I'm still catching up on work, gaming, e-mail, and blogs after my recent vacation in Vermont. Congratulations to my niece Jessica on the birth of her second son Elijah! I also hope that my mother's side of the family in the Philippines is able to recover after Typhoon Frank, and my thoughts are with sick relatives in both Janice's and my families.

After a long workweek, we were expecting to host some of her family, but they were delayed by illness. So, on Saturday, 21 June 2008, Janice and I ended up going into Boston by ourselves. We went to the Phantom Gourmet Barbecue Beach Party in City Hall Plaza. As I've mentioned before, the local television show is a favorite of ours, and the food at the festival didn't disappoint.

From there, we waddled to the Boston Common, where we browsed among the Cultural Survival Bazaar, which featured fair-trade goods (a progressive political and socioeconomic movement that I support), more food, and performers from around the world.

After that, Janice and I enjoyed the summer weather and walked down Newbury Street, stopping at favorite haunts such as The Fairy Shop, Newbury Comics, Borders Books, and The Compleat Strategist. I'd be lying if I said we left empty-handed. From there, we caught the Green Line of the "T" to the Woodland Station and drove back to Needham Heights, Massachusetts.

I must note the passing of author Robert Lynn Asprin, who is perhaps best known for his "Myth Adventures" comedic fantasy books. I enjoyed his work as editor of the gritty "Thieves' World" anthologies. In addition, Janice and I will have to rewatch our DVDs of late comedian George Carlin, whose profane observations amused many for decades. Joining the roster of those who have died too soon, including comic book artists Mike Wieringo and Michael Turner, is Stargate SG1 actor Don S. Davis.

As I've noted previously, even after the regular television season (truncated by the writers' strike) has ended, I've been enjoying a number of shows, including Doctor Who, Spectacular Spider-Man, Robin Hood, and Masterpiece: Mystery. Upon reflection, most of what I've been watch lately is either British or based on comic books!

Janice and I have been pleasantly surprised by Middleman, which is based on a comic book. The live-action genre comedy reminds me of Men In Black, with the paranormal investigations of The X-Files, the witty banter and parodies of Kim Possible, and the slacker geek cred of recent shows such as Chuck and Reaper. The female protagonist is both believable and intelligent, the situations are both familiar and absurd, and some of the jokes are rather adult for ABC Family.

Even as I'm looking forward to the half-season premieres of Psych, Avatar: the Last Airbender, and Star Wars: Clone Wars, not to mention assorted summer movies, I've made room for the fun Middleman in my viewing schedule (it's on Monday nights). See also my avatar above.

Speaking of scheduling, Damon F.P., Steve M.R., and I have been organizing a celebration for all of our cohort who are turning 40 this year. It will be in New York in early August. This coming weekend, Janice and I will be hosting some of her family from Upstate New York for Independence Day celebrations in Needham.

Coming soon: Vermont vacation report, gaming resumes, and comic book catch-up!

On Friday, 13 June 2008, I watched the SciFriday lineup of Doctor Who and the half-season finale of Battlestar Galactica. Although I've complained about the dour tone of the revisionist space opera, I thought the latest episode was well-done, with Lee "Apollo" Adama finally rallying the humans and Cylons to find Earth. On the other hand, the fact that celebrations were short-lived wasn't surprising.

On Saturday, June 14, Janice and I finally repainted the bathroom of our second duplex in Needham Heights, Massachusetts. In between coats, we watched the solid first-season finale of the animated Spectacular Spider-Man. Unfortunately, with the Kids' WB changing to "CW4Kids," it may be the sole superhero survivor on Saturday mornings next year.

That afternoon, I met Beruk A., Thomas K.Y., and Ken G. at the AMC Framingham multiplex for The Incredible Hulk. Although it's not as exciting as Iron Man was, the movie was still faithful to various incarnations of the irradiated Marvel Comics hero.

Not so much a remake of the recent Ang Lee version as a reboot and a continuation, Incredible Hulk began with a recap of Dr. Bruce Banner's ill-fated experiments during the opening sequence. From there, the story quickly moved to Brazil, where Banner was a fugitive from the U.S. military trying to find a cure for his Jekyll & Hyde-style affliction. (Note: Although the previews give away much of the plot, this review and links may still have "spoilers.")

As a fan of the late 1970s live-action television series, I was pleased to see several allusions to the Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno incarnation of the jade giant, including the equipment in Banner's lab, a cameo by Ferrigno, and even a glimpse of Bixby in The Courtship of Eddie's Father on a television. The original theme music works well in the film's soundtrack.

