Title Goes Here

Christmas was nice this year.  I didn't fall asleep everywhere we went.  Being that I can never come up with a Christmas Gift List, the usual gift cards were received and will be appreciated appropriately in the coming year.

My big Four-Oh is coming up and I've never really been one to be weird about milestone birthdays, but I'm hoping that the party at the store (starting at Noon on January 9th) goes well and everyone has a good time.

I've volunteered Alyssa to tackle the task of party games and trivia, and Drew will be in charge of making sure we have food.  There will be the obligatory sale, since it's a store event, but please just stop by and say "hi" and grab a piece of cake!

XOXO-
Brian

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Two weeks ago, I announced a Christmas Party for the store.  Posted it on our Facebook page, had a page on the website (1000ish hits per week), and announced it in the newsletter (500 subscribers).  All I asked was for people to RSVP (in person, via email, or on Facebook) so I could order enough FREE food for everyone.  We were going to have prizes, games, FREE food & drinks, and (because most people expect it) a sale.  The deadline for RSVPing was 12/11/10, 'cause I wanted to get something more than $5-hot-and-ready pizzas.  Guess who RSVP'd?  Me and Alyssa.  AND NO ONE ELSE.

So, no party or sale on the 18th.  We'll still be doing our annual Christmas Eve Sale (12/24/10, 'natch) and End of Year Clearance (12/26/10-12/31/10).

But take this as fair warning:  I'm going to have MY 40th Birthday Party at the store around the 11th of January (probably on Sunday the 9th).  There's going to be free food and cake.  I'm going to give away stuff.  There'll be a sale.  I might want to play some games.  I'll be posting the details this weekend on Facebook and the website.  I will also make handouts, for handing-out, in the store.  If we don't pack the store for FREE STUFF IN THE MIDDLE OF JANUARY (as opposed to a week from Christmas when you might have already had plans), I may hit people about the head and neck with a thick stick.

XOXO-
Brian

P.S. I got out of the hospital after only two nights, but spent most of the last week and a half whining and coughing at home.  I will be whining and coughing at the store more this week.

Breathing part 2

Well, whatever the cause, I have been diagnosed with pneumonia.  Shannon said that when the doctor heard my cough, he made a face.  So, now I'm in Memorial Hospital for who knows how long.  I'm sooooo happy.

mnheh-

Brian

Breathing is fun

So, as you know, in order to breathe properly while I sleep, I have to use a machine called a C-PAP machine (that stands for Constant Positive Air Pressure) which forces air down my throat to keep the airway open.  "Happy" side effect:  Respiratory infections.  Cue the painful coughing and tickle-y throat.  That's all for now...

XOXO *cough* -
Brian


P.S. The hormone test finally came back and apparently I'm doing well.  So, that's good!

Blackest Friday Sale

Last night/this morning (Midnight to 4AM) was our Blackest Friday Sale.  The line at the door was so big that Drew decided to open a half hour early!  We'd like to thank all who came for giving us a day's worth of business in an hour-and-a-half!  Wow!  Drew's recuperating the rest of today and tomorrow, but you can see him and me Sunday for the final day of the Turkey Aftermath Weekend.  You really don't want to miss out on the crazy deals I've got going.  See ya' soon!

XOXO-
Brian

The Silent Treatment

Yeah, I've been getting your emails.  I'm not ignoring any of you.  I've been extra busy getting ready for Christmas at the store and stuff.

Anyway, to answer many of your questions:

I went to the endocrinologist yesterday (10:15AM appointment; got out by 12:20PM - not bad).  No hormone test results, but, my bad cholesterol, A1C, triglycerides, and thick blood are making excellent progress in the down direction.  My "good" cholesterol is low and my blood pressure was a touch high, but otherwise, I'm apparently doing very well!  After a couple of months with the breathing machine, I've progressed to an average of 5 1/2 to 6 hours of sleep a night, better but not yet ideal.

So, there's the long-awaited health update. :)

XOXO-
Brian

Superman NEWS!

SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE MEDIA ATTENTION LEADS TO PRE-PUBLICATION REPRINTING
As coverage continues to expand for SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE, DC Comics announces that this new graphic novel is being sent back to press for a new, second printing before it even goes on sale!
"With the astounding amount of attention from reviewers and media outlets, we've seen an astounding amount of reorder activity from retailers even before publication," says Bob Wayne, SVP - Sales, DC Comics. "We're more than happy to respond to increasing demand by readying a new printing now."
Media hits continue to pour in for SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE, including:
"It's both recognizable and refreshed, carrying over some traditional narrative points - and even nodding in the direction of Superman's first cover - while creating some new ones wholly out of supercloth." - Wired Underwire, http://www.wired.com/underwire/2010/10/superman-earth-one-2.=
Here is a roundup of media coverage highlighted by DC Comics earlier today. Watch for more national feature coverage this week and next.
CBS News anchor Katie Couric addressed EARTH ONE on Monday's CBS Evening News, saying, "Loyal fans may wonder if you can really trust an angst-ridden hipster to fight for truth, justice and the American way." You can hear her comments at http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500803_162-20020677-500803.html.
CNN is airing a segment on EARTH ONE throughout the day today.
WABC New York ran segments today at 4:30 and 5:30am on New York City's top-rated morning show.
"JMS has created a brilliant breathing world of consequence and DC is delivering this vision in epic scope . . . Masterful . . . Extraordinary." - Ain't It Cool News,http://www.aintitcool.com/node/47186
"This is a Superman for the 21st century. With SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE, Straczynski and Davis inject the folk tale and legend that is Superman's origin with a modern, vital and forward-looking energy that makes for a refreshing, epic and challenging super-hero adventure . . . SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE channels the best tales of Superman with a look toward the future, by two of the brightest talents the industry has to offer."- /FILM, http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/10/25/superman-earth-on/
"What do you get when you combine Twilight and a classic superhero? The new Superman." - CNN, http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/25/superman-debuts-a-new-look/
"The Man of Steel is a conflicted 20-year-old who's trying to find his way in the world, bearing more of a resemblance to Robert Pattinson from the "Twilight" movies than Christopher Reeve from the Superman films." - The New York Post,http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/it_new_look_for_superman_wWxd8MApuHBFBmh0b3a4eK
"Davis provides sleek figures . . . intense detail . . . Straczynski . . distinguishes the work, humanizing the dynamic between characters and adding a compelling twist of melancholy to young Clark Kent's search for purpose . . . a lot of heart." - BOOKLIST
Look for more coverage and previews of SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE at:
* Entertainment Weekly, http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/10/25/superman-earth-one/
* The Daily Mail, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1323658/Superman-hoodie-The-new-superhero-created-DC-Comics-urban-youth.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
* AOL News, http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/superman-with-a-hoodie-man-of-steel-gets-hipster-makeover/19688091
* NPR, http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2010/10/25/130805816/morning-shots-south-park-lifts-a-sketch-and-there-s-a-new-superman
* The Hollywood Reporter, http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/photo-see-new-brooding-superman-32312

Shannon told me to update the blog since I hadn't done so since our vacation.  We had a great time in Florida, by the way.  Check out pictures on facebook.

The last two weekends were crazy and Magic filled.  We had our biggest tournament since moving to Shiloh and sold more Magic over the weekend than any other weekend in Twilight's history, so thanks to everybody for that!

Within the next six weeks or so, I should find out if I get to reduce some of my medication.  Yea!  As it is now, it's almost like a meal unto itself.

Well, it's not a huge update, but it's something.

XOXO-
Brian

Hey, Marvel, I'll work as an editor!

So, Tim found this while reading Thor #614:

"Scan of Map of Asgard?"

Shouldn't he be pretty pissed?  How can he plan strategy without that scan?

Now I'm averaging 3.18 hours of actual useful sleep a night.  I'm not sure if that's good or not but it's a HUGE improvement over what I'd become used to over the last decade.  Using the machine is still awful, but ultimately worth it, I guess.  I'm gonna go work on hitting 4-5 hours, so I'll update you again soon.

XOXO-
Brian

More Sleep Than I've Had in Years

So, Monday night was my sleep study.  The technician informed me that, in the event that I had severe sleep apnea, she could diagnose and begin treating me right away.  However, if I woke less than 40 times per hour, there would have to be additional testing.  After having the wax adhesive rubbed in about a dozen places on my head and electrodes attached to the spots, tubes stuck into my nose, and a few other bells and whistles, I was asked to "get comfortable" and to push the button when I was ready to try to sleep.  I assessed the Sleep Number bed and determined that our bed at home must be about a 30, or roughly the equivalent of sleeping on a pile of clothes.  Not matted clothes, but a nice fluffy, fresh-from-the-dryer pile of clothes.  So not much support.  I dialed the bed to about 50 and buzzed the technician.   She came in and hooked my electrodes into the dongle, commented on how quickly I had decided to get to sleep, and wished me a good night.  At about 11PM, I buzzed for a bathroom break and she told me that she needed 20 more minutes of "sleep time" before she could officially begin CPAP treatment, because I won the apnea jackpot!  I woke up 117 per hour or about once every 30 seconds.  Imagine, normal-sleep-people, going through each and every night's sleep waking up every 30 seconds because your brain is screaming for oxygen.  I've been doing this for YEARS now.

