Shulkie

Today was kind of a bitter sweet day for me. I got to watch my favorite driver, Danica Patrick for the last time drive in a Nascar race. It didn't work out like she was hoping for since she got caught up in someone else's wreck and I was really hoping she would've finished top-10 or got her first win. At Daytona, it's anyone's race there.
She was back in her iconic GoDaddy green car with her number 7 which was her first number she got when she first joined Nascar in 2010 doing it part time before joining full time.
A lot of folks didn't like her, but I did because she was a driver who wanted to win and even at 5'2", she didn't back down, when necessary, from confronting someone who wrecked her. She is very attractive, but she' passionate about succeeding when behind the wheel.
She lost her ride last year after 5 years at the Cup level which is the top level in Nascar. She spent 3 years in the Nationwide series which is the series below the Cup level.
She started out in the Indy series in 2005 and I was a fan ever since. She will drive in the Indy 500 one more time and she actually has the most success there than any female racer ever. She even won once in the Indy series when they raced in Japan in 2008.
It's gonna be weird after that not seeing her behind the wheel anymore. She's already started a clothing line, has a wine vineyard in California, has a workout book, and even wrote a cookbook so her future is hers and it's bright.
I wish her well and at the same time I'm gonna miss watching her.
She was my last favorite driver which started with Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte, and Tony Stewart in 2000. My belated Uncle got me hooked on Nascar when he gave me a 1999 Jeff Gordon Star Wars diecast car.
Loved watching the races and seeing the cool paint schemes. First Bobby lost his ride in the late 2000's, then in 2015 Jeff retired, then 2016 was Tony's last year leaving Danica.
She lost her ride due to her sponsor leaving the team after one year after signing a 3 year contract. They enjoyed the money and business Danica brought them , but they didn't wanna spend it sponsoring her.
Her car owner couldn't find a sponsor so she decided to call it quits since she couldn't find a quality ride any where.
Female racers in Nascar is rare and not many had the success Danica had. Nascar needs more cause there are some talented female drivers out there, but it seems some owners are biased  and don't wanna hire any.
I'm officially done with Nascar until they get live up to the "diversity" they preach about and get more another or more females in the sport. the NHRA has some successful drivers like the Force sisters and many others. Nascar has a problem and need to get it fixed.
My sundays are now freed up till football starts again.
Gonna be different for me.

I just wanted to take a moment and mention a little reminder about what this time of year can mean for us. It may not be needed, but it was laid upon my to just put it out there anyway.
It's Christmas time again and to some of us it means tons of shopping ( online and/or in stores), visits with family and friends, lots of baking and cooking (and eating too much for some ) and, unfortunately for some, stress and depression. .

I've always been a simple kinda guy and don't like complications. Keep it simple and it'll do wonders for you.
Sometimes it's not always easy to do cause to put it plainly...Life happens!

No matter your faith, heritage, or social circumstance, this is a time of Joy, Love, Peace, and Kindness towards others including yourself. Yes, you can include yourself. It's not a matter of being selfish, but taking a little time and enjoying what is going on around you.
The lights around town and, maybe, your own home, the Christmas songs and tunes on the radio, the extra smiles and greetings being expressed by others, taking time to be at the malls (or other Holiday celebrations like parades), seeing all the Christmas decorations and wrapping paper at the stores, in restaurants, and in city plazas, seeing various biker organizations drive down the roads wearing Santa hats while doing charity toy drives, and just the simply the feeling in the "air" this time of year.

It donned on me a few nights ago a few ideas you can do to really enjoy this season.
Drive around town and other neighborhoods looking at the Christmas lights while listening to some gentle Christmas tune on the radio. Put on something like a instrumental melody with no lyrics, an old classic by Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Vince Guaraldi Trio, etc., I'm not real big on some pop stars upbeat rendition of a Christmas Carol for this little trip. Save it for another moment if your out shopping, at home wrapping presents, cleaning house, or doing whatever.

