Month: November 2023

Secret Origins of Super Villains

Posted on November 27, 2023 by Bruce


First Appearance of Cecil – Evil GeoCaching Monkey Bent On World Domination
—
Indy’s Lamest cache GC100CE

published 12/28/2006
* Found by ProfessorZoom
* 01/02/2007

Indiana, United States


Here’s the log… the very first time Cecil-Evil GeoCaching Monkey Bent on World Domination had ever been mentioned. How did it happen- I was asked to write something silly or creative or something like that…

The red phone rang- it only did that when a call was coming in so I picked it up. The receiver was heavy in my hand as I listened to the call to adventure. “Zoom, you must find this cache… the safety of the free world is depending on it.” I took down the coordinates and thought to myself, I may need some backup on this one – it was in a part of town known for danger. I explained the mission to Mrs. Zoom as we sped to the coordinates, “It looks like a basic park and grab, but I sense there may be more to it than just that.” She looked at the coordinates and asked “Are you sure this isn’t a setup?” I shrugged, a geocacher has got to do what a geocacher has got to do. We drove past the spot and made a quick u-turn hoping no one saw us. “Cover me” I said as I made for the lamp post. Suddenly, we were surrounded by robot ninja monkeys! They had been hiding in the old shed. It had to be my arch nemesis, Cecil. He was trying to get to the cache before we did. Fortunately I was prepared. I’m glad we stocked up bananas at Costco. We loaded the shopping cart with the bananas and shoved it away from the cache. Using all their ninja skills the robot monkeys silently chased after the cart- we were clear, the cache was ours. As Mrs. Zoom tried to open the cache I knew time was running out and soon the monkeys would be back. I torn open the container and wrenched the damp log book out as the monkeys having finished the bananas turned to face us. As they piled on us in hopes that they could win with sheer numbers I was able to tear off one of their tails and sign the log with the green coolant dripping from one end. Cecil, knowing he was beaten once again called a retreat. “This isn’t the end Professor Zoom- we’ll meet again.” As I replaced the cache and got back in the car all I could think was, “I probably should have taken my pills this morning.” Then again, if I had this cache would have been pretty lame.

At this time, Sue and I cached under a shared identity (ProfessorZoom). We had started caching, or at least created a geocaching account, on July 13, 2006, while I was attending the ISTE conference (back when it was called NECC) in San Diego. We didn’t invest in a GPSr until I returned home. Younglings Please Note: This was a time when you needed a GPS receiver to cache. Most cachers printed out cache pages and put them in binders. Those who were more technologically inclined used what was called a “Palm Pilot” to store cache information. The iPhone didn’t exist until mid-2007, and the GC App didn’t exist until 2013.

This was the first log containing any mention of Cecil, who later would be known as Cecil-Evil GeoCaching Monkey. I think I originally thought of him as a Blofeld/Silas Greenback-like character, which quickly morphed into an evil monkey living in my basement. He became more than just an inside joke when caches were missing or logs were wet. He then started his reign as an agent of chaos. Cecil did not appear in comic form until the summer of 2009, going through many changes over the years.

A collection of my strips I cobbled together so I could say-“Look! I’m published!”

…and so my life was forever changed. Geocachers sometimes talk about that one cache that changed their life, one cache can do that. For me, it was a pretty lame little park and grab hidden by bfoust close to 17 years ago. Since then I have traveled the world with that monkey. I started a comic strip, and drawn untold number of monkey minions. I’ve gone on hiatus, from not only the strip but also caching. Now in my retirement I return to both, a lot older and a wee bit wiser.

I’m going to take some time and try to update the site- probably breaking it multiple times in the process. I’ll let everyone know when it is ready for the general public. Better, stronger, faster with at least 20% more ookiness.

As for Indy’s Lamest Cache, it is still there, adopted by kiaria in 2009. It was last logged in October. For the record… Cecil has yet to log this cache, I doubt he ever will.

I’m not quite sure the value of this log if you had it graded and slabbed… probably nothing, but as (according to the internet) many current politicians say – “There’s a sucker born every minute.”

The Human Adventure is Just Beginning

Posted on November 10, 2023 by Bruce

So I’m around 6 months into retirement… While I didn’t want this blog to devolve into a “retirement blog” for the time being as I get more and more accustomed to retired life this seems to be what is on the forefront of my mind.

As for just getting used to stuff the biggest thing that seems to be hard is health insurance. I remember sitting in a Webcomics Panel and the question was asked about what was the biggest expense these talented and successful creators had- the overwhelming answer was paying for health insurance. The only two who didn’t reply this way, when asked stated “We’re Canadian.” When I was employed this wasn’t a big deal, the school district did it all. I just picked from a menu, as things changed, the menu choices also changed, but they tended to keep something similar to what I had. When I retired I asked about this, and was frankly told, that they were embarrassed to tell me what I would have to pay, to stay with the same coverage… Since I had continued with the legacy plans (because it was simple) I would now have to pay pretty much my teacher pension each month to continue… ugh. I looked around got some good advice and help and moved to a different company. After going to the doctor I realized how spoiled I had become. While basics were fine, I had a prescription that the doctor had made a slight dosage change… the new company wouldn’t cover it. They recommended a different drug (because their analyst has a medical degree not because they are just seeing the cheapest alternative) which my doctor then prescribed only to get turned down again… Fortunately, it wasn’t something life threatening, but still, If I was in an actual developed country this might not have been an issue- I know, first world problem… or is it a first world problem, since it isn’t a problem in most first world countries only the US?

