Post-triathlon, though, it was still bugging me, so I took some time off from even my spinning class to let it get back to normal. After yesterday’s rowing machine session started bothering it (clearly it depends on just how much it bends, since rowing and cycling bend the knee much more), though, I mentioned it to my doctor today. Next thing I knew, after work today I was getting an x-ray at Virginia Hospital Center. (Weekdays at 6pm? No waiting for an x-ray.)

Tragically? So far as I can tell, I have not yet developed super powers as a direct result of the x-ray. I’m always a tiny bit disappointed on that front. I think comic books lied to me over the years. Hmph. (I’ll let you know if it turns out to be anything serious. I’ve also got some PT scheduled for starting next week to strengthen the muscle since it’s probably just a bad strain. But we shall see.)

I ended up tying 2007′s movie tally with 20 films, and amusingly enough that was also the number of novels I read. As for graphic novels… well, let’s just say the final tally was a wee bit higher.

Movies:

1. The Women (the 1939 version)
2. Frost/Nixon
3. Watchmen
4. Every Little Step
5. Star Trek
6. Little Ashes
7. Away We Go
8. Up
9. Public Enemies
10. The Hurt Locker
11. (500) Days of Summer
12. Paris
13. Inglorious Basterds
14. An Education
15. Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ By Sapphire
16. A Room With a View
17. A Serious Man
18. Fantastic Mr. Fox
19. Up in the Air
20. A Single Man

Books:

1. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
2. Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan
3. Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale
4. All Seated On The Ground by Connie Willis
5. Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks
6. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
7. Sea, Swallow Me and Other Stories by Craig Laurance Gidney
8. The Cabinet of Light by Daniel O’Mahony
9. The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks
10. Shell Shock by Simon A. Forward
11. Farthing by Jo Walton
12. The Baum Plan for Financial Independence and Other Stories by John Kessel
13. Listening Is an Act of Love edited by Dave Isay
14. A Companion to Wolves by Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear
15. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith and Jane Austen
16. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
17. Psycho by Robert Bloch
18. After the Quake by Haruki Murakami
19. The Host by Stephenie Meyer
20. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

Graphic Novels:

