Not Just Words

Every year my wife and I participate in a yearly convention put on for kids in the area. It’s part comic con, part geek fest, but mostly just entertaining and fun.

My wife sells sweet goodies at a vendor table. Continuing with using the same vendor name that she used when she made custom cakes back in St. Louis. At this venue, going back a few years, it started with cupcakes. Then went to cake pops. Now it’s an assortment of cookies, cake pops, krispy treats, chocolate cover pretzels, molded candies… you get the idea. Every thing for just $1. Her mindset is that “every kid has a $1 in their pocket”. Pretty solid logic.

Generally the money she makes is enough to buy us a couple of tickets to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios. Yes, even though we are annual pass holders, events like this still cost us extra. And that WAS the plan. Until I had to drop over $125 on a new car battery… Anyway…

I, myself, generally dress up in some sort of cosplay. Usually what I’ve been wearing to the major conventions that year. This is by far my favorite that I’ve done. I call it “The Dapperlorian”. It’s a mix of a dapper gentleman and a Mandalorian. (Click the link to find out WTF that is).

A lot of the kids and other vendors dress up as well. My wife typically does, but was burned out this year because the weekend before we spend all evening and night at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween at Walt Disney World. And her costume this year is quite a hassle to get to assemble. The 501st generally show up (see Vader’s 501st), as well as a fully automated R2-D2 (see above). The Dapperlorian gets no love from the 501st. But I don’t care. It’s all about fun, not to think I’m actually a space bounty hunter.

And as part of dressing up in cosplay, I get to be a judge in the cosplay contest. The age range is for kids between 12-19 years old.

I’ve enjoyed doing it every year for the past 4 years. These kids come up with some amazing things. Most years I have been interviewed in some form or another regarding this convention. And generally a key question that is asked of me is “why do I feel that these sort of conventions, and cosplay events are important?” And my response is typically in the form of “it’s important to support these kids while their young, so that they can be encouraged to express themselves and harness their artistic abilities without being ridiculed or shamed for their interests in something ‘not normal'”. Or something like that.

In all honesty, it’s not just for show. They’re not just words. It’s truth.

Support the (healthy) endeavours of your children. Everything innovative always comes off as weird, at first. Don’t think that your kids are weird just because they demonstrate themselves differently. Ignite that spark of individuality. Individuality leads to creativity. And creativity is the only way the world moves forward.

 

When Is It Too Late?

I’ve been doing design work, of some sort, for LITERALLY half my life. Since I was 18 years old and still in school, learning about what it is that I still do to this very day.

It’s something that I LOVE to do. Always have. Creating new things and seeing them come to be a reality has always been a hugely satisfying aspect. Granted, most of it isn’t pretty and 99.9999% of the world will never see these things, but the fact that I designed something that wasn’t there before, and now it is, makes me happy.

Last night I had a conversation with my wife about an aspect of my career that, only recently, came into my line of sight.

I want to be an “Imagineer”. Definition: “to put creative ideas into practical use; to devise and use imaginative ideas or technologies”.

AND, most notably, a term coined by the employees of Disney theme parks. But an Imagineer isn’t limited to people who design rides. They design experiences, and details, and do the background work that most people take for granted.

But is it too late to start on this track? On one side, I’m 36. The latter half of my 30’s that says that I’m pushing 40. BUT on the other side, I’m ONLY 36. God willing, I’m only at the halfway point of my life.

I’ve already scoped out jobs as an Imagineer. And I could totally be one right now. For a lesser job, with less pay, and probably less fulfillment than I get now.

So, after we buy a house, it’s back to school. Get a higher degree. And ultimately create things that will surpass my own existence. Hopefully.

Is it too late? I dunno. I’m willing see what it takes and find out.

Anxiety Managed

This weekend started out with a giant rush of anxiety. House shopping. We’re in the early phases of preparing to buy a house, and we’ve been trying to absorb as much information as possible, so that there are as few surprises as possible. So. we went out early on Saturday morning to talk to builders and look at model houses.

