.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thursday afternoon I heard motors rumbling on the street, and it turned out to be an unrelated event as my neighbor's car was taken in to the shop by a wrecker, but I noticed my other neighbors out and about and cutting up trees. I was late to the party, but joined in and helped clear three houses of tree limbs and branches. </div><div><br /></div><div>In many ways, it made me feel better. </div><div><br /></div><div>As we've seen the past few years, not everyone handles stress in the most productive way, and several neighbors had taken to the neighborhood social media to complain bitterly about the lack of cell service. It was truly bizarre that during the height of storm, when public officials were begging people to stay off the roads and not become a problem, these people were driving around to find cell service so they could complain that they couldn't get cell service from their living rooms. </div><div><br /></div><div>Others bemoaned the lack of power, which we'd had restored miraculously quickly and by people working in horrible conditions. But, yeah, my first hours back online were a wild ride of people acting out like angry kids who don't know why they're having feelings or what to do with them and that the universe was not catering to their needs in this moment.</div><div><br /></div><div>But the folks who weren't on the internets, gunching, were out and about with their yard tools and hands clearing debris from yards. And they moved fast. We did, I guess. And once you realize how fast this goes with a bunch of people, the more you wanted to do. But a lot of it wasn't safe to move or touch, not without the tools of the pros. </div><div><br /></div><div>Of course the food in the fridge spoiled. We'd not opened the door and it had been only 18 hours or so, but things went bad. And once you realize one thing went bad, you start tossing everything. I don't want to think about the dollar value that went in the trash. And getting groceries was a slight challenge as everyone realized at the same time they had no food.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's worth mentioning - because of the late breaking info on this storm, we weren't really prepared, food-wise. With the 2021 freeze, we knew we'd have issues and I bought things we could cook on our stove with gas and water. And lots of pre-packaged things. But this time, we weren't prepared in quite that way, but would have been fine. Helped along by running to my folks' house and making a grocery run.</div><div><br /></div><div>In an odd bit of "of course this happened", Thursday evening my parents were on the 10:00 news from KVUE as <a href="https://www.kvue.com/article/news/community/elderly-population-managing-winter-storm/269-359de761-3279-43bc-b7e6-e3110a5392bb" target="_blank">"Seniors Surviving the Storm"</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Wvb38jzt8Bb8TBMbiPfQ29-_YXtTCSm3FjO4sROwcfZMtoXmZukGxayO8r7PTJkfyu0ySnPRtIs-WTf1mrRPkg-I7KCDh2HrSYQ_52UCxzXxyRyTlYoi6X14usrfEiFWHyfPJkscSNpADlYfoTSiVNEls3-m2X8Bibj6Niwui4UItoSY4w/s1276/kvue_dad.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="1276" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Wvb38jzt8Bb8TBMbiPfQ29-_YXtTCSm3FjO4sROwcfZMtoXmZukGxayO8r7PTJkfyu0ySnPRtIs-WTf1mrRPkg-I7KCDh2HrSYQ_52UCxzXxyRyTlYoi6X14usrfEiFWHyfPJkscSNpADlYfoTSiVNEls3-m2X8Bibj6Niwui4UItoSY4w/s320/kvue_dad.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8LOTqRrI4Ce-WDj9UfhqWuPU4190Ql3lxZbW_ogPE6cT4R8W8uAdhJS28_gEkMjNypKquNQ3wAadAXQL8fWrb88ppO7r4Tvq9vvLEaQtXljSkfDAh2OHczTo23S3pwrTWqCVYV5N0jkwukvkvB587PqfI0UMI3tOdeluI2KENIrpXth4cbw/s1273/kvue_mom.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="738" data-original-width="1273" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8LOTqRrI4Ce-WDj9UfhqWuPU4190Ql3lxZbW_ogPE6cT4R8W8uAdhJS28_gEkMjNypKquNQ3wAadAXQL8fWrb88ppO7r4Tvq9vvLEaQtXljSkfDAh2OHczTo23S3pwrTWqCVYV5N0jkwukvkvB587PqfI0UMI3tOdeluI2KENIrpXth4cbw/s320/kvue_mom.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>My parents were actually pretty fine, but the reporter managed to make something out of the fact a tree fell, blocking their driveway. Did they call me and tell me that? No. First I heard of it was watching the 10:00 o'clock news. Could I have moved the tree? Maybe! We'll never know. A neighbor with a chaninsaw cut it up the following day.</div><div><br /></div><div>My brother's family (he is married! He has two kids! Who knew?) retreated to my folks' as they were without power from Wednesday to Saturday sometime.</div><div><br /></div><div>Friday night we lost power for some reason for about 45 seconds? I have no idea. But we were happily watching Apple+ and then it was just... dark. Like, inside your eyelids dark. It came back on, but... boy howdy, was I twitchy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yesterday we drove out of the neighborhood and I saw a lot more. And, yes. It's... that bad. This is what I remember from when I was a kid and hurricanes hit Houston. No, it's not Katrina-level, but it does remind me of Alicia and when tornadoes ripped through. </div><div><br /></div><div>As mentioned, the efforts to restore power have been slow. A lot of folks are throwing blame at Austin Energy, and I understand the anger and frustration. When you don't know when your power will come back, it's a nightmare. Especially days on. But the scope of the disaster is like that of a natural disaster. It's awful out there. I'm used to some trees coming down in windstorms and what we get for wild Texas weather. What I am not used to is that *everyone* experienced damage. I can't begin to wrap my head around how many people will be impacted, just trying to clear away debris. It's all well and good we cut up trees, cleared yards and sidewalks, but now there are heaps of branches and logs lining the streets. And there are gigantic limbs still just lying there, everywhere. They'll be reached eventually, but this could go on for months. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, yeah, the power companies have only so much staff, and have to work around the conditions they've been given. You can't expect people to work without sleep or food. But it's also a nightmare for the people waiting, days and days on. Soon it will be a full week. And while I get that communication hasn't been great - I'm also aware that for the first few days, they really had no idea, and the communication tools they had were inadequate. Let alone - people don't go to local news to find out what's happening anymore, and how much understanding can you have when you're in night 6 of sleeping by candlelight. At the same time, recognize that the people working to restore power may be going home to dark houses and stressed families, too.</div><div><br /></div><div>Heck, schools were closed the past several days. It's a mess out there.</div><div><br /></div><div>I hear my cousin is still without power and staying in her house with her pets. She's had a rough year, and this is not helping. In the middle of this, her cat passed.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, it's going to be a long haul. We need to give each other some grace, especially those who may have been impacted far longer than others, but also look at the folks trying to do right and adjusting in real time.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Sa3i2NjRG_dVzTSd8T1p8HIKeMGC1P9OnpaYfljwKZFwTRo6etyIh6dmZVVuTfa4b5AtcJMB5QggEv25DgtW8n6-zZE4ivfj8KXNkB14gLBK6XGI8hABcazRj1Vbi5AUg3fLkSym4tTz2hWnNcLw4rh8HSeV2EwZ7vJU3aj_4309FpOQVw/s1163/after_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="1163" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Sa3i2NjRG_dVzTSd8T1p8HIKeMGC1P9OnpaYfljwKZFwTRo6etyIh6dmZVVuTfa4b5AtcJMB5QggEv25DgtW8n6-zZE4ivfj8KXNkB14gLBK6XGI8hABcazRj1Vbi5AUg3fLkSym4tTz2hWnNcLw4rh8HSeV2EwZ7vJU3aj_4309FpOQVw/w640-h480/after_01.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">some of the branches from my neighbor's tree stacked up. green box for scale.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-kuyKteLf_QHosGbauTjcm5d5Ad1hIXA6ZOG1LbF8_7DUfgfle4gj1kDMBS7_L2c8F3AfIbDWVbr14iact_fQq5y9w49RuSJtMNxemEVEIGgMA0DzYFsAXUhdFx4lhNYQwL39MfRSafWawn6BrSGG-DqMQMyFRVWEzDASJsP-mxTaSe-tVw/s1163/after_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="1163" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-kuyKteLf_QHosGbauTjcm5d5Ad1hIXA6ZOG1LbF8_7DUfgfle4gj1kDMBS7_L2c8F3AfIbDWVbr14iact_fQq5y9w49RuSJtMNxemEVEIGgMA0DzYFsAXUhdFx4lhNYQwL39MfRSafWawn6BrSGG-DqMQMyFRVWEzDASJsP-mxTaSe-tVw/w640-h480/after_02.