Supernatural Caterpillars

Bonkie: Things to be remembered.

2011-12-27T23:35:00.000-06:00

Bonk was born with 4 other siblings (Laurel [Fatty -- our name], Hardy [Freckle-Nose -- our name], Blackie, & Chicken Head) on August 27, 2001 in our basement. We rescued Tia from the pound nearly a year earlier after Mercedes died. She was curious why this Little Black Kitty was in our basement and what the little squirmy things were in the box with her. Little Black Kitty's protective instinct kind of kicked in and she chased Tia away from the box full of her babies. I say "kind of" because Bonk was still feeding when she jumped up and he fell off and hit the concrete floor! After keeping a close eye on him to make sure he was okay, we determined that the event warranted his name. Laurel & Hardy went to live with Shannon's aunt (who gave them their decidedly better names), Blackie stayed with us because I told him we would keep him, Bonk stayed with us because we thought he might be brain damaged, and Chicken Head stayed with us because he's Chicken Head (a Denis Leary reference)!

I remember being excited to watch the distinct personalities emerge from these squeaky little babies, and, boy, did they!

Although Bonk was his name; Bonkie, BoBo, Bonkie-Baby, Bonkie-Belly, Bubba-Bonkie, and probably others, were just fine with him. (From Destination Truth, Shannon would sometimes call him Fangala-Bobo.)

I don't know when it happened, but Bonk became MY cat. I love all of them, but he and I had some kind of special bond. He would often sit at the back door and watch me leave and show real excitement when I would come home. If I was gone too long, he would show definite concern.

Sometimes, while sitting on the love seat in the living room, he would crawl up and sit on my chest so that I would have to support him with my arm. It made him so happy. It also made him happy to make me move my laptop over and over again.

He would follow me to the bathroom and "guard" me.

He would ALWAYS pull at the water dish, often spilling it. We had even put it in a larger brownie/cake dish to try and curb this behavior. Never got what that was all about.

If he didn't get his way, he would give a little "shnoof". It was almost worth annoying him just to get that.

All three boys that stayed with us have some sort of weird fetch/toy thing. Blackie likes water bottle lids, hair scrunchies, straws, (and since Bonk left us) a glove(?). He will bring them, drop them at your feet, and wait for you to throw them and he'll fetch them and be ready for another go. Chicken Head used to do this with a specific, mostly pink water bottle paper wrapper, but that bottled water no longer exists and he seems excited to see the labels wadded up, but won't really chase them anymore. Chicken Head likes to go into the basement and find Shannon's clean underwear and yowls with a pair in his mouth all the way upstairs and into the living room or bed room. (Yeah, I don't know either). Bonk never did any of this. If he found a roll of paper towels he would shred it like it threatened to take his shrimp. And, I don't remember how we found this out, but, he LOVED packing straps. The plastic kind that come on big packages that you can tear into strips. I must have brought something home from the store with one on it. I remember when I was pulling it off, he got the big eyes and sassy whiskers, so I gave it to him. He yowled and carried that thing around and would bring it to be thrown, and would prance around and jump on it, and wave it above his head, it was crazy.

I could pick him up and carry him, belly-up, like a little baby. The other cats won't really tolerate it.

He would jump up and "follow" in front of me when the TV in the living room was turned off because that meant it was finally bedtime. He would usually sleep near my head or with my arm around him, and when he was feeling particularly needy, he would paw at my chest because I wasn't positioned just right for him to snuggle up.

He loved treats, and soft food, but, God did he LOVE shrimp!

I'm sure there will be more, but I needed to write some of these down.

Don't know if I should post this.

2011-12-08T23:30:00.000-06:00

My last post was toward the end of March. That was the last time I went to the endocrinologist because the every-other-month blood tests went from costing zero out-of-pocket to $170. I haven't felt like it has helped me much and I'm thinking of switching to a different doctor. Although I started posting to this blog regularly as a personal health update, my primary concern since October has been Bonk, one of our five cats, and the one who has personally assigned me as HIS person.

Some people (maybe most) won't/don't understand this. This posting is not for you.

I'm not sure how much I want to go into. Please be warned, if you love animals, or are easy-to-cry, this will probably be 'one of those'.

We noticed Bonk acting pretty lethargic one night in October. The next day he seemed worse, so the hated trip to the vet ensued. His RBC (red blood count) was in the single digits, so we took him to Hawthorne Animal Hospital in Glen Carbon and the nice people there gave him his first blood transfusion. After a blood draw the next day, he stumbled a bit and since his count was so low, they put him on oxygen and we rushed him to VSS in Manchester, MO. He spent about a week and a half there and got five more blood transfusions and a bone marrow aspiration to try to find the cause of the trouble. He was diagnosed with IMHA, or Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia. He was negative for Feline Leukemia, Feline AIDS, and inconclusive for cancer. So, no idea what caused it. Just so you know, ONE blood transfusion is supposed to last for 30 to 40 days. He went through SIX in a ten days. Needless to say we were out of our minds with fear of the worst and the doctors really didn't think he had much of a chance. Our miracle kitty rallied and that sixth transfusion held. We took him home and had to run him up to the vet for a blood count every couple of days, then got to the point where we were supposed to wait a month. He was producing his own blood cells again!
...

