Screw It, I Like it that Way

Welcome my friends. I'm always excited to see how many people take time out of their busy days to check in with me and see how my world is creeping along on this mortal plane. To answer: Its been hectic. A busy time. Constant work. Endless TO DO list. Nothing is dissipating, only compounding. Here is a laundry list of items circling my brain today :

-Day job OT. Tons of it. I had to work two Saturdays in a row. I don't mind it when it happens (Extra "Skrilla" as the kids call it, is a good thing), but when I have my kids and I have to work I get completely depressed. It was almost to happen again this weekend but luckily it was cancelled. I took the kids out for lunches and got D a new laptop, as her old one died. I did manage to squeek out a quick trip to get vintage toys and STAR TREK books I didn't have collecting dust on my shelf yet. Currently, I am hunting the great white whale of owning all the Pocket Books series and a few Hardcovers in order of release. I'm about 65% there. Then maybe I'll read them. Who knows in this wacky world, eh?

-Fuck the Oscars.

-I decided now that I police myself and my shitty stupid feelings, I am back on the facebookz. Mostly because I missed the memes and keeping up with people I know who do not suck.

-I've been busy working on these Bettie Page cards for Diamond Comics. I am also on two other sets for them which I don't think have been announced yet. I finished the KISS cards back in November and that set should be out very soon. I do have extras if you are a fan (of either them or for some reason, me) and want some commissioned. More on that later.

-I am currently in production on a couple of different personal comic projects. I will show and talk about them when the time is right. However first up to the plate is my adult comics collection: THE EROTIC ZONE 2, which will be on Kickstarter in March. The book is done, I just need to compile it and get it all print ready.

-I am five months ahead on erotic comics for my PATREON page, which directly funds my day to day happenings and you can get commissions from. Join it to support me by clicking here: https://www.patreon.com/ADAMTALLEY

-My personal life is at a noiiiine (For those Stern show fans out there).  D and I got engaged last year and we are slowly making decisions as to the wedding, which is now slated for October 2020. Right now we are just clearing the cobwebs on some debt so we can save for it. My in-laws are the best people you could ever want in your corner. My kids are calling them grandma and grandpa, and I'm very happy about that. I've really lucked out by meeting D and her family in that I found the nicest, most honest folks a schmuck like me could ever hope to run into. And my oldest son turned 19 this month. Daddy sent him a little bit of scratch and he's chin deep into his studies up in the frozen tundra of the upper peninsula at Michigan Tech.

-As far as new media I've been slowly slowly slowly consuming, I've been watching Veronica Mars with D, early The Next Generation episodes (yes, the bad ones. I haven't seen them in a long while), The classic The Twilight Zone episodes and I've been finishing the Zappa Autobiography. I got a pile of Trek and Harlan Ellison books that are next on the read pile. For new movies off my "Oh my fucking god you have never seen that" list, I can finally scratch off RAGING BULL and HAROLD AND MAUDE. Both were excellent, as I figured they would be. Also I pulled out all my model kits and got some new glue and paint thinner. Maybe do those at some point? We shall see. On my radar for the movies this year are: Alita Battle Angel, Captain Marvel, Avengers Endgame, Yesterday and of course, Star Wars 9. I got a pile of video games that I haven't bothered to play yet. I had my NES classic modded by my pal JD, who put about 750 games from the NES library on it. I have yet to plug it in. I also got DRAGON QUEST 11 and only played maybe an hour and a half. Right now, my son James and I are trying to 100% LEGO CITY UNDERCOVER. Almost there. Mission accomplished. Big life goal achievement!

-To consume these things, I usually reserve my mornings and then a couple nights a week for production. Then every other night I am either watching something with D or we read in bed together. Its a healthy balance of working and then absorbing.

This next week D and I both will be working long hours and I will be focusing on pushing some of this TO DO list shit out the door.  Next weekend got some plans for a double date with some old friends I am way overdue to see. (Yes, sometimes I emerge from my nerdy Hobbit hole and get scared of my own shadow. But I do socialize at times)

Thanks for bothering to read all this and letting me tell you whats new. For those that just skipped to the end, I'm good.

--Endless Luvs, T

TOYS!

No depressing shit this time. Let's get nerdy and talk about TOYS!

I am a few months from hitting the big 4-0. And as I move closer, I realize that I am starting to wake up to my age a bit. More grey hair comes daily. Carpal tunnel. Digestion issues. Gonna have to start taking a finger in the ass to check the prostate and so on. That is part of life. What I'm also finding, is that being an aging nerd is a mental wrestling match.

For example, I went to Toys R Us a couple weeks ago because I had a few spare bucks and thought I'd treat myself to a random toy. I was in there early in the a.m. and I noticed people were looking at me. Suddenly it dawned on me: I'm almost 40 and buying a toy for myself at the toy store. Why am I doing this? Am I a big kid or something?? And why reward myself with a toy like I am a fucking kid?

Embarrassed, I left. Reaching out to social media, people tried to sway my initial reaction and encouraging me to embrace my nerdy side, go back in and get something. Well, I didn't. But the thoughts remained. So I started looking at the toys in my collection that somehow have been dragged with me from place to place over the years. Some of which are going for pretty good money now. Then I thought back to all the STAR TREK toys I used to have and have let go via ebay over the years. I had a complete set of the ERTL Star Trek 3 figures in box. I had all the TNG Galoob Figures in box. I had about 8 of the STAR TREK MEGO Motion Picture figures from the 70s in the box. The 2007 re-release Diamond Select MEGO reprints, all the crew and aliens.... all gone. And now to recoop them, I'd have to pay out the nose, whereas at the time I sold them for maybe half of what I paid for them. Stupid.