Lead actor (and uncredited co-scripter) Ed Norton highlighted Banner's intelligence, decency, and loneliness better than predecessor Eric Bana, if not as well as the late Bixby. He shows how Banner turns to meditation, martial arts, and alternative medicine in an attempt to control his rage. However, Banner is forced to return to the U.S. and confront his anger as well as those who would "weaponize" the Hulk.

Lord of the Rings' Liv Tyler was appealing as love interest Betty Ross, and William Hurt was an interesting choice as Gen. "Thunderbolt" Ross, Betty's father and the hunter of Banner/Hulk. Each confrontation between the Hulk and his (and Banner's) enemies is well-spaced throughout the movie and escalates in collateral damage.

Tim Roth (Rob Roy) is a good nemesis as Emil Blonsky, a ruthless soldier who receives injections of Captain America's super serum as well as Banner's blood in an attempt to outmatch the angry Hulk. The computer-animated fight scenes between the Hulk and the subsequent Abomination are impressively choreographed.

Attentive comic book fans will also recognize sympathetic psychiatrist Doc Samson and the genesis of future nemesis the Leader. Elements from Stan Lee's original comic books (yes, the creator makes a cameo that actually involves the plot), assorted cartoons, and the more recent Ultimates version are all present. Another cameo late in the film makes it a good building block toward an eventual Avengers flick. If only DC Comics and Warner Bros. could do the same with their stalled Justice League adaptation.

I'd give The Incredible Hulk, which is rated PG-13 for violence, about an 8 out of 10, or a B+. With that and Iron Man, Marvel Studios is cementing its cinematic lead, although DC still has Dark Knight to come. Although I'm usually more of a fan of DC Comics titles, I have to admit that the quality of Marvel's recent adaptations (and crossovers) has been very good.

After the movie, we went to Fresh City for dinner. I later watched BBC America's Robin Hood and guilty pleasure The Graham Norton Show. I'm slowly reading my stack of comic books, but with our Vermont vacation coming up, I hope to catch up more on reading and relaxation. When I get back, I'll blog more about current games, including City of Heroes, Dungeons & Dragons Fourth Edition, and the "Vanished Lands" gamers using the new rules!

On Tuesday, 3 June 2008, I met fellow SUNY-Binghamton alumnus Cliff Y. for lunch near where I work and where he lives in Framingham, Massachusetts. I hadn't seen him since the birth of his son Timmy a year ago! We ate burritos at Boloco, which Cliff hadn't been to before. I later had lunch with co-worker Ken G. at Fresh City, but I think I like Boloco or Big Fresh more.

On Saturday, June 7, Janice and I walked up to the Needham Business Association street fair. We browsed among the community organizations and vendors' booths and ate at Stone Hearth Pizza. The summer heat had moved in, so we finally installed our living-room air conditioner. We also watched The Amazing Screw-On Head, a quirky steampunk cartoon from Mike Mignola, the artist behind Disney's Atlantis and the Hellboy franchise.

I also caught up on superhero soap Smallville's latest season finale, time-travel drama Doctor Who, and BBC America's anachronistic (but enjoyable) Robin Hood. As Spectacular Spider-Man winds down at the end of its first season, I've been enjoying this animated series' fast pace and sharp characterization. I also recently watched Comic Books Unbound, a special on Starz that recounted the history numerous live-action superhero adaptations. I was familiar with most of the material in the documentary, but the previews of upcoming films were noteworthy.

On Sunday, after a brief stint in City of Heroes (most of my supergroup was offline), Janice and I met Thomas K.Y. and Sara F. & Josh C. at the Showcase Cinemas in North Attleboro, Mass. Thomas told us a little about his recent trip to Turkey with his parents, and Sara and Josh chatted about World of Warcraft and the buzz around the release of Dungeons & Dragons Fourth Edition.

After enduring previews for childish (rather than child-friendly) movies, we screened Kung-Fu Panda, which starred Jack Black as the portly panda, Dustin Hoffman as a lemur-like teacher, Angelina Jolie as a tiger, Lucy Liu as a snake, Michael Clarke Duncan as a rhinoceros, Ian McShane as an evil leopard, and James Hong as a funny duck.

The computer-animated comedy featured some nice martial arts choreography and even some old-school 2-D animation. While Dreamworks isn't as refined as Pixar, it does do broad comedy well. Kung-Fu Panda, which was rated PG for violence, was entertaining, and I’d rate it about a 7 out of 10, or a B.