After the twenty minutes of data were collected, I had the nose-only CPAP mask clamped on my face and was told that I had to keep my mouth shut by swallowing (to create a seal between my tongue and the roof of my mouth).  I felt very uncomfortable immediately, but tried to endure it, since, after all, this device will not only "change my life", but it's going to save it.  It felt like much longer, but it was probably only 10 minutes before I buzzed the technician again.  She swapped out the nose-only gear for a full face mask.  You know when it's really windy outside and you face the wind and it's nearly impossible to breath because of the force of the wind?  That's what the CPAP face mask seems like, except clamped over your mouth and nose.  To say I was freaked out would probably be an understatement, but "save my life" and all that.  After awhile, my chest hurt from the extra air pressure, and I wasn't any less freaked out, but did doze off every few minutes.   Until the proper pressure is reached, you REALLY become aware of the apnea, so every 30 seconds or so, I was aware of waking up.  Finally, sometime around 3:30AM the right level of high pressure was reached and I had an REM rebound.  In other words, my brain said, "Oh, thank God!"  and I slept AND dreamt for TWO HOURS STRAIGHT.

Now I await my very own CPAP machine.  I will exchange one torture for another and hopefully be healthier (and clearer minded) for it.  We shall see.

XOXO-
Brian

Huh, peanuts.

Over the last couple of weeks I've had a couple of low blood sugar events.  Not a fun thing.  The first time my blood sugar was 42.  I've greened in my part of the happy time:

Signs and Symptoms:

Since glucose (sugar) is the brain's primary fuel, your brain feels the following effects of hypoglycemia:

• Headache
• Excessive sweating
• Blurred vision, dizziness
• Trembling, lack of coordination
• Depression, anxiety
• Mental confusion, irritability
• Heart palpitations
• Slurred speech
• Seizures
• Fatigue
• Coma

Luckily, Shannon grabbed me a Coke that I slammed and within an hour I felt okay.  The second time my sugar got down to the low 60s and I couldn't figure out what the deal was.  After a Coke and an ice cream drumstick (an over-compensation), I started feeling better for about twenty minutes and then started feeling crappy again.  Blood sugar check showed me at 220!  After a little thought, I tried a little experiment:  I'd been eating A LOT of peanuts lately.  I ate two handfuls of peanuts and within ten minutes, my blood sugar had dropped 60 points.  Huh, who'd'a thunk it?

Peanut info!


Next week: Sleep study and blood donation #2!

XOXO-
Brian

Sleep

Due to the passing-out-ness I've been feeling lately, and the fact that Shannon's all but threatened to knock me out if I don't get some sleep, I went to bed at normal human times last night and kinda had a normal night's sleep.  I'm still exhausted, so I'll be getting in a couple more hours this morning, but I'll be at the store before most of you!  Next week is Orderform Week and check-up with the endocrinologist and the following week is Sleep Study at St. Elizabeth's.  I'll let you know what's what when I do.


XOXO-
Brian

X-Men #1, Steve #1, Hit-Monkey #1, Batman: Odyssey #1 (by Neil Adams!!!), and bunches more for all tastes ship this week.  In addition to that, we'll all be slap-happy and playing Magic after FNM in our M11 Sealed PreRelease.

As you can tell by the time-stamp on this post, I'm still not sleeping normal hours, but I'll have to chance to get yelled at by professionals in my sleep study later this month.  I'm also only a couple of weeks away from Blood Donation #2.

Check out the "Sales" page for a tasty T-Shirt/Comics coupon any Marvel fan won't want to miss.

Anybody up for Drew & Alyssa doing a video podcast?  We're thinking about getting one started...

