Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Cultured by Comics





Comics Books and Super Heroes are very BIG these days.

In fact I don’t think they’ve ever been “not big”.

I grew up reading comic books.

In fact I probably owe a great deal of my imagination to comic books.

Which may or may not be a good thing.

But I like to think it is.

For me, they were more than mere individual panels of artwork on a page. 

For me, they were windows into another world...be it Batman, Superman, Archie, Dennis the Menace, Sad Sack, Casper, or even Richie Rich, whom I suspected became Casper, later in life once he departed this earthly coil...you know, after he caught his little red bowtie in one of those big money counting machines.

But that’s just me....

While the images in each frame remained frozen, my imagination did not, and it animated each scene as the story carried me from panel to panel.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Winter, We Hardly Knew Ye



Spring has sprung and Winter...well...Winter, we hardly knew ye.

Not many notable memories to put in the books.

Yeah....

Winter had a bad year.

It never seemed to get up off the couch...too busy watching “Northern Exposure” reruns, or something.

I mean, it gave it one little shot...when, I can’t even remember...and even that didn’t last too long,

But now it’s out and Spring is in full bloom...so to speak.

And just to rub it in, Spring, dumped a couple of inches of snow on us, probably just to show Winter how it’s done.

Kind of surprising...maybe...but maybe not.

Spring can be cruel at times.

Friday, March 18, 2016

Lost Hour




 
 
 
Z told me we lost an hour the other day and ever since I’ve been going nuts trying to find it.

Because, you know, I usually get blamed for these kinds of things.

So I thought I’d get a jump on it.

But no luck; not yet.

I did locate a few minutes I lost track of a couple of years back; however now that I’ve found them, I kind of wish I hadn’t.

Long story....

All I know is, ever since this hour went missing, I’ve been late...for everything.

So weird.

What?

No...not me...the situation.

So weird.

Z suggested all I had to do was turn the clocks ahead to make up for the missing hour, and then I’d be back on schedule...or as close to schedule as I ever am.

Yeah...nice try.

Monday, March 14, 2016

Positioning for Election

Note: This is a column I wrote for my hometown newspaper this past Friday in regard to our local impending elections.  Insert the name of your own hometown and it might just apply to you, as well.

Or not....
________________________



 
 
Hard to believe, but we’re already nearly a quarter of the way through 2016; winters on its last legs and spring is soon approaching.

We really can’t complain—too much—about this year’s winter. It’s been pretty mild, for the most part, with really only one “significant” snow storm, which our crack DPW team handled with aplomb...plus a bunch of snows plows and shovels, because aplomb only goes so far.

The mild winter also means the village might have to look into repurposing a couple of gazillion gallons of brine, not to mention a few of mountains of salt...all of which I’m thinking can be trucked over to one of our numerous Post Road, fast food eateries for use in one or more special sauce recipes.

Anyway, the point is—I think—the Ides of March are upon us and unless you’re a Roman Emperor, walking around town in a toga with a crown of laurel leaves on your head, which to be honest is just asking for trouble...it’s a time for optimism.

Which can mean only one thing...its local election time!

See...I told you there was a point.

Yes, that rousing time of year when we throw all of our elected Trustees into a giant soup bowl, stir it up decide which of our dedicated fellow citizens will be sitting behind that big table, in that apparently falling down courtroom, over the next few years, sneering at one another...much to our televised enjoyment.

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

I’m an In-Betweener





I guess I’m an in-betweener.

I was born near the end of the Baby Boomer Generation; so much so that all the good picket signs were taken by the time I got my first tie-dye t-shirt...and born too early to even be considered anything close to a Generation X-er.

But I did have an Atari.

Yep, that’s me: Born a day late and a dollar short...which seems to be a pattern.

I was just under the height line to show much interest in—let alone attend—Woodstock...although I did buy the album and saw the movie 3 or 4 times, if that counts.

I also listened to so called “counter culture” radio stations in the late 60s, was against the war and ready to join the “revolution” to drive Nixon out of the White House...I mean, until I had to get back home for supper at 6.

And sure...Saturday was “alright for fighting” but it was also the night Mary Tyler Moore and Bob Newhart were on...so choices had to be made.

Friday, March 4, 2016

It’s a Plus





 
I’m thinking about becoming a plus size model.

They’re all the rage these days.

Plus I can maintain my plus size.

Not a problem....

Which is definitely a plus.

Plus I think it’s great people are finally accepting their bodies, no matter what shape or size they are.


It is what it is...we are who we are.

Not what the label inside our clothes say

Who’s knows what perfect really is, anyway? 

I mean, except for Trump...and my mom, who tells me that I’m not...all the time.