Good 'ol Archie.

When I know a parent is concerned about the content of comics, I point toward the northwest corner of the store where we have "kids comics". Disney, Asterix, Tintin, Simpsons (iffy), Pixar, Scoopy Doo, etc. etc. -- and especially good old Archie.

How can you go wrong with Archie? It is essentially the same Archie comics as decades ago-- though the styles might change. Archie's eternally playing the field between good girl Betty and rich mean girl Veronica. Mr. Lodge's befuddlement of 'kid's these days.' Reggie obsession with designer clothes. Jughead's binge eating problem.

Yeah, so what can go wrong with Archie?

So I thought this store from the comic news site ICV2 was amusing:

"Archie Comics Publications has filed suit in the State of New York against Co-CEO Nancy Silberkleit accusing her of, among other things storming into a meeting in 2009 and pointing at the participants and yelling “Penis, penis, penis, penis.” She supposedly repeated the “penis” outburst again in 2010 and followed it up by exclaiming, “My balls hurt.” "Silberkleit was quoted in 2010 complaining about the resistance she met from the entrenched old boy network when she joined the Archie Comics management team, so there may well be another side to the “penis taunting” incidents, which will undoubtedly come out if the suit goes to trial."

Nothing to do with the content of the comics -- except: You have to wonder if the 'traditional' nature of the comic is reflected by the "old boy" network.

**********

I just read a rave review of A Dance With Dragons, the fifth Game of Thrones books. I was torn by this -- waiting 6 years for book four took some of the steam out. And then, I didn't think the fourth book was all that great. Pretty much wandering the devastated countryside without advancing the plot.

I mean Martin is very readable even then. But I'd somewhat lost track of characters.

Now it's another 5 years later.

And there are two books to go.

But...I suspect I won't be able to resist.

Meanwhile, I needed to order 10 book minimum to be sure to get the book on Tuesday, which is too many. I will feel obligated to point out that people can purchase the book cheaper elsewhere. I do this, because I don't want enraged customers coming back and yelling at me.

So I'll be ordering on the Tuesday, for Thursday delivery, and hope I can sell a few.

**********

My desktop has slowed to a crawl. As soon as I can transfer the needed info to my laptop, I'll be replacing it with my Mac.

But I realized something this morning.

I'd gotten rather used to the slow pace. I'd sit and sip my coffee and contemplate my day and so on, while I waited. It was a lazy pace, and I kind of like it.

My laptop is -- here it is NOW! Right in your face! What are you going to do about it!!!

Well, slow is O.K., but glacial has become a problem. It just stops sometimes and stares back at me, and I sip my coffee and wait, and contemplate, and wait, and ....

Finally, I turn it off and turn on my laptop.