Don't get in a hurry or treat it like a "filler" before a movie starts or having to be somewhere else. Make it enjoyable and just take your time to take it all in!! Some people having Christmas music playing outside the home to entice people to stop and listen while enjoying the lights they put up. It's well worth it to stop for a few seconds and take it all in.

Go to a local coffee shop and get a seasonal blend of your favorite warm beverage. Whether it be coffee, tea, hot cocoa and even add a little snack if you want. Go with someone or by yourself if you want. Who knows, if your single you just might get to meet someone and start a conversation that could lead to a walk around looking at lights.
Trust me, sometimes the best light looking is experienced by foot. There is a local Bible college that puts on one of the best light displays around here. You can walk around on the sidewalks and see the "Christmas forest" with all the trees decorated with lights, some light decorations are synchronized to music (Christmas Eve/Sarajevo by Trans-Siberian Orchestra is really something to see), there is a concrete pond for ducks to swim around in and you can throw them some feed or bread. There is music playing on many parts of the campus for those that want to drive around the other parts and look at the light displays. They play all kinds of Christmas music not just one kind for being a Bible college.

If you have some extra change in your pocket, drop it off in one of the red kettles around town. It all adds up and the Salvation Army does make a difference in the community. Your pocket change or extra cash will add up and allow some child to have a toy to open for Christmas. There is nothing like seeing a child's eyes open wide, their jaw drop, and their breath taken away when they see what toy they get for Christmas!! The "kid" in all of us can't resist to or thinking about that or experiencing it first hand. Yes, us adults do it too

Put on a favorite or several favorite Christmas specials and movies. Just relax, get your favorite warm beverage and snack if you wish and just get taken away for a few hours. Shut off the cell phones and/or computers and relax. Sit at home just listening to music on the radio, CD player, mp3 player, ipod, or whatever musical device you have and kick back, look at your own decorations if you put any and enjoy.

I can understand the flip-side and know the loneliness this time of year brings. I was used to having a family being around with a wife and young kids for Christmas and it was really nice.
But several years later after she left, my youngest moved out last fall to live with her friends and my oldest moved out this past summer, this house is a little quieter now. It can feel kinda lonely if I let it. I do miss seeing my kids run around in their pajamas tearing into the presents spreading wrapping paper everywhere while hollering out what they got. It was great!!
My kids still come around throughout the year and they will again this Christmas. It's different now, but times change and people move on with their lives. It's just learning to adapt and enjoy our lives while we can.

This is lengthy, maybe too long, but if this can give you a few ideas to take in all festivities or relax for a bit and enjoy this season, then it's worth it.
It's always a good thing if you do something for others like visit or call an old friend or long distance family member. Say hello or Merry Christmas to a stranger in the mall, on the street walking by, or in church if you go. Giving to a local charity or church always leaves a good feeling in your that you helped someone you don't know. I will always give to the Toys for Tots charity out of my own toy collection. I gave away several more again this year just because a child will enjoy it more than me!!

Just keep in mind amongst all the hustle and bustle this time of year can bring, Christmas is a time of reflection, of Joy, remembrance of the past year, never-ending random acts of kindness, giving of yourself even with just a greeting, for us of Faith we will celebrate Christ's birth.

My new tradition for the past several Christmases, cup of maybe a log on the , lights off, the most serene 25 minutes of the year with A Christmas, then drive to the aforementioned Bible college and walk around the Christmas forest taking in the sights and sounds!!!

Whatever your do, where ever you go, and however you normally celebrate (or don't)..........this Season is for YOU!!!

OK, I got back from the 2017 Wizard World Comic-con last night after spending the whole day there and I let myself down big time on the pictures. There were tons of people walking around in great costumes, but this time they all seemed preoccupied with their own errands and I didn't want to interrupt them. It's a moral balance of wanting to ask someone for a picture without bothering them and if you do see someone walk by, it's trying to follow them and get the chance to ask them without seeming like your stalking them and I didn't want that. It's also seems like a challenge of some older guy like myself asking these lovely ladies for a picture.
I missed out on several Harley's, a TV Supergirl, classic Supergirl, Enchantress from the Suicide Squad movie, and many, many more. Several of the ladies I wanted to get pics of seemed like they were with someone not in costume or in something I didn't care for, had a boyfriend or husband that was eyeballing everyone that looked at the lady they were with, too busy shopping, chatting with who they were with or other folks, or just had a look like they didn't wanna be bothered (maybe that was just me ).

