I went from Phoenix Arizona all the way to Tacoma
I am heading out west this weekend and am getting psyched up for the plane ride.
This video is about as inspiring as it gets. It makes me proud to be an American... Wait, what do you mean Airbus is a French company? Only in America could you make something this kick-ass.
Well at least we can be proud of United Airlines. They might suck just like all of the other airlines but at least they have awesome commercials
Take the cliched blog quiz
I never fill out these bad quizzes that are on the internet, but today I am board. Taken from the ADD Blog
Go here is read all of my answers.
Here are a few samples of the quiz
10. Been in a fist fight - Yes, I was a young hooligan. I once got into a fight with Mick Hucknell from Simply Red. There was a reporter with him from the NME and that is how I became famous.
18. Skipped school - Yes. The first time was to smoke pot in Craig Flick's garage. I think this was 7th grade.
46. Sang karaoke – yes, I was 1/2 of "Dean and Schmidty". We perform exclusively at the Rice County Fair.
Please fill out your own quiz and post it on your blog or mail it back to me and I will post it here.
The City of Beer
I went to Milwaukee this weekend to visit my sister and her family. While there I par-took in a view of the cities sites and businesses.
Alterra Coffee - Located right on the lake, Alterra is a pretty upscale joint. Their coffee is great and they have free wi-fi. The building they are in is a former water works building. They have remodeled the building and it is beautiful.
Node Coffee - Located on North Ave. $2 wi-fi and smokers galore. Minneapolis has only been smoke free for a year, but I am already spoiled. I can't go back. Also the wi-fi speed was a drag.
Collector's Edge Comics - I visited 2 of there stores over the weekend. They have very nice staff and the stores are clean and well laid out. They are heavy on mainstream comics and there is not a lot of Indy comics, but I still would recommend a visit.
Milwaukee Art Museum - I get to Milwaukee 2 to 3 times per year and I stop by the MAM every time. This is a world class museum with a terrific collection of modern art. Their current exhibit is Bruce Nauman: Elusive Signs. Neon tends to spark my headaches so I stuck to their permanent collection.
My other favorite Milwaukee places include: Atomic Records, The Little Read Book, Pizza Man and of course Cranky Al's Donuts.
Hey, Teacher! Leave those kids alone.
I have now read exactly 4,251 kids books, and my daughter still asks for more. Some have no substance, no humor, no story or as we call them, booooring. Others get read over and over and over.
I have my favorites and my daughter has hers. Mine include anything by Peter Sis, the Tin Forest by Helen Ward and of course the Princess Knight. My daughter loves Slow Loris, What's Happening at the Zoo, and Goodnight Gorilla
As ever, I am constantly on the prowl for something new and interesting. Here are our newest finds.
Hot Air : the (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride
Written and Illustrated by Marjorie PricemanThis book is great in the way it leads kids down the path of disobeying the writer. Pages often end in "enough about that" or "so, never mind". Immediately my daughter would want to know more about those parts.
The story itself has all the elements that hold a kids interest. There are kings, queens, artists, dogs and of course a duck, a sheep and a rooster.
The lead up to the flight gives loads of information, description and distractions. Once the flight is in motion the story changes pace and style. The flight relies much more on the illustrations and very little on words.
A Platypus, Probably
by Sneed B. Collard III, Illustrated by Andrew PlantIn the last year we have read a number of these non-fiction books. It has been a real time of exploring. The problem with a lot of these books is that they can be dry and uncreative.
This book had a huge advantage for us right off the bat. My daughter had never heard of a platypus so just the description was fascinating. And what a strange creature this is.
The illustrations are detailed yet not text book. They are playful enough that the book has the feel of story instead of pure description.
Zen Shorts
Written and illustrated by Jon J. MuthAddy, Michael and Karl have a bear in their yard, a big panda bear, and he speaks with, what else, a slight panda accent. It is all perfectly normal.
Stillwater, the panda, makes friends with the children and tells each of them the most amazing stories. The stories are Stillwater's versions of classic Zen parables.