Enough grumbling… so what have I been doing besides, housework and bill paying over the last 6 months? I decided that over the summer I would not travel, I would try to get to understand how my income had changed and didn’t want to overspend. I spent a lot of time in the “Pit of Despair” aka the basement trying to organize things. I traded a bunch of my comics for store credit at my local shop- and still have a lot more to go. I planned for the start of school and not being at school. I also looked at what my passions had been pre-retirement and what I might want to continue. Many people who know me know that I have some varied interests but most of them are “Not Normal” or considered normal by those who consider themselves “Normal.” I decided to look at a few things that I “like”: Drawing/Cartooning, Comic Books, Games, Geocaching, MINI Coopers, & Building/Collecting LEGO. If I was going to focus on one thing, what would it be? I know, I can focus on more than one thing, but What would bring me joy? Note, education, robotics, and STEM are not on the list… I promised myself I would take a break from my past life. I’ve broken that promise a couple times so far, but pretty much said one year. As for going back to work, I had said three to six months, then I started scheduling things… so I’m going to start looking at options in 2024.

Drawing and cartooning have always been a passion of mine, I just hadn’t had the time to invest with everything else going on. Fortunately, this isn’t something that costs a lot- paper, pencils, pens and a wild imagination. Time has been the only thing that has kept me from this. I’ve been on the road, and while the common rule is “Don’t Drink and Drive” I don’t want to see if Drawing and Driving works… I’m guessing the results would be similar. I have tried to resume meeting with local artists through the Indy Webcomics Group and have tried to be a part of a daily drawing prompt, which again, travel and “Promptober” caused me to get a bit overwhelmed, so I hoping to get started back up soon.

When you’ve been collecting comic books for as long as I have (like many I started as a kid and there are pictures of me as a third grader, nose in a comic book) let’s say I started around 1974. I remember while on vacation sitting in friend’s bedroom and seeing his stack of comics… he had over 80 comics! I was amazed. From then on I would ride my bike to the Seven/Eleven and pull stuff off the spinner rack. As I got older I was able to go further afield and at 16 (around 1981) go to comic shops and conventions. I was never a “die hard collector” I’d throw a few comics in bags with boards, but mostly I read them and they would go into a box. I started retirement going through my comics and deciding what I wanted to keep and what I didn’t. I figured that I would keep maybe 4-6 long boxes… so around 1500 comics. I have a lot more culling to do to get anywhere near that number. Unfortunately every week has a Wednesday and every Wednesday new comics come out. I also have been to more Comic Cons this Fall than I have in the past few years- Cincinnati Comic Expo, Cartoon Crossroads Columbus, and New York Comic Con. I see this as being something I will continue. I’ve already promised my brother to make NYCC an annual trip, and I’m looking around at other cons that might be fun to attend.

My first jump into “Look! I’m retired and no longer on the draconian school schedule!” was to finally go to Gen Con for all four days. I’ve discussed this already, so I won’t go into details but I do like to play games, but is it a passion? The issue I have is you usually have to have someone else involved. I have tried Board Game Arena online and while it has been fun, it seemed like every time it was my turn, I was in the middle of something else. Also many of the games I was learning along the way. Still up in the air about gaming, the hardest thing seems to be getting everyone’s schedules open to play, this is especially hard with role playing games that involve a lot of time.

I started geocaching in 2006 and have cached all over the world (OK- North America and Europe). Was really into it for the longest time, then at one point I decided that I needed to take a break. Being an introvert, with low self-esteem and general social anxiety this was an easy move. I’m slowly coming back, mostly because Sue is still an avid cacher and Adventure Labs. I”m still not back to my old numbers, but I’m at least giving it a try, and if I have the time and there is an Adventure Lab along the way I’m in.

When MINI returned to America and I saw this unique little car and fell in love. Since 2005 I have had a MINI Cooper, I have gone on trips around the country, My current 2012 MINI has been all over the country and has shared close to 150,000 miles of adventures. I had served on the local club’s board for a number of years and decided to take a break… I’ve returned every so often, but unfortunately It’s like a time warp… things haven’t changed. The same people are in charge, the same events are happening, and for someone new to the community it’s great, for me… not so much. Over the years I’ve realized that I’m not as much of a group person. The issue seems to be a bit of social anxiety, and not wanting to upset people. So I find that knowing people and saying “Hi!” is great. Being a part of a group and having plans, not so much. Some of my closest friends are from the MINI community, I love seeing them, breaking bread, and being a part of that sense of family, but I don’t always want to follow along with the group. It’s not you, it’s me and it will always be me.