XOXO-
Brian

Stuff and The Big Magic Challenge

Starting tomorrow (tonight for the pull customer preview), we've pulled out our Back Stock comics (they'll be in alphabetical order!) and they will fill the Event Room through Monday for your clearance-priced pleasure.  Getting prepared for the big sale, the guys have filled in a bunch of stuff we desperately needed in the Back Issue Bins (so check those out, too).

New comics will be shipping on July 8th, next week.  For the first time in twenty years, we get a new adjective-less X-Men #1.  There will be cupcakes, and silliness, and vampires! 

Next weekend, we'll be hosting a Sealed Pre-Release Event for Magic: the Gathering's new core set, M2011.  In the past, we only did these on Sunday afternoons, but this time around we decided to do one as early as possible THEN the normal deal on Sunday afternoon; just in case people were missing out.

First off on Friday night at 7PM will be our Friday Night Magic standard tournament (free for anyone with a Magic Bonus Card with four or more valid marks; booster pack purchase required for everyone else).  Then we'll have a Little Caesar's Pizza break (free for Pre-Release players), and finally, at midnight, we'll start the Sealed Pre-Release.  For the first time ever, the majority of the Twilight Crew will be playing!  Take the day off, sleep in, then come on up to Twilight Comics and see how many of us you can beat!  It'll be a hoot.

See ya' there-

Brian

I've finally gotten my hormone prescription.  Sleep patterns are really screwy  lately; even for me.  Gonna to spend most of  today at the store, so see ya there!




XOXO-
Brian

I Have Successfully Pleased My Viral Masters

The stupid summer cold that kicked my ass last week has loving moved to Shannon.  I think I'm finally over it now, but she doesn't have the luxury of sleeping for three days.  So, she's in a happy place with that.

Something stupid is going on with the pharmacy and our insurance company, so I still haven't gotten my hormone prescription filled.  I'm pretty sure the doctor wanted me to be taken it pretty much right away, but Insurance knows better, right?

'Til more stuff happens-


Brian

Who the hell knows anymore?

Tuesday, May 25, I went to the endocrinologist.  Finally saw the doctor at 1:45PM for my 11:30AM appointment.  Fairly usual at this point.  So, in less than a year, I've gone from 1 prescription to 8.  Luckily, the hormone shot is now just a hormone gel that will cause babies and women to mutate if they come in contact with it.  Oh, and a semi-permanent "prescription" of blood donation every three months.  As I discussed with Roger Henke on Wednesday night, if that's all I have to deal with to stay alive, I'm a whole hell of a lot luckier that many people.  Then, Thursday night, I felt a little "tickle" in my throat.  Friday: full blown cold.  Friday & Saturday: sucked completely.  Sunday: sucked not as much.  Today: gotta finish the order form with Tim; no choice or you guys might notice the missing stuff in July...and that would REALLY suck!

So, for those of you still awake, there's my current health status.  More updates as they happen.

XOXO-
Brian 

Sack o' Blood

Well, I put it off for an extra week. But, I went last Friday to the Big Blood Van in TGIFriday's parking lot.  So, I don't know what the number corresponds to exactly, but they told me that as long as the count was 12 or higher, I was good to give blood.  On 325mg of aspirin a day (for a little over a week), my "count" was 16.7.  I figured that since my blood is too thick that it would take longer to fill up the big bag.  Average is apparently 10-15 minutes; I took 5.  So, less than 30 minutes after I got there, I filled up a bulging sack o' blood, had some grape juice and pretzels, and was on my way.  Yesterday, I had a blood draw (best blood draw ever, BTW, didn't feel it at all, yea!) for CBC w/ differential to check my blood count and today at 11:45AM (or 2ish PM), I get to find out how I'm doing.  I'll let ya' know...

XOXO-
Brian

Blood Is Thicker Than Mercury

I sat in the waiting room for a short hour-and-forty-five minutes for my 11AM appointment on May 5th.  I finally saw the doctor at about 1:20PM (not bad compared to other visits).  I got two new prescriptions to bring down my blood sugar and my hormone shots got put on hold.  NOW, I find out that my blood's too thick. Wha--?  Yeah, my blood's too thick, which could be a side effect of the hormone shots OR it could have actually been the problem to begin with.  Yep, thick blood, or hypercoagulability, can cause the inability for the blood to transfer hormones (and other things) to tissues of the body AND it's considerably worse than high cholesterol for heart attack and stroke.  Yea!  So, I'm also taking 375mg of aspirin every day and I have to donate blood, or ELSE.  Then I get to give another vial of blood for another CBC test and another trip to the doctor on Tuesday the 18th.  You guessed it, more updates to come.  Now, go buy comics!

