Howdy, Leaguers.

Well, this week has been quite busy for The League. The new job has thrown me in head first, but by accident. I was supposed to shadow a producer, but unfortunately her mother took ill, and now I'm filling in for that producer. So I've been dropped in the deep end.

Aside from a constant low level feeling of confusion, and an additional creeping sleepiness that pops up like clockwork at 3:00 each day, I'm liking the new job quite a bit. They are making an effort to make sure I'm properly trained, despite the missing producer, and everyone I talk to takes time to answer my questions. I'm honestly a bit thrown off by not working in a crazy public sector setting and all that that implies.

Last night I had not yet even arrived home when I was informed that Lucy had puked twice. It seems that the allergic reaction from the weekend had some latent effects of the GI-tract variety, and so it was that I made a mid-week return trip to the Doggy ER. They're theorizing that Lucy's troubles were a further portion of her allergic reaction to whatever it was she got into this weekend. I'm happy to say she seems much, much better this evening.

In addition to that, I'm tyring to adjust to a work schedule again, and, honestly, that schedule is a bit deeper to keep than waking up between 9:00 and 10:30 for a big day of watching daytime TV and looking online for job postings. So I'm going to bed a bit earlier and trying to get adjusted. Look for normal blogging to resume in the not-too-distant-future.

Internet: DOWN!!!

Oh, Leaguers...

So this weekend we had some guys doing some stuff in our yard and they cut the coaxial line to the house. So, from about 9:30 AM Sunday to this evening, I've been more or less without an internet connection at home.

here's a quick run down of life in the past few days:

1) Saturday I attended funeral services for Liz Pieper. Liz had a lot of good friends, and she'll be missed.

2) Judy is already home from the hospital and she's doing pretty well. We're waiting for some lab results to come back, but I would describe the mood as cautiously optimistic. Right now things are looking much more promising than they appeared when the surgery was announced.

3) Sunday Lucy was acting as if she was having a bit of an allergy attack, but I thought maybe she'd feel better if I took her to Jason's to play with Cassidy. En route, I noticed her face was a bit puffy. About twenty minutes after arriving, she's developed large welts all over and looked weird and freakish. I didn't want for my dog to die, but I also didn't want to spend $5000 getting her checked out at the Dog ER if she just needed a few Bendaryl and some rest. However, she was getting noticeably worse within an hour, so I took her to the Dog ER where they gave her a shot and I was out around $100. Small price to pay so you don't need to explain to your wife how you let the dog die while she was gone.

4) Jamie got back Sunday night.

5) I've been working. I actually like my job. I like my co-workers so far. I am in a bit of a state of confusion as the place fairly well staffed and my usual mode of "I'll do it" that's always been my survival mode in small, underfunded offices isn't working. I am going to learn that the world is not made up of Octavio, Tom and Eric, all already given too many tasks.

6) The lead on the technical side of my latest project wrote part of his Masters' thesis on Crisis on Infinite Earths. I think I know my DC, but he puts my critical thinking skills to shame. I am in awe.

7) We now have internet again. Did I mention that?

8) It rained all day today. All day.

9) I am going to lose weight. I am not trying, but there's a difference between being home all day and only leaving the couch to eat, and being at work with regular meal times. Plus, part of my job is wrestling ferocious tigers.

10) I still think getting up before 10:00 AM is a sucker's game.

I was tired

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

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

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

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

He Lives! He Walks! He Conquers!

Who? Who? Who?

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

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

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

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

birthday thanks, spit curl, Judy, notoriety

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

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

The chubbiness is, however, completely self-induced.


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


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

Anyhow, well wishes are welcome.


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

And on my birthday! Egads.

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

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

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

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

32

Transdermal Celebration
by Ween

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

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

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

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

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

New Job = Light Posting

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

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



My hair was not doing well today.

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