Scott William Foley

What can I say?  Putting Hellboy and James Lipton together is like chocolate and peanut butter - it just doesn’t get any better.

So now that we have a baby girl arriving in a few days, Kristen and I are looking for new and innovative ways to save money.

One of the best ways for me to personally save us a few dollars is to cut down on my book buying.  Apparently there’s this facility in most towns known as a “library.”  Now, you’ll have to ask a librarian for sure, but my understanding is they’ll let you take books home for free if you have proof of residency.

I decided to put this “library” to the test.

Today Kristen and I went to the Bloomington Public Library.  We got our Normal Public Library cards yesterday, and we were told the BPL would honor our NPL card, and indeed they did.

You’ll need to know that I did my research on the contents of each library.  I’ve got a few authors that I read regularly, but they’re not what really cost a lot of money.  Depending on the size of the book, it usually takes me at least two weeks to get through a novel, sometimes longer.  Couple that with the fact I bought most of my novels used through Amazon.com, well, we were talking about six bones a book, tops.

No, what really cost the dough were my graphic novel inclinations.  (For those of you who are losing out, graphic novels are typically collected editions of ongoing comic book series or collections of limited series.  Sometimes they’re one-shot releases.)  Most graphic novels cost at least eight dollars used at Amazon, and when you couple that with shipping, well, you’re not really saving money by that point, are you?  Plus, it’s hard to take a chance on anything new when you’re paying that amount.

So before we went to our local Bloomington-Normal libraries, I perused their catalogues to see if they have my favorite literary authors, but also to see if they have any graphic novels I’d like to check out.  (Pun totally intended.  Lame, I know, but I can’t help myself.  It’s a sickness.)

Long story short, they had oodles of both.  I have to admit, though, BPL beat out the Normal Library in terms of graphic novel selection.  I saw several titles at the BPL I wanted to try out.

So today, we were registering with the BPL at their front desk and filling out simple paperwork. 

As they were about to set us free, I asked, “How long can we keep a book?” 

They replied, “Normally, you can keep a book for three weeks.” 

“Awesome!  And how many books can we check out at a time?”

I couldn’t believe my ears when they said, “We can’t let you take more than fifty at a time.”

Swuh-heet!

I saw several novels I’ll check out over the coming months once I finish my Chabon book I just bought (favorite author, had to pay for my own copy), but I did walk out with several graphic novels such as Gaiman’s The Eternals, Ellis’ Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E., Azzarellos’ 100 Bullets Volume I, and Sandman Mystery Theatre: Sleep of Reason.  These are titles I always wanted to try but was never willing to buy.

In summation: Libraries rock!  Go visit yours!*

*Unless, of course, you’re interested in one of my books.  You’ll then want to BUY those, preferably directly from me using PayPal at http://www.myspace.com/scottwilliamfoley :)

I wanted to post a few pictures to supplement my original post, Goodbye, Old Friend.

This is the day I bought the car back in 2000.  I bought it from  Gentry Motor Company in Macomb, IL.

Me, sitting with my car for the last time.

The interior.  Not too bad after ten years of heavy use.

Goodbye, old friend.

Tomorrow I say goodbye to a steadfast friend who has been with me for almost eight years to the day-my car.

I know this will seem silly to some.  Heck, even I’m surprised at how emotional I’ve become at the prospect of losing my 1998 cherry red Ford Mustang. 

There’s nothing particularly special about it in terms of mechanics.  It’s an automatic, stock vehicle.  No frills, no enhancements.  But that car was my first major purchase as an adult.  I bought it soon after I graduated from college and made monthly payments on it for the following five years.  In the early days of my teaching career, I struggled to make ends meet, but I never missed a payment.  And when I sent in that last check and knew the car was mine completely, I can’t tell you the feeling of satisfaction I experienced. 

I bought my Mustang weeks before I moved out to North Carolina for my first teaching job.  I never thought about it much before today, but I liken it to a young man riding out into the unknown on his horse way back in the old West.  Just the two of them against whatever the future threw their direction.

