Hail (and farewell) to the Chief

Posted by Bob Greenberger on January 31, 2006

Blame Aaron Sorkin.

Not only did he raise the benchmark for hour-long dramatic television, but he clearly raised our expectations for political discourse. As a result, Commander in Chief has paled by comparison to his once brilliant West Wing. Rod Lurie, who created the series, got it off to a nice, taut start but then floundered by trying to replicate the Sorkin formula of writing every episode and then trying to top Sorkin by directing most of them, too.

As a result, he fell further and further behind, prompting ABC to dump him from his own creation, and hand the reins over to a proven showrunner in Steven Bochco. Bochco came in, rushed two shows to make November sweeps and then shut things down for three weeks to rethink the series.

His thinking may not be in line with audience expectations plus the hiatus through the holidays led audiences to get loyal to other programs, which benefited House. When the show returned this month, it was not as engaging and the main plots were sensationalistic and a far cry from the character driven stuff Lurie tried to introduce.

Then came American Idol which has managed the unheard of feat of actually posting 25% audience gains for its fifth season. So, it has come as no surprise that once the February sweeps are over, ABC is shelving the series, promising it’ll be back this season but not committing to when or where on the schedule.

This is quite a tumble from the most watched new series of the season. There are many reasons for this, most of them the show’s own fault. Early on, they wasted the wonderful Donald Sutherland by making him a Snidely Whiplash of a villain as House Speaker Templeton. The one good thing Bochco did was round the character and given Sutherland something to work with.

The other characters need similar rounding. The whole Mr. First Gentlemen problem for Kyle Secor was ham-handed but the most necessary character arc worthy of study. (And not the lame Commissioner of Baseball sub-plot.) The kids were all over the map. The eldest daughter hated that Mom was president, in the pilot, because they had differing political ideologies. And then they dropped the friggin’ plot point so the daughter is a whiny teen. The son is cheating, irresponsible moron whose only redeeming feature is that he’s good in a crisis and takes care of his youngest sibling, who is herself, in need of a personality.

Of the staff, the press secretary could use a focus, the chief of staff could be something other than supportive, and Natasha Henstridge would have been interesting as a lobbyist than Sutherland’s yes woman.

The stories have been interesting but never brilliant and of late have been downright bad. Last week’s story about the attempted kidnapping of Air Force One had Deb declare at its end, “I have lost all respect for Bochco.” (And that doesn’t even address the farcical teens run freely through the White House. Un uh, not remotely possible.) It wasn’t dramatic, it wasn’t realistic and it smacked of desperation. The two–parter prior to that, involving the sub sunk near the North Korean coast, was a potentially interesting story that rushed along from point A to point B without any convincing dramatic twists. The conventional resolution was a disappointment.

While Lurie and ABC stressed the series was not attempting to be The West Wing, but the examination of trials a woman experiences when she’s thrust into the presidency while still trying to raise a family. Great premise. However, they’ve ignored it entirely with her motherhood being a series of apologies to the kids for not being there for them. OK, we’ve had half a season of that, let’s move on.

The show has suffered greatly from creative changes and a lack of strong point of view, not just for the series, but the individual characters inhabiting it. It’s mildly pleasant and diverting television, but doesn’t make you stop and think like the other political drama that is winding down its seven years.

On Your Feet or On Your Knees

Posted by Bob Greenberger on January 29, 2006

Growing up, I got to see many concerts and pride myself on having seen most of the major rock and roll acts of the 1970s and 1980s. Among the bands I saw the most often was the Blue Öyster Cult, which, as revealed previously, features my uncle, Eric Bloom.

The last time I saw them play was probably in the early 1980s at Milford’s Jai-Alai arena even though they continue touring. That changed when Deb, Robbie and I saw them at the Ridgefield Playhouse last night.

It was interesting, milling about with the audience prior to the show. The majority of those in attendance were graying rockers in their 40s, 50s, and even 60s. I was surprised by a fair percentage also being in their teens and 20s.

Opening for them was Vervain, a New York group I was unfamiliar with and they provided a study in contrasts. The four-member band did a set of songs that while musically proficient, were unmoving emotionally. The sound mix was terrible so we couldn’t make out a word the sole singer was saying. His voice was fairly monotone despite the frequent grimaces during singing and guitar playing. They also stood there, played one song after another and didn’t chat up the audience until the final song and still, they didn’t introduce the members of the band. Very unmemorable.

