Last week, there was a health fair at work. I'm pleased to report that my blood pressure was 126/80, my cholesterol low (below 150), and my face was clear of any precancerous lesions. The cheesburger diet works for me! Janice and my co-workers were jealous of my genetic luck. On the other hand, a family history of heart, colon, and prostate trouble means I should still take health seriously.

This week brought less pleasant news: As reader habits continue to shift from print to online, there were some layoffs, and CW and its sister publications are planning for another redesign. I'm glad that the company has been forward-looking, but I wish that the human toll was lighter. We've been pretty busy, so I hope the need for good journalism won't go away anytime soon.

Back to health concerns for a moment: My follow-up with the root canal doctor went well, with the X-rays showing that I've healed enough for the next round of work on my upper right molars. I have yet another dental appointment in two weeks for crowns.

This past Saturday, 24 March 2007, Janice and I drove to Hartford Connecticut, for a Sugarloaf Craft Festival. We used to go to such fairs more often when we lived in Virginia in the 1990s. The 250+ artists, food vendors, and other merchants were interesting, and we stopped for dinner at "Firefly's" in Framingham, Massachusetts, on the way home. Inspired by "The Phantom Gourmet" on local television, I had the "Dave Andelman" appetizer — tasty Angus miniburgers.

On Sunday, after watching "Chefography" on the Food Network and catching up on recorded episodes of "Smallville," we also saw some installments of "Joes vs. Pros" on ESPN. While I'm an armchair athlete at best, I came away with a new appreciation for those people who spend their careers in sports.

The latest season finale of the SciFi Channel's revisionist "Battlestar Galactica" almost redeemed most of the military space opera's recent storylines. "Lee 'Apollo' Adama's" moralistic monalogue, the revelation of the so-called final five android Cylon models, and the cliffhanger ending both raised new questions and harkened back to the best of the 1970s series. I'm still annoyed that the producers have taken credit for reinventing the wheel and by some of the more mystical or soap-operatic aspects of the show, but I'll be returning to it in 2008.

"The Dresden Files" on the SciFi Channel has also been good, with "Farscape" and "Stargate" alumna Claudia Black making a cameo on the supernatural private detective show this past Sunday night. Janice has been reading the novels, which are somewhat different from the television show.

Speaking of genre entertainment, co-worker Ken G., who shares similar (though not identical) tastes, has a well-done blog at http://www.showbits.net/ I've also had good conversations with Steph F. and April O'C., causing me to wonder whether I have more in common with my employer's design and online groups than with my fellow copy editors.

Back to comic books, I've mentioned before Dynamite Entertainment's excellent adaptations of Robert E. Howard's "Conan" gritty fantasy stories. The art has been as good or better than the long-running Marvel Comics version, and even cheesecake spin-off "Red Sonja" has been entertaining.

Most of the comics I read are superhero titles, but Dynamite and others have revived some licensed properties that I'm fond of, including "The Lone Ranger," "Battlestar Galactica" (classic 1970s version), and "Highlander." Darwyn Cooke's "Spirit" is a fitting tribute to the late, great Will Eisner, and I occasionally pick up other retro books such as "The Phantom" and "Zorro."

Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming's "Powers" is postmodern in cynicism and style, but still well-written, while Alex Ross and Kurt Busiek keep trying (and mostly succeed) in recapturing the optimism of the Silver Age (1960s and 1970s) in "Astro City."

After this week's D&D3.5 "Vanished Lands" fantasy session and the "City of Heroes" online game, I've got to get ready to host teleconferencer Byron V.O. this coming weekend. He'll be visiting the Boston area for a conference and to see an ill niece, and he'll be staying with Janice and me from Friday through Sunday, when college chum Ron J.K. also hopes to meet.

We'll probably have another one-shot role-playing gathering and screen "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." The following weekend, Dexter V.H. may visit while Janice joins her folks in Pennsylvania for Easter. Who needs sleep?

Friends, I hope you've had a good week. My root canal was as unpleasant as one might imagine (see earlier postings), and I hope that the most painful and expensive part is over. However, as the doctor finished digging a nerve out of my upper right jaw, he noted that next week's X-rays will determine whether further surgery is needed. After all that, I still need to go back to my regular dentist for new caps. I'll be glad when I can eat on both sides of my mouth again, and after a month, I'm already missing pizza, bagels, and crispy chips.

After a long commute home through bad weather last Friday, 16 March 2007, Janice and I spent St. Patrick's Day indoors (not counting shoveling snow). Of course, watching "The Phantom Gourmet" on local television should be enough to make anybody hungry and stir-crazy, and I hope to get to some of the many Boston-area restaurants it reviewed sometime soon.

