... I don't recommend it!
Okay, I know the alternative is not necessarily one that most of us want to contemplate for any length of time. But the snow storm we had a few days ago really highlighted the problem of getting old. The thing is, as the old saying goes, "I ain't no spring chicken anymore". I'm a bit over the half-century mark now and I am definitely starting to feel it.
Last Saturday, the 19th of February, it started snowing a bit, then turned to rain. The rain decided to turn back to snow in the evening. By about 8:00 that night I had 6 to 8 inches of snow in the driveway and decided to get ride of the wet, heavy snow before it built up even more and pulled out the snow-blower. No big deal ... it was the following day that killed me.
Sunday it was snowing so hard at times you couldn't see across the street! Fortunately, it started letting up in the afternoon - AND the snow plow had already cleared the street, so they wouldn't come by and cover my driveway again. So, out with the snow-blower again, clear the driveway, the front walk and one of my neighbor's driveway. Then I cleared the snow off the roof. I was completely done in at that point. Next morning I went out and helped another neighbor's with his driveway, then cleared off my wood pellets (for a pellet stove) ... and I was done in again! I was bathed in sweat and went in to collapse with a big glass of water. (Shocking - not beer or whiskey, eh?)
What has all of this got to do with "getting old"? The thing is, when I was in high school, I was in fairly good shape - a bit overweight, but strong and actually had a lot of stamina. After that I joined the Navy - at the end of boot camp I had lost the extra pounds and could complete the obstacle course (no time records here, but I could get all the way through it), I could run a mile without keeling over, and walk (march) a couple of miles with ease and I could bench-press 100 lbs or more. Now for most of the time I was in the Navy, and for quite a few years afterward, I stayed in pretty good shape. But then I hit that dreaded half-century mark! Pfui!
Okay, yeah, I've let myself go a little bit. Packed on some extra pounds and haven't kept up with exercising. But dang it, I used to be able to just take off and walk for a couple of hours. Now my knee starts to hurt after about 15 to 20 minutes. And oi! My aching back! So, now I've decided that I have got to lose the extra weight ... well, I know how to do that. But I also have to start getting back into better shape. That means I've got to be able to walk more than 20 yards without running out of breath. That means I've got to be able to lift and carry more than 40 lbs (the weight of the bags of wood pellets).
The hard part of this is that my body doesn't build new tissues quite as quickly as it used to. When a person starts trying to "get in shape" the way I need to do, part of the process is breaking down old, flabby, weak muscle tissue - then building newer, stronger muscles. That is the part that has me worried - building the new muscles. Well, that and it just seems to be ever so much easier to hurt myself these days.
Well, once I start, I have to keep at it - that's for sure. There is one thing that will be driving me. I have to get strong enough to once again kick Kennie's butt. Most of you know him, he's a cop ... and he's been working out. Oh, I can still fight dirty, but I don't want to really hurt him ... much. So, yeah, I'm actually starting this - no more cookies, cake, candy, ice cream, etc ... I'm starting fresh! Go me!
We'll see how it goes ...
Newly discovered on-line comic: http://www.krakowstudios.com/spinnerette/
A spoof, of sorts, on many superhero comics - mainly one web-slinger in particular. The art is excellent and the writing and story telling will definitely hold you. A great blend of humor and action.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
A Light-hearted Start
Hi Everyone! Welcome to Whiskey, Cheese and Crackers! This is a place to sit down, have a glass of a fine single-malt Scotch Whiskey, a few snacks and talk. Maybe tell a few tall tales, discuss the finer things in life, read a few short stories, laugh a little or cry a bit … or maybe even talk a little treason. In other words – talk about life in general. (And, it’s okay if you’d like Bourbon, or maybe a nice micro-brewery beer instead. Heck even tea or coffee if that’s your preference. If you don’t drink any of those, I’m sure we could dig up a Pepsi or two.) (And actually … I’m drinking a spot of Bourbon as I’m writing this.) And yes, I do invite, even encourage comments and input, though I do reserve the right to censor if you get too darned nasty.
I used to blog on "MySpace" (http://www.myspace.com/grumpydispatcher) and may do so again. But I thought it might be fun to post to a REAL blog-type web site. One that doesn't have all the junk (ie, "apps", games, flash-blingy backgrounds, movie trailers, etc., etc., ad nauseum) that sites like MySpace and FaceBook seem to specialize in. Those sites seem to me to tend to overwhelm me a little bit. I felt this would more allow me to be just me.