Friday, November 25th he was feeling bad again, so, at 6AM we ran him back out to Manchester and his RBC was 18 (cats should normally be in the mid- to high 30s -- but we had been happy to see anything in the mid-20s, if it was stable). Sunday his counts were all down again at the local vet, so we ran him back to Manchester for an overnight stay and transfusion #7. Monday night, he came home with an appointment for this morning (Wednesday, November 30th) for a full bone marrow biopsy. They tried to get one before but were unsuccessful.

November 30th

So, now, he's spending the night in Manchester again waiting for transfusion #8. If that works out, he goes under for the biopsy tomorrow. We're hoping and praying that he makes it through that. It's not a certainty.
If it's cancer, he'll have 2 months, at best, to share with us, or so says the prognosis. If it's not cancer, we'll try changing up his medications and hope for the best. He's a strong little guy and bucked the odds making it this far, so I hope to God that he can fight it out and stick around for YEARS.

But, I'm so scared. I love him so much.

PS Friday, December 2nd is the 11th anniversary of Mercedes's death. I'm not doing very well.

...

December 7th

Biopsy results came back last night. All of his cell lines are gone. All cells are being replaced with macrophages. He's not in pain, but he's so exhausted. He's holding on for us as long as he can.

We brought our bright-eyed, talkative boy home today. We've both taken a nap with him and given him lots of petting, love, kisses, and praise for being such a great kitty. He's enjoyed multiple shrimps. Shannon's doing a tremendous job of barely holding it together because I can't. I'm out of my mind with grief. How someone deals with a sick kid, I'll never know. I am so heartbroken; he has been my best buddy for so long now and soon he'll be gone.

December 8th @3:25 PM

He hasn't eaten or had anything to drink since last night. He seems so worn out. He keeps showing the sick eyes, but he's still alert and he's still Bonkie. We have an appointment at 5. Chicken Head is trying to make sure I'm alright.

10:52 PM

We were there when he was born and we were there when he died and we will never stop loving him. I miss him so much and he's not here to cheer me up. I don't know what else to say.

We're still planning on having the Christmas party at the store from 4-8 on Saturday in celebration of Bonk's magnificence.

Health, Store, the Usual

2011-03-23T04:56:00.001-05:00

After emailing my list of "must-haves" to the landlord for the possibility of the move mentioned in the last post, the silence is deafening. So I guess the answer is "NO." Like I said, didn't seem too likely.

Had some kind of virus the last week or so. Fever got up to 102ish and I took super-antibiotics to prevent another trip to the hospital with pneumonia. I was happy to take the pills!

Went to the endocrinologist Friday to get an update on hormone, sugar, and cholesterol levels. Triglycerides were up a bit: Get to double up on the fish oil. Woo!

Working on plans for Free Comic Book Day and all of the comic related movies - it going to be a very busy summer!

That's all I can think of for now.

XOXO-
Brian

My Car, Shannon's Cough, & 800 less square feet

2011-02-08T17:10:00.000-06:00

The worst case scenario of $2700 turned out to be $3224.76, but I have my car back.

After about two weeks of us thinking that Shannon was trying really hard to continue my pneumonia ordeal herself, she found out yesterday that she ONLY had "a lung infection". She's still coughing her head off.

Got a call from the landlord today. He wanted to offer me the super-super deal of moving to the "prominent middle of the plaza" over by the pool table store. I only have to move 2400 sq. ft. of stuff into 1600 sq. ft. of space, repaint, let EVERYONE know we've moved, figure out how to fit 30+ Magic players into less space, and still only get a break on the rent because the space is smaller. Doesn't seem too likely...

There's my much-needed update, friendly readers. Until next time.

XOXO-
Brian

Driving Rings Around Saturn

2011-01-26T04:52:00.000-06:00

My car was acting weird the other night. Never had a problem with it. I bought the Saturn Vue in 2004 because it was the most comfortable vehicle I had ever driven and it had enough room in the back to lug comics around.

You know how when you feel sick, you start checking symptoms on WebMD or some similar site and your conclusions always lead you to believe that your "flu-like symptoms" will result in your imminent death from some horrible disease with 7 days? Well, Shannon checked online, and the Vues from 2002-2005 pretty much all have really crappy transmissions and they cost $6000 to replace. There was, of course, a class-action lawsuit that OLD GM settled, but NEW GM didn't want to honor. They ended up extending the warranty (with ran out in 2009).

I took the car to Dobb's, and guess what? It's the transmission. Independent mechanics are not touching the Vues with the bad transmissions, so Shannon and I had a mini-parade (I could only do about 20-25 mph) over the the GM dealer. New GM will pay half, so worst-case-scenario is about $3000 and about a week without the car.

Grrr. Not automotive Ebola, but certainly a mild case of Lyme disease...

So, spend, dear customers, spend!

XOXO-
Brian

I'm 40!

2011-01-11T18:47:00.000-06:00

Thanks for all the Happy-Birthdays and I'm glad everybody had a good time this Sunday. Alyssa did a great job planning the festivities and getting prizes from various places. Drew also did well taking care of the food and cake. I really appreciated it, guys!

