I went to Big Lots yesterday. I didn’t intend to go to Big Lots — it was T.J. Maxx I wanted to visit — but while at Big Lots I snapped the photo above, of the crescent moon and Venus just after sunset. I wanted to go to T.J. Maxx because I’ve seen reports that … Continue reading The Cosmic Dance
Author: Allyn
A writer, editor, journalist, sometimes coder, occasional historian, and all-around scholar, Allyn Gibson is the writer for Diamond Comic Distributors' monthly PREVIEWS catalog, used by comic book shops and throughout the comics industry, and the editor for its monthly order forms. In his over ten years in the industry, Allyn has interviewed comics creators and pop culture celebrities, covered conventions, analyzed industry revenue trends, and written copy for comics, toys, and other pop culture merchandise. Allyn is also known for his short fiction (including the Star Trek story "Make-Believe,"the Doctor Who short story "The Spindle of Necessity," and the ReDeus story "The Ginger Kid"). Allyn has been blogging regularly with WordPress since 2004.
My optic nerves are angy! Stan Lee would have written this line unironically, circa 1965, in an issue of The Incredible Hulk or Avengers with a cover burst that screamed, “Tremble before the rage of the monster’s eyes!” It also happens to describe what’s happening inside my own eyes. I spent almost a week in … Continue reading The New Optical Adventure
I went to church this morning. Not from any religious conviction, but because I spent the last week in the hospital (that story to come) and my sister said to me yesterday that, after a week of being surrounded by doctors and nurses, I must be lonely at home by myself. And where can one … Continue reading Out and About on a Dreary Sunday
Today I took at tour of Washington’s National Cathedral. This is something I had been wanting to do for a while, ever since they announced they were building a LEGO replica of the cathedral, and it was just a matter of finding the time. A vacation day was scheduled, a ticket for that night’s Washington … Continue reading Touring the National Cathedral
It was one of those Septembers when it seemed that the summer would never end. Ian Fleming, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service For the first time since 2013, the Harrisburg Senators were in the Eastern League postseason. In 2013, I attended two postseason games in Harrisburg — the clinching game of the first round, … Continue reading Summer’s End in Harrisburg
Apologies to Simon and Garfunkel. This week marks the annual Dallastown Fair. Having nothing to do last night, after eating dinner, I walked into town and went to the fair. It was every bit as unenthralling as I remembered. A midway of carnival rides and games. Food stands by local restaurants and churches. Farm equipment. … Continue reading Are You Going to Dallastown Fair?
Over the weekend at San Diego Comic Con, two new Star Trek trailers debuted. While I’ve worked in the comics industry for over twelve years, I’ve not had the pleasure — or misfortune — of attending San Diego. First up, the trailer for Star Trek: Picard, the CBS All Access series about Jean-Luc Picard, with … Continue reading Two New Star Trek Trailers
Meet Dave. Dave is an usher at Camden Yards. Dave was not the usher for my section when I attended Saturday night’s Orioles/Indians game — that was John, of whom I have no pictures — but I saw Dave several times during the game, as he left his water bottle near the handicapped seating in … Continue reading One Night at Camden Yards
I keep a Rubik’s Cube on my desk at the office. It’s something I can fiddle with when I’m thinking. Sometimes I’ll even take it into meetings. A couple of turns here, a couple of turns there, and if I mess it up, there’s an online solution — You Can Do the Rubik’s Cube — … Continue reading Learning to Solve the Cube
I was in Harrisburg for a Senators baseball game. It was “Swords and Dragons Night” — Game of Thrones Night with the serial numbers filed inexpertly off — and they were playing the Bowie Baysox and Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman was making a rehab start. The game ended around sunset and, with the sky … Continue reading Harrisburg at Twilight
About six weeks ago, a voice in the back of my head started talking to me. I want to redo the website. Why? I want to redo the website. Seriously. Why? Are you not happy with the website? I want something new. Why? I want something new. Then I’d find myself looking at WordPress themes … Continue reading The Way My Brain Works
I’ve been doing a great deal of thinking about Russia and the 2020 election, thoughts that are leading me to some chilling places. You may skip over this — “Oh, Allyn’s moaning about Russia again, and it’s all ‘Fake News’ anyway” — but that’s because you’ve never asked yourself the question: “What does Russia want?” … Continue reading Russia, the Primakov Doctrine, and Implications for the 2020 Election