1. Dororo Vol. 3 by Osamu Tezuka
2. Solanin by Inio Asano
3. Oishinbo A La Carte: Japanese Cuisine by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki
4. Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka Vol. 1 by Naoki Ursasawa
5. Tsubasa Vol. 19 by CLAMP
6. Dead, She Said by Steve Niles and Bernie Wrightson
7. MPD Psycho Vol. 3 by Eiji Otsuka and Sho-u Tajima
8. Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Vol. 7 by Eiji Otsuka and Housui Yamazaki
9. Scott Pilgrim Vol. 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together by Bryan Lee O’Malley
10. Scott Pilgrim Vol. 5: Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe by Bryan Lee O’Malley
11. My Mommy is in America and She Met Buffalo Bill by Jean Regnaud and Émile Bravo
12. Call of the Wild by Patrick McDonnell
13. Miss Don’t Touch Me by Hubert & Kerascoet
14. I Saw You…: Comics Inspired by Real Life Missed Connections edited by Julia Wertz
15. Why I Killed Peter by Alfred & Olivier Ka
16. Tsubasa Vol. 20 by CLAMP
17. DMZ Vol. 6: Blood in the Game by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli
18. Phoenix Vol. 8: Civil War, Part Two by Osamu Tezuka
19. Blade of the Immortal Vol. 20: Demon’s Lair by Hiroaki Samura
20. Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei Vol. 1 by Koji Kumeta
21. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Century: 1910 by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill
22. The Complete Peanuts Vol. 6: 1961-1962 by Charles M. Schulz
23. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill
24. Batman: Year One Hundred by Paul Pope
25. Hulk Visionaries: Peter David Vol. 1 by Peter David and Todd McFarlane
26. Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka Vol. 2 by Naoki Ursasawa
27. In the Flesh by Koren Shadmi
28. First Time by Sybiline and various artists
29. Oishinbo A La Carte: Sake by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki
30. A Drifting Life by Yoshihiro Tatsumi
31. Sandman Mystery Theatre Vol. 7: The Mist & the Phantom of the Fair by Matt Wagner, Steven T. Seagle, and Guy Davis
32. French Milk by Lucy Knisley
33. 20th Century Boys Vol. 1 by Naoki Urasawa
34. A Distant Neighborhood Vol. 1 by Jiro Taniguchi
35. The Color of Earth by Kim Dong Hwa
36. Wolverine: Prodigal Son Vol. 1 by Antony Johnson and Wilson Tortosa
37. Superman Chronicles Vol. 1 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
38. Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki
39. Bourbon Island 1730 by Appollo and Lewis Trondheim
40. Batman Chronicles Vol. 2 by Bill Finger and Bob Kane
41. Real Vol. 3 by Takehiko Inoue
42. Real Vol. 4 by Takehiko Inoue
43. Fairy Tail Vol. 5 by Hiro Mashima
44. Chicken With Plums by Marjane Satrapi
45. Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip Book Three by Tove Jansson
46. Nana Vol. 14 by Ai Yazawa
47. You Have Killed Me by Jamie S. Rich and Joëlle Jones
48. Hikaru No Go Vol. 13 by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata
49. Hikaru No Go Vol. 14 by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata
50. The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel
51. Hellblazer: Scab by Peter Milligan, Giuseppe Camuncoli, and Stefano Landini
52. Showcase Presents: The Doom Patrol Vol. 1 by Arnold Drake, Bob Haney, Bruno Premiani, and Bob Brown
53. The Best of Simon and Kirby by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby
54. Parker: The Hunter by Richard Stark and Darwyn Cooke
55. 20th Century Boys Vol. 2 by Naoki Urasawa
56. Phoenix, Vol. 10: Sun, Part One by Osamu Tezuka
57. Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka Vol. 3 by Naoki Urasawa
58. Mijeong by Byun Byung-jun
59. Detroit Metal City Vol. 1 by Kiminori Wakasugi
60. Yokai Doctor Vol. 1 by Yuki Sato
61. Little Mouse Gets Ready by Jeff Smith
62. Britten and Brulightly by Hannah Berry
63. Oishinbo A La Carte: Ramen and Gyoza by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki
64. Vagabond Vol. 28 by Takehiko Inoue
65. Children of the Sea Vol. 1 by Daisuke Igarashi
66. Popeye Vol. 1 by E.C. Segar
67. The Photographer: Into War-Torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders by Emmanuel Guibert
68. Prince Valiant Vol. 1: 1937-1938 by Hal Foster
69. Jack Kirby’s Fourth World Omnibus Vol. 2 by Jack Kirby
70. Nana Vol. 15 by Ai Yazawa
71. Hikaru no Go Vol. 15 by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata
72. 20th Century Boys Vol. 3 by Naoki Urasawa
73. Real Vol. 5 by Takehiko Inoue
74. Black Jack Vol. 2 by Osamu Tezuka
75. Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka Vol. 4 by Naoki Urasawa
76. Barefoot Gen Vol. 1 by Keiji Nakazawa
77. Ôoku: The Inner Chamber Vol. 1 by Fumi Yoshinaga
78. 20th Century Boys Vol. 4 by Naoki Urasawa
79. Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee Vol. 1 by Hiroyuki Asada
80. The Big Kahn by Neil Kleid and Nicholas Cinquegrani
81. Hikaru no Go Vol. 16 by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata
82. Little Nothings Vol. 2: The Prisoner Syndrome by Lewis Trondheim
83. Nana Vol. 16 by Ai Yazawa
84. Awakening Vol. 1 by Nick Tapalansky and Alex Eckman-Lawn
85. Love and Rockets: New Stories No. 2 by Gilbert Hernandez and Jaime Hernandez
86. The Punisher Vol. 10: Valley Forge, Valley Forge by Garth Ennis and Goran Parlov
87. Yotsuba&! Vol. 6 by Kiyohiko Azuma
88. Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Vol. 8 by Eiji Otsuka and Housui Yamazaki
89. Japan As Viewed By 17 Creators by Various creators
90. ACME Novelty Library Vol. 19 by Chris Ware
91. Neptune by Aron Nels Steinke
92. Festering Romance by Renee Lott
93. What a Wonderful World! Vol. 1 by Inio Asano
94. X-Men: Misfits Vol. 1 by Raina Telgemeier, Dave Roman, and Anzu
95. West Coast Blues by Jean-Patrick Manchette and Jacques Tardi
96. Far Arden by Kevin Cannon
97. Thor Visionaries: Walter Simonson Vol. 1 by Walter Simonson
98. Monsters by Ken Dahl
99. What a Wonderful World! Vol. 2 by Inio Asano
100. Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka Vol. 5 by Naoki Urasawa
101. Showcase Presents: Eclipso by Bob Haney, Lee Elias, Alex Toth, and Jack Sparling
102. Driven By Lemons by Joshua Cotter
103. Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four Vol. 1 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
104. Dark Entries by Ian Rankin and Werther Dell’Edera
105. Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka Vol. 6 by Naoki Ursasawa
106. Dungeon, The Early Years Vol. 2: Innocence Lost by Lewis Trondheim, Joann Sfar, and Christophe Blain
107. Year of Loving Dangerously by Ted Rall and Pablo Callejo
108. Oishinbo A La Carte: The Joy of Rice by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki
109. Incognito by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
110. Beanworld Book 3: Remember Here When You Are There! by Larry Marder
111. Moyasimon: Tales of Agriculture Vol. 1 by Ishikawa Masayuki
112. Luna Park by Kevin Baker and Danijel Zezelj
113. Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
114. Children of the Sea Vol. 2 by Daisuke Igarashi
115. not simple by Natsume Ono
116. Filthy Rich by Brian Azzarello and Victor Santos
117. Bloom County: The Complete Library Vol. 1 by Berkeley Breathed
118. Years of the Elephant by Willy Linthout
119. Nightschool: The Weirn Books Vol. 1 by Svetlana Chmakova
120. The Punisher MAX: From First to Last by Garth Ennis, Richard Corben, Lewis Larosa, John Severin
121. 20th Century Boys Vol. 5 by Naoki Urasawa
122. A Distant Neighborhood Vol. 2 by Jiro Taniguchi
123. xxxHolic Vol. 13 by CLAMP

