Free Comic Book Day

A couple months ago in 2022, right as the holiday season was kicking off, an email slipped into my inbox and quietly slid down and out of sight.  The email was from the Free Comic Book Day organization.  They announced the full line-up of the Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) books!  

First, FCBD will happen on the traditional first Saturday of May which in 2023 is May 6.  It is a great kick-off to the summer season books that are about to hit the shelves and some titles are teased for a fall release.  Either way, it is always a ton of fun to swing by your local Comic Book store and pick up these free books (make a purchase too and support those shop owners!).  It is a tradition that on that day, I rush home and plop down with those books and devour them.  No one bothers me.  I think it was heard one year my wife saying to my children, "Don't bother your father, he is reading those comic books again."  

Anyway, you can check out the full announcement and updates to Free Comic Book day right here.  

Here are a few books that look like fun: 

Spider-Man and Venom?  Yes, please!  

Star Wars the High Republic  I am so interested in this High Republic era that I can't wait for each new story.  This book published by Dark Horse Comics is no different.  

Archie Horror Presents The Cursed Library  Okay, as a librarian, I might be obligated to read a comic that is set in a library, but tell me this cover doesn't just draw you in!  Plus, it is Archie!  

Investi Gators All Tide Up  This is a fun book and any comic book that grabs the attention of my daughter who loves silly things; that's a win!  

Red Sonja, So there is a Conan the Barbarian FCBD 2023 special by Titan Comics which I plan to pick up, but Red Sonja is my pick for adventure this May.  

Top 5 Topps Bunt Cards of 2022

Another year of Topps Bunt digital card trading in 2022 brought out some really cool and fun sets.  This is a Top 5 list of some of my favorite cards and sets.  I digitally own all of the cards shown, but I may not own the complete sets.  Here we go!  

5.  Topps Original Artwork 22, Juan Soto, Rare, 13,111 card count

Original art always stands out to me, and while there isn't anything particularly fancy about these cards themselves, I really like the simple nature of them.  The focus is very much on the players.  I also like that this variant of the set only has five cards.   

4.  Halloween Collection 22, Javy Baez, Uncommon, 64.626 card count

While I don't always collect all of them, I do enjoy the holiday sets that come out.  This Halloween collection stands out.  It is very colorful and has a real, spooky feel.  A lot of variants and subsets came with collecting cards from this set.  To quote my digital card-collecting friend and host of the Rebel Base Card podcast, Greg McLaughlin, "this set has lots of tasty nuggets."  I think what he meant is with all the uncommon, rare, and super rare variants, there were a lot of insert cards to collect, and once you got deep into cracking packs, the odds were that something would be popping out often.  I have four copies of this Javy Baez card, so I am trading for any uncommon 2022 card I don't have if you are in need of this card.  I highly recommend checking out the cards in this set.  They are full of spooky baseball fun.  

3. MLB at Field of Dreams 22, Wilson Contreras, Uncommon, 31,286 card count

The Field of Dreams games that the MLB has played in Dyersville, Iowa at the sight of the filming of the iconic film Field of Dreams the last two seasons have been very successful and brought lots of attention.  When Topps Bunt brought out a set of the two teams who played there in 2022, I knew I would have to pick up this set of 50 cards, because my beloved Chicago Cubs played and are highlighted in the set along with their opponent the Cincinnati Reds.  I love the classic look of the border and font with a different player from each team highlighted on the card with a cornfield in the background.  So cool.  I have all but 3 cards in this set with lots of dupes.  I would love to fill this set if you have the cards I need. 

2. Topps Now 22, Aaron Judge, Uncommon, 18,024 card count

This is one of my favorite sets.  I don't collect them all, in fact, I don't come anywhere close to collecting all of these daily sets of the season and off-season.  I generally collect when players of my teams (Cubs and Tigers) appear on the Topps Now cards, or I will chase them when I feel something significant has happened like a No-Hitter or something.  So, when Aaron Judge belted home run 62, that seemed appropriate.  These cards always have sharp images of the highlights of the prior day's games.  

