Won my first against AI in a game of Go.
Finished reading: I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI to Do (Almost) Everything by Joanna Stern 📚
I finished reading: Spiritual Enlightenment:: The Damnedest Thing by Jed McKenna 📚
Nori and sardines. Not bad.
Last night I learned to use a lower heat when using my moka pot when making espresso. I tried it out this morning and it made all the difference.
Finished reading: The Kaiju Film by Jason Barr 📚
Fasting one day a week for the next month to see how it goes. Today has been going well, only a touch peckish. Looking forward to a bowl of ramen this evening. 🍜
Finished reading: Oklahoma City by Andrew Gumbel 📚
Bravo.
Bummed that Las Cuatro Milpas and Buona Forchetta have closed. Fond memories of both places.
Let the Yuletide ring with my Winter Wonderland mix. Enjoy!
Finished reading: On the Suffering of the World by Arthur Schopenhauer 📚
Read this in a Recommendo newsletter:
I’m one of those people who loves to look up the menu before arriving at a restaurant, but I often get confused by menus full of complex food jargon. Now, I use AI to translate them for me. My go-to prompt: “Translate this menu into simple, everyday language and describe the taste and flavors of each dish.” This has even helped me become more adventurous and order dishes I’d normally avoid.
The tradition of Thanksgiving fireworks in my neighborhood continues.
Finished reading: A Brief History of Seventh-Day Adventists by George R. Knight 📚
Creepy Still Creeps Me Out
When I was a kid, Friday nights were something special. My dad and I had our little ritual: we’d head down to the neighborhood pizza shop for a pie or some subs, then stroll across the street to the corner store to grab a bottle of soda and a comic book. That was our routine, and, truth be told, that’s how I learned to read.
After dinner, I’d curl up beside my dad while he read aloud the latest adventures of Superman or Batman. The next day, I’d gather my friends and “read” them the same story. Really, I was just repeating what I remembered and filling in the blanks with the pictures, but that was enough to light the spark. Week after week, comic after comic, my imagination and my vocabulary just kept growing.
As I got a little older, I graduated from superheroes to something darker. Down at the pharmacy, I discovered Creepy, a black-and-white horror anthology full of monsters, madmen, and buxom women. Those stories were wild! Gruesome, spooky, and just a bit naughty. I loved every page.
One issue in particular got its claws into me: Creepy #112. Inside was a story called “Warrior’s Ritual,” written by Archie Goodwin and illustrated by John Severin. It told of a Legionnaire who drew his strength from devouring human hearts. Sounds awful, I know, but to my pre-teen brain, it was unforgettable.
Earlier this week, feeling nostalgic, I tracked down that very issue on eBay. “Warrior’s Ritual” still hits just as hard all these years later. In fact, I think I appreciate the craftsmanship even more now. Goodwin’s sharp storytelling, Severin’s rich linework are stellar. And the rest of the issue? Just as strong. There’s “Homecoming,” beautifully drawn by Al Williamson, about a man searching through dimensions for a new world after Earth’s ruin; “Nobody’s Kid,” a gut-punch of a story about child abuse; “Relic,” my first taste of Walt Simonson’s art, about creatures living on a different timescale than ours; “Beastslayer,” a haunting hunter’s tale drawn by Val Lakey; “Sunday Dinner,” written by Larry Hama and illustrated by Auraleón, serving up a cannibal’s twist; and finally, “The Last Sorcerer,” where Alex Niño turns Archie Goodwin’s script into something that feels like pure magic, with page layouts, negative space, and every panel alive with energy. I loved it so much that I sent Alex an email thanking him bringing this yarn to life. The cover by Richard Corben seals the deal: a vampire, his victim, and pure gothic glory.
All that for two bucks back in 1979, and ten dollars today on eBay. Still a bargain for something that shaped my imagination.
My grandson told me he’s getting me a “scary comic book” for Christmas, which of course means his parents are buying it. I told them to swing by a comic shop and pick up Creepy #115, another one that’s dear to my heart, and maybe just a little dark for the soul.