And just who is “me”? Well, I suspect some of you visiting me might already know me (since I’m going to post links to this on those “other” sites I just mentioned … and maybe a few more). Anyway, right now I am a Police Dispatcher at a small-ish PD in Arizona. I do Tarot readings (though I’ve taken a bit of a break for a while). I’ve also been a Police Officer and worked private security. And I served my country in the U. S. Navy for 8 years during the end of the “cold war”. I’m also very interested in history in general and in genealogy (which is also history in it’s own way). And … although I’m in my 50’s, I love playing Pokémon games. I’m sure you’ll be learning more about me as we go along, but that’s good to get started with.
Anyway, I thought I'd start out with something kind of light-hearted (as mentioned in the title of this post). And I thought it might be fun to post what some of my favorite on-line comics are! Who knows, maybe you'll find them entertaining as well. I thought I’d narrow it down to the top dozen that I like the best – no easy task as there are quite a few more that I follow regularly. Several of these have been going quite some time and may take a bit of effort to get caught up on (if it’s a single story line), but others are still fairly new. Archives are available on all of them. So, here's my top 12 (in alphabetical order);
[Okay, I'm going to make this a nice "baker's dozen"! There was one more I just felt I had to add. Do enjoy them ...]
http://www.abominable.cc/
"The Abominable Charles Christopher" by Karl Kerschl (frequently abbreviated as “ACC”). Charles is big and scary-looking and soft on the inside. Karl's art is excellent and his story lines are very in-depth and very entertaining. ACC will make you laugh and will bring tears to your eyes. Going since June 2007, but very well worth a read through the archives. There are a few story lines and side-stories.
http://www.colourofivy.com/annyseedhome.htm
“Annyseed” by Stuart J. Brown. Anny was turned into a vampire 50 years ago at the unfortunate age of 15. She wants to return to school and try to be as “human” as she can. Stuart is also an excellent comic artist whose story telling ability really shines in “Annyseed”. Started in 2009, there are 79 pages in the archives, so fairly easy to get caught up (the first page has audio – so turn up your speakers).
http://www.bearnutscomic.com/
“Bear Nuts” by Alison Acton. They may slightly resemble some cartoon/greeting card bears from the ‘80’s, but with characters like Prozac Bear, Gimp Bear, Lech Bear, Gay Bear, Evil Bear and Death Bear … they definitely don’t belong on a typical mother’s day card. The comic is up to more than 250 pages at this point, but they’re so friggin’ hilarious you’ll find yourself breezing through the archives.
http://www.thebookofbiff.com/
“The Book of Biff” by Chris Hallbeck. Okay, I don’t know exactly what Biff is, but he is funny! There is no single story line, rather these are daily, single panel comics. Chris draws from his personal experiences and turns them into extreme funniness. Starting in 2006, the comic is over 1200 pages now – but Chris never fails to get at least a hearty chuckle from me.
http://www.cowshell.com/cleopatra/
“Cleopatra in Spaaaace!” by Mike Maihack. What if a teen-aged Cleopatra was actually taken from ancient Egypt and transported into the far future to deal with an invading alien species? Well, first she has to get through school … and complete her first mission! Starting in 2009, “Cleopatra in Spaaaace!” is now up to almost 60 pages. So the archives are a relatively easy read and well worth the time.
http://www.dominic-deegan.com/
“Dominic Deegan – Oracle for Hire” by “Mookie”. Dominic Deegan is a seer, he can read the future and the past like a book. He still manages to find trouble along the way. This comic has been running since 2002 and has a huge archive. I have taken the time to go through all of it – and it was well worth it. Mookie’s stories are excellent, blending mystery, romance, action and humor.
http://www.eeriecuties.com/
“Eerie Cuties” by Gisèle Lagacé, Dave Zero 1, Shouri, Miguel Marques and T Campbell. “Eerie Cuties is about Nina Delacroix, a 14 year old vampire who was born on Easter and thus, feeds on chocolate instead of blood. Her sister, 16 year old Layla Delacroix has no problem with blood. They and their friends attend Charybdis High School. Published since 2009, they have just reached page 289.