And, of course, the person selling the properties is always trying to rush you into buying a place RIGHT NOW. “The prices are raising by $5,000 – $10,000 on Monday”. Or, “we only have two spots available, and they’re selling quick”. And, “Now might be the best time to break your lease on your apartment”. Or the woman selling the properties is just a straight-up bitch. Yeah, that lady can get over her “classy-by-day/barfly-by-night” facade.

But those instances are when the anxiety strikes me the most. I can keep a pretty good game face, and look like I’ve got my shit together. But the truth of it is, I just want it to be over as soon as possible before I just throw my hands up and walk away.

But, by reasonable thinking, I was able to overcome the mentality that THESE ARE NOT THE LAST HOUSES BEING BUILT ON THE PLANET. Or, more importantly, in our area. The urgency of it all then falls away, and I get the attitude of “I don’t need your tense and irksome semblance emanating stress on me”.

I’m in no position to put money down or even act like I’m going to buy. I just need info, so that I’m not overwhelmed when I am actually ready. That’s hard to keep in mind when I’m being told that when I’m actually ready to buy, house are going to cost SO MUCH more, and the process is going to be SO MUCH more difficult.

Bullshit.

The fact of the matter is that, I’ll probably run into you again at your next development, and you’ll give me the same speech. Except this time I’ll be more competently prepared and in a better mental state to deal with your aggrandizement of urgency.

Thanks for the training season, but I think I’ve got a better handle on having this game in the bag.

 

Monthly Haul of Comics

When I first moved down to Florida from Missouri, one of the first things I did to help familiarize myself with surroundings, was to find a comic book store. I found a shop which was owned by a husband and wife, and were just super cool people. From my very first time stepping foot into the store, they made me feel like a valued customer.

And because of the repertoire that my wife and I had developed with them, when we moved 45 minutes south, instead of finding a new local spot that was closer to my new location, we just continued to commute back up north to collect our comics every month. Not only because it was a comfort level situation, but because the owners of the store are fantastic people. And I’m all about supporting small business, when possible.

We try to make a solid trip out of it. Trying to make it have more purpose than the intended purpose, you know?

I can’t pass up a good Mongolian BBQ meal.

I’ve noticed that most people assume that comics are pretty much limited to what is seen in the movies. But there’s SO much more than just Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Avengers, etc…

Granted, a majority of what I get nowadays is mostly DC Comics, but there’s a few that are probably pretty unfamiliar, yet very familiar at the same time.

Let’s start with what my wife is currently reading. These are just from this month, but not limited to what is currently in her LARGE stack of unread comics.

Mostly “Harley Quinn“. To be fair, my wife was all about Harley Quinn way before all the basic bitches decided she was their favorite too. Along with “Suicide Squad” which is another Harley selling title. Her interest in Harley stems from her interest “Poison Ivy“, with whom Harley shared a title with.
But, I’m pretty sure that every girl growing up the late 80’s remember “Jem“. Not to be confused with the super crappy and extremely loosely based movie of the same name. So much of a bastardization, that my wife has just now come to accept its existence. This comic, while staying true to its original material, updated its image to allow plus sized women, and same-sex relationships to have a noticeable mark on the series.
The “Mad Love” book is a coloring book! DC Comics has really gotten into the trend of “Adult Coloring Books”. (And to be fair, they’ve snared me as well. But I’ll get into that at another time.) The Mad Love book is a full coloring book which reprints Harley’s first appearance in mainstream comics (as her first appearance was on television).
And then there’s “Batgirl and The Birds Of Prey“. As of late DC Comics has switched back and forth from her being an amateur crime fighter to a straight-up bad ass. The latter mostly being related to the “Birds Of Prey” comic.
And finally is a freebie that was in our stack, called “Faith”. I’m really intrigued by this as, most independent comics do, it deviates strongly from what the basic image of a superhero is. As you can tell, she’s a plus sized superheroine, and she kicks a lot of ass. We’ll probably look more into this one.

And now onto my stack.