After the movie, we browsed through Video Stop and Borders before having dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse. We talked about upcoming genre movies (Incredible Hulk is next) and comic book adaptations. Thomas then hung out for a while at Janice's and my place before heading home for the night.

In the coming weeks, I'll try to get back to comic books, my impressions of D&D4e as my "Vanished Lands: Gusorin Confederation" campaign starts up, and more movie reviews!

On Thursday, May 29, Janice and I drove down to Virginia to visit my family in Virginia. We had good weather and relatively little traffic on our way to my parents' house in the bucolic Blue Ridge Mountains. They're also in the midst of kitchen renovations, which were coming along well.

On Friday morning, we had a good lunch at the Thornton River Grille in Sperryville, Va. (We had originally planned to go somewhere farther away, but my parents needed to be at home to supervise the work on their kitchen floors and counters.) Janice and I then drove into the suburban sprawl of Northern Virginia to my brother's home.

It was great to see Peter, his wife Kelly, and their daughters Ava and Lili. Janice and I enjoy spending time with all our nieces and nephews, but it's especially fun to see how little princess Ava and carnivorous Lili are developing. They're close in age but different in personality. We had originally planned to come down for Lili's baptism, but an uncle's illness postponed that event.

Corbin A.Y. graciously hosted all of us for a cookout at his and Andria K.Y.'s new home not far away. We caught up, admired chez Younger's décor, and got to play a bit with his Wii Fit. I don't currently have the time for a console system, but if I did, I think Janice and I would enjoy the sports simulations and fantasy games. We also played pinball, harkening back to Corb's and my undergraduate days.

After Peter & Kelly left to put the girls to bed, Steve M.R. & Aleece Z.R. arrived with 3-month-old daughter Lauren (their son Connor was with family in Ohio). I'm glad that we were able to meet Lauren, even if my visit wasn't long enough to see other friends in the area.

On Saturday, my parents joined us at Peter & Kelly's place. Unfortunately, thunderstorms prevented us from going to the Dragon Boat Festival in Washington D.C., but we still had a pleasant time together, thanks to Ava's talkativeness and Lili's dance moves. Peter managed to grill lunch before the heavens opened, and we later had a pasta dinner.

On Sunday, Peter, Kelly, Ava, Lili, Janice, and I managed to drive to the Watergate Hotel to see the Dragon Boat regatta. Peter even ran into some co-workers, some of whom were participating in the race on the Potomac River. Unlike similar fairs along the Charles River between Boston and Cambridge, there weren't any Asian food vendors (which may have been present on Saturday), so we found a decent, if pricey, lunch at Nick's Riverside in Washington Harbor.

We later had dinner at Chipotle, a favorite burrito chain. Janice and I reluctantly said our farewells early the next morning. Our long drive back to New England went smoothly. We stopped in New York on the way to have lunch with high school chum Damon F.P. and his wife Nicole P. Again, I would have liked to see more friends, but they'll have to wait for other trips, perhaps to celebrate our cohort's 40th birthdays.

Next time: Kung-Fu Panda!

By now, you've probably seen my and others' reviews of Indiana Jones [4] and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull as well as other recent genre movies. On Sunday, 25 May 2008, Janice and I successfully recaulked our tub and sink. We still need to repaint the bathroom in our duplex.

The next week started out inauspiciously. On Memorial Day, Janice and I noticed that a water stain above our kitchen sink was growing. We had suspected that the toilet, which was directly above, was leaking, but the situation became more urgent as the paint discolored, cracked, bubbled, and finally began dripping.

We put in an emergency telephone call to our landlord and were directed by its answering service to our usual handyman. He promised to come look at the problem the next day. In the meantime, however, we were reluctant to use the shower or toilet, so I made a reservation at a nearby Sheraton hotel.

Once we got there, however, we found another problem: Instead of reserving a room in Needham, Massachusetts, the central booking agency had reserved a room in Newton, Mass.! Fortunately, the misunderstanding was quickly cleared up, but as nice as our room was on such short notice, it still wasn't how we had planned to end the holiday weekend.

On Tuesday, May 27, we returned to work. On my way home, heavy rains flooded out Route 9 east, and to make matters worse, the "check engine" light came on while I was stuck in traffic. I had to bring the 1998 Honda Civic coupe to Direct Tire and Auto in Natick, Mass., the next morning, and the warning turned out to be a gas vent-seal problem that was easily remedied (but still cost $85).

Although my kitchen ceiling still needs to be repaired, the toilet seal seems to be better. The short workweek felt tentative, and CW's copy desk will be shorthanded through June because of various vacations. Fortunately, the following weekend went much better.

Next time: Virginia visit!