http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/
“Gunnerkrigg Court” by Tom Siddell. This comic follows a young girl named Antimony Carver as she begins attending school at Gunnerkrigg Court. We get to share her adventures and discoveries about herself and the strange world around her. Now at over 840 pages her story continues to entertain and enthrall and is always enjoyable.
http://www.agrainofsand.net/humanmyth/
"Humans and Other Myths" by Agos. His "about" page describes it best: "
http://www.selkiecomic.com/
“Selkie” by Dave Warren. Selkie is a not quite human orphan at the Calumet City, WI, Municipal Orphanage. Her life is about to change when she meets Todd Smith, an architect who recently decided to pursue parenthood through adoption. Dave’s story telling ability has captivated me and so has his characters. We just met Todd and Selkie in May of 2010, so you will find it pretty easy to catch up on the story.
http://wapsisquare.com/
“Wapsi Square” by Paul Taylor. Follow the adventures of Monica Villarreal who works with ancient artifacts at the museum. Monica and her friends (who are not all strictly human) set out to save the galaxy … and learn something about themselves along the way. Going since 2001, there is an extensive archive, but again, very worth the time to follow the entire story.
I used to blog on "MySpace" (http://www.myspace.com/grumpydispatcher) and may do so again. But I thought it might be fun to post to a REAL blog-type web site. One that doesn't have all the junk (ie, "apps", games, flash-blingy backgrounds, movie trailers, etc., etc., ad nauseum) that sites like MySpace and FaceBook seem to specialize in. Those sites seem to me to tend to overwhelm me a little bit. I felt this would more allow me to be just me.
And just who is “me”? Well, I suspect some of you visiting me might already know me (since I’m going to post links to this on those “other” sites I just mentioned … and maybe a few more). Anyway, right now I am a Police Dispatcher at a small-ish PD in Arizona. I do Tarot readings (though I’ve taken a bit of a break for a while). I’ve also been a Police Officer and worked private security. And I served my country in the U. S. Navy for 8 years during the end of the “cold war”. I’m also very interested in history in general and in genealogy (which is also history in it’s own way). And … although I’m in my 50’s, I love playing Pokémon games. I’m sure you’ll be learning more about me as we go along, but that’s good to get started with.
Anyway, I thought I'd start out with something kind of light-hearted (as mentioned in the title of this post). And I thought it might be fun to post what some of my favorite on-line comics are! Who knows, maybe you'll find them entertaining as well. I thought I’d narrow it down to the top dozen that I like the best – no easy task as there are quite a few more that I follow regularly. Several of these have been going quite some time and may take a bit of effort to get caught up on (if it’s a single story line), but others are still fairly new. Archives are available on all of them. So, here's my top 12 (in alphabetical order);
[Okay, I'm going to make this a nice "baker's dozen"! There was one more I just felt I had to add. Do enjoy them ...]
http://www.abominable.cc/
"The Abominable Charles Christopher" by Karl Kerschl (frequently abbreviated as “ACC”). Charles is big and scary-looking and soft on the inside. Karl's art is excellent and his story lines are very in-depth and very entertaining. ACC will make you laugh and will bring tears to your eyes. Going since June 2007, but very well worth a read through the archives. There are a few story lines and side-stories.
http://www.colourofivy.com/annyseedhome.htm
“Annyseed” by Stuart J. Brown. Anny was turned into a vampire 50 years ago at the unfortunate age of 15. She wants to return to school and try to be as “human” as she can. Stuart is also an excellent comic artist whose story telling ability really shines in “Annyseed”. Started in 2009, there are 79 pages in the archives, so fairly easy to get caught up (the first page has audio – so turn up your speakers).
http://www.bearnutscomic.com/
“Bear Nuts” by Alison Acton. They may slightly resemble some cartoon/greeting card bears from the ‘80’s, but with characters like Prozac Bear, Gimp Bear, Lech Bear, Gay Bear, Evil Bear and Death Bear … they definitely don’t belong on a typical mother’s day card. The comic is up to more than 250 pages at this point, but they’re so friggin’ hilarious you’ll find yourself breezing through the archives.
http://www.thebookofbiff.com/
“The Book of Biff” by Chris Hallbeck. Okay, I don’t know exactly what Biff is, but he is funny! There is no single story line, rather these are daily, single panel comics. Chris draws from his personal experiences and turns them into extreme funniness. Starting in 2006, the comic is over 1200 pages now – but Chris never fails to get at least a hearty chuckle from me.
