Fiction Piece: Novel Fragment 1

Dishes clinked together in an unintentional rhythmic pattern. The dishes clinked as they were deposited at the tables, while in use at the tables, while being collected from the tables, and while being washed for reuse. At a distance, the sound mingled with the conversations being held into a refreshing wash of noise. While on her break, Terry had often closed her eyes and listened, relaxing to the music they made. At the moment she was not on break; she was in the center of it all. From here, it was all just noise.

The bell in the kitchen dinged to signal the arrival of the next prepared order. As she hurried to collect it, she brushed a long lock of curly hair from her face. Truth be told, she needed a minute to redo her hair in her scrunchy for comfort and cleanliness purposes but she didn't have the minute so to do. Carol had called in sick at the last moment and they'd woken up Rachel when they'd called her to come in early. Rachel was on her way and would soon arrive to help out but, until then, she was struggling with the lunch shift alone.

She carried the plates to table six, annoyed since her hands were full and that loose lock of hair was threatening to flop back into her face. “Now then, who had the hamburger?” One man paused from his drumming on the table to raise two fingers, signaling himself. “Then you must be the roast beef sandwich,” she checked with the other man. He smiled and nodded to confirm the statement.

Having successfully delivered the food, she smiled again. “Before I go, is there anything else I can get you?”

The Roast Beef man grinned wickedly. His hand darted out to take hold of hers. “Yeah, your phone number.”

Terry flushed. This was not a situation with which she was good at dealing. Thankfully the bell dinged the arrival of another order. “I'm sorry but I have to go now.” She scurried away to collect the spaghetti for table seven. Oh no, she was going right back past that creep! The diner wasn't large enough to provide another path to table seven so she'd have to pass by. How to derail the man at table six?

As Roast Beef sandwich at table six was bent over his plate, she increased her pace to slip past him to get to table seven. The scruffy young man there was staring out the window. “You had the spaghetti, right?” This drew the young man from his thoughts. He turned to her, smiled and nodded. She slid the plate in front of him, glanced back to the empty pick-up window and then she slid into the booth across from him, receiving a raised eyebrow of surprise from him for this action. He looked like a relatively innocent young man and she didn't recognize him, which implied he wasn't local, so she hoped she could trust him more than the creepy guy at table six. She lowered her voice. “Can I ask you a favor?” He nodded. She leaned forward. “One of the men in the booth behind you is hitting on me. At least for the next few minutes, will you pretend to be my boyfriend?”

He glanced behind her at the men in that booth. Then he took a moment to observe Terry properly. “I don't think that will be a problem.” He shook this off. “I take that back; I'd be pleased to do so.”

“Thank you.” She smiled warmly at him. “I'm Terry.”

“Just like the nametag,” he noted. “I'm Jim.”

The bell dinged again. She grinned at Jim and returned her voice to a normal level. “Sorry hun, I am at work. See you at home if nothing else?”

“If not sooner.”

She rose from the table, paused to kiss him on the forehead as she passed, and hurried back to work. Grinning, he tried to wipe the lipstick mark off while collecting his fork. Before he could raise the first forkfull of spaghetti to his mouth, a thick finger started jabbing him in the shoulder. Said finger belonged to the large man behind him. “Hey, you know her?”

“Yes I do,” Jim answered politely. He was curious to see where this would go next.

“How well do you know her?”

“Well enough.”

He gave Jim a 'yeah right' sort of look. “What's her name?”

“Terry.”

This answer received a wicked grin in response. “What about her last name?”

“I don't believe that's any of your business.”

“You dunno what it is, do ya?”

“Its Chesterfield. Are you happy now?” Jim turned back to his meal.

He was jabbed with the finger again. The large man smiled at him. “I don't believe you.”

Jim grunted in exasperation. He was hungry and these interruptions annoyed him. “Well, what is it then?” he snapped.

“I say her name is Kanfield.”

“Good for you. Say whatever you want.” Grumbling, Jim returned to his rapidly cooling dinner. Truthfully he had no idea what was Terry's last name. For all he knew, the large man had known Terry all her life and he'd just blown the whole story. Hopefully the man was a long haul trucker and was guessing in an attempt to see if he'd crack. Jim's bluster should cover the situation.

Before he could take a bite, Jim found his face in the spaghetti, a pressure holding him there. Once he was released, he returned to his upright position. Flinging sauce from his eyes, he was unable to prevent the man from grabbing him by the throat. “I wasn't done talking ta you yet!” he bellowed.

Jim struggled to free himself. He had never really thought of himself as scrawny but the man's hand was doing a really good job of surrounding his neck. A certain amount of panic also gripped him and he began pummeling the man's brawny arm, seeking freedom and an unrestricted airway. This pummeling apparently did nothing to free himself. He began to gasp for breath.

The chef burst from the kitchen, knife in hand, and rapidly approached the conflict. With all eyes in the diner upon the situation, the chef tapped the big man on the shoulder. “Hey! If you gotta beat him up, at least do it outside. If you bust up my diner any, you're paying for it!”

The man grunted. “Yeah, okay.” Grabbing Jim by the scruff of this neck, he dragged Jim from the diner to the blacktop parking lot. Once there, Jim was casually discarded.

Fiction Piece: Prelude

Most young people aren't comfortable in their own skin. They imagine themselves as aliens, elves, or even just adults. They may dream of greatness, fame, fortune. They may focus their efforts on achieving those goals through sports, perhaps acting, or just simple academics to support a super career. Perhaps they will succeed. Perhaps not. Many don't and they soon realize that they may be unique, but they are not all that unique. As the daily grind wears them down, their dreams of greatness fade to a distant memory.

What if you were special? What if your dreams of greatness weren't idle speculation on another place and time, but memories of an earlier point in your existence? What if the ability to return to greatness was not far off?

What might happen then?

Now that I have myself on the Subject

The Muppet movies do confuse people. Due to 'The Muppets take Manhattan' lots of people think that Kermit and Piggy are married. On talk shows, Kermit has been very clear that the marriage was part of a movie and they weren't really married. On the other hand, Piggy argued the opposite view for awhile.

All three of the Henson related movies show different origins for the Muppet group. The original movie purports to show a dramatized version of what 'really' happened to bring the group together. 'The Great Muppet Caper' shows Kermit and Fozzie as brothers. 'The Muppets take Manhattan' shows the gang in school together, as well as footage of the main gang together as Babies.

Which draws extra confusion as the footage of the Babies led to a cartoon of Muppet Babies for seven years. 'A Muppet Family Christmas', a tv special in the late eighties, also shows footage of the Babies, just like 'Manhattan'. As the television footage tends to feel more like 'canon', this throws a wrench in the works.

Nuts, I've confused myself now.

A Few Thoughts on Comics from this week

Ultimate Spider-Man #133 and Ultimatum #4 both came out this week. There's a lot going on, a little 'cya' happening, and a ton of extra super crazy violence. It does feel like a down and dirty, last ditch chance at saving the world sort of thing. It's also reminding me more and more of the big shakeup that altered the world of 2099 a decade or so ago. The declared point of all this is to make the Ultimate Universe that much more different from the mainstream Marvel Universe. That they are doing. If everything goes back to normal at the end of this? Then I'm done.

Amazing Spider-Man #596 had a fill-in artist. Not bad but disappointing. Story is still good.

Dark Avengers #5 has a neat twist in it. I'm not sure if it's going somewhere or if it'll lead to a character twist. Eitherway will work just fine.

The Muppet Show #3 tells Gonzo's Story. The insurance on the theatre is being updated and the regular performers need to be listed. The insurance company wants to know what Gonzo is and Scooter tries to find out. "That's easy," I hear you say, "Gonzo's an alien. They said so in 'Muppets from Space'." Is he? Do we know that? The Muppet movies feature the Muppet performers as actors, playing roles. This fact is made clear in the first movie as the bulk of the movie is a movie that the Muppets are watching that they performed in. The post-Henson films made this point even more clear as the Muppets take on roles from books (A Christmas Carol and Treasure Island) so why should we expect that the events of 'Muppets from Space' are suddenly accurate or 'count'? Luckily, while the comic does answer some questions, it doesn't contradict the events of 'Muppets from Space' so, you know, it could count. The book is funny too.

Wax Paper Makes Me Think of Mel Brooks

Thank you, thank you, and thank you!

Once upon a time, two peanuts were walking down the street and one walked into a bar.

(Wait, that can't be right.)

Did you hear about the chicken that crossed the road? You did, huh?

(Oh, no. This is not going well.)

Do you know what's yellow and doesn't breathe? A dead school bus! Aaaaaaah?!?

(Now we're getting some place!)

What's black and white and read nowhere? A newspaper!

Thank you! Wocka-wocka!

Missed a Couple Days, Ramble to Catch Up

Last week was a weird week that seemed to drag more than most. Wednesday I realized it was because I'd gone too long without seeing the bulk of my friends. I was expecting a 'booster shot' my going to the comic book store, only to suddenly recall that new books didn't get released until Thursday due to Memorial Day. Ugh, that ended up being no fun. Thursday had the Edge crew mostly gathered, Friday was baseball with Moppy, Saturday night was on at the Compound as normal, and Sunday was more baseball with Moppy and a cast of others. In that regard, I'm feeling much better now.

