My daughter

Let me tell you a little about my daughter. Her name is Lauren Elizabeth Kelley, she is 7 years old and loves every living thing. She told me one day not to kill a mosquito because it was only doing what came naturally. She cares about her family and her friends a great deal, more than most 7 year olds should. She always wants to help and has a very dry sense of humor for someone of her age. Today, while i was at work, she sent her mom to bed and told her that she couldn't come out until she was told to. My wife, Kim, felt this was a good opportunity to stretch out and complied. I got home about 3 pm to my daughter sweeping up the floor and finishing up her cleaning of the living room. Nathan looked up from the computer and Lauren was thrilled that someone could see the job she had done. She did an amazing job cleaning the living room, The tables were cleaned, the floor was swept and the trash and clutter which was visible was all combined to one area. When I asked why she had done this, her response "so mommy wouldn't have to worry about it." This is a 7 year old who could have been playing or watching TV. Instead, she cleaned the living room, just because. So even though some may not look at this as a big deal, I do. I am proud of her initiative and the job that she did.

Comic Reviews Continued

Well, I was able to get by my Comic Shop, Comic's Kingdom in Beaumont , Tx. this week. These are some of the books that I picked up and read so far. I try to avoid spoilers in my reviews, just wanna give a feel of what I see. If you want more answers let me know.

JLA Classified #54: It was the last issue in the series, and while the finale was not as good as it could have been, As a whole it was the best arc in the series. I understand reasons that books get cancelled, but to me the JLA is something that sales wise could support two concurrent books, but they usually fail creatively in my opinion. I am sure that the new JLA title in the rumormill will start out great, but if it takes away from the uniqueness of the regular series it becomes an issue. Same as JLA crossing into JSA every couple of issues is getting stale. Back to the point, I enjoyed the issue. 7/10

Justice League of America #19: Let's see, the JLA clashes with the government. Transports themselves to the wrong planet to check on the conditions of the residents of the Salvation Run planet and can't find anyone. I really liked the splitting into teams aspect but didn't understand the groupings. Let's put Superman and Batman on one team, GL and Wonder Woman on another team, and the three newbies(Hawkgirl, Arsenal, and Vixen). Well, they may not be newbies, but they certainly lack in the A-Team experience of the other group. Finally the payoff of the classic villain who has set the trap. All in all, a very good issue, but enough with the Arsenal, Hawkgirl, Cheshire triangle. I've had it, and don't care to here about it anymore. 8.5/10

Booster Gold #7: LOVED IT. Pure and Simple, Blue and Gold together again will probably only last for another issue or two, but it has been fun to see again. I like how Geoff Johns slipped in another Aquaman reference into one of his books(he's leaving Booster for another project in the near future right?). The storey was fun and the reveal on the last page just gets more and more interesting. This may be the best book I'm currenlty reading.9/10

Countdown #8-5: Yay It's almost over. While the stories have finally converged and has become a cohesive mess, rather than an incohesive mess, it is getting a little better. Still don't see why I've dropped the money on this that I have, but Final Crisis should prove interesting.4/10

Batman and the Outsiders #5: Oh, the Dibny's, I love the Dibny's. I thought it was a good issue, I like the verbal sparring between Metamorpho(the team veteran) vs. Green Arrow(the JLA veteran. I enjoy this title a lot and am intrigued by it's direction. 7/10

I'll post a some more in the next few days including thoughts on Salvation Run, Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps. Teen Titans and Flash.

