Sometimes I get to feeling a lot like this...
Now, has become one of those times!
Before proceeding any further, my deepest and sincerest apologies to the readers of this humble Blog - and even more so to those whom I owe personal correspondence! I've fallen woefully behind on both. Hopefully, you'll all understand!
Here's the funny thing... I thought retirement from my 35-year career would make life simple... free-and-easy-like.
Reading...
Sleeping...
The occasional, odd household chore...
But, no more of the difficult and unpleasant stuff...
...And, to a very large extent, I was right!
Right now, I have the best life I have ever had - and said so to Esther and Averi a mere five days ago!
And anyone who actually knows my life story would also know how true that is!
But, a funny thing happened on the way to that "simple... free-and-easy-like life"... That being that so many good things have come to fill it!
And, while I no longer have a career, or even regular writing work, I have so, so much to fill the time...
First and foremost is this wonderful little person who came into our lives!
Then, in no particular order - because they are ALL important to me!
The time afforded me to undertake "The Great Comics Organization and Storage Retirement Project", which has allowed me to revisit so many great old comics, and finally get them into the proper order. This project is expected to keep me busy for a long time. It also has provided much material for this Blog.
Becoming a prolific indexer with Grand Comics Database. This dovetails nicely with "The Great Comics Organization and Storage Retirement Project", in that, before joining GCD, I would use it as a data resource for my organizing - and now, as I organize various issues, I also update them at GCD!
It's actually great synergy among "The Great Comics Organization and Storage Retirement Project", Grand Comics Database, and the Blog! One feeds another... feeds another... feeds another...
Outside of comics, there are also two important activities that simply could not coexist with working full time at a demanding job...
I've become a local bus transit advocate, speaking at public hearings and legislative meetings - and I have actually affected some positive change for my particular local route by making the case before those who make such decisions.
And then there is this Blog, which I love, but have (alas) given a back seat of late.
Finally, I am now doing some fairly extensive research for a book project!
NO! I am not writing a book! It is being written by someone far better at that than I could ever hope to be!
But, it IS what has finally prompted me to write this post - and force myself to admit that some of the things I promised for the Blog will not come to pass right now.
But, what WILL come to pass is the resumption of the "Adventures in Comic-Boxing" and "Separated At Mirth" type of posts - of which I have MANY stored up and waiting.
We will return to those by the end of this week, so please enjoy them, while I make the world a better place for buses, local government, old comic books (and those who index them)... and special little girls!
As always, your comments are welcome - and will get the usual prompt response.
15 comments:
Congratulations on your fulfilling retirement! And good luck with the research.
Glad to hear that the things interfering with regular blogging are all *good* things! And blessings on you for your attention to public transportation. Be assured that I will read and enjoy your comic-boxing-inspired posts, even if I don't always leave a comment.
I myself am grading papers this week, but I recently ordered four Disney Duck comics from the French and German eBays, so I do have some new-to-me comics to look forward to--one with Nessie, one with a yeti! These are a few of my favorite things....
Now the only new American comics I'm buying are for young relatives/friends: Lumberjanes, Star Wars Adventures, Marvel Action Black Panther (the last two are IDW all-ages versions of their franchises). When Averi is a bit older, I do recommend you get her the first two trade paperback collections of Lumberjanes (that's the complete story arc by their creators--continued series by other authors is fun but not as good). The Lumberjanes are female scouts at camp where they encounter various mythical/magical creatures. They will make up for the fact that as a girl Averi would never get to be a Junior Woodchuck...at least, not in the Barks/Rosa mid-20th-century setting. And the Chickadees will never get their hands on the magical Guidebook. But the Lumberjanes meet yetis and lake monsters!
Deb:
Thank you, and I’m knee-deep in the research right now. Two days ago, I was only ankle-deep.
…At this rate, I’m glad February’s a short month! Oh, wait… Leap Year! …Helllp! Glub! Glub!
Elaine:
While I owe lots of people “correspondence-apologies” (yourself included), I owe you the biggest “Blog-apology” of them all – for not getting to “Spaceman Discovers Christmas”!
I went as far as to employ “The Holidays Aren’t Over Until I Say They Are!” stalling tactic, and even the “1001 Free Gifts” post was intended to be an “Adventures in Comic-Boxing”, until I repurposed it to further stall. (Wow! Is this ever “True-Blog-Confessions Time”!)
Though I had the setup paragraphs written for some weeks, I finally had to admit to myself that I could not do this great comic the justice it deserved – not to mention the great art inside, not reflected by it’s sorta generic cover.
If it’s any consolation, HERE is the GCD link that I did for this comic, not long after you sent it to me!
If TC is reading this, same goes for Quick Draw McGraw # 14 – but HERE is the GCD link that I did in anticipation of writing that Blog Review, as well.
As for Public Transportation, I’ve seen my local route dwindle from severe budget cuts, and decided to do something about it. And, to some degree, I’ve helped see some reversal of the trend, and achieve some additional service, by speaking plainly and rationally to those who can do something about it. That includes the CEO of the bus operating firm, and my county legislator – who, now, both know me!
That, naturally, led me to some participation in other local government functions. And, all of these are things I couldn’t possibly have done while working full time. As I see it, that’s the biggest reason that the most important moderate mainstream voices aren’t heard by those who need to hear them. We’re just too busy “getting life done”!
As for Averi, she enjoys, nay - LOVES, having books read to her! I must have read “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” to her somewhere between five and ten times over last Thursday thru the weekend - at HER request! As you might imagine I read the parts with my usual spirit. So much so that, when she went home, she told her parents about how “Yeh-Yeh Joe” reads the book – and she wanted them to do the same!
