Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Follow the Leader: Episode 109: The Perfect Day Off!


Martinex1: It is Tuesday - so here we go again! Follow the Leader!

Redartz:  Winter has finally arrived to the Ohio River ; 17 degrees F at the moment. Much of the US is in the freezer currently, so how about a hot topic to warm things up?

17 comments:

Doug said...

I just tweeted this:

Yesterday: 3 hrs of blogging while listening to George Harrison music, 1 hour of exercise, dinner with the wife, read 80 pp in Butch & Sundance bio.

Today...

Man, I cannot wait for retirement in four years!!

If you had yesterday off in honor of MLK Jr's birthday, a) I hope you thought about the man and his legacy, which is not only equality for all but equity as well, and b) enjoyed your time away from work.

Which brings us to today's query: What's your perfect day off? And, if you want to differentiate a summer's day off from a winter's day, that would be fun as well.

Doug



Charlie Horse 47 said...

Hi Doug et al!

I noticed with the last government furlough, in 2013, with 15 days off that I like a little this and a little that!

Play some sports, play some music (the uke or piano), a bit of visiting with family or friends, a bit of futzing in the garden...

(Maybe I should start growing medical marijuana? Is it legal to do that in Illinois, LOL? I have no idea... )

I don't think I would increase my comic reading though, lol... Still "catch as catch can."

CHeers! And a great question!

Doug said...

Charlie -

I have been toying with the idea of taking up the bass or guitar once I retire. I am nervous about even attempting it, as outside of elementary school music class I have never had any instruction in reading music, etc. But I love music! And I figure with time on my hands (someday), it might be fun.

No increased comics reading? I am sad for you. ;)

Doug

Anonymous said...

Doug, I thought you'd given up blogging when BAB ended?

Doug said...

Hi, Colin -

I've opened a new blog on black & white comics from the Bronze Age. It's been going since the end of November. Shameless self-promotion: check it out!

https://blackwhitebronzecomics.blogspot.com/

Doug

PS: Redartz has a guest post on MAD Magazine set to run early in February.

Edo Bosnar said...

Hm, perfect winter day? If it's pouring rain outside, then just curled up in bed and reading the entire day, and maybe watching a good movie on TV with the little lady in the evening (and then maybe some more reading before going to sleep).
If it's snowing outside or just frigid but dry, then getting up, brewing a cup of tea and reading until about noon, then taking the dog for a 2-3 hour hike in the woods, then returning home for a warm meal, some more reading and, again, maybe a movie or good TV show in the evening.
Summer day: similar to the 'snow/dry' option winter day, but the hike in the woods would be longer, like 4 or so hours. And the reading would be in the yard under the shade of a tree. The reading material would be either comics or 'normal' books, or both.

Doug said...

Edo -

Those days all sound wonderful to me. I have really come to cherish reading - it's the old "I didn't realize what I didn't know" aspect of both comics and "real books" that is such a door swung open to me.

Doug

Humanbelly said...

I tell ya, fellows--

As busy as I tend to be in general, there is NO QUESTION that I am by nature almost comically sloth-like. Plant me in a couch and tell me I'm in Idaho, 'cause I'm a 220-lb potato at the heart of me. . . ! If I know I can get away with a guilt-free 12+ hours of binge-watching something (VERY rare opportunities for that, mind you--), I will honestly look forward to it.
Dagwood Bumstead.

And boy, is my wife Blondie-! A day off is a much-anticipated opportunity to clean something, fix something, move something, garden something, etc, etc. It physically pains her to think of an idle day as anything other than a mortal sin of wastefulness. . . (although she's ageing into quite the successful nap-taker--- so there's hope---).

Now, on nicer spring, early summer, and fall days that we find ourselves uncommitted, we have ALWAYS loved hitting our local bike & walking trails. Neither of us is in anything like "bicycle" shape. And our bikes are coming up on 30 years old, and sound like Scooby-Doo sound effects. And we dress in shorts and old t-shirts. And I have a pink helmet. And we're not speedy. But--- the childhood conditioning is still in there somewhere, 'cause I don't think we've ever gone less than 25 miles unless we were short on time. That is, honestly, just about my favorite day-off activity when the weather permits. (And we do laugh ourselves silly at how debilitated we are every time we return home--- ha!)

If we're snowed in, then there'll inevitably be time reading by the fire-- although it tends to get interrupted by insistent demands of "WHY AREN'T THERE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES YET??!??" And when you make cookies on a snowy day, you really MUST enjoy them over a spirited game of Scrabble. . .

HB

Redartz said...

Doug, Edo, HB- I'd gladly join you on any of your off-day activities! Edo, hiking sounds great. I miss that; I grew up near a wooded river and hiked all over town. It's been waaaay too long since I put feet in forest.

Doug, I love reading too. Every evening at bedtime is my usual; but an off-day would be a perfect opportunity to grab a stack of fine comics or a good book (or both).

HB- You're soooooo right about the importance of chocolate chip cookies. A warm batch is one of life's great pleasures. With, of course, a cold glass of milk. And that Scrabble game sounds like a winning plan...

My perfect day off: Starts with sleeping in a bit; our animals invariably wake me up so I rarely get to laze in bed. Then a leisurely breakfast, perhaps a Belgian waffle and bacon (since this is ideal self-indulgence, I'll skip my fiber cereal and yogurt).