When the BÖC took the stage, the audience was ready and the band delivered a show reminiscent of the 1970s. The 90-minute set relied heavily on their early catalogue of music, mixing the favorites with some lesser played pieces and I knew all but one of the numbers, which certainly made me feel good.

Eric, Buck Dharma and Allan Lanier are the only original members in the band, working with relative newcomers Richie Castellano, on bass, and drummer Jules Radino. They were tight and played well together. Musically, Buck’s amazing guitar work has always been a hallmark of the BÖC and he didn’t slow down a lick. Richie was also pretty amazing on the bass, especially during an energetic solo. Jules seemed to work very hard during each song, never even pausing for water between songs. Deb noted one of the drumsticks was shredding late in the show.

What I enjoyed most about the show was that it was a concert experience and not just a replication of their CD performances. A few years back, I took Kate and her friends to see Three Doors Down, Fuel, and some other group. You know what? They pretty much played their songs, talked a bit, had a good time on stage but didn’t really cut loose.

The BÖC cut loose as I had been raised to expect. They played long bridges, great intros, had the traditional bass and drum solos plus frequently allowing Buck to showcase his skill. Allan Lanier stepped out from behind the three-decker keyboards to show what he could do with a guitar a few times. They were good, they were tight and frankly, they rocked.

If anything has changed it’s not the level of musical power but the showmanship itself. Back in the day (he writes, feeling suddenly old), Eric and Buck would rub guitar necks producing music and feedback or all five members would come out, guitars blazing, and so on. They were among the first to use lasers on stage and they could duck walk with the best rockers, but alas, those days seem to be gone.

Still, if you ever enjoyed their music, be sure to catch them on tour because they can still inflame cities with their intense rock and roll.

Wednesday

Posted by Bob Greenberger on January 26, 2006

Yesterday was a nice day.

Spent the morning working on a short story and then took the train to the city in time for a weekly lunch I haven’t attended in months. I got to see a lot of colleagues I normally only see on line and was treated to lunch by Aaron Rosenberg (a swell guy with some books to his credit, go out and support him).

Afterwards, did a quick tour of the nearest Barnes & Noble with Keith DeCandido and then we hightailed it uptown to Pocket Books. I popped in to say howdy to the various editors there in the Media Tie-In department. It’s always good to see old friends and colleagues, shooting the breeze about their work, office politics, licensee nightmares and the latest television gossip. It also, I admit, was a chance to remind them all I’m alive and available should things come up. While this led to nothing immediate, one never knows.

From there, I walked a few blocks over to DC. I had a meeting to discuss a research project for one department and I have to say the meeting went very well. I’ll enjoy the research and establishing a good working relationship with another department. Having said that, it was certainly a little odd walking the third floor where Collected Editions resides. I said hi to everyone in the group, heard what they were up to, answered a question or two on work left behind, grabbed samples of some of my recently-released projects and finally remembered to grab my personal sketchbook which I inadvertently left behind.

Finished there, I walked over to Deb’s office where I sat reading a stack of comics as she endured a longer than normal day with lots of rush projects requiring her attention. Initially, the plan called for a bunch of us going out for drinks but the day’s projects took up too much time and by 6:30, no one wanted to leave or wanted to go straight home. Deb and I just grabbed a train back to Connecticut and it was certainly comforting riding with her once more.

As for what’s going on, the job hunt continues. Applied to a lot of stuff I found on line but that’s like mailing your resume into a black void, you never know. I continue to talk to people and network but so far, some tantalizing possibilities remain tantalizing possibilities. I quickly jotted down all my writing commitments and I have to say, there’s plenty of keep me busy especially with this short-term research project on top of it.

So the answer is: I’m busy and optimistic.

Town Doings

Posted by Bob Greenberger on January 24, 2006

What should have been a 45-minute minute meeting dragged to almost twice that length last night. The RTM met last night with one of the lightest agendas I’ve seen. My guess, entering the room, was that the length of the meeting would be entirely determined by the First Selectman’s State of the Town address.

Ken Flatto’s speech only took maybe 10 minutes. He praised the town, the large number of citizens who volunteer to serve the government, and then talked a little bit about things he wanted to do in order to keep the town a vital place to live for people at all ends of the economic spectrum. When he was done, we all stood to applaud. Well, most of us. Numerous Republicans remained seated; others looked to see what the protocol was and chose to stand. Its stuff like that which can spoil public service.