Speaking of feeling much better, the Brewers seem to be feeling better as well. Last week they were on a bit of a skid as well. Thursday was their day off. Between that, I noted, and them getting to see me on Friday, they'd so be bad to their winning ways. And what happened? Three game winning streak and a sweep of the Reds. My streak lives as well.

Saturday night we watched 'Fanboys'. I'm not sure which version got released on DVD as there were rumors of three different cuts of the film. The basic premise is that a group of Star Wars fans head to Skywalker Ranch in 1998 in order to get a copy of the upcoming 'Episode One' for their terminally ill friend can see it. They don't dwell much on the illness of that character but it does pop up now and then as a plot point. Even as the non-fan of Star Wars that I am, I found the movie entertainingly funny. While it does mock many things, fandom as a whole is not mocked. Fandom is often about the friendships you make as a part of that fandom and that theme is center to the film. It's worth seeing, even if the idea of Kristen Bell in a black wig wearing a Slave Leia bikini doesn't get your heart a-racing. Woo-hoo!

A Few Thoughts on Comics from this week

New Avengers #53 apparently reveals the identity of the new Sorcerer Supreme. Doctor Strange was that fellow but failed during World War Hulk and has had a crisis of confidence since. I'm not sure the identity of the new Sorcerer is a surprise; I think I guessed it after they identified their destination last issue. It might be interesting, especially if they do something with the character now as opposed to the character returning to limbo and Doc Strange reclaiming the mantle in a year or two. Fred Hembeck should be happy about this, if nothing else.

Nova #25 doesn't go double-sized or anything for the anniversary issue. A storyline wraps up and another starts. Perhaps it was the change in artist but the revelations that occurred this issue didn't seem as... impactful as some in recent issues. The story was still good but didn't grab me as much as they have of late.

Amazing Spider-Man #595 starts the storyline that will build to the anniversary #600 issue. Phil Jimenez's detailed art is a plus. Wolverine telling Pete to take out Norman Osborn is a plus. A page that harkens back to a classic John Romita image is a plus. The twist at the end having been ruined by solictations for later issues is a slight minus. So far, so good.

Avengers - The Initiative #24 shows a book still in transition. This was a book launched after the big 'Civil War' storyline and fit in that period. It doesn't fit as well post-'Secret Invasion' and it feels very much like a book trying to find a new footing. The writer seems to have a goal in mind and, were it not for that, I couldn't see continuing to read the book. That said, it needs to get to that new footing soon as it feels like it's a few months behind other books being released.

Incredible Hercules #129 starts something interesting. Hercules goes to Hades to find Zeus. Seeing the afterlife presented as a casino? Neat idea, especially for comics as the deceased are gambling for the jackpot of resurrection. This remains a solid book and a good read.

Amazing Spider-Man - The Short Halloween is the book written by Bill Hader and Seth Meyers from Saturday Night Live. It's a fun read. Had the double-sized issue been cut in two and presented in the normal Amazing, I wouldn't have been disappointed. It's a clever story and fun. I did expect it to be funnier considering the authors and that's the only disappointment I had with the book. It's funny but not Funny. Very worth reading all the same.

Muppet Robin Hood #1 was finally released this week, delayed from almost a month ago. It feels very Muppety, which is great. Kermit plays Robin Hood, which causes conversations amongst the characters as they're confused. 'Isn't Robin your nephew?' they ask. For Muppets, this sort of 'it's only a story' works in a way that it wouldn't for most characters. The art is interesting. I wasn't sure I was going to like it based on the covers as the characters are drawn in a different style. Certain characters don't lend themselves to artist interpretation as they don't look 'right', characters like Bugs Bunny or Mickey Mouse for instance. Once you get used to the style, these Muppets look right. This is the first time in 30 years that I can remember Miss Piggy looking cute. It feels weird. It's not that its a bad thing, it's just... different. Anyway, thumbs up. I saw a report that Boom! Studios has gotten the Disney license as well. I'm growing keen to see what they'll do with it based on their Muppet Comics.

Yes, It Can Happen to You

We've probably all seen an article at some point that argues pop culture desensitizes people to suffering and pain. They'll point to some kid that goes around the bend and does something damaging to others. They dig into his interests and trot them out as an explanation; that he listened to this music, watched these movies, played these video games, tuned into these television shows. They can't explain why no one else that had these interests didn't snap like this one kid but that's because the answer is never as simple as all that.

Removing these extreme cases from the equation, I'm of the belief that what becomes damaged is a person's imagination. Whether it be from a lack of variety or an inability to read well or just plain simple-mindedness is unclear to me but what is clear is that people often aren't good at putting themselves in other people's shoes.

For instance, have you ever been watching a movie with your friends or family and a character in the film does something that, to you having extra knowledge of the situation because you're watching the film, is dumb but, from the limited knowledge the character has, isn't dumb? Has one of your group felt the need to comment "Well that was dumb. This movie is so stupid. Why would they do that?"? I'm not talking here of the ludicrous action, the 'I'll go into a darkened basement for no clear reason because the killer is down there and the writer needed a moment of tension here' kind of thing here. I mean more the 'I enter my home like I normally would, not turning on every light in the place because I have no reason to believe there's a killer in my closet' type thing. The sorts of things that normal people who don't know they're in a movie will do.

Or the 'how can they not hear that?' scoff? Are you familiar with that one? When the shadowy figure sneaks up on the unsuspecting worker that's busily involved with a task? Maybe the floor creaks a little and the worker keeps working, only to get attacked for all his hard work?

Then again, maybe people can put themselves in those situations. Maybe they're all too familiar to many people. Maybe it's not a lack of imagination, but plain ego. It's just that we'd like to think that, were we in the same situation, we'd be smarter than that. We'd be more on our toes than that. We'd fight back better than that. The killer could never sneak up on ME.

And, of course, for most of us, the killer could sneak up on us. It's just something we don't want to think about.

Yesterday I was vacuuming while listening to my iPod. I couldn't hear anything else, not anything at a reasonably normal volume anyway. No one was screaming in the room next to me so I didn't fully test the theory. Point is, even with the volume on the iPod relatively low, just loud enough to be able to make out what song was playing over the roar of the vacuum, I couldn't hear anything. Had a shadowy figure or a zombie or what-have-you been sneaking up on me, it probably would have been successful.

So it could happen, if you allow yourself to think about it.

Progress That Doesn't Feel Like Progress is No Fun

I'm at a bit of a loss today. I forgot that new Comic day was delayed until tomorrow this week due to the holiday. All of a sudden mid-day I realized I would have time on my hands that I wasn't sure how to fill. I'm not doing a great job spending it wisely I must say. I've gotten some stuff done but not as much as I feel I should.

I should also have something to talk about here but nothing jumps to mind, nothing that I can turn into a full topic anyway. Haven't watched a movie of late. Brewers haven't played well this past week or so which is disappointing. In my opinion, basketball isn't a sport anymore but, beyond saying that, I haven't much else to add.

Hmm. Just spinning my tires in the mud. Still better than being the guy behind the car getting muddy.

Taking Me Back

I've long wondered if there was something wrong with my nose. Flowers rarely have a smell to me. I mean, occasionally I'd smell something but it never seemed like much. If you had a large enough garden then I could smell them but have three or four in a pot, generally nothing.

Today I went out to my aunt and uncle's greenhouse. They took it over from my grandparents decades ago. When I was a kid, it was a summer playground for me. I was there a lot. In the past fifteen, twenty years, not so much. I walked in today and it was the same.

Well, not exactly completely the same. The building's settling was a bit further along and I had to duck on occasion where I wouldn't have had to do as a kid but, essentially, it was the same. Most importantly was the scent. Earth and flowers; exactly the same as I remember from being a kid. Strong and rich, surrounding me. That's what flowers smell like to me. I must have 'broken' my nose as a kid, gotten too used to this smell being the proper one.

Between all that and getting to see family again, it was a good time.

Now, if we could just figure out a way for my cousin and I to switch hairlines, things would be even better. He's got a full head of hair that he doesn't want and I don't and wouldn't mind more hair. Minor detail.

A Few Thoughts on Comics from this week

Yes I know it's later than normal. I didn't feel well for a chunk of this week. Dagnabbit.

Not as much happened in Captain America #50 as I expected. I thought there'd be some big twist in the long term storyline but, if there was one, it was subtle. Maybe they're saving it for next month when they reset the numbering of the book to #600. Please don't ask me to explain setting numbers back; it's this whole 'having your cake and eating it too' concept that doesn't make a lot of sense.

Hulk #12... why I am still reading this? Solicts for July explain that soon we'll have this Hulk book and Incredible Hulk is returning after having been renamed Incredible Hercules (again, numbering, don't ask). I might get Incredible Hulk for awhile if Loeb isn't writing it. What annoys me about this book is that the Red Hulk is as all powerful as Loeb wants him to be in that second without any real explanation of what's going on. It might make sense once the origin of the Red Hulk gets explained and that's the only reason I've been hanging on this long. Well, that and the art. Here, I know how to explain this; this Hulk book is like watching a Michael Bay film: it's got some silly bits, some explosions, some stuff that's meant to be character building but isn't, and is fun if you don't think about it at all. Once you think about it, the story collapses around you, no matter how pretty it, or the girls in it, look.