In North Carolina that car was with me as I made new friends, and it was with me when I said goodbye to them and moved back to Illinois.  It went through several joys down South with me and even some heartache as well.  I can remember some lonely drives late at night along the interstate listening to Pete Yorn and the hum of its engine with the glow of its dash. 

After living with the Tar Heels for two years, I started my new job at Bloomington High School, and it was right there by my side ready to take on all comers.  We got off to a rough start, but we managed.  I smile to think back to when a coworker set me up with one of her friends and the Mustang was one of her main selling points.  I later went to pick that girl up on our first date, and the Mustang was right there with me.  A few years later it drove that same girl and me to the Church to get married.

Ironically, a few weeks ago the Mustang and I drove out of Bloomington High School’s parking lot for what could be at least a year’s absence.

I chuckle remembering when we couldn’t fit our soon-to-be-born daughter’s stroller into my wife’s car, the Mustang opened wide and in it went. 

So why am I giving up my stalwart friend?  As you’ve probably deduced, we have a little girl on the way.  And as wonderful as my car has been in the past, I’m not going to pretend it’s a car for a new father.  There’s a good chance I’m going to be a stay at home daddy for the coming year, and the Mustang does my wife’s once-broken tailbone no favors.  Therefore we’ll need a ride more car seat friendly.

Don’t get me wrong-while I’m more upset than I could have imagined about giving up my car, it’s totally worth it.  My daughter is the most important thing to me, and will be for the rest of my life, and when all is said and done, the Mustang is only a car.

When I tell myself that the Mustang has been with me through thick and thin, has never broken down, and even has a piece of me in it, I think of my daughter, who will also be with me through thick and thin, and who literally has my heart and soul in her blood.  When I think of her, the emotion of giving up my car turns to joy at the arrival of my baby girl.

The Mustang has been with me for my entire adult life.  Every major event from my adult life involves that car in some facet or another.  But my little girl will be with me for the rest of my days, and she, Kristen, and I will make countless new, happy memories together.

So, as silly as all this is, think of me tomorrow as I watch my car leave my driveway for the last time, but smile for me at the thought of daddy’s little girl pulling into that very same driveway in just a few short weeks.

… Goodbye, old friend.

Talented and award-winning artist Dixie Petticrew (and my aunt) created the below picture as a gift to our little girl.  Kristen and I absolutely adore it!  We have several pieces of art by Aunt Dixie throughout our house, but this one is by far our favorite for obvious reasons.

If you enlarge the picture by clicking on it, you’ll even see some little critters Dixie threw in for the baby to hunt out as she gets older.

Dixie Petticrew uses a painting style called Yupo.  You can see more of her work here and she regularly teaches classes and workshops.  I can easily put you in contact with her if you’d like to get in touch for a class or a gallery showing.

Last night the fourth season of LOST wrapped up and it left me feeling intensely satisfied. 

It is inarguably clear that the writers now have an end-goal in sight and are steadily working towards it.  I’ll admit, in earlier seasons, they played it pretty fast and loose with previous plot elements and characters.  That didn’t bother me, mind you, I enjoyed the ride no matter how bumpy, but I understood how it could be frustrating for some.  Those days are over, though.  Season four was tight from the get-go and only got better with each episode.

In fact, this fourth season was probably the most consistent, reliable, and well-written of any previous seasons.  And as all season finales must, it left us with plenty of questions.  Consequently, it also unquestionably answered some gargantuan mysteries posed throughout the season as well.  I’ll say it again because I think it bears repeating, I think this was probably its strongest season in terms of pure story-telling from the first episode to the last and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the pure craft and creativity involved in delivering such an intricate and well thought-out tale.

There’s such beauty in how the title has taken on a whole new meaning!  (Spoilers  ahead!)  How perfect that it is literally the island that is now lost.  I love the irony as well that Jack previously wanted nothing more than to get his friends off the island so they could be found, and now that he’s accomplished that task, he’s the one who must gather them together to take them back.  Of all people, how befitting that he’s the one most lost without the island!  It’s the classic case of not knowing what you truly want until you can’t have it any longer and then subsequently feeling empty.  Aren’t we all guilty of that in some aspect or another?

