I made it to Boise, and not ONCE did I try to see how fast my car could go. And no fewer than three state troopers ignored me.

That said, my cruising speed was around 88 for most of the stretches where the posted limit was 75. I left at 5:27am, and arrived at the in-laws’ place at 10:41. I walked through the door just in time to see Patches crying — Grandma (his, not mine) handed him straight across to me, and he settled right down. I got a good 15 minutes of cuddly-Patches before he realized he’d been snookered and that Mom was somewhere in this house full of people. That made the whole trip worthwhile.

Right now everyone is out ice-blocking (it’s like sledding, only you use an ice-block instead of a sled, and you do it on grass) while I stay home and relax with my friend The Internet. Ahh, reunions.

Incidentally, MY Grandma is now well enough to travel, and will be flying to Utah next Monday. Hurray!

–Howard

[edit — 1:53 pm] I just finished a nap, and they’re not back from ice-blocking yet. So far the reunion has been a peaceful, delightful, home-away-from-home experience. And now, to see to the larder…

My next-door neighbor back in 1994 was a police officer. Nice guy, full head of hair, nice family.

Now he plays Darth Vader with the the Alpine Garrison of the 501st Legion. See?

That’s how it happens… you go from being serving with the forces for good, and then you’re seduced to the dark side in hopes of getting a shiny helmet to cover the hair loss. I bet that’s how the movie goes, too.

–Howard
p.s. Mark, if you’re reading this, it was really good talking to you, and these are not the droids you’re looking for.

Okay, I’ve now been “friended” 300 times. Where’s my free toaster?

In unrelated news, I saw “The Manchurian Candidate” last night. Dark, twisty, and moody. The straight-on filming of faces was creepy — it made you part of a reality you really don’t want to take any part in.

Regarding the rating: There’s R-rated violence that desensitizes us, like the shoot-em-ups in True Lies or Total Recall (a pair of Governator films I really enjoyed), and then there’s violence that heightens our sensitivity, reminding us that life is precious and OW OW OW BE CAREFUL WITH THAT. This movie has the second kind of R-rated violence.

Wanna know how it ends? So did I.

–Howard

Sandra’s on the road to Boise right now, and I’m engaged in some serious Buffer-Fu. On Saturday and Sunday I scripted two weeks worth of Schlock, and I’m going to try and get all 18 rows inked by Tuesday afternoon. That’ll put me far enough ahead that I can spend a little time crafting the opening of “Schlock Mercenary Book IV: Saving The Galaxy.”

In case you’re wondering, the working titles for the first three books are:

Schlock Mercenary 1001: Under New Management
Schlock Mercenary Book II: The Blackness Between
Schlock Mercenary Book III: Out From Under New Management

We’re also planning on a CD of the first 1000 strips, entitled “Schlock Mercenary 1000: Step Away From The Tub of Happiness”

–Howard