Doctor Who - The Time Machination was fun. I remember having discussions online about continuity and, if the show was to return, whether it should bother to acknowledge the old stories or just start over. When the show did return, it did both and neither, which was really very clever indeed. This comic shows why keeping continuity can create new stories, not inhibit them as two 'classic' stories are referenced while using current continuity to create a new story for the David Tennant Doctor. Fun book.

Uncanny X-Men #510 features more of Greg Land's pretty looking but soulless feeling art. It is affecting my interest in the story. It just feels very processed. It's like he draws each character in three or four posts, scans them into a computer, and then photoshops the pictures together. Meh.

Fantastic Four #566 has us beholding the Masters of Doom! Doctor Doom that is. The story builds nicely, giving us detail on what's up for the FF and lets us see Doom preparing for his masters. When they arrive and he cowtows to them, it's creepy. They feel like a Big Deal. That said, it feels like Mark Millar is introducing a slightly more sane Judge Death into the Marvel Universe. That's not necessarily a bad thing.

Punisher #5 provides a big 'What The!?!' moment. Also a 'how long has this been going on?!?' moment that fades into a 'well, that might explain a lot' moment. It's all the same moment. At the end of the day, the important thing is that Frank Castle will have people to kill.

Tales of the TMNT #58 has a tight, cartoony art style, is the end of a trilogy of stories, has time travel, has space travel, has a scene with alternate dimensions, has a giant space vampire, and the C.O.W.Boys of Moo Mesa in it. What's not to like? I thought it was much fun.

All Hail Megatron #11 sets Megatron up in grand fashion while delivering much big action and excitement as well. Watching the Transformers cartoon in the 80's, it was easy to think of Megatron as a bit of an idiot. He'd transform into the gun and leap into the hands of Starscream, who was always seeking to take his place. Why should he ever trust him? This issue explains Megatron's motivations and sets him as a master planner, explaining how this plan went so right for a change as well as why he treats Starscream as he does. Neither character is a caricature anymore but plotters that have use for the other at the time. I had earlier wondered about the pacing of this series but it's been very deliberate, or maybe not as two 'coda' issues have now been scheduled! Good stuff this.

More Ad Talk

One thing I like about these new Walmart commercials is the thought behind them. It's the ones where they show the blue Walmart bag and people magically pull stuff in and out of it like it's some multi-dimensional device. They explain something logical to you about your money; if you eat breakfast at home you can save this much over the course of a year or if you eat ice cream at home instead of eating out you can save that much.

The thing I like is that they the ads aren't saying 'don't eat out' but they are saying 'if you eat out this many times less a month you can save money'. Its as if Walmart is trying to promote other businesses as well, trying to keep the general economy alive.

Who ever thought you could say that about Walmart? Of course, they still want you to get the groceries from them so maybe it's not that different.

Comedians

I continue to listen to the Comedy 'radio' channel available as part of the TV package. They play a lot of Bill Cosby. This is not that bad a thing to me as I like Cosby's work in general. The other day I started working why there's no retrospective of his career.

Many of his albums were re-released onto CD within the last decade, but not all of them. George Carlin and Richard Pryor had box sets released that collected the bulk of their work and added previously unreleased audio. Is there no unreleased Bill Cosby audio? Seems unlikely.

Speaking of Carlin and Pryor, I've got a VHS tape somewhere that collects an hour of stand-up routines from sixties TV. Cosby appears as well. Why is there no collection like this on DVD? Did I miss it? I've got a DVD collecting most of the Muppet appearances on the Ed Sullivan show. How about a DVD set of comedians? It seems odd to me that this footage doesn't seem to be out there at all. Is it missing? Is it just on YouTube and I haven't looked yet?

I want some footage please.

Short Notes to Clear Some Topics from My Brain

- Watched the season ending episode of 'SNL' this past weekend. Missed the beginning but caught the bulk of what was an amusing show. Admittedly, part of the amusement was due to the sudden unexpected (by our group at least) cameo appearances of former castmembers and friends of the show. In retrospect, it wasn't unlike a late 1990's episode of Monday Night Raw or Nitro, where the bulk of the entertainment was due to the twists and turns involved in the spectacle, more than the overall quality of the product. Having missed the beginning, I don't know if they did anything special for Don Pardo. He has apparently retired after announcing all but one season of the show. The man's 91. He's allowed. Three cheers for Don Pardo!

- I hate to chance a jinx by mentioning it but, man, are those Milwaukee Brewers playing good baseball of late! Even with Rickie Weeks out for the season, they are currently looking like a team to beat in the National League. Three games into this nine game road trip the team is 3-0. Of course, now that I've said something, they'll end the trip 3-6. It'll be my fault.

- The last couple days have felt weird. I did some shopping. I'd gotten used to not doing that. It was fun. Got more remastered Stooges on DVD (all the Curlys have been released and we're onto Shemp now) as well as some Lucha (hooray Parka!). You know, because I don't have enough of that already.

- Last night in between innings of the baseball game, we flipped over to RAW a couple times to see that Ric Flair was back. Weird as I thought it was working with ROH as an 'ambassador'. During one segment we saw, he talked about wanting to un-retire. Really. The Flair - Favre comparisons continue...

Throwback Beverages

I've now had a couple beers that returned to their classic formulas. They were good, certainly better than the 'updated' versions that existed for years.

I'm guessing this has become a trend now as today I saw sodas doing the same thing.

I'm not a soda junkie like I once was in my youth. Soda became too handy and convenient. I drank too much of it. A few years ago, I started substituting other beverages in sodas place and soda mostly disappeared from my drinking habits. I have it occasionally, like a treat, and it's okay. Seeing the throwback sodas, I decided I was interested in trying one. I had a Mountain Dew.

Yes, a Mountain Dew made with natural sugar. Not a MTN Dew. It's the old style logo as well. I liked it. It tasted like the soda I remember falling in love with as a kid, not the heavy syruped stuff that I last remembered drinking from cans.

The in-store ads said its a limited time deal. Try one before they go!

I Still Miss Someone

Normally I miss this day. It slips past me and I recall it after the fact and I'm okay. This week I was reminded it was approaching so today I'm stuck with the awareness of what happened nineteen years ago today.

Jim Henson died.

Man, even all this time later, just typing the words together makes my eyes water. That happens to me a lot with Jim, sometimes out of happiness, sometimes sadness. As silly as it may sound, pieces of felt and ping-pong ball eyes have a way of stirring my emotions. The Muppets are the first things I remember being a fan of as a kid, growing up at the right time to have both Sesame Street and The Muppet Show on at the same time. I joined the fan club. They've always been around.

When Jim died, they didn't seem to be around as much. I still had magazines I'd collected and my viewmasters, but the show wasn't on as much. They weren't on tape either. Not much anyway. I gathered what little I could and continued to be amused by it.

The past few years have been a happy revivification of the gang. There were the waves of toys; the toys I'd wanted as a youth that I was thrilled to see as an older youth. DVDs of the show have slowly been released. The Muppets have started to appear in new productions, ones that seem closer to the spirit of the older productions. There's a comic book now that's funny. I got to see Muppetvision 4D at Walt Disney World, one of the last projects Jim worked on.

It would still be better if Jim were still here.

"Please watch out for each other and love and forgive everybody. It's a good life, enjoy it" - Jim Henson

Cleaning Again

I've had a lot of time to work in the archive during this period where I don't have an assigned task to keep me occupied. I'd put it on hold for awhile for a couple reasons. One reason was that pausing allowed me to step back and reassess the situation, replan, rearrange. The other big reason was that it was easy to work on that and for me to neglect everything else I needed to get done. Like write or look for employment, stuff like that.

I did have something occur to me the other day, something that actually triggered the restart of the cleaning process: I've got fragments of old projects still littering the place. There are some cases and boxes that have been sitting in their current locations for months, sometimes years, that were meant to be there temporarily, until I could wrap up the project. They've sat long enough that they became part of the furniture. I clean around them like they're supposed to be where they are.

On the plus side to all this, the place is starting to get more organized and I'm starting to get some space back. You know what that means as much as I do: I'll end up filling it with something.

Waste is Bad

The other week at the Comic Book Store we were having a conversation about walking out of movies. We all agreed that it was a rare occurrence and everyone recounted a film that was bad enough to leave. Well, almost everyone. I couldn't think of a movie I'd ever walked out on. I'd feel like it was a waste of money to walk out on something I paid for and I'm not so forceful that I'd demand my money back.

I'm not big on waste. I'm uncomfortable wasting food as I believe that, if I asked for it, I should eat it. I don't like pouring our drinks for the same reason. As a pack rat, er, collector, I'm not good at throwing things out that might be of future use. It's probably why I like to recycle; it's throwing things away and not wasting them at the same time.

Of course, eating things I don't like and watching movies I don't like does lead to the one thing I'm good at wasting: time. I keep thinking that I'll get better at scheduling myself but I rarely become that effective. An object at rest tends to stay at rest unless acted on by an outside force. Nothing much is forcing me at the moment.

Maybe I'll figure it out next week.

Star Trek

I didn't get to see any 'Star Trek' until I was in middle school. It was one of those shows I read about as a kid but was only on at two in the morning and I wasn't allowed to stay up that late. In my pre-VCR days, that mean I didn't see it. Sometime in middle school, one of the local channels started running it during more normal hours and I liked it. I was in.

