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.
Pocket eReaders
Ever since I first heard about the InkPalm Plus, I’ve been a little bit obsessed with these phone-sized eReaders. There are more of them out there than I expected. Off the top of my head, I can name the BOOX Palma, the Viwoods AiPaper Reader, and the Xteink.
I picked up the InkPalm Plus myself, and to be honest, I’m not all that thrilled with it. Right out of the box, the system is geared toward Chinese readers, and it took a bit of tinkering to switch everything over to English. I can read the books I’ve bought from Rakuten just fine, but the device does not support Amazon Getting my DRM-free books on there is such a chore that I’ve pretty much given up. The biggest letdown for me, though, is that I can’t highlight or take notes. That might not matter to everyone, but since I do a lot of research, it’s a dealbreaker. Still, for something I picked up for under a hundred bucks, I really can’t gripe too much.
Having this little InkPalm has made me realize what I actually want from a pocket-sized reader. I want to open any eBook I’ve bought from Amazon or Rakuten, access my DRM-free library without jumping through hoops, and highlight and make notes as I go. And I don’t want to spend more than $150 to do it. That rules out the BOOX Palma and the Viwoods AiPaper Reader since they’re both over $200. The Xteink is also out because it only supports non-DRM books, and those buttons on the front drive me crazy.
The funny thing is, as much as I’m fascinated by these tiny readers, I probably wouldn’t use one all that much. When I have a choice, I’ll always grab my Kindle Paperwhite or Kobo Clara Colour. I’ve noticed that my reading comprehension just nosedives when I’m trying to read something long on a screen the size of a phone. So why do I still want one of these little eReaders?
Don’t mix your shit with their bullshit. —Guy standing next to me
Finished reading: Paleomythic by Graham Rose 📚
📺 Harsh Realm, S 01, E 03 Inga Fossa (1999)
In the 90s, television was still learning how to adapt primetime series into episodic series. The awkwardness shows in series like Harsh Realm. It baffles me because soap operas have been doing this sort of thing for decades. That said, despite the clumsiness, there were some moments I enjoyed in this episode, like White Zombie appearing in the soundtrack. I also got a kick out of the luchadore wrestlers that were clearly inspired by Mortal Kombat. But other than that, this episode was something of a snooze.
📺 Millennium, S 2 E 04 “Monster” (1997)
Three months have passed since I last returned to Millennium. It felt necessary. I had grown used to the polish of modern television, the kind of storytelling that leaves no rough edges. Shows like True Detective set a bar so high that even Millennium, with all its haunted brilliance, feels like an artifact from a different age. It pushed against the limits of its time but could never fully escape them.
Kristen Cloke appeared in this episode. I remembered her from Space: Above and Beyond, unaware she had later starred in Final Destination and Black Christmas. She carries the same quiet intensity, the kind that belongs in Millennium’s world of terrible secrets.
Even the small details speak of another era, like Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) wearing his headphones wrong side up. Maybe he did not want to mess up his hair. When Frank smiles at a child, it feels like sunlight reaching into a cellar. In that instant, t is clear why Henriksen he is the soul of the show.
There is real fire here, too. Not the CGI bullshit we usually see in TV shows in movies these days. I was also delighted that the antagonist watch the gristly end of the original The Fly.
Misfit is a fan of The Misfits.