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">each of those piles is about 15-20' long</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">join us at The League of Melbotis</div>The Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-27743994428614872232022-11-29T13:21:00.001-06:002022-11-29T13:21:13.829-06:00My Uncle Donald Pearce has Passed<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-IhMSNWhEeo5f6gmgxqqKzxllBl4OLH4p4wbhuJVDw10s5t34zy4b47o9z6JVzg8jF5RsYNHgIM0lEyEQmW6VVHjrDSo7zkSHa9pO8UmjE8m7uACi7ZAx4NhhqEVYQcJz5zc0W_KkoGpGcySFiVcxTF5CufIzwUEI5PfvS7YjXp7Rjv8o2A/s923/donald%20pearce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="923" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-IhMSNWhEeo5f6gmgxqqKzxllBl4OLH4p4wbhuJVDw10s5t34zy4b47o9z6JVzg8jF5RsYNHgIM0lEyEQmW6VVHjrDSo7zkSHa9pO8UmjE8m7uACi7ZAx4NhhqEVYQcJz5zc0W_KkoGpGcySFiVcxTF5CufIzwUEI5PfvS7YjXp7Rjv8o2A/w640-h480/donald%20pearce.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />On Thanksgiving night, Thursday the 24th, my uncle, Donald Pearce, passed. He was 94. <p></p><p>Donald was married to my mother's sister, Violet. Violet, seventeen years older than my mother, passed before I was born. But together Donald and Violet produced my cousin, Susan, who is more a big-sister to me as she lived with us on and off while I was growing up and she's lived in Austin since 2000 or so. Donald remarried, and so I grew up with an Aunt Vivian, who passed away when I was in college. </p><p>My earliest memories include Donald visiting us when we still lived in Michigan, so I was 3 or 4. But he was a fixture in my life as we'd visit he Upper Peninsula of Michigan every summer where he and Vivian lived, and they were avid road travelers, so you never knew when they'd roll up in the driveway and we'd get to have them for a while. He was always quick with a joke and to make observations that hilariously cut to the point with a matter-of-factness that hit just the right note. <span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>Donald worked innumerable jobs - many simultaneously, everything from owning and running a restaurant to driving school buses and being a mechanic for the local school district. It was more a matter of what couldn't Donald do, and he tried a lot of things. You never knew when he'd toss out yet another prior occupation in conversation. But I think he'd really enjoyed that restaurant.</p><p>He had a head for trivia and sports, and I could never keep up with his encyclopedic knowledge of football and baseball, but he also loved track and field and kind of whatever was on or he could travel to go see, from basketball games to motorsports. I never debated him on a team's chances - I figured he knew better than me. </p><p>Famously, after moving to Florida for retirement, Donald developed a Clark Griswold-like penchant for Christmas lights, and a highlight every year was seeing how he'd done his house inside and out as he sent pictures with the Christmas card. It was always a show and I imagine the neighbors were sleeping with blinders on.</p><p>In 2009, he moved to Austin and into an assisted living facility here. We've been fortunate to be near him and see him frequently. As COVID hit, my parents and Susan were on the list of allowed visitors, so he did get some company on a regular basis. We were able to have a family gathering on his birthday this Fall.</p><p>No one's passing is easy, and this is no different. I don't have a short and easy description of him, and I wish I did. He was kind, and funny and cared about people. He was his own guy in ways I appreciate more with every year. </p><p>Donald has us in Texas, but his nieces live in Michigan. 94 gave him time for many people to love him, and I am grateful for the time we had.</p><div class="blogger-post-footer">join us at The League of Melbotis</div>The Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-32897082885593520672022-11-23T15:06:00.005-06:002022-11-23T16:49:55.259-06:00Thanksgiving<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhQCtFNqJDnuI_3WVmGuNBJ4esM2mW_qIDOp7o55gxMclh8PnraAAGi_ptrMY9BwZe-SM9nBq0FhFOxvODyq8dXMPONcuDY9Z0jJMjTzk31KBBbvfCmfARWZfBz4i44csZ_9lVZcfg9xAsPR9A6LYYrrV1V7xNpT37KJ99Wjr7uxRhAWUlfw/s518/Norman-Rockwell-Thanksgiving-Turkey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhQCtFNqJDnuI_3WVmGuNBJ4esM2mW_qIDOp7o55gxMclh8PnraAAGi_ptrMY9BwZe-SM9nBq0FhFOxvODyq8dXMPONcuDY9Z0jJMjTzk31KBBbvfCmfARWZfBz4i44csZ_9lVZcfg9xAsPR9A6LYYrrV1V7xNpT37KJ99Wjr7uxRhAWUlfw/s16000/Norman-Rockwell-Thanksgiving-Turkey.jpg" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>This week we celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States. It's a Federal holiday established for Americans to take a moment with family and friends and consider what good fortunes they've had over the year. Or maybe count blessings in a year that wasn't so great.</p><p> As kids we get a "teach the legend" version of Thanksgiving and believe that we're celebrating a feast partaken of by the weird-o's who were so miffed they couldn't comfortably be uptight enough in 17th Century Europe, and so essentially moved to an equivalent of what would be a moon colony for us, just so they could burn women as witches in peace. They happened to have their asses saved by some locals, and giving Thanks seemed like a keen idea.</p><p>That comes loaded with the egregious history of how Europeans would then colonize and wage 300 years of war on the people already living here. So, understandably, if that was what we were celebrating, I get how one would pause to reflect and wonder how this led to finishing dinner quickly to watch The Dallas Cowboys and/ or seeing how much wine is in the remaining bottles and keeping a slow burn til it's all over.</p><p>But that is not what we're celebrating. This isn't Christmas which has deep roots in Christian history, or Hannukah which refers to a specific moment in Jewish history. I don't think most Americans really think of Thanksgiving as a specific day to sit down in honor of Pilgrims and Native Americans. That would be particularly weird. </p><p>From the earliest days of the U.S., Thanksgiving was a tradition in regions, but not universally celebrated. While some Presidents observed the holiday, as early as Jefferson, the holiday was eschewed as religious and therefore not a National holiday. <span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>The battle of Gettysburg (July 1 - 3, 1863) saw the death of 50,000 soldiers. Inconceivable to imagine those numbers coming back in the press and how one would feel, knowing people formerly countrymen had done this to one another. Still reeling, on October 3, 1863 President Lincoln declared that the final Thursday in November would be taken as a national day of Thanksgiving. He would deliver the Gettysburg Address on November 19 of that year, seven days before his appointed day of Thanks.</p><p>The idea of Thanksgiving as implemented by Lincoln likely was inspired by Sarah Josepha Hale - who is a whole thing and wrote "Mary Had a Little Lamb" - who had been on a quest to see the New England tradition of Thanksgiving become a national holiday. </p><p>It's unlikely Lincoln was thinking of Puritans breaking bread with Native Americans, but he did know that in the wake of the unspeakable horrors of war, it was time time for Americans to take a breath. He surely knew this was nowhere near the end, and the war had a long road ahead. </p><p>It's a holiday which is about remembrance, gratefulness, etc... and some weirdo's wo got kicked out of Europe don't have the copyright on that idea. </p><p>My notion of Thanksgiving feels like it formed around 1981-1983, when I was 6-8. </p><p>Like all Holidays run by Kare-Bear and The Admiral, it was a large affair. Some years we had grandparents in, some we did not. I cannot recall specifically if my cousin (who is 17 years my senior) was around for those Holidays - she was kind of omnipresent in my youth. What I really remember is that it was often when we gathered with family friends, the B's, who had boys about the same age as Steanso and myself. And once they arrived, it was shenanigans. Parents cut cut us loose and we'd mostly not injure ourselves. Growing up, they were great pals. And the dads were often assigned to corral us in the days after Thanksgiving as the Moms did some Christmas shopping or whatever else they were going to do. </p><p>Thanksgiving dinner at our own house was not so different from your house. We may have served buffet style, but Karebear's banquet is second to none. The Admiral's participation usually involved bartending during the hour leading up to the bird leaving the oven (no glass shall remain empty when The Admiral is on the case!) and a carving of the bird. You could *try* to help Karebear in the kitchen, but you better do as asked and not improvise as this is a carefully orchestrated operation with three kinds of potatoes going in and out of ovens, greens beans, asparagus, and players to be named. So if you're going to hang around, make sure you know your job.