POI

A couple of years ago I introduced Dad to Person of Interest.  He liked it right away.  We would watch a couple of episodes every few weeks or so, maybe every two months.

We got to the introduction of Shaw in season 2 before Dad passed away.  I wish he could have seen the rest of season 2, when the finale actually took place in Hanford, Washington’s  nuclear plant, where he worked while he and Mom lived up there.

Today I got to Season 3, episode 9, where I experienced the biggest TV shock since Marie Warner shot her fiancée on 24.

And I cried. Mostly for what happened in the story, but also a good cathartic cry for my Dad.

That cry seemed to clear my head and shook me out of a funk I’d been feeling for a couple of weeks now.

And I came to a decision about something.

I’m not going to move to Sacramento.

There’s a position open in our agency’s office up there.  I was supposed to go up there these past couple of days to check it out, but a sore back stopped me from going Wednesday, and Thursday I didn’t feel well in the morning.

Maybe this was a sign.

I figured stress was responsible for both days, and once I sat down and made the conscious decision to no longer consider the Sacramento move scenario, I felt a great weight lifted from me.

I have enough to deal with around this house, disposing of so much of Dad’s and my own stuff, I don’t feel that the added stress of moving was needed.

I felt that I needed to move out of this house ASAP, partly because of the constant reminder of where I found Dad on the steps, every time I walk by them.  But over the past couple of weeks that feeling has lessened.  I’ll always have that painful memory, and the time will come when I will move out of here, but that time is not now.

For the moment, I feel less stressed than I’ve been in a couple of months.

I still need to go see a therapist to cope with grieving, but I think I made some headway on my own.

OGRE Designer’s Edition

This monstrosity has been sitting in my house for the better part of 4+ years.  With the release of the 6th edition, in a smaller box, and the upcoming re-release of OGRE miniatures, my interest has gone up a bit in the last year or so.

Today I cracked open the Designer’s Edition for the first time in years, and found a bunch of unpunched counter sheets, which I proceeded to punch, along with reorganizing a lot of the smaller counters into ziplock bags.  The smaller counters were loose in the box and spilling over and out of the compartments that I had placed them in.

Earlier this week I found an unassembled OGRE Mk. III-B in metal, which I probably picked up during some sale at Steve Jackson Games when the original OGRE Designer’s Edition Kickstarter was running.  I proceeded to put it together, and tonight I sprayed some primer on it so I can paint it up.

OGRE tanks usually have 4-letter names, so of course this OGRE will be named…

PORG

Heck, the two main batteries scream PORG!

At least I have a paint scheme figured out.

Dark brown hull, light brown/orange around the batteries/missile silos/treads, silver/metallic detailing.  And maybe paint the nose/mouth in front.

Ditko

Spider-Man was the second comic book super hero that I liked as a kid, after Superman.  My first Spider-Man comic had a cover by John Romita and interior art by Ross Andru.

I later got a copy of The Origins of Marvel Comics, and that’s where I first saw Amazing Fantasy #15, the debut of Spider-Man, by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

It was a different look from what I was used to seeing, to be honest.

When I was 11, my parents bought me a set of paperback books that reprinted the early days of Marvel Comics, with the first 6 issues of Fantastic Four and The Incredible Hulk, and the first 12 issues of The Amazing Spider-Man.

And that’s when I really fell in love with Ditko’s work.

I think he’s why Doctor Octopus is my favorite Spider-Man villain.

Ditko also created other favorites of mine, including Ted Kord’s Blue Beetle and Doctor Strange.

The one character that I had no idea that he had a hand in creating?

Squirrel Girl!

All I really knew about the man was that he was a recluse, often compared to J.D. Salinger.

Coincidentally, The Catcher in the Rye is my favorite book that I read in high school.

Today news came out that Ditko had died late last month.

This loss hurts a lot because of his contributions to comics and to my personal development in my tastes in comic book fandom.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Ditko.  Thank you for all you did.

Ant Man and the Wasp

Good, but the first one was better.

A lot of trailer dialogue was only in the trailer.

And the mid credits scene was great.

Recommended!

Shows and Stuff

There’s a lot to catch up on, should I choose to do so.

  • All 5 DC CW shows.
  • Jessica Jones 2
  • Lost in Space (on episode 5)
  • Runaways (on episode 2)
  • Other Netflix series that I never started (Sense 8, etc.)
  • Cowboy Bebop (on episode 5)

Plus everything that I’d like to rewatch.

  • 24
  • Babylon 5
  • Star Trek/TNG/DS9/Voy/Ent
  • Person of Interest
  • Alias
  • Firefly

Problem right now is that I just don’t have the desire to watch anything other than World Cup soccer and baseball.  I started watching Luke Cage 2, and stopped about 10 minutes into episode 2.  I started Cloak and Dagger episode 4, and turned it off after the recap.

I may not be burnt out on super hero movies, but super hero TV is not that high on my list anymore.

Plus, I’d also rather be playing solitaire table top games, sports, wargaming, etc.

Hopefully I’ll get out of this funk.

The Dresden Files CCG

I’ve had this game for over a year, played and enjoyed it solo.  The latest expansions are on their way to me.  I guess i should bring it out and give it another play or two.

Maybe not solo this time, too, yeah?

Best Buy Encounter

Wednesday I stopped by Best Buy on the way home from my optometry appointment.  As I made my way to the registers, browsing the movies on the way, a guy wearing an Xfinity lanyard stopped me…

Xfinity Guy: Hi, do you have Xfinity at home?
Me (smirking): No, I don’t.
XG: Who do you use for internet?
Me: Sonic.
XG: Hmmm… how much do you pay per month?  Over $50?
Me: Sorry, I just cancelled Xfinity at my house a couple of weeks ago, so I’m really not interested.
XG (now with a downtrodden look on his face): Oh.

And then he walked away.

Sorry, dude.

Oh, and I went home with a ream of printer paper and Sega Classics for the PS4.  And a bottle of lemonade.

Raiders

Today is the 37th anniversary of the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Usually I’d watch it on this day, but I just watched it a couple of weeks ago.

Why Now?

The cord has been cut.

Saturday I went ahead and cancelled my Xfinity/Comcast account.

For years they were reaming me with a monthly charge well over what a sane person would pay for JUST CABLE TV.

My last bill was over $200.  For just cable TV.

I’ve had a separate service for phone and internet (currently Sonic) forever, and was not interested in their combined packages, with data caps.

The only reason I held on to cable TV for so long?

Dad kept his TV in his bedroom on some religious cable channel all day, even when he wasn’t home.  He may have turned it off when he went to sleep.  Sometimes I heard it through his door when I got up in the morning to get ready for work.

I didn’t want to take that away from him.  I’m not sure if that same channel was available on the cable packages through AT&T or Sonic, or even over the air.

So yeah.

It’s weird seeing the empty spaces near the TVs, where a DVR box used to sit.

Prepare to Jettison…

I’ve added HBO to my Hulu account.

I’ve subscribed to YouTube TV.

If this works out over the next week, I’m cancelling Xfinity/Comcast.