Janice and I watched "Hellboy: Blood & Iron," the latest animated tale parallel to Mike Mignola's horror comic books and Guillermo del Toro's action movies. While "Sword of Storms" focused on Japanese mythology, the second Cartoon Network (and direct-to-video) feature alluded to the historical Countess Bathory and Eastern European vampire legends.

Although some of the scene transitions and editing were still awkward, no doubt due to rating and time constraints, Janice and I enjoyed the latest Hellboy, which used the same actors (Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, and John Hurt, plus Peri Gilpin) as the first film. I also look forward to "The Black Wedding," as well as to the live-action movie "The Golden Army."

I also logged in some extra time playing "City of Heroes" to help David I.S. catch up with Kim A.G., Steve M.R., Thomas K.Y., and even Dave's sister Shari, who's a relative newbie to the online superhero game. While I understand that some folks play every night, I have too many other demands on my time to keep up beyond our usual Sunday morning and Thursday night meetings.

Unfortunately, college chum Dexter V.H. and I haven't had much luck in our first rounds of troubleshooting the "Fantasy Grounds" virtual tabletop software. However, he and Byron V.O. have been making progress in our Wednesday night D&D3.5 "Vanished Lands" teleconferenced fantasy sessions, despite numerous distractions.

The face-to-face "Broken Chains" group also resumed this past Tuesday night, with some good role-playing among the adventurers as they guarded a merchant caravan and fended off a swarm of scarabs in the hostile Halmed Desert…

On Sunday, Janice and I quietly celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary (and the 17th anniversary of our first date) by going to Fuji, our favorite local Japanese steakhouse. On Monday, we drove up to Thomas' condominium in Lexington, Massachusetts, for dinner with him, his parents (who were visiting from Upstate New York), Alex J. (back on the University of Massachusetts at Amherst's spring break), and Alex's girlfriend Serena. As usual, Janice and I got there early and made small talk before the meal. Janice had baked molasses crinkle cookies for dessert.

Thomas' parents made a nice Chinese dinner, including duck, shrimp, and assorted vegetables. During our conversation, I have to admit that I got carried away in discussing various comic books and genre movies with Alex and Serena, to the exclusion of Janice and Thomas' parents. On the other hand, I haven't had many opportunities lately to discuss graphical entertainment.

As promised, here are more thoughts on recent comic books. I thought that the political commentary and artwork in Marvel Comics' "Civil War" crossover storyline were well done, even if the books didn't come out on time and the ending was somewhat anticlimactic (see other postings regarding the fate of Captain America).

After years of mostly following D.C. Comics, I've been lured back into reading some Marvel titles, which are generally more popular. (Marvel has also had more success with movies than D.C., but that's a topic for another blog posting.) While I scan team books such as the Fantastic Four and X-Men in various comic shops, I've been picking up the "New Avengers" and even the occasional Spider-Man during the "Civil War."

I also like the "animated-style" "Marvel Adventures: Avengers" book, with its streamlined, kid-friendly, low-angst style. I've found both Joe Quesada and Dan DiDio, the editors in chief of Marvel and D.C., respectively, to be smart, ego-driven leaders. I appreciate their competitive devotion to quality but disagree with their desire to kill off or resurrect beloved characters, from Spider-Man's Aunt May and Capt. America's sidekick Bucky to the Blue Beetle, Jason Todd, or Nightwing.

On the D.C. Universe side, I've been following the "Identity Crisis/Infinite Crisis/52/Countdown" epic with interest, as well as a bit of reader fatigue. I was pleased with the "One Year Later" reboots of Superman and Batman (if not with "All-Star Batman" or the more convoluted plot threads), and I hope that the Justice League and Justice Society can return to stability and glory after their latest roster shakeups (not unlike the aforementioned Avengers).

I've been collecting "Teen Titans" and "Outsiders," partly because I enjoyed the "Justice League Unlimited" and "Teen Titans" television series (now out on DVD), but the writing on those books has been erratic. Alex Ross' latest paean to the Silver Age, "Justice," has also rewarded those willing to wait months for each installment. However, "Birds of Prey" and "Green Arrow" continue to be among my favorites, with strong female characters, villains who add to plot twists, and well-developed second-string (or bowstring) heroes.

As anyone who has seen my action-figure collection or last Halloween's photos can attest, however, the Batman "family" gets most of my milk money. Paul Dini's back-to-basics run on "Detective Comics," Selina Kyle's misadventures in "Catwoman," and their supporting casts have managed to stoke my interest.