</p><p>There were the pageants at school and I recall a "dinner" at school in 2nd grade where we rolled out 30 feet of brown art paper probably a yard wide and we all sat on the floor and shared the finger foods brought to class. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaYlwAcKFXvLuYv-uC_ncHJtb5kz7ECl1XOL926OuRZYPj0y5SmnxBqnbxqFqB4g3qRqaePI2_epgosltV9FWAs09o8PVIQ62PVLBoDZ2YGIj8xhpkJHdoIfnzd01rleO2qPE5uf5bcOAiJDGkPEtm-E3VvTUpwYHtd_ffq2jt4SOsc5aZ2Q/s1200/linus_thanksgiving.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaYlwAcKFXvLuYv-uC_ncHJtb5kz7ECl1XOL926OuRZYPj0y5SmnxBqnbxqFqB4g3qRqaePI2_epgosltV9FWAs09o8PVIQ62PVLBoDZ2YGIj8xhpkJHdoIfnzd01rleO2qPE5uf5bcOAiJDGkPEtm-E3VvTUpwYHtd_ffq2jt4SOsc5aZ2Q/w640-h360/linus_thanksgiving.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beagles are terrible at chair distribution</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>During this same period, of course, we all watched <b>A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving</b> (and the endless parade of Dolly Madison commercials), which made some nods to the pilgrims and whatnot, but was much more about appreciating one's pals and not just assuming you can invite yourself and all your friends to Charlie Brown's house. </p><p>But I also recall we grew up on Norman Rockwell paintings, and Mr. Rockwell was the artist who captured a certain version of America that felt just out of reach, but which also felt alive and spoke volumes in nuance, in expression, in positioning, design and blocking. It's unreal how Rockwell seems to have been reduced to kitsch at best and probably corny to a lot of Americans. Maybe a product of how over produced his work was in the 1980's, mistakenly being taken the way many now take Thomas Kinkaid or other mass-market artists. </p><p>The context of Rockwell's "Four Freedoms" series is mostly lost to time, but was intended to speak to Americans (and, eventually, the whole world) but was based upon FDR's "Four Freedoms" speech of 1941. Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, Freedom from Fear. One can imagine what this meant as the US entered World War II and Americans considered the end-goals of the Axis powers - and, indeed, what could be lost.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5Vo__6qMa-GMCo2Q3gVdsb1OxulnAed2DvoALRmcGFKaKlGV3RptUGI3DI1xj51AGqZ_yRpuLejcqo44hfGE-m1eolD7o753booGDAJaOJsm6i_maV29MRMpCpSyI7qUCRSFkvoBvhSD5qHqFX3U6LGAtiO5-5ob4qyJs0SfySQUu_wx_g/s3000/_Freedom_From_Want__-_NARA_-_513539.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="2361" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5Vo__6qMa-GMCo2Q3gVdsb1OxulnAed2DvoALRmcGFKaKlGV3RptUGI3DI1xj51AGqZ_yRpuLejcqo44hfGE-m1eolD7o753booGDAJaOJsm6i_maV29MRMpCpSyI7qUCRSFkvoBvhSD5qHqFX3U6LGAtiO5-5ob4qyJs0SfySQUu_wx_g/w504-h640/_Freedom_From_Want__-_NARA_-_513539.jpg" width="504" /></a></div><br /><p><b>Freedom From Want</b> is the most seen and most imitated of the Rockwell Thanksgiving paintings, maybe of all of his paintings here in 2022. One can imagine what this table looked like to an America that had just come off of the Great Depression and was now rationing and planting Victory Gardens. It's an aspiration, and certainly a product of its time and placement - originally a cover to T<b>he Saturday Evening Post</b>. </p><p>As a kid, I understood this was painted as WWII propaganda, and I basically understood that this was what Rockwell and FDR were asking America to defend. Home, hearth, family and the opportunity for prosperity and joyful gathering and sharing of bounty - even if I couldn't have put it in those words. But I recall knowing by middle-school (circa 1986-1988) that the image was intended to serve as an ideal to try to reclaim at the end of a very dark road.</p><p>Even in the years where I was maybe an anti-social, mopey kid, I buckled up put on my best face for the big day, and certainly the big dinner. You're not going to hit the ideal, but you can understand what it means to gather, share, and - frankly - be present with your people.</p><p>The painting that said something to me about the Holiday on a more intimate level was the 1945 cover, <b>Mother and Son Peeling Potatoes</b>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7oUOuElBdHNFTsuGZIORagkb_nMIuW3p1HhLKy52YYa6mRT14Hjlwv4oQqEbrMkWMT6Y30seS10n4dAVkXB3NeoWR7HCsXtX8_MXXmlR2xsqcRr2L_96Q4BF0XHCmpEUmB__QFFPdzkAzfFOMxq1a-vTlrXRrZZv6i7ZIGO6AVWAlMrM5Q/s1640/thanksgiving-mother-and-son-peeling-potatoes-1945.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1640" data-original-width="1415" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7oUOuElBdHNFTsuGZIORagkb_nMIuW3p1HhLKy52YYa6mRT14Hjlwv4oQqEbrMkWMT6Y30seS10n4dAVkXB3NeoWR7HCsXtX8_MXXmlR2xsqcRr2L_96Q4BF0XHCmpEUmB__QFFPdzkAzfFOMxq1a-vTlrXRrZZv6i7ZIGO6AVWAlMrM5Q/w552-h640/thanksgiving-mother-and-son-peeling-potatoes-1945.jpg" width="552" /></a></div><br /><p>I saw this about the same year I was given my first duties assisting with the meal (I specifically remember being asked to shuck corn). I understood the painting as a mother welcoming her son home from war, the delight in her face at seeing her son - now a grown man - and immensity of her joy in having him home, the task at hand not forgotten but only a backdrop to the joy of reunion of homecoming. A chance our soldiers would return safe.</p><p>It's true I never served, and my mother never had to worry about me the way mothers of those who serve do. But I do know the importance of having her family around her that my mother feels. And in the years when we didn't live in the same city, what it was like to come home. Now, of course, it's the chance to share space and time in our busy lives, even though she and The Admiral live only a handful of miles away. </p><p>Over the years, Thanksgiving has become my favorite holiday. There's so little pressure for perfection, just a meal to be shared and an opportunity to come together. A parade on TV. A way to mark the time and the year. </p><p>I understand I am lucky. I get along with my family. We have few hang-ups and we've worked out our issues over the years. There are no barriers between us that are things I'd find insurmountable, and I understand that this is a reality for many, many, many people. Many of my friends have lost too may loved ones, and Thanksgiving is a painful reminder or a challenge. </p><p>But for me, for now, I take it at face value. Be grateful. Be thankful. Enjoy the day. </p><p>Plus, Rockettes in the parade!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyDmuzz2zOjdWzjFk72rafRz-TMc3UgGE6Dc3wHdltqVQoT4frH8Ngodm4Cer_nMEwkqVtNAuFkhGQ4Yj2Y5mXC_pC7uvlfFJYqmvqfBPqUWljB-8eW8efZhq49LB5OWkR85fXh-H66GfkLHTi7qowxctm6aJqquK8shVji_-lMQIB9UBrrg/s480/rockettes.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyDmuzz2zOjdWzjFk72rafRz-TMc3UgGE6Dc3wHdltqVQoT4frH8Ngodm4Cer_nMEwkqVtNAuFkhGQ4Yj2Y5mXC_pC7uvlfFJYqmvqfBPqUWljB-8eW8efZhq49LB5OWkR85fXh-H66GfkLHTi7qowxctm6aJqquK8shVji_-lMQIB9UBrrg/s16000/rockettes.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and who isn't thankful for that?</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">join us at The League of Melbotis</div>The Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-60178683254272127082022-10-19T08:05:00.006-05:002022-10-19T10:19:57.414-05:00The League Goes to Austin FC's first Play-Off Match<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-u92qtPELWticoMIj8fJQYKZyDPDVP6To7cJt6C9WsjJMGlTyO9zxtionQaE09GnHsYhZPCHkTTGoiq1NyFa3ECDfJwpSh-xt6DrNRBmQV3exthpnBbPEqk-GXRZ9-Dq_-vdTDhQJodB3LnmLCVnuaaJRD36MJFZB3aVLKLtqy82dzXF3cyYjL8j/s749/austin_fc.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="749" data-original-width="562" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-u92qtPELWticoMIj8fJQYKZyDPDVP6To7cJt6C9WsjJMGlTyO9zxtionQaE09GnHsYhZPCHkTTGoiq1NyFa3ECDfJwpSh-xt6DrNRBmQV3exthpnBbPEqk-GXRZ9-Dq_-vdTDhQJodB3LnmLCVnuaaJRD36MJFZB3aVLKLtqy82dzXF3cyYjL8j/w480-h640/austin_fc.