Personal

Yesterday, at approx. 6:15pm, I handed over a cashier's check and was handed back a receipt acknowledging our final debt -- a CitiFinancial loan we took out two years ago to consolidate debt when we were ready to buy a house -- was paid in full. The car's paid for; our credit cards have zero balances; we're even paid up on car insurance through August. My credit score has jumped 50 points over the past six months, to the point where a bank probably won't laugh at us when we inevitably have to get a new car in the next year or two. Not…

Technically, next Friday is my last day at the company I've worked at the past four years and a month but psychologically, it's over as of today, and a bunch of us are going out tonight after work to celebrate. I've had one beer each night this week to build my tolerance back up since I haven't been out drinking since mid-January, and haven't gotten more than 5 hours sleep all week. I've noticed my tolerance for late nights has dropped dramatically the past couple of years, and it now takes me a full day to recover. Anyway, this is by far…

It's way too soon to pick a side in the Democratic Primaries, and though he still doesn't have a shot in hell, I'm not yet ready to abandon Dennis Kucinich in favor of this go-round's version of Howard Dean, Barack Obama.  To his credit, Obama doesn't rub me the wrong way like Dean did, coming off as more sincere and a tad less opportunistic. While he denies any connection to the brilliant "Vote Different" clip that's set the political world abuzz -- a claim which the clip's admitted producer, Philip de Vellis, a strategist with Blue State Digital, the firm that designed Sen. Obama's spiffy Web site, has confirmed -- I don't…

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bronx Is Burning: 1977, Baseball, Politics, and the Battle for the Soul of Jonathan Mahler As its back cover states, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning is literally "a kaleidoscopic portrait of New York City in 1977," as Jonathan Mahler ambitiously weaves together New York City's major stories of that surprisingly pivotal year -- the Yankees turmoil-filled championship season; the divisive mayoral race; the illuminating blackout; and the "Son of Sam" killer; among several other low-profile but similarly influential events -- into a dizzying collage that is ever-so-slightly less than the sum of its parts.…

Ten random selections from the hard drive, via Windows Media Center: 1985 -- Bowling for Soup-- I started 11th grade in the Fall of 1985. Yikes! Do I Make You Proud -- Taylor Hicks-- His debut album may have "bombed" but he's still my second-favorite Idol, behind Kelly Clarkson, and I'd catch him in concert any day. Please to Excuse the Blues -- Patricia Smith-- On page, on stage, Patricia's work holds up long after the first time it blows you away. Mercy on the Battlefield -- Oscar Bermeo-- Now happily married on the left coast, this was OB's coming out.…

The need to express oneself in such a public manner is a peculiar trait, indeed. With comics taking up much of my blogging energy the past couple of years -- not to mention my free writing time, generally speaking -- my personal blog faded into the background, to the point where any new passion or outrage was promptly filtered through the context of comics, and if there was no connection, there was no post. I'd heard of Vox somewhere in my online travels recently, and then my friend Dan signed up, and after poking around a bit, it rekindled my desire to…