Next installment: Health fair at work, craft festival in Hartford, and independent comics!

Friends, I hope you're having a better week than I have. Yesterday (Tuesday, 27 February 2007), I had a dental appointment to deal with some tooth decay. Unfortunately, after spending an hour under the drill, I was sent to another doctor for the beginning of a four-hour root canal. Adding insult to injury is the fact that it will cost yet another $1,500 beyond what my insurance will cover.

First a little background. I was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate that were repaired when I was a baby. My uvula was used to repair the roof of my mouth, and my front two teeth hang separate from the rest of my upper jaw. Even after speech therapy in junior high school, I find my own speech too nasal to enjoy listening to when I've been recorded.

After several operations, I eventually had a bridge with a removable partial plate installed in 1986, about 20 years ago and after my senior year of high school. Each upper tooth was ground down to a stump so that it could be capped. That period before college was also noteworthy because I visited my mother's side of the family in the Philippines that summer.

Since then, I've had relatively few dental problems other than the wearing down of my bottom teeth by the titanium and porcelain bridge on my upper ones. Until now, that is.

Yesterday, my dentist cut and removed the coverings from two teeth, but found that the decay on the No. 2 molar (counting from the back of the right side) had advanced too far. He said that if my insurer had authorized treatment sooner, I may not have needed the expensive, painful, and lengthy root-canal procedure, in which the nerve of a tooth is removed rather than expose it to infection. It's one more reason to dislike the bloated health care and insurance industries.

Anyway, I've scheduled the second two hours for two weeks from now, when I'll have to miss yet another day of work and cancel another D&D3.5 "Vanished Lands: the Broken Chains" fantasy game. At least my dental health is being addressed, and friends and co-workers have been supportive.

On a lighter note, on Friday, Feb. 23, Janice and I watched the SciFi Channel's latest rebroadcast of "Special Unit 2." She's fond of the comedic science fiction/horror series of the 1990s, one of a handful that briefly followed the success of "The X-Files," such as "The Chronicle" (and one could argue, the "Men In Black" movies).

On Saturday, we took the commuter rail into Boston to meet Ben P.S., who was up from Maryland for the day to conduct a seminar on science writing. We mainly hung out at the Copley Place and Prudential Center shopping malls, partly to avoid the cold weather and partly to stall for time so that Bill K., another college friend of Ben and new father Cliff Y., could surprise Ben at lunch in the Pru's excellent food court.

We had a pleasant morning catching up on one another's work, musical preferences, and families. Janice and I then bought some DVDs, books, and other novelties on Newbury Street in Back Bay. I hope to get to "Pandemonium Books & Games" in Central Square, Cambridge, in the next few weeks to show my support for the struggling role-playing retailer.

On Sunday, I played "City of Heroes" in the morning with Steve M.R. and Thomas K.Y. (David I.S. and Kim A.G. were traveling for work, and I didn't see Dave's sister Shari online). Some of our superheroes have become quite experienced at navigating the virtual city, but we have to be careful not to devote too much time to the computer game.

That afternoon, I drove up to Thomas' condominium in Lexington, Massachusetts. We ate lunch at a Korean barbeque restaurant before watching "The Illusionist" and "The Prestige" on DVD. As other reviewers have noted, both magician mysteries take place in the late 19th century and feature solid production values and casts.

"The Illusionist," starring "Fight Club's" Edward Norton, "Dark City's" Rufus Sewell, "Sideways'" Paul Giamatti, and "Seventh Heaven's" Jessica Biel, had the more straightforward narrative. The Central European accents were distracting, but the more romantic plot was ultimately solvable.

"The Prestige," starring "Batman Begins'" Christian Bale, "X-Men's" Hugh Jackman, the great Michael Caine, and ingénue Scarlett Johannson, also had cameos by rocker David Bowie and "Lord of the Rings'" Andy Serkiss. Like Chris Nolan's "Memento," the story unfolds in a nonlinear fashion, and the deus ex machina is a big one. The destructive obsessions of the main characters were interesting to watch, however, so I'd give "The Prestige" an 8 out of 10 compared with a 7.5 for "The Illusionist."

I raced home Sunday night to watch the Oscars. I was pleased to see "Pan's Labyrinth" win some Academy Awards, but I haven't screened most of the other nominees. The fashions of the actors on the red carpet were somewhat subdued from previous years, IMHO. I plan to go to the theaters for Frank Miller's "300" and the computer-animated "Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles" in the coming weeks.