1. Topps 206 22, Anthony Rizzo, Uncommon 42,530 card count

This set topps my list (pun intended).  I really enjoy when Bunt creators use throwback borders and card styles.  These mini-cards from way before my time are cool when they show players of today.  This set had 4 series in 2022, and I didn't get nearly enough of these cards.  I am very willing to trade dupes of these cards for cards of this set that I didn't get which is a pretty significant number.  

2022 Reading and Viewing Stats Final

 

The year 2022 is now history, so it is time to face the music and check my 2022 Reading and Viewing Stats.  I had a feeling all year that I was way behind in all categories, and now that I look back at the two years, yes indeed, I was behind in all but one category.  

First, I watched more streaming shows in 2022 than in 2021, 111 vs. 86.  I think there is just a whole lot more content that I want to watch.  A feature in this year's stats list is the titles of all the books, movies, and TV shows that I watched (see bottom of the list).  While Disney+ shows dominate my viewing, there are several Netflix shows on this list and a Prime Video series.  Some of the series I started this year, will end up being on the 2023 list, because I did not finish the series such as Wednesday, Light and Magic, Willow, and Limitless.  

I look back on the year, and I am not sure what happened to my time.  Okay, I have some ideas why my stats might be lower.  First, my family introduced me to Spotify.  Let's just say that, if you didn't know, I love music.  I think I spent a lot more time this year just listening to music.  I spent much of 2022 listening to artists that I enjoyed as a teen or in college like The Cure, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, The Kinks, and the Dave Matthews Band, just to name a few.  

Another reason my reading and viewing stats may be lower is that I have brought on some new projects in my life.  2022 was my first full year of becoming a podcaster with Teachers in the Dungeon, so I have spent more time reading articles, D&D rule books, writing, and so forth.  I also went back to coaching Speech Team at the school in which I teach.  I also returned to organizing a large community event at our school, STEAM into Star Wars.  No excuses, but these things take time.  I also have been playing more games with my family, friends, and students.  

One weird observation is that in both years I read exactly 100 digital Marvel Comics on Marvel Unlimited.  That is so strange.  I am glad to see that though because it totally justifies the cost of the platform.  It averages out to less than a dollar per comic read.  That doesn't include the dozens of times that I reference a comic, title, author, or artist using the app.  

Well, enough yapping, here are the stats: 

2022 2021

Movies watched: 21 Movies Watched: 31
Rewatch: 13 Rewatch: 16
First time: 8 First time: 15

TV series (streamed): TV series (streamed):
Episodes: 111 Episodes: 86
Rewatch: 25 Rewatch: 40
First time: 86 First Time: 46

Books read: 13 Books read: 21
Graphic Novels: 4 Graphic Novels: 6
Fiction: 8 Fiction: 12
Nonfiction: Nonfiction: 3
Pages read: 2,895 Pages read: 4,195

Books abandoned: Books abandoned:
Graphic Novels: 1 Graphic Novels:
Fiction: 2 Fiction:
Nonfiction: Nonfiction:
Pages read: Pages read:

Audiobooks: 1 Audiobooks: 3
Fiction: 1 Fiction: 3
Nonfiction: Nonfiction:

Short Stories: Short Stories: 8
Pages read: Pages Read: 244

Comic books read: 142 Comic Books read: 164
Digital: 42 Digital: 64
Print: 100 Print: 100

2022 Book Titles:
Critical Role Vox Machina Origins Vol. 1 1/2
Legend of Zelda vol. 3 1/2
Legend of Zelda vol. 4 1/3
Legend of Zelda vol. 5 1/28
In Sylvan Shadows Book 2 Cleric Quintet by R.A. Salvatore
Catfishing on the CatNet 3/13
The Inheritance Games 4/20
Star Wars: Queen's Hope
Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim
Star Wars: Brotherhood by Mike Chen
Starlight Enclave by R.A. Salvatore (audio) 8/7/22
Dragons of Deceit by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman
Ace of Spades by Faridah Abike-Iyimide 11/6
Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman 12/27