But, that’s all over for now. The craziness of September seems to be firmly behind me, having culminated in the Small Press Expo (SPX), which I’ve helped run since 1998. It’s a labor of love, certainly; it eats up chunks of time (although not as much as before since I’ve reduced my role to primarily just the Ignatz Awards) but at the end of the day I get to see so many lovely and wonderful friends that it’s worth it. Of course, I don’t ever get to spend enough time with any of them, which sucks a little bit. But even a few minutes chat is better than nothing at all.

I’ve also vowed to start scanning in my wine sketches once more. I know, I’ve said this before. But I mean it this time. Really. It was invigorating being around so many talented artists all weekend long. I also took some photos at the show that—especially the ones on Sunday using a prime lens—I’m pretty happy with.

Aside from two meetings for work later this week, it is nice to look ahead and see on my schedule… nothing. (Well, almost nothing. I’ve got two runs in the morning for the weekend, and some stuff starts showing up next weekend. But it’s not like last week for instance where every day had a to-do list the length of my arm.) I’m hoping to spend Thursday night in front of the television because I don’t have other things that must be accomplished first.

I think this is what I’d really like to accomplish in the next two weeks:

• Read some books
• Write some reviews
• Clean the living room
• Cook some new recipes
• Watch some television
• Take some naps
• Go for a swim or two

Will I accomplish them all? I hope so. I also challenge everyone else to follow this list for the next two weeks. I think it’s going to be fun.

I did have the last of my “lap swimming class” through Arlington last night, which I’d signed up for primarily because the rec center near my office was overrun with kids camp all summer long. It was strange (to me), though, in that we started with nine people and by the end would have anywhere from two to four people show up. Last night was just me and one other guy. I admit it, I missed two classes (one due to work, one due to sickness) but it was more than just that in terms of absences. The instructor had even said early on that adult swim classes had a steep attrition rate but this was a little out of control. On the bright side, we each had an entire lane to ourselves, how nice is that? The final two weeks we were told to “just go and swim as much as you can without stopping” and I was pleased with the end results: 34 laps in 35 minutes last week, and 39 laps in 40 minutes this week. Nice steady pace with no burning desire to stop. It’ll be nice to have Monday nights back, but I will miss having my own lap lane ready and waiting for me.

Over for SPX, the Ignatz Ballot is out in the wild, and the jury this year did a fantastic job. I’ve been very slowly lining up presenters, so hopefully I can get that done in the next week or two with lots of time to spare. It’s hard to believe the show is just a month away (yikes) but I’m whittling away at my remaining parts, which feels good.

On the downside, though, my home has lately been looking like a disaster area in various stages of disrepair. I’d hoped to really roll up my sleeves and get rid of stuff a couple of weekends ago but it just didn’t happen. I think I’m going to have to just draw up a schedule for myself even if it’s as simple as, “Tackle these two shelves this weekend” so it doesn’t look quite so daunting. (Once I get rid of some things, I will then have room for the other things scattered around my home.) Doubly so for if/when Charlie and I get a place together, this is a process that needs to be taken care of.

Alternately, gods of the lottery system, the Virginia Lottery is at something hugely ridiculous right now like $252 million. I know that supposedly more money brings more problems, but I am willing to give that a shot and see what happens. Then I can spend my days doing research on important things. Like if squirrels can really talk out of their butts or not.