Check out this week's newsletter (in your inbox or posted on my Facebook page) for some coupons this week to help you celebrate.

XOXO-
Brian

Title Goes Here

2010-12-28T18:32:00.000-06:00

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

2010-12-15T04:59:00.000-06:00

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

2010-12-07T01:13:00.000-06:00

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

2010-12-01T07:38:00.001-06:00

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

2010-11-26T18:10:00.000-06:00

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

2010-11-10T00:31:00.000-06:00

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!

2010-10-26T18:19:00.000-05:00

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

2010-10-06T04:20:00.000-05:00

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!

2010-09-10T16:39:00.000-05:00

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?

2010-08-18T04:11:00.000-05:00

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

2010-08-04T06:52:00.000-05:00

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.

2010-07-28T08:00:00.001-05:00

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

2010-07-21T09:31:00.000-05:00

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

2010-07-07T06:37:00.000-05:00

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

2010-06-30T04:17:00.000-05:00

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

2010-06-16T09:08:00.000-05:00

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

2010-06-08T05:10:00.000-05:00

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?

2010-05-31T05:53:00.000-05:00

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

2010-05-25T03:18:00.000-05:00

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

2010-05-12T05:28:00.000-05:00

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

2010-05-04T07:51:00.000-05:00

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

2010-04-28T04:15:00.000-05:00

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

2010-04-14T02:46:00.002-05:00

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!

2010-04-07T07:03:00.001-05:00

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...

2010-03-31T03:41:00.000-05:00

...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

2010-03-16T07:21:00.000-05:00

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.

XOXO-
Brian

Title Goes Here

2010-03-09T05:00:00.001-06:00

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!

2010-03-01T15:26:00.001-06:00

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

2010-02-23T18:44:00.000-06:00

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.

2010-02-11T03:44:00.000-06:00

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

2010-01-26T17:41:00.000-06:00

tan⋅gent

[tan-juhnt]

–adjective

1.	in immediate physical contact; touching.

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.

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.

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...

Hormone Update

2009-12-16T05:58:00.002-06:00

Last night was at-home shot #2 (or shot #4, for those keeping score). Not as painless as the other three, unfortunately. A kind of burning sensation melted into an intermittent low throbby pain; nothing too bad. The part that disturbs me a little bit is that after the first shot, I felt considerably better, but I seem to have backslid a little and seem nearly as fatigued as before. I guess we'll see what's up when I see the endocrinologist again. I'm trying to keep in mind that it's supposed to take more than a year to actually get where I'm going to feel "right".

XOXO-

Brian

PS - Answer my Siege Survey from last week's newsletter, dammit!

Endocrinologist Part 3 Shot 2

2009-11-18T05:45:00.004-06:00

At 3:50PM, I signed in for my 4PM appointment. At 4:03, I paid my $20 co-pay. The old guy, with a very productive cough, used to watch Lone Ranger and the movie after until they took them off the TeeVee. He hasn't watched TeeVee since. (It's full of those people trying to make us believe that solar energy is cheaper...who's gonna pay for all those batteries they have to store the energy in and where are they gonna store them?)
Shannon dozed a little since she went to work 12 hours earlier in order to be there for the sticking. At 4:40, I'm weighed in and we're taken to room 5. Since I'm diabetic now, they had to take my blood sugar level and the hot assistant tried 7 ancient latex gloves before freaking out and running down the hall to bitch to the office manager or something. My blood sugar level was 158 after having eaten about 2 1/2 hours earlier. (Not bad.)
By 5:10, we had searched most of the drawers and cabinets in room 5 and had discovered that (in room 5 alone) there are at least 3000 ancient latex gloves! Shannon caught her first glimpse of the doctor. At 5:20PM we were moved to room 3 and the doctor peeked in and gave a goofy wave. Shannon decided that this was a "Close Encounter of the Second Kind"; physical evidence. There were no hidden boxes of ancient latex gloves in room 3. The angry yet friendly bigger assistant came in and asked how I've been doing since the first shot (and I have been considerably better, but have a loooong way to go). My triglycerides are way too high, I've been told.
We waited again. Finally, at 5:40PM, "Close Encounter of the Third Kind"; physical contact. I got a prescription for testing strips for the glucometer and talked briefly to the doctor about Shannon learning how to give me my biweekly shot. He and the assistant left to get the assistant who can administer the shots. Not the hot assistant (she left, as did most of the staff). We waited more. A little after 6PM, Shannon finally gave me a shot for the first time, she did not freak out, but was traumatized.

The doctor returned, drew a diagram of an ass, and told Shannon 3 times where not to stick me. Then he showed her on MY ass twice. Then, the "Close Encounter of the Fourth Kind" happened; (the most disturbing), he asked Shannon if she was pregnant. Shannon is NOT pregnant. Oddly, the doctor is still alive.