Now the 8,000 brick gorilla in the room… What about LEGO builds? The funny part is I built with LEGO bricks as a kid. Stopped building (they call it the Dark Age) and didn’t come back until it overlapped with work. You see I had become a Magnet Specialist for the STEM schools- they had purchased a bunch of LEGO robotics sets for each building and I figured I needed to jump in and figure it all out. I attended a LEGO show in Fort Wayne and ran into a fellow geocacher who invited me to come to a LEGO User Group meeting at his house. I started with a simple set, but the original purpose was to have experts that I could consult for school. I became a “LEGO Master Educator” and the a “LEGO Education Ambassador” both programs were nice to add to my resume, and made me look like I was some kind of an expert. I worked at the local LEGO store for a year learning about the retail business and how being an hourly worker is different since I had last been one. I do still love building with LEGO bricks, but like everything time seems to be an issue. After working for a year selling LEGO sets, I have decided that besides not having the room, there just aren’t that many themes I’m interested in. You’ve got the whole JK Rowling/Harry Potter social media issues. I’m more and more a Star Trek fan than Star Wars. The same goes with Marvel and DC Comics. While I love Batman, that’s pretty much all that the LEGO group focuses on when it comes to sets from DC. When it comes to Marvel sets… there is a glut of them and I’m not as interested in spending the money for them. I have a small LEGO warehouse in my basement (next to the small comic book shop) I just don’t know what comes next- There are a few sets I’m looking forward to, but not that many. Yes, I will be in line for the new Modular, the Chinese New Year sets, and the D&D set… there are a few others on the list, but I’m not buying everything like I did before.

What have I really been doing? I’ve been trying things out while traveling. It started with Gen Con, then on to Power Con (a toy collector convention). I celebrated my in-laws 60th wedding anniversary in Asheville, NC and explored the Blue Ridge Parkway considering spots to settle down. I went to the Cincinnati Comic Expo with my close friend Brian. He went to see Adam Savage, I went to see Tony Harris. Sue and I drove out for balloon handler training in New Jersey so we knew what we were getting ourselves into for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I went to Cartoon Crossroads Columbus which is an amazing convention for cartoonists and I highly recommend it. It allowed me to get behind the scenes at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum which was a dream come true. After that I headed south to the Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. A place that started me becoming one of the “Weird Teachers” back in the 1990’s, so I figured I would start my “Weird Retiree” portion of my life there. Went from Huntsville to Rome, Georgia for the Going Caching mega event. Then to Washington DC to visit the “Hazy” annex of the Air & Space Museum at Dulles for the first time. I’ve now seen the Enterprise, Atlantis, Discovery and Pathfinder space shuttles. After a nice dinner with my brother it was up to Newark for top secret balloon flight testing for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. From Newark I went to New York to expose my “baby brother” to his first Comic Con. The New York Comic Con is a post unto itself especially a seasoned veteran and a complete newbie. Headed home for a bit before returning to New Jersey for Balloonfest, where they unveil the new balloons for the parade. on the way home we stopped at the Corning Museum of Glass. I also have been spoiling my cats every chance I get. Still a few more things coming up as I close in on another revolution around the Sun.

I’ve been trying to be frugal while I start out retirement. I am fortunate that Sue is still working and still enjoys her job. That said, I don’t think I ever realized exactly how much money I spent as a public school teacher. I’d just buy things “for the kids” or “for my classroom” and now I’m not and the has freed up funds for other things. I’ve tried to plan for things – like cash for New York Comic Con even though I did charge things also out of convenience. People say it looks like I’m living my best life. I’m actually taking time to discover who I am after spending so many years trying to be what everyone expected me to be. I’m still figuring it out, and while I make a few mistakes along the way, I’m happy to have the chance to try.

Recap on what I’ve learned about me, so far:

  • I still like to draw (it kept me out of the asylum for decades, and hopefully it will continue)
  • I still like comic books. I’m trying to move more towards original artwork, but I only have so many walls and that stuff is expensive.
  • I enjoy discovering new places and Geocaching/Adventure Labs are a great way to do it, but choose your LPC wisely.
  • While I like playing games, I’m not sure I need to invest in them the way I did in the past when I was buying games for my classroom. Time is the biggest issue.
  • I still love motoring around in my MINI Cooper, I’m looking forward to MINI Takes The States in July of 2024. That said, local MINI events, unless unique, are not as much of a priority.
  • While I enjoy building with LEGO I’m not as fanatic about it as I once was, as I grow as an Adult Fan Of LEGO and I get other projects completed I am much more cautious when it comes to buying things.
  • I’m a Trekkie, I also have rekindled a love of Dave Steven’s Rocketeer and James Robinson’s/Tony Harris’ Starman. That’s what happens when you dig through your old comics.
  • I’m still a kid at heart who loves the whimsical over the serious.
  • I love my cats… and my very understanding wife.