Left to my own devices

I'm not going to sugar coat it for you. The recent weeks have been pretty mentally and emotionally dire. There's a low-level hum of stress that seems to permeate every fiber of my being. And, yes, much of it is pandemic-related. I've been more fortunate than many, and I realize and appreciate that, but it doesn't mean my life hasn't been impacted, or that I'm devoid of stress points. I've started seeing a therapist, though so far those sessions have only mildly helped. The other night, in one of the darkest moods of late, I thought  "I don't think I'm going to make it through this pandemic. There's just nothing to look forward to anymore." Looking forward to things is something I took for granted in the pre-COVID days. It's doubtful I'm the only who can acknowledge that. Some of the things that filled my calendar were work or council-related, while others were more recreational. To be honest, I miss them all. While life during t

Did I tell you about the time I called and spoke with the editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics? Years ago, back in the mists of time (the late-eighties/early-nineties), I voraciously read comic books. Marvel Comics, specifically. DC was good for movies, but when it came to reading, I preferred the stories that Marvel put out. Among my favorite series were Thor, The Amazing Spider-Man, Captain America, The Avengers, Fantastic Four, Transformers, Marvel's Secret Wars, X-Men, The Punisher, Marvel's New Universe and, occasionally, Daredevil . I would go to various locations around town -- Fantasy Realm, and Book Nook, among others -- every month to purchase new issues. I shared my love of comic books with my friend, Derrick. We would discuss the content of new issues over the phone, and in-person. In fact, our love of comics led us to draw our own. The one I was proudest of was Foxbolt , which, if I'm being perfectly honest, was a rip-off of Batman and the TV cartoon character, B