People around the office are telling me that even if the Bears win the Superbowl, they will nonetheless have last been beaten by the Packers, at Soldier(s’) Field nonetheless. I guess there is something to be garnered from having beaten the team that would go on to win it all. I suspect that it will ultimately ring hollow though, much in the same way it did for me in 1983 when the White Sox lost the ALCS to the Baltimore Orioles, whom would go on to win the World Series. I’m sure my father said something along the lines of, “Well, at least the Sox lost to the winner. They were beaten by the best.” It was a valiant effort, but didn’t help in the least. If the Bears win or lose they were in the Superbowl. The Packers are playing golf (like the Blackhawks always do). Simple.

…


There has been a bit of 52 explosion here lately. Well, DC has provided a nice, big image to further the endless silliness and speculation. Is that a flight ring on the bottom?

On my desk this morning, anonymously, was a note with the following scrawled:

The Bears Still Suck!!!

How much can I win from a hostile work environment lawsuit?

Multum in parvo

I try to constantly push towards unread books, unwatched movies, and unheard music. I'll never experience it all before I die, but I ought to make that effort. Yet, I am ceaselessly drawn back to an endless re analysis of books and music. Neil Young, Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants," Darwyn Cooke, and Grant Morrison are on tap this past week and the Matheson and Aquinas (both being read for the first time) are on the back burner. So I haven't digested much new this past while, but I've seen the old as new yet again.

Since I mentioned comic books in this post Wayne is more than encouraged to reply at length about 52. How 'bout Animal Man? And the multiverse? But we don't know what is going to come of Adam Strange's eyes...

This past weekend I reread The New Frontier, loving it more than ever. The original intention was to read an issue a day and let them sink in gradually. Once I made it to day 2 this plan quickly evaporated and I ended up reading the final 5 issues over 2 days. This series is so terrific – its seemingly simplicity in art coupled with its complexity in theme is perfect . I had always loved it the first two times I read it, but I hadn’t fully captured the sense of glory and purity at the advent of the Silver Age heroes. Cooke so fully captures this in his sharp, blunt pencils. The panel at the end where Lois is told that the injured Kal was asking for her and her alone is amazing and so expressive. I jumped right into Seven Soldiers #0 last night. This series will probably blur if I rush it though. One book a night is the plan. Anything more than that and Grant will cook my brain.

I devour comic books much in the same way I pour through movies and tv shows and usually have the same result -- most of it is either mediocre or poor. Its just the nature of reading a lot of comics. Most are forgettable, some are bland yet remembered for their continuity contributions, and a few knock you down with just how good they are. Many great comics are immediately great, thought most are dense and only appear great after being reread 6 months down the road. Its only January but I would not be surprised if All Star Superman #6 holds up as one of the best single issues of the year. So exciting and heartbreaking. The God of All Comics does it again.

Arduum sane munus

Here is my recipe for a great Tour da Chicago Prologue, albeit it one with poor temporal results.:

Go to bed at 2:30am on Saturday night, dream yet again of the Last Frontier, and get up at 4:30am. Drive to Chicago at 5:15am and stop for coffee at the Des Plaines Oasis, where you purchase a cup of coffee.

I never drink coffee (for no discernible reason – I drink Green Tea if anything) so the half dozen times a year I have a cup I really get a boost out of it. Sunday is the perfect example of a day when I needed that boost, so I opted for the most intimidating and interesting flavor available – “Dark Thunder.” I found this emasculating, but also the kind of raw power I needed. It was pretty much strong, dark coffee. Perfect.

I felt that I rode faster than in the past, and I know my fitness level is higher than in past years, but my result was pretty piss poor – even compared to past results. I only added on about ¾ of a mile of extra distance so that shouldn’t have been too much of an anchor to my time. Oh well. I had a good time, the weather was great, the vibe excellent, and I’ll be back for more.

My cell reception at work is terrible so I never answer it (though txting is fine), especially when the area code or number is unknown. Yesterday I received a voicemail from a 212 number, which turned out to be the Late Show with David Letterman offering me tickets. I had forgotten that I dropped them a note for standby tickets in January. I hoped that maybe I would get a call for Monday tickets (Friday's show is filmed on Thursday) as that would be easy to travel for, but they were for Wednesday, January 10th tickets. Too bad it won't work out, but it was interesting to get the call. Now that I know its possible to have something come from submitting that little form on their website I'll have to take it a little more seriously next time.

One of the more consistently creepy things I run across in my travels is any sort of forgotten or converted dance hall on the edge of a beautiful lake in Wisconsin. Its usually more than 50 years old at the least and though it probably has been converted to a beach house or restaurant a long time earlier, you can still see the structure of a large, open room looking onto a clear lake. You can still hear the music and picture the flappers dancing away on some long past New Years Eve overlooking a frozen lake. Its all so charming and sweet, but it really brings back The Shining for me. I can still see Jack Nicholson in that Black and White photo, transported back to 1921 for the July 4th Ball. I always felt this at the beach house at Devils Lake, but I recently had dinner at the Silvercryst and they had a photograph of a 100 year old dance hall on the lake that sat on the location the large restaurant currently does. It went right under my skin. The building and structure may be gone or changed, but those flappers dance on, eternally young and careless.