So Long Etsy

September 2, 2020September 2, 2020

Last month I closed my Etsy store for good. Sales had been in the crapper for about two years so it was way past time to pull the trigger. Looking at the shop stats confirmed what I already knew and that was that out of 10 years on Etsy the shop only had 3 years where it was kinda profitable.

So, in August I moved the store to Weebly. It’s still a work in progress but so far I’m pleased with the results. Without the coattails of mother Etsy to hang onto, promoting the site is all on me now. IMO it can’t get worse since for the entire year of 2020 there were only 3 sales. Haven’t had numbers that bad since my first couple years on Etsy when it was just a whim and not a full time business.

I’m excited because this will force me to learn more about SEO and promoting on social media. Earlier this year I finally wiggled free of Godaddy’s slimy grip and found new web hosting. Right now this blog and alternativecitycomics.com have the same hosting while the store is hosted by Weebly. For now that works because they handle all the financial transactions since they are owned by Squarespace. Depending how things go I may move them all to the same host but for now it feels like we’re moving forward.

Check out the new Psychic Unicorns online store!

October 27, 2017

Going Paleo

As I write this it is day 28 of my 30 day Paleo Reset. What makes the Paleo Reset different from the Paleo Diet is that during the reset you’re forbidden from eating any dairy, grains, legumes, sweeteners, refined foods, industrial seed oils, soda, alcohol or any processed sauce or seasonings. Basically all the things that we both love and are killing us.

What is permitted: meat & poultry, organ meats, bone broth soups, fish, starchy tubers like sweet potatoes (which I now LOVE), leafy veggies, fermented vegetables and fruits, healthy fats like coconut, olive oil and even animal fat. These things you can eat as much as you want.

Broccolini, Amber Cup squash(which is to fucking die for) and under all those mushrooms & onions is a burger.

One of the biggest adjustments was redefining what breakfast is. Eggs are allowed but I gave them up just in case I have an allergy to them. So breakfast is now a chicken breast and a sweet potato. There were some cravings early on but not as bad as I thought they would be.

You can listen to people give testimonials about how a diet changed or improved their lives but unless you experience it yourself it may be hard to believe. I am a believer.

An all vegetarian option of broccolini, zucchini and delicata squash.

I didn’t weigh myself before but I know I’ve lost some weight and lots of belly bloat. I feel more energetic and have no pain in my joints whatsoever. My mind is even clearer.

The idea is to introduce some things back into the diet one at a time after the 30 days is up. Then you ‘ll be able to identify the offenders your body can’t tolerate. Be prepared to say goodbye to some old friends.

This has changed my outlook on food 100% and I’m never going back to the way I used to eat. Am i going to occasionally cheat once the reset is over? Hell Yes! But I’m going to treat that cookie or that slice of cake like the tiny dose of poison that it is and only have a bit rather than pigging out like I used to.

September 23, 2017

The Magic of Vinyl

I love that the vinyl record has made a comeback. For me it’s mostly a nostalgic thing since I know that digitally recorded music is a more accurate presentation of sound, but with vinyl it’s all about the experience.

Growing up in the 60’s & 70’s playing records was kind of a big deal. When you broke out the albums and started playing them back to back that was an event. Usually there would be friends over or it would be the weekend. Otherwise you’d just turn on the radio. There was no streaming or mp3 players.

Just watching the record spin on the turntable is kind of hypnotic. Not to mention all the extras, lyrics and artwork that come inside the album jacket.

We are blessed with one of the coolest record stores on the planet here in Olympia, Rainy Day Records. I have spent hours on my hands and knees going through their 98 cent records. New vinyl is more pricey than I remember. A single album today can run as much as $30 so it’s worth it to look through the bargain bins.

Along with used stereo equipment, used & new cds and dvds, there’s a wall of rare records displayed as a comic shop would show their prize silver and bronze age books. They even have 45s!

Rainy Day is going to get a lot of my business in the months to come as I replace my record collection that was mostly given away before our move. Any records new or old I’ll get buy from them because places like this are a treasure and should be around forever.

