Thursday, December 31, 2020

Today in Comics History, New Year's Eve, December 31, 2020: I saw this film about some people who lived in a dome / In a beautiful field next to a river of foam

Old Man Kent wishes you a Happy New Year! He also wishes those dang kids would get off his dome.


from "Deadly New Year-- 2021!" in Superman (1939 series) #368 (DC, February 1982), script by Bob Rozakis, pencils by Alex Saviuk, inks by Frank Chiaramonte, colors by Tom Ziuko, letters by John Costanza

How will it all end? Find out...in sixty seconds!

Friday, December 25, 2020

Today in Comics History Future, December 25, 2020, Christmas: The Shallow Grave Christmas Special!


from "The Year Santa Signed On" in 2000 AD Prog 868 (Fleetway, 1 January 1994), script by Mark Millar, art by by Ron Smith and Gina Hart, letters by Ellie DeVille

Friday, December 18, 2020

Bully and His Pals: Rat Boy!

While walking along Seventh Ave in Brooklyn today, I met a brand-new furry pal!


He was sitting outside a bodega and a couple were already watching him. The woman asked: "Is that a rat, or...?"

"That's a rat!" I said, then I added "It's your Lucky Christmas Rat!"

Another guy stopped to look and said "He's not shy, either!" And I wish I'd said "And he takes a pet so good!"


He's obviously well-fed. And that, non-New Yorkers, is why we have Bodega Cats!

Saturday, December 12, 2020

Stuff Bully Got: Enamel Pin Advent Calendar

Hey look, I forgot to show ya this: the lovely Randi made me an advent calendar with little stocking bags! Hooray! Thank you Randi!


Let's open up today's! I'm so excited!






Friday, November 20, 2020

Bully Eats [Diabetic] Food: Sugar-Free Jell-O™

sigh


Real Life Stuff

Hi hi hi pals! You may have noticed I haven't been online for most of the week (altho' I have been liking posts). I wanted to tell y'all I'm fine and what happened.

On Tuesday my pal John went to the hospital and stayed there until last night. Big upfront notice: it was not COVID, altho' we thought it was at first from the symptoms. (We're all much relieved it isn't.)

John had been feeling extreme exhaustion and shortness of breath for several days. It got to the point where he couldn't walk a block without having to rest. Those are two of the symptoms of COVID, plus extreme thirstyness all the time. John has just thought he was out of shape.

But: his blood sugar had SPIKED beyond the ability of the clinic we first went went before the hospital to measure on their equipment (over 400). That ain't good.

John has diabetes type-2, and so far we have been effectively treating it with pill meds.

However: he'd run out of his meds that week, and his primary care physician did not return calls to have them refilled. They didn't from the drug store either. John's PCP is MIA. Remember these events? Same doctor. (Update: Turns out they closed their office during COVID, but zero notification of that on their outgoing message, and eventually the answering machine filled up and wouldn't take any more new messages. After all this occurred I got myself a new primary care physicain, you bet.

John stayed three days in the hospital (a block away from our home, so Randi could visit him. He was pretty well taken care of but the wheels of progress run exceedingly slow in a hospital. Whenever they tell you that you should be discharged, add another day.

For instance: the results to the COVID test, which take six hours to determine, took about 18 hours to filter back to us. (He was on an isolation ward and supposed to be transferred to a regular room after that on Wednesday, but we never made it out of that one room.)

It was obviously a repurposed room, since it had this piece of mechanical equipment sitting next to the bed. (Sound up!) Made the room very noisy and hot and kept John sleepless most nights.


Here was the only window in the hospital room. The blinds were covered in glass so you couldn't open them, so zero natural light.


The most frustrating thing, tho', was getting multiple and conflicting answers to questions about important things. John's taking insulin now, and was told these conflicting things: 1 dose a day/2 a day; 10 units/12 units; need physical therapist/don't, and many others.

Also: we had to insist on demonstrations of how to test for blood numbers and how to inject insulin. Both eventual demonstrations involved equipment that was not what we eventually got. Most egregiously, they showed us needle/bottle insulin and we got pen-injection insulin.

So we were (and continue to be) very frustrated by lack of communication, conflicting information, and poor process skills for discharge.

Luckily the wonderful Randi was there to really insist on info and ask questions (again and again) about what was going on. This was hard. I can't imagine how hard it would be for a person on their own, especially anyone with English as a second language or hearing difficulties.

So, to make a long story tedious, we did get the info and instruction and meds we needed altho' one pill was still delayed. Our med insurance does not cover meds for diabetes* (!?!?, that would be a whole other thread on how we found that out)... * Update: eventually we found that it does cover insulin.

To conclude: we're home (yay!) and John is fine, though his routine will change, and he's up for the task.

Thank you all for your kind thoughts and wishes! We all really appreciate them.

Of course a little stuffed bull loves pal John so much that I'll readily deal with one of the consequences: no cookies.

And thanks for letting me write this in third person for John. He says he loves you all.


Monday, November 02, 2020

Bully Eats Makes Food: Chili

Makin' my famous turkey chili!

Carroll who?


Fixed it.


Sunday, November 01, 2020

The Adventures of Bully: ♫ I feel pretty, I feel pretty ♫

Every now and then a guy just wants to look really nice in a pretty, pretty dress, and there's nothing wrong with that.




Bully and His Pals: It's Shelly's birthday!

It's Shelly T. Otter's birthday! She is eight years old. Which is a very good age to be.







Bully and His Pals: A g-g-ghost!

We got a new pal: a stuffed Halloween ghost we bought on deep deep post-Halloween discount from Target because he was missing on of the flags that spelled out "Boo".