2022 Movies:
Back to the Future 1/1
Back to the Future II 1/1
Back to the Future III 1/1
Encanto 1/8, 1/29
Hamilton 1/8
The Courier 4/9
Westside Story 4/17
Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness
Doctor Strange
Star Wars A New Hope 6/17
Thor: Love and Thunder 7/9
Sing 2 7/16
Werewolf By Night 10/29
Wakanda Forever 11/10
Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special 11/27
The Art of Dungeons and Dragons 11/27
Elf 12/19
It's a Wonderful Life 11/23
Home Alone 11/23
Elf 12/23
A Christmas Story 12/25
Cruela 12/31

2022 Series:
Book Of Boba Fett
Daredevil
The World According to Jeff Goldblum
National Geographic: Welcome to Earth
Hawkeye
Moon Knight
Stranger Things Season 3
Thundermans
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Ms. Marvel
The Wizard of Paws
Stranger Things Season 4
She-Hulk
Light and Magic
Andor
Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power
Willow
Limitless with Chris Hemsworth
Wednesday

If you recall, I started this recording process at the beginning of 2021 after seeing @eyeoncanon post that he does a similar annual recording of things he has read.  I am really happy to see some historical data now, and I look forward to continuing the recording process to see what kind of consumer of reading and viewing am I.  Will my stats go back up in 2023?  Will they go down or stay similar?  I have no idea, but you better believe, I will be giving you my quarterly updates as the year progresses.  

Favorite Christmas Ornaments

When I was a kid I remember going to my piano teacher Mrs. Young's house for piano lessons.  The highlight of going to Mrs. Young's house was that they had a sod roof that included trees and bushes on what was an otherwise normal house.  It was so unusual.  There was one time of year when the sod roof wasn't the highlight; however, that time was Christmas.  Mrs. Young had the most amazing Christmas Tree every year.  It was so full of ornaments that one could barely even see that there was a tree underneath.  Every year, she let her students choose one ornament off her tree to take home and keep.  I remember sitting and waiting for my turn for lessons and just staring at the tree in a Christmas daze trying to decide which ornament I would call my own.  

Unfortunately, I don't think I still own any of the ornaments I received from Mrs. Young, but the memory is a good one.  It is one of the things I love about putting up the Christmas tree every year.  We get the ornaments out and most of them have stories that goes along with them. Over the years, like most others I presume, our family has collected Christmas ornaments; some are family ornaments and some are personal.  Here are a few of my favorite Christmas ornaments:

10.  Ornaments made by my kids.  I love these because as my children grow up these ornaments remind me of when they were younger.  One of my daughters learned to knit and was a part of a Knitting club at school when whe made the knit cup with hot chocoalte and marshmallows.  I thought and still do that this was so cool.  My other daughter made the art in the center of this ornament at school and then they mounted it on the silver backing.  

9.  Ornaments to remember those who we have lost.  One year when my wife lost her dad, we were given this ornament.  It is a nice reminder of  him, but also just a good reminder of all those who we've lost over the years.  I didn't get to spend many Christmas holidays with him, but the ornament reminds me of those times.  

8.  Ornaments that my kids will eventually take with them.  I don't know that I have ever bought an ornament for my kids with the thought that they will eventually take them with them when they move out, but that is what will happen.  There is something inside of me that looks forward to visiting my daughters' homes sometime in the future and seeing some of the ornaments that used to hang in my house.  I really like this one of Rapunzel from the animated film Tangled.  The scene in the movie that is depicted is is quite beautiful.  I also liked the symbolic nature that it is a lantern lighting the night.  I have always liked to believe that both of my daughters have bright futures ahead.  

7.  Ornaments that remind me of an accomplishment.  Not much to say about this one.  The ornament says it all, but I will never forget when I was about to complete my first marathon, a coach was running alongside me and to encourage me to finish strong, he said, "You are about to finish a marathon and no one can ever take that away from you."  This ornament that my wife bought me that year reminds me of that ever year.  

6.  Ornaments that show loyalty or allegiance.  I have several of these including an ornament from the college my wife and I graduated, the church I attended as a child, and an ornament from the town which I grew up.  I like those but they don't come close to finding a prominent spot on the tree as the ornament that lets everyone know my favorite sports team! 