September 8, 2017

The Good Son

August was a hard month. We lost both of our dogs to cancer days just apart. Last August our youngest dog Lily died so August has not been kind as of late. One good thing did happen the last week of this past August and that was us adopting an eight year old beagle named Abel.

Abel comes to us from Kindness Ranch who have many animals in their care as well as beagles that survive laboratory research. These people are truly doing the lords work. Beagles are the preferred dogs for laboratory research partly because of their mild temperament which ironically is the thing we love most about them. Abel was being fostered by a family in Redmond Washington and we found him on Petfinder.

Except for a few minor dust ups with our cat Smokey trying to be a bully, Abel’s first couple weeks with us has been pretty smooth. Janet had the brilliant idea of letting both of them sit with her in the reading room during the day. Since then Smokey has become less fearful and more accepting of Abel’s constant pacing in circles, a habit we noticed in our now angel dog Lily. They were both caged for the early years of their lives.

Wednesday we had his first vet appointment with our vet Dr. Martin who is super cool. Although she can not prescribe or recommend CBD for animals, I ran it by her and she agrees they can do no harm. Dogs have to ingest lots of toxins in their lifetime so maybe this will help even things out a bit. We want to do everything possible to make sure that Abel has a long and healthy life.

August 11, 2017

Remembering Odie

Years ago I used to keep a journal. It helped me work through a lot of things that I was going through at the time. For some reason I got away from doing that, but since nobody reads this blog I’ve decided that this is my journal now and plan to make more frequent entries. If someone reads it, no big deal. I have no secrets.

One week ago we were at a vet appointment for Herbie. We always brought Odie along for because he hates to be left alone with just the cats, plus it’s just nice to have him around supporting Herbie. We mentioned to the doctor how Odie was having some stool issues and she noticed that he had some muscle wasting in multiple areas that was an indication of a very old dog or a very sick dog. Suddenly the conversation was no longer about Herbie.

The doctor ordered a set of x-rays and they confirmed the worst. His intestines were being smashed to the back of his body by huge tumors that had been growing for some time. Some calcification of the organs had already begun. He didn’t have long.

I felt numb and heartbroken. We had just spent hundreds on expensive tests and even a dental only a few months ago where they told us he was fine. I’m still trying to not be angry about that. If they had done the x-ray when we had the senior blood panel done on him in April, maybe we could have done something to slow the process or at least make him more comfortable.

His last day was not comfortable. That was Monday. We said goodbye to him at 3:00 Monday afternoon, less than a week after the diagnosis.

The last few days have been really shitty. When you adopt older dogs you have less time with them. That’s the trade off, I get that but that doesn’t mean that you don’t feel like you just took a baseball bat to the gut every time you lose one.

And you know what, I’d do the same thing all over again.

It’s not about us it’s about the dog.

If I see another older dog in a shelter in the near future, I’m probably gonna adopt them. Especially if they’re a beagle.

Right now, little Herbie is the last man standing. I always knew he was a tough little guy but I had no idea he would outlive our other dogs.

I’ll always remember Odie as being such a diplomat. He ignored the cats even when they were acting crazy. Lily was so nervous that she would often trip over him and even lay on top of him but he never protested. And he was always careful to not trample Herbie even at dinner time.

I’m really gonna miss my buddy. He was something special. Right now I imagine him and Lily in heaven snuggling together. Saving a space for Herbie.

July 2, 2017July 5, 2017

Herbie’s Victory Lap

A couple of weeks ago our vet told us that our beloved senior dog Herbie has a mass in his sinus cavity. It is most likely malignant and is most definitely inoperable and eventually fatal.

It’s always heartbreaking to lose a pet. Just last August we lost our youngest dog Lily. Since Lily was so young it came as a complete shock and was incredibly devastating for us. This time it’s not a surprise since Herbie has been showing signs of wearing down for some time, but that still doesn’t make it easy. We would have lost him in May of 2016 to an abscessed tooth if not for Janet showing up at the vet with him and demanding surgery. He’s always been a tough little guy.

