Spoiled, Not Stirred

Argh. Casino Royale set me up for a fall. Not that the newest Bond installment is bad. It's good; just not great. I give Quantum of Solace a firm B. No doubt it had all the action of its gritty predecessor, but it again proves that stunts, chases and fight scenes cannot make up for a plot with too many flat spots. Oh my wife and I had high hopes for it, especially after seeing the Batman upgrade (Dark Knight) earlier this year. Daniel Craig is still awesome as the new double 0. But we were just expecting a little more umph in the storyline and villains. I know I shouldn't be so hard; he just lost his true love for goodness sake. Perhaps this is a valley we had to tread through with him, to snap the old boy out of his melancholy over Vesper. Okay, Bond, shake it off, stiff upper. We anxiously await your next mission.
PS>> Mini spoiler alert: I was sad to see Mathis come and go so quickly. It was almost as if the put him in a red Star Trek tunic, how long was he on? Ten minutes? He was the only one we felt a bit of an attachment to from the last film, aside from Bond and M. I guess that actually helps me identify my overall feelings about the film: I felt a bit detached myself because there seemed fewer individuals and causes to root for. "B-"

A Little Shuffle

Time for a little rearranging. I will be be moving all things about The Peck over to http://www.themanwithoutneck.com/ from here on out. It is at this address you will find weekly comic updates on Dent, Cornelius and Billy as they fight to clean up the tattered streets of Sactown.

That being said, I will still continue here with my personal blog, cluttering the cybersphere with more rambling on movies, books, mishaps and errata.

Stay tuned!

Going APE

I will be peddling my wares down in SF this Saturday at APE, the Alternative Press Expo. It's my first time being on the other side of the table at a comic book convention, so it should be a learning experience. I plan on meeting many of the comic book artists there and soaking it all in.

Currently I am readying my comic site, themanwithoutneck.com, for launch on the same day. Won't have all the bell sand whistles I want this weekend's debut, but the low res of chapter 1 of The Peck will be up for viewing. The comic will also be on sale at Lulu.com. I will be migrating the publishing and online sales to another printer very soon. This will greatly inprove the cost of the book (as Lulu is way pricey). I'll let you know as soon as it's up and running.

MeOw

Here's a sneak peak of one peck spread. Cornelius (Dent's mentor) narrates as the Peck sprints through the Sactown night ...

Final Peck Cover

Okay, here it is. The official cover of The Peck. Click on the image to get all the venous detail.

I'll be selling this 24-page comic book at the Alternative Press Expo on Saturday, November 1st in San Francicso. You'll find me at booth 534A. And once the convention is over, I will be displaying all of chapter one online as a continuing webcomic with updates every week at http://www.themanwithoutneck.com. Every 20-30 pages I'll be compiling chapters for print. The anticipated graphic novel will be aproximately 140 pages, so I will be putting out roughly a 5 comic arc to finish the book.

Breaking News (or Broken News)

Okay, I know the injury posts are getting old and pathetic, so I promise this is the last one. It's just kind of comical at this point: So I finally got my long-awaited MRI this last Monday. I was surprised to get a call from my orthopedist's office a few hours later while at work. They had heard preliminary findings from the radiologist: broken tibia. [Yeah, I know, that's what I said.] The original ER x-ray weeks ago didn't pick it up. I'm sure it's probably just a hairline break somewhere at the top near the joint, but the doc has called me in tomorrow to have more bracing applied to my leg (hopefully not a full-fledged cast). They said I should not be bearing any weight on it. Haha! Almost four weeks later. Okay, okay, I'm reeeally done now. No more medical talk.

Bone Update

You wash your car in the morning, it rains in the afternoon. You pre-emptively make your own finger cast, the orthopedic surgeon calls you and wants you in the office the very next day. I wore my little creation to the appointment, generously adorned in gray duct tape. The doc loved it; complimented me on my resourcefulness even. I've now graduated from a plaster oven mitt to streamlined resin cast. My pinky will be bunking with my ring finger for the next three weeks. I will have to get an MRI on my knee in the interim, so no resolution there yet. Current prescription: I am to stretch and massage my knee joint regularly to nurse it back as much as possible before my next visit. Baby steps. Literally.