I really couldn't get any of the famous people's pics from a distance. I tried with Jewel Staite, but my damn camera kept focusing on whoever walked by in front of me and I never really got a clear shot of her. My old camera was too grainy and I can't figure out this new one.
Only getting 7 pics is a bust to me.

After not having anything to drink after a few hours before meeting Jewel (bottled water was $5 and I didn't see the water fountains till too late), I kinda had that dry mouth feeling so I didn't really wanna chat much. Relaxed enough after a moment to interact with Jewel (cause she's freaking gorgeous and I'm not used to being around gorgeous women at all) to finally chat with her on what's happening in her life currently and not feel like a total idiot. She was super polite and courteous and didn't give off that diva vibe at all.
Found the water fountains later and couldn't get enough of them it seemed like.

Everything was priced a little too high and I didn't wanna spent too much on prints (only spent $50 on 5 prints total from two different artists). There was no one outstanding artist that I wanted to see. Got two She-Hulk pics from Steve Geiger who had two colored She-Hulk pics. One was submitted in a Marvel Swimsuit magazine done many years ago. It was the one of She-Hulk around the volcanoes.
I wanted to look thru the comics, but most was too expensive, some was not priced or incorrectly priced and they wanted the customer to ask (which we shouldn't have to do) and others were not categorized and when you see about 10-20 boxes, that takes too long to go thru them.

I just didn't feel like it was the best comic con experience for me overall for some reason. Could be that I only went one day instead of the whole weekend like I did the first two, maybe too shy to stop someone and ask for photos this time, little bit of dry mouth feeling, didn't want to spend too much and keep walking back to the suv with stuff or carry too many things around. Who knows.

I'm thinking since it was my first time to ever leave home that far away (yes, 2 hour drive to me is kinda far away) by myself, I was out of a comfort zone. Last trip I took was with my dad 4 1/2 years ago to a Nascar race. Never went anywhere that far away on my own. Never a reason to and first I time I did, it just didn't work out like I hoped it would.

Oh well, maybe I'll go next year and it'll be better. I figured I would share why I didn't get hardly any pics this round. Don't mean to sound like a downer, but I'm just kicking myself for not trying harder.
If you wanna check out what pics I did get, go ahead.

One of the bonuses is getting to finally meet fellow Okie, Lady Quantum and her family.

Back to work this week and won't have anymore time off till Thanksgiving which needs to hurry and get here.

OK, just wanted to give a little update on the upcoming OKC Wizard World Comic-Con (using a new journal since I don't know how to do the updated thingy that others can use ).
I just checked my emails today(didn't check them yesterday) and I got the one from Wizard World that no one wants to get. I was notified that Kate Beckinsale has cancelled her upcoming OKC Con appearance due to filming!!!
AAAHHHHHHH!!!!!

Ehh, What a Revolting Development This Is!

Talk about a bummer and a half. A once in a lifetime chance to meet one of the best actresses and one of the most attractive women shot. The website always lets the fans know that "talent appearances are subject to change" and I guess Kate gets to film a new movie that prevents her from showing up for Saturday and Sunday in OKC. She was the main reason I was going, but that means that is one long line I don't have to stand in this round. I'm still going to see Jewel Staite who is still well worth seeing. I already bought one autograph ticket and after hearing the news, decided to go ahead an buy another autograph ticket.

The email did notify me that all VIP, Photo Ops, & Autograph purchases will be refunded and I got both of my autograph purchases refunded immediately (which allowed me to buy another one for Jewel)
Oh well, sucks Kate won't make it, but it's still going to OK since I can at least see Jewel who was my favorite person from the Firefly TV series and Serenity movie.