Opening Day is Two Days away

I love Baseball. Sadly though, the Astros are my team: We have little to no quality, proven pitching behind Oswalt in the rotation. Brandon Backe is a great spirit and has a lot of drive, but his elbow just got repaired, and some think he has pushed to get back too quickly. The #3 pitcher, Wandy Rodriquez had a 7.5 ERA this spring. Shawn Chacon is a mystery to me at the #4. We have Woody Willaims and Chris Sampson battling for the #5 spot with ERA's above 10.
The defense is gonna be attrocious as we've replaced the best defensive SS in the NL,Adam Everett, with a guy with below avg. defensive skills, Miguel Tejada. Holes on defense in left with Lee and Center with Bourn(it has been stated recently that he can get to the ball, just has trouble catching it.
We gave up a lot young talent over the winter. Long Term options like Chris Burke, Brad Lidge, Chad Qualls, Mike Lamb, Luke Scott(a personal favorite--GO LUKE) and Eric Bruntlett are gone for the likes of Jose Valverde, Michael Bourn, Doug Brocail. Of course Craig Bigggio retired and Brad Ausmus has taken a back-up role to mentor J R Towles. I am very happy to see Jose Cruz Jr. and Geoff Blum back with the team.
Everyone talks about our line up, Well Bourn and Matsui were supposed to be at the top, Boune has struggle with hitting and Matsui is out for 3 weeks with a backside injury. Pence will slide in at #2 for now and that is a plus. Berkman as the #3 hitter and "leader" of the club is overrated, Berkman is someone that I'd love to drink a beer with and cut up with. He has a very dry sense of humor, but the example that a young player in today's game needs is one of mentorship.
Carlos Lee is worth the contract he was given period. But, if the money he is making could have been spent on an outfielder, a 3rd basemen and a starting pitcher, this club would be in better shape. I've talked about Tejada, and I think he'll do well. He just needs to drive in 120 runs to make up for the defensive liability that I see him as. At 3rd, it's Ty Wigginton, oh well, I thought that Lamb was a better option, and Loretta is a viable option in the infield as well. As stated Towles will be behind the plate, I think with his bat,he'll end up moving up in the order with Masui dropping to the 8th position.
Bench not previously mentioned looks like it's between Darin Erstad, Humberto Quintero and David Newhan.

In my opinion,

It's gonna be a long year to be an Astro fan, and with the Rockets performing at the level they are the casual sport fan may not notice the Astros until mid-May. By that time, they may already be out of the mix. The Brewers and The Cubs are the class of the division this year.
I would like to see the Astros commit to a youth movement, so at least there would be justification for what we may witness this year. I hope I'm wrong, but a 4th place finish is what I believe will happen this year for my guys. A 4 th place finish with a young club is acceptable. This is not a young ballclub.

Favorite Cartoons

It's Saturday morning. I am just thinking how I used to love Saturday's. I would wake up early, run into the living room and catch my favorite cartoons in my P.j.s on the floor with my cereal in front of the TV. The greatest thing was that if my dad was home and walked through the room, he would always stop and watch Bugs Bunny with us. Things have changed a lot. The three "main" networks don't even show cartoons anymore. I miss that, and my kids don't know what they are missing.

My favorite cartoons were:
Aquaman/Superman Hour
Bugs Bunny
Super Friends
The Batman and Robin Adventures
Thundarr
Spidey and his Amazing friends
The Hulk
Land of the Lost
Laff-O-Lympics
Rocky and Bullwinkle
Flinstones
Yeah, I liked the action stuff, but there was that category that could get me to volunteer for yardwork:
Smurfs
Strawberry Shortcake
Muppet Babies

It's nice to share the memories, if you have any on the subject, please let me know.

Been A While...

Well, it's been a long week. See, as mentioned previosly, I am a retail manager for a major chain. While others enjoy their holidays with friends and family, it's crunch time in retail. It's not about relaxing and letting the Ham settle, it's about getting ready for the next season as well as the daily tasks associated with business and life in general. I made it through my Easter to summer conversion rather painlessly this year. The people that I work with all do a great job and make work enjoyable more often than not. I have been doing this for a while and have built a very strong team of co-workers who do a great job of keeping me de-stressed the majority of the time. So, thank you to my team...Roger, Keitha, Rachel, Sylvia, Delores & Kevin.

