the weblog of David A. Price

That’s how Bryan Boles likes his Presidential candidate.  And, also, his coffee.  I pretty much feel the same way.  Check out the cartoon here.

Bill from Push The Pull Door posted a video that can count as a summary to those that missed the first debate.

Check it out here.

I think this weekend was a good one.  I was able to mow the lawn (much to Nanuuq’s happiness, as in some areas, the grass was up to her tuchas) and help Renee in the yard as well as run through our usual errands.  We also made it to Walmart where I was able to swap one of our empty propane tanks for a full one.  Which meant I was able to grill up some hot dogs for Renee and I tried something new - grilling up some cheese quesadillas.  And they came out pretty well.

Today was spent powerwashing the deck, where Renee was rearranging and setting up the furniture.  I grilled up some chicken and we spent a nice, peaceful day together.  I think she had a very good birthday and mother’s day.

We also got to see a little art film.  I think it’s in limited release, not on too many screens.  Something called Iron Man.

So yeah, I think this weekend capped off a pretty decent week, cable issues with the phone and the ‘net notwithstanding.  Vince, Chris, and I recorded the second episode of 11 O’Clock Comics and that seems to have a few folks entertained.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to set up any Sneak Peeks for Marvel titles shipping next week, but I plan on being on the ball this Friday.

I almost forgot - Saturday night, I received a text message from Pat Loika (who was attending the Emerald City Comic Con) with the following image attached.  I love the big guy and my infatuation with Jeff Parker continues to grow.  Gentlemen, thank you both.

If you’re not reading X-Men: First Class, shame on you!

Wrapping up a real nice weekend.  Only thing missing is some wine…

It’s always nice to drive out to Adams Fairacre Farms

Catching up on Spectacular Spider episodes from the past couple weeks while working on my little something for the upcoming comics podcast theme week.

I need to reconfigure the Treo since it’s screwed up more than one birthday (sorry, sis!) and May has bunch of ‘em.  I’ll be suffering for awhile if I mess up ma’s or Renee’s.

I’m enjoying the introduction of Spidey’s rogues gallery in this cartoon.  Shocker was cool with some nice continuity, as was Doc Ock.  Good stuff.

I really want to see Iron Man.  Preferably, before it’s on DVD. Not holding my breath, but stranger things have happened.

This really caps off a nice week.  Had some great times with Renee (always fun to see and hear her laugh) and I had a blast chatting with Vince and Chris, which became the first episode of the new 11 O’Clock Comics podcast.  Thanks to everyone to gave it a listen.  Speaking of Chris Neseman (and podcasts), this week also  brought us the return of Around Comics.  And it was glorious.

And with Doctor Octopus apprehended, I think I’ll call it a night.  I want to record Marvel Tales tomorrow morning (Uncanny X-Men!) and the last thing I need is for my allergies to act up.

Our weekend was pretty uneventful. It was nice having one where we didn’t have to run hither and yon and could take our time doing it.

Friday night we went to check on our friend Karen, who’s recovering from surgery, and have dinner at her place. Saturday, the three of us drove up to Dutchess so Renee could check out the deals at Plant Depot and so I could fill up the Tucson (gas being a tad cheaper just north of us). We also checked out a Fish Market that sold out of their batch of hard shell crabs right before we got there. I grabbed some salmon steaks which I plan on grilling soon. I got to hang out with Nanuuq in the car while mommy went into the shops. After we returned home, I mowed the lawn which is something that needed to be done. The weather cooperated nicely. Today, we watched No Country For Old Men and The Last Mimzy.

Not a bad weekend and nothing I can really complain about. I did take a few photos of the yard since Renee likes to check on her work. Plus, I have to take some shots of our little Japanese maple that survived the winter. Finally, there are some pictures of a house near us that has some gorgeous landscaping. Unfortunately, you can’t really tell that from these images, but I’ll have the camera with me again the next time we head that way.

UPDATE: I had photos attached to this post but, after closer inspection, I did not like the way they came out. Plus, I spent way too much time fooling around with resizing them.

I should have spent the time working on the show notes for this week’s Marvel Noise.

To say 2008 came out the gate kicking our asses would be an understatement. Hell, the latter half of our 2007 wasn’t all that great. Sure, there were good times, and laughs, but there was a cloud hanging over us that we still can’t shake.

And it’s related to money. Specifically, the money we’re paying to keep our house. The bank that holds our mortgage is a joke. They refuse to renegotiate as long as you can make your payments. That makes sense, I suppose. They get their money, to hell with the rest of your expenses and credit score. Since before October of last year we knew our payment was going up. So we did the Lending Tree thing. And we had some offers, but nothing concrete came of it. Our debt ratio is too high or we live in an area that we can afford based on our income (our house is one of four on our side of the street that seems to be worth anything - the rest of the community looks like white trash) or there just isn’t a program in place that can help us.

A couple months ago, Shawn called me out of the blue to ‘follow up’ based on information he received from Lending Tree. I’ve never spoken to this man before, nor dealt with his company. In less than 48 hours after a few conversations he had with Renee, we were in a completely different situation. There was actually hope. Paperwork and documents were sent to him and numbers were crunched. He came back to us with a mortgage payment that would actually leave us with a few bucks at the end of each month. It was amazing.

But the underwriters wanted certain things paid off. With money we didn’t have. Because, after all, if we did I don’t think we’d be in the shape we’re in. So many calls to family members were made. And those that could help came through with flying colors. Retirement money has been loaned out (that 1099 I’m getting in January is gonna royally suck) and Peter was robbed to pay Paul. Last week, we were right at the level we needed to be and Shawn’s boss was going to fast track everything and push it along.

