Comics!

Well, I've been reading comics since I used to sneak out of my house at night and ride my skateboard down to the 7-11.  I always loved them.  A story in pictures.  Beautiful artwork to take me away to far away worlds.

I still have 2 comic boxes full of boarded and bagged comics, but I'll mention them later (see bottom of page for my collection - and its for sale!).  For now I want to catch you up in the comic world and tell you what's up today.

Comics have seen a huge increase lately, some even say investing in comics has historically produced better returns then the stock market.  For me, its just about the reading.  Shows like The Walking Dead and the huge collection of ongoing Marvel and DC based movies has only increased interest.

I don't have the room to collect anymore.  I could even say I don't have the room to read and store any more paper-bound comics.  So I have gone digital.  I use Comics from Amazon and am subscribed to Comixology Unlimited, so for about $5/month I can read TONS of comics for free.

I read them on a 10" Kindle Fire tablet and it is just gorgeous.  Guided View opens a single pane on the page full-screen, in all it's artful glory.  I don't think I can ever go back to print.  Save the trees, hurt the local comic stores (which around here pretty much suck anyway)

Where to start?  Well, I don't read the mainstream publishers anymore, like Marvel or DC.  I'm just about completely an Image Comics reader.  I just love their stuff!  Image was formed in 1992 by some of the best artists at the time, as a place for artist to brand their own products, be independent, and keep more of their profits.  Now they are the 3rd largest comic producer.

There's also a pretty decent community over at Reddit Reddit Image Comics where you can find great reviews, monthly reading and pull lists, and more.

Here are some of my favorite titles, linked from Amazon, 1st issues to start you out, or collection books.

 '68 is just plain awesome.  Sgt Rock meets Zombies in Vietnam, and beyond.  Great artwork and intriguing side stories

 Long running series now with its own show.  The comic is WAY better and very well written.  The linked compendium is like the 1st 40 books or something.  You can find them individually as well.

 My current series I am reading.  Love the backstory and its got me hooked.  The great art is a bonus.

 Great story and art of a robot, lost in a world purged of robots

 Great series

 Alice in Wonderland meets Tank Girl meets Deadpool

 Another great zombie series with mysteries and murders!

 REALLY popular series right now with gorgeous artwork throughout!

 Beautiful series

 The stories of what Lewis and Clark REALLY found on their explorations

 Beautifully written by the creator of The Walking Dead

 Classic superhero series also from the creator of The Walking Dead

 Fascinating sci-fi story of alien invasion across our planet.  Except they don't do anything except sit in place like trees

Soooooo many comics, so little time!

Here is a link to my collection on Goggle Drive Tom's Collection

My Review of Brooks PureGrit Trail-Running Shoes - Men's

Originally submitted at REI

A collaboration with ultrarunner Scott Jurek, the Brooks PureGrit trail-running shoes free your feet to embrace the trails and connect to the ground below. Lightweight uppers feature conforming foam, highly breathable mesh and a rubber instep band to provide a comfortable, secure fit regardless of ...

Brooks PureGrit Trail-Running Shoes - Men's

My Only Running Shoe

By Buckizard from Redding, CA on 2/24/2012

5out of 5

Sizing: Feels true to size
Width: Feels true to width
Arch Type: Average Arch
Pros: Good Traction, Lightweight, Comfortable, Cushions Impact
Best Uses: Trail Running
Describe Yourself: Avid Athlete
Was this a gift?: No

I now own 2 pairs of these after putting over 200 miles on my first pair, and they are still going strong. I run almost exclusively trail but feel just as comfortable in these on the road. I average 25-45 miles a week with long a long run of over 20 miles.

The 4mm drop is perfect for my current running state. I love the cushioning in these and they feel great over long distances. Traction is fantastic in rain, mud, and even snow. Crossing creeks these drain quickly and dry just as fast. The smaller profile lugs make running on any surface a happy affair, though trails is where these really excel.

Durability has been great, haven't noticed anything going wrong or wearing out after a few hundred miles. As soon as I got a new pair for races, they went for a 23 mile trail run without any break-in. They were flawless. I recommend these for any trail runner or for Brooks fans trying for a minimal shoe along the Cascadia lines.