While I’m at it, I need to figure out something else to do with the never-ending supply of peaches from my CSA. I love peaches but I am starting to burn out on them. I cannot eat them fast enough. (Well, I suppose I could but it would be fairly disastrous.) Maybe I should make some sort of smallish peach cobbler? I suppose there are worse fates in life.

Oh, and if the heat could drop about 10 degrees I’d be appreciative. I’d like the option to run after work instead of having to get up super-early to avoid melting.

Of all the new series that will show up at the site, it’s this one that starts showing up on July 23rd that I’m really excited about.

Saturn Apartments By Hisae Iwaoka

A touching, character-rich vision of an intriguing new world.

Far in the future, humankind has evacuated the Earth in order to preserve it. Humans now reside in a gigantic structure that forms a ring around the Earth, thirty-five kilometers up in the sky. The society of the ring is highly stratified: the higher the floor, the greater the status. Mitsu, the lowly son of a window washer, has just graduated junior high. When his father disappears and is assumed dead, Mitsu must take on his father’s occupation. As he struggles with the transition to working life, Mitsu’s job treats him to an outsider’s view into the various living-room dioramas of the Saturn Apartments.

To me it’s got everything—an interesting setting, and what sounds like a combination of a mystery (the vanishing father), drama (having to inherit something unwanted), and sociological examination (the observing of other people’s lives). It sounds like there’s an almost infinite number of potential stories to be told here. Hopefully it’s as good as it sounds!

(Any books in particular that you’re dying to read based on the description alone?)

I cannot stop chuckling at these old comics.

I was thinking to myself, “Where have I heard this story before?” and then a split-second before they mentioned the storyteller’s name, I realized where. It was the lovely Miriam Katin, whom I know through comics. She’d actually turned that story into “The Seven Sweet Spoonfuls of Understanding” which ran in one of the Monkeysuit anthologies. Even hitting to home some more, it was seeing her comics there that made me comment in a review of mine that she should really submit something to one of Drawn & Quarterly’s anthologies. Which she did… and not only had a story published there (which was then nominated for an Eisner Award the following year!), but her debut graphic novel We Are On Our Own as well. It’s a small, small world!

(You can listen to the story online at this link. It’s well worth it!)

And secondly, I was looking at WAMU’s schedule today and saw a note that they were making minor schedule adjustements in 2009. I clicked on that link, and the changes were mostly on early Sunday mornings, in part to fill the hole from two cancelled shows: The Infinite Mind, and Calling All Pets. And I have to admit that my first response to the latter being cancelled was, “Awwwww!” Except that, well, I never actually listened to more than the last five minutes of it. It was usually what was playing as I drove to my running group early in the morning.

It was a split second later that I then realized that what I really cared about was not so much that Calling All Pets was on, but rather, that Car Talk was not on. Seriously, I think I wrote off NPR for years because every time I turned it on, it was the weekend and it was Car Talk. Ugh, ugh, ugh. I’m sure there are people reading this who listen to it every week, and to them I say, “Better you than me.”

But right now, at the start of the process of making the soup, I’m at another one of the reasons. When I put the dried black beans in a container and fill it up with water, I actually get a little giddy when a few hours later, almost all the water is gone (even though the beans were originally submerged by several inches of water) and there’s just a cascade of beans staring at me. Inevitably I add more water, some more of which will get absorbed. And tomorrow morning, when I dump the remaining water out, it’s going to be indigo colored and make me grin as it goes down the drain.

Easy to please, that’s me. (The recipe is after the jump at the bottom of the post.)

On an unrelated note, with the marathon in three weekends (my ankle feels much better today, by the way!), I’m trying to see how far ahead I can get with my reviews for Read About Comics. Now normally I’m writing a week ahead, so that this weekend I wrote reviews for November 10-14. For this weekend and the two remaining weekends before the trip up to Philly, though, I’m going to try and write one extra review that gets held in reserve. That way, when the marathon actually hits, I’ll be so far ahead that I can take a full week off from writing and there won’t be a blip on the schedule at all. We’ll see how that goes.

Spicy Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

• 1 pound dry black beans, soaked overnight and rinsed
• 4 teaspoons diced jalapeno peppers
• 6 cups broth (the original recipe said chicken, but I use vegetable)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Combine everything in the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours. (Alternately, cook on high for 4 hours, then low for 2 hours, or until ready to eat.) I then prefer to take my immersion hand blender and puree it all; it forms a thick, creamy texture that will have people swearing you put cups of cream or whole milk into the recipe. Sooo tasty. Sometimes I put a little dallop of fat free sour cream on top, or stir in some oyster crackers, but it’s just as good without either.