Anyway, we raced through the next few items on the agenda when we got to the penultimate item. It was maybe 8:40 and I was betting on being out by 9. The item was whether or not the RTM should accept a private road, a cul de sac with four homes on it, towards one edge of town. The Public Works Dept. evaluated it, indicated they could live with it despite the road not meeting the town’s requirements for all public roads. Instead of the mandated 30’ it was only 18’ and there were other odds and ends that needed attention.

We got into a long series of comments from the RTM which looped in the monotoned head of Public Works. Essentially, we asked, was there a compelling reason to accept the road? Would the town benefit? We were told, not really. It was just deemed not a problem if it was added to the town. Some wondered aloud about the property taxes paid by these four homes now, which divided the private road four ways and was included in the valuation versus what we’d see in taxes when the road was subtracted. And on and on.

I admit, there were issues raised I hadn’t considered when I first read this on the Call. Given the number of condos going up around town and the number of already existing private roads, if we allowed this road to be transferred, and it didn’t meet the standards, then we’d be setting a precedent and in the coming years, more and more roads might be given to the town, increasing our maintenance costs. All interesting food for thought.

It was soundly defeated.

Our final item involved money to complete spec work on rebuilding a bridge. This too led to lengthier-than-necessary debate since people wondered if the bridge was large enough to anticipate future traffic growth and why there was a sidewalk on one side and not both. The poor head of Public Works probably felt picked on by this time as he defended the work done to date. When the rebuilding first went before the appropriate boards, the local town associations were invited to come speak. None asked for it to be larger and none objected to the one-sided sidewalk. We approved this one, but did at least publicly discuss the need to plan for future needs.

We finally broke around 9:20 and as we left for the “socialable soda” portion of our evening, I realized this was our last early night for a while. Starting next month we’ll be focused on the town and school budgets. The school has already come in with a 7.7% increase and that’s put a lot of pressure on the town side with six union contracts still be negotiated by June. One of the loudest signals heard during the fall campaign was that high taxes had to stop and we had all hoped that would be the case this year.

It’s going to be a long spring, I see.

The Mets post-Benson

Posted by Bob Greenberger on January 21, 2006

When the Mets first got Kris Benson from the Pittsburgh Pirates, I applauded the deal thinking he’d rise to the occasion of pitching in New York. Instead, last year he pitched 10-8 with a 4.13 ERA and wasn’t overly impressive. Mets GM Omar Minaya seemed to have lost confidence in Benson and spent November and December trying to trade him.

I didn’t like the effort, mostly because I thought he had a better upside than the uneven and injury-prone Victor Zambrano. I figured, keep Benson at least one more year, trade Zambrano and upgrade through subtraction.

Instead, Minaya got his wish today with Benson going to the Orioles for reliever Jorge Julio and right-handed pitching prospect John Maine.

The Mets bullpen, which needed serious upgrading, has now done so. In addition to picking up Julio, on Wednesday they also added Yusaku Iriki, a Japanese right hander who went 6-7 with a 3.35 ERA for the Nippon Ham Fighters last season. On the other hand, when he made his desire to come to America known, no other team expressed interest. What does that tell us?

So, to review, it looks like the starting rotation will feature veteran Tom Glavine, Steve Trachsel, Zambrano, Pedro Martinez and Aaron Heilman. Heilman spent last year proving to everyone he was a better set-up man/closer than he was a starter. However, he went to the Winter Leagues and went 4-1 with a 2.27 ERA for Licey, D.R. and demanded a trade if he wasn’t going to start. This is a middling rotation with no real studs behind Martinez. Trachsel can be brilliant and Heilman is a question mark. Glavine will likely make this his farewell tour and might have something to prove. By trading away Jae Seo and Kris Benson, the Mets better pray the rotation is healthy and effective.

With Billy Wagner now closing, the set up role falls to Julio, who is said to have a 99 mph fastball and is credited with 83 saves. Still, he’s 27 and can be a pleasant surprise. Maine, at 24, may or may not make the team and if so, can also set-up. Behind them is Duaner Sanchez, just acquired from Los Angeles, Juan Padilla who I think can be terrific, and probably Heath Bell. The rest will be determined during Spring Training.

In review, we seem settled on the infield with Carlos Delgado at first, Kaz Matsui (because no one wants him) at second, Jose Reyes at short and David Wright at third. Very solid and it has me optimistic. Backing them up would be Chris Woodward and Julio Franco (almost as old as me!).