I feel like my stack is pretty basic. But full of titles that most people don’t really realize exist. Like “Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers“. This is a more adult oriented version of the book. It still maintains the integrity of the original series and even the first movie, but way more violent and dastardly.
There’s a couple “Judge Dredd” titles in there. The British really create some crazy characters. This version of Judge Dredd is probably my favorite, as it has been Americanized from our consumption. Still takes place in the former UK, but the internal references are more relatable. And of course I couldn’t pass up the “Judge Dredd/Predator/Aliens” crossover.
Then there’s the basic comics of Batman and Superman (each having two different titles under them), and my favorite “Green Arrow”. Which this new “Rebirth” that DC Comics is doing, is really bring their characters back to true form.
Then there’s “Abe Sapien” and “Hellboy“. Most people would probably recognize a version of them from the super-underrated “Hellboy” movies.
There’s “Doctor Who” and “Star Wars” which I’m sure don’t really need much explanation. The Doctor Who series is a stand-alone story, and the Star Wars series takes place between the movies Episode 4 and Episode 5.
Then there’s “Astro City“, which takes all of the basic tropes in comics books, and purposely over-emphasizes them, making them almost feel like a comic from the 40’s that’s supposed to be set in the future”.
And finally, even though it’s not shown here, is “Future Quest”. Lately DC Comics got their hands on a bunch of Hanna-Barbera characters, and totally flipped them on their heads. Most notable is that now Scooby-Doo is in a post-apocalyptic world.
BUT, the one that grabbed my attention was “Future Quest“, which grouped together some of my favorite classics that I grew up watching on television as a VERY young kid. Johnny Quest, Space Ghost, Birdman and the Galaxy Trio, The Herculoids, Mightor, and so on…

And all of that is just a portion of the titles we collect. The ones shown here are all current issues. I didn’t even get into the back issues that I grabbed. I’m sure I’ll have more about my obsessive collecting habits later on.

Quotes Upon Quotes

What the point of this blog?

I’m experimenting. I’m going to be a spectator on Facebook for a while, as opposed to being a team player.

“But, isn’t Facebook where people are supposed to share their thoughts and have them inexhaustibly frowned upon and disregarded?

Yes. Yes it its.

Which is why I’m here. I’m almost at the point where I fear sharing anything on Facebook that wasn’t already there when I found it. And even then, God forbid it be a politcal POV or some sort of harmless lifestyle propaganda that would have done the reader no harm had they simply scrolled by.

So, it’s watered down posts of pictures to Disney and other media related things, such as movies, tv shows, comic books, etc. The mundane things that barely incite a reaction at all. Why waste my time?

But bottling myself up is no good to anyone. Especially myself. I NEED to express myself. Not that I’m opinionated or exceptionally profound, by any means. I just always feel the need to create. It’s a necessity for my well-being.

It can be debated as to where it came from, but in ENGLISH, the first person to say the write the phrase “Necessity is the mother of invention” was Richard Frank.

My necessity is the invention of this blog.

And to make even more a point of it, playwrite William Shakespeare said “Omission to do what is necessary Seals a commission to a blank of danger; And danger, like an ague, subtly taints Even then when we sit idly in the sun.”

What it means is: If I’m not doing this, I might as well deal with the BS of Facebook.

I appreciate my friendships on FB. But it seems that the only people who engage me are people whom are insistent on:

A:) Telling me I’m wrong

B:) Debating whether I’m right

C:) Just negating my opinion in general.

And, in the mean time, the wheels in my brain are spinning out of control.

So finally, one last quote: “Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy“. That was by The Eagles. (to be clear, Glenn Frey (RIP) sang it, but it’s safer for attribution’s sake to just name the band).

So, hopefully, this will help slow down those spinning wheels. Just a bit anyway.

This was probably way more than needed to be said. I’ve got no need to justify my actions.

This is my damn blog.

With my damn words.

And my damn interests.

All about my damn life.

To be honest, as I write this initial post, the thought keeps crossing my head, “Do I need to do this? Should I just erase this, and deal with the mediocrity of my watered down expressions on FB? Would anyone care?”

Fortunately there’s always the the part of my brain that has controlled most of my thoughts for most of my life. And typically it just repeats the phrase, “Who cares what other people think. By nature, humans dislike what they, themselves, are not.” In layman’s terms, “Haters gonna hate”.

This blog may not all be a cup of tea for everyone, but I’m sure on occasion, someone will find a piece of fried gold.