XOXO-
Brian

I Actually Had A Really Good Day

We've participated in every Free Comic Book Day since the very first one in 2002, and we've had all kinds of experiences.  This year, despite the fact that my retailer-buddy in Texas, Brad, snatched Cullen Bunn & Brian Hurtt before we could get them, and Batgirl & Red Robin were no-shows, I personally had a great day.  R2D2 and the stormtroopers were a great hit, Dave did well and stuck around for most of the day, and neither Drew nor I collapsed despite him not getting his promised nap!  Audrey & Alyssa (our newest Twilight family members), did a great job, too.  Drew's girlfriend, Jen, stopped in for a good chunk of the day to help out, and as always the day couldn't have gone as smoothly without the help of Mom & Dad, Shannon's Mom - Deborah, Roger Henke (our Fun Ambassador - charming people off the streets), Tom,  and Tim.

Everybody seemed to have a good time, no one was greedy, and I can't thank all of you enough who appreciated our efforts with at least a small purchase!

Despite saying that I wouldn't do it this year, Shannon and I were up 'til 5:30AM putting on the finishing touches Friday night and then I was back up at the store by 9:15AM.  (Not as bad as last year - I never went home from Friday night.)  But, I'll tell you what:  This pituitary deal kicked my ass this year!  (For new readers, read back a few months to hear me whine about my health.)  I passed out for most of Sunday and Monday and STILL felt like crap.  (Wednesday is the big reveal of what 7 more vials of blood will tell me, yea!  I'll obviously let you guys know.)

Next year, more FREE books, no scavenger hunt at all, more attendance prizes between 11-2 (but not after).  Gotta think of something cool/fun for the afternoon...


Yeah, that's all I've got for now.

XOXO-
Brian

I stalled as long as I could and finally went to the endocrinologist yesterday.  After 6 months or treatment, I'm really not feeling much better, so I gave up 7 more vials of blood for testing and get to go back next Wednesday.  I will, of course, keep you all apprised to the situation.

On a store related note; we will have brand new Twilight t-shirts just in time for Free Comic Book Day!  Not only for us kiddies who work at Twilight Comics, these shirts will be available for sale this weekend at 40% off!  While you're here picking up your Twilight-Tee and Free Comics, don't forget to pick up the coupon for a free Astonishing Spider-man.Wolverine #1 (on 5/05/10) and our Month-Long-Sale Calendar for May that will give bonuses to people sporting the new Tee!


Don't forget to check out the revised Staff Page, giving special note to our newest family members!

XOXO-
Brian

Magic Cards and Jesus

Most of us go through life not really thinking much.  It's easy to be on autopilot to get most of your tasks done each day.  Most of us don't mean to hurt others and the self-absorbed, self-serving acts are not malicious.  On Monday this week someone took two sealed boxes of Magic the Gathering cards.  I don't suspect that the person who took them (or, even anyone who knows them) will probably read this blog or even care. 

Something happened to the world.  A very important lesson has been missed by a lot of people.  I don't care where you stand on religion or faith, but underlying everything the bible says is the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have done to you."  I think even stupid people understand the meaning.

When you own a small (or in my case, a micro-) business, pretty much everybody else gets paid first.  For 16+ years, I've made a lot of people a lot of money.  I'm NOT one of them.  My employees get paid okay money; not great.  Inventory, utilities, rent, and insurance come next.  Then, sometime, I get paid.  I don't get a bonus when I lose money.  Hell, I don't get a bonus when I MAKE money.  Don't get me wrong, I love this business and the store's actually doing better than it has in a long, long time.  In fact, within the next few weeks we'll be expanding the hours and adding a few new faces.

If you're the asshole who needed the Magic cards so bad that you waited 'til Tim had his back turned, here's how you've affected ME:  The money I've lost from those two boxes would have been an entire week's pay for a part time employee.  Due to YOUR action (and others like you), I can't trust ANYONE who buys Magic.  I will now have to completely rearrange our way of selling Magic.  I will have to WASTE at least $1600 to install a security system; that, by the way, is TEN WEEKS pay for a part time employee.  Happy time for you though, you got free Magic from THE ONLY place in the area that has reasonably priced singles and FREE Friday Night Magic.  Do me a favor, brag about how stupid we are.  To as many people as possible.  Everybody else?  Pay attention.  Find these jerks.  If you give me information that leads to prosecution of these people, you will stop a bleeding of money that could have let someone else pay their bills and shouldn't have happened in the first place.  Oh, and, the reward for doing the "right thing" will be better than what the jerks walked off with, I promise.  These people steal from me, other stores, and (probably) you, too.