Now you know more than you should, but have a keen understanding of how we spent a good portion of Tuesday afternoon. :)

XOXO-
Brian

Endocrinologist Part 2

2009-11-04T01:29:00.002-06:00

After the taking of blood last week, my results confirm what the regular doctor told me -what?- two months ago? My pituitary is under performing, causing a cascade failure of my endocrine system. Or to put it the way the Endocrinologist's assistant said, "The chemicals in your brain are screwy. They're not working right." We've all known that forever, right? By that description, I think I might be able to get out of felony convictions...hmm.... Anyway, flash back to that last visit with the regular doctor when he said, "A couple of the hormones will come in pill form and the third is either in gel form that gets rubbed into your skin, like on your forearm, or by shot. But the gel should be fine." Guess what? I get the shot. In my hip. The "liquid" has the consistency of syrup. Every two weeks for now. More info in two weeks, when Shannon gets to learn how to give me shots! Yea!

XOXO-
Brian

Endocrinologist

2009-10-21T04:48:00.002-05:00

So, finally, I went to the endocrinologist's office and my 1PM appointment actually hapened at about 2:30PM. What did I learn? I found out that if you have significant head trauma, a 20 year clock starts in your pituitary gland, then it start shutting down. I also learned that I have to give up about 8 or 9 more vials of blood and wait until November 3rd before I find out anything new. Sorry for the tease, but it's all I've got. More health news in two weeks!

XOXO-
Brian

uh, stuff

2009-10-14T07:43:00.000-05:00

Saturday, Shannon and I were greeted by a locked door at the endcrinologist's office. The new date is October 19th (or original rescheduled date?).

Tonight we're going to see the Lewis Black preview. Maybe we'll see you there!

XOXO-

Brian

You don't know what you're talking about

2009-10-06T20:57:00.003-05:00

On September 16th, some ass from the city of Belleville decided that Michigan Avenue needed to pretty up its houses. We (and many people on our street) got notes threatening fines and legal action if we didn't clean up weeds and paint our porch. We had ten days to comply. We did bunches of yard work and did some scraping on the porch but weren't completely done. During this time, Shannon met a little super-friendly kitten. Talking to our next-door neighbor, she found out that the kitten was the neighbor's granddaughter's (?). The kitten came out most days to "help" with our clean-up and would just climb into Shannon's lap. On Saturday, October 3rd we got a new deadline of October 10th and the little guy, who Shannon now decided would be called Marzipan met our oldest cat, Tia, who for the first time in about 5 years had recently started venturing out of our bedroom. Tia came OUTSIDE and sniffed Marzipan and seemed to approve of the little hissy girl. Tia approves of none of our cats, by the way. Monday, I was feeling pretty crappy and Shannon did a bunch of work and got kitty kisses on the face. Tonight, I did more scraping and Shannon did more brush-work. We went to Lowe's to pick up some nice bushes and stuff for the yard and when we got home, there, in the middle of B Street was Marzipan's lifeless body. We ate our Little Caesar's and cried a little.

If Belleville hadn't made us do yard work, we would have never met this sweet little kitty. I don't envy the mom's job telling the little girl.

Just so you know, cats show plenty of love and affection. If you don't think so, you don't know what you're talking about.

No XOXO this week. I'm too sad-
Brian

No more eye-poking for a year (hopefully)

2009-10-03T05:04:00.002-05:00

So, I missed my initial return to the ophthalmologist that was originally scheduled for Friday, September 25th. I called them to confirm the time on the morning of the 26th and was told that "it was 8:45 YESTERDAY". Oops. Coulda sworn it was supposed to be the 28th. Rescheduled for October 2nd at 10:30 and had my pupils dilated and more scleral indentation done (eeeeh, I hate it). No retinal tears, just gobs of floaters still. I've gotten used to them somewhat because the headaches are fewer and farther-between. (And could actually be caused by the pituitary problems anyway.) Unless it gets worse or refuses to get better, I don't go back 'til next year. But no invasive eye surgery is in my immediate future. Thank God.

Next Saturday afternoon, I go talk to the endocrinologist and hopefully start my road to normal hormone levels. We'll find out and I'll let you guys know here.

XOXO-
Brian

It's all fun and games until... PART 4.5

2009-09-22T13:16:00.002-05:00

Well, I can't tell that the eye is really any better. I go back to the ophthalmologist next week, but I don't think (with the possible bad results) that I'm going to opt for surgery.

My appointment with the endocrinologist got moved up to October 10th, so at least there's that, I guess. After the ensuing joint swelling and pain, the hormone therapy is supposed to do wonders (after a period of months), so I'm hopeful about that.

My blood sugar seems to be hovering in the 130-140ish range. I get my A1C checked again toward the middle of October and go back to the doctor to check on that.

Looks like little bits o' news about my continuing saga will still be popping up throughout October, so there ya' go.

XOXO-
Brian

It's all fun and games until... PART 4

2009-09-16T06:40:00.003-05:00

I do not have growths within my pituitary gland. I will not need surgery. THANK GOD. I haven't met with the endocrinologist, yet. My appointment is set for NOVEMBER 18th. Yeesh. I guess two more months of feeling like this won't kill me, right?

Floaters go from fuzzy to nearly in focus by the minute. Oddly, my headaches have decreased. I must be getting to use to them. Maybe they need names.... Driving is a must, but probably not the best idea.

