A Year in MINIons- MINIon #1914

1914Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there!  I did some research for MINIon #1914 (like I do for all the MINIons, because numbers are important) and discovered that the person who pushed for Mother’s Day to become a national holiday decided in the end that it wasn’t a great idea.  Not that having a holiday that honors Mom was bad, but how it had become so commercialized (back in the 1930’s & 40’s) that it took away from her original idea… Welcome to America.  I wonder what she’d say now? As for my mom- I hope she has a wonderful day with her new puppy and her old puppy, and that Dad gets her a hot cocoa or one of those new cream frappuccino drinks when he makes his Starbuck’s run this morning.  Yes, I will call her today (Did you know that Mother’s Day is the biggest day for long distance phone calls?) to hear about how wonderful my siblings are, except for those who aren’t because they haven’t called yet. As for Sue’s mom (my other mom)- I hope the weather is good enough for some golf, or at least a nice walk on the beach before the tourist season starts in earnest, I’m sure Sue will try to call sometime today (Did you know that Mother’s Day is the biggest day for long distance phone calls?) . I thank both of these ladies for their support over the years, and having to put up with me.  Again, Happy Mother’s Day! Oh, Call your mother if you can (Did you know that Mother’s Day is the biggest day for long distance phone calls?).  

A Year in MINIons- MINIon #1059

1059For those who are following the current “multiverse shattering event” put on by DC Comics to get comic fans to part with their money – “Convergence” the basic premise is that Brainiac has removed cities from every alternate reality placed them on a planet and now heroes from these cities must fight for survival of their universe. Not to be confused with Marvel’s “multiverse shattering event” in which a world has been put together from various alternate realities and the heroes must fight for the survival of their universe – “Secret Wars” Basically, it’s getting close to summer and this is what the major comic publishers do every year – which can be annoying. So all MINIon #1059 is asking- is when everything is said and done, there better be a version of Beppo the super monkey.

A Year in MINIons- MINIon #6753

6753“We named the monkey ‘Indiana'” Which (without any commentary on Indiana politics) makes sense… OK, maybe there was a little commentary on Indiana politics… I recall the the first time I heard about Raiders… I swear my friends were talking about this movie about an Archaeologist and all I could think was “so?” By the time I left for college I had an Indiana Jones Stetson (before they put the pin on it) and stopped carrying a daypack for the much cooler messenger bag. Gosh, I miss that hat.

A Year in MINIons- MINIon #0025

0025I know some people were taking bets… 25 years ago I was a little nervous. You see, the room we were getting married in was filled with television sets that had just been used to watch the Kentucky Derby… The judge was no where to be found… and I was a little worried that after a rollercoaster ride getting to this point something would ruin it.  We were doing things a little backward-  A small ceremony with just family and very close friends, and a larger reception for the multitudes.  Where everyone has every second planned out in advance, we kinda played it by ear.  Yes, things were planned out, but I will always recall Sue’s reaction when asked what her colors were- “I don’t know, my sister hasn’t picked out her dress yet.”  Sue was finishing up with a year of grad school and I was about to conclude my second year of teaching first grade, we had put trust and faith that things would go fine, and at the start of the evening I was just another groom with a jitters.  The judge did arrive and after a few bits about “Wuv, Twoo Wuv” (Yes, he did talk like that – fate is kinda funny that way) Sue winked at me there was ring exchanging, a kiss, and we were married.  I then didn’t see Sue for what seemed like an eternity since the photographer needed her desperately.  When we finally saw each other again, we toasted, ate, and celebrated. We danced our first dance to “As Time Goes By” a wonderful choice, but as far as I know neither Sue nor I requested it- (must have been fate again making things perfect for us).  We ate some cake, said “Hi” to everyone, and then left for the night as husband and wife.  25 years later, I’d do it all over again.  Happy Anniversary Sue!  I love you with all my heart!
Gosh, we were young!
Gosh, we were young!

A Year in MINIons- MINIon #3X54X

3x54xAs many of you know, one of my hobbies is Geocaching. While I produce the comic strip for FTF Geocacher Magazine, I’m really not a die hard cacher. Geocaching is a great way to find off the beaten path places and to explore, but I really don’t care about how many caches I find in a day, or how many total caches I have. I highly recommend it, but some people just take it way too seriously. So what does this have to do with MINIon #3X54X? first of all this weekend marked the 15th anniversary of the start of Geocaching, and today a group of us went out to find a specific geocache: “MacGyver’s Playground.” While I have done a number of wonderful caches, this one is one in a million. First of all it is a “Premium Member” Cache, so not just anyone can do it (you have to pay the membership fee of a bazillion dollars), secondly it has a terrain rating of 5 and a difficulty rating of 5 so it isn’t a park and grab. I would definitely get a group together because it is a lot more fun that way, and each of you may have skills needed to complete this challenge. That’s really all I have to say- NO SPOILERS. Stage 1 (this is a multi-cache) blew me away with how ingenious and evil it was… after that it just got better- as if that was even possible. Kudos to Team Itchy & Scratchy for this fantastic cache, and for that there is MINIon #3X54X.  
Cecil waiting to start today's adventure.
Cecil waiting to start today’s adventure.

A Year in MINIons- MINIon #7225

7225So today is FREE Comic Book Day and I went to my local comic book shop to get a free copy of Action Comics #1 since it is Free Comic Book Day and all comics in the shop should be “free.” It seems that I was misinformed. Actually, there are two opportunities to get a selection of free comics at local “participating” comic shops, one in October and one in May. I’d explain it but I think the folks at one of my favorite podcasts did a much better job so go listen to yesterday’s Pop Culture Happy Hour, and read Glen Weldon’s breakdown of the comics that (if you are reading this now) are probably already gone from your local comic shop. 🙁  Then again there’s no harm in running out to see and support your local comic shop.  If they’ve run out the friendly and helpful staff should be able to set you up with other titles that are just as good, if not better.  All you have to do is ask. So what did I actually do for a few hours today at my local comic shop? It was pure genius…
photo courtesy fo Comic Carnival
photo courtesy of Comic Carnival