At the time, there was no need to identify the series as anything but 'Star Trek' as there was only the one series. This was 1985-1986. I saw the original series, watched 'The Voyage Home' in the theatre, and started buying books.

The interest faded soon into 'The Next Generation'. Things felt repetitive and plastic. The passion in the show was gone. Even when people were mad at each other and yelling, it felt muted. It might have been a stylistic choice but it didn't work for me. By in large, I stopped watching the different series as they came about, only really enjoying a fan fiction series my buddies wrote.

I think a lot of this displeasure on my part was due to the honcho at the time. Much like the Michael Eisner years turned me away from Disney, Rick Berman helped turn me away from Star Trek. Berman didn't interview well. I was getting Starlog on occasion at the time and an interview with Rick Berman turned me into a hater of his style. There may have been pressures on him that I don't understand but Berman became synonymous with running the franchise into the ground to me.

Today I saw the new 'Star Trek' film. I wanted to enjoy it. Luckily I did.

It felt like a movie, not an extended tv episode.

The characters felt true to themselves, with the new actors reflecting the originals without mocking them. Quinto plays Spock and does the thoughtful eyes like Nimoy used to on the show. Loved it.

The ship's design, inside and out, looks like an updated version of the original. It's retro and not at the same time.

Most importantly, the passion is there. The characters live. They struggle. Space feels new, fresh, dangerous. It doesn't feel like things are handed to them. Survival doesn't feel guaranteed.

There's the annoying shaky cam at use, especially in the fight scenes, but that's really the only thing I can say against the movie. 'Star Trek' feels fresh again. Hopefully it'll stay that way for awhile.

Things I'm enjoying from Saturday's episode of ROH Wrestling

- Earlier shows had a very distinct format, presumably to let new viewers focus on the wrestlers. Each match was about the same length. The interviews were all backstage. Two months into the show, the programme starts with an interview in the ring, there's a squash match, another interview in the ring, a flashback to before the episode, and a possibly 30 minute main event. Way to mix it up!

- Commentary reference to Gordon Solie, the dean of wrestling announcers, not only using his 'game of human chess' line but attributing it to him.

- Ric wooooooo! Flair!

- Commentary reference to 'greco-roman knuckle lock'.

- Number one contenders match with the champ watching from the production booth.

- Bryan Danielson's submission holds. Ouch!

- Dives into the crowd ala old ECW.

- A match ending I haven't seen in ages. Wow! Excellent main event.

- Storylines starting to form.

This isn't perfect but it's good and getting even better.

So what if this is late?

Last night I dreamt I was back on the 'Pirates of the Carribean' ride with my friends. We splashed down in the area with the ship fighting the fortress, except there was a change. Past the ship, face buried in the corner, was a T-Rex.

I laughed. It finally was Captain Dinosaur's Pirate Ripoff, or whatever it had been named in Krustyland. I wondered why it was facing the corner with its tail to us. Things moved on.

All I remember from the dream is that scene with the ship and the dinosaur. The reasons for dreaming about Pirates was easy enough as I'd been listening to a ridethough on my way home from the Compound. The T-Rex, especially its positioning, had me flummoxed for a moment. I flashed back to Wednesday at the Museum and all became clear. I'd been standing behind the T-Rex. What I'd seen Wednesday was how it appeared in the dream.

I mixed the Milwaukee Public Museum and Walt Disney World together in a dream. I suppose that shows where I'm happy or something. It still sounds weird but if I could visit both in one day, well, I'd think that was a fine day.

My Streak

This week there was some talk of streaks in baseball. The Milwaukee Brewers have won their last 17 regular season games against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The record for one team defeating another is 23 back in 1969-1970 when the Baltimore Orioles beat upon the Kansas City Royals.

As of last night, I've been to 7 baseball games at Miller Park this year; 6 Brewers games and 1 Timber Rattlers minor league game. All 7 have been victories for the home team. While I don't exactly recall the timing of last season and which games I attended, I do remember that the Brewers won the last game I attended last season, so I've got at least an 8 game winning streak going at Miller Park right now. Baseball fans being what they are I'm sure there's a site somewhere that tracks fan records as well.

I wonder how I'm doing. Is 8 good? Barely average?

I shouldn't be this curious about it. It'll likely lead to far too much websearching. I've got enough to do, like getting ready to attend Wednesday's game.

Picture Time

Spent some time today reading a 'conversation' online about taking photographs at theme parks. Felt like a bit of a jag while reading it. You see, I've only been to Disney and Universal the once and I only had my camera phone to take pictures with so there was no flash. As a result, I had no temptation to take pictures in the darker areas. I had friends that did. The conversation focused on how it was bad and impolite to take pictures in those areas with flashes. Doh.

On the up side, the conversation provided some detail on how to take decent pictures in the darker areas. We can blow off the mistakes we made as being dumb tourists and try to move forward. That said, I dunno how to adjust the camera I borrowed from my folks to do this sort of thing. I bummed it from them in part for the upgrade in quality (2mp to 5mp) but also for the flash quality. It brightens the Museum pictures I've been taking.

That said, I'm not thrilled with all the 'brightened' pictures I've been taking. I was warned about that and it turned out to be true. Many of them display detail but they don't look like what I see. The same was true of many of the pictures they took at Disney. You got pictures but they didn't look like what our eyes saw.

So now I need a camera I can adjust and fiddle with to some degree. I can practice at the Museum and use that later at the parks.

I might be better picture educated that Peter Parker. That would be cool.

A Few Thoughts on Comics from this week

Marvel Adventures - The Avengers #35 - The ladies in the Avengers (Giant Girl, Storm, and Tigra) are away so the guy Avengers (Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Captain America, Wolverine, and Hawkeye in this issue) act like bachelors: eating silly, not cleaning up after themselves, and playing football indoors. Hawkeye has an awards ceremony to attend and decides he'll look like a loser without a date. With the gals gone, he signs up for an online dating company, lazily uploading his personal data from his Avengers Communicator. Unfortunately, he uploads the entire contents of his Communicator, including the data on his teammates and their headquarters. Oops. Soon the male Avengers are overrun by women, super-powered and not, looking for dates. They have to personally apply to have their information removed from the site, only to find that it's run by Batroc the Leaper, in a totally legitimate venture, and he loves the attention that having the Avengers on his site is getting. Can they talk him into fixing this?

I like the art in these books. The writing is good-naturedly silly, with some lines being laugh-out-loud funny ('Because I'm Captain America and I know when someone looks guilty.' 'These ideas are lame! We always blame the Hulk!'). There's no continuity to get hung up onto. They're light, fun stories, fun for kids and adults. I've gotten some of the Spider-Man and Fantastic Four issues in this line before and they were similarly enjoyable.

Tired of dark storylines? Tired of 'too many' comics? Been out of comics for awhile and keen to see characters you remember from the last time you read? Start with the Marvel Adventures line. This is good stuff.

Creepy Moment

Was once again at the Milwaukee Public Museum today. I went with my folks for the Titanic exhibit (finally survived!) and we took in some more of the general establishment as well.

Once we got to the Third Planet exhibit, I scouted ahead in order to get some more footage of the T-Rex diorama at the heart of the exhibit. There were other people in there but I was alone in that I wasn't with any of them. I headed for the balcony to get an angle on the scene that I had in my head. On the left side of the diorama (as you face it), there's a landing in the stairwell up to the balcony. As I watched the lighting change, it occurred to me that this landing would be a good angle to shoot from as it would let me see behind the T-Rex better. I headed there.

It creeped me out to do so.

Suddenly upon reaching the area, I felt nervous. Part of it was that I suddenly felt a bit 'inside' the exhibit and that felt wrong. I think the rest was that I was now very close to the T-Rex's tail and that didn't seem right either. As the room cycled, the lightning crash as right by my head. That was a bit odd as well.

I hung in there, overriding my stupid nerves, and I think I got some nice footage. I found some details that I may not have seen in ages, if ever before. It was worth it.

I'm totally expecting to have that 'falling in the exhibit' dream I had after first seeing the exhibit when I was about twelve. I'm not really looking forward to that.

Returning to Speed

Was without Internet for a day. It sucked.

Amongst wrestling fans, the term 'retirement' is generally considered worthless. It means a rest, not an ending. Storylines will revolve around 'retirement' matches and how the 'retired' wrestler will be returned to active duty later on in an acceptable manner. Non wrestling fans mock 'retirement' even more, often noting it as a reason that wrestling is stupid or 'fake'.

Of wrestlers that have 'retired', many fans will point to Terry Funk as the king of 'retiring'. He had matches that were referred to as 'retirement' matches in three different decades, dating back to about 1980. In Terry's defense, in his book he notes that he never claimed those matches were 'retirement' matches, promoters will say things, and he never 'retired', at least not that often. For the sake of the argument, we'll say he's retired three times, once in each of the last three decades.

When did Brett Favre become Terry Funk? I'm crying and retired, I'm unretired but only for a year, and now I might be done again but not. Even stranger, wrestlers tend to retire as good guys, with the crowd saluting their years of hard work, no matter what kind of character they may have playing during most of their career. Brett Favre has slowly been turning 'heel' in the past few years, taking care of number one in the most over-the-top crazy manner.

Really Brett? Really? If you want a flaming branding iron, just say so and we'll get you one. Just stay home dude before you get booed out of everywhere.