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Sunday, October 16th, I attended my first Austin FC match at Q2 Stadium here in sunny Austin, Texas. </div><div><br /></div><div>This was a somewhat unlikely event. I've tried many times to get into soccer, but it never really worked for me. European leagues play on European time, and I don't speak Spanish to keep up with the best soccer in my hemisphere. And, honestly, cable has usually done a terrible job of covering MLS, the US's soccer equivalent of the NBA or MLB. Over the years I was more interested in the US Women's National Team - because of the best sports-watching moments of my life is and always will be Brandi Chastain's penalty kick in the 1999 FIFA World Cup (yeah, the one that ended with Chastain whipping off her jersey). That moment made a 24-year-old me cry.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I was astoundingly skeptical of Austin taking on an MLS team. It was originally pitched very badly by the owners looking to move here, They made some weird moves along the way - like trying to just say they were going to build their stadium on highly utilized public land in incredibly dense areas of town, something not agreed upon by City Council or anyone else. It would have created innumerable issues from traffic to environmental, and was kind of ugly and brazen, demonstrating they did not know Austin and did not share the values of Austinites. </div><div><br /></div><div>You don't just drop a massive stadium on Town Lake and think no one will notice.<br /><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Austin had also had a few goes at pro soccer and those had not met with all that much enthusiasm. I'm not generally aware of all of the levels of pro and semi-pro soccer in the US, but Austin Aztex had some issues, and it seems like that was not the first team to play here. They kind of reformed as Austin FC Bold, but struggled with getting press, and now in the shadow of Austin FC have moved to Ft. Worth. </div><div><br /></div><div>Folks from places like Houston will also not quite understand that Pro-Sports are not necessarily as key to life here. I grew up in Austin and have lived here the vast majority of my life, and people do not feel they're missing a lot by not having a pro-sports team when UT's football stadium is gigantic and seats 100,000 and we seat 20,000 for basketball. We have baseball and volleyball and basketball if you need them, and it honestly sometimes feels purer as sport because it is amateur athletics. </div><div><br /></div><div>We've also had ice hockey come and go (and maybe come back?). We've had arena football, minor-league football, and now a pro Rugby team. None of which got a ton of traction.</div><div><br /></div><div>Frankly, I didn't know how it would go. </div><div><br /></div><div>Early on there were indicators which pointed in a positive direction that I ignored. Citizens showed up in enormous numbers to the City Council to testify about the value of such a team to the Austin community. But people also show up to support all sorts of things - many of which do not fill 20,000 person stadiums. I, myself, was saying "ugh, if the tax payers have to deal wit this stadium when the team folds, I'm gonna be so pissed." I had no idea what I was talking about.</div><div><br /></div><div>From the first home match in 2021, Austin FC has sold out almost every game. And from Day 1, Austin FC has had an amazing Supporters Section comprised of a variety of sub-crews. I don't fully grok how it all breaks out, but there's at least one band (La Murga). There's The Fighting Leslie's. Los Verdes. Austin Anthem. It's an intensely *positive* group, which seemed to irk some other teams' supporters groups, which strikes me as ridiculous. In year one, social media was full of out-of-towners telling the fans they were doing futbol wrong by not being furious constantly with the team. </div><div><br /></div><div>Of course people have opinions and cranking about what someone should or should have not done is always part of it, but when you're in the stadium or talking the team, boosterism is cool. Slagging off other teams and their fans is... kind of a dead end. Let alone doing that to your own team when they're the ones out there playing for you. Enjoy a thing, man.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, being an entitled fan is dumb, as is hooliganism. And we have enough armchair experts on American football who's version of support of the local college football squad and attached university who are pretty sure they could coach and manage a team that I much prefer the vibe of Austin FC fans.</div><div><br /></div><div>Of course, the coincidental arrival of <b>Ted Lasso</b> piqued a certain interest in soccer - the workings of which seem bizarre and hopelessly impenetrable if you're an outsider. But the show *knows* soccer is a bit impenetrable at first, and so explains to it to Ted, and therefore us.* </div><div><br /></div><div>You just can't take for granted how *weird* longstanding sports are to the uninitiated or those of us who didn't grow up with the games. I played soccer in my youth, but the rules are not the same as what we had, and as a defensive center, I never had to worry much about strategy anyway. Per viewing - my family was a basketball family, and, later, a football family. Baseball was just not on the radar, and so it was that I was in my 20's before I understood you could have an infinite number of foul balls during an at-bat and it kind of unlocked baseball for me. And ever since, I've enjoyed baseball and I've enjoyed how many weirdo little rules the game has (seriously, sit your kids down and do your best to explain a sport to them.). </div><div><br /></div><div>Similarly, soccer is a garden of new and strange things lifelong fans take for granted and totally make sense once you better get the game. But at first seem insane - ex: the obvious example being offsides, closely followed by the value of faking injury.</div><div><br /></div><div>When Austin FC did launch, I found that they were going to air games live on our local CW affiliate which is great except that I have YouTubeTV, which doesn't carry that channel, and so I had to but an antenna like it's 1998. Some games are only on Univision. One was only on twitter? But the seasons are long, running from end of February til playoffs starting in October, and I think I only missed about four games the first season, and maybe two this season. </div><div><br /></div><div>To no surprise, Jamie - who does love a good sporting match of nearly any kind - has been watching along with me. She seems very up on the rules, I think she has her own favorite players, and she tolerates it when I go into the kitchen during the second half of games and start cleaning if I can't take the tension. </div><div><br /></div><div>Back in the spring, a co-worker of mine figured out I was an Austin FC watcher, and he engaged me. It's clear he's a real fan of the futbol, and I'm an interested bystander, but he also told me early on that he is a "supporter". And in soccer-world, that means he goes to all the matches and enters into a sort of free-for-all area behind the South-end goal where the bands and spirit groups mass. They have flags and chants and songs. They make something called a "tifo", which is a huge banner shown before the game. It's a whole scene.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyhoo... he invited me along to the match on Sunday afternoon.</div><div><br /></div><div>After a pretty predictable but rough first season, this year went well. Austin FC wound up ranked second in our division. Not every game has been pretty, but we entered into the post season able to play on, and in a home game at that. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/1YTUJh9w5Fbot7FF9" target="_blank">I went.</a></div><div><br /></div><div>We took the bus in from north-central Austin, and were the first guys on the bus. As we went along, it filled up with eager fans at each stop, and the bus was kind of humming. I will talk to anyone and we wound up talking to a gentleman about his former career as a barbecue cutter.