What I Did Today (July 26th, 2007 Edition)

Today we actually got a little bit of the rain that seems to be in the forecast every day but which rarely seems to actually materialize. I can't remember the last time we had so many days in July in which precipitation was being predicted so regularly. How's a guy to ever hang out laundry to dry if it always looks like we're going to get rain (never mind that more often than not, we don't!)?

This was my 2nd big cycling day this week, as today I headed downtown for lunch with Vicki once again. Through my first three weeks of vacation, I've managed to hit my target of two full bike rides each week, although I've yet to exceed it (which I had sort of hoped to do). When I read about co-worker Jamie and his bike trip around Lake Superior, I'm appropriately humbled.

Tonight Vicki and I finished the chore that Tammy and I had started on Tuesday, which was the full-scale replacement of the pool's solar blanket, roller and all. All that remained was the purchase of a new solar blanket and its attachment to the new roller, but that still occupied a significant amount of our time after Vicki got home (I'd purchased the blanket this afternoon but hooking it up was rife with trial and error attempts, in order to get the straps and clasps all correct). But at least now that's done, and we're good to go (for another couple years).

I also did something tonight I haven't done in years: I wrote, and sent, an e-mail to a comic letter's page! So few comics even have letter's pages anymore, and fewer still prompt me to send in any comments. Whenever Paul Chadwick produces a new Concrete mini-series, I always produce a letter for each one, because I absolutely love the way he does the letter's page himself and will actually discuss meaningful topics there. (I've also had several letters published in Concrete, as well as receiving preview copies of issues occasionally.) But sadly there hasn't been any new material for that series in awhile, and nothing's on the horizon. However, I did get my first new issue of Nexus in almost a decade a couple weeks ago, and that's nearly as cool! It's self-published by the artist, Steve Rude, and I figure he'd probably appreciate hearing from the readers more than most, these days. Hence the letter (which was mercifully brief, by my standards).

Other than all of the above, the day was spent reading Teen Titans as well as the tons of news coming out of Comic-Con International, in San Diego. I expect that latter activity will be even greater tomorrow, as the Con gets into full swing.

I forgot to mention in yesterday's post that I've now unfortunately passed the halfway mark of my vacation. I wouldn't say any sort of depression has set in yet, but I also don't expect it'll be that long in coming. And the nearly-complete lack of comments from the Peanut Gallery doesn't help, either!