Tired

Today was warmer. Got lots of sun. Am red but not as red as some people I was there with today.

I'm 6-0 at Miller Park so far this year. I still think they should give me a job as a 'good luck charm' fan. I dunno what it should pay but watching all that baseball would be interesting.

Good grief

Thursday night was a Brewer game. Last minute decision that paid off well.

Friday I had lunch with a former workmate and then tooled around shops with George.

Today was Free Comic Book Day. Then I went to the zoo with the Gentekis clan. Jason interviewed a bat. Returning to the Compound, I tossed the football around with Niko. I tossed a baseball to Kara. George grilled. We ate a lot. Then we ran down the street for custard. Oof. Right now I'm overtired.

Tomorrow? Another last minute 'attending a baseball game' decision and the last week of the Sunday Bowling League.

It sure feels like summer to me. At least it would if it was a little warmer.

We'll keep this simple today

Go get a free comic. Reading is good for you! Not all comics are about superheroes, just a lot of them.

Not sure where your Local Comic Book Shop is located? This link will help you find it!

http://www.comicshoplocator.com/

What? Like you don't like free. I know you do...

A Few Thoughts on Comics (not) from this week

Before I return to the pattern of regular reviews, there's something I should finish out.

A few weeks ago, I reviewed issue #590 of the Amazing Spider-Man, an issue that co-starred the Fantastic Four. I had some problems with the details in the story, many of which we determined might be my fault for having missed other stories, but I noted I'd wait on the second part of the story before making a final determination on what I thought.

To start of issue #591, the recap page (aka the front page of the DB) proclaims that this issue takes place before New Avengers #51. This is one of the questions I had regarding the last issue. I'm not so bigheaded that I'd think this was a 'hey Steve, happy now?' moment but it may indicate I wasn't the only one who didn't get the news on the Internet.

Speaking of the Internet, I did read an interview with writer Dan Slott regarding the story after I finished reading it. He noted some problems with the dialogue surrounding the time variations between dimensions. We won't worry about that then.

Johnny and Spidey continue to fuss over his secret identity. Reed thinks it unlikely that they knew Spidey's identity and it got covered up. He just doesn't have those kind of resources. They return to the matter at hand but keep discussing the 'mindwipe' as they go.

Eventually Spidey gets annoyed at Johnny's pushing and has to point out that Johnny's identity, along with the rest of the FF, has been common knowledge for ages. His super-powered family lives together in a 'safe' place. Spidey's friends and family are normal. Johnny's super-hero uniform is a set of clothes to him but Spidey's suit is a disguise, designed to protect those he knows from the full impact of his double life.

Once the adventure is over (the adventure is mostly there to 1. cause this conversation with the team-up and 2. get Pete out of town for a couple months to mess his life up further), the conversation returns to the 'mindwipe' that erased Spidey's secret identity from everyone's mind. While talking to Reed, he refers to it as a 'psychic blindspot' that doesn't allow people to properly connect the dots even if they have the evidence to prove he's Spidey. It seems odd at first that he can speak so confidently about this but he's had a year or so (his time) to see this in action and ponder it so it's not that odd.

Question - does Spidey *know* what happened, to any degree, to cause the mindwipe? He doesn't say here and it would be illogical for him to remember the moment that caused 'Brand New Day' because, really, it didn't happen to him. (Head's starting to hurt...) Does he remember that Mephisto was involved? Does he remember Mary Jane being involved? I don't think they've gone to that level of explanation yet. Just pondering.

Spidey's logic to not reveal his identity is solid. He may trust the FF but things happen. People get their mind read, they get possessed, replaced by Skrulls. Things happen. It's best that he keep this to himself.

Reed offers to duplicate the brainwave that creates the 'blindspot'. This is enough for Pete and he goes along with it, removing his mask, finally being pressured into trusting someone.

Now, this is a sweet moment, very nice and heartwarming. But.

As he removes the mask, he notes 'The way this works, once you see me, it'll all come back to you.' How does he know this? As I noted before, it makes sense that he could of observed the 'blindspot' at work and figured out how it's working. The only way he could really know that revealing his face recalls memories in others would be if he'd already done it before.

Is this a clue that the FF weren't the first to have his identity re-revealed to them? If it's not, it comes across as sloppy storytelling because Pete has knowledge of something that he can't really possess. How would he know? Are there rules regarding mindwipes that he read online? Is there a wiki for that?

Also, how does this affect his decision to reveal his identity to the Avengers team he's on? Is Reed going to hook them up with the 'firewall' as well?

Now, the group returns from the other dimension with two months having passed in their normal dimension. No big deal for the FF maybe but a big deal for our Spidey, both in the storyline and overall.

Another question needs raising: how messed up is Pete's timeline now? At the beginning of 'Brand New Day' it's noted that Spider-Man has been gone for about a year. How does he line up with the rest of the Marvel Universe's general timeline now? Yet we saw Spidey involved in the Civil War, the New Avengers, the Secret Invasion, when was he gone? Now he's lost another two months, mostly to advance the subplots?

Feel free to tell me I'm thinking too hard about this. I do that.

Enjoyable moments but, overall, I'm disappointed. It seems like it was a nice idea to do something simple and cute but it doesn't seem to fit into the overall structure like it was meant to do.

Stuff

I need to improve my summarizing skills. It's far too easy to tell which stories from the digest I mentioned yesterday were my favorite as I rabbit on about them at length.

A number of my blog entries are written rather quickly, trying to capture the thoughts as I get them (today's an example and not a good one). Sometimes they are carefully crafted discussions, working through a thought process. It's not that I couldn't go back and edit them but how perfect do I need these to be? If I look at them for too long they'll never be quite right. Maybe that's lazy. I like to think that it's 'off the cuff'.

Okay, I have typing to do and comics to read. More tomorrow.

Walt Disney's Comics Digest #32 - December 1971

I moved some books today, glanced at the stack of digest comics in my hand, and froze. This particular digest touted a tour of WDW's Magic Kingdom by Disney characters. Wow! Apparently I've had this for years. Let's have a look inside, shall we?

Well, I'll look inside and tell you what I see. It'll be quicker.

We get a page of the characters to be involved in the various stories and then they break into the individual lands.

Minnie, Goofy, and Pluto eagerly visit Fantasyland. They ride the Teacups, Dumbo ride, and Peter Pan's Flight. The heights in Peter Pan scare Goofy and Pluto but Minnie explains that everything in Fantasyland is exciting but always safe. After a trip through Mister Toad's Wild Ride, they meet up with Jiminy Cricket, who 'practically runs things'. He takes them through Snow White's Adventures. Goofy and Pluto get scared by the Witch and run off, abandoning the cars and track (not recommended). Minnie's calls remind them that everything is safe and they relax. However, they're now lost in the caves. Suddenly Goofy and Pluto find themselves in a green garden... in Wonderland! Jiminy goes looking for them and finds the special tunnel the boys followed. Wonderland is mixed with Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Snow White, and Peter Pan, meaning that there's a REAL Fantasyland hidden within the rides of the Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland. Goofy runs afoul of the Red Queen and is sent on a mission to collect a poisoned apple from the Wicked Witch. While he collects the recipe, Goofy gets captured. Jiminy and Pluto escape to get help. The Dwarves and Wonderland residents get dusted with fairy dust by Tinkerbell, allowing them to fly over the moat to access the Witch's castle. There the Witch is introduced to fairy dust and thinks a happy thought, allowing her to fly. Outside, the dust is washed from the Witch and she plummets to the moat, becoming occupied by swimming away from the crocodiles there. The Red Queen declares our hero Sir Goofy. Hearing Minnie's voice, the boys return to her. She's cross that they abandoned her but they really can't explain what happened to her.

Mickey and Donald head to Frontierland to meet up with the stars of the Country Bear Jamboree. Three of the bears are missing. It turns out that they are off having a picnic and don't want to come to work today. The story is a long chase scene with Mickey, Donald, and bear Henry in hot pursuit. The use the railroad, Davy Crockett canoes, and stagecoaches to chase. Eventually, Henry catches the slacker bears on Mike Fink's Keel Boat and takes them back to work.

Uncle Scrooge takes April, May, and June (Daisy's nieces, the female Huey, Louie, and Dewey) to Main Street, U.S.A. because he wants the bargain prices of 1900. The girls explain that the land may be set in the past but the prices are up to date (so true!). The great genius Professor Ludwig Von Drake has invented a Time Camera and sends the five of them back in time to the 1900s. Uncle Scrooge is in heaven sending pennies for games and sodas. He realizes the soda bottles are rare in their time, worth $10 apiece. He madly begins collecting them, buying out the soda fountain and giving away the soda so he can keep the bottles. The Professor explains that the Camera can't take the bottles back as it's not set up to do that, only items held on their person with return with them. Upset, Scrooge accidentally crashes the cart of bottles into a streetcar, breaking them all. Luckily the girls returned their bottles for the penny deposit and the old coins are worth $100 in 'the year we're going to'. Scrooge remains happy.

