This Be The Verse

They fuck you up, your mum and dad.   

    They may not mean to, but they do.   

They fill you with the faults they had

    And add some extra, just for you.

But they were fucked up in their turn

    By fools in old-style hats and coats,   

Who half the time were soppy-stern

    And half at one another’s throats.

Man hands on misery to man.

    It deepens like a coastal shelf.

Get out as early as you can,

    And don’t have any kids yourself.

Came across this piece by Philip Larkin recently and thought it clever enough to share.

“The Dungeon Master”

“The Dungeon Master” is a short story by Sam Lipsyte, that is very much evocative of an era I didn't live through. The arc is about a generation just ten to twenty years older than mine. Their pop culture made familiar to me by TV and movies.  Their experiences are the same though. For every generation being a teenager can be tough business.  The story tells the tale of a high school D&D group and the troubles they face at and away from their table.  It is done with a bit of dark humor and left me wanting way more.  That is all I have in the tank to try and get you to read.  It is only seven pages and well worth your time. Go!

Update: Ethan brought this short story full circle.

SkullKickers

It's a rare occasion for me to make the trip to a comic store these days.  It takes a special breed of comic to draw me away from the low cost and fast shipping haven of the internet.  Wednesday last week was one such occasion though.  I picked up Kaden after work and drove down to my local comic store.  We were in search of SkullKickers #1. They were sold out already.

So why am I writing about a comic I have not read yet?  The failings of the brick and mortar comic shop aside I can still expound upon the virtues of SkullKickers #0.  Their might be a issue #1 preview buried in there too.  The spawn of all this was a Penny Arcade post a while back, but reading the prequel sealed the deal.  The art is clean and modern and the writing is short and crisp.

If and when I get my hands on #1 I'll be back here to speak more on it.

2010 Resolutions

My resolutions for 2009 were met with some failures and others I powered through, but this year I plan to do even better...

- Ride at least twice once a month (2009 carry over)
- Build an arcade (2009 carry over)
- Lose weight (2009 carry over)
- Run twice a week with Crystal
- Start up a kettlebell routine at home
- Write a short story/novella (40-100 pages)
- Build a shed/workshop
- Take more woodworking classes
- Renovate our other bathroom
- Build at least 3 wood based projects
- Clean up the front and backyard
- Travel more
- Cook dinner more than half of the times we eat in a month
- Start painting (not walls, but canvases)
- Run/play a short Warcraft or Star Wars table top game