by Makoto Kobayashi

Collection of short comics about orange tabby, Michael. Recurring characters: Richard Kimbly, fugitive veterinarian; Catzilla — overweight calico; Popo — Michael’s sometime girlfriend/wife; and his various owners, though not passed from one to next; belongs to several households, it seems. Almost like he has — heh heh — nine lives going on simultaneously. Unlike Bucky Katt or Heathcliff, Michael doesn’t walk on two legs or speak to humans, i.e. Pluto : Goofy :: Michael : Garfield. Interacts with people as a real cat would. Simple lines, little detail, but excellent cat drawings, down to how kitty bodies quiver when pooping.

by Motofumi Kobayashi

Follows a trio of Roadrunners and three Montegnards during tour of duty in Viet Nam — code name Cat Shit One (play on Dog Shit One, reference to West Point lowerclassmen). Mission to destroy Ho Chi Minh Trail. Americans and Vietcong portrayed as rabbits and cats. Whimsical yes, but serious stories. Scenery and dialogue contribute to “realism.” Historical info in sidebars and gloss for military slang. No interest in Vietnam War history, and admittedly purchased because of cute cats and rabbits. However, Kobayashi’s art and writing are engrossing, as well as educational. Always a good mix. Not for kids under 16.

I’ve never liked grocery shopping.

When I was single, I lived a few blocks away from a Jewel. I didn’t have a car, so I only bought things as needed. I’d empty my backpack and use that to hold the groceries. I’m pretty much a wuss, and there was no way I could carry 12-packs of diet Cokes during the walk home.

Even with a car, I prefer to go to the store late at night when they’re mostly empty. The downside to that is having to lug bags and bags up two flights of stairs from a parking spot a block away, because by the time I’d get home, all the good spots (what Brian and I refer to as “looky-looky here”s) are taken. Well, OK, he’s the one who does the shopping. He says he doesn’t mind it. He says.

Normally, I’m OK about waiting in line for most things, unless the person everyone’s waiting to see is totally incompetent–I mean, new. At the post office, I fucking hate idiot customers who haven’t prepared their packages properly and hold up the whole line. Fucking get a clue and read instructions. Read them online before you even go. It’s not that hard!

(more…)

So the OT DVDs are out. I meant to pre-order them months ago, but never got around to doing so. Oh, well. They aren’t going anywhere, and I’ve never been the gotta-have-it-first type.

As sacrilegous as this may sound, I’m more excited about Star Wars: Battlefront.

Wednesday Weird Ones (dead link, 11/29/06)

1. Which is cooler: robots or giant monsters? Why?
Although I like robots or, droids, giant monsters are cooler because they’re actual life forms, which makes them all the more fascinating. Who knows? Maybe some of them have evolved into humans!

2. If for some reason you needed to throw a porcupine, how would would you go about doing it? If you threw the porcupine agianst a wall would it stick better than a jellyfish would if it was thrown from the same distance?
I don’t like the idea of throwing a porpucine–it would make feel really bad. But if I absolutely had to, I’d wrap it up in a thick blanket and throw the porcupine, blanket and all.

A jellyfish is more likely to stick to a wall upon which it’s thrown because of its body’s gelatinous composition. Whereas, a porcupine’s needles might have a more difficult time adhering to most hard surfaces, unless, of course, the wall is made of cork–like a giant dart board.

3. Until the unfortunate twist, didn’t you think that Hansel and Gretel were quite ingenious for making a trail back home only out of bread crumbs? What would you have made the trail out of?
Leaving a trail is ingenious, yes, but a trail of bread crumbs was a bad idea. If it were me, I’d leave something inedible, such as fist-sized rocks.

4. Of what item in your grocery store’s freezer section are you most afraid? How about in the fresh produce section?
Cuts of meat that are “exotic,” like beef hearts and kidneys. Basically stuff I wouldn’t eat.

5. How much do you enjoy blogging in cubic joules per meter seconds squared?
Huh?