Really enjoy these!!

New blue ones, on the trail

Tags: Using Product, Made with Product, Picture of Product

(legalese)

Reviews of Running Stuff

I've been meaning to throw at least a few words out regarding different things I've had a chance to try and now enjoy, mostly running related, for now.

To throw another plug out there, The Clymb has been a great place for me to try out some items I've heard about, but was unwilling to invest the money trying them out.  Outdoor stuff for half or more off.

NUUN

I always only brought water.  Mostly because I hated the heavy sugar of sports drinks.  Well, I've found a permanent favorite in these guys.  Electrolytes without the sugar.  Very light taste and light drinking, nothing heavy feeling at all.  Easy on the stomach while running.  They come in boxes of 4 tubes, 12 tablets in each tube. 1 tablet in 16oz of water and it fizzles away like an alkaseltzer.  Enough said--great hydration helper.

Garmin 410

I love keeping track of my activities 'behind the scenes'.  I don't like bulky big things while running, or while doing much of anything outdoors.  This little baby answers my problems.  Easily picks up satellites, and keeps them.  Running through the Redwoods and forests has always played havoc with my huge backpacking gps, as well as my phone.  This has yet to lose its satellite tracking no matter where I am.  Must be the antennae built into the wristband.  And works indoors on a treadmill (which I don't do).  Waterproof.

Hit a button, and start running.  Forget about it.  Tracks my route, and everything in between.  It does things I don't use as well like below-pace reminders or a 'virtual racing buddy' and such.  When I get home and get within 6' of my computer, the data downloads automatically.  Another button push on my running site and its downloaded from there to my online run tracking (My MapMyRun Profile)

FuelBelt

I love my fuel belt.  I can't tell its there when I'm running.  2 small 8oz jugs, can't tell you have water, easy one-hand in-out.  Pouch holds plenty of gels or keys.  I also have in this picture: a Nathan blinking light (though its usually in the front) lots of blinky settings--love it.  I also have my RoadID around the pouch and my mp3 player attached to that.

Brooks Pure Project: Grit & Connect

Brooks Grit: Trail Shoe

 Brooks Connect: Road shoe

My new running shoes!

As my running has progressed (not even a year yet), my shoe needs have changed.  I have previously been transitioning to a lower heel drop ratio which makes my form so much easier to run.  My 2 previous shoes were 12mm and 8mm.  Both of these are 4mm, I noticed the difference immediately and fell in love.

Super light weight and flexible, great traction.  The low lugs on the Grit make it comfortable on the trail or road and wide spacing keeps mud from building up.  The Grit's design was helped by Scott Jurek, the same ultra-runner who helped build the successful Cascadia.  7.2 oz Connect, 8.9 oz Grit. Brooks also makes 2 other road models in the Pure Project line.  I got the Connect because they are zero guidance or support.  The other models offer a bit of each.

The Connect won Best Debut by Runner's World.  The Grit has been getting great reviews from Trail runners and I love em both.  Fantastic shoes I will be running in for awhile.

Vivobarefoot Evo

One of the first 'barefoot' shoe makers and now have one of the widest selection.  Used and promoted widely  with the POSE method.  They are normally a more expensive shoe for me to just try, even though I've only read great things about them.  When they came up on The Clymb for $50, I went for it.  

100% Vegan: soles made from recycled rubber; Drilex performance lining with environmentally sustainable Sorona yarn.  Zero drop and only a thin 3mm sole, 1mm is a puncture resistant layer.  Can roll them up in a ball so flexible.  No cushion and a true 'barefoot' shoe.  I can't run in them, I'm not at the zero drop or zero cushion place, if I ever get there.  But I wanted a nice looking zero-drop shoe I could wear to work and not look too goofy.  These fit the bill, keep my legs and calves working while I'm at work, comfortable, feel like I'm wearing slippers.  If you are a barefoot runner, these get rave reviews and seem to be very durable (think a recent review I read from a girl that was at over 500 miles on hers).

My Kindle Review

January 2017 Update!

Well I'm currently on my 3rd Kindle and almost everything from the cons section has been addressed or is no longer valid for me.