Kelley Family '08: The Voyage Home

Yesterday, I wrote about the family's trip to Six Flags. Today, I'll write about the trip back to the house that turned into so much more. I knew the morning would not start off well when I tried to shower in our QC room and their was no hot water. It was okay though, the morning would get better at our "hot continental breakfast." I don't mean to complain about little stuff, but you know what...I will. We got to the lobby at 745am, and they were out of my breakfast staple. Not eggs, bacon or sausage mind you...Cereal. I'm pretty flexible when it comes to my choice of breakfast foods, but I love my bowl of cereal in the morning. Corn Flakes, Frosted Flakes, Raisin Bran, heck I don't care...give me Grape Nuts and I'm thrilled. Not this morning, no cereal or bagels for me for breakfast. I knew it would not be a good day. Okay, the kids were happy, and things would be okay.
We went to Fair Park in Dallas for the end of our weekend getaway. It is an area in Dallas which houses the Cotton Bowl and six museums. The Science and History museums were both great. The staff was helpful, and their was a cute elementary school tour going on. All lined up together, holding hands, and behaving so well. It was going so well, until THE JUNIOR HIGH KIDS ARRIVED. When the Junior High tour arrived it was like seeing time lapse photography of a colony of insects moving upon a picnic. Except it was in real time, and these kids were freaking loud and didn't give two hoots about science or history. When the headache started, I was done and ready to go home.
Home for us though, is Baytown, Texas. 250 miles from our location. I am not a person who is really in a hurry to get any where, today I should have been. If you have ever made the drive on I45 from Dallas to Houston, you know there is not a whole lot to see. The best thing we saw on the first half of the trip was the Russel Stover Outlet store in Corsicana. It is a candy store attached to one of the 4 Russel Stover factories in the Country. Pretty much anything they make was in this store at discounted prices. The kids got what they wanted, the parents did too. But we still had 200 miles to go, and we gave our kids candy. Sugar on a long car ride, not one of my better ideas.
There is so little to do on the trip back, my wife and I played a dumb little game of trying to name sitcoms based on letters of the alphabet. You took turns until someone had to pass. Whoever named the last sitcom got the point basically. It is not as easy as it sounds. After we were done, we realized in the "B's" alone, we missed Benson, Barney Miller, Bosom Buddies, and the Brady Bunch. When you're in the car, try it....and if you know of a sitcom which begins with Q, V, or I you get the point.
Upon getting back to our home area, Cafe Adobe was where my wife wanted to eat. She loves this dish they have called "The Avocado Adobe". They take an Avocado, top with fajita meat, batter and deep fry it and cover it with queso. Yeah, it's real healthy, but she says it is worth it. We stopped, piled out of the car, went in and waited to be seated, and waited. Finally, we were given a table in the middle of the restaurant in plain sight of everyone except I guess of restaurant staff members. One guy walked by us three times without even acknowledging we existed. Finally after about 5-10 minutes, I wrote never mind on the back of Nathan's kid menu in green crayon, and we left. Bad Breakfast, Bad Dinner experience and Chocolate for lunch, things weren't going well. We did stop at the Red Lobster close by and had a great dining experience. So, thank you for the staff at the Woodlands Red Lobster for rescuing an otherwise horrible dining day. We finally got home about 630 pm. Everyone exhausted, but thrilled to be home. With hot water in the tub and cinnamon toast crunch in the pantry, tomorrow will be a better day, and I don't have to drive.

Have a great night.

Six Flags Over Texas

My family and I spent the day at Six Flags over Texas. It is located just south of Dallas in Arlington. There are a lot of really cool rides, the kids and the parents had a great time, Remember when you were young though. Your parents were always the ones ready to leave and you always felt that you had missed something. That didn't happen today though. When we go to a theme park, Kim likes to get there early. We were able to start riding the most popular stuff very early. Kim won't ride the Roller Coasters, I don't do well with the spinning stuff, it works out. There was a ride simulating a bobsled run which was Kim's favorite, a cool back and forth coaster named the Shockwave. Nathan liked the Aquaman Splashdown, we got drenched. Lauren liked the Mine Train best, and my favorite was Mr. Freeze, 0-70 in 3 seconds. It went through loops, climbs and corkscrews, and then went through everything backwards.

Six Flags is a great family place. The weather was great, and Lauren was thrilled with the Supergirl cape and giant lollipop which was her souvenir...Too bad, that remnant of the lollipop are all over my foot. The only drawbacks were quite a few attractions were closed for maintenance(a couple of the coasters that Lauren could ride), parking was $15 and the new Tony Hawk ride is not fininshed yet. If you go, have fun and try the exclusive "pink thing", a sherbert pop on the way out. Nathan loved his.