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSlco8uDomNy7jbPMttd3wVN0XFUescXMxgcmTEquPQMl5Ym3BMt1JKL5irj_tVh64Nh8i2fQip9r-P7Iqrp1j1-54GV5CKVIE2qh9wCV8GvZidnXQfBRwTlkQ6Pg2hKDA1D8h8sm_NDB6gl5y9uSjtqXGBZbAV8sQQIlv72CQ4cHwKRJ5HEZ9IEu/s999/PXL_20221016_211924221.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="749" data-original-width="999" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSlco8uDomNy7jbPMttd3wVN0XFUescXMxgcmTEquPQMl5Ym3BMt1JKL5irj_tVh64Nh8i2fQip9r-P7Iqrp1j1-54GV5CKVIE2qh9wCV8GvZidnXQfBRwTlkQ6Pg2hKDA1D8h8sm_NDB6gl5y9uSjtqXGBZbAV8sQQIlv72CQ4cHwKRJ5HEZ9IEu/w640-h480/PXL_20221016_211924221.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Inside the gates, it was a sea of green. I don't have a t-shirt that fits right (I'm a definite "tall" and the t-shirt I do own shows belly when I raise my arms). As used to burnt orange as I am, and even Cubbie blue, it was amazing to see everyone in Austin FC kit and gear. </div><div><br /></div><div>It was fun. It was chaos. My body - after staying home for 2+ years of COVID sheltering - was absolutely furious with me for standing around in one spot on concrete for 3 hours. My feet hurt for a full day after, and I drank roughly 60 oz of water when I got home to rehydrate. </div><div><br /></div><div>The supporters section is loud, unruly, there are props and flags and instruments and people throw $18 beers and free cups of water all through-out. Which sounds awful, but when its 92 standing in the shade, you embrace it. There's a constant cycle of chants and songs - and it does not let up. Something is always going on. The goal is to remain positive and support those guys on the field and let them know the fans are there. Also, there's a very large, green rubber chicken.</div><div><br /></div><div>With 90 minutes of regular time played, plus 30 minutes of extra time, we remained tied 2-2. This was somewhat nonsense as we had multiple goals taken back and the refs were all over us - even as they ejected one of the Real Salt Lake players (who richly and shamefully deserved it). So, we went to sudden-death penalty shots. </div><div><br /></div><div>Our goalie, Brad Stuver, has ice in his veins, and he blocked 3 of 4, barely missing the one that went in. Meanwhile our team scored 4, and as it's best of 5, mathematically, we were done at that point. And Stuver, who is a hero during any game, became that guy.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlkFVRtBzKOz4N0G_iZhFIRgbhiVKOkffGLIbXw8lmtv9UoYoJ6BwK5B-a_4csNsbXbrWO5_gY4AdXWtBdsmO0ZJN0y6czypkO4Cy8wK49yVTwWfqCywE2I8goaFkyFvHy4YTDgprfPkRvpWNrNDFHo9DgXDEG6VmmpiqTX0X62Z954KlmTqDeS3b/s1250/AP_Austin_FC_win_vs_real_salt_lake_10162022.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="1250" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlkFVRtBzKOz4N0G_iZhFIRgbhiVKOkffGLIbXw8lmtv9UoYoJ6BwK5B-a_4csNsbXbrWO5_gY4AdXWtBdsmO0ZJN0y6czypkO4Cy8wK49yVTwWfqCywE2I8goaFkyFvHy4YTDgprfPkRvpWNrNDFHo9DgXDEG6VmmpiqTX0X62Z954KlmTqDeS3b/w640-h360/AP_Austin_FC_win_vs_real_salt_lake_10162022.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">them's my dudes</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I hugged a stranger, I high-fived a dozen more. I screamed til my lungs gave out. <br /><div><br /></div><div>Here's video of the shoot-out. You can actually see my pale-ass arms stick up out of the crowd at 4:34 - just look to the left of the camera man. I'm wearing a backward baseball cap way up top there.</div><div><br /></div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BFrwfTnTeLY" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>Anyhow - I've been in a mode for a while where if folks offer me something, I try to say "yes", within reason. And as I'm now boosted and all that, this was a chance for me to finally (FINALLY) get to go see the team.</div><div><br /></div><div>And, you know, I was totally wrong about Austin FC and soccer in Austin. It's here, it's huge, and any skepticism I had was badly founded. And, man, is it fun. Cannot wait to get Jamie to a match.</div><div><br /></div><div>Cannot believe that here in 2022, I'm a futbol guy. At least for the local club. But that's part of it! Support your local club. Now, if we can just get a National Women's Soccer League squad of our own...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>*While real soccer sadly lacks a Hannah Waddingham with every team, it still can be highly watchable. </div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">join us at The League of Melbotis</div>The Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-33238237000092271842022-08-28T10:49:00.007-05:002022-08-28T11:04:46.341-05:00So. Where were we?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwY1lS1lRr2AYOcrWNkbMIYo4oIwD-FsHA8POvbmsv40gw-IJNCQ90m2vBKjkPluh13iKrQNhGZgIrwxxnFKd_qT4M4vJlggsitCUeb4L_0G7HxPybvnqdp5sDfs0tKAcnKsNvDDCBLvcEp3nuHR_6TEqoXuBmA_WQbDP5-nLoGFgBJtvPA/s999/PXL_20220101_044339084.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="749" data-original-width="999" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwY1lS1lRr2AYOcrWNkbMIYo4oIwD-FsHA8POvbmsv40gw-IJNCQ90m2vBKjkPluh13iKrQNhGZgIrwxxnFKd_qT4M4vJlggsitCUeb4L_0G7HxPybvnqdp5sDfs0tKAcnKsNvDDCBLvcEp3nuHR_6TEqoXuBmA_WQbDP5-nLoGFgBJtvPA/w640-h480/PXL_20220101_044339084.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your blogger and Andre the Dog, New Year 2022</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Hi.<div><br /></div><div>How is everyone doing?</div><div><br /></div><div>It doesn't make much sense to breathe life back into a blog that's sat dormant for thirteen years, but, then again, League of Melbotis never made much sense, anyway. </div><div><br /></div><div>We kicked off League of Melbotis in April of 2003, after a move to the greater Phoenix area in early summer of 2002. We were young, trying a new adventure, and by the time of the start of League of Melbotis, having some serious doubts about the decision to live in a sun-bleached hellscape. It would take until 2006 for us to extricate ourselves from our desert surroundings and return to Austin. </div><div><br /></div><div>In the interim, the blog allowed us to ponder imponderables, engage in discussion of a wide range of topics, share enthusiasm about comics, superheroes and science fiction, and try to make the best of a weird situation.</div><div><br /></div><div>Initially, the primary function of League of Melbotis, for me - your blogger, was to talk about those bits of then mildly popular cultural ephemera. But it quickly became a method of keeping in touch with friends who were now spreading across the country in an era so far in the past now that facebook, twitter and social media as we know it did not yet exist. I believe we were on the edge of Friendster and a few other sites, but they weren't particularly useful except for finding the email address of your friends from college and sharing your awful taste in music. And, of course, we were five years away from Robert Downey Jr. putting on an Iron Man helmet. Let alone wrapping up one Superman TV show, the launch of a series of iffy movies and the debut of an all new Superman TV show.<span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Blogging was a strange phenomenon. It only really lasted so long that grown adults kept what were essentially personal journals online and available to the public before it became clear that one needed a niche to "succeed". You needed to claim ownership and authority in a niche, usually based on a self-proclaimed insistence of authority and the ability to block and hide actual conversation, with an implicit promise that one only rarely strays outside of their niche (usually with disastrous consequence). </div><div><br /></div><div>This is and was nonsense, and essentially created a lot of false prophets, leading to the notion of "influencers". </div><div><br /></div><div>The League of Melbotis was not ever going to be that site.</div><div><br /></div><div>On <a href="https://www.melbotis.com/2009/01/goodbye-to-melbotis.html" target="_blank">January 2, 2009, we lost Melbotis</a>, the namesake of the blog and the first dog that Jamie and I jointly had, and our best pal during some incredibly trying times. In reality, the story and through-line of League of Melbotis had always been the desire to return home to Austin, Texas from Chandler, Arizona, to reset ourselves and find a path toward what the rest of our life might look like. That journey, a year after Mel's death, felt complete. </div><div><br /></div><div>In all honestly, by 2009, I was also sick to death of talking about myself. </div><div><br /></div><div>After doing some review work for a few sites, we did think it was fine to keep writing about comics and cinema and launched <a href="https://www.signal-watch.com/" target="_blank">The Signal Watch</a> in 2010, as mostly a movie review site. A few years back, the blog<a href="https://www.signal-watch.com/p/podcast.html" target="_blank"> also became a PodCast</a>. Sure, we stray into personal territory and other topics from time to time, but it's 98% chatter about film from a personal POV.