The beautiful illustrations along with this laid back story have been the biggest hit of the year at our house. I think we have read this book 50 times in one month.
Unclean, unclean
Our house is a leper colony today. The girls have the flu and I'm struck down with a massive migraine. There should be an X painted in blood on our front door warning any unsuspecting visitor of the viral pit that is our home.
Listen to Sacco
Comic journalist extraordinare, Joe Sacco, is interviewed by New Zealand's "Scoop Independent News.
Kabuki : Circle of Blood
I just finished the graphic novel, Kabuki : Circle of Blood, and all I can say is, WOW! The story was great. It includes traditional Japanese culture with a futuristic storyline that blew me away. The mystery of the story builds with perfect crescendo and explodes at exactly the right moment.
Kabuki is one of several assassins working for the Noh, an intelligence services in a future Japanese government. The Noh is run by a former WWII General who is kept alive through life extending medication.
This futuristic Japan is in a new age of corporate feudalism. The Noh police a delicate balance of the worlds of business, organized crime, media and politics.
The only problem is that now I'm hooked in seriously long endeavor. Kabuki has 6 full length graphic novels and is on its way to a seventh.
I have bought the individual comics from the 7th series and the graphics are incredible. The newer comics are in full color and the pages are like puzzles unfolding in each issue.
Scary. Very, very scary
I kid you not, this was in the NY Times today.
Mr. Bush signed an executive order this week to establish a religion-based office in an 11th agency, the Homeland Security Department.
Vladmaster Redux
I was unable to make it to the Vladmaster show (see Feb. archive) but I did stop by the Walker and picked up a couple more of her shows. If anyone was able to make it to last Friday's show please send me a review.
Bring On Some Spring
The last few days have been splendid here in the north. Yesterday we opened up the 3 season porch and today I am thoroughly enjoying its sunny comforts.
Ignatz
A series of new comics appeared at the end of last year by the name of Ignatz and are published by Fantagraphics. These are very high quality comics with heavy paper stock. The authors come from around the world and are a great introduction to international comics.
The first 3 comics were Baobab, Insomnia and The Innocents. All of these will be serialized throughout the year. Titles will come out quarterly.
Baobab by IgortThe first title, Baobab, follows 2 story paths, the first being a Japanese boy named Hiroshi in the year 1910. His father was killed in a war and he interacts with a number of people. The second story, also set in 1910 but in South America, follows Celestino Villarosa who grows up to be a cartoonist for a local news paper.
The title Baobab comes from a story that is told to Hiroshi about a great tree in Africa. The legend of the tree is that it is the home of the Monkey god.
Baobab was originally written in Italian but the art seems to change with the location. The Japanese scenes are especially well illustrated.
Insomnia by Matt BroersmaInsomnia also follows a couple of different stories. The first which is very short is about 4 men playing cards and telling stories.
The second story makes up most the book. It starts with some convicts working in a field. One convict tells another about a guy called Marco. The convict grew up with Marco and wonders what ever happened to him. Suddenly the story follows Marco. Marco crosses the border in to Mexico, he is obviously hiding from someone.
This is my least favorite of the first three stories. The artwork is more rough and the stories kind of vague. I guess we will have to see where it goes with issue 2.
The Innocents by GipiThe final comic is the Innocents. This is my favorite of the three. The artwork shifts during the present and past. The present looks almost like a water color painting and the past looks like a rude sketching.
The story follow a boy who is spending the day with his uncle. The uncle is taking him to see a friend of his who just got out of prison. This was originally published in Italian but of the three it is the most like American alternative comics.
The next three titles are out now and I will review them soon.
Lent
The 40 days are here. This year I'm giving up talking to people who voted for George Bush. I'm not sure how I will accomplish this but I will let you know when I fail.
oh, and chocolate.
Alright, I made it about 2 hours. My sister called and I had to talk to her. It was a quiet day and I think I eventually talked to another person who I suspect voted for Bush.
I really suck at lent.
Ps. I also had a Dove chocolate egg. They are just too good.