The New York Giants sign David Carr

First of all, I am not a Giant fan. I was happy they beat the Patriots, but with my wife being a Geen Bay Packer fan, and I being a Dallas Cowboy fan, I was not happy with their NFC run. They got hot at the right time, and won it all. But, that's not what I want to discuss today. I want to discuss David Carr.

I am a Houston Texan fan. When the Texans drafted Carr, I went out and bought a jersey like a lot of other people around town. The only problem was, that the Texans never had an offensive line which could protect him or a consistent running game that could take off some of the focus in Carr's first years with the team. The man took such a beating over his first 4 years, that by the time Gary Kubiak got there, to me there wasn't a whole lot left. I think the man was punch drunk from all of the hits he took. He can still make the throws, and I think he has all of the tools except one...Confidence. The year he spent with Kubiak, I think he improved, but Texan fans were upset he wasn't Vince Young. They were also upset he didn't have Reggie Bush to get the ball to. In hindsight, we did well with Mario Willaims. When the Texans picked up Schaub, Carr was done in Houston. After that, Carr spent a very forgettable year in Carolina.

I wish David Carr all of the luck in the world. I believe him to be a fine family man, and an upstanding citizen with all of the tools of a steady NFL cquarterback. I don't think that there are many tougher QBs in the NFL. I hope that he gets his confidence back and realizes the potential that he has in his new situation. He's behind Eli, and others, but I hope he does well.

Write at ya later.

Survivor

Okay, last night I wrote about Idol, tonight it's Survivor's turn. Like Idol, in my opinion, these have started to run together. This is the 15th season of Survivor. 15...How can it be fresh and new if it's been done 14 times before? Sorry, it can't. The first season I watched was Australia. With Colby, Keith, Jeri and whoever won. That is how these things run together in my mind. I mean, I can tell you that Dallas beat Buffalo 52-17 in Super Bowl XXVII. But, honestly...I don't know who won the last Survivor. It's relatively clean mindless television, and it was really the beginning of the reality TV genre. But, it just doesn't grasp people like it used to. Maybe I'm wrong, but I could swear that I've seen one of those challenges before. Oh well, Opening Day is just 19 days away for the Astros. That will be my must see TV. I just hope our pitchers don't hurt their necks from watching the balls fly around the yard.

American Idol

Do you remember when Idol was a must see show?

I mean, I started watching the show in the Fantasia Barrino/ Jennifer Hudson season. Since then, while some of the performances have been really good, the only album I have picked up is Daughtry. We DVR idol now, so we don't have to sit through all of the fluff.

I also think that there are too many "pros" who are on the show. The performers that I am rooting for are David Cook(the rocker guy), and Brooke. She has a beautiful voice which has a lot of soul in it in my opinion. I really have no idea what that Amanda person is doing on stage, I don't care for her stuff either.

The problem is, it becomes a popularity contest. I know that the appeal is getting America to vote for the one's to keep, but I think a change to the format where each judge selects a performer who is eligible to go home and the lowest vote total gets the ax would be a better way to go.

Just my opinion, have a great night.

My Mom

Well, so far in two weeks of doing this, I've talked about skydiving, comic books, my dad and a lot of other stuff. See, I can do that stuff, it's still with me, it's still there. There is one person who is only left in memory for me. Her name is Cheryl Raye Kelley, she is my mom. I lost my mother on July 8, 2007. I was at work when I got the phone call from my father, and I'll never forget the moment he told me my mom was gone. Time just seemed to stand still as I was standing at the front of my store sobbing after being told that she has passed. Grief is a strange thing. It waits, bides it's time and strikes when you least expect. The other day I was working and Wind Beneath My Wings came on the store radio. I was a basket case for the next 20 minutes or so. It just hits once in a while. Words can't really describe how much I miss my mother. Growing up, she was my best friend. I could tell her anything, we would laugh together, run the roads together, it didn't matter. My mom and I went to see Dragnet together in a theatre one night I think I was 18 or 19 at the time. She loved Dan Aykroyd, and Tom Hanks wasn't a star yet. We laughed at that movie and we laughed together. It was a night for the longest time that I took for granted. Looking back though, It was very special. It was just me and mom going to see a movie together like friends often do. I miss my friend, I miss my mom, I will always love her, and cherish all the times now, that I may have took for granted then.
I don't want to sound like someone who tells others, if I knew then...type of stuff. But, cherish the time you have with everyone that you love. Enjoy it, savor it, and relish it, just don't decide that it'll have to wait. Because if you do, You may miss sharing a special time with someone that you love.