Next up is a pleasant road trip with my wife, to a good flea market or antique mall. Followed by a return home to the couch, where she will take an extended nap and I'll read all the good comics I found on our trip.

Then a leisurely supper, and an evening of reading and just listening to music. Or watching a good movie, depending on our mood...

Graham said...

I would have to have two days off, because on the first one, I would sleep the entire day. Given my current family/work situation, there's usually something to do that I have to do and it sometimes runs into overtime. I can't imagine a full day to myself. I just take a few hours here and there to do one of three things.......read (comics, books, magazines, etc...), listen to music, or exercise. I guess that's what I would do the second day. :)

Humanbelly said...

Quick clarification on the cookie-situation, there, Red (in case I was vague). . . that task invariably- and quite happily- falls on my shoulders. . . which is why I get such a kick out of my diminutive little wife indignantly "demanding" they be made.

I honestly have to say that just hanging out with my wife (and of course going out to do "bigger" things every so often) pretty much defines what I like doing the best on any time off. Even just noodling around on our laptaps in bed before we nod off (right now) is far better w/ someone next to you than if you were by yourself, y'know?

HB

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

From Terry in Virginia:

Hey, gang:

Sorry I'm late to this party. I've know about the Tuesday-only postings for awhile, but I've been focused on my new job over the past two months to remember to check in here....

Anyway, a perfect day off during the winter? I'll mix and match some activities from this past 3-day weekend:

Comics: I'm reading a bunch of Golden Age Quality Comics online at this website: https://comicbookplus.com; enjoying these early 1940s tales of The Black Condor, The Ray, Alias the Spider, Uncle Sam, Doll Man, Phantom Lady, and others.

Practiced guitar and piano.

Viewed the Lunar Eclipse with my telescope, as well as naked-eye and binoculars. Also took some videos with my iPhone through the telescope and with a circa 2007 camcorder, then extracted the best frames and posted one on Facebook.

Split some wood for a nice cozy fire in the fireplace.

Hiked through a marshland wildlife refuge nearby that is completely frozen over due to the single-digit wind chills of the past few days.

Finally went to see the Aquaman movie -- loved it. Fun, and more cohesive than a lot of DC's cinematic endeavors.

Watched the DVD of Guardians of the Galaxy as part of my ongoing project to watch every Marvel Cinematic Universe movie in sequence before Avengers Endgame comes out in April. I'd forgotten that this particular movie had a few important scenes related to Thanos and the Infinity Stones. I haven't seen it since it came out in the theaters back in 2014.

No bike rides this weekend -- too cold. But I've managed to squeeze in a couple of 10-mile rides on milder weekends this winter.

Doug, I'll definitely check out your new blog! I remember enjoying the first few issues of Deadly Hands of Kung Fu, Savage Sword of Conan, and Planet of the Apes back in the 70s. Even my non-comics-fan friends got into Conan back then, especially the black and white magazines.

Terry in Virginia



Charlie Horse 47 said...

Darn Terry, we sound like we were separated at birth!

Reading Golden Age Quality Comics. (I think too many folks really are not that familiar with the quality of Quality beyond perhaps a bit of Eisner's Spirit?)

Playing some piano.

A little astronomy. I don't do a telescope... but I did pick out Saturn, Mars, and Venus with my eyeballs a few months ago!

Hiking through the wilds.

And I am planning to see Aquaman LOL

Anonymous said...

Go see Aquaman, Charlie Horse 47! The theatre wasn't exactly empty, but I figure it won't be long before it's out of the theaters...

Terry in Virginia

Charlie Horse 47 said...

Will do! I thought the Aquaman trailer looked awesome!

But I recall, perhaps on this blog, when folks were asked what they thought of the trailer, there was not a lot of enthusiasm at all. No accounting for taste, lol...

Well, the thermometer is set to plunge to 2 F (-17 C) here in Chicago land... Probably a great night to look at the planets (not sure what's showing... have to check the www) but sure as heck not a great time for walking the dog through the woods and fields, LOL.

Maybe I'll break out that 1975-ish book published by Alan Light who produced The Buyers Guide for Comic Fandom (CBG). It's a mostly black and white affair featuring the first several appearances of The Ray and The Condor! IF I recall it was mostly Lou Fine's art work which is top-shelf; actually top on the top-shelf LOL!

I remember getting that thing in the mail, as a young teen, and I was totally (!) freaked out at the Quality of his art! Then I discovered Crandall's Blackhawks, then I discovered Eisner's Spirit. So much talent under one label!

Edo Bosnar said...

On the Aquaman movie, I have to say I was none-too-thrilled when I saw that Momoa had been cast for the role way back when, and even expressed some mild derision over at the BAB (tells you how long ago that was). However, I've come around; I saw the movie about 2 weeks ago and mostly enjoyed it - mostly, because I think it suffers from the same problem as the only other DC movie I liked, Wonder Woman, i.e., the third act dragged a bit for me. Momoa may not be 'my' Aquaman of the Bronze Age, but he acquitted himself well and put in a solid performance, as did most of the rest of the cast, and it's a rather enjoyable movie.
Also, on the topic of recent superhero movies, I highly and warmly recommend Into the Spiderverse - it's roughly 2 hours of pure enjoyment (and you have to watch it all the way to the very, very end, after *all* of the credits roll past).

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