Category: Uncategorized

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What It Is: 12/13/10

What I’m reading: I sorta defaulted into reading Black Swan Green, by David Mitchell. I was feeling kinda meh one evening this week, and it was on my Kindle, and I thought, “What the heck?” I’m enjoying it, but I’m waiting for the bizarre structural trick that characterizes Mitchell’s novels. Since this one seems to be a novel about his childhood and his stammering problem, it’s possible there’s no pomo wackiness to it. I don’t want to look it up to find out, preferring to let the book unfold itsowndamnself.

What I’m listening to: Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1, We Are Born, The Lady Killer, and the Monocle Weekly (from Helsinki!)

What I’m watching: More In Treatment (almost done with season 1), and Ric Burns’ American Masters documentary on Andy Warhol. It wasn’t as good as Andy Warhol: The Complete Picture, which I caught on PBS a year or two ago. There were a few problems with Burns’ doc: it grinds to a halt when it covers Warhol’s filmmaking (much as Warhol’s films were exercises in inertia), it has to mess with timelines for its segment on “casualties of the Factory,” it overemphasizes Edie Sedgwick and her death, and it spends about 15 minutes (of a total of 4 hours) on the post-shooting Warhol. After reading Bob Colacello’s book on the post-1968 era, Holy Terror, I think that phase of his career is immensely interesting, but Burns gives it pretty short shrift. That other doc I mentioned also does a better job of showing Warhol’s relation to his family, and the sheer weirdness of his mother living with him in NYC for 20 years. Anyway, the first half of Burns’ doc is pretty good, but I felt that it lost its way from about 1965 on.

What I’m drinking: Nyquil. Not for recreational purposes.

What Rufus & Otis are up to: Posing for Christmas pictures.

Where I’m going: Nowhere!

What I’m happy about: An old pal got in touch with me for general shooting of the breeze on Friday. It was great to just catch up with her.

What I’m sad about: The way this year’s just whirled by.

What I’m worried about: Getting most of my year-end 500-page issue done by Friday.

What I’m pondering: Whether I’ll finally get around to writing that “favorite books of the decade” post that I delayed since January.

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Dead Comics Society

My one and only visit to the Friars Club was in 1998, for a cosmetic packaging company’s press event. I think they were receiving an award or presenting one or something. Anyway, I was with our ad rep, who was around my age. He ooh-ed and aah-ed over the portraits of the old comedians who comprised the club’s members.

Then, shortly before the event began, he looked in the doorway of another room at the club, and exclaimed, “Oh, my God! That’s Alan King!”

I believe this was the only time in history that those words were ever spoken.

So that’s why I’m glad that the Friars Club has made an effort to get younger, according to this awesome NYTimes article. Because, as Jeffrey Ross put it, “Look at this place. I’ve seen younger faces on cash.”

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Thanksgiving

I’m thankful for the love I share with my wonderful wife.

I’m thankful that we have a pair of endlessly entertaining dogs.

I’m thankful that my friends and family put up with my long absences from their lives.

I’m thankful for Homer and Sam Cooke and all the books and all the music.

I’m thankful for water, black coffee and gin.

I’m thankful that I have libraries, real and virtual.

I’m thankful that I still have a job and that it affords me some opportunities for travel.

I’m thankful for Louie and Louis.

I’m thankful that I have eyes that can’t help but see.

I’m thankful that we’re in a golden age of comics, both new and archival.

I’m thankful that I’ve discovered the joys of dressing well.

I’m thankful that we live in the future, even though I feel like I’m falling further and further behind.

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What It Is: 11/22/10

What I’m reading: The Odyssey, but I’ve let that slide this past week. Also, I realized on Sunday that I hadn’t read my copy of Jason’s new comic, Werewolves of Montpellier, so that was like discovering an anthropomorphized, ligne claire jewel in the cushion of my sofa.

What I’m listening to: Stankonia, The Point of It All and not a lot else.

What I’m watching: Another week of season 1 of In Treatment, the finale of Bored to Death, and the first stage in our annual LotR marathon (we usually save it for December, but Amy was feeling the urge for some Fellowship on Saturday; yes, my wife & I are a match made in geek heaven)

What I’m drinking: At various times during the week, G&Ts made with Right, Citadelle, Death’s Door and Beefeater gins.

What Rufus & Otis are up to: Celebrating Otis’ one-year anniversary with a 5-mile hike through some swamp-like trails at Wawayanda. Also, celebrating my return from a five-day trip to New Orleans by wagging their tails something fierce.

Where I’m going: Nowhere! I’m taking the week off from work, cleaning house, taking care of some errands — okay, maybe going into NYC at some point — and otherwise taking it easy.

What I’m happy about: Finding a well-fitting navy suit at Rubenstein’s in New Orleans (they did their alterations same day so I could wear the suit at the conference). And getting to see my pal Paul Longstreth play his solo gig at Bistreaux on Toulouse for a little while the night before I returned home.