Why the Title,

Okay, I know that with the title of this blog, you'd think I would have a lot more stuff about Aquaman on here. Well, here goes...Aquaman is my favorite comic character. In first grade, Super Friends was on every Saturday morning. At recess everyday we would go outside and play superheroes. Everyone always fought over being Batman or Superman or Flash, but there was never any doubt on who would pretend they were Aquaman. You see, back then I was a slim blonde haired blue eyed kid who knew more about him than anyone else at on the playground( I would watch reruns of the "old" cartoon at my Z.Z.'s house. I knew his bad guys and I knew his wife was named Mera, my friends knew that Batman beat up the Joker and that Superman was Clark Kent. They could argue amongst themselves, I was happy.
As I got older and I started reading more and more comics I would look for anything with Aquaman on the cover. Super Friends, JLA, Action Comics, World's Finest, Adventure Comics, etc. He was a founding member of the original JLA, and once disbanded the team to lead the way too brief JL Detroit. When I started reading the back issues, I understood more and more about the guy. He was a husband, a King, a hero, a mentor, and at one time a father. His son was killed by Black Manta, his greatest enemy, when he was only a toddler. It was a comic book. It wasn't real, and besides it was only Aquaman. Until Flash and Linda Park and Luke Cage and his girlfriend, Aquaman and Mera were the only comic couple that I know of who had become a parent while being published. I know, I know, but the JSA kids keep springing up. DC killed off Arthur Jr. 30 years ago. No other character has experienced that type of loss to my knowledge. I mean Batman lost Jason Todd and replaced him, Jason is back no by the way. Ralph Dibny's character comes very close as far as being tragic. He was a father to be, when his wife's character was killed off.(Identity Crisis was a great read by the way.) Ralph then went a little nuts. But, Aquaman...he lost his son, his Kingdom and his wife. He remained a hero, until Dan Didio and Infinite Crisis and 52.
He is one of only 5 heroes to be published regularly since the 40's. Green Arrow, Bats, Supes and Wonder Woman being the other four. He has been a hero for his entire existence. Be it the Golden and Silver Age Arthur Curry or the Modern Age Orin, Aquaman has always been a hero. Protecting his home and the world, but it is the tragedy which the character has endured which makes him interesting to me. Is he as strong as Superman? NOPE. As fast as the Flash? No Way. But , is there more to this character than most people understand. Heck Yeah. If you are interested in reading good Sea King stories, try the Showcase Volume #1 Aquaman for some Silver Age magic. I also recommend Time and Tide, a 4 issue limited series which led directly to Peter David taking over the book and making Aquaman relevant again. I also suggest the Craig Hamilton 4 issue series from 1985, it was the debut of the blue camo suit. There are no where near as many Aquaman fans as there are Spider-Man or X-Men fans out there. Just realize, that us Aquaman fans know that our guy does more than just talk to fish.

How come...

Why oh why, if this is the shortest day of the year, am I so tired? I mean, it was only a 23 hour day. I manage in a retail chain, and I closed my store last night and was dumb enough to schedule myself to open this morning. So, not only did we lose an hour last night, but I didn't get to sleep until 2 am anyway, before we sprang forward. I was up at 6am, so I'm running on 3 hours sleep. I worked until 330pm, and came home. So, my work day wasn't long, it just felt like it. Okay, have a great night guys...