And today is the day. The underwriters have given the loan agreement to Shawn’s managers and now we’re waiting. And it’s killing us. It’s one of those ‘hope for the best, anticipate the worst’ scenarios. A few weeks ago Renee was looking into pet friendly apartments. We were starting to think that in a few years, we can end up with something nice if we lost the house to foreclosure. But seriously, considering what we make how is losing our home an option? Is it really easier for a bank to foreclose on a house, with all the paperwork involved, than it is to work something out with the people that live there and have been making payments?

We should have an answer in the next couple hours.

And I wish it was only the house situation we were facing. Because of that, however, the holidays were a very solemn time for us. No decorations were put up (as commented on by our neighbors (think Christmas with the Cranks)) nor were gifts exchanged. Actually, that’s not entirely true. I gave Renee and Meyer Lemon tree and she bought me the Blade Runner collection in the funky briefcase. Nikki was taken from us far, far too early back in February. My grandmother owed the government a shit ton of money because her accountant did not send her a form she needed to sign. My brother is facing some problems at work. Cripes, if we’re being tested I hope the payoff is fucking worth it.

I know we’re not alone. Everyone has problems in some way, shape, or form. We’re not the only ones facing foreclosure (Shawn has a client that calls him daily and the woman is often in tears). We’re not the only ones with money problems. But it’s just so goddamn frustrating.

I’ve accepted the fact that 2008 is the year I do not attend conventions. In the grand scheme of things, that’s a ‘no big whoop’. But what stings in this instance is that it’s the only time I see my friends that are scattered about. But, that’s what email is for, right? I suppose the podcast is a release for me. And before anyone chimes in with “it can’t be as bad as you say if you can buy comics” let me say that we’ve cut back on a lot things. Unfortunately, my work schedule means I can’t work a part time job during the week. But the weekends are a different story and that process has started. But getting back to Marvel Noise, this is one reason I started the Marvel Tales segment. Aside from the fact that I have a lot of comics from the 80s, I’m not buying comic books right now. When I talk about a recent issue it’s because I’ve borrowed the comic or it’s an advance review. There is virtually no cost to me to produce Marvel Noise. And I’m pretty sure it shows. So the reason for the donate button on the Marvel Noise page is to not only make the show better, but also to give me and Renee a little help. Thanks to the wonderful Pat Loika, he has offered his talents to anyone that donates at least five dollars. And t-shirts are being designed for those that want to be stylish after being charitable.  I wrestled with the idea of even asking, but I was told by a few friends that I shouldn’t close this door without checking.  So there ya go.

In any case, this post is something that’s been in the drafting stage for awhile. Today, with an answer looming closer it seemed a good day to finish it.

Christ, this was depressing.

Thanks for reading. I need a drink.

My plane tickets have been purchased. My 3-Day + Thursday Night pass has been ordered. And come the morning of Thursday, the third of August, I will be on my way to Wizard World Chicago. I can’t wait. This will be the first convention that I’ve been to in years. Lots of years.

While I used to read it because it was different, nowadays I’m not real big on Wizard Magazine. Mostly because I’m not the target demographic. I’ve gotten a little older and mature. The staff at Wizard has not. But they have their readers, so more power to ‘em. I know what I like and I really do not need a slick-looking magazine to tell me what artist or writer is ‘hot’ or what a ‘babe’ Wonder Woman is. They perpetrate the stereotype a little bit, methinks.

But, despite my lack of fondness for the folks in Congers, NY, this is an opportunity I can’t pass up. I did not go to the New York Con in February. I did not go to Pittsburgh or Baltimore or Philadelphia. So why hop on a plane and go halfway across the country? Because Chris Neseman asked me to. A chance to hang out with the guys from Around Comics? Oh yeah. A chance to meet Dave Wachter, artist of Scar Tissue and an all-around nice guy? Oh, hell yeah. The pros definitely outweigh the cons in this situation.

I just hope my liver makes it…

I was asked at work “when I was a child, what did I want to be when I grew up?”…  And I wasn’t sure what the answer was.  I can honestly say I doubt it was ever computer-related.  I kinda lucked out having a career in the IT industry, and it’s been a pretty cool adventure.  The more I think about it, it was probably fate that led me to being a salesman at various retailers (working with different vendors), that in turn led me to be a contractor for Fujitsu PC (while working for said (vendors), that in turn returned me to retail (being a vendor gave me a ‘leg up’ and I was thrust into a management postiion), that in turn brought a friend into the store of the last retailer I worked for.  Which brings me to my current ‘9-5 (okay, 1-9) office job’.

But getting back to the question I was asked: it really is hard for me to answer.  Maybe because I moved around a lot, I was able to meet different adults with different jobs, thereby making each ‘this is what I want to do’ different than the last.  Hell, my dad’s been a teacher, a car salesman, an appliance salesman, a coach, an umpire, a referee, a bartender, that each brought with them a slew of options…  But, I guess as I got older, I wanted a career in comic books.  It’s the first career I remember trying out for.  After a feeble attempt at trying to be a penciller, I focused on inking.  I felt that I was better suited to give depth to a pencilled page.  Nevermind the fact that I didn’t think my layouts were strong enough.  I made a few submission packets and heard back from just about everyone.  Of course 99% of the rejections were form letters, but one publisher actually critiqued my work and offered suggestions.

Due to my finances (or lack of them), pursuing this wasn’t feasible for the long term.  So I put the rapidographs down and left it to the pros.  And this is probably a good thing, because I’ve found that I really enjoy writing.  And I can get my ideas down a lot faster than I could sketch a page.  Not that I’ve made any submissions, but it’s an idea…

Maybe I’ll ramble on about how comic books have been a big part of my life, why I still read them, and what’s changed about them.  Including my tastes in titles and creators.

Thanks Lucy, and I hope this answers your question in some form or another.