5. Ornaments of Pop Culture.  Actually, my next four ornaments are in this category, and they have their own, special tree.  Number 5 is a new ornament to the collection this year.  It is a Funko Spider-man.  Spider-man has been my favorite comic book superhero since I can remember.  If you want a full explanation of why I love Spidey's comic book, you should become a patreon supporter of CWK Pourover and you can listen to several episodes where I discuss that topic with co-hosts Dan Zehr and Cory Club.  

4. Ornaments of Pop Culture.  This was my first Star Wars ornament from a Hallmark collection.  The Darth Vader tie-fighter comes from the 1999 collection.  The ornament has a cord that used to plug into an emply light socket, and it would light up the cockpit and laser cannons on the front.  It was a really dynamic ornament on my tree for years, but when I upgraded to LED lights, the plug was no longer compatible.  That is quite alright, as it is still in the top 5 of my favorite ornaments.  

3.  Ornaments of Pop Culture.  I have no idea when or where I found this Zeb Orrelios ornament.  I suspect I found it at a Hallmark aisle display at Kohls.  I always liked Zeb in the Star Wars Rebels show, and I always thought I would find other Rebel characters to hang on the tree with Zeb, but I never did.  So, he is a unique character to have on the tree which is why he is in the top 5 of my favorite ornaments.  It is also a really good sculpt and paint job; it looks great on the tree.  

2.  Ornaments of Pop Culture.  I received this ornament for my birthday this year, because it is no secret around my house how much I absolutely adore the character Grogu.  In fact, I'm not alone in this at my house; everyone thinks he is cute.  It is very possible that he has become the single most popular figure of my Star Wars collection.  As I look around my office, I have nine Grogu collectibles within sight.  This ornament is a Funko, and I love how it excentuates his already large ears, so cute!  Oh, there are already two other Grogu ornaments on the tree, so he has good company.  

1.  Ornaments that have family significance.  This is the ornament I look forward to seeing every year.  It holds such a significant memory for me that if it went missing, it would cause me some profound saddness.  My wife and I purchased this when we took our family on a once-in-a-lifetime vacation on a Disney Cruise.  I will never forget the emotional moment I had when my family was on the plane to fly to Florida for this wonderful adventure.  I sat there as the plane quickly gained altitude thinking that this was actually real.  It was the first trip I had taken my family that was more than two-and-a-half hours away.  It is a trip that we still look at pictures and recall the memories as if they just happened.  This ornament brings that entire trip back.  

I hope as you prepare for the Christmas season that you are able to pull ornaments out to hang on the tree and you have the same experience I do with all the stories and memories.  Hopefully, you have ornaments that remind you of people you love and places you've been.  If not, that's cool too as many ornaments are there to remind us of the joy of the season!  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!  

Coaching

Sixteen years ago, I walked away from coaching competitive high school speech to move on with other parts of my life like becoming a National Board Certified teacher, starting a family, and trying triathlon and marathon racing among many other things.  Last year my oldest daughter decided to try out for the speech team at our high school.  I couldn't have been any more proud and excited for her when she decided to tip her toe into something that I was so passionate about as a high school competitor and coach years ago.  Not really to my surprise but to my complete pleasure, she is pretty darn good and just missed going to our state tournament in her freshman year.  With all of that excitement, I just couldn't help myself when an assistant coaching position opened up; I had to jump back in.  

I have to say that adding this to my schedule has not been easy and quite frankly, it has been quite exhausting.  Working with the kids, however, has been nothing short of pure joy.  I love seeing their faces squish up in doubt when I say, "try it this way."  And when they do, they are surprised at how it sounded or felt.  I love their willingness to take risks, to work hard in practice, and to build their skills.  We are just a month into the season, and we took a small team to their first meet in November.  I loved seeing the nerves of the first competition collide with their confidence after weeks of practice.  A few of our students saw success and some realized that "next-in-to-finals" feeling.  But, they all learned and had fun showing off their skills through performance and public speaking.  This is exactly why I decided to return.  Yes, I'm competitive, and I want the kids to be competitive too, but it is the life-long skills of public speaking that I want them to learn.  I want them to see that practice and taking constructive feedback brings growth and improvement.  