My Dad

Today, I'm gonna talk about my hero. His name is Gerald Wayne Kelley, and he just happens to be my dad. We live about an hour away from each other, so we don't get to see him and my brother Brian as much as we want. But we are able to talk on the phone probably twice a week. He came and picked up my kids this morning for a sleepover. I had told him the other day about me not being able to mow the yard due to the lawnmower not starting. He came and picked 'em up, with lawnmower in truck bed. I was able to mow the yard, and we were able to have a nice visit.
He likes to spend time with his grand kids, and Nathan and Lauren love seeing him. You see, a lot of things in life, I've learned from my father. Be it, his work ethic, his loyalty to family or his love for his children. My mom and dad taught me a lot growing up. They taught me that it was okay to be a little off the beat and path. They always accepted me for who I am and what my interests are. They were the model for the parent I wanted to grow up to be. When my mom passed away last July, it was hard on all of us. My dad has shown strength, courage and tenderness over the last 8 months now. It is sometimes very difficult for men to express how they feel towards each other, but I tell my father I love him every time we talk to each other. What I haven't told him nearly enough is that I am very proud that he is my father and for everything that we share. Thank you for being you Dad, I love you.

Must See Actors

Right now in the background, I have Moulin Rouge on the DVD Player. I like the movie, my wife doesn't. I feel that Ewan MacGregor is an amazing actor, that only has great things ahead. I mean he is probably one of my 5 favorite actors in Hollywood right now. I think he can play pretty much any part he puts his mind to.

The reason I mention Moulin Rouge is because it's one of those movies that I would not have seen if he wasn't involved. I think alot of of us will give certain movies out of our normal interests a try if a particular performer is involved. Here are the actors that get a free pass from me. I mean, if they are in it, I'll try it...

• Ewan Macgregor


• Tom Hanks


• John Cusack


• Morgan Freeman


• Ben Stiller


• Adam Sandler

But, see the problem is, if I made the same type of list about actresses , I would be seen as a letch, we'll try that later.

Finishing up my comic reviews

Okay, this is my last round of new comic reviews until I get back to the shop next month. Just realize, that I am a DC guy only, I haven't picked up a Marvel book since Cap#25, If I am missing out on anything amzing, feel free to let me know.

Green Lantern Corps #21 Okay, have you ever had a book added to your pull box for some reason and didn't notice it. That happened with GLC #21. Iread GLC during the Sinestro Corps War, and forgot to cancel it. I don't know a whole lot about the GLCorps with the exception of the Earth GL's and Kilowog, but this was pretty darn good. I am interested in where the Bellatrax story goes. All in all, this is worth another look next month.

Black Adam #6 Tomasi and Mandrake put together a story of love and devotion. A story told from the villains point of view. By the end, you almost forget that Black Adam is one of the worst villains of the DC Universe---an appearance of the JLA and JSA chasing him down snaps you back into remembering he's the bad guy. The Isis resurrection was the focal point of the story with all of the strings being pulled by Felix Faust. This was a very well done story, and when the trade comes out, I am sure a lot of people will be picking it up. final issue of this series

Nightwing #141 Okay, another Peter Tomasi book(since Black Adam is done, can you add a certain Sea King to your list of duties?), this time with Rags Morales on art. I loved Morales' work on Identity Crisis and his early Hawkman stuff, so I am thrilled he is on this book. Another relaunch of a well-established character. But, before you think you know exactly what's going on...there's also graverobbing. There are guest stars, from Superman on the splash page, to a group shot of the JSA lending a hand. Batman makes an appearance and Dick and Wally share a beer like friends do and catch up. Maybe, it's because I like Nightwing a lot,behind Aquaman he's my favorite DC character. Maybe it is because, the title has been floundering for a while and needed a different direction. But, I think this was the best book I read this month, and it's not even close. Guys, now is a great time to jump on board.

Chili from my meeting...

I told you yesterday I would give results from the chili cookoff organized for my district meeting today. I didn't win. That's okay though, there was a chicken chili which tasted like chicken and dumplings that was out of this world.