The doctor believes that with my continued watching of the diet, my diabetes will be under control without medication. Keep your fingers crossed on this one, 'cause the hormone pills are apparently pricey.

Now, this Friday night, Drew's off for another one of his drug studies and Tim's stuck with the closing shift. He is very disappointed that he can't go to Italian Fest in Collinsville that night, so, if you're so inclined, bring him some food from the festivities. ;)

XOXO-
Brian

It's all fun and games until... PART 3

2009-09-09T13:21:00.002-05:00

The saga of my eye continues and gets a friend.

About a week before the eye incident, I when in for a routine checkup. After some blood tests came back indicating some low hormone levels, I had the blood tests done last week that showed that my pituitary gland was under-preforming. Basically a cascade failure of my entire endocrine system. Yea! So, this morning, I spent 45 minutes having my brain scanned by MRI. The beat, by the way, of the MRI machine seems to fit perfectly with the beat of "Funk Soul Brother", except for the fact that it goes on for the better part of an hour. (So, it must be the super-extended dance mix.) Anyway, I get the results for this new test on Friday and then get to visit an endocrinologist to find out if I get to take medications for the problems for the rest of my life, or get to take the medications AND have surgery. Don't'cha just love life?

XOXO-
Brian

It's all fun and games until... PART 2

2009-09-02T06:14:00.002-05:00

So, the floater(s) is/are still around but sometimes move out of the way. Fewer headaches this week. If stuff doesn't clear up by the end of the month, we get to talk about possible surgery. On the good side, my blood sugar is 138 today, so it looks like cutting out soda and slightly modifying my diet will keep me from having to take any diabetes medicine. I get to go in for ANOTHER blood draw this week for an A1C and some other tests. I'll keep you apprised.

XOXO-

Brian

It's all fun and games until...

2009-08-26T06:15:00.003-05:00

Warning!!! This story is not for the faint of heart (if you have eye squeamishness). You have been warned!

So, Sunday, August 16th, I wake up with a pretty nasty headache. Sundays, usually being a "stay in" day, I put on my glasses* and stumble into the living room to check email. I notice immediately that my glasses must be filthy, so I go back to the bathroom and scrub 'em down. Hmm. That didn't help. I decide to put in my contacts and find that the fuzzy spot in my left eye is still there. Now that I've been up for a little bit, I notice that the fuzzy spot is really what looks like a weird "belly button ring" [Shannon's definition of my description] shaped floater that, for the most part, keeps settling right in my field of vision. Monday, the headache is worse and the floater is still there. Tuesday, same thing and Shannon decides to check my blood sugar just in case. It was 186.

For people without diabetes, according to experts, blood sugar levels should be:

Between 70 and 120 mg/ dL

For people with type 2 diabetes:

Fasting (not eating for a period of time): up to 130 mg/dL
After meals: less than 180 mg/dL

So I call Tim to let him know where I've been for the last few days and why. Wednesday [Shannon's first day of vacation] she shuttles me to the doctor and I find out that I've lost 9 pounds since the 6th when I went in for a yearly check up. Cool, lost 9 pounds, right? Nope; they test some pee and now I'm checking blood sugar every day for two weeks. Of course, I went to the doctor because of the headache and eye situation. He sends me immediately to the ophthalmologist for a possible retinal detachment. After thoroughly molesting my eyes (BOTH OF THEM) with a scleral indentation tool (something similar to this),
I find out that on Friday, I get to have it all done again by the retina specialist. We stop by the store to let everybody know what's going on (and pick up new comics, of course). Thursday, I stop in at the store to do the paperwork for our mail order stuff and that was a little more than I was up to. Friday more eye poking and I go home to sleep off the headache and pupil dilation. While napping, our cat, Tia, lost her footing while stepping over my head and clawed my RIGHT eye! After a scream and frantic and careful checking, she didn't actually scratch the eye itself, just gave me a nice little gouge at the corner that's still welted up a bit.

Anyway, this is not helping the headaches, so I'll continue the story later, but that's most of it...at least the good stuff.

XOXO-
Brian

At Long Last

2009-07-17T17:41:00.002-05:00

Hallelujah! It is FINALLY coming...in October 2009!!!

Planetary #27. If this new does not thrill you to the core, you NEED to read Planetary! Ask for the graphic novels on your next visit.

Is This Thing On?

2009-06-22T04:03:00.003-05:00

So, every week (for the most part), I send out our newsletter. Every week (or multiple times a week), I revise bits-n-pieces of the website. I've got a prize contest going on the forum. I appreciate each and every one of the handful of you guys who actually participate. My big question is: What about the rest of you? Yes, I'm talking to you! You guys who look at the forum as "guest" or read the occasional newsletter and don't even use the coupons! What can I do to make your Twilight Comics Experience better? Besides "leave me alone" and "give me free stuff", what events or sales or coupons or displays or products or games would make you gasp with excitement and pee yourself a little when you walked in? Respond here or quietly email me! No request is too outrageous, it might not happen, but you gotta ask!

What could be so exciting that warrants national news?