Mickey and his nephews, Ferdie and Morty, go to Tomorrowland where they meet up with inventor Gyro Gearloose. He has invented a motor that will turn anything into a rocketship and proves it by the Rocket to the Moon ride into a real Rocket to the moon. He also has pills of compressed air they take in order to survive the lack of oxygen. They pass a car with a trailer in the upper atmosphere and Gyro mused that this must be the individual that stole his other motor. It's Mickey villain Pete, on his way to the moon in order to paint it black, planning to extort money from the writers of love songs who will be lost without moonlight to inspire them. Mickey and the gang stop this plot and capture the bad guys, who are forced to clean up the black spot on the moon they created. At the end of the story, Ferdie and Morty wake up. They hadn't been able to sleep last night due to the excitement over going to the Magic Kingdom and the sorry has all been their dream. They ride Rocket to the Moon again so they can actually see it.

Grandma Duck takes Huey, Dewey, and Louie to Liberty Square to see the Hall of Presidents. Instead of a story with the ducks, we get a reprint of an older Gold Key biography of George Washington.

Daisy and Donald take the Jungle Cruise in Adventureland. The cruise reminds Donald of an adventure he once had with his nephews and Uncle Scrooge. He retells the story (which might be a reprint, I'm not sure) of their hunt for a white elephant. In the end, they miss out on the elephant but return with Africa Fleas and open a Flea Circus instead. Daisy has been paying attention to the ride and not Donald's story. They decide to stay on the ride as Donald missed the whole thing telling his story.

I'm So Worried...

Sometimes I think humans worry about things too much. No, scratch that, I generally think humans worry about things too much, especially things they have little control over but want to be able to control. Don't think I'm looking out at other people and shaking my finger at them because I'm just as bad at some of this than anybody else.

Humans have been worrying about the state of the environment for as long as I can remember. It seems to have been a theme during the course of my lifetime. I don't think this is a bad thing; we shouldn't abuse the Earth and what it provides to those of us upon it. At the same time, humans as a group seem to worry a lot about things outside our control as regards the planet. We want to tinker and think that we can fix problems we see.

Maybe we can and maybe we can't.

For the past few years I've been reading articles bemoaning the low water levels in Lake Michigan, how it's a horrible thing, and arguing if we (humans) should do something about it. The last time we tried it made things worse. If we do nothing and it gets worse, we've no one to blame but ourselves.

The headline on today's Journal/Sentinel (http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/43752092.html) happily expressed the 'comeback' of the Lake. It's recouped about two feet of water in the past sixteen months. The waterline continues to rise. What fixed this issue? All the crummy winter weather we've had over the past couple years.

Ever think that the Earth knows what it's doing more than we do? Again, I'm not saying we shouldn't do anything, but maybe we just shouldn't worry so much. Things will work out. Or not.

Butterflies finally accept me

I was at the Milwaukee Public Museum on Saturday. Yes, that does make twice this week. The running gag amongst my family and friends is that I could go there every day and not be bored. Yes I have applied to work there.

Returning to the story I mean to tell, at the front of the first floor of the building is the special butterfly wing. You get used to things in Museums all being dead and on pins but the Butterflies here are alive in a humid, sweaty environment. This can feel nice in winter or on a cold day but is a problem when you haven't taken your jacket off as I tend to not. It gets warm fast.

These live butterflies will land on people to say 'hi'. They rarely, if ever, land on me. I've joked that I'm not sweet enough which is clearly a lie.

My buddy's kid collected them on his fingers without problem. They climbed on him without issue.

Saturday I overheated just enough to tire out. We had children with us and the extra energy I had to expend encouraged me to sit down at the soonest possibility. There was a seat cut out of a fake rock and, having checked for a lack of butterflies, carefully sat down.

My friends slowly moved closer. The butterflies swarmed around us but, as normal, they avoided contacting me. I relaxed and sat there comfortably.

Suddenly, there was a butterfly on my knee. Carefully I slid the camera from my pocket and snapped a picture. It was nice. I felt accepted. Finally.

Baseball is Baseball

Well, I managed to go to a baseball game yesterday and not sign someone's arm. More successful grilling from me and I feel rather pleased by that. A skill may be forming in that regard.

Yesterday Miller Park hosted one of the Brewers minor league teams. Minor league baseball is still pretty good baseball. Both the Brewers and their minor league affiliate Timber Rattlers won last night, which is nice.

Maybe it's because the major league team names are so familiar, so many of them have years of history behind them, but the minor league team names seem to have a little more creativity behind them. On the board we saw a team named the Silver Hawks. You could have a whole Hawks division if you wanted: silver, red, blue... yes blue. Why not? The names can be silly if we like.

There was a Dragons, a Whitecaps, a Tincaps, a Loons, all sorts of different names. Still, who who want to play as a Loon. Well, besides me.

Ponderings

While I was pondering things the other day, I felt that we may be on the edge of a new vanguard in technology. Once we pass the edge and begin the transformation, jobs will be generated in the hubbub and this transition we are in economically speaking will end. I'd no idea what that next step would be but thought that might be what's going on.

A more disturbing thought occurred today. What if the technology is already here? What if this economic situation is due to the fact that we have the tools to transform our society but we were too slow to do so and are suffering because of it?

That does sound like something we would do.

Colin Solves the Case

We were standing in front of the Chinese House exhibit on the 3rd floor of the Milwaukee Public Museum today. Eric and I were discussing something, what exactly eludes me now. Perhaps how kung fu movies from the 1970s made this type of structure look familiar to us. If not that, no doubt it was something as intellectually stimulating. Eric's young son Colin was busily investigating the Chinese Dog Statues that guard the house; there's one on each side of the doorway.

My conversation died off suddenly as I heard a rattle. Or maybe a rumble. The noise of movement certainly. I looked down at Colin and the Chinese Dog and quickly knelt to investigate.

Some months ago while looking through my archive of saved newspaper articles, I found a few regarding the Museum. One mentioned the Chinese Dogs and that there was a ball in their mouths. The Chinese would rotate them for good luck. After reading the article, I tried to find this but was unable to do so. The mouth was cemented closed. Figuring something had changed between the article's creation and my re-reading of it, I stopped worrying about it.

I was wrong. Now that I was closer to Colin's level I could see how the mouth was structured. It was open, not sealed closed, and the sculpted tongue acted as part of the overall design. There was a gap if I reached back a little, a gap that I could poke my finger into and, lo!, there was a ball that could be pushed around, back and forth. I pushed it, Colin pushed it back to me, and I rattled it back and forth with glee.

The lad is not quite two. I don't think he could grasp how sincere and heartfelt I meant my 'thank you' to him. He had unlocked a mystery for me.

Before you start giving me a hard time about an almost two year old outsmarting me, I'd helped him with the snake button associated with the Bison Hunt diorama on the 2nd Floor about a half-hour before. Clearly he was just thanking me by trading information.

This is a good kid.

And Finally, Dinner

Once in the Chinese restaurant, Harold tries to reclaim his cool, even after Albert declares his lack of trust in the Chinese, feeling they are trying to steal his new gloves. Harold declares they're good people and briefly shuts Albert up by reminding his dad how he enjoys Charlie Chan movies. The menu gives Albert a new reason to complain. The names of the dishes all sound nasty to him and he's upset when he can't get his normal greasy spoon English food. Harold takes care of the food order, noting he'll like it once he sees it and realizes what's in it. Harold also takes care of ordering the drinks. Seeing another customer checking his bill, Albert goes to help him, loudly noting that the Chinese would likely cheat him given the chance. The gentleman tries to listen patiently to Albert as he natters on but almost loses his cool as he leaves with his party. Albert doesn't notice that he's been obnoxious, thinking he's made a new friend. Harold, now steaming, begins to disabuse him of this notion but the food arrives before he can get too far. Harold makes a big deal of sniffing the wine and sampling it before he approves of it but, once Albert gets a glassful, he quickly drains it. To make things that much more exotic, Albert ordered chopsticks as utensils. He tries to show his father how to use them but he needs some fingers to get the food to his mouth. Albert can't get them to work properly. Once he does manage to get food to his mouth, he immediately spits it out, claiming it's horrible. This is the final straw for Harold. He quietly explodes at his father, trying not to make a further scene, pays for the food and leaves.

In order to show his respect for his new hat, Fred gets an extra chair at the table to set it on and a napkin to protect it. Fred's concern for the restaurant isn't a shifty, can't trust Fu Manchu sort of thing like Albert, but he repeats the urban legend that you can't trust the origins of the meat in a Chinese restaurant. Lamont tells him not to worry and, like Harold, orders the food, noting his father will like it when he sees it. Fred's attempt to order soul food gets nowhere. Like Albert, Fred annoys a nearby customer, not grasping his conversation is unwelcome. Lamont's expressions of annoyance are cut off by the arrival of the food. Fred thinks the food smells like bug spray, accusing the cooks of spraying the food so it won't move after leaving the kitchen. That's the last straw for Lamont. He explodes, pays for the food and leaves.

Most of the reduction in the scene from Steptoe to Sanford is in the son's actions. Harold is continuing to try and act above his class, which Lamont has not been bothering to attempt. Lamont is just at these places because he enjoys them and is either accepted or doesn't care what other people think about him being there. Harold is looking for acceptance. He worked to fit in at the cocktail lounge and at the theatre. Here it's primarily with the selection of the wine. He puts on airs, working to sound like he knows what he's talking about, and showing off once it arrives. These are all believable actions for the character based on his previous activities. He's either working to elevate his class status or destroy the class structure.