Comic Reviews of the Day

Countdown #10-9 You remember last time, when I said that I just wasn't really feeling Countdown. Well, guess what? after 42 issues and $126 spent, it is finally coming together in my opinion. Honestly, I really enjoyed these two issues a lot. There was action, the story has progressed more in the last 6 issues in my opinion than in the previous 35. All in all, I think it has been stretched out a lot. I really liked the powers that Harley and Holly were given. The returns of pure Mary Marvel and the Atom in costume were long overdue. But, most of all, for the first time in this series I am upset that I can't read the next issue yet, though it did come out today.

Lord Havok and the Extremists #4 The Extremists were great in their early JLE appearances, but have not been seen or heard from a whole lot since. That said, I am really enjoying this series. I have liked the focus on the individual members of the team, and really enjoy the tone of this series, where maybe the Extremists weren't the ones who pushed things over the edge on Angor.
I thought the origin of Dreamslayer was well done and really want to see more done with these characters after this series ends. To me, this is the best of the Countdown tie-in books.

JLA Classified #51-53 "That was then, this is now" and vice versa has been exactly what I think the title was meant to be from the beginning. It has been so well done. Don't you love the way Byrne draws Wonder Woman and Superman? The story involves two different eras of the League and it is done very seamlessly. The conclusion to the story and the series will be next issue. It's kinda like the guy who sinks the 3 pointer at the buzzer, even though his team was down by four. Too little, too late.

Well, that's it for me tonight, stay safe.

Comic Reviews Continued

Here I am continuing my review of comics I picked up this week. My wife is so understanding...

Booster Gold #0 If you are a comic fan, and you aren't reading this title...You are missing out. It has great writing, wonderful art and a story which does not get bogged down on a monthly basis. This issue was great, Booster and the Beetles working together was great. I like the mystery which goes along with the story as well.

Flash #237 As a rule Superheroes don't have kids. Aquaman and Mera had Arthur Jr. who was murdered by Black Manta. Other than that, not a whole lot of DC heroes have had children while still being published. When Wally returned as the Flash to the DCU with Iris and Jai in tow I was very hesitant. As it turns out, I think the relationship between the siblings has complemented the comic stories very well. I keep trying to tell myself to get away from this book, but it is a fun read.

Green Lantern #27 Geoff Johns could write a title with Easter Island as the star of the book and I'd enjoy it. In just about three years he has rescued the GL franchise from oblivion. The Rebirth and relaunch of Hal Jordan as the title GL has been great. But, the latest issue with the fallout from the Sinestro Corps war and the creation of the Alpha Lanterns blew me away. I loved John's position on taking a new job, without knowing any of the details. That is the type of thing that any sane real person would do. I like John Stewart, he's my favorite Green Lantern. Not from the cartoon, but from when he originally took over for Hal. This is possibly DC's best book right now. Read and Enjoy at your own risk, you'll probably end up picking up the rest of the run

Countdown #14-11 When the best thing you can say about a limited -series is..."I'm glad it's almost over." There's a major problem. I liked 52 a lot. I thought it was well done and paced very well. Countdown, in my opinion has been full of holes and shooting blanks for more than half of the series so far. It looks like things are starting to come together. I liked the way Red Robin was introduced. I felt it made sense of why Jason would don that costume. I don't like Omacs though, and I have a feeling we'll see a lot more of them.

I still have a few more issues to write up in the next few days, stay safe and if you can suggest anything for me to try out, let me know.

Homemade Chili

Okay, tonight is a little different. I'll just say that the group of stores in my district are having a meeting tomorrow. For the meal for that meeting, someone had the bright idea of a chili cookoff. I was asked if I would participate in the festivities and finally agreed. I am not a very good cook, I am a creative cook though. Usually around the house, my wife does the majority of the cooking. She is a very good cook. Kim has a great recipe she uses out of a South Beach Diet cookbook that she has made for our family on numerous occasions. The family loves it, everytime she cooks it, it gets a rousing thumbs up. I'm just hoping that I don't give anyone tummy trouble with my rendition of it. Can you really have to much garlic or too many green chiles in a Texas chili? I'll let you know tomorrow what my co-workers thought.

My skydive on 2/16, It was incredible.

A great family show...