As Grandma Millie did with me by age four, so I intend to do with Averi (she’s two now), picking certain comics she will enjoy. Lumberjanes could very well be something in the mix down the road… But you’ll understand if I get her nothing from IDW! :-)
I’m planning on eventually introducing Augie Doggie now that she’s begun demonstrating a noticeable video-viewing attention span with things like “Peppa Pig” and (shudder) “Blippie”!
Then, there are all those “Penny Robinson-centric” episodes of LOST IN SPACE! The possibilities are endless… and… waitaminnit… SOMEONE DID A YETI COMIC WITHOUT INVITING ME?
No need for apologies on the "Spaceman" front! Santa delivers presents with no expectation that we will make any particular use of them! And if you are inspired to write about Spaceman, that's something to look forward to on a future Christmas. We will tolerate no deadlines in the hobby-related activities that keep us sane!
Elaine:
Thank you! And, of course, in our “Blog-world”, Christmas could come in June, July, October, or November!
Indeed, it ALREADY HAS COME IN JUNE! …Remember?
I saw the bus and thought you were moving!
Just moving toward a brighter future for suburban transit!
Wait...wait...You can't say there's a book project and then not elaborate.
Well, yes I can… since it’s not my book, and no one’s given me permission to do so. Remember, I’m only doing research, and passing it along to the author.
Following up on my comment to Marc… What I *will* say is that, if you like the kind of stuff you see here at this Blog, you’re gonna L-O-V-E this book! And, I’m doing my part to see that it will be the best it can be!
Less than a week of researching for it, I've already learned several new things!
Miss you when you're not here, Joe! But I'm glad it's for good reasons, and not for (all together now) horrifically busy reasons. Interesting that your choice of a representative for your retirement images is Woody Woodpecker comic book covers! It's been a long time since we've discussed Woody or New Funnies or other Lantz material on this blog. Well, I guess there was that one a few months ago with the interesting sticker on the cover, but we haven't really gone much into depth exploring some of Woody's adventures or humor stories for quite a while. And on the DVD front, there hasn't been much heard from the Lantz stable since the two Woody Woodpecker collections which were released well over 10 years ago. I'm still hoping for a set of the original Woody Woodpecker Show--which is how I got introduced to our favorite redhead (sorry, Lucy!) years ago. I loved the interplay between Lantz and Woody, even more than the cartoons, which I of course also loved. Anyway, a WWS set would be highly welcome on my shelves. Every Hallowe'en I re-watch "Spook-a-Nanny" which remains one of my all-time favorite half-hours. Anyway, thanks for sharing your latest doings. Always great to hear from you! I'm very glad things are going well.
Scarecrow:
In truth, it IS for (all together now) horrifically busy reasons, but they are all GOOD reasons that account for the Horrifically Busy state!
In the case of Woody, I just scanned through my collection of Blog images and found the “reading image” from the cartoon “Get Lost”, and the “Woody Sleeping from his own Bedtime Story” cover from the comic, and thought they’d look good together. Once deciding that, I looked for other Woody images to continue illustrating the point.
I think the reason we don’t see more of Woody is that, in this age dominated by Corporate Media Giants, Woody belongs neither to Disney or Warner. That’s not to say that, whoever DOES steward the Woodpecker’s career these days, is doing that job very well… because they’re not.
"I think the reason we don’t see more of Woody is that, in this age dominated by Corporate Media Giants, Woody belongs neither to Disney or Warner. That’s not to say that, whoever DOES steward the Woodpecker’s career these days, is doing that job very well… because they’re not."
The fact that I don't even know *who* stewards Woody's career these days is about as powerful an indictment of their stewardship (or lack thereof) as I can imagine. (Is it still Universal?)
"Just moving toward a brighter future for suburban transit!"
Wow... You're not only involved in politics, you're even starting to *sound* like a politician! :) A hint of things to come?
I was missing this blog very much. I'm glad to hear things are going well. Those are all understandable and worthy reasons for being a bit slow on the blog front. I remain horrifically busy myself, to the point that although I was hoping to revive my own blog this year, I'm starting to doubt I'll be doing that any time in the foreseeable future. C'est la vie. Good luck with the research!
Sergio:
I, too, am not exactly sure who stewards Woody's career these days and, as you so rightly say, that “…is about as powerful an indictment of their stewardship (or lack thereof) as [can be imagined].”
It *may* still be Universal… or, by now, it may be one of those “vacuum cleaner companies” like “Classic Media” (or whatever they call themselves today – if they still exist), that never *created* anything – but “bought up” existing properties, one after another, to exploit as they saw fit.
I’m of two minds on that subject… I’m a bit less charitable toward entities that didn’t create something of their own (and existed only to “buy up properties”) than I am toward entities that DID have a foundation in creation (and only later “bought up additional properties”) – like Disney with Marvel, Star Wars, and Henson, and Warner with DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera, MGM and the like.
Then again, some of those properties might not even HAVE a presence of ANY kind today, if not for the “vacuum cleaner companies”, elbowing the media giants for a little (often VERY little) room!
“Wow... You're not only involved in politics, you're even starting to *sound* like a politician! :) A hint of things to come?”
Well, as unlikely as it may appear to some, one must not live by comics (and Blogging) alone! :-)
No hint of ANY “things to come”, except participation on the very local and very grassroots level. Beyond that, as you all know, it begins to get ugly – and more and more uglier the higher you go!
On the other hand, FOUR of the leading presidential candidates for 2020 (as I write this) are quite a bit older than me, even now – Trump, Biden, Sanders, and Bloomberg! So, there’s plenty of time during which I can still change my mind!
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