Obdormio.com

He’s back today, after a week without computer or internet access. Since he seems to be unable to put any of this into writing here, I figured you probably won’t notice much of a difference if I typed it instead, and thought I’d let you know all the same. Wouldn’t want anybody to think he was ignoring them.

I’m leaving today, for a week without computer or internet access. Since I seem to be unable to put any of my ideas into writing lately, you probably won’t notice much of a difference here, but I thought I’d let you know all the same. Wouldn’t want anybody to think I was ignoring them.

Seriously, how come nobody told me Fans was free now? I mean, it ended last year didn’t it? It must have been free for ages!

I knew it had ended, but I distinctly recall finding locked archives the last time I checked. So how come I’ve never read a single line anywhere about it going free? Am I just not paying attention?

It was probably said in T Campbell’s blog. But I didn’t read that, of course. ‘Cause I didn’t read Fans. ‘Cause it wasn’t free.

Anyway, I have now read Fans, found it very, very good, and am putting it on the Recommended Comics list.

(Speaking of things that are suddenly free, Narbonic can now be read and enjoyed free of charge. Go read it.)

Made a few changes to the comics link page. Inverloch was added to the Recommended Comics list, and Terror Island was added to Other Comics. The reason why it isn’t recommended is that there’s only five or six strips in it yet, so I’ll wait a while before moving it up. Brilliant concept, though.

There’s also a brand new list, for the comics only us Scandinavians can read, Norwegian Comics. If you can understand Norwegian, there are some real gems on that list. If you don’t understand Norwegian, there are some gems on that list that make it worth learning.

The first issue of Cheshire Crossing, Andy Weir’s new comic, has been published. It is funny, intriguing and something completely different from Casey and Andy. It reminds me more than a little of Alan Moore’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and given the characters, that’s not so odd really.

The only sad thing is the update schedule, a full issue is posted every 3-6 months. I’m spoiled and decadent and demand instant gratification, so there’ll be gnashing of teeth. Waiting that long to find out who the man in the trench coat is? Impossible!

On the other hand, perhaps I’ll forget the whole thing between updates (I’m not putting this in bookmarks, it would be quite pointless), and be pleasantly surprised every time it is updated.

This goes right to my Highly Recommended list on my comics page.

Dear Discovery Channel. Or possibly Discovery Channel Norway, or Scandinavia or whatever.

What the hell?! You’re replacing Mythbusters with Brainiac in the eight o’ clock timeslot? Braniac?! What’s wrong with you? Mythbusters wipes the floor with Brainiac!

Now, I’ve watched those re-runs five times, and you know damn well that I’d watch them five more. Why on Earth take them away for something as insipid as Brainiac?

I’m all for phasing out American culture, but we have to face facts here! What we have here is an American show that is better than the British replacement. Swallow the bile, and put it back on! If you can’t find it in your hearts to do this, perhaps a worthy British version of Mythbusters could be made. They took Scrapheap Challenge, so they probably owe you. I have my doubts, but it might work, if you put Robert Llewellyn and some other charismatic fellows in it.

Still, that should be “Plan B”. “Plan A”, simpler and probably cheaper, is GIVE ME BACK THE MYTHBUSTERS, DAMMIT!

Yours truly,
Obdormio.

I am sometimes accused of being overly critical. Some claim I am never satisfied, always finding errors. Honestly, just because they’re ten years old, doesn’t mean the play can’t be done well! I really think most of my criticism in situations like that is aimed at the adult instructors, not the children in it.

Anyway, I just thought I’d mention that before moving onto something completely unrelated. Having spent a good deal of time in the graveyards lately, I can’t help but noticing the graves. I thought I’d review one. Here it is:

At first viewing this 1939 grave is fairly impressive. The stone is much taller than the surrounding graves, it has a pane of glass containing a golden cross surrounded by what appears to be a wreath of laurel, a symbol of victory, also in gold. It has a pointed top, and the stone is of a sombre and dignified colour. There are some nice carvings in the top corners, and another cross in the top center. In addition to the name of the deceased and the dates of his birth and death, his job has also been carved in above the name. Looking at the other graves I see that this is fairly unusual, even for this period, so presumably he was very good at or very proud of the job. The job title and his name is repeated on the golden cross, which makes it look like a post-mortem award of some sort.

The inscription on the stone reads “We will meet again”, which manages to convey just about the right mix of sadness and optimism. However, all the writing is in a blocky and fairly unremarkable font, which fails to inspire awe. The stone itself is also showing signs of age, with some very worn patches, and discoloration.

This grave has an enclosed flower bed, which makes mowing around it easier, a big plus. The flowers are pretty, the mix of purple, green and red works well. It appears to be maintained, as it is not overgrown and messy. The ground around the grave is level and flat, very easy to mow.

Overall, the grave is impressiveand dignified, despite the worn stone and boring font. It is well maintained and easy on mowers. I give it four scythes.

Well, that’s it for now. Remember, maintain the graves of your ancestors the way you want your descendants to maintain yours!

Like I said, I now mow graveyards. It’s not a great job, it’s only fourteen hours a week, so I won’t make as much money as I should. Some money is better than no money, however, so there you go.

Certain people seem to think that this is a bad-ass job, but it really isn’t all that exciting. All I do is cut grass. I really don’t like mowing. I hate it, actually. I long ago promised myself that I will never have a lawn.

One of the two graveyards I mow is actually pretty easy, because it has one of those four-wheel mowers. There is something strangely satisfying about rinding around on a machine that can, if I read the warning labels correctly, kill babies if they look at it. Most of the work is done with a normal mower, which would be fine and easy if somebody hadn’t put up tombstones all over.

Speaking of the tombstones, it is a bit interesting to see that even graves are slaves to trends and fashion. The 1890s seems to have favored tall and pointed stones, while just a few years earlier people liked to be buried under small obelisks.

Another trend of the late 19th century was apparently to bury six people on top of each other on the same plot, and then randomly scatter their tombstones above them, making mowing hard. It cannot have been easier with a scythe (as we all know, machines didn’t exist before the eighties), so they either maintained graveyards with scissors or just let them grow wildly.

Working on a graveyard should be depressing, I suppose, but it isn’t really. Both the graveyards are nice sunny, open places, with pretty trees and mostly nice graves, and some lamp posts, in case people come to grieve in the middle of the night I guess. They’re peaceful places, at least until I show up with my noisy and noxious mowers. They aren’t the gothic and spooky cemeteries you see on Buffy. And let’s be honest, if you build gothic and spooky cemeteries like they have on Buffy, you want vampires. Vampires would be very much out of place in the cemeteries I mow.

Building crypts is inviting monsters. There are no crypts.

There are some wicked echoes off the stones though, that could give any man a fright before he got used to them.

Also, I should like to take this opportunity to apologize to several dead people. I didn’t mean to cut the flowers of your graves or crash the mower into your tombstones. That thing can just run a bit out of control sometimes, and the exhaust make me dizzy so I don’t always see what I’m doing.

I’m also sorry for the many, many shivers you no doubt felt in life, what with all the running back and forth I’m doing.

I think that’s all for now.