First of all, my dad is home from the hospital. He was in for just about a week, about half of which was spent on the ventilator and other such machines. Every one that came off made us all feel a little bit better. Now the plan is rehab followed by 2 more stints in a couple of months followed by more rehab. But for now, we’re just enjoying having him home harassing us again.

Now let me tell you about a little trip I took while my dad was in the hospital for some reading material that was slightly easier to read than the novel I’m working on right now. It really all started a while back when my friend Kevin gave me the graphic novel Watchmen to read. I enjoyed it. A lot. However, I never took the next step. I returned it to my friend, and then I decided to go on my merry way and read something more familiar, like “real” books. Then, Scott Pilgrim (the movie) came out. I fell in love. Talking to my friend James one day, I made the comment that someday, I wanted to check out the comics and see if they were as good as the movie. He apparently decided that someday should be sooner than later and bought me the first book for Christmas! I tore through the first one and decided I needed to find the second one. [At this juncture, we must take a break for some back-story. The evolution of my ability to come to terms with the extent of my nerdiness has been a long one. A slow journey down a winding path of denial and extreme embarrassment. There are little things that I’ve held on to. As I said to a friend at one point, “Part of me still desperately wants to be one of the popular girls…” I said I would never admit to playing WoW in a public forum, that I would never read comics much less visit a comic shop, that Dungeons and Dragons as well as Magic were simply not for me. There were other denials. Other things I made a desperate attempt to cling to. And, for the most part, I’ve held out.] Anyhow, I really do have an actual fear of comic stores. Not so much the stores, but the people that work in them. I’m scared of judgment from just about anyone… including them. Therefore, I decided to go look for book to at Barnes and Noble. No luck. They had book six. That would be great if I had read all of the first five already, but no, I needed book two. I went back a few times over a few weeks to look for the one I needed. No luck. It was always just number six on the shelf. Fast forward some weeks. Daddy ends up in the hospital. Knitting is too much, “real” books are too much, I wanted Scott Pilgrim. Unfortunately, there was still no way in hell I was going to go to a comic shop, at least not alone. So, I sent a message off to a friend and he said he would go along. We made our way to Captain Comics. I sat for a second gathering a bit of courage. Then, I got out of the car, went inside, and looked around. No Scott Pilgrim. I casually look at other things feigning disinterest, but I notice something out of the corner of my eye. I say to my friend that we might as well take off and see if there is anywhere else with the book I wanted. We leave. Sit in the car for a bit, do a little research around town. Scott Pilgrim is now popular. Comic shops won’t carry it. Bookstores can’t keep it stocked. Gah! Curse you Hollywood! (Although, to be fair, without the movie I may never have read the comics either.) Anyhow, we talk for a bit and then I say, “Well, they had Buffy comics… I guess I could just get one of those.” (Really inside, I felt like this, “ZOMG! THERE ARE BUFFY COMICS? NO FREAKING WAY!!!!”) But, you know, reserved and all that in real life. We go back into the shop. The guy at the counter looks at us kind of funny. I end up leaving with 2 comics, Vol. 1 of Buffy and a Tank Girl (which I was told I would love… and, it’s really messed up, but I do).

Anyhow, long story short, I love comics. There. I said it. I’m currently reading the first Fables. When I have a little extra money, I’ll go pick up the second Buffy. (Seriously guys, if you liked the TV show, I recommend the comics. They are written by Joss Whedon as well and it is about what happens after season 7.) And there is a Serenity series that I want to check out as well as a series by Neil Gaiman that has been suggested to me. CURSE YOU PRETTY PICTURES! What have you done to me? I’m still not entirely sure I could go in by myself to purchase the pretties, but hey, that’s just a I’m terrified of people in general thing. Besides, I’m sure I have a few people that would be willing to go with me. Yes?