2009-06-03T00:11:00.003-05:00

Captain America #600 Changes Everything! It’s the historic Captain America issue you’ve been waiting for as Eisner-winning writer Ed Brubaker teams up with a group of red hot artists like Butch Guice, Steve Epting, and many more to bring you the extra-sized Captain America #600! It’s the anniversary of the day Captain America died, as the Marvel Universe reflects-and the next jaw dropping chapter in the Captain America mythos begins! Plus, writers Mark Waid and Roger Stern join Brubaker to bring you over 60 pages of all new stories, plus select reprints featuring the work of Stan Lee and a Captain America cover gallery! And just who is the girl without a world? What’s her connection to Captain America? With covers by superstars Alex Ross and Steve Epting, no Captain America fan can miss this issue! Brubaker’s run on Captain America has fans and critics alike wanting more! “To call Ed Brubaker's Captain America one of the most consistently excellent runs to come along in years would be a bit of an understatement.” - Dan Phillips, IGN.com “I'm here to tell you this simple truth: Captain America under Ed Brubaker is about quality storytelling, period.” - Paul Brian McCoy, Comicsbulletin.com “...there’s nothing more than pleases me in this gig than having the chance to rave about a great comic, particularly one that’s been so good for nearly four years straight.” - Chad Nevett, ComicBookResources.com Wondering what’s in store for Bucky Barnes and crew? Find out in Captain America #600!

This issue is being released on MONDAY, JUNE 15TH to coincide with a national news announcement about the future of Captain America and the TOP SECRET 'Reborn' mini-series. Reserve your copies now!

Venom Rules!

2009-05-20T04:32:00.004-05:00

Here's the deal. You've got until May 31st to join our forum and write a post about WHY Venom is the coolest and/or best character ever created. The most compelling will be voted on by the members of the Twilight Comics Forum. The winner of the Poll will get this $150 Venom Statue free! The forum is here.

Do it! You know you want it!

XOXO-
Brian

What Do You Magic People Want?

2009-05-14T02:19:00.002-05:00

Free tournaments - Friday nights.
Booster Drafts - Every other Wednesday night.
Legacy Tournaments - The other Wednesday nights.
Free open play - Sundays.

Where are you and what do you want if the above events won't get you here?

XOXO-
Brian

Don't Be A Jerk

2009-05-14T02:16:00.002-05:00

If you come for the free comics and say YES to being added to the newsletter, don't REPORT it as spam when you get the newsletter! If the newsletter isn't what you thought it was going to be just opt out so we don't get points against us from the OPT-IN-ONLY newsletter service. WTH. Yeesh!

XOXO-
Brian

Simply: Wolverine Review

2009-05-01T14:47:00.002-05:00

I think that X-Men Origins - Wolverine is my favorite X-Men movie. Shannon tells me that the internets are full of hate & bile over the train-wreck that is Wolverine. I'm not even gonna look. I enjoyed it. I thought the story was decent, I thought there was plenty of action, and, for the first time in recent memory, I didn't mind the fact that "they" could chose any good story from 30+ years of source material but instead make up their own (usually pale shadow of a) story. There were enough bits and pieces of "real" Wolverine back story to make it a nice "comic book movie". Granted, we are dealing with a character who, by his very nature, could have ANY back story anyone would want to give him. Anyway, anybody who didn't enjoy this movie just wants to hate, in my opinion.

XOXO-
Brian

The Perfect Storm Week

2009-04-28T04:51:00.003-05:00

It's early Tuesday morning; two Magic tournaments down one to go (Wednesday night). Today is my "day off". That means: Finish the orderform with Tim, send the final FCBD (Free Comic Book Day) press release, contact the Fairview Heights library about FCBD, get flyers ready for upcoming stuff, finalize the Scavenger Hunt list, get this week's newsletter ready for tomorrow morning, various "errands", and then cook up some tasty burgers for dinner. Wednesday, I'll be at the store pretty much all day, and, at midnight, we'll start the Release Tournament for Alara Reborn (Magic). Thursday is mail order day and Thursday night is WOLVERINE! Friday is finalize-the-store-for-Free-Comic-Book-Day day. Then Saturday is the biggest celebration day in the Comics community (yea!). Sunday I get to wind down with Alara Rebron Booster Draft tournaments all day. Stop in often to see my increasing loopiness!

XOXO-
Brian

I'm Giving Away WAY Too Much!

2009-04-15T04:30:00.002-05:00

We're coming up on a very busy time for Twilight Comics. The summer movie season kicks off with X-Men Origins: Wolverine -- which just happens to start up on Free Comic Book Day weekend, by design since the first FCBD and Spider-Man the Movie.

I had the unique opportunity to rent out a theatre for the premiere of Wolverine because Wehrenberg decided NOT to have an early show! Crazy, right? So, as it stands, right now (at 16 tickets sold), IF you buy your ticket, a mere $15, you get a $4 Wolverine: Weapon X #1, and a Hardcover worth at least 20 bucks, plus the only way to watch the early showing of Wolverine. It's like getting paid to see it after you figure all of the goodies in. PLUS, we're gonna have trivia, attendance prizes, and a costume contest.

This all happens Thursday night/ Friday morning (4/30 and 5/01).

Then, I really go nuts on Saturday and give away (after all is said and done) over $5000 worth of stuff. More on that in my next post.