My daughter along with over half the team did not compete because they were busy putting on a musical that weekend, but I am so pumped to see her and her teammates go to their first meet in December.  Even though I don't officially coach my daughter, I get to talk to her about her speech and her delivery.  On a personal level, I am amazed at how much she has grown up in her 15 years.  I couldn't be more proud of being a coach on her team.  I love the sound of that.  I am a coach of HER team.  What more could a father want?  

I think of the students I work with and how much their parents have watched them grow over the years.   I think of the conversations that I have with them and I feel so privileged to be a part of their story.  I am glad I walked away to accomplish the things I needed to over the last 15 years but coming back now has been wonderful on so many levels.  

Game Club Dungeons and Dragons: The Scarlet Citadel Part 2

Last week I started a series of posts that will recap the Dungeons and Dragons game I am leading with a small group of teens from my Game Club.  These are brand-new players to Dungeons and Dragons.  You can review the introduction and explanation of the Game Club as well as the first session recap here:  The Scarlet Citadel Part 1  You can also catch my recap on the Podcast Teachers in the Dungeon.  Here is the link to that first episode:  Teachers in the Dungeon  

The story picks up in the town of Redtower where the adventurers Posun the Wood Elf Monk and Faist Roffton the High Elf  Sorcerer have assisted a caravan of raw materials to the town.  After delivery to Agneiska, she recommends the adventurers head to the Cage Tavern and Inn where they should find food and lodging.  The two head across town to the Cage Tavern and Inn.  They are immediately taken by the large rib cage bone structure outside the inn leading into the construction of the building itself.  As

they enter, they note that the rib cage is incorporated into the construction of the building.  They note the eclectic architecture when the proprietor of the Cage Tavern and Inn welcomes the pair.  Ariadna and Ambrozy Gjorski offer them a room that includes a warm meal and breakfast.  Then, noting that Faist and Posun are new to Redtower, they introduce them to another newcomer named Striker.  Striker is a halfling and a little suspicious of strangers.  Ariadna suggests that if they have come to Redtower for adventure, they have come to the right place.  There are plenty of avenues for mercenary work and adventure in the White Forest, but most come to explore the Scarlet Citadel.  Posun mentions that they were ambushed by goblins on their travels to Redtower and that the goblins mentioned the name Gellert the Gruesome.  Ariadna makes the connection to the Scarlet Citadel by mentioning that rumor has it that Gellert is likely in the Citadel somewhere.  

Ariadna excuses himself to wait on other customers.  Posun and Faist talk with Striker to get to know him when they notice an old, grizzly soldier seated at a nearby table has taken interest in them.  The soldier is a younger man who just giggles and grunts.  The man introduces himself and his companion as Ted and Squeeks.  Ted asks them about their adventures, then interrupts their answer to tell them about his forays into the Scarlet Citadel.  As Ted talks more about the Citadel and the riches, he becomes crazed and incoherent all the while Squeeks just giggles and encourages Ted.  The party ends the conversation rather abruptly, and they head to their rooms to sleep.  

In the morning they decide to explore Redtower a bit and head to the Sweet Sap Brewery.  They meet Remy Argentford and Mags Halfbottle.  They are a couple of halflings who purchased the business a while back, but they become quite obsessed with Striker.  Being a halfling, Remy and Mags are so glad to meet him.  When they ask about his family name, he tells them, a bit suspiciously, that he has no family or family name.  The two become quite distraught with this as they cry and wail that Striker has no one.  They pledge friendship to him, feed him well, and move on to do other work.  Faist and Posun find some enjoyment in the attention that Striker received, but Striker seems quite unphased by all of this fuss.  

The trio decides the next step is to head for the Scarlet Citadel to see what all the talk is about.  

