My Teeth Hurt

Squee! This video is so sweet I can feel my cavities. Check it out:

The Future of Comics

The daily comics used to be my childhood cereal and syrup ritual. Whoever got to the comics first at the breakfast table was the winner. Most of the time we ate cereal and the comics would be in good condition by the time it was my turn. Occasionally, my sister would get to the comics first on an Eggo Waffle Day and she would hand over the paper with the last two comic pages glued together with maple syrup. When I peeled open the pages the print would lift away and the punchline would be lost to me forever.

As honeymooners living in California, my husband and I had a sophisticated and sweet comic sharing ritual. Whoever woke up first got to read the comics first. 99% of the time this rule worked in my favor because I was the early riser. But whenever I slept in I would curse myself and berate him as he lingered at the breakfast table with MY comics, taking his time finishing the sudoku.

Upon moving to Canada, I found the local paper was too lame to be worth the subscription so I began reading my news and comics online. I developed a new ritual of reading my comics at work during my post-lunch boredom break. This little escape amuses me and inspires me to be creative when I am feeling oppressed by administrative bureaucracy.

I recently signed up for a gocomics ID so that I can read my comics online, organize them, tag them and leave comments for other readers. I love reading the comics for free and I now have access to comics that my local paper doesn’t print. I can skip over the dead weight (Snoopy, Cathy, Beetle Baily, etc.) and read the editorial comics at the same time as the humor comics without having to shuffle between sections of a newspaper (Living/Editorial). Gone are the days of cutting out a comic and sticking it on the fridge. I can save the good comics to my homepage. And best of all, I can see the comics crisply and clearly. Newsprint readers, meanwhile, are left squinting at the shrunken frames that newspaper publishers have crammed onto one page with Dear Abby and the jumble.

This online format is immune to the squabbles and syrup but sometimes it leaves me feeling a little achy for the tangible comic pages from my childhood. However, I have embraced this format and the big reward: having access to new comics, new art, new stories and new points of view. I think that this format is the future of comics.

Here is a short list of new comics that I read online:

• Non Sequiter
  

• Candorville

• Watch Your Head

• Secret Asian Man

• Get Fuzzy

• Lio

• Pearls Before Swine

Do you still read the comics? Which ones?

Love Will Change the World

Every summer Vancouver hosts an international fireworks competition. This year Canada, the USA and China are competing against one another.

Canada kicked off the competition on Wednesday night with a show titled "Attack!" The fireworks were Godzilla-green and synchronized to air raid sirens and abstract modern music from the Godzilla soundtrack.

The US show is tonight with the theme "Love Will Change the World." The music will be by Enya, Sting, Bocelli, Disney, U2, and the Boston Pops, to name a few.

Given the current political climate, it seems to me that the Yanks would have chosen an 'attack' theme and the Canucks would have chosen the 'love' theme. I am amused the two countries have swapped themes and feel encouraged that maybe the tide is turning back home in the states.

I will be rooting for USA!USA!USA! tonight but I think China will win this competition. After all, they have 2000 more years of experience than the US and Canada.

Ten Summer Cravings

1. Novelty Ice cream bars (pushups, drumsticks, flavor ice, dreamsicles, etc.)
2. Tomatoes
3. Melons (honeydew, watermelon, cantelope)
4. Iced tea
5. Chips and Salsa
6. Light beer
7. Salads with ranch dressing
8. Lassis, frappaccinos, and smoothies
9. Zucchini
10. Samosas (technically a year round craving, but samosas pair perfectly with iced tea this time of year)

What are you craving this summer?

Happy Canada Day !

Happy Canada Day !
Originally uploaded by Amadika

Dear Canada,

It has been fun getting to know you. Thanks for your kindness and enjoy your 141st year!

Nancy