Year: 2011

If you live in NJ, Please Do Not Vote for Bob Menendez

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

I don’t actually know the NJ senator. I’m unfamiliar with his politics. I’m pretty sure he’s a Democrat. But I swear, if I lived in NJ, at this point I’d vote for his opponent.

Why? Because he keeps sending me unsolicited emails asking me to contribute to his campaign. The following is the opening of his most recent one:

Null –

The deadline tonight is vital to our campaign. We’ve got to show our opponents and the pundits exactly how strong our campaign is.

Yes. That’s right. “Null.” No “Dear Peter.” Not even, “My fellow American.” No. I’m “Null.” These people are so freaking incompetent that they can’t be bothered to write a form letter beginning with an actual salutation. Instead I’m “Null.” A zero, a zip, a cypher.

I’ve replied to them three times pointing this out and I keep getting variations on the same dumb-ášš letter. I could just unsubscribe, but no; now it’s a challenge to get the attention of these idiots so that they realize when they send out letters with stupidity such as this, it’s not appreciated.

So join me in not voting for Bob Menendez. Granted, I don’t live in NJ, so I couldn’t vote for him even if I wanted to. But still…it just pìššëš me off.

PAD

Wolf 359 convention, part 1

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

digresssmlOriginally published July 12, 1996, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1182

Various and miscellaneous goings-on at Wolf 359, a Star Trek/Babylon 5 convention held in Blackpool, England, the weekend of June 10. Although I’ve attended conventions in both Ireland and Scotland, this is the first time I’ve spent any more time in England than was required to change planes at Heathrow.

Continue Reading “Wolf 359 convention, part 1” →

Guest column: Dave Sim

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

digresssmlOriginally published July 5, 1996, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1181

And now for something completely different:  A guest column But I Digress.

Basically, Dave Sim approached me with a piece that he had written for Diamond Comics to run as part of their catalogue, and they opted not to run it. So he came to me and asked me if I’d be interested in running it here in BID. I read it over and said, “Sure.”

Now… I’m not going to tell you at this moment if I agree with it or not. Form your own opinions, come back in a week or two, and we’ll discuss it.

And now, Dave Sim:

Continue Reading “Guest column: Dave Sim” →

The Night the Lights Almost Went Out in Georgia

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

So Ariel and I were in Florida, having visited with Shana down in Jacksonville for the launch of her beautifully redone theater. Then we’d spent a couple of days at Disney and Universal. And now the plan was simple: drive at night up to Atlanta to rendezvous at her parent’s house for the holidays.

Shortly before crossing the border into Georgia, I hit a rest stop at about 1 AM. There were signs all over about 24 hour security. It was reasonably well lit. And there was a Florida highway patrolman on station. If I’d been smart, I would have simply sat there and slept for an hour or two before getting back on the road, but I was wide awake and didn’t see the need.

So I started driving again. We entered Georgia. And it all went to hëll.

Continue Reading “The Night the Lights Almost Went Out in Georgia” →

Comic Book “Reviews”

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

digresssmlOriginally published June 28, 1996, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1180

Not too long ago, a fellow on CompuServ asked me to try my hand at attacking comic book titles. I didn’t understand the challenge, and said so. Why in heaven’s name, I asked, should I want to attack comic books? I try to defend them, not tear them down. But another poster explained, rather nicely, I thought, that it would be to parody censors’ tactics, to hone rhetorical skills, and to try and second-guess where such attacks might go. Having had it explained to me in sufficient one-syllable words, I took a whack at it. The result was not half bad, I thought, and so I’m running it for you here as well, in slightly expanded form.

Continue Reading “Comic Book “Reviews”” →

Movie review: Mission: Impossible

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

digresssmlOriginally published June 21, 1996, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1179

(Spoiler warning:  Extremely and serious warning. The following contains serious spoilers for Mission: Impossible. I’m not kidding. If you haven’t seen the film and don’t want major aspects ruined for you, don’t read these comments. But then again, I saw them in context and they ruined the film for me. And there’s no way to explain why they ruined the film unless I tell you what it is. Besides, I figure it’s fair warning, sort of a public service. Like advisories from the Surgeon General on cigarette cartons.)

Continue Reading “Movie review: Mission: Impossible” →