Mascots & Riots
...generally, I enjoy winter. Or I enjoy it as much as anyone can enjoy freezing and being partially wet at the same time. Aside from the sitting in and movie digestion I mentioned before, I find it to be a good time to go out and wander places like bookstores. In weather such as we are having right now, most people only leave home for the necessities. So, even if I am not intending to buy, I can browse for hours and just make mental notes of things that spark my intrigue without clumsily stepping into random people.
It usually takes until the end of February for me to start craving spring. Once Spring Training games have begun airing on television, I start thinking about grilling food and saying that this will be the year that I start skateboarding again (I've actually kept my deck in my car as a constant reminder). However, this winter has been exceptionally brutal...even for a polar honkey such as myself. Days upon days of sub-zero temperatures have my nipples chafed and ready for nicer weather. Even if it means sweatier moobs.
...I have been stirring thoughts of playing music again in some form or fashion. Granted, a few people have been plying me with such thoughts, but the desire to unearth my kit from its current resting space is growing daily. My main issue lies in my cymbals having been left at an old practice space in the city. Last I had checked on them, they had disappeared. Likely into someone else's collection.
Yesterday, I was on the cusp of spending way too much money on a new media stand. As I thought better of it, I decided to find a way to fit my old one into a tiny space to put my forthcoming tax money to better use. On my drive this morning, the idea that the money I had saved by retrofitting my television stand into life has ostensibly reserved the money I had put aside in my head to replace my long lost percussion accents. Long story, I'm going to buy some new cymbals and start 2014 by dabbling in some music to (hopefully) go along with some shredding as the weather breaks.
"Let the world end. But not before...I go out and shred!"
- Bl'ast
...I have been dabbling more and more in digital comics of late. Since I bought myself the Nook HD+, I wanted to try and conquer some of my spatial concerns by downloading more reading material. As a means of stamping something with my wholehearted endorsement, I recommend to anyone with even the most tepid interest in sequential narrative to download the Comixology app, post-haste. Aside from the accessibility of practically every series ever created, the sales that they run on three-to-four series' at a time are done so at a price that is literally pennies-on-the-dollar. Just last evening, I purchased Last Days Of An Immortal by Fabien Vehlmann for $3.99. The same edition in hardcover goes for $24.99 in stores.
Far from giving up on brick-and-mortar bookstores and especially local comics retailers, some publishers are charging a lot of money for hardcover and even paperback trades. Marvel is the biggest offender (in my opinion) in this category. From what I've seen in stores in the past year or so, the average 12-issue arc paperback collection from Marvel is sold for anywhere from $34.99 to $39.99. While a place like Half Price Books can sell those same books for 1/3 of the price new, their selection is always random and can get picked through very quickly at times. Also, for someone feeling overwhelmed by stories that span decades, Comixology can simplify things for a new reader.
So yes, I am growing more pro-digital comics by the day. I will likely never cease buying physical books, but the library is vast, the prices are reasonable and nothing goes out of stock. And if anyone from Comixology ever happens to read this, yes...I would love to come to work for you. Even if it means becoming a foam rubber dancing mascot.
Read: Lucifer Book Two by Mike Carey
Listen: The Shins...everything
Watch: Blue Jasmine
It usually takes until the end of February for me to start craving spring. Once Spring Training games have begun airing on television, I start thinking about grilling food and saying that this will be the year that I start skateboarding again (I've actually kept my deck in my car as a constant reminder). However, this winter has been exceptionally brutal...even for a polar honkey such as myself. Days upon days of sub-zero temperatures have my nipples chafed and ready for nicer weather. Even if it means sweatier moobs.
...I have been stirring thoughts of playing music again in some form or fashion. Granted, a few people have been plying me with such thoughts, but the desire to unearth my kit from its current resting space is growing daily. My main issue lies in my cymbals having been left at an old practice space in the city. Last I had checked on them, they had disappeared. Likely into someone else's collection.
Yesterday, I was on the cusp of spending way too much money on a new media stand. As I thought better of it, I decided to find a way to fit my old one into a tiny space to put my forthcoming tax money to better use. On my drive this morning, the idea that the money I had saved by retrofitting my television stand into life has ostensibly reserved the money I had put aside in my head to replace my long lost percussion accents. Long story, I'm going to buy some new cymbals and start 2014 by dabbling in some music to (hopefully) go along with some shredding as the weather breaks.
"Let the world end. But not before...I go out and shred!"
- Bl'ast
Far from giving up on brick-and-mortar bookstores and especially local comics retailers, some publishers are charging a lot of money for hardcover and even paperback trades. Marvel is the biggest offender (in my opinion) in this category. From what I've seen in stores in the past year or so, the average 12-issue arc paperback collection from Marvel is sold for anywhere from $34.99 to $39.99. While a place like Half Price Books can sell those same books for 1/3 of the price new, their selection is always random and can get picked through very quickly at times. Also, for someone feeling overwhelmed by stories that span decades, Comixology can simplify things for a new reader.
So yes, I am growing more pro-digital comics by the day. I will likely never cease buying physical books, but the library is vast, the prices are reasonable and nothing goes out of stock. And if anyone from Comixology ever happens to read this, yes...I would love to come to work for you. Even if it means becoming a foam rubber dancing mascot.
Read: Lucifer Book Two by Mike Carey
Listen: The Shins...everything
Watch: Blue Jasmine
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