What I’m sad about: The conference itself was pretty disastrous. The exhibit hall was woefully undervisited by attendees, and that’s a bad sign for a show that has struggled in the past few years. This event usually provides me with at least 4 or 5 serendipitous conversations that lead to articles or interview subjects, and I had absolutely zero this time around. I had good meetings and talks with our advertisers and other exhibitors, but I rely on those non-client conversations. Grr.

What I’m worried about: Not getting done all the things I want to get done on this week off.

What I’m pondering: Adding “What I’m wearing” to this post, if only to show off some of the new clothes I’ve picked up this past year.

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Maintenance Issues

Ahoy, ahoy, dear readers! I’m trying to upgrade the code for this blog a little, so if you have some problems with viewing posts or pages, drop me a line. At the moment, I’m trying to restore the super-awesome banner without having it show up on the iPhone version of the site.

Speaking of which, check out this site on your iPhone! The new code makes it a lot smoother than the old version!

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What It Is: 11/8/10

What I’m reading: The Odyssey and the first book of Clyde Fans.

What I’m listening to: BLACKsummers’night, Boxer, Barking, High Violet, and a new Mad Mix I’m struggling with.

What I’m watching: The first week of season 1 of In Treatment (I’m intrigued enough to stick with it; also, I’m a huge mark for Gabriel Byrne, ever since Miller’s Crossing). On Saturday night, Amy & I tried giving Avatar a try on HBO. After 45 minutes, we were so bored we decided to take our chances with The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, which turned out to be a lot more entertaining and inventive.

What I’m drinking: Citadelle & Q-Tonic.

What Rufus & Otis are up to: Nothing exciting. They took a shorter-than-usual but vigorous hike up in Wawayanda on Sunday, and they were kinda bummed that there was no farmers’ market to visit on Saturday. Seriously, they seem to have figured out a 7-day week, and got all agitated when a Saturday morning went by without a trip down to the market. Poor boys.

Where I’m going: New Orleans, for the AAPS annual meeting.

What I’m happy about: I had an idea for a recurring podcast segment that I thought would be awesome. I shared it with a few potential interviewees and they were all thrilled by the idea.

What I’m sad about: Having to learn how to be a good audio interviewer in order to execute that aforementioned idea. For my day job, I do my interviews on the phone and then transcribe them for the magazine/website. I always shudder at the sound of my own voice and the vapidity of some of my questions, but then, maybe I’ll be more engaged when the topic is something I’m more interested in. And I can use a voice-distorter to sound like a kidnapper or something, instead of my occasionally “nasal wraith” voice.

What I’m worried about: Not following through with this awesome idea. It’s a recurring problem of mine. I’m hoping that I’ll overcome it by watching lots of In Treatment.

What I’m pondering: Going back to wearing glasses occasionally. I realize that my midlife crisis is manifesting itself in a desire to dress well (within a budget), which I think is a lot healthier than my dad’s version — buying a Corvette and a motorcycle and dating an 18-year-old hairdresser. So I’m thinking of buying a pair of these, because I need to look more bookish (?).

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What It Is: 11/1/10

What I’m reading: The Odyssey. Also, after reading this great Frank Santoro post, I reread Chester Brown’s Helder and Showing Helder. And I was feeling nostalgic for feeling nostalgic for superheroes, so I reread Grant Morrison & Frank Quietly’s Flex Mentallo mini-series. The ’90s sure were a funny time.

What I’m listening to: A bunch of Anthony Hamilton records. Whoa, nelly.

What I’m watching: Outside of American Splendor (on Halloween, because we didn’t get around to watching it on Harvey Pekar’s birthday earlier in October) not much of anything, besides some World Series games.

What I’m drinking: Fifty Pounds gin & Q-Tonic.

What I’m eating: A peach and blueberry pie. It’s the last one of Farmers’ Market season, which saddens me. It was my Saturday tradition (formerly our Saturday tradition, but Little Ms. Gluten-Free Diet can’t participate anymore), picking up a 5″ fruit pie from the Concklin Orchards stand for weekend devourification. The dogs will be sad/confused, too, since they somehow figured out the 7-day schedule and knew that Saturday mornings were when they get to promenade around the market and get love and affection from unsuspecting locals.

What Rufus & Otis are up to: They enjoyed some longish mid-week walks, courtesy of some unseasonably lovely weather. And when things started to cool down again, they still managed to get in another 5-mile grey-hike! Pix here! Spex here! And then, they got dressed up for Halloween . . .

Where I’m going: Back to Ithaca, even if I didn’t think too much of this essay.

What I’m happy about: Getting that first podcast out of the way. Also, discovering that Tyler Brule of Monocle has many of the same poor mannerisms that I do when conducting interviews/conversations: too many “um”s and “you know”s and a tendency to speak in full — and multiple — paragraphs.

What I’m sad about: That he’s much more successful than I’ll ever be. Also, that whole peach and blueberry pie thing.

What I’m worried about: Writing two articles in the next two days to wrap up my Nov/Dec issue. So, um, don’t call, okay?

What I’m pondering: Whether to consider the Odyssey in terms of a whole with the Iliad, or whether to contemplate the Iliad on its own, without considering Odysseus as an alternative to Achilles as Best of the Achaians.