Fred gets to do a piece of shtick getting a chair for his new hat. This connects nicely with his attempt to go home and let Lamont enjoy himself on his own. Not only is it silly, but it acts as an apology, saying that he's still pleased about this present and seeking to treat it with the respect it deserves.

The end of the night is very different for both. By the time Fred gets outside, Lamont is gone. It starts to rain, he gets flustered, removes the hat and protects it under his suitcoat. Despite their argument and harsh words, there's still a respect there, and we can see it reestablished the next morning during the coda sequence that I mentioned earlier. Fred and Lamont fight but during the fights we've seen enough evidence that they care for each other so that it blowing over by morning makes sense.

Once Albert gets outside, he bumps into Harold. Albert watches sadly as Harold stomps away. Before turning the corner and disappearing, he pauses to loudly remind his father to look after his new gloves. Albert wanders alone to the tube station. He takes his gloves off in order to retrieve money from his pants pockets, tucks his gloves under his arm, and promptly drops them without noticing.

No happy ending here. Despite the way this looks, has Albert subconsciously intentionally dropped the gloves? Possibly. The way the scene plays out, it seems odd that he wouldn't notice them being gone. He may even go back and collect them once the show we see ends. Here it acts as a symbol for the down note in their relationship. While we see Lamont and Fred happy the next day, losing the gloves will just give Harold and Albert more reasons to yell at each other.

The failure is with the sons. Instead of taking their fathers out for a good time that the fathers will like, they try to use the evening to educate their fathers. When these plans fail, they blame the attitude of the father moreso than themselves.


This became longer than expected. More than normal I'd appreciate some feedback on this to see if it was interesting or if I just rabbited on at length about TV. If this was interesting, or was close to it if I'd done this or that differently, I do have further episodes I can compare and contrast. Thanks.

To the Show

Next in the evening's proceedings is the show. There are some interesting if more subtle variations here.

The Steptoes attend a performance of 'Richard III' at the Old Vic. As in the lounge, Harold tries to elevate his social status by loudly asking questions of his father, trying to sound literate to the other people in attendance. Albert doesn't understand the Shakespearian era language and doesn't believe a king would act the way the actor is portraying him. Harold energetically explains this is an historical piece. He accuses Albert of knowing nothing of his own country's history, being more familiar with the American Old West from movies and TV. A bell sounds to announce the start of the second act. Once Albert finds out there's another two hours of play to go, he refuses to return to the theatre. Harold doesn't argue with him because he's seen it already. They'll just head for dinner.

Lamont has taken his father to see the film version of 'Fiddler on the Roof'. Fred's not enjoying himself because he doesn't understand it, although he might if he were Jewish. Lamont accuses him of not having it in him to understand, that he doesn't try to like anything deeper than a TV show. When the buzzer announces the second half of the film, Fred announces he's not going back in, Lamont can finish up the movie, Fred's happy with the nice evening they've had so far, but Fred will catch the bus and meet him at home. Lamont declares he promised him dinner and to dinner they will go.

Both sons take their father to something they hope will elevate the mind a bit, show them the finer things that art can offer. Neither father is interested. While Harold attempts to do some social climbing, Lamont is only concerned with his father's reaction. Lamont's not interesting in getting on the good side of other people here, just his father. Both sons feel that TV westerns are their father's main entertainment. Interestingly, they don't reference the same one: Harold declares Albert a fan of 'Bonanza' whereas Fred watches 'Gunsmoke'.

The most important variation comes with the exit. Harold is tired of arguing. He's seen the play before so he can live with missing the rest. Annoyed he drags his father off to dinner.

Unlike Albert, Fred offers to go home at this point. He doesn't want to spoil Lamont's night out. While both fathers expressed that they wouldn't enjoy the evening if it was too posh, Fred is the only one of the two to try and gracefully leave, thanking his son and wanting the son to enjoy himself. Lamont doesn't indicate he's already seen the film, it's implied he hasn't already, but by this point he's so upset with his father that he's taking his father to dinner because that's what he's promised to do.

While both are funny, I think the Sanford scene accomplishes more. Fred offering to go home is an interesting 'I want my son to be happy' piece that the Steptoe episode doesn't offer. Due to the variation in length for the restaurant scene between the episodes, it's important for Lamont to be angry now. He doesn't have time to slowly boil over in the next scene like Harold does.

Just a Nice Drink

Both sets of fathers and sons next head to the cocktail lounge. Both fathers are keen for beer and are dismayed when they find out there's no beer on tap. Bottled beer is available but they can't drink that as it gives them gas. Both fathers find the prices way too expensive and suggest alternatives. Both are dismayed that there are no games to play. Nothing the son can do will calm the father and they quickly leave to go to the show.

Both of these sequences start the process of the father getting on the son's nerves. In both cases, the son wants to do something nice, to do something fancy for a change but the father is uncomfortable is such a nice place and would just as soon be somewhere more relaxed. Both of these sequences amuse me for different reasons.

Albert grouses about the lack of draft beer. Their local pub, the Skinners Arms, has draft beer so why doesn't this place? The bartender suggests a drink for Albert and Harold agrees to it. From the 'deer in the headlights' look Harold gives the bartender, it appears that he doesn't know what is in the drink. For himself, Harold orders a specifically made vodka martini. Albert knows why. He's trying to look cool as it's the drink 'James Bond orders in that Doctor No film'. Harold insists it's his normal drink, but Albert disagrees, knowing what he orders at the Skinners Arms. There's no dart board here, the drinks are too expensive, and Albert's drink looks like a fruit salad. When Harold sees a young lady at the end of the bar needing a light for her cigarette, he hurries to help her. Upon noticing he's gone, Albert yells for his son to return. Uncomfortable, they leave. Harold pauses to look back on the young lady, but she's already happily talking to someone else.

The comedy here is on the shoulders of both characters. Harold is desperately trying to look cool and being let down by his father. Albert is uncomfortable and willing to share that with others. Nothing goes like it should.

In the American version, Lamont is just trying to have a good time which his father spoils. While Lamont has things to do, Fred leads the comedy here.

First Fred doesn't want to take his hat off, not quite grasping it's impolite. Finding a drinks menu on the bar, he first tries to order a Shirley Temple. Lamont stops him from doing so and the conversation about beer begins, Fred adding a request for canned beer as that doesn't make him burp and he doesn't want to burp. The bartender steps away, allowing Lamont to express his annoyance. Fred tried to order the Shirley Temple because it was the cheapest thing on the menu. Lamont's reassurance that he's got the money does nothing to slow Fred who suggests they head to a supermarket, get a six pack, and drink it in the parking lot. He's also annoyed that there's no pinball machine. The bartender returns with the suggestion of an old-fashioned but, not realizing it's a drink, Fred takes it as an insult. Lamont orders it for him and a vodka martini for himself. Fred is shocked by the price of the drinks. He sips his drink and reacts poorly, comparing it to drinking maple syrup. As Fred won't settle down, they leave, but on their way out, Fred yells for them to get a pinball machine.

I'm not sure why Fred and Lamont don't have a local bar of their own to reference. Later in the series, they will have specific establishments they frequent. Perhaps I consider the idea of a 'local' more natural as I'm from Wisconsin where such things are more commonplace? The idea of drinking a six pack in a supermarket parking lot seems so much sillier to me that it works for me. It just seems so wrong.

Fred is also much louder than Albert. Albert raises his voice but not to the degree Fred does. Fred clearly does not care who hears him. The most notable difference being in the search for games. Albert asks Harold where the dartboard is and grumbles when there isn't one. Fred loudly asks for the location of the pinball machine and his declaration to get one as they leave is not subtle. Fred's negative reaction to his drink is also meant for sharing. He keeps nothing to himself while they are in the lounge, slowly embarrassing Lamont more and more until they leave. This is Redd Foxx's moment to take charge and he does.

The Importance of Looking

I hesitate to generalize American TV as 'simple' or 'dumbed down' compared to British offerings, especially as both cultures have generated items that can be classified as 'simple' and 'clever'. For every game show masquerading as a reality programme, there's a witty comedy that survives the test of time. With that said, there's a subtle sequence in the British version that plays out on a more basic level in the American version. Due to the timing of the appearance of the American version, being only the second episode in the series, it has to play out on a more basic level because the characters have yet to be defined in the audience's mind. As this has been accomplished in 'Steptoe', they can proceed in a different manner. Both mean to achieve the same goal at the end.

In the American version, Fred announces he's going to bed. Lamont stops him in order to give him his present; the teasing that the birthday has been forgotten is over. In a good-natured way Fred chides him for messing with him and together they relish the gag. Lamont watches as Fred opens the present, a stylish gray hat. Fred is happy to get it and Lamont is clearly pleased he's chosen correctly, enthusiastically dragging his father to a nearby mirror to try it on. It's a boy seeking to please his father and succeeding. Any conflict here is due to Fred's smart mouth but he's clearly joking and Lamont can take it as such.

In the British version, Albert announces he's going to bed. Harold stops him, holds out the present, and says 'Happy Birthday.' Albert snatches it, snapping verbally with frustration. Harold laughs, enjoying every moment, noting how he couldn't wait to see his face. Albert does not join in with the merriment. This is big change number one: since Lamont didn't give his father a hard time for a long time, Fred could bounce back quickly to appreciate the humor in the situation. Harold wound his father up too far and it's not funny to Albert. Since the British audience expects this sort of thing from the pair, it's still funny to them.