</div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile, time has marched on. </div><div><br /></div><div>In January of 2013, Jamie's mom, Judy, died. It seems unbelievable its been almost ten years, but that's how this works.</div><div><br /></div><div>My brother, Steanso, married Amy and they have two kids. It's wild. The League is an uncle, y'all. I couldn't love two little weirdos any more. Steanso and Amy are a prosecutor and judge, respectively, and they're the respectable branch of the family.</div><div><br /></div><div>My parents (The Admiral and Karebear) have retired and live in Austin. Jamie's dad is thriving and has become Wilderness Jim, spending his days as a Master Naturalist. Dug and K are in Berkeley, with Dug as a Mouseketeer and K slinging the law.</div><div><br /></div><div>Since we shuttered the site and put the chairs on the tables, we have lost Lucy, our beloved black lab. Adopted and lost Scout, our adorable shepherd mix. Said good-bye to Jeff the Cat, who was and remains a legendary personality. </div><div><br /></div><div>I worked in the job I'd gotten at the University of Texas Library from October 2008 until October of 2017. I spent almost two years working remotely for Northwestern University Libraries, before working for the University of Texas in Admissions and Financial Aid until June of 2019, when I experienced my first lay-off. For a few months I worked on contract for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board before landing a fulltime job at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, where I'm currently employed.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've officiated at three weddings (including for Steven and Lauren, whom I met through this blog!), driven all across Texas, been in Helsinki, Dublin, London, Boseman, Maui, Chicago and many, many other cities. And I've seen and done things I never expected. I ate reindeer.</div><div><br /></div><div>Oh, and did I mention the global pandemic we've been enjoying since March 2020? This shit is wild, yo.</div><div><br /></div><div>My life is wider, and weirder and richer than when I started this blog in ways I never could have predicted. If you felt there was never any plan for The League of Melbotis blog before, wait til you find out how I've been running my actual life. The one constant in all of this has always been Jamie, who is doing great and has been chronicling her own story over at <a href="http://mcsteans.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Troubles McSteans</a>. We've been married for 22 years. I highly recommend it.</div><div><br /></div><div>For years I've figured people who needed to know what I was up to could find me on social media. I'm on facebook and twitter. It's not hard to find me. But facebook is now largely just where we post photos of Andre, our 110 lb. Great Pyr/ Pitbull mix. I stay on it mostly to stay in touch with a few old friends and see pictures of the aforementioned niece and nephew as they go about the business of growing up and I am not with them all of the time. Twitter is... well, it's twitter, and I can see a future in which I walk away from the hellsite.</div><div><br /></div><div>It will both not shock and hopefully not disappoint longtime knowers of The League that the idea of getting back to blogging took off in my mind before any actual plan for what content will follow. As always, Jamie inspired us - this time by taking up Troubles McSteans again. Reading her posts, I started to miss simply blogging about what's going on, whatever crosses my mind and to get away from pithy facebook or other social media posts. I'll post occasionally, keeping movie and any other media review over at The Signal Watch. </div><div><br /></div><div>So who knows what will follow or when?</div><div><br /></div><div>Let's hope I have a better grasp of things now than when all of this started. In April 2023, it will have been twenty years for this blogging business.</div><div><br /></div><div>The bloom of youth may be off, but I hope I'm aging like a good whiskey over here. Lord knows I'm not a fine wine. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">join us at The League of Melbotis</div>The Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-17994513394378964782022-08-27T15:19:00.001-05:002022-08-27T15:26:19.170-05:00Tomorrow Never Knows<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjULO9luImhm2nbm9lypCrmtyLn5FMUkj7dr1Fp3Y5P6AHz-r-RI2Hl9CZnSU5-MY5szm_qxve4upaxH-tAEbrj5JrcRrrbwOXNmlp1xu22ieA6RpuTuHn0B1cPgaXPk34Yi0c69RIHmewF3Tt4fuSUkSEd3tlHRTRTxI8zduzg0WVrHsobWA/s923/PXL_20220824_121756241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="923" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjULO9luImhm2nbm9lypCrmtyLn5FMUkj7dr1Fp3Y5P6AHz-r-RI2Hl9CZnSU5-MY5szm_qxve4upaxH-tAEbrj5JrcRrrbwOXNmlp1xu22ieA6RpuTuHn0B1cPgaXPk34Yi0c69RIHmewF3Tt4fuSUkSEd3tlHRTRTxI8zduzg0WVrHsobWA/w640-h480/PXL_20220824_121756241.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">join us at The League of Melbotis</div>The Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-63269520579922774642010-04-20T20:20:00.001-05:002010-04-20T20:23:00.621-05:00The further adventures of...League of Melbotis Volume II can be found at: <a href="http://www.signal-watch.com">The Signal Watch</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">join us at The League of Melbotis</div>The Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-39087007796959957232009-12-20T22:12:00.001-06:002009-12-20T22:15:35.584-06:00End of the Golden Age<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHnGrYN1f21g-yavx-16ubbfXDqzA6JOQVXbGtrQ6qrpdZpgm2uKN8DzGPDTDRdAONjoX15vvslbTD3-aGbJmqKh7F-4KlTDZify2Ny7pTgmA25EhYTlaZyvWyDYQUalzQPQ24/s1600-h/LoM_golden_age.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHnGrYN1f21g-yavx-16ubbfXDqzA6JOQVXbGtrQ6qrpdZpgm2uKN8DzGPDTDRdAONjoX15vvslbTD3-aGbJmqKh7F-4KlTDZify2Ny7pTgmA25EhYTlaZyvWyDYQUalzQPQ24/s400/LoM_golden_age.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398240456628774610" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">join us at The League of Melbotis</div>The Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-27963444933563059842009-12-20T22:00:00.009-06:002009-12-20T22:20:15.211-06:00Neverending Battle<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtRkeuX3VWKOo7iW0xCnfNga__IgPqkCRykeOwVDElqQkj8YJ9zI5jGGGZk64gUi0pL2DaKNAWVyfBWl9VoXlzX4VJQmP3cXbHoYxvd37IfQM9j6eYD8jQx1sb_0LF9tSDec3/s1600-h/all_star_superman_cover_1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 264px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtRkeuX3VWKOo7iW0xCnfNga__IgPqkCRykeOwVDElqQkj8YJ9zI5jGGGZk64gUi0pL2DaKNAWVyfBWl9VoXlzX4VJQmP3cXbHoYxvd37IfQM9j6eYD8jQx1sb_0LF9tSDec3/s400/all_star_superman_cover_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394883174447195010" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyEygUyt_suA2jEkM1F6ZaHIq7shwLW2lPiqKtvEnkBoh72-PQisUxusKkICZ58qVvXZlJOJhbC4DjWdzikOlUYq_7Ns5zO5aT5xSlaogsHO0IMZ64LwwRDe_w46oIqn9FH9Jk/s1600-h/krypto.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 265px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyEygUyt_suA2jEkM1F6ZaHIq7shwLW2lPiqKtvEnkBoh72-PQisUxusKkICZ58qVvXZlJOJhbC4DjWdzikOlUYq_7Ns5zO5aT5xSlaogsHO0IMZ64LwwRDe_w46oIqn9FH9Jk/s400/krypto.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394888005097596450" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjGhyphenhyphentiz-0SYydKKNpwV7Fdd8ANvuh6YAmixYbFjJ-6dk_iGlrGFCmbIoYeoev4ewLjo66KVrgv_pgQ8m0PiItHGFQveiZmHKNeOIGea2yVEgcNgvVkHYnmqvtWlATWVa-RW16/s1600-h/supes169.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 374px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjGhyphenhyphentiz-0SYydKKNpwV7Fdd8ANvuh6YAmixYbFjJ-6dk_iGlrGFCmbIoYeoev4ewLjo66KVrgv_pgQ8m0PiItHGFQveiZmHKNeOIGea2yVEgcNgvVkHYnmqvtWlATWVa-RW16/s400/supes169.