They want to charge your soul

You try to tell them what you think they want to hear
But they're getting much harder to please
'Cos it's all the same if they create a state of fear
Then the cure is just like the disease
--- Blood Or Whiskey, "Paranoid State"

My brother sent me two belated birthday gifts: the first volume of the complete Peanuts (terrific stuff) and Actual Miles: Don Henley's Greatest Hits. Yes, I had actually requested this latter item. I might have to turn in my cool music geek badge now. How can someone be a fan of the literate and/or punk cred stylings of Bob Dylan, the Ramones, Tom Waits, Rancid, Leonard Cohen, Elvis Costello, Steve Earle, Johnny Cash, etc., and yet still want to listen to Don Freakin' Henley's radio-friendly pabulum? How??! Well, "End Of the Innocence" is a good song.

File under nerdy stuff: I thought I'd make a list of the top ten superhero comics Of All Time! or something. In order greatest to least, with a wide quality gap duly noted between the top four and the others:

1. Watchmen, Alan Moore
2. The Dark Knight Returns, Frank Miller
3. Animal Man, Grant Morrison
4. The Spirit, Will Eisner
   
5. 1602, Neil Gaiman
   
6. Supreme Power, J. Michael Stracynski
7. Arkham Asylum, Grant Morrison
   
8. JLA: A League Of One, Christopher Moeller
9. The Ultimates, Mark Millar [I feel dirty just writing that]
   
10. Catwoman, Ed Brubaker
    

Honorable Mention: Daredevil: Born Again, Frank Miller; Marvel Team-Up, Ron Kirkman; Arkham Asylum: Living Hell, Dan Slott; She-Hulk, Dan Slott; Alias, Brian Michael Bendis; Astro City, Kurt Busiek. I don't count Sandman, Hellblazer or Lucifer as superhero.

***

Back in the real life world, I took Spooky's Baby to the pediatrician this morning. She was quite sick all night long. When I carried her to my car, I felt the heat her feverish skin was radiating. Turns out she had strep.

Oh yeah. A few days ago at H Elementary I talked to a couple of my fellow Classroom Management students. I was fretting a bit because of the 86% I got on the test, but one girl got a 76% and the other one a 70%. That made me feel better. Schadenfreude.