Sorry, no love this week-
Brian

Turtles & Ducks!

Shannon and I actually had a vacation and it was non-comic related!  This April 1st was our 15th wedding anniversary.

I'd have to say that if you'd like to "get away from it all" AND only have a weekend AND don't want to be to far away from home, this place is perfect the first weekend in April.  Besides one family a couple of houses away, our only neighbors were the ducks and a couple turtles.  Shannon contacted the owner of this little cottage and we had a wonderful time.  We bought some shorts (the only pair of my short that we brought had a broken zipper) at the smallest mall I've ever seen and had an early dinner at the 20's Hideout Steakhouse.  We drove around Marion a little and saw this creepy, but kinda cool house:

After grabbing some groceries from the local IGA, we spent most of the time doing absolutely nothing.  We sat and watched the ducks and the occasional soaring hawk and that was pretty much it.  No internet access, limited phone access; it was nice.  And I got to spend the whole time with the only person in the world worth doing it with.  That's the honest to God truth, so there.

XOXO-
Brian

You ever have one of those mornings where...

...you wake up crying for no reason?  Well, I woke up the other day bawling.  Unfortunately(?), I remembered the dream.  It wasn't what you might expect: A long dead favorite pet, friend, or relative.  That last bite of really good meat that ends up having a squitchy in it.  Torture by nose-hair pulling.  The inability to dial the phone.  Nakedness in school.  Nope, none of that stuff...

It was my faerie's Song Time.  You see, when a faerie's Song Time comes, she must leave her human friend and become "one-with-nature" until the next cycle.  Luckily, I was with her and got her to the Place of the Crying, where faeries need to go to make the transition properly.  If their human companion is able to be present and participate in The Crying, she will be able to become part of a nearby tree or bush or other natural thing.  But more importantly, she'll be extra strong and pretty much invulnerable during the next cycle.  The only bad thing is she and the companion will never see each other again.

Yeah, I don't know what the hell that was either, but it was really sad to wake up from.  Good luck little faerie!

By the way, this is not even close the the weirdest dream I've had.  Not by a long shot.

My head is full of scary stuff.

XOXO-
Brian

Snakes

Tim thought it would be a fun idea to add the snake aspect to the St. Patrick's Day Sale due to the obvious connection.  It then became very clear to us that the obvious was far from it for WAAAAAY too many customers.  Learn something (if you don't already know):

How St. Patrick Rid Ireland of Snakes

The Ancient Irish Serpent Faith Replaced by Christianity

Mar 4, 2010 Paula I. Nielson

St. Patrick was famous for banishing snakes from Ireland in the 4th century C.E. But how did he accomplish this and was this a literal or figurative purging?

Not much is known about pre-Christian religion in Ireland, however, the symbolism of the serpent is present everywhere, on stone monuments, jewelry, drawings, and in illuminated manuscripts. Where did this imagery come from and what did it mean? What happened to the snakes of the Emerald Isle? Did St. Patrick really rid Ireland of serpents?

Snakes in Ireland

The Irish-Catholic legend states that Saint Patrick bravely fought snakes and banished serpents from Ireland in the 4th century C.E. This was a fairly easy accomplishment as archaeologists assert that snakes have never lived in Ireland.
The National Geographic reports that the climate in Ireland was inhospitable to snake species until 10,000 years ago, when the seas arose and snakes were unlikely to be able to find their way to Ireland in the frigid seas. Snakes cannot survive in areas that are frozen year round as Ireland was until after the Ice Age, and they do not swim great distances to migrate to other areas as is seen in Hawaii, New Zealand, Iceland, Greenland, and Antarctica which are all snake-free. Following the Ice Age, however, snakes did return to northern and western Europe, reaching as far as the Arctic Circle.