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Ortho!

In keeping with the spirit of DIY, I did a little online research, called a few medical supply stores and constructed my own cast. I got tired of playing phone tag with my ortho doc's office, as well as the constant paranoia of knocking my splinted pinky into something. I really did not like the prospect of possibly having my finger rebroken and reset because of some mishap between now and my TBD appointment, so I thought what the heck. The cast is so much better than the splint. I should've done this a week ago!

I will of course still see my orthopedist, but that date is still not clear in my crystal ball. I'll just remove the cast before the appointment. You gotta love plaster casting tape. It's cheap and sets fast. I'm going to buy some more and make a mask for Halloween. Whee!

I Love Healthcare

Especially HMOs. So I get a referral from Sutter Roseville's ER to a local ortho surgeon last Friday. Unfortunately that person is not contracted as a provider through my insurance---a company that shall remain nameless. So, my insurer, that has a shield and is blue, says even though I have a referral from the ER, I still need to see my family doctor to get a referral to a kosher orthopedists.

Sooo, Monday I am able to get an appointment with my PCP (that's insurance-speak for Primary Care Provider) and he concurs with the former diagnosis, that I have indeed broken a finger and wrenched a knee. He sends me home telling me that his practice will set up the appointment with a "sports medicine group" in Sac and get back to me. That sits well with my male ego, the whole "sports" thing and all. I envision myself at my future appointment, reading Sports Illustrated in the waiting room, overhearing the conversations of other testosterone-filled patients: "So, how did you tear your ACL, Joe?" "I stunted on a blitz and got blind-sided by the slotback." "Yeah, I was in the octagon Saturday night and didn't tap out of a leg lock quick enough." "Tough break, dude ... and how 'bout you, man?" I lower my magazine to discover they are looking at me. I can feel the visible flush to my face (and that's hard to do if you know me) as I weakly offer: "Um, I was fishing and slipped on a rock." Cricket, cricket ...

Tomorrow will be me and my accident's one week anniversary. I haven't heard a peep from the sports folks, my finger is still castless, and my knee is far from NFL ready. My one consolation is that the knee swelling has transitioned from grapefruit to cutie. It's a sore little citrus, though. Lesson here folks: Don't leave your house. Stay in your well-padded coccoon and watch Roland Martin reel in the big ones on TV.

Photo above: Lost glory days at the river of doom.

Caught a Break

Slightly eventful weekend. Friday I shot up to Cisco Grove near Truckee to get a little river fishing in and try out some new Panther Martin spinners. I was manuevering over some rocks near the bank when I slipped and took a pretty good spill. All of my dainty frame right onto my right knee and a wonderful array of granite rocks. I was also holding onto my fishing pole in my left hand and I must've smacked it pretty good as well (see x-ray at left). Yep, my first official broken bone in 42 years (I think I broke my ribs back when I was a teenager, but never got 'em looked at, so they don't count). Ouch, yes, it's my drawing hand, but luckily I can still type and move a pencil. I just look more proper with my splinted pinky jutting straight out. :)

The more worrisome topic is my knee. Thankfully nothing was broken there, but I think I have some ligament and/or tendon damage; can't put any weight on it. And to move my calf left or right? Yacheewawa. I'll know more when I see the orthopedist this next week. Suddenly I find myself a pathetic invalid in my own house. I was able to drive myself home from the fishing trip, using my right hand under my knee to help get me lift my foot on the needed pedals, but once I got home, the swelling made it near impossible to get out of the car. My wife, bless her heart, jetted straight home as soon as I called her. After a trip to the ER, I'm splinted and braced, hobbling around on crutches. I'll post more on it once I've seen the doc.