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394756722175180770" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">join us at The League of Melbotis</div>The Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-28261580409107776672009-12-20T00:06:00.005-06:002009-12-20T14:30:12.950-06:00In closing...So I wish I had some sort of terrific way to wind things up. Maybe some "Ocean's 11" ending (the remake, not the original) where you guys realize that this has been a 6+ year scam, and that I've secretly been using League of Melbotis to clean out your bank accounts, and just as you look at this final post are you able to put all the pieces together. That would be awesome. And I could certainly use the money.<br /><br />Alas, I'm not that clever, and robbing my readership blind via a blog seems to be challenging at best. But if you wake up tomorrow to find yourself destitute and me driving a BMW around with a stack of Jimmy Olsen comics and smoking a cigar, well, we'll both know what happened. <br /><br />I've already done my fair share of "wasn't it great when" and "aren't you people all great?" posts. So, you know, refer to those if you'd like. I suspected I'd have more to say for a final post, but I don't, and that's sort of the thing. <br /><br />Two months was probably too long, but, heck, its over now, so we can turn the chairs over and shut off the lights. We'll worry about sweeping up some other time. <br /><br />I literally have no idea what my life is going to look like now, which is part of the fun. I have many good things going on which I don't wish to screw up. I've not got too much a self-destructive streak in me, but like anyone else, I get uneasy when things are going a little too steady-state. Add in misguided visions of what I c/should be doing with myself and my time, and its sort of now or never. I'm too old to say I'll try new things when I'm older, and don't wish to look back and wonder where the time went. <br /><br />I expect you guys to hold me to being productive one way or another.<br /><br />In an odd bit of synchronicity, just after I announced the conclusion of LoM, I learned that Leaguers Steven and Lauren were moving back to the Bay Area. Perhaps not forever, but I'll be shocked if they ever return to Texas for more than a visit. Steven waxed a bit rhapsodic and brought the eloquence to the conclusion of chapters in a way fitting and with that flair of which I've always been envious. <a href="http://stevengharms.com/the-season-of-closing-cycles-ii">Read here.</a><br /><br />It's also JimD's birthday (and I started this blog awfully close to my own 28th birthday). It was JimD who instigated the thing.<br /><br />This evening we raised a glass with Steven and Lauren to join with friends and bid them adieu. Juan and Letty were there, as were Julia and Alfredo. And I won't share the conversation, but I had a few minutes to speak with Alfredo, and he remarked upon the impending closing of this blog, to which I gave the same smile and a shrug I've given most who've asked. As you do with these things, I laughed it off. Alfredo begged to differ, and I was reminded that from time-to-time, it wasn't all just Superman pictures and talking about awful movies. <br /><br />Anyway, thanks, Alfredo. I am, and always shall be, grateful. You have no idea.<br /><br />I don't know why, but I am also reminded of a moment from a year or so back, when I was at a comic shop here in town (now closed), and was looking at discounted paperbacks, when a person I didn't know looked at me across the table and said "You're that League Guy". <br /><br />And that's the sort of thing I think I'll miss most of all. The never-knowing of being connected to people in such odd and different ways, whether its the random person in the comic shop, or wishing once-were-strangers-and-now-they're-friends the best of luck while they embark on their own next chapter.<br /><br />But that's kind of how it works, isn't it?<br /><br />A special thank you to Jamie, who has been an often silent partner, but one who has been remarkably supportive, and who is a remarkable person in every way. She has enjoyed being partners in The League since its inception, and has often been a writing partner in the ways that count. I love you, sweetie.<br /><br />Let it never be forgotten that this started because of friends. And it was dreamed up and cared for in the name of the best pal on four legs you could ever have. The four-color adventures of a dog and his boy, indeed. <br /><br />Be well. Be safe. We wish you the best, always.<br /><br />I'll see you in the funny pages.<br /><br />Up, up and away.<div class="blogger-post-footer">join us at The League of Melbotis</div>The Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-8016376757807527502009-12-19T22:46:00.003-06:002009-12-20T00:47:49.244-06:00UT Longhorn Volleyball Fought HardMan, that was a heart-breaker. Not only did we have to say good-bye to Steven and Lauren, but the National Volleyball Championship was on TV with our UT Longhorns. Unfortunately, despite winning the first two games, Penn State came from behind to win. <a href="http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/longhorns/entries/2009/12/19/horns_fall_to_n.html?cxntfid=blogs_bevo_beat">Here.</a><br /><br />I say... oh, well. UT kicked ass. They played amazingly well against an equal opponent, and the games were very close.<br /><br />I've been pretty focused on football, but the Longhorns had an amazing season by any standard. Heartbreakingly close to a National Title, but they made a fan out of me. Next year, I'm definitely hanging out on Wednesdays to go to the games.<div class="blogger-post-footer">join us at The League of Melbotis</div>The Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-22221636363435255722009-12-19T09:24:00.004-06:002009-12-19T10:14:33.511-06:00Keeping Up With The LeagueSo, as of midnight tomorrow, that'll be it. <br /><br />Not to fret, The League of Melbotis will carry on in a limited capacity over on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/melbotis">Facebook</a>. And to a more limited extent, over on <a href="http://twitter.com/melbotis">Twitter</a>.<br /><br />The site will remain up, but I don't plan to update links, etc... <br /><br />The site already rolls overfor approval on comments after a week, but I may be shutting comments down all together. I foresee a future in which Chinese spammers are flooding my inbox and I keep having to reject comments.<br /><br />Also, I imagine the email address associated here will be good for a long, long while.<br /><br />Anyway, don't be a stranger.<div class="blogger-post-footer">join us at The League of Melbotis</div>The Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-74072846094571028892009-12-18T22:15:00.002-06:002009-12-19T09:19:14.115-06:00WW ChristmasNormally I don't post cheesecake comic art, because I find it distasteful and believe it just reinforces some negative stereotypes about comics. But... Ah, heck. Why Not?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-Sms1usTN9T9ZISyGt421JGhbPwlbjoYE6yqHPom1i6ehuzuHnNCA3wIJ2ZMgdN2otMRpVCVrjd4IAkk1nXMk5rkBflWan9yWCo10eY9FBs2vmiUxp-v2Gev8bOsuLF5y78G/s1600-h/ww_xmas.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 284px; height: 393px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-Sms1usTN9T9ZISyGt421JGhbPwlbjoYE6yqHPom1i6ehuzuHnNCA3wIJ2ZMgdN2otMRpVCVrjd4IAkk1nXMk5rkBflWan9yWCo10eY9FBs2vmiUxp-v2Gev8bOsuLF5y78G/s400/ww_xmas.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416728986874045810" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Wonder Woman for Christmas is okay by us</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">join us at The League of Melbotis</div>The Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-58994699713149913892009-12-18T20:17:00.001-06:002009-12-18T20:20:03.742-06:00Happy Birthday JimD<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwk6aNBUfOlpU4bmiZXUKNY09w-FIuJX92ZQjfi4xdwoVdBsItkC7Zhw2LSmWP4LiSYwYo0L8oZiI-2iTjjCyDDQ70kIctbpcnwLr1CP6sx4P3iG-QGnkNoAIScidmLqTojOB3/s1600-h/sam_eagle.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 336px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwk6aNBUfOlpU4bmiZXUKNY09w-FIuJX92ZQjfi4xdwoVdBsItkC7Zhw2LSmWP4LiSYwYo0L8oZiI-2iTjjCyDDQ70kIctbpcnwLr1CP6sx4P3iG-QGnkNoAIScidmLqTojOB3/s400/sam_eagle.