The outfield now looks to have Cliff Floyd in left, Carlos Beltran in center and Xavier Nady in right. Backing them up would be Endy Chavez and Victor Diaz.

Paul LoDuca and Ramon Castro will catch which should produce a marked upgrade at the plate.

This is a stronger, more versatile team than the 2005 edition. They will be expected to contend and anything less than a playoff spot will put management in the Hot Seat.

Defining the Tie-In

Posted by Bob Greenberger on January 20, 2006

Faithful readers know that over the summer I became a charter member of the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers. One of the interesting things that has happened since the organization’s founding is that I have a greater understand of the depth of contempt many contemporaries have for the category. It’s considered beneath their notice or they are offended that people would rather read a novelization or tie-in than their original work.

As a result, one of the organizations’ main goals is to advocate for the legitimacy of the form and to help make people more aware of how we’re surrounded by media tie-ins without always noticing them. This was brought to mind, again, in some comments my colleague Jeff Mariotte makes over at his blog. Rather than paraphrase, I’ll let you read these thoughts for yourself.

I wholeheartedly agree with Jeff – no surprise there. Honestly, a well-written book (or graphic novel or other) remains a well-written piece of work worthy of your attention. Be it a sequel to Casablanca or Firefly, it should stand on its own merits. Just as there’s a percentage of great works in every category, media tie-ins has its share of great and also its share of not-so-great.

One of the ways we want people to learn about the great is to recognize the best with awards. We’re still dickering over the categories and methodology but it will be done because no other award recognizes this subset.

Stay tuned.

Perplexing

Posted by Bob Greenberger on January 18, 2006

Every so often, someone suggests something and I find myself entering some wide, varied world I knew nothing about. The first time that happened was when we were told about Odyssey of the Mind as something that would be good for Katie. We had a few wonderful years with that.

Things like fencing and ballroom dancing have followed in the years since and yes, most of this seems to involve the kids.

Not this time. My pal, KC Carlson, sent me a care package and in describing the contents, he started telling me about this new puzzle card game he had gotten hooked on, PerplexCity. He had some spare cards and was sending them along to show me what he was talking about.

The box arrived yesterday and we had something like a dozen cards to work with. At first blush, you think it’s something like Magic or the other collectible, customizable card games that have proliferated since the 1980s. Not so. Each individual card is a puzzle and also possesses one of eight border designs that fit together in groups of four. Each card is a unique puzzle asking you to possess some knowledge of math, science, pop culture, literature and more. The 256 cards comprise, what I can only imagine is the first set, and 192 of those cards contain images that form a 3-D map of PerplexCity itself.
Once you solve the problem, you can scratch off a box that contains a unique code that allows you to post the answer and receive points.
So, Deb was having dinner in the city last night and I told Robbie we’d check these out over our own meal. We worked through the cards at dinner and once he realized each one was a puzzle, he got energized. I figured a few out on my own but he went after it with relish. I have to admit, I was rather proud that he recognized a Robert Frost poem while also mastering a logic problem. Me, I figured out a beer label and named a Blondie album. I had to leave for a Finance Committee meeting and when I returned an hour later, he was on the web site entering answers. At the moment, we have a mere 50 points and are ranked something like 3844th out of 13,000+ plus entrants. I know we have at least two other cards right but can’t seem to state it the way the web site wants it. I kind of like how you get locked out for 24 hours after three attempts so you really think about your solution. (There’s also a forum and sadly many of the cards are solved under spoiler headings which provides way too much temptation for some. Robbie, though, wouldn’t dream of it – he likes the challenge.)

Anyway, each pack contains six cards and retails for something like $5 per pack. Created in England, the cards are sold in a limited number of outlets. According to the website, only two retail outlets in America carry them. The rest buy from on line sources.

Mark my words, once this is more readily available, it could be one of the next fads in America.