XOXO-
Brian

Where, oh where, has my website gone?

2009-03-18T18:37:00.002-05:00

Important note about webhosting: Even though you've updated your credit card information for your domain, make sure the hosting (especially by the same company) ALSO has your updated credit card info. Otherwise, you may be without your web-presence for the better part of twelve hours.

XOXO-
Brian

What he said.

2009-03-11T03:56:00.002-05:00

As is often the case someone else has said just what I think, probably better than I could have said it. Brother-in-retail, Brian Hibbs, explains why he's done with HEROES and I'm right there with him. (Not safe for kiddie language follows).

http://savagecritic.com/2009/03/turning-it-off-hibbs-is-done-with.html

XOXO-

Brian

2009-03-04T07:10:00.004-06:00

Click here to see the full list of what's coming in March 4th.

Some restocks of note:

ANGEL AFTER THE FALL HC VOL 01
ANGEL AFTER THE FALL HC VOL 02 FIRST NIGHT
HULK TP VOL 01 RED HULK
WALKING DEAD TP VOL 01 DAYS GONE BYE (MR)
WALKING DEAD TP VOL 03 SAFETY BEHIND BARS (MR)
WALKING DEAD TP VOL 05 BEST DEFENSE (MR)

WOLVERINE ORIGIN TP
WOLVERINE TP WEAPON X

That's all for now-
Brian

Watchmen LAST and first chance!

2009-02-18T01:39:00.005-06:00

Preorders for $24.99 are gone! Final orders are going to press. This is your last chance to get one of these limited edition "Watchmen" style Twilight Comics shirts AND get into the early showing of WATCHMEN at the O'Fallon 15 Cinema, please get your online orders (or in-store orders) in by 2/28/09. $29.99 gets you the t-shirt and one ticket to the early showing. ONLY people wearing these shirts will get the BEST trivia prizes including movie passes, movie promo items, and a mini-DVD player!

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My Bribe!

Please jump on the Twilight Comics Forum and start a topic! The topic with the most posts (by February 25th) from DIFFERENT participants will win the topic's original poster a complete set (of 6) Watchmen mini-posters! No rude or vulgar posts, please.

Click here to visit the forum!

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WATCHMEN STUFF STARTS SHIPPING THIS WEEK!

These are the styles of official Watchmen shirts Twilight Comics will have available as of 2/18/09! We will have a limited quantity of each size from S to XXL. Prices start at $19.99. Smiley face buttons are available in 1 1/2 inch ($1.99) and 3 inch ($2.99) sizes. More merchandise to come!

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Shipping 2/18/09:

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #583
(W) Mark Waid (A) Barry Kitson
RUSHED BACK TO PRESS! AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #583, featuring President-elect Barack Obama in the story, "Spidey Meets the President" which has been receiving national news coverage, was rushed back to press. This 5th Printing is an exact reprint of the issue, with a cover of the Obama Variant image with a different background (the 5th Printing has an image of the Lincoln Memorial in the background).

AVAILABLE AGAIN!
PRESIDENTIAL MATERIAL FLIPBOOK
Andy Helfer, Jeff Mariotte (w)

Stephen Thompson, Tom Morgan (a)

J. Scott Campbell (c)
Want to get both sides of the story? This special flipbook edition features the illustrated biographies of both Barack Obama and John McCain, with each story adorned by J. Scott Campbell's cover art.

DARK AVENGERS #2
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Pencils & Cover by MIKE DEODATO
Variant Cover by MIKE CHOI
The Dark Avengers have made themselves known to the world and as the world takes them in, Morgana le Fey comes looking for blood!! Once you learn who the Dark Avengers are you'll see why this is the buzz book of the year!! The Dark Reign is here!!
32 PGS./Rated T+

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #30 (ORIGINS)

Written by Dwayne McDuffie
Art and cover by Ed Benes
Featuring an "Origins and Omens" backup story! Can the entire combined might of the Justice League of Amercia and Dr. Light stand up to the cosmic entity known as Starbreaker as he continues consuming the sun? Could this be another Final Night for the DC Universe?

ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #60
Written by JOE POKASKI
Penciled by TYLER KIRKHAM
Cover by ED MCGUINNESS
White Variant Cover by TYLER KIRKHAM
SERIES FINALE! Ultimatum tie-in! It all began when four teenagers got caught in an experiment gone fantastically wrong. Now, in a series finale you won't believe, Reed, Ben, Sue, and Johnny will discover that nothing lasts forever-especially family.
32 PGS./Rated A

Lots more goodies coming in!

Click here to see the full list of what's coming in February 18th.

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People are actually playing!

THIS WEEKEND!!!

FNM Standard Tournament
Friday, February 20th @ 7PM

FREE TO PLAY!

Extended Tournament
Saturday, February 21st @ 1PM
Please register by 12:30PM
$12.99 to play. Prize is a booster box of the winner's choice (from available stock).

More info here.

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Oh, and please become a "fan" of Twilight Comics if you're on FaceBook!

XOXO-
Brian

Green Lantern's Light!