Tonight, Dexter V.H., Byron V.O., and I will continue evaluating virtual desktops for role-playing. Although the face-to-face D&D3.5 session has been postponed, play by e-mail has continued, led by Greg D.C. Fortunately, I'm caught up on recent genre television, especially "Heroes" and "Veronica Mars," even if I haven't been following the revisionst "Battlestar Galactica" closely.

My reviews of recent comic books will have to wait, but in the meantime, take it easy, and brush often! -Gene

Friends, I hope you've had a good week. Backing up a bit, on Sunday, 11 February 2007, Janice and I watched the 49th Grammy Awards. Of the performances during the ceremony, I thought that Gnarls Barkley's performance of "Crazy" and Christina Aguilera's tribute to the late James Brown were the best live acts, closely followed by Mary J. Blige. The cover by young country musicians of Eagles member Don Henley and the rhythm and blues medley including Chris Brown were not as strong, in my opinion.

The reunion of the Police was good, since lead singer Sting has hardly aged in 30 years. It must be all that tantric yoga. Following the Golden Globes' lead, both the Grammys and the Oscars have featured musicians and actors as presenters across their respective domains (plus the host network usually promotes its own shows).

I was annoyed that several musical genres weren't shown in the television broadcast, including classical, jazz, and most rock and roll. Modern rock (including hard rock, heavy metal, punk, and so-called alternative) was represented only by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, whom I like, but I would have preferred to see and hear more.

Of the winners, I agreed with the Dixie Chicks' win for "Record" of the Year for "Not Ready to Make Nice." The controversial country band also won Album of the Year for "Taking the Long Way," although I wouldn't have minded if Gnarls Barkley's "St. Elsewhere" or Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Stadium Arcadium" had won.

The Dixie Chicks also won song of the year, which I would have given to catchy "Crazy." I sympathize with their stance against the U.S. invasion of Iraq, but that's a topic for another debate. Former "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood won for Best New Artist, but I would have preferred winsome Corinne Bailey Ray (and what was Imogen Heap dressed as, a shrubbery?).

The Best Female Pop Vocal Performance was one of the stronger categories this past year, with Pink, KT Tunstall, and Christina Aguilera (who won for "Ain't No Other Man") among my favorites. On the other hand, I didn't care for most of the schmaltzy male pop vocalists, including James Blunt, John Legend, John Meyer, Daniel Powter, and even Sir Paul McCartney. Even the R&B revival can't make me like them.

Best Pop Performance went to The Black-Eyed Peas, whom I like (although the Pussycat Dolls have had some nice burlesque-style videos), and while elder statesmen Tony Bennet and Stevie Wonder were recognized with Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals, I preferred acrobatic Shakira and Wyclef Jean's "Hips Don't Lie."

Of other nominated performers, I'm a fan of the neoCeltic work of Enya, the Brian Setzer Orchestra (especially during the swing revival of the 1990s), classic rockers Bob Dylan and Tom Petty, jazz chanteuse Diana Krall, U2 and Green Day's polemic "The Saints Are Coming," the playful Outkast, and hard rockers System of a Down.

To follow up more on my previous postings about music, if I had to pick favorites among the artists of the 1960s, I'm more of a Beatles fan than an Elvis one, and I admire the Beatles' experimentation just as much as the Rolling Stones' longevity. The explosion in subgenres during the 1970s remains interesting to me, as are the retro and New Wave movements of the 1980s.

I would also be remiss if I didn't mention the progressive rock favored by friends such as Ben P.S. Concept albums from bands such as Rush, Pink Floyd, and Queensryche got me through many study sessions in college and graduate school.

Speaking of college, Dexter V.H. didn't visit the Boston area this past weekend. Between the heavy snows that kept him from bringing some of his children from Brooklyn to their mother in Upstate New York; mixed communications with fellow teleconferencing role-player Byron V.O. in St. Louis, Missouri; and a lack of interest among my local group for a one-shot session, it was not to be. Dex hopes to come up again soon, though.

I more than made up for that with time spent with the growing "City of Heroes" virtual teams. Thomas K.Y., Janice, and I also screened "Ghost Rider" on Saturday, Feb. 17, followed by dinner at "Tennessee's" barbeque in Framingham, Massachusetts.

We mostly enjoyed the latest Marvel Comics movie adaptation, which I would give a "B+" or about a 7 out of 10. When "Crazy Train" came on the soundtrack, I was happy to see the flaming-skulled motorcycle vigilante of my youth.

I also watched "Superman II: the Donner Cut," which new co-worker Ken G. had loaned me on DVD. I liked this version as much as the Lester-recut theatrical version of the film, which I'd now give an 8 or 9 out of 10.