http://www.cowshell.com/cleopatra/
“Cleopatra in Spaaaace!” by Mike Maihack. What if a teen-aged Cleopatra was actually taken from ancient Egypt and transported into the far future to deal with an invading alien species? Well, first she has to get through school … and complete her first mission! Starting in 2009, “Cleopatra in Spaaaace!” is now up to almost 60 pages. So the archives are a relatively easy read and well worth the time.
http://www.dominic-deegan.com/
“Dominic Deegan – Oracle for Hire” by “Mookie”. Dominic Deegan is a seer, he can read the future and the past like a book. He still manages to find trouble along the way. This comic has been running since 2002 and has a huge archive. I have taken the time to go through all of it – and it was well worth it. Mookie’s stories are excellent, blending mystery, romance, action and humor.
http://www.eeriecuties.com/
“Eerie Cuties” by Gisèle Lagacé, Dave Zero 1, Shouri, Miguel Marques and T Campbell. “Eerie Cuties is about Nina Delacroix, a 14 year old vampire who was born on Easter and thus, feeds on chocolate instead of blood. Her sister, 16 year old Layla Delacroix has no problem with blood. They and their friends attend Charybdis High School. Published since 2009, they have just reached page 289.
http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/
“Gunnerkrigg Court” by Tom Siddell. This comic follows a young girl named Antimony Carver as she begins attending school at Gunnerkrigg Court. We get to share her adventures and discoveries about herself and the strange world around her. Now at over 840 pages her story continues to entertain and enthrall and is always enjoyable.
http://www.agrainofsand.net/humanmyth/
"Humans and Other Myths" by Agos. His "about" page describes it best: "
The kingdom of Berth is inhabited by elves, dwarves, fauns, centaurs, fairies, gnomes and many other creatures. The one race that exists only in childrens tales and myths of old, are humans.
Things change when a young human boy is found. Injured and not able to speak the language, no one knows where he is from or how he came to be here." Published (slightly sporadically) since 2009, "Humans" is developing into a fabulous story which is fun to read.
http://www.jackierosecomic.com/
"Jackie Rose" by Josh Ulrich. I've actually been a fan of Josh's work from two previous works. But "Jackie Rose" is his best by far. We follow the exploits of Jackie Rose who is a young adventurer. The stories take place in the late '40's and definitely involve some strange and interesting characters and locations. Running for about 1 year so far, it won't take you too long to get caught up on the story - the archives are definitely worth perusing.
http://www.sandraandwoo.com/
“Sandra and Woo” by Powree and Oliver Knörzer. This comic follows the adventures of Sandra North as she finds and adopts a new friend named Woo (a raccoon by trade). Sandra, Woo and their friends have many adventures and will make you laugh along the way. Published since 2008, there are some 240+ pages in the archives encompassing several story arcs, but the first couple of dozen pages give you the beginnings.Things change when a young human boy is found. Injured and not able to speak the language, no one knows where he is from or how he came to be here." Published (slightly sporadically) since 2009, "Humans" is developing into a fabulous story which is fun to read.
http://www.jackierosecomic.com/
"Jackie Rose" by Josh Ulrich. I've actually been a fan of Josh's work from two previous works. But "Jackie Rose" is his best by far. We follow the exploits of Jackie Rose who is a young adventurer. The stories take place in the late '40's and definitely involve some strange and interesting characters and locations. Running for about 1 year so far, it won't take you too long to get caught up on the story - the archives are definitely worth perusing.
http://www.sandraandwoo.com/
http://www.selkiecomic.com/
“Selkie” by Dave Warren. Selkie is a not quite human orphan at the Calumet City, WI, Municipal Orphanage. Her life is about to change when she meets Todd Smith, an architect who recently decided to pursue parenthood through adoption. Dave’s story telling ability has captivated me and so has his characters. We just met Todd and Selkie in May of 2010, so you will find it pretty easy to catch up on the story.
http://wapsisquare.com/
“Wapsi Square” by Paul Taylor. Follow the adventures of Monica Villarreal who works with ancient artifacts at the museum. Monica and her friends (who are not all strictly human) set out to save the galaxy … and learn something about themselves along the way. Going since 2001, there is an extensive archive, but again, very worth the time to follow the entire story.
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