Pop Media Notes

Posted by Bob Greenberger on January 17, 2006

Haven’t seen all the movies I want but with luck I’ll catch most before they leave the big screen. In fact, according to Entertainment Weekly’s list of the 25 movies I have to see before the Academy Awards I’m way behind, having seen just about a third. We get out when we can and last Saturday Deb, Kate and I saw Casanova. It’s frothy and delightful made moreso by the sumptuous setting in Venice and a cast headed by Heath Ledger and Sienna Miller. All I knew about Miller was the tabloid reports about her private life and I was pleasantly surprised to see her hold her own against such veterans as Oliver Platt, Lena Olin and Jeremy Irons. Irons was in dripping Scar-mode and Platt was happily nibbling at the scenery. Olin hasn’t been this fun to watch in ages, usually because her parts have tended to me in dramatic efforts. Cleverly plotted, it’s well worth a look. My only quibble may be the R-rating given the lack of blood, gore, foul language and bared body parts. I suspect I had to do with some unseen but suggested business going on under a table but that’s hardly worth an R.

(Which reminds me, The New York Times had a piece on the document that explores the ratings business, This Film is Not Yet Rated which opens over the next few months. I suspect we’ll all be curious to see this one.)

Over on the tube, we’ve been catching up on the new episodes of our favorites. As usual, Gilmore Girls is stirring the pot nicely, advancing the many storylines with its sprawling cast. Tonight the latest monkey wrench is tossed into the Rube Goldberg-plotting so it’ll be fun to see how this develops. Also, we’re overdue to check in on the Gilmore elders.

Boston Legal can be maddeningly inconsistent, playing its stories very broadly and then getting very serious. David Kelley has clearly made Alan Shore his personal mouthpiece on the issues of the day to mostly good effect. Denny Crane has gone too broad in most recent episodes and I wish they played his fear-of-illness more seriously since it makes for a good character study. His current infatuation, though, with the gold-digger played by Joanna Cassidy, is entertaining. And the actually serious storyline with guest star Michael J. Fox (nice to see him again) and Julie Bowen looks promising.

We were thrilled to have Battlestar Galactica back for a new season and I loved the way the first ep ended with the parallel plots. The payoff, though, was weak and disappointing. It would have been far more interesting to see Starbuck blow Cain away or see the attempted coup aboard the Galactica bridge and then watch the fallout. It’s as if Ron Moore and Mark Verheiden lost the courage of their convictions. Still, it’s a fine ensemble and we’ll back this week.

There have been other new shows starting, none of which seem worth the effort. Heck, after one showing, they’ve already shut down production on Emily’s Reasons Why Not. If there’s something worth trying out there, let me know.

A few years back, Kate got us to watch season two of American Idol and while we had her around, it was fun. With her gone at college, we stopped watching. Given that she is now doing ballroom dance, we have been following Dancing with the Stars and it is entertaining. The fun is having Kate’s commentary for the first two episodes of the new season since she knows what’s real, what’s staged and what would never be allowed in her competitions. Swelling the contestants from six to ten may have been a mistake but the mix of personalities is nice. I have to say, I think Master P’s attitude sucks but I am rooting for his partner, Ashly DelGrosso who is selling their numbers harder than anyone else. Ex-football pro Jerry Rice or wrestler Stacy Keibler are my bets for the winner. (And watch Tia Carrere get tossed this week.)

Another competition worth noting was the National figure skating championships. Given the miracle of DVR technology, Deb blew through the endless hours of ESPN/ABC programming over the weekend. While the men, ice dancers and pairs seem well stocked, the women this time around appear less ready. Sure, Sasha Cohen looked wonderful, but Kimmie Meissner and Emily Hughes didn’t appear overwhelming. Michelle Kwan will have to convince a panel of five next week that she’s healed and ready to compete. I give Kwan credit for suggesting this and hope she stands behind her words.

Week One

Posted by Bob Greenberger on January 14, 2006

It’s been an interesting few days.

First of all, the number of comments people have posted both here and elsewhere has floored me (and Deb). And they’re still coming as I see my old pal Priest and Johanna Draper over at ComicsWorthReading (a nifty review and commentary site) just put stuff up.

KC Carlson pointed out to me this week that there’s probably a generation of comic readers where I may have been one of the first professionals they met since I was out and about at many cons throughout the 1980s. Never really looked at it that way and he may have a point. I guess my enthusiasm for DC, the medium of comics and my general nature made an impression.

I’ve been doggedly job hunting and networking all week. Rather than sleep in and waste time, I’ve more or less gotten up around the same time so I can see Deb and Robbie off. I’ll brew the coffee, read through the Connecticut Post and USA Today before making my way to the basement. For the first five days, I’ve been e-mailing people, responding to many of the legion of well-wishers, and surfing the job sites. I’ve had a few good friends help me with polishing the resume and more help has been promised.

