Thursday, December 1, 2016

THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY (November 2016)

“Happy” isn’t easy to come by in 2016. We’ve lost a lot of really good and talented people. Our country is in peril from the open wounds of bigotry, misogyny, racism, xenophobia and other forms of extreme right-wing evil. Yet, for me, it’s about finding the humor and the joy in even the worst situations. Like, for example, that, every now and then, I type “zemophobia” when I mean to type “xenophobia.” Which is probably a legitimate fear if you’re Captain America and the Avengers.

I will continue to note the people, events and creations that bring joy to my life. Every day, on my Facebook page and on Twitter, I remind myself of my wondrous blessings in a segment I call “Things That Make Me Happy.”

At the end of each month, for my bloggy thing readers who might not be following me on Facebook or Twitter, I collect the items posted during that month. With additions and/or corrections in italics, here’s what I posted in November...

November 1: The Halloween episode of The Daily Show, set in a post-apocalyptic world with Trump running for his second term as POTUS. Scary satire at its best. And, now, unfortunately, it could well be considered prophecy.

November 2: Great medical check-up. I was told my cholesterol was “spectacular” and my other results were good.

November 3: Christopher Chance - the Human Target - make his first appearance in the DC/CW universe. Hope we see more of him.

November 4: When shows I watch take a week or four off, it gives me a chance to catch up on other shows I watch..

November 5: The amazing Akron Comicon. Consider this my home show. I’ll be there every year!

November 6: WBNX-TV. The CW in Cleveland. My favorite TV station. The best people. As always, they were super at Akron Comicon 2016.

November 7: Seeing so many old friends at Akron Comicon and making new friends. It’s one of the best comics events anywhere!

November 8: Guy N. Smith’s “crabs” series. Cheesy monster movies in prose form. Just right for my Kindle reading.

November 9: The DC and Marvel productions that credit the writers and artists who created the characters who appear in them.

November 10: Michelle Wolf of The Daily Show. Her commentary on the election was both funny and heartbreakingly emotional.

November 11: Hasan Minhaj. His Daily Show piece on his mom’s fears after the election made me want to hug them both. Our country needs them.

November 12: Craig Yoe’s Super Weird Heroes anthology. What a wild ride. I’ll be reviewing it soon. You can find my review of this way cool book here.

November 13: President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama. They are models of class, decency and intelligence.

November 14: Doctor Strange. The movie is breathtaking and took me into the humanity and magic envisioned by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

November 15: My Marvel Collectors Corps and DC Legion of Collectors subscriptions. Always fun stuff in those bimonthly boxes.

November 16: Comics pros standing strong against right-wing racism, misogyny, xenophobia and lies, even when that hate comes from other  comics pros.

November 17: Making part of Sainted Wife’s Barb lunch in the wee hours of the morning. Sorry, ladies, I’m taken.

November 18: The Daily Show’s funny, moving memorial service for “Facts”. The correspondents rocked that segment..

November 19: Finding missing Comic Book Professionals Association screwdriver set. The CBPA was an organization that didn’t last too long. But, with my membership, I got this screwdriver set, which I used constantly until it went missing. I’m glad to be reunited with it and will pack it with my survival kit when the Trump apocalypse forces me to go on the run.

November 20: The very funny Brian Posehn as Bert Kibbler on The Big Bang Theory. This great series needs such recurring characters to keep it from being too inbred.

November 21: Thanks to Sainted Wife Barb, we can again fit two cars in our garage. At least until I start setting up for garage sales in April.

November 22: Don Thompson’s great phrase “If you like this sort of thing, you’ll like this.” I will use it soon. And I did use it in this review. But not as convincingly.

November 23: Working my way back to normal in an America that has become anything but normal. We will endure. We will fight. We will win. Never doubt that.

November 24: Working Daze by John Zakour and Scott Roberts. One of my favorite comic strips.

November 25: Staying home on Black Friday except to get poinsettias for Sainted Wife Barb. Except that, this year, Barb had to go into work earlier. Read all about it here.

November 26: Japanese candy, sent by a friend. I’ve tried and loved the Japanese Saki and Premium Mint Kit-Kats, and the Black Thunder bars. Still working up the courage to try the rest.

November 27: Ohio State Buckeyes’ thrilling victory over that team from up north.

November 28: Going to a surprise 65th birthday party for my boyhood pal Joe Rutt. “Grampa” Joe has a great family.

November 29: Posting birthdays and remembrances on Facebook. Never forget our comics creators, past and present.

November 30: Our dentists Camm, Golian and Kudla. We’ve been their patients for three decades. Unfortunately, a change in our medical insurance might force us to find new dentists. We’re hoping to come up with a way to avoid that.

Keep looking for that brightness in your lives, my friends. I’ll be back tomorrow with more stuff.

© 2016 Tony Isabella

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