I Saw a Bee Today

It's a perfect Sunday morning in Akron, Ohio. The weather is a mild 74 degrees, humidity is a reasonable 46% and there is enough breeze to keep air circulating but not enough to muss my patio umbrella.

As I often do on days like this, I took my newspaper, my coffee and my dog out to the patio to enjoy some fresh air.

(Some days I also take my laptop. Today, I decided to unplug for a bit.)

While I was outside, I watched a bumblebee buzz past me on its way to the bright yellow dandelions in my yard. I've never been so happy to see an insect before in my life. This is the first bee I've spotted for at least two years. I still blame their absence on my failed pumpkin crop last year.

I hope this means the little buggers (heh!) are rebounding from CCD.

My Boycott of Marvel $3.99 Titles!

BIG NEWS: The economy is in the crapper! Unemployment is at an all-time high in many states! People have less disposable income!

Marvel Comics' response? "Let's increase the cover price on the majority of our books from $2.99 to $3.99, a whopping 33% increase with no added content or appreciable difference in quality." Insane.

I begrudgingly accepted the extra subtraction from my wallet, even after losing my job back in November. I enjoy reading a lot of Marvel titles and a lot of DC titles, as well as a selection of comics from smaller publishers. But the number of Marvel titles moving up to the $3.99 price point keeps increasing. The final straw for me was Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada's tweet back on April 7th: "G' morning, Marvel U! Is DC still publishing comics? Just curious." Arrogance. I can't stand arrogance. He may have meant it as humor, but I've seen the man at conventions, listened to him speak on panels. He ain't funny. I removed him from my Twitter feed.

So this week I stopped buying all Avengers titles. Christ, there's so many! Don't get me wrong, I like Bendis' writing, but Dark Avengers, Mighty Avengers, New Avengers... really? It's the "make everything X-Men related by putting an "X" in the title and we'll make a mint! Bwa hahahahaha!" thing all over again.

(Yup, I stopped buying "X" titles years ago.)

Every week, I will look at the cover price of Marvel books. It's time to start putting back every $3.99 (or higher!) comic I pick up from my regular pulls, unless there is some appreciable reason for the increased price. (Appreciable reasons might include a larger-than-normal page count ending a storyline, a significant anniversary-numbered issue, or a one-shot by a writer or artist whose work I find particularly interesting.)

Four dollars is simply too much for a comic book. The only way consumers can get the corporate types to understand this is to stop purchasing them. Draw a line in the sand.

Oh and friendly competition? Cool. Arrogance in a public forum? Not cool. Step off.

A Resurection of Appreciation

Festivus, the winter "Holiday for the Rest of Us" includes Airing of Grievances as one of its activities. I decided to start a similar, yet different tradition this spring: the Airing of Appreciations. My current financial situation has opened my eyes to just how lucky I really am. Accordingly:

@ I appreciate my friend Tami, who surprised me with a wonderful, indulgent gift basket on my birthday. When we chat online, she calls me "love" and never fails to raise my spirits. Thanks, Tami!

@ I appreciate my brother, Tom, who gave me a generous cash Christmas gift and told me to use it as I like. He also gave me a PetSmart gift card for Jake. Thanks, Tom!

@ I appreciate my friend Lori, who shared bingo winnings with me, bought me lunches and got me the BIG can of Tim Horton's coffee from Canada. She checks up on me and generally lets me know I'm loved. Thanks, Lori!

@ I appreciate my friends Doug and Larry, who sent me Giant Eagle gift cards and books from Amazon.com. Doug sends links to job postings and offers me encouragement. Thanks, Doug & Larry!

@ I appreciate my friend Missie, who treats me to dinners and drinks and took me to see Rent for Christmas. She saved my St. Patrick's Day from blending in to the rest of the calendar. Thanks, Missie!

@ I appreciate my VA Board friends Tammy & J.R., Tanya and Dan. All of them check in with me and offer their support and encouragement. Knowing there are people out there who keep me in their thoughts means a great deal to me. Dan even sent me a pair of Spider-Man PJ bottoms because he saw them at T.J. Maxx. Thanks, Tammy, J.R., Tanya & Dan!

@ I appreciate the folks who own and operate Alpine-Vistah Kennels, Paula and Chuck. They always take excellent care of Jake, whether it is for boarding or day care. Last month, Paula found a check of mine from November that she had misplaced. Knowing I was out of work, she tore the check up. In this economy, that is a significant gesture. Thanks Paula & Chuck!

@ I appreciate my dear, dear friends Michael and Kiehl. I talk to both of them almost daily. We do lunches and dinners and share resources and support and love. My life would be vastly diminished without them. Kiehl has recently encouraged me to rediscover the spiritual (not religious) side of my life. These guys complete me. Well, at least until the position is filled romantically. Thanks, Mike & Kiehl!

I don't know if any of these folks read this blog, but that's not the point. I thanked them all for their kindness and generosity. This is really about using the holiday spirit to send my appreciation out into the universe, or at least cyberspace.

Today, I had dinner with Kiehl and friends Craig, Doug and Randy. My contribution to the meal was a bottle of my Spiced Apple Riesling and what I'm calling a Resurrection by Chocolate trifle:


Blessed Spring Holiday of your choice!

How Cute Is This?

Jake is so adorable when he's asleep... and taking up the end of the sofa.

I Missed Posting on St. Paddy's

So this will have to do. So true. My friends Doug & Larry sent me this card.

For my Easter posting, I'm planning something special. The Seinfeld-created winter holiday Festivus includes the traditional "Airing of Grievances." For my spring holiday, I will begin the tradition of "Airing of Appreciations." Check back and see. Oh, and bring your aluminum pole. I have special plans for that.