The lesson that I learned from losing Lily was to treasure every day, hour and minute I have with the kiddos (a word I’ve picked up from the vets here in Olympia) and never take anything for granted.

I’m looking at this as a victory lap for Herbie. His farewell tour like a retiring ballplayer. He could have suffered a tragic fate like so many pets lost or abandoned on the streets but he didn’t. We enjoyed five plus glorious years with him and gave him a loving home in his old age which is more than a lot of creatures have. Now, our job is to make his life as comfortable as possible until he joins the rest of our angel pets.

December 5, 2016

Pitch Perfect

Pitch is probably the the best TV drama that you’re not watching right now. Sports fans are ignoring it because “Oh how ridiculous a girl baseball player” and non fans are like, ” Ugh, another show about sports”.

PITCH: L-R: Tim Jo, Meagan Holder, Mo McRae, Kylie Bunbury, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mark Consuelos, Ali Larter and Dan Lauria in PITCH premiering Thursday, Sept. 22 (9:00 - 10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX © 2016 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Tommy Garcia / FOX. — PITCH: L-R: Tim Jo, Meagan Holder, Mo McRae, Kylie Bunbury, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mark Consuelos, Ali Larter and Dan Lauria in PITCH premiering Thursday, Sept. 22 (9:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX © 2016 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Tommy Garcia / FOX.

My opinion is that there’s enough there to keep both those demographics content. Last week I was catching up on the show on Hulu and Janet started watching and was totally drawn in and she couldn’t care less about sports. Kylie Bunbury is so believable as Ginny Baker the first female MLB player. Mark-Paul Gosselaar nails the part of the aging veteran teammate with a heart of gold that takes Ginny under his wing. I had no idea he was that good an actor when he was Zack on Saved By The Bell.

Sure you could pick apart details like her father when showing her how to throw a screwball has his fingers set for throwing a circle change but only hardcore fans would complain about that. There’s plenty of drama and character development to keep you interested in the story. It’s like Friday Night Lights in that it’s a show about people of which some of them have sports as part of their lives but there is very little actual sports being shown.

That said, having the full cooperation of Major League Baseball makes this show feel really authentic. They find a way to work actual game footage and current players and sportscasters into the mix which is very cool.

The most important thing about Pitch is the inspiration a show like this could be for young girls, and they really drive this home some would say to the point of being preachy. Given the results of the recent election, I don’t think you can downplay the woman hate that goes on in society in general or sports specifically. Even in the comments section for videos promoting the show there is so much vitriol. I personally believe that a woman could play pro baseball. She would have to be a pitcher or maybe a slick fielding middle infielder and be a generational talent like Serena Williams. And the biggest obstacle she would have to overcome wouldn’t be MLB hitters, but the old boy system that likes to keep things the way they’ve always been.

November 9, 2016November 9, 2016

WTF America!

Well congratulations USA, you elected a reality show starring, race baiting, pussy grabbing numbskull as your president. You must be very proud. I have a theory that I call the 50% theory, and God I wish that I was wrong but yesterday proved me 100% right. That theory is that of the 8 billion people that populate this planet, half of them are idiots. 50%. Now I think we may have more than our share here in ‘merica.

If somebody had told me a month ago the Cubs would win the World Series and orange dude would be elected president I would have had my doubts about either event occurring.

There are many reasons why this nightmare became a reality. Here are a few.

The purity test. The protest vote. Voters who believed neither candidate met their purity standards. These voters felt compelled to vote their conscience and go for Gary Johnson or Jill Stein or any other random schmuck that had no chance of winning so they could feel better about themselves. Nobody is gonna give a shit about your conscience as missiles are heading toward out capital cities because of some ridiculous thing this narcissist has done.
Patriarchy. This is real, I just had no idea just how real it is until recently. There is a lot of animosity toward women. Duh, right? I have not always been aware of this having lived my entire life as a man, and kinda having my hands full being a black man in America. There are men out there that would die and go to Hell rather than see the first black president followed by the first female president.
Desperation. A mixture of racism, misogyny, bully worship and desperation were the hallmarks of the Trump campaign. As scary as those other things are it’s the desperation that kept his supporters going. They believed all the lies he told them because they wanted them to be true. Sure, this guy has scammed hundreds of people out of millions of dollars but not this time! No-sir-ree this time he’s gonna keep his promise cause this time he’s speaking our language. This time he’s blaming those people that I don’t like anyway.

