Author: CaptainJaq

I am a father as well as a world traveling, dog loving, scuba diving, book collecting, writer - currently residing somewhere in Eastern Europe. His words have been spoken by Capt. Jean-Luc Picard and Robin Hood, been read by David Copperfield, and criticized by his 7th grade English teacher. He'd like to thank the members of the Academy, although he doesn't know why. In his spare time, he's a university professor and a kick-ass uncle.

Like 4th of July in England – July 4, 2018

IMG_1559.jpgThis was the trip which almost didn’t happen.

We booked it a few weeks back, thinking it would be a nice getaway before Monki and I had our birthdays. The financial logic here was that before her second birthday, Monki flies for the infant rate of very little, as opposed to after her second birthday, in which case her fare rises dramatically. And that happens if her birthday falls within the travel period, so our hands were a bit tied as to timing. Continue reading “Like 4th of July in England – July 4, 2018” →

Gosh, I love arrows.

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This image is from issue #3 of Mark Gruenwald’s 1983 4 issue miniseries about Hawkeye.

For a long time, the phrase at the bottom of the frame, “Gosh, I love arrows,” has been a shorthand for me, for the lopsided pleasure that something small can bring.

In this story arc (and I highly recommend reading it), Clint Barton has a really bad day. The kind of day they write country songs about. And he doesn’t know how to carry on doing what he’s supposed to do. But then he gets some help and the clouds part a little bit. There’s a tiny ray of sunlight and he clings to it, fighting for every bit of space between the clouds until he’s standing in the noon sun again.

I think sometimes I just need this reminder. That no matter how bad the world is, no matter the set-backs personally or professionally, no matter the often encroaching darkness, that there are some good and happy moments. Small things that can bring a smile and let you know it’s okay to continue to fight.

Gosh, I love arrows.

Vintage Geek Culture — Top Misconceptions People Have about Pulp-Era…

You know I love me some science fiction. This post, over on the tumblr site Vintage Geek Culture, is a great dispelling of the “truths” of the pulp era. Like Chuck Wendig’s post about the “Sacred Cows of Writing Advice” and Dean Wesley Smith’s books on the myths of conventional and indie publishing, it’s great to see critical looks at the way we’ve always believed things to be.

While there is always a core to these “truths,” there’s also an equal number of examples which show there is more to it.

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Joye Murchison Kelly and Dorothy Roubicek Woolfolk are the first women to win the Bill Finger Award — The Beat

Let’s get their names out there! “Joye Murchison Kelly and Dorothy Roubicek Woolfolk are the joint winners of the 2018 Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing – the first women winners in the award’s 13-year history.”

3347 free icons for your games or apps

kraken-tentacleOkay. Honestly, I have no idea what to do with this post. It is, quite literally, 3347 free SVG and PNG icons for your games or apps from Game-icons.net.

Now here’s the thing: I’m not an app or game designer. I have no practical use for these icons in any way, shape, or form. That said, I love them all and want to figure out a way to use them in something. Maybe I can print them out and attach them to dice, a la story cubes (which, if anyone wants to get me some, I’d gladly accept). Or maybe I can use them as icons for my various folders (is that still even a thing?). Whatever the case, I just think they’re cool. And so I’m sharing them with you.

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On memories and nostalgia

Bailey with Uncle Jaq.jpgMany a year ago, I subscribed to a film service called Seattle FilmWorks. The basic idea was that you would get discounted 35mm film through the mail and then return the roll for processing, all of which was quite inexpensive. The added benefit was that for a small additional fee, they would include a floppy disk with your photos on them in a digital format.  Continue reading “On memories and nostalgia” →

Boston Public Library Put Its M.C. Escher Collection Online, So It’s Time to Redecorate Your Dorm Room

I have this theory on the evolution of the knowledge of surrealism. You start off with an appreciation of M.C. (Maurits Cornelis) Escher as you start to understand art in general. Here are illustrations designed to play with your sense of perception. His images have been co-opted for jigsaw puzzles and t-shirts and posters (not to mention set design). Continue reading “Boston Public Library Put Its M.C. Escher Collection Online, So It’s Time to Redecorate Your Dorm Room” →

The Slush Pile

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Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Many years ago, not long after I first moved to Los Angeles, I met a guy named Steve Boyett. We became friends and he introduced me to Jessie Horsting who, at that time, was the editor and publisher of Midnight Graffiti Magazine*. I was young and volunteered to work on the magazine, which should come back because it was amazing. My first job was to read slush. I told Boyett this one night while we were having a late night breakfast at some 24 hour diner.  Continue reading “The Slush Pile” →

On Loneliness

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERASo I’ve been thinking about loneliness lately. I was supposed to go to Kuwait in June, to repeat the trip I went on last year with Aga-Boom. Now, in the end, the trip didn’t happen, which is okay, but it got me thinking. I was excited about the trip because I’d had a ton of fun in China with the gang. But more specifically, I’d had a great time with Zack, hanging out and bullshitting about life and mutual friends and comic books and all that popular culture BS. And that’s when it hit me. I wasn’t upset about not going to Kuwait for any other reason than I was feeling lonely and it would have been nice to hang out with my friend.  Continue reading “On Loneliness” →

Sea Monsters on Maps

I am a sucker for underwater monsters. Seriously, give me a giant squid, boat crushing sea serpent, evil shark, misunderstood killer whale (even that asshole dolphin who ran over the surfer) and I am all over it.

All of which means that those old maps, the ones with sea monsters printed on them in a “here there be dragons” kinda way, are right up my alley. So to celebrate, here’s a cool article about those maps and how one could go about acquiring them. And if said “one” wanted to send one to me, here’s the address (bottom of the page)!