Retail: Why Do They Ask?

Questions I hear at least once a week:

• "Do you work here?" Asked of someone wearing an apron and a name tag.
  
• "Do you know what I'm looking for?" Not yet...
  
• "Can I ask you a question?" Obviously you can, since you just did.
• "Can you help me?" Depends - I can't if you need someone to wipe for you.
• "I'm looking for something..." We have it! Or did you want something specific?
  

Info post, comic dork style

1.Your Name: Mike Fogg.

2. Age: 30.

3. Favorite Comic book? The first 12 issues of The Authority.

4. Favorite Movie: Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back

5. Favorite Song: U2 "Where the Streets Have No Name"

6. Favorite Band: U2

7. Worst Superhero costume?: Of the well known people, Martian Manhunter. More obscure characters, probably someone like Tyroc. There's plenty of bad ones to pick from, though.

8. What is the first comic you ever read? G.I. Joe #5

9. Favorite Writer? right now: Warren Ellis, in comics.

10. Favorite Penciler? Bryan Hitch.

11. Skankiest superheroine? Oracle. She's a such a slut in that wheelchair.

12. Favorite Superhero? Jenny Sparks. Except she's not.

13. Favorite Supervillian? Mark Millar. He's Scottish.

15. Marvel or DC? DC, no question.

16. Which Comic Book Movie do you want to see most in the future?: JLA! So much potential. Of the announced ones, probably Iron Man.

17. How many years have you been collecting? 18, I think.

18. Do you have a complete run of any series (if yes list the series)? Only in trades.

19. Which cancelled series do you wish would come back? What If ... ?

20. Favorite superhero costume? Dr. Manhattan's.

21. If you could have any superpower which one would you want and why? Flight, because it'd just be cool. The ability to survive in space would be nice as well, because then I could fly into space.

22. Favorite Comic Book Movie so far? X-Men.

23. Best Mini Series Ever? Watchmen.

24. If you could only have 1 comic book issue which one would you choose? The next one.

25. Favorite Cover artist? Adam Hughes.

26. Favorite Movie Genre? Science fiction.

27. Top 3 favorite websites? Newsarama, Chris's Invincible Super-Blog, Mike Sterling's Progressive Ruin

Burned again

Spent three hours at the Fort Totten Metro stop last night waiting for Heather to get there, thanks to the geniuses at AMTRAK.

Heather's train was supposed to leave Rhode Island yesterday around 12:30, where she was visiting her cousin Becky. Becky wrote at about 1 to say that she'd left Heather on a train that was having engine problems. Checking the website at a bit after 1:30 showed that the train was dealing with an hour's delay - in other words, it hadn't left yet.

A few hours later and the website shows that "due to service interruption, you must call to find out the schedule". I call around 4. They tell me that the train is under a 1:40 delay but they usually make up delays of under two hours (?) and I should still be at the station on time to pick up my train. Uh-huh. How do you make up a 100 minute delay?

Second call nets me the information that the engine problems led to that specific train being taken out of service, and that all of the passengers were put on another train, which is only 2 minutes behind. Huh? Not sure which to believe, I leave to make sure I'm on time just in case Heather is...

Feh. THREE HOURS at the hot, humid Metro station. To add insult to injury, I worked late yesterday and came straight from work, which means I ended up hungry and thirsty at the station as well...

Ugh. Don't use Amtrak.

Another cat in need!

Not ours this time, though.

Debra posted that another blogger had an experience similar to ours, finding a stray cat in need of medical care after having been hit by a car. Check out the story at DroppedIn! Looks like she's doing better after five days and they've got some of the money they need, but a little bit more always helps...

New Savannah video

Savannah playing with my wife's exercise mat. For some reason, she went nuts on this thing.

I'm in the video as well, grinning like a fool at her antics.