St. Patrick Symbolically Banished Snakes

Most scholars believe that St. Patrick did banish snakes from Ireland -- at least symbolically. These were the snakes found in the ancient religion of the non-Christian Irish. St. Patrick spent his life bringing Christianity to the people of the Emerald Isle and dispelling what he considered to be false traditions of the Irish, which would include the reverence for serpents.
But not all of Celtic and pre-Celtic beliefs and myths, including those about serpents disappeared. St. Bernard, in his Life of Malachy, referred to the Irish of the 12th century C.E. as "Pagans, while calling themselves Christians." The Irish are still noted for retaining much of the old religion in their Christianity and artistry to this day.

Read more at Suite101: How St. Patrick Rid Ireland of Snakes: The Ancient Irish Serpent Faith Replaced by Christianity http://anthropology.suite101.com/article.cfm/how-st-patrick-rid-ireland-of-snakes#ixzz0iLET25Ut

XOXO-
Brian

Title Goes Here

We all liked KICK-ASS. Wanna know more? Bug Drew to post about it on the forum! He'll do it! Hope most of you like the new look of the website. I labored on it and each little goofy icon button. I wrestled with a generic online PHP site thingy that I kinda hated and compromised on what you see now. Yes, your eyes are correct you can become a FaceBook Fan of Twilight Comics and I've signed up for a Twitter account. I'll try to use them more if it seems like you guys are into that stuff, but it's hard enough posting every few weeks about my health, so we'll see.

We'd really like to get more Magic events going through the week (instead of just Friday nights and Sundays), so if you're up for something different on a different day, let Tom know as soon as possible at tom@twilightcomics.com.

Time for my morning nap before trying to get myself up and useful at the store. Type at'cha later!

XOXO-
Brian

KICKASS!

Sorry about last week's post.  There is a delicate balance that needs to be maintained between my hormone shots and my antidepressants apparently.  Otherwise, I get rediculously angry about nothing.

Anyway, Twilight Comics will be closing early this Thursday, March 4th at about 6PM.  We've all got tickets to preview Kick-Ass the Movie a good month before it's released.  Check the forum later this week for (at least) Drew's take on the movie adaptation of the Marvel comic/graphic novel!

XOXO-

Brian

Looking for Answers

I need to know something.  Something that affects all of us.  Who, exactly, thinks that putting the toilet paper roll with the paper facing the wall is ergonomically superior?  Why?  I'm serious.  If you don't care or never thought about it, you are useless to me in this instance; don't even take part in this conversation.  Everyone else, speak up.  Explain it to me.


Waiting for your reply-

Brian

Ugh.

Two days ago was "shot day".  After removing the syringe, blood ran from the hole, not a trickle.  Shannon was NOT happy, since this was a new occurrence.   After a bit o' research, it appeared as though she must have pierced completely through a vein.  Ew.  I, know.  Not a huge deal, I iced my hip for about an hour and it really just feels like somebody punched me, so just a bit bruised.  I slept most of Wednesday and really have to find out where my hormone levels are, 'cause I really don't feel much better than before all this started.

Well, there's the update for those who wonder.

Babble atcha soon-

Brian 

Tangents

tan⋅gent

 /ˈtændʒənt/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [tan-juhnt]  

 –adjective

1.	in immediate physical contact; touching.

2.	Geometry. a. touching at a single point, as a tangent in relation to a curve or surface. b. in contact along a single line or element, as a plane with a cylinder.

3.	tangential (def. 3).

–noun

4.	Geometry. a line or a plane that touches a curve or a surface at a point so that it is closer to the curve in the vicinity of the point than any other line or plane drawn through the point.

5.

Trigonometry. a. (in a right triangle) the ratio of the side opposite a given angle to the side adjacent to the angle. b. Also called tan. (of an angle) a trigonometric function equal to the ratio of the ordinate of the end point of the arc to the abscissa of this end point, the origin being at the center of the circle on which the arc lies and the initial point of the arc being on the x-axis. Abbreviation: tg, tgn c. (originally) a straight line perpendicular to the radius of a circle at one end of an arc and extending from this point to the produced radius which cuts off the arc at its other end.

6.	the upright metal blade, fastened on the inner end of a clavichord key, that rises and strikes the string when the outer end of the key is depressed.

—Idiom

7.	off on or at a tangent, digressing suddenly from one course of action or thought and turning to another: The speaker flew off on a tangent.

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Origin:
1585–90; < L tangent- (s. of tangēns, prp. of tangere to touch) in phrase līnea tangēns touching line; see -ent

Synonyms:
1. meeting, abutting.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm talking about #7, in case you were wondering.  More on this later...