2009-02-12T16:12:00.001-06:00

You have the ability to overcome great fear. You have been chosen. Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps. Your ring will guide you to Oa where you will be instructed in the proper use of your newfound abilities as Green Lantern of sector 2814.

What's cool about Boba Fett?

2009-02-11T03:12:00.011-06:00

Congratulations to Doniel Wolfe for winning the ArtFX Boba Fett statue ($99.99 value)! All Doniel did was register to win the statue while waiting to se MALL COP at the O'Fallon 15 Cinema this last weekend. Never fear, plenty of chances to win cool stuff will be coming the following months. Make sure you stop by the Twilight Comics table when you go to see WATCHMEN the weekend of March 6th!

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Shipping this week (2/11/09)-

ANGEL #17
Joss Whedon & Brian Lynch (plot)

Brian Lynch (w)

Franco Urru (a)

Urru, Alex Garner (c)
At the conclusion of the Angel TV series, Los Angeles and all its denizens were cast into a hellish dimension. Since then, Angel has sought redemption while dealing with the death and destruction brought on by his actions. Now, Joss Whedon, Brian Lynch, and Franco Urru present the final chapter in Angel's struggle after the fall. But will anyone survive to see the conclusion?

BATMAN #686

Written by Neil Gaiman
Art by Andy Kubert & Scott Williams
Covers by Andy Kubert and Alex Ross
"Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?" part 1 of 2! Best-selling author Neil Gaiman (THE SANDMAN) and superstar artist Andy Kubert (BATMAN, Marvel 1602) join forces for a special 2-part BATMAN event! "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader" is a captivating and mysterious tale the likes of which Batman and friends have never experienced before. Delving into the realms of life, death and the afterlife, Gaiman leaves no stone unturned as he explores every facet and era of Bruce Wayne's life.

BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS SPECIAL #1

Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Art and cover by Adam Kubert
& John Dell
Spinning out of "Batman R.I.P." and DC UNIVERSE: LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT, this special features the birth of a new era for the Outsiders and is a perfect entry point for past and present readers alike. FINAL CRISIS has changed the universe forever and though Batman may be gone, his legacy must endure. Forces are set in motion that give rise to a new team ready to combat the secret evil that the Outsiders were truly formed for all those years ago. Is Geo-Force the best leader? Or will Black Lightning prove to be a challenger? Plus, the introduction of a never-before-seen character important to the Batman mythos!
Writer Peter J. Tomasi (GREEN LANTERN CORPS, NIGHTWING) is joined by Adam Kubert
(DCU: LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT) for this extra-length one-shot spectacular, which is the opening chapter of an epic storyline that will continue within the pages of February's
THE OUTSIDERS #15!

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #33 (ORIGINS)

Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Art and cover by Patrick Gleason & Rebecca Buchman
Featuring an "Origins and Omens" backup story! It's the prelude to "The Blackest Night" as the "War of Light" continues to intensify! Mongul attempts to establish his hold on the Sinestro Corps by enslaving the planet Daxam and making it the home world of his Corps. What does Sinestro's right hand man, Arkillo, think of all this? And will Sodam Yat, the Green Lantern known as Ion, fight to save his homeworld, which he's vowed to never return to?

THOR #600
Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI, STAN LEE
& CHRIS GIARRUSSO
Penciled by OLIVIER COIPEL, CHRIS GIARRUSSO & TBA
Wraparound Cover by OLIVIER COIPEL
Variant Wraparound Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
The mighty God of Thunder hits a major milestone! THOR goes back to its classic numbering for this issue 600 mega-event, and even Stan "The Man" Lee joins the party with an all-new story! J. Michael Straczynski and Olivier Coipel bring their widely acclaimed run to a major culmination! And Chris Giarrusso lays down an epic Mini Marvels Thor adventure! PLUS jaw- dropping wraparound covers by Olivier Coipel and Marko Djurdjevic! Miss this issue?! We say thee NAY!

WALKING DEAD #58 (MR)
story ROBERT KIRKMAN
art & cover CHARLIE ADLARD & CLIFF RATHBURN
The unthinkable.

X-MEN ORIGINS SABRETOOTH
Written by KIERON GILLEN
Pencils & Cover by DAN PANOSIAN
Every year, he beats Wolverine to an inch of his life. You won't find a sicker, more dangerous person in the Marvel Universe. But why? Why is he so vicious? Why is he so brutal? Why does he leave a wake of violence and death everywhere he goes? Look into Sabretooth's eyes and tremble...

Lots more goodies coming in!

Click here to see the full list of what's coming in February 11th.

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LAST CHANCE TO WATCH THE WATCHMEN EARLY AND GET THE COOL SHIRT

FINAL WEEK!

Over 20 years in the waiting, Watchmen will finally be released as a full-on, live action movie on March 6th. Preorder your limited edition Twilight Comics Doomsday Clock shirt and it'll include your ticket price at the O'Fallon 15 Cinema's preview showing on Thursday evening. Everyone wearing a shirt will be directed to the "trivia theatre" for a special chance to win wonderful prizes before the movie.

Get your order in before February 15th to ensure your spot and shirt.

Available online or in store!

More info here.

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Answer: He was FREE!

XOXO-

Brian