The Turtle That Didn't Win The Race

 

Sometimes You Cannot Say Goodbye Loud Enough

We bumped into each other at the car show in Arvada

It had been at least twenty years since

She left me for a guy she met in a casino in Nevada

We exchanged awkward pleasantries like exes do

Talked a bit about our past, briefly

I noticed she had a scar where she once had a tattoo

She asked me if I was still wasting time painting and writing 

I told her I was as there was no off switch

And the desire to express myself was never a spurious thing

"That was one of many reasons I left, if I can speak frankly"

Emphasizing the word 'many' as if it was vulgar

"You never wrote even one of those poems for me."

"True," I replied, "But relationships have never been my motivation"

And smiling, added, "I'm more inspired by the metaphysical"

But to myself I said "Who wants to write about emotional castration?"

Good Ol' Fashioned College Football Watching Godless Barbarians

   Watched a little college football this afternoon with a few friends and neighbors, and a comment was made by one of my bigger friends regarding the size of the average interior lineman on a college team now versus what the average size of a interior lineman was when the commentator played the game.

   The commentator played college football in the early 1980's. He was a big guy then and is still a big guy now (about  6'5", gotta be close to 300 pounds), but in his playing days he claims the most he ever weighed was 270, and at that time he was not only one of the bigger guards on the team, he was one of the bigger guards in the entire conference.

   Steroids, he said, has got to be the reason these kids are all so big these days.

   He also added, "They should have to play in a steroid users league, to level the playing field."

   My reply was, "That's not a bad idea. Form a league that requires every player to take PED's - should make for a helluva entertaining show."

   To which the wife of my friend reacted by saying, "You're all a bunch of godless barbarians."

   To which all of us reacted by nodding our heads in agreement.

The SDICC Tad Too Late Album - The Primary Reason I Visit

    By far the most compelling reason I was drawn to comic books as a kid was the art. 

   No pun intended.

   Seriously. I started drawing when I was a toddler, and not just on the walls. I do not have a clue as to what compelled me to pick up a crayon and start drawing, but it happened and it doomed me to the life I live ever since.

   Well, doomed may be too strong a word.

   Aywhatzit, it was the drawings that grabbed me, not the superheroes or the stories. Those two elements were always secondary to the artists. Neal Adams was the featured guest at the first con I ever attended, and the first piece of art I ever paid money for was a sketch of the Batman from the aforementioned Mr. Adams.

   Cost $15.00, which was a fortune to me at the time. Worth every single penny. 

   There was a lot of original art being sold at the SDICC this year, which I somewhat expected. What I didn't expect was how much the artwork was being sold for.

                               Yeah...that's $245,000...

                                      Gil Elvgren pin-up...$35,000

The Happiness That Never Fades

I went down to the beach and I put my bare feet in the water

It was a cold day but that didn't really matter

The sensation triggered memories of the best kind

Being young, free, and full of vim, vigor and laughter 

The SDICC Tad Too Late Album Once Again: The Cosplay

Cosplay is how the masquerade is now referred to. The level of commitment to creating a costume and getting in character is at a fantastic level these days. There were a large number of Sailor Moon and Wonder Woman cosplayers, and innumerable Deadpools.

 

The SDICC Tad Too Late Album Continued: The Statuary

   Following up on yesterday's post featuring my visit to the SDICC last month, here are a few pics of some of the more interesting collectible statues that were available for the sculpture aficionados.

   Because, c'mon, who doesn't love collectible statues?