You know how everyone complains that there isn't a whole lot on for kids at night anymore. Well, tonight my kids were watching a Disney movie for the 4th time that I know of, and I flipped over to AFV. For the next hour and a half we laughed and joked as a family, there were no cartoon characters, or best of both worlds type of stuff. We watched TV as a family and all had fun. I know it sounds strange, but it was a nice quiet evening at home that everyone enjoyed. So, next time you want to get people together on the same page, turn on America's Funniest Videos. It is entertainment that you forget about from time to time, but it's always fun, as long as it's Tom Bergeron.

Comic Reviews

Okay, I was able to go to my comic chop over the weekend. I am only able to get by about once a month, but I was able to pick up what can only be described as my habit. So far, I've read a few of these and if you are a comic fan like me, you need to find people you can talk to about the stuff you read. So here goes...

Teen Titans #56 It was a decent book, Kid Devil doesn't really appeal to me, but the issue centered mainly around him feeling like an outcast in the Titans. I'll give it 6/10

JSA #12 & #13 From gazing at the covers by Alex Ross, to reading the stories by Geoff Johns, I was thrilled. These are two of my favorite creators in comics and having them work on the same book in any capacity is just awesome. The recruitment drive issue was great, and I loved the origin of Lance. The Superman showdown was different than the norm, they sat and chatted. All in All, this is one of my favorite books to read.9/10

JLA #18 JLA is what got me into comics, it's what keeps me reading, and it is now treated as it should be treated. A flagship title. The showdown with the Suicide Squad should have been spread over a couple of issues in my opinion. It was nice to see the nod to the past between Bronze Tiger and Vixen, and Roy asking about Cheshire was great. I thought that the issue was very good, but they may have tried to squeeze too much in. 8/10

Brave and the Bold #10 Team-ups with Silent Knight and Superman and Aquaman and the Teen Titans. Art by George Perez. Listen, I'm a sucker for Aquaman, most notably the Classic Aquaman. So, while I am tiring of the Megistus subplot hanging around for so long. This book gets a pass for me. Heck My version of Aquaman appeared. I smiled, and was happy.

I'll finish reading my haul over the next few days and post my thoughts.

Have you ever went to start one project, only to get sidetracked by another, then another? Finally at the end of the day, even though you accomplish quite a bit of productive stuff, the thing you wanted to do, didn't ever get done.

You see, today is the first day this spring that I was gonna try to mow. I wanted to help get all of the inside stuff done early. As a family, when we put our minds to it, we can clean quickly. So, back to the lawnmowing thing. I went out to try to start the mower, nothing. I don't know anything about mowers, but I called my dad, and asked my wife. She is the problem solver in the house.

Well, I was about to go get a new sparkplug and spanner wrench when it looked like the sky was about to open up. We decided to edge the bad parts and I'd pick up a sparkplug this afternoon. About halfway through, I put the weedeater through an ant bed and got splattered with the little critters. After getting 'em off my feet, I was out of trimmer line, it was in the garage, let's not discuss my garage. I started weeding by hand, as I was almost finished, my wife brought out more trimmer line. Remember, she is a problem solver. I finished edging the yard, as Lauren, my daughter picked up leaves and discovered how much fun a leaf blower was. Lauren blew leaves into the street and the neighbor's yard. So, we finished outside and I decided to locate my tools in the garage(again , we won't talk about the garage). It's amazing that when you are looking for something and can't find it, you keep checking spots that it should be, even though it's clearly not there. After about 20 minutes of searching, I said forget it, and gave up. I took a wrench outside to try to get the mower started again, and by this time...It was raining.
So, I only had one thing that I really wanted to accomplish today, mow the yard. Guess what? It's not done, and the mower isn't running. That about sums up the productive part of my day. Hope yours went better.

My custom figures as of 3/1

Movies everyone has seen but me...

I think that everyone has those movies that they have never gotten around to seeing. I'm not talking about minor or obscure movies, I'm talking the ones where people say...What do you mean you've never seen...?
The reason I ask this is, last night, for the first time I saw The Shawshank Redemption. It was phenomenal.
So here is my list of 5 movies that people gasp when I tell 'em I haven't seen:
Young Frankenstein
Jaws
The Godfather(start the bashing now)
Scarface
The French Connection
What are yours?