This ended the play session.  I was happy that they reported they had a good time.  When playing with teenagers, it is always dangerous to have a session that doesn't include combat or other similar action, but they really enjoyed the role-play in Redtower.  The session met most of my goals as DM.  I wanted the players to continue to explore their characters' personalities and skills of their characters.  The role-play helped with all of that.  The only goal we didn't meet was to get to the Scarlet Citadel, but that is where they are headed.  All in all, the session went well.  Stay tuned to part three in a few weeks. 

Top 5 Foods I Can't Live Without

This could also be titled,  The Top 5 Lazy Food list, but I don't necessarily consider myself lazy.  Maybe just when it comes to foods.  These are foods that are a staple in our pantry at home, because no matter the mood, taste, or time of day, I can eat these and feel pretty happy.  Don't make the mistake though, this is not a healthy list.  Here we go:  

5. Potato Chips

Seriously, who doesn't love the crunchy, salty light snack?  Granted, it doesn't fill up the tummy, and
they should be eaten in conjunction with other foods (see #4 and #2 on this list), but potato chips are great!  My favorite chip is the plain, flat brand and not a rigid/ruffled style.  I prefer the non-flavored and I don't like too much salt.  Go easy, friends.  The best potato chip has a potato flavor with a thin chip and light salt. My favorite brands are:  Jays Potato Chips, Vitner's Potato Chips, Lays Lightly Salted Potato Chips, and Utz Original Potato Chips.  

4. Pizza

I suppose anyone who has been a regular reader of this page would know that I love pizza as I did a Top 5 Frozen Pizza post back in 2021.  I sometimes believe that I could legit live on pizza.  It is such a perfect format for a variety of types of pie: breakfast, meat, barbeque chicken, veggie,

etc.  There are so many options for pizza that even if you don't have a taste for "pizza," you can probably find a pizza that doesn't taste like a traditional "pizza."  Here are a few of my favorite pizza brands: Pizza Hut thin crust cheese and sausage; Casey's sausage Breakfast Pizza; Home Run Inn Sausage and Pepperoni frozen thin crust.  

3. Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have an unforgiving sweet tooth and it doesn't discriminate between cakes, pies, cookies, brownies, pudding, etc.  Cookies, though, take the cake (so to speak), and one cannot go wrong with a chocolate chip cookie.  I even like the Nice! brand (Walgreens) Soft Baked Chocolate Chip flavored Cookies.  Yes, chocolate chip flavored just doesn't seem right, but they are pretty good.  The chocolate chip cookie can

go anywhere with little mess.  I even like that most can stack and go into a pocket when one might feel that they need to conceal the evidence that there may be something sweet around.  Not that I would do such a thing, I say share them!  Here are a few of my favorites: Chips Ahoy! Chewy Chips Ahoy! Jimmy John's Chocolate Chunk, Pepperidge Farm Chocolate Chip cookies. 

2.  Cold-Cut Deli Turkey

This might be on the list because I need something with some health benefits, but I can eat a slice of deli turkey any time.  I can put it on a salad for something healthy and the turkey will help to fill me up.  My favorite lunch is a pile of cold-cut deli turkey wrapped in a slice of Colby Jack cheese, boring but functional.  My favorite: hand cut from an
actual deli, Oscar Meyer Deli Fresh Oven Roasted Turkey Breast, Oscar Meyer Natural Slow Roasted Turkey Breast. 

1.  Cereal  

The king of breakfast, anytime go-to meal, snack craving killer, the "just waiting for it" midnight snack, the boss of the pantry is that rectangular box of cereal.  Is this a surprise?  It shouldn't be if you caught my post in 2021.  Any time of the day, any time of the year, I can walk into the kitchen, grab a bowl and a spoon then add some almond milk and I have a cereal meal/snack.  It can be eaten dry from a zip lock bag or with milk in a bowl. Either way, cereal is a wonderfully satisfying food, and if you have multiple varieties in the pantry, you can meet any snack or meal craving.  My favorite cereals are: Frosted Mini
Wheats Original, Honey Nut Cheerios, Honey Bunches of Oates.  

There you have it.  If there were a snowstorm and I was stuck in one place for a length of time, or if I was stranded on a desert island with a crash-landed shipment of 5 foods, this is the list.  I could survive a long time with these five foods.