We just named him "Bo." Bo the Ghost.


You can see I need a good washing as I too am supposed to be white. It's kind of embarrassing here.

Saturday, October 17, 2020

Stuff Bully Got: Comics from Mike Sterling's Sterling Silver Comics!

OH BOY I GOT A PACKAGE FROM Sterling Silver Comics, America's only comic book store (that's owned and run by Pal Mike Sterling!)





Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Life Under Quarantine: I can't believe it's not Buddha

I steeled up my nerve and little stuffed body's natural defense organisms and got masked up to go out and do some errands. I was planning to reward myself with Chicken McNuggets when I got goin', so that's a good impetus!

Other perks of going out: I get to see the little Buddha on the corner of Ninth Avenue and Sixth Street with an orange sitting on it! (This photo from last year)


Here it is today! Buddha's got a squash pumpkin and an apple! Doubly blessed!


Here's hoping your day is as calm and blissful as a Buddha with a pumpkin! G'wan, go out and get some chicken nuggets or something.

Hey, Pal Tom, what did you have to say about this when I posted it on Twitter?


Monday, October 12, 2020

Today in Comics History, October 12, 1944 (Let's Poke Fun at Columbus Day Special): US Navy continues on in the finest tradition of Christopher Columbus


from "The Coast Guard Lady" in Real Fact Comics #4 (DC, September 1946), script by Jack Schiff, Mort Weisinger, and/or Bernie Breslauer

Today in Comics History, October 12, 1492 (Let's Poke Fun at Columbus Day Special): Atlanteans plot against Christopher Columbus


from Picture Stories from American History #1 (EC, November 1945), script by W. W. D. Sones and M. C. Gaines, pencils and inks by Allen Simon

Monday, October 05, 2020

What's Bully Reading?: Employee of the Month by Mary Jo Pehl

Some late night reading of Employee of the Month and Other Big Deals by Mary Jo Pehl of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and RiffTrax: humorous essays on her life and various jobs she has had!


Best blurb ever!


Stop watching me, Mary Jo!


Aw, this book is just a baby!


Anyway it's great and this little stuffed bull gives it two hoofs up. Highly recommended! Get it here! (Amazon ad)

Sunday, October 04, 2020

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Bully Eats Food: Almonds (Bold)

They're bold! So bold they are not recommended for human consumption!






Sunday, September 27, 2020

Bully Eats Food Drinks Beverages: A delicious Starbucks Frappuccino

I am having a bottled Starbucks Frappuccino! Yummmmm.


Seriously, I'm like addicted to these guys.

Saturday, September 26, 2020

Bully Eats Food: Breakfast sammich

John made me an egg sammich and chocolate milk!


No, I did NOT put Tabasco in the chocolate milk.

Tuesday, September 01, 2020

The Adventures of Bully: Please Mister Postman

H'lo folks! I am working on my stamp collection tonight!






Monday, July 20, 2020

Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Her Majesty

Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl
But she doesn't have a lot to say


Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl
But she changes from day to day


I want to tell her that I love her a lot
But I gotta get a bellyful of wine


Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl
Someday I'm going to make her mine, oh yeah
Someday I'm going to make her mine



The End.


Page from FF (2013 series) #14 (January 2014), story by Matt Fraction and Lee Allred, script by Lee Allred, pencils and inks by Michael Allred, colors by Laura Allred, letters by Clayton Cowles

But I don't want to say goodbye.

I am seven years old (which is still a very good age to be) and my blog is fifteen years old. How did that happen? I really don't know. But now it's time to pick up the toys and the tinsel and wipe off the greasepaint and sweep up the cookie crumbs and say, yes, this is the end of Comics Oughta Be Fun.

You've probably almost certainly noticed I've been perpetually inconsistent with this blog over the past four years (long gone are the glory days of 2012-2013 where I published over 1,200 posts per year). I've found it harder and harder to concentrate on writing pity pieces of precise practicality and playfulness, especially since 2016, and I've gotten further and further behind and have had to play catch-up in marathon sessions that never have captured the drive and — let's say it — fun that I felt I was bringing you at the best of times.

And I've been battling with the systems of blogging as well. Last month I discovered any new images I posted would no longer show up. I bypassed it manually for this post, but losing that process really stranded me out here without the tools I use and need. Probably the telling point was when I've tried to convert of transfer the blog over to my own domain rather than Blogger, but I was just baffled at every turn. I used to be a smart little bull, but the tech has caught up with me, and now I'm a Bull of Very Little Brain.

I'm sorry I won't finish 365 Days of Power and Responsibility, especially during these times. I'm really sorry I never finished the back half of A Wodehouse a Week, a non-comics project I have been really proud to do (half of). I'm sorry I never finished a year of KirbyTech, but emotional crashes kept even the Ultimate Nullifier from cheering me up then.


But hey! Let's not be sad here. I'm still around. I still love comics. And comics still are fun. And I love them as I love you and everyone who read this cow-town puppetblog and contributed help, comments, suggestions, and love. You are the folks who deserve a standing ovation, so give one to yourself! I'm applauding along with ya!

Whatever else, this is a happy ending. So in the words of the great Chrissie Hynde, stop your sobbing, and remember this:

EVERYTHING Oughta Be Fun.


And in the end
The love you take
Is equal to the love you make



Saturday, April 11, 2020

HOW MANY TIMES TO I HAFTA TELL YA?!?

STAY HOME AND STAY INSIDE!


Panel from "The Cannibal!" in Out of the Shadows #13 (Pines, May 1954), script by Carl Wessler,
inks by Rocco "Rocke" Mastroserio (?), letters by Herb Field