We are going to get through this. This kind of madness always passes after a while. Usually after the ignorant masses discover their champion is a shyster and they’ve been sold a bill of goods. In the meantime what we can do individually is get active on a local basis. I live in a state that’s a brick in the blue wall and I’m going to find time to donate to some worthy local representative and work to make damn sure that this wonderful state remains blue. Once Trump is impeached or finally revealed for the con man he is in 4 years, a strong progressive candidate could unseat him. Hillary is probably done, she’s like the Dem version of Mitt Romney by now. I’m thinking Elizabeth Warren. We just gotta hang in there. Somehow.

November 3, 2016November 3, 2016

WE WIN!

A feat thought by some to be unachievable became a reality a couple days ago when the Chicago Cubs won the World Series. I never get tired of writing that or saying that or thinking about that because that makes it more real.

Finally, the men in blue put together 11 wins in October. Cub fans, especially older Cub fans know what it’s like to endure not only losing but also constant ridicule from everyone from White Sox fans, co-workers even the national media. Every year they made the playoffs ESPN would rebroadcast the 84 or 03 NLCS. Finally they have to bury that shit.

Thanks to a team of young studs that don’t know or care anything about those teams, the north siders are set up for a possible dynasty. Even when fans lost hope,(myself included) they come charging back. Down 2-1 to the Dodgers, 3-1 to the Indians and after losing a 5-1 lead late in game 7 when your horse of a closer gets lit up for a tying homer, these boys still come back in the 10th inning of the greatest game 7 ever and score 2 runs to win their first championship since the dead ball era.

I know a lot of you don’t care about sports but this is bigger than grown men playing a boys game. I can’t count the times I have been mocked or even at times bullied when I was a kid simply for being a Cub fan. Those who stand by their team especially in rough times (108 futile years) to me shows something about that person’s character. Anybody can be a fan of whoever the current champion is. That just means you’re a front runner, a coattail rider, a brown noser even. If I knew a job applicant for my company was a front runner I would never hire them. I could never count on their loyalty.

This World Series win is like the payoff for putting dollars into a slot machine for over a century. That payoff came in tears and the release of energy that could be felt worldwide. Everyone has a story about a family member or friend or partner that was no longer alive that was a lifelong fan. For those of us still in the body, we had the weight of 50 giant gorillas lifted of our backs on Wednesday November 3rd 2016. This was the last great American sports story. I’m trying to think who should play Joe Maddon in the movie…

September 22, 2016September 22, 2016

The Forever Headphones are No More!

On December 7th, 2011 I bought a pair of pink V-MODA Vibe headphones on Amazon for $24. I had purchased several of these before because they short out after 2 or 3 months. Even though they only last a short time I kept buying them because they have a great sound for the price. Actually the order was for 2 pair, a pair of gunmetal phones for me and the pink ones for Janet. The gunmetal set was $38.

Fast forward 2 months later, my phones short out as usual so I borrow Janet’s pair. She hardly used them and mine were in use all the time when I work, at the gym, even overnight I wear them so I can use the sleep machine app and listen to old time radio to help me sleep. I never gave them back.

This morning, the forever headphones (which is what I named them after they just kept going) finally shorted out in one ear. It was the end of an era. By some fluke, some miracle of modern manufacturing, I had been able to use a product that is surely created to fail in a short period of time, for almost 5 years.

Just looked on Amazon and the few remaining sets of this model are now $39. I’m reluctant to buy them because the odds are so against the next pair being anything like the last pair. They will never surpass the forever headphones. A moment of silence please.