Taking Stock

The other day I was driving the family car with the windows rolled down, marking out my territory at all the usual family shopping spots and listening to wax.on wax.off at an obnoxious volume. I rolled past a comic book shop I hadn't seen before. Since I was already in a whimsical mood, I parked and paid it a visit.

Twenty minutes later and 20 dollars lighter, I took stock of where I was, who I was, and what I was listening to. I came to some obvious conclusions:

(1) Comic book store clerks come in two models: those who are offended by your pitiful existence, and those who are keen to help you. Very, very keen. I think I prefer the former to the latter.

(2) When I exited the store, I smiled at an attractive young woman passing by. Her response was unmistakable. I hadn't received a glower like that since I tried the same stunt coming out of a comic book store a quarter-century earlier. What with my middle-aged proportions, my sensible family car and bag full of comic books, I couldn't have been less sexy if I'd been dangling a ring of brightly colored plastic keys. (If you're wondering why I'm smiling at attractive young women, it's because I smile at everyone. It's a trait I developed after moving to a village.)

(3) A Lecture on Geek Mythology by wax.on wax.off (eMusic here) is probably this summer's soundtrack. It's infectious, riff-driven loser pop-punk, somewhat akin to early Green Day. My daughters would love it, if I gave them the chance to listen to it. Alas for them, the "offensive lyrics" warning will be taken seriously by me ("Santa Is A Pervert" is a song that fully lives up to its title). With that last caveat, I wholly endorse DarkoV's recommendation.

And speaking of geek mythology...