Coffee and Comics

My mind is officially blown.

I've just found out that there is a coffee shop that displays and sells comics and original comic book art. And it's in my home state, not more than 45 minutes from me. And that ... officially makes my head spin, in a good way.

Well, that's not entirely true, actually.

When I first heard about the place, I was a little bit miffed, mostly because that was, well, that was my idea.

And someone had beaten me to it.

The concept of a coffee shop with comics and comics art as a part of the essence of the place is pretty much my ideal version of a place to go and to hang out in. Throw in a couple bookshelves with lots and lots of books (sans pictures) and put a couple of eReaders on the tables, and--bingo, bango--you've described the joint I'd like to someday own and operate.

It's cool that places like this exist right now, and I hope there's a continued market for them in the future.

I talk a lot about comics being "mainstream" these days, and while it's obviously the case in theaters (especially this summer, with Avengers and Dark Knight Rises), there's still just this tiny little pocket of people who read comics on a weekly basis.

Sure, there are some positive signs with the advent and proliferation of digital comics now available on a wide range of devices, but comic book readers are still a rather small minority of the entertainment-consuming public.

Coffee, on the other hand, is universal. Everyone (except Nathaniel) likes coffee.

So the idea of a coffee/comics shop should work on the basis that you get people in with good coffee, and you keep them there with an interesting and different atmosphere. Using original comic book art, I think, is an exceptionally good idea, as it's something most people don't see very often.

As a buddy of mine said, maybe I shouldn't be so miffed about the fact that "my idea" has been used (successfully) by others ... others who, clearly, never met me, nor ever heard "my" brilliant idea. Instead of being bummed, my buddy just said, "See? At least it's a verification that you're capable of having a good idea every now and then."

Thanks for that, buddy. 

Waiting for Wednesday, Volume 4, Issue 26

Well, we've reached the official half-way point of 2012, and I think it's safe to say that it's been a ... different kind of year around the old blog so far. Things have changed a bit, including posting schedules and, well, the kinds of things we've been posting.

 It's pretty hard to wrap my head around the fact that we're now 26 weeks into what has been, in a whole lot of way, a year of changes.

From a new job that started the day after New Year's that has, by all accounts, taken me down an entirely different career path to a new(er) diet that's actually helped me shed a few more pounds to my rediscovery of espresso, it's been a whacky 6 months of 2012.

As for this week's new comics, I'm just now getting back from the shop and I had a couple weeks' worth of books piled up, just waiting for me. I now have (even more) books on my To Read Pile, which is teetering to the point of ridiculousness.

But, hey. Having comics to read is a whole lot better than not having comics to read, right?

Anyway, lots of changes, lots of new content being readied 'round these parts. But at least one thing is guaranteed to stay the same  - Waiting for Wednesday.

So, on that note ... what are you Waiting for?

A Productive Evening

Here is what a productive evening looks like (well, to me, at least):

- Visit the hardware store

- Pick up milk

- Swing by the ATM

- Watch an early episode of Saturday Night Live over dinner with the wife

- Record more commentary for my upcoming YouTube playthrough of Space Quest 0: Replicated

- Clean the bathroom, inspired by the janitorial heroics of Roger Wilco

- Add search page thumbnail pictures to more of the articles deep in the GameCola archive

- Confirm that GameFAQs did indeed accept my screenshots from Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge

- Finish the Dragon Warrior IV music ripping project I started months ago, finally adding the soundtrack to my collection and deleting the folder that's been sitting on my desktop all this time

- Write the blog post I'd originally planned to write during lunch (except I got sidetracked with writing a blurb for this month's Q&AmeCola, and was also catching up on the Two Guys from Andromeda's talkthrough of Space Quest III)

- Probably play video games or something before going to bed at a reasonable hour

Well, hot dog! I think I like this flexible new posting model.

Sunday Spotlight: Exfanding's New Posting Model

Last Sunday I talked about the preponderance of filler on this blog recently. This Sunday we have a solution: radically revise our posting model.

We've already tried a couple of straightforward ways to help ease the burden of posting regularly off of Alex in particular: I started this Sunday Spotlight column in part to give Alex a guaranteed day off every week; we moved our self-imposed posting deadline from 11 AM to 1 PM; I even put out a call for guest posts to some friends and family, and as you can tell from all those filler posts where there should be an introduction to The Dresden Files, or a Korean pop music primer, this was a roaring success.

Hint hint, you guys.  ;)

All this time we've been fighting to maintain a 7-days-a-week posting schedule, but it's apparent that, between Alex's job obligations and my various side projects, it's infeasible to keep up. The fact that we're halfway through 2012 and still haven't completed our joint retrospective of our posting in 2011 (which was published by January 2 in 2009 and 2010) is a clear sign that we've got too much going on in our spare time, and/or too little spare time to begin with. So, it is with a pang of regret that I announce that, effective immediately, Exfanding Your Horizons will cease posting.

Cease posting every day by 1 PM, that is.

Our new model is as follows: Alex will post Wednesdays and Saturdays. I will post Tuesdays and Sundays. Rather than hold ourselves to a particular deadline, we'll post whenever we're done writing. If we happen to schedule something in advance, we'll aim for it to post at either 11 AM or 1 PM--whichever strikes our fancy. Otherwise, as long as the clock hasn't yet struck midnight, any time is fair game.

As for the rest of the week, Monday, Thursday, and Friday will be for grabs if desired. Posting on these days will be completely optional. As a result, you can expect to see more responses to YouTube comments during my lunch breaks, and heartier posts from the both of us on the days we do post.

We're also extending an open invitation for guest posts. It's been the unspoken rule that we'll consider unsolicited guest posts from anybody who offers, but I'd like to formally state that we will welcome any submissions you'd like to toss our way.

Provided they adhere to our guest posting guidelines, which our subject to change at a whim. 

That's all for now. We'll try this modified posting schedule, and maybe we'll have some more guest posts, too. Enjoy your Sunday, and--unless we're feeling particularly motivated--we'll see you again on Tuesday.