Getting started late, so I guess this will post as "sunday", but it's still Saturday night in my mind. Um, boring day, but a gucky one anyway. I'm naturally a night owl, so I like to sleep like a bear for a bit alone when Tzipora (circa 5 am) and Benjamin (circa 7:30 am) get out of bed. I requested a late sleep in, but by 9 am Ben had the Daddy-jones, and wanted to come back into bed with me and snuggle up. Only problem, he refuses to wear pants or slippers around the house, so he's a little block of ice. Right, guess I'm awake.

Tzipora's not feeling well, so my turn to take Ben to the park. Which is great, because its a gloriously sunny day in San Francisco. Only he hasn't, I don't, maybe quite recovered from yesterday (where he didn't get his nap), or maybe it's the lunar eclipse, I don't know (he's definitely more hectic during the full moon, and less in the fingernail), but he's in full Toddler-Cranky-Mode (also known as "the terrible twos", except, really, they're worse at three)

He's chasing this one kid around the park, and fine, but the kid is a little younger -- 6 months, developmentally or so (dunno his chronological age), so I'm really stressing "Protect the Smaller" to Ben, but Ben is getting to rough, and I have to call him out a couple of times. Finally, he tries to snatch a sandtoy out of the kids hands, despite me yelling "whoa, Blondie! Take it down a notch!", and the kid, appropriately, snatches it back. Ben gets a little notch on his skin (can't even call it a cut), and moans bloody murder about it off and on for the next 90 minutes.

Then he wants to climb the twirly slide, which is generally cool, but not when littler kids want to slide down. Then you have to get out of the way, and let them go through. But Benny starts to do the flip out thing, "No, I want them to slam into me!" and whatever, and he starts to freak out about not being able to be on the slide, and I have to pick him up and physically remove him from the park.

I love this age, really I do, but I also bloody hate it to pieces on days like this, with the random freak-out. Man, nothing kills your mood for a day faster.

Finally get him down to a nap (one of those ugly crying-down sleeps -- compounded by him losing his favorite sleep aids, these two silk shirts of Tzipora's which he calls (and rightly so) "Purple & Black") We'll find out 6 hours later that he dropped them in one of his toy chests. HUrray!

Then in to work and doing the weekly inventory. I'm a grumpy-pants as I do it, and Rob probably thinks I'm an ass.

Bleh. Hardly ready any comics in the last 24, here's what I got:

ANNIHILATION HERALDS OF GALACTUS: Super-Skrull, Terrax, Stardust (? How many times has this character appeared before?) -- all decidedly 3rd rate characters, and much better suited as pure adversaries, rather than semi-heroic figures. But, regardless of that, I still basically enjoyed this issue just fine. Its nothing I'd spend my own money on as a reader, but I didn't feel like my time had been wasted, either, whihc automatically qualifies it for a OK.

BLUE BEETLE #12: This really is a charming little book, isn't it? Maybe it's even my favorite "Not-Superstar" book from DC these days. Fairly attractive protagonists, interesting circumstances, a touch of mystery, some revelations, enough action, this book has everything you can want from a b-list comic book, really. But that's it, its good, not great, and with the state of comics being what they are, its often hard to fit a title like this in your budget. I like it fine, and it's a low GOOD.

FALLEN ANGEL #13: I miss the painted look a bit, but this is fine solid character-driven work, and I think its worth an easy GOOD.

HERO SQUARED #5: Despite the kinda-false pathos of "oh god I killed a some people!", what bugs me is that there's so much plate spinning going on here, so much so that we're now going to be 9 issues in (adding the mini series) to address what I'd argue to be the central question: what did the big guy do to make Stephie become calig-whatever. This'd be much more acceptable in a book that came out, say, monthly. But not one on the laissez-faire plan. Or that costs $4. So while I basically like it, circumstances dictate that I say EH.

JOHN WOOS SEVEN BROTHERS #5: *snap snap* its over. Too much Deux, but plenty pretty to look at. PLenty OK.

TRUE STORY SWEAR TO GOD #4: Its warm, its funny, I like it fine, a very high OK.

Right, that's it for today. Tomorrow I'm back to the con for the panel at 11:30. Show up! Really!

What'd you think?

(and Jeff? Graeme? Feel free to jump in any time!!)

-B