Parallel Lives

On August 4, 1982, Major League Baseball player Joel Youngblood became the only player in history to get hits for two different teams in two different cities on the same day. He got a single for the Mets at Shea Stadium then was taken out of the game and traded to the Cubs. The Cubs were playing the Phillies in Philadelphia and Youngblood raced to Philly and got a single there as well. (Thanks, vague childhood memory of a commemorative baseball card and modern day Wikipedia!)

On October 22, I made a similar kind of history. It had been a while since I had taken the clipper to my head and my hair was (for me) somewhat wild. In the morning when I went out in public I used the Totally Transparent Vain Hair Dodge For Men of wearing a baseball cap because I had not taken a shower.

Later that day, as I prepared for a show with Skittish, I got around to shaving my hair down to as close to nothing as I can get with an electric trimmer. (I've tried shaving my head once with a blade and it's...bad.) That night, when I again went out in public, I used the Totally Transparent Vain Hair Dodge For Men of going as bald as possible to disguise male pattern baldness and gray.

I'm just a busy guy trying to live his life with only the slightest nod in the direction of societal mores regarding hair care. I don't care to make time for it anymore like I used to when I had a long, luxurious ponytail. Does that make me a hero? I don't know. You decide.

Well Done, Library

When there is something I want to read, I look for it at the library because I am cheap and I don't want to fill my house up with books any more than it is already so. When a book is not at the library I get the necessary information from amazon and fill out the "suggest a title" form from hclib.org. Then, back on amazon, I add the book to my private "recommended to library" wish list.

Periodically, especially when I am between books with nothing in mind to read next, as I was recently, I check on whether any of my recommendations have been purchased. I'd say this whole system works less than 10% of the time.

However!

The library recently purchased no fewer than thirteen Star Wars novels from the '90s chronicling the adventures of Luke, Han, Leia, etc. and their kids. Thirteen! Several of these were books in trilogies of which they had a maddening one or two. With a sense of a job well done, I moved them to my "purchased by library" list. Fellow nerds of Hennepin County, you're welcome. Enjoy. (Please note the "On Order" status of most of these books.)

Tales From The Mos Eisley Cantina


Tales from Jabba's Palace


Shadows of the Empire


Star Wars: The Hand of Thrawn: Specter of the Past (Book 1)


Star Wars: The Corellian Trilogy: Assault at Selonia (Book 2)


Star Wars: The Corellian Trilogy: Showdown at Centerpoint (Book 3)


Star Wars: The Han Solo Trilogy: The Paradise Snare (Book 1)


The New Rebellion


Star Wars: The Black Fleet Crisis: Before the Storm (Book 1)


Star Wars: The Black Fleet Crisis: Shield of Lies (Book 2)


The Crystal Star


Children of the Jedi


Star Wars: Republic Commando: True Colors (Book 3)


In the wake of this week's elections, this qualifies as activism. It's what I can do for our community.

Still waiting for them to get "The Lando Calrissian Adventures" Omnibus...