• Love Having Amazon Prime - tons of free books.  
• Kindle Unlimited - another $10 a month and even more books to choose from
• Light can be adjusted tons
• I share many of my Kindle books with other Kindle owners
• Prices have gone WAY down, and with daily deals and patience, you can find tons fo reading material for free or very cheap
• 
  

***Here is the old 2011 post****

So I've had my Kindle now for over a month and thought I would share the pros and cons of this device.

PROS:
I love the Kindle!  It is small, light, and thin.  The pages look like a real book.  Everyone I show it to is amazed at how real the pages look.  You can change font size as well to show big or small letters.  It is much more convenient reading than a real book.  Pages turn instant and easily.

While reading, you can highlight passages or words to go back to later, post to social sites, or mark to look for later.  You can search for words or phrases within a book. 

Battery life is great.  If wireless is off and you are only reading, battery can last over a month.  Kindle comes with a 3g or a wifi connection.  I got the WiFi one so I have to be near a hotspot to connect.  Once connected you can browse online and buy new books, transfer material, etc.  I even have some work books in pdf format on my Kindle.

There are tons of books online for the Kindle.  I pretty much use only Amazon but there are a ton of sites out there.  Free books are aplenty.  Think I have about 15 free books, most are classics like Frankenstein or Journey ot the Center of the Earth, great books but not sure if I'll ever read them again.

Always have something to read.  Unless you can really knock out some pages, if you have your Kindle, you have something to read.

Like a lot of devices, there are some cool games you can get for it.  I play video poker.

There are some really cool free Kindle books out there, some only on the Kindle.  I got a series of Star Wars books, I think 8 in all, that were all free, good 2-4 hour reads, and were fantastic!

Books deliver almost instantly.  Many times I shop from work, come home, and have a list of books ready to download as soon as I turn my Kindle on.

Over 3000 book capacity.

ok I think I have in the cons about too many books.  This has also been a good thing.  I just recently spent $5 on kindle books and got 4 pay books and 7 free ones.  Kindle has me reading more.  Unknown authors I've never heard of.  Short little few hour reads--jump in-jump out.  Discovered some great authors and enjoying the new books.

Some books are audible and will talk to you.  Too robotic sounding to me, not like the audible books read by an actual person.

Even if you read 6 different books during the day, whenver you go back to that book, it opens to your last read page.

Can get magazine and newspaper subscriptions on the Kindle and they are ready for you to read each morning or when they come out.

No glare on the screen, even in full sun.

CONS:
There are a suprising number of cons to the Kindle, enough that I almost regret getting one. 

Price of books.  For the most part, new books that are only available hardcover, are cheaper on the kindle by a good amount.  For paperbacks already circulating, more often than not, the book is more on the Kindle.  Not to mention if you find a used copy, which you almost always can on Amazon (and over 50+ used books bought from individuals, never a bad experience).

I've continued buying more used books than getting them for more on the Kindle.

Availability.  Still a lot of books out there not Kindleized.  Especially the more unusual books, and these are usually what I am reading.

Low light---really not too much of a con; if its too dark to read a book, its too dark to read the Kindle

Once you are done with the book.  Here is one of my big gripes.  Once I'm done with a book, I want to pass it on to the next person.  The Kindle now has the ability to share some books with others, but only for 14 days.  It is a big pain.  I just want to pass some books onto my landlord's 12 year old daughter because she devours every book I give her in no time!  This is a deal killer for me.  It would be worse if I still lived with the kids, wanting to give them good books but being unable to do so.

There's a lot of short-story Kindle books out there.  I mean, a ton..its really hard to sort out the trash, whereas tangibly picking up books and flipping through, can give you a good idea if its a keeper.  Harder online to do this.

Can't sell or trade your 'used' book once its done.

Overall I love my Kindle but have really had a hard time with the trading of read books to others.  Now that I have it, I will continue to get some cheaper new releases and others on the Kindle if I find them, but for the most part, I'm still buying books, usually of the used variety. Other weeks, I'll go through a ton of books on the Kindle.  Or reference a beer recipe on it.

Whoosh