Barsoom! The word — Edgar Rice Burroughs’ name for Mars in his John Carter novels — carries this magical, mystical feel. It conjures visions of floating cities and fantastical science, of barren deserts and the alien tribes that dwell there, of ancient civilizations and epic battles of might and magic, and through it all, theContinue reading “Barsoom Attacked!”
Organizing the Bookshelf
Several days ago I took about forty-five minutes and reorganized my office bookshelf, the one with my epic run on PREVIEWS, all 141 issues to date. It had been piling up with Image comics I was never going to read, and once I cleared that detritus away the shelf looks quite nice. It won’t winContinue reading “Organizing the Bookshelf”
The Scarlet Rose
A few months ago, I wrote about The Dark Lady, the first book in Alesandro Gatti’s young adult mystery series, Sherlock, Lupin, and I, about the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Arsène Lupin, and Irene Adler when they were children. I enjoyed it — it was more fun and inspired than I expected — and IContinue reading “The Scarlet Rose”
Sunrise in Pennsylvania
Just a lovely morning. I had to run outside and capture it.
The Looming Schism in Methodism
This week, the United Methodist Church held a special conference to address the issue of what to do about same-sex marriage and gay clergy. And, after not dealing with these issues, exactly as they’ve done at the past several (quadrennial?) General Conferences, the UMC has decided, once again, to do nothing. Same-sex couples cannot beContinue reading “The Looming Schism in Methodism”
Adventures in the Shoe Trade
When I was in college, I worked for Payless ShoeSource. Payless wasn’t my first job — that was a comic book shop — and as jobs went, it was fine. I had just moved to Lynchburg, Virginia. I was at the mall one day, saw Payless was having a job fair because they were openingContinue reading “Adventures in the Shoe Trade”
My Farpoint 2019 Schedule
The Farpoint convention is this weekend in Hunt Valley, Maryland. The headlining guests are Wallace Shawn (My Dinner with Andre, The Princess Bride), Maurice Lamarche (Pinky & the Brain, International Talk Like William Shatner Day), and Rob Paulsen (Pinky & the Brain). I will also be there, as I’ve been ever year since 2006, andContinue reading “My Farpoint 2019 Schedule”
Wheels Down
I left work early this evening. It was snowing heavily, I had finished with a project, and it was a good time to go. There were light flurries in the morning when I left for work. Nothing that amounted to much. At lunchtime, even though it was forty degrees, the snow was heavier. Mainly, though,Continue reading “Wheels Down”
Gathering Evidence on a Genealogical Puzzle
Today, being a nice day before the polar vortex arrives midweek (or not), I went down to Baltimore for some cemetery exploring. On Monday, I found a reference to my great-grandfather Allyn Gardner in a defunct Baltimore daily German language newspaper. According to a one-line note, he was the witness to a marriage license issuedContinue reading “Gathering Evidence on a Genealogical Puzzle”
The Absence
On Friday, a colleague of mine at work was let go. He had been with the company twenty-two years. A dozen years ago, he was the best mentor I could have had, taking a not-inexperienced writer and turning him into a copywriter. Then he moved into other, consumer-oriented projects, and we didn’t interact every dayContinue reading “The Absence”