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416766221395862562" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Our Birthday Boy Stands in Repose</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">join us at The League of Melbotis</div>The Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-3374817046621256832009-12-18T19:24:00.000-06:002009-12-18T19:24:00.049-06:00Panick Attack!I know you're not supposed to think the end of the world is awesome. But there's nothing I don't like in this video.<br /><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-dadPWhEhVk&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-dadPWhEhVk&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer">join us at The League of Melbotis</div>The Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-42398598271653697612009-12-18T19:17:00.000-06:002009-12-18T19:17:00.229-06:00More Garth MerenghiTo have to explain <a href="http://garthmarenghi.com/">Garth Merenghi</a> means you're not going to like it, anyway.<br /><br />Here's new Garth Merenghi. I believe called "War of the Wasps". Found by Brit Simon.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dCYatdlV2QQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dCYatdlV2QQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer">join us at The League of Melbotis</div>The Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-5902701366752759202009-12-18T18:49:00.003-06:002009-12-18T18:50:42.084-06:00UT Longhorn Volleyball in National ChampionshipHEY<br /><br />I keep forgetting to say anything about this, but on Saturday at 7:00, UT's Longhorn Volleyball team is on ESPN or ESPN2 (I forget) playing Penn State for the National Championship!<br /><br />WOOT!<div class="blogger-post-footer">join us at The League of Melbotis</div>The Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-3811693132999156772009-12-18T11:25:00.001-06:002009-12-18T11:26:48.530-06:00Just because. darn it.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEhGlsY4zRkUilaLEDCtFmMgVHkhXI3Yt0d5ocbhDcHJyM_L8CzH2MA1MBs1CjBeR3VdgGmrF1kc_mN7YJdg1DYszzenwiCvvtprqRtGblUhAynz1WJFMSb-DLfH9SDqZEOkbV/s1600-h/tumblr_kutbxnuM6X1qzduzfo1_400.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 304px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEhGlsY4zRkUilaLEDCtFmMgVHkhXI3Yt0d5ocbhDcHJyM_L8CzH2MA1MBs1CjBeR3VdgGmrF1kc_mN7YJdg1DYszzenwiCvvtprqRtGblUhAynz1WJFMSb-DLfH9SDqZEOkbV/s400/tumblr_kutbxnuM6X1qzduzfo1_400.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416628725746436114" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">join us at The League of Melbotis</div>The Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-86688380736224014652009-12-17T23:47:00.002-06:002009-12-17T23:51:22.615-06:00Iron Man 2!Hey! <br /><br />I think you guys might want to check out the trailer for the upcoming Iron Man sequel.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/ironman/">HERE</a> (its at Apple. Must have Quicktime. So, Jason, get someone to help you out.).<br /><br />Thanks to Simon for the link!<div class="blogger-post-footer">join us at The League of Melbotis</div>The Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-46523778925320314342009-12-17T22:25:00.005-06:002009-12-17T23:07:51.545-06:00Trail of LightsHey! <br /><br />Well, trying to keep our levels of Christmas Cheer set to "Jingle-riffic", Jamie and I headed to The Trail of Lights at Austin's Zilker Park.<br /><br />The Trail of Lights faced a lot of challenges this year. In the spring, the city spent a truckload of money laying copper wire to enable better power for the mile long trail of lights. In the Summer, the City figured out somebody had come along and STOLEN all of the copper, likely for a tidy profit.<br /><br />Then, ACL Fest was a bit rough on the lawn and the city is having to replant that grass, etc... <br /><br />So... the Trail of Lights was renamed to "<a href="http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/tol/">Zilker Tree Holiday Festival</a>".<br /><br />Jamie had fun.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Z6pFU2m-mUGLYOI8SB1DAjF_qsYhI6rqbfXoDSCZ-Do4zmnCOPrLqJ7YuOH-x3cW6bJMc8fAjN1fAaR2c8Brn4mviDN7frwmsirgd5nE09yt4tWkOOS2JgK6zDjCdArAHrm_/s1600-h/Jamie_Zilker_Tree.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Z6pFU2m-mUGLYOI8SB1DAjF_qsYhI6rqbfXoDSCZ-Do4zmnCOPrLqJ7YuOH-x3cW6bJMc8fAjN1fAaR2c8Brn4mviDN7frwmsirgd5nE09yt4tWkOOS2JgK6zDjCdArAHrm_/s400/Jamie_Zilker_Tree.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416428391817712610" /></a><br /><br />The Zilker Tree is a longstanding tradition. Its actually several strands of lights attached to a Moon Tower, and while quite lovely from far away, the longstanding tradition is to get underneath the tree and spin until you barf. Good times.<br /><br />I hadn't been to the Tree or the Trail of Lights in many, many years. Due to the challenges, the trail was a lot shorter this year, and on the other side of the park from the last time I was there. Also, they had like, five funnel cake stands. <br /><br />Anyhow, we had a good time. And that's all you get for a post tonight.<br /><br />Just look at Jamie. She's cute as a button.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvo5up4wgDdwAJichK82Uw_xVDYq52w22u5Gum8gBAaXo1fQIGNVg4037cm_C6SOBlZ43-7ZVxfzsaicc0IocAdKgPNYesqaEtTWFvRn1YGPSZpLMlY1inDS93OpouK_NnUzbd/s1600-h/Jamie_Blue_Tree.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvo5up4wgDdwAJichK82Uw_xVDYq52w22u5Gum8gBAaXo1fQIGNVg4037cm_C6SOBlZ43-7ZVxfzsaicc0IocAdKgPNYesqaEtTWFvRn1YGPSZpLMlY1inDS93OpouK_NnUzbd/s400/Jamie_Blue_Tree.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416428202182462066" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">join us at The League of Melbotis</div>The Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-86767797756641833742009-12-17T11:07:00.000-06:002009-12-17T11:12:51.445-06:00Alicia Keys and Colbert rock NYC and the Burbs<table style='font:11px arial; color:#333; background-color:#f5f5f5' cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0' width='360' height='353'><tbody><tr style='background-color:#e5e5e5' valign='middle'><td style='padding:2px 1px 0px 5px;'><a target='_blank' style='color:#333; text-decoration:none; font-weight:bold;' href='http://www.colbertnation.com'>The Colbert Report</a></td><td style='padding:2px 5px 0px 5px; text-align:right; font-weight:bold;'>Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c</td></tr><tr style='height:14px;' valign='middle'><td style='padding:2px 1px 0px 5px;' colspan='2'><a target='_blank' style='color:#333; text-decoration:none; font-weight:bold;' href='http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/258570/december-15-2009/alicia-keys---empire-state-of-mind--part-ii--broken-down'>Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down</a></td></tr><tr style='height:14px; background-color:#353535' valign='middle'><td colspan='2' style='padding:2px 5px 0px 5px; width:360px; overflow:hidden; text-align:right'><a target='_blank' style='color:#96deff; text-decoration:none; font-weight:bold;' href='http://www.colbertnation.com/'>www.colbertnation.com</a></td></tr><tr valign='middle'><td style='padding:0px;' colspan='2'><embed style='display:block' src='http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:item:comedycentral.com:258570' width='360' height='301' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' wmode='window' allowFullscreen='true' flashvars='autoPlay=false' allowscriptaccess='always' allownetworking='all' bgcolor='#000000'></embed></td></tr><tr style='height:18px;' valign='middle'><td style='padding:0px;' colspan='2'><table style='margin:0px; text-align:center' cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0' width='100%' height='100%'><tr valign='middle'><td style='padding:3px; width:33%;'><a target='_blank' style='font:10px arial; color:#333; text-decoration:none;' href='http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/full-episodes'>Colbert Report Full Episodes</a></td><td style='padding:3px; width:33%;'><a target='_blank' style='font:10px arial; color:#333; text-decoration:none;' href='http://www.indecisionforever.com'>Political Humor</a></td><td style='padding:3px; width:33%;'><a target='_blank' style='font:10px arial; color:#333; text-decoration:none;' href='http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/254015/november-02-2009/sport-report---nyc-marathon---olympic-speedskating'>U.S. Speedskating</a></td></tr></table></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Found by Joe Cathey<div class="blogger-post-footer">join us at The League of Melbotis</div>The Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.com0