Harold is keen for his father to open the present, encouraging him to do so, but then turns away. He was keen to see his father's expression after his joke was revealed but then doesn't watch his expression upon opening the present. This would appear to be a 'guy thing' moment. It's one thing to watch your buddy as a joke is played on him, but a moment of real emotion is awkward and not for sharing. The opening of the card that occurs after the present is dealt with also supports this theory.

Harold's turning away allows for a subtle moment. Upon opening the present and finding a pair of nice gloves inside, Albert is clearly pleased, for all of a second. He quickly puts the mask on and expresses indifference to the gloves. Why? This is his chance to get Harold back. Had Harold been watching him, this wouldn't have been possible as he would have seen the glee. Harold becomes defensive of his present, pointing out the quality and helping his father try them on. Albert doesn't give his son the hard time he received. He soon agrees that the gloves are nice and need to be kept for best, just as Fred and Lamont agree that the hat should be treated.

Both sons have also gotten their father a card with a 'mushy' poem inside. Both fathers are keen to receive the card, happier about the card than the present, not that they don't like the present but the card would have been enough. Both decide to read the card aloud.

This is where Albert does the 'glasses' gag that Fred does during the phone call to Social Security. Interestingly enough, the glasses seem to help Fred whereas Albert reads the card more clearly once he's taken the glasses back off. As Albert reads the card, Harold turns away embarrassed. Albert is touched by the sentiment expressed, and Harold tries to play it off as a bit corny but true. Albert goes to put it with all the other cards Harold's given him over the years, and the cards he and his late wife exchanged, and Harold's school reports as well as his letters to Father Christmas. While this goes to support Albert's character as a pack rat, he often wants to keep the junk they bring in rather than sell it, it's also a moment that supports the relationship he has with his son. They may argue, they may give each other a difficult time, but, at the centre of it is love. By the end of his sequence, seeing Harold wanting his father to enjoy his gift and Albert near tears at the card, the audience is reassured that they care for each other.

On the other hand, Fred doesn't repeat the 'glasses' gag, but calls back to it by retrieving a pair from his sweater in order to read the card aloud. Lamont is uncomfortable and continues to interrupt his father's attempts to read it. While the emotion is still manifest, it occurs like shtick, like a Abbott and Costello or Hope and Crosby routine. Lamont also doesn't watch his father read the card, only looking at him when Fred turns halfway through to smile at him. Lamont also tries to play off Fred's positive reaction to the card by noting it was 'corny' but this offends Fred. This is where they do most of their arguing, not over the pretend forgetting, not over the pretending to not like the present, but over the emotion in the card. To Fred, Lamont calling it 'corny' and 'mushy' means he doesn't agree with all those nice words. Once Lamont has become defensive enough about it, Fred defuses the situation by noting his new hat is the best he's ever owned. Lamont can then relax and move on. As in the British version, it's clear they care about each other. Lamont wants his father to enjoy the present, Fred enjoys the present. Even though they argue, there are signs that they want each other to be happy.

In both versions, the son now announces to the father that this is only part of the present, that there is also a night on the town planned. It is important that both versions have established that Father and Son can get along and do love one another because it's all down hill from here.

'Happy Birthday Pop' based on 'Sixty-Five Today'

Shared Plot

It is Father's sixty-fifth birthday. Son returns home from work with packages and pretends to have forgotten Father's birthday. After Father turns sadly to go to bed, Son hands over his present, a stylish clothing accessory that both Father and Son agrees should be worn for best. The present is not complete as Son has an evening on the town planned as well: drinks, a show, and dinner. Father doesn't enjoy the fancy drinks and finds them too expensive. The show is too upscale and long for Father's taste. Dinner at the Chinese restaurant doesn't go well either, with Father not liking the food. Son becomes upset that all his hard work is unappreciated and leaves.

Variations

From a pacing perspective, the episodes are very similar. Not requiring a commercial break, the Steptoe episode runs to about 31 minutes with the credits as they are part of the story, not repeating the same sequence every week. The Sanford episode is just short of 26 minutes with the credits included but those credits are not part of the story, they are the same piece of film every week. The Sanford episode also has a coda, a brief piece of non-essential story that was generally removed in syndication. If we take the timing from where the story ends, the length is 23 minutes and 15 seconds long, almost 8 minutes shorter than the British version.

The opening sequence where the Father's birthday is discussed and the evening out set up takes up about half of the episode for each version. The sequences in the bar and theatre run to similar lengths for both. The greatest variation is in the restaurant sequence which is about 4 minutes shorter in the American version.

While the general pacing is the same, the specific pacing is different and that's where the two approaches become unique. The Steptoe episode is from the second series. The characters of Father Albert and Son Harold are already established to the viewing audience. They have expectations. This is the second episode of 'Sanford and Son' so the characters of Father Fred and Son Lamont are still being established. The sequence of Harold pretending to have forgotten his Father's birthday is much longer than in the American version. Since the audience is already familiar with their relationship, this sort of thing would seem natural. If Lamont were to treat Fred in this way, this early in the history of the show the audience might turn on him as cruel.

Both Albert and Fred do the 'glasses' gag, digging through a drawer full of spectacles for the pair that will assist him with this specific task, but for different reasons. Albert uses the glasses in order to read the card Harold gives him. Fred uses them to read the phone book and dial the phone to talk to Social Security. In the American version, this conversation soaks up most of the time spent in the British version with Harold 'forgetting' the birthday. It's also mirrored in the coda sequence. Fred decides he's going to retire on the money Social Security will pay him. Lamont explains he won't get the maximum payout as he hasn't earned enough money to qualify. Fred calls to check. In both conversations with Social Security Fred asks a question. Both are answered to his satisfaction, responding to their explanation with multiple 'uh-huh' until he hangs up. This plays out better than it reads.

Where Steptoe Meets Sanford

A good idea is a good idea, no matter where it comes from originally. A successful idea opens itself up for copying, remaking, redoing. If it worked once, it should work again.

Nowhere is this as obvious as in television. Popular shows go from one country to the next, occasionally to be rebroadcast, but just as often to be remade, to have culturally specific references removed to better position the programme for success in its new home.

Many of the popular comedy shows of 1970's American television have their roots in England. After the success of translating 'Til Death Us Do Part' into 'All in the Family', other shows followed. 'Man About the House' became 'Three's Company'. 'Fawlty Towers' became 'Amanda's'. Okay, so maybe all the remakes weren't popular.

In 1972, the British show 'Steptoe and Son' came to America to become 'Sanford and Son'. Of the fourteen episodes that make up the first season of 'Sanford and Son', twelve of them are identified as rewritten 'Steptoe and Son' episodes. While not the only episodes so translated, it's interesting to see so many episodes from the original were used in this way.

I have all of 'Sanford and Son' on DVD and have about half of 'Steptoe and Son' on DVD. I enjoy both programmes for what they are but never really watch them at the same time. The urge to watch old British sitcoms generally fits a different mood than the urge that craves Redd Foxx's brand of silliness.

Last week, watching 'Steptoe and Son' while I dozed off, it occurred to me that I couldn't really remember anyone comparing and contrasting the original and the American versions. It's not that one is better than the other, just to see how things get changed, to take a look at the structure of the writing and performances to see how they differ. There may be a very good reason to not do this, one that I will learn while giving it a try.

In this regard, I'm hoping failure will be as entertaining as success. We shall see.

To Success!

All I know is that the last three Brewer home games equate to the last three Brewer home wins, going back to last year's playoff game. If the Brewers care to employ me as a lucky charm, I am not that hard to contact.

In progress gets you this

Spent a good chunk of today working on the project I talked about last week. Research and such. Fun! I don't want to rush it so I'm not going to crank it out for today. As a taste or tease or whatever you want to call it, I'm posting the above picture which won't mean much of anything to a lot of people.

Ads still don't stick

I spent most of today playing catch-up from being ill. I did some cleaning, mostly the putting away of Things that had been staged rather than put away straight away. The advantage to doing this time of chore is that it allowed me to look for the camcorder battery for which I'm looking. No, I've not yet found it and that is still driving me up the wall.

I also worked on cleaning up one of my primary email inboxes. I took a number of surveys today. It makes me feel useful and that's sometimes handy during this period of time. What I learned from today's surveys is something I've longer suspected: most current advertising doesn't stick in my head. Plenty of older jingles are still in my head, popping out when I least suspect it. Today, under 'pressure', I could recognize commercials, even ones I found stupid and unentertaining, but had no memory of the brand that the ad was representing. That's a waste of ad dollars.

Maybe it's age. I probably see more commercials than most of my friends as I tend to watch more live tv than the rest, even now that I have DVR access, and these jingles don't linger. Maybe my brain is full of jingles and doesn't have room for any others. Maybe.

I'm still inclined to think that the commercial is dead.

Annoying

The worst thing about leaving an item out where you should be able to find it is that you can't leave everything out like that. There isn't the room. In an attempt to reflect that reality, items get assigned places, locations where they are supposed to reside when not in use.

I had a location where the spare battery to my camcorder was located. It's not there. I believe I moved the location to reflect the cleaning I've been doing on and off over the past few months. I don't know where it is now. I've been looking for the battery during this past week. I started hunting for it a bit more seriously today. I haven't found it yet and it's driving me nuts.

It's here somewhere. It had better be.