Getting to see all the cosplaying ladies, collectibles, comics, comic art for sale, Q&A panels, (did I mention the cosplay ladies ) is going to be fun in itself so after getting a major refund, I can have a little more for collectibles if I see anything really cool.

I'm going to get as many pics as I can of the cosplayers and vehicles like the Luke Skywalker Landspeeder (again), Rey's speeder from The Force Awakens, maybe the 1966 Batmobile, The yellow Jeep truck from Twister, anything else that interests me. Will try and get pics of Jewel from a distance or when I'm in line away from her since they don't allow pics when they are interacting with you in person. I could pay $30 for a selfie, but who wants my ugly mug in a pic??

At least I'm on vacation this week to relax from the OT at work and physical inventory that got rescheduled by chance for this friday . Get some extra sleep, actually enjoy some cups of and catch up on reading some comics that I've had.

Done wasting your time with my whining over Kate so until next time....

Howdy ya'll or if what's up sounds better, Ok.

Noticed I've gotten many new watchers for some reason or other, but I'm appreciative that many people like what they see on my page. I don't render, draw, or really do much other than share what someone has done for me which is mostly my friend, and other than taking the pics I did at Comic Con in 2014-15 and putting my Leading Ladies series together when I have time and ideas, I wonder what others like about my page that interest others. To all, I say thank you.

Ok, finally fall is here and that means cooler temps and the change of the season. I've heard that many love October for the aforementioned reasons and other love Halloween the most cause of either dressing up, the scary stuff (I can't stand), new TV season premieres happening, or the change of pro sports on TV. I'm looking forward to the new Supergirl season coming up Oct. 9 and I may start watching Arrow again since Katie Cassidy will be a regular again (even thought she will be a doppelganger of her character I loved to see.

I'm on the fence about the Inhumans show. I saw the 2 hour premiere and didn't love it, but didn't hate it. First question, is how fast will the producers give Medusa her hair back and how could a pair of standard clippers handicap her????? I love Serinda Swan as the character, but the story line has me scratching my head.

This month is the first Wizard World Comic-Con in Oklahoma City (2 hour drive from me) and I'm only going because Kate Beckinsale and Jewel Staite are going to be there. Figure chance of a lifetime to meet Kate is worth getting all four of my Underworld movie posters signed (2 are the double-sided ones) by her and meeting Jewel who played Kayley Frye on Firefly is worth a one day pass. I'm looking forward to seeing the ladies in cosplay as well to see what characters they become and how many photos I can get this round. Got a brand new camera for Christmas last year so the resolutions are going to be really clear can be really big in the pixels like the 4000 range.

Haven't really said much journal wise cause of the hours I'm doing all year which is averaging about 60 hours a week leaving maybe a one full day off on Sundays. is what I'm feeling. Business is good, paychecks are really nice and helpful, but physically it can be exhausting and mentally. Luckily being at my company for over 26 years gives me 5 weeks paid vacation which I scatter thru the year, but take off the most late in the year.

Really the only things coming up to look forward to is taking a week off before comic-con, then comic con, thanksgiving and some great bargain Christmas shopping, Seeing Lindsey Stirling in concert for the first time in Tulsa, OK, vacation right after that, then the Holidays and more vacation and the Charlie Brown Christmas special.

Ok, I guess I'm done boring you so, again, I appreciate the new and current watchers and I hope to contribute more here to give you all a reason to have me on your watch. Need to get back to the Leading Ladies series since I have some names written down for the fun of it. I still wanna see She-Hulk brought to the big screen and if Gina Carano got the part then I'll be the happiest guy in the world (well, the happiest guy would be the one in her life, but reality sucks for the normal, right?). I do wanna see Adrianne Palicki get a DC part or come back to Marvel soon. The producers were stupid for cutting her character to possibly give her her own spin-off show which never happened and I saw she was in a straight to DVD movie recently.

OK, chime in or comment if you wish on what your looking forward to this fall/winter on the entertainment front or life in general. Till then, I'm just waiting to see what's next for me down the road if there is anything at all.

Bye