Some things, such as Lois Lane's (spunky Margot Kidder, who I met at a convention not too long ago) deduction of Clark Kent's dual identity and the late Christopher Reeve's seminal performance in the lead role, were better in the Donner cut. Others, such as the Paris scene and the transition from Superman: the Motion Picture, were better in the theatrical release. The musical score is still excellent, but there are plot/continuity problems in both versions, which predate the 1985 recalibration of Superman by D.C. Comics.

It's interesting to note how director Bryan Singer clearly drew from both versions of "Superman II" for the back story for his "Superman Returns." I look forward to seeing how the first and greatest superhero fares in his next cinematic outing, hopefully against a villain such as Darkseid or Brainiac.

Although this workweek is short, it should be busy, plus face-to-face and teleconferencing D&D3.5 "Vanished Lands" fantasy games, more "City of Heroes," and meeting Ben P.S., another college friend, in Boston early on Saturday. This coming Sunday, Feb. 25, Thomas and I plan to rent "The Illusionist" and "The Prestige."

A week from now, I'll have my dental appointment, which I'm not especially looking forward to. Janice and I have made travel arrangements for visiting my immediate family at the end of April, but we're also looking forward to a quiet weekend to ourselves. Next time: comics reviews! Later, -Gene

Friends, I had hoped to post within the past two weeks, but as usual, good intentions were derailed by getting busy. Family concerns again came to the fore with the sad anniversary of the passing of Steve M.R.'s mother, Bill A.R.'s news of his father's fatal car accident, and assorted tests among Janice's and my immediate family. I'm also pursuing my health insurer regarding planned dental work.

I wish I had heard from Bill under better circumstances, echoing those of Stuart C.G.'s parents in the past year or so. Bill asked me to pass along his contact information (he still lives in California) to our other college friends, which I did. I also plan to visit my growing family in Virginia in late April, but it will have to be for a mere three-day weekend because of mandatory meetings at work.

Janice's and my jobs have gone reasonably well, despite the ongoing lack of technical support as CW continues its stated move toward print/online integration in the newsroom. Our workload has continued to increase. I'll have a lot to say in our annual employee survey. Although I was knocked out in the third round of our pool/billiards tournament, I was pleased to get further than I had expected.

A copy desk lunch at Joe's American Bar & Grill went well, since that was one of the few restaurants we could agree on. At least we telecommuted on Wednesday, 15 February 2007, because of a snow and ice storm. New co-worker Ken G. shares my interest in genre entertainment, loaning me the "Superman II: the Donner Cut" on DVD.

I've had to record more television lately because of other demands on my time. For example, on Monday, Feb. 12, Janice watched the annual Westminster Dog Show, so I videotaped metahuman ensemble drama "Heroes." On Tuesday, my D&D3.5 "Vanished Lands: the Broken Chains" Arabian fantasy group met, so I watched young-adult sleuth "Veronica Mars" the following night.

On Thursday, I played "City of Heroes" online with David I.S., Kim A.G., Steve M.R., and Thomas K.Y. (marking a new high in the size of our team), so I recorded metahuman ensemble drama "Smallville." There's definitely a superhero trend here, and we've been busy creating and managing characters.

Even shows such as the revisionist space opera (some are realizing that it has become more of a soap opera in space) "Battlestar Galactica," ensemble drama "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," and goofy sleuth "Psych" are in danger of dropping off my viewing schedule entirely, let alone movies or DVDs.

However, I have managed to catch the latest decent episodes of the animated "Legion of Superheroes," "The Batman," and "Kim Possible." While I'm disappointed in the Cartoon Network's guerilla marketing of "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" in Boston and elsewhere, I'm more annoyed at that network's lack of support for adult comic book superheroes and the SciFi Channel's reliance on schlock horror flicks.

Janice and I got our taxes done, and we were happy to learn that we'll be getting refunds from the federal and state governments. Next year will be more complicated, since we both just enrolled in 401(k) retirement savings plans. I'm annoyed at how the federal government has transferred the risk from guaranteeing workers' pensions to individual investment scenarios that financiers reap most of the profits from.

Janice and I celebrated Valentine's Day by exchanging cards and eating out over the past week at Bertucci's and Acapulco's. Among other things, we watched the Grammy Awards, which reminds me that I need to post again about music soon.

This coming weekend, Dexter V.H. plans to visit from Brooklyn, New York. I couldn't get quorum among the face-to-face role-players, but we hope to screen "Ghost Rider," update Drow Ranger "Faelonia," and have a videoconference session with Byron V.O. in St. Louis. Dex and I are off from work on Presidents' Day, but Janice isn't. Have a good weekend, and drive safely, -Gene