I regret letting them go. A few years ago I opened a lot of my toys so my boys could play with them. Scotty being autistic, doesn't care so much about toys at all. James does play with them, but his current obsession over the last couple years has been vacuums. Its literally all he talks about. My oldest son is nerdy like his dad, but in a different way. He's into online gaming PCs and anime stuff. Both worlds, I honestly don't know much about.

So, sometimes it feels like I'm a man out of time. I'm a big child. Approaching 40. Financially, I could buy a toy or two that I'd want now. I don't have many "high end" toys like SIDESHOW or HOT TOY figures. The most expensive one I've bought was a Matty Collector 12" Egon from Ghostbusters. Its out of the box and standing on a shelf with the rest of my Ghostbusters figures and cars I have in the box. I did recently get a Han Solo of the new Star Wars 40th Anniversary re-release figures. And I got a large format The THING from Marvel Legends. Other than that, a few tubs of random toys. Some are worth money. Most of them, not.

I'm at the point now where I am starting to ask: Do I let all of these things go and abandon these child like tendencies? Because my kids don't care about them. I sometimes feel stupid and childish for drooling over them. What do I want to do?

In the end, I cannot deny it. I'm a nerd. And I'm of the age where they are making good looking toys and I can afford them. I'm not going to run out and spend thousands on toys, but I will enjoy a purchase or two down the road. (but NO Funko Pops! Okay???)

I think this is okay. I am comfortable with it. Most of my collecting is nostalgia. Old Cds/records, NES/SNES video games, old STARLOG and MAD magazines, DVDs/Blu-rays, rare VHS tapes, STAR TREK vintage things, posters, old books, stickers and other rarities. I think I have enough room in my heart to keep my toy obsession alive for the time being. And maybe even kick it up a notch. I look at these premium figures and other toys and think, "MAN! I would LOVE to have that!" I'm sure having, is not as cool of a thing as owning. But honestly, every now and then, I like to take in the things I got and say, "fuck yeah! My 9 year old self would be proud!"

You gotta be happy with who you are. And call me Michael Jackson, but I 'm a big kid at heart. Adulting sucks. Just give me a big bowl of cereal, some cartoons and a book or a toy and I'm good. I'm happy and content with it now. I've tried to run away and "grow up" for a long time now and it hasn't took. Oh well. Fuck it. I am who I am.

Anyway, here are some things right now that peek my interest:

This is my recent gift to myself: the ENTERPRISE 50th Anniversary model kit. (Used a 1/2 off coupon! Sabo would be proud!) I put this model kit together about 6 times when I was a kid. Looking forward to doing it again. Of course, I got about 5 other model kits in various states of completion. Maybe I need to jump on those again. Been feeling a bit crafty lately. Maybe its time to relax and do some modeling on a day off!

Here's some toys from this past San Diego Comic Con:

Look at this ECTO1. I mean... LOOK AT IT! I'm sure it costs a fortune... but man.....

The same company produces this HANNIBAL LECTOR figure. Looks really great! Gotta have it.

Something on my Amazon wish list is this ED 209 by Neca from ROBOCOP. Looks awesome!!!!!

For higher end figures, this Han Solo looks sweet!

Same company is putting out this Peter Cushing/Tarkin figure. Man that sculpt looks amazing! 

Something I've been eyeballing for a while now is this Ghostbusters HQ in legos. The price is high for me and that is what scares me away from it. But look at it?!?!?!!?!?! I woulda KILLED to have this as a kid. SOOOO cool looking.

Also shown at San Diego were these awesome TMNT 80's movie version figures. Dead on sculpts. VERY nice!!

Apparently McFarlane toys got the Trek license for the new TV show and they are also releasing a Kirk and Picard. Sculpts look okay. I'll likely add them to my collection.

 There are a few other toys I've put on wish lists and bookmarks. Maybe if I drop some weight I will reward myself with one or two.

(SIGH) What a great time to be a nerd. Maybe its time to stop being bitter and forcing myself to fit a mold I just don't seem to fit in via what the world tells me (by age) how I should be, and just embrace what I dig. Maybe we all should. I'm sorry I whined about growing older and how I should let these things go. I decided to stomp my foot and say "I DON'T WANNA!"

Nerd up!

--T

Weekend Recording

Hey friends! I'm back home from a couple days in Midland recording music and hanging out with my oldest friend (and IDIOTHEAD bandmate) Shane Logan. It has been almost 11 years since we recorded music together and about 6 years since we hung out together. Finally we got a spare couple days off and we make it happen. We did skit tapes, shopped for retro games and played VR and PS4 games. Then we also recorded two songs. One is a remake of an old old old song of ours, another was a brand new one. Not sure what will be done with them beyond appearances on the podcast or if they will appear on a new album yet, but you never know! We plan to get together again this summer for another session.

All in all it was quite enjoyable for me to get away from it all and reconnect with my past a bit. Plus collaborate with one of the only people on this planet who can literally read my mind. It is comforting to know that no matter how much older one gets, or how much has changed and new responsibilities have been taken on, that at the core we can still be our old selves. Very refreshing weekend of fun and creativity!

I'll let the pics do the talking now. Its back to the grind for me. I got a ton of things to do all this week and for the next few weeks as well. See you folks soon!

Recording some audio skit comedy.

Lego room panorama

Shane's boy Evan is really creative! He made this arcade cabinet. I did something very similar when I was his age.

Holy Crap!!!

Where the magic happens.

Sometimes I try the drums too.... badly.

Sight reading some Beatles while we jam.

Recording a guitar track for our song.

Two old men making new offensive music. Wouldn't have it any other way.

Cheers, T