Old colleagues have been generous with their time, calling me to check in or providing me with whatever leads they possess. So far, it hasn’t landed me any interviews, but I do have some meetings coming up which will at least get me out of the house.

And I have picked up some short-term freelance. I’m now contributing to a project being prepared for sci-fi.com and will soon start writing a few short pieces for another publication. There’s some prose also coming up, but it’s too early to talk about. In theory this should also give me time to get back to a spec project or two. All of this will keep the hours filled while the hunt continues, which is good.

Meantime, I am also seeing to it I stay in my routines, so I continue at the gym and have picked up making dinner. I try and log off the computer between 5-5:30 and have the night for the family. Kate has noticed that I haven’t given myself enough break time just to sit and read and I have to admit, the one time I tried that this week, I enjoyed but couldn’t shake the feeling of guilt for not writing or hunting. I suspect that will adjust itself.

The Other Shoe Dropped

Posted by Bob Greenberger on January 11, 2006

For a number of reasons, I’ve avoided talking about the news but now that it’s out on the web and other people are talking, I figured the time has come.

On Friday, around 3:30, I was called into my boss’s office and was fired. He didn’t explain why but had the HR folk hand me papers and some checks and told me to start cleaning out my office.

As has been speculated elsewhere, the final factor seems to be the misprint in the Golden Age Hawkman Archives. My superiors never talked to me about the problem that occurred, how something so seemingly obvious could be missed, nor did they seem interested. Instead, they saw this as a persistent pattern (meaning that other errors have occurred, something that happens when you produce as much as Collected Editions did in 2005) that wasn’t going to change even though we just changed the structure of the department, adding some much needed support staff, to make sure things like this wasn’t going to happen again. Management seemed unwilling to wait and see if things would improve.

Instead, by 5:30 I was packed and out the door. The news slowly spread over the weekend until it broke on the Internet at my pal Gormuu’s Marvel Masterworks board and Rich Johnston’s Lying in the Gutters. Gormuu wrote some lovely things as did many of the regulars on the board. Rich, I have to say, was surprisingly sensitive to me and even offered to delay the report a week if I wanted. Instead, I’d prefer the net folk read it, debate it and move on.

We had stuff already scheduled for the weekend so Deb saw to it I stayed out and about. We didn’t mention it at the Bar Mitzvah, the family party or the Church Volunteers’ Reception. Instead, we waited until a quiet moment on Sunday to tell the immediate family.

The reaction on line has been interesting. At Gormuu’s message boards, people were demanding that someone be fired for the Hawkman error and now that someone has been (more or less) they suddenly think they may have overacted. The debate at Newsarama was more positive and I was touched when Peter David came to my defense. All in all, I’m reminded of the third season West Wing episode when Josh discovers Lemonlyman.com and tries to interact with the community only to discover most are off their meds – an episode I re-watched only a week previous.

Since then, I have been flooded with kind e-mails from people throughout the various circles I travel. Freelancers I haven’t worked with in years reached out as well as others who were doing work for me last week. Friends from publishing, again including those I deal with regularly and others I haven’t chatted with in years, all got in touch. I feel most gratified by their support and offers to point me in various directions.

Which also means it’s time to figure out the next chapter of my career. It’s rather odd, in that my first day of unemployment marked the 22nd anniversary of my first joining DC and is also the week marking the fourth anniversary of my being dismissed by Bill Jemas at Marvel. All of which weighs somewhat heavily on my mind.

While I love comic books and would be happy finding a position at some company, I also truly enjoying publishing and would be pleased to land a place at a book or magazine house. Of course, these aren’t great times for publishing with consolidations occurring at most places so we’ll see what happens.

Short term, I am also working on finding some freelance writing to help fill the hours. While I still have my next Star Trek: Corps of Engineers in progress, that’s all I have confirmed. I did receive, yesterday, two offers for short works which will help to a degree. Once those become real, I’ll mention what they are.

Sadly, Deb and I have been through this before. The business world hasn’t necessarily been kind to her before the Marvel thing gave me a taste of the uncertainty and demoralizing aspects of job hunting. The kids understand how we adjust to accommodate the sudden reduction in income. We’re both very cognizant that we need to keep each other’s spirits up and that during the hunt there still needs to be downtime for mental health. I certainly have enough reading around the house and a ton of premium cable channels should it come to that. And I’ll keep up my political life and exercising at the gym and home chores, just shifting more of that stuff to daylight hours.

And we’ll still talk here.