Oh, sure, there are still plenty of questions, but isn’t that entirely the fun of the show?  Those questions that leave us with such a plethora of possibilities, I can’t help but get excited to see what’s in store of us!  For instance, where (or when) is the island?  What has Sawyer and Juliet been up to for the last three years?  Was that really Locke in the coffin?  (Totally NOT who I thought it would be, by the way.  My money was on Michael, and I’m pretty sure they manipulated me into thinking so from the beginning.  I’m such a sucker.)  What is the significance of the name Jeremy Bentham?  Did Jin and Michael really die?  Is Hurley really nuts, and if not, why is he talking to dead people?  Best of all, has Sun turned evil because Jack let Jin perish?  (Oh, what a wonderful villainess she would make after being repressed for so long!  I’d love to see all her spite and anger unleashed!)  Furthermore, what’s in store for the fantastic additions to the cast in the fourth season-Miles, Charlotte, Frank, and the wonderfully quirky Daniel?  What’s Claire’s connection to Jacob and Christian?  Is that really Christian, or is that pesky smoke-monster doing impersonations again?

This season’s finale delivered the “wow-factor” in terms of surprise, action, drama, adventure, and pure excitement.  I know season five is a long ways off, but like so much in life, anticipation is sublime!  Thanks to all involved with LOST for giving us a season to be proud of!

Though the series concluded several years ago, Starman will forever burn bright as one of the industry’s great accomplishments.

Set firmly within the DC Universe alongside Superman and Batman, Jack Knight is the son of Ted Knight, otherwise known as the retired superhero Starman.  Ted has grown far too old to wear the red and green tights any longer, so his oldest son, David, is more than willing to carry on the family legacy.  Jack openly mocks his brother and finds the capes and tights crowd too ridiculous to stomach.  However, after David is killed soon after his unveiling, Jack finds himself in a race to save his father’s life.  Though he refuses to wear the gaudy costume, Jack masters the Cosmic Rod, his father’s invention that grants them their powers.  Their home, Opal City, dubs Jack the new Starman and he begrudgingly becomes the city’s plainclothes protector and even comes to relish the title.

The series ran for almost one hundred issues and was entirely written by James Robinson.  In Jack Knight, Robinson created one of the best-rounded characters you’ll find in not just comic books, but any form of literature.  Jack has as many nuances as do we all, and Robinson isn’t afraid to explore even those that don’t make him the most heroic of protagonists.  However, while a master of characterization, Robinson also knew how to bring the adventure.  Jack finds himself from the alleys of Opal City to the furthest reaches of time and space. 

Consequently, the title isn’t Jack’s alone.  Robinson made a point to include any and all who bore the name “Starman” over the years, and he developed a cast of characters so interesting that they almost stole the spotlight from Jack.  In reality, Ted Knight had been Starman in the comic books since World War II, and Robinson made ample use of such a rich and diverse history.  He even took a laughable Flash villain called The Shade and turned him into one of the most charismatic accomplices you’ll ever have the pleasure to meet.

Robinson specifically delivers wonderful interactions between father and son-Ted and Jack.  Initially the two could not be more different, but in the end, they both realize they had far more in common than they could have possibly imagined.  Jack must also balance a complicated love life as well as a rather unconventional role as a father himself.  And all the while, he’s trying to run an antique store.  As you can see, this is not your normal comic book. 

The primary artist for the series was the incredibly talented Tony Harris who can currently be found working on Ex Machina.  Harris worked his tail off at giving us a setting unlike any other, and so Opal City became an instant classic, far more visually recognizable than Metropolis or Gotham.  And like Jack, Harris seems to have little interest in conventional appearances.  His renderings are truly artistic, and he pays special attention to anatomy, lighting, and architecture.  The mere shapes and styles he uses to border and embellish his drawings are astoundingly detailed and aesthetically alluring.

Starman is a comic book for all connoisseurs of literature.  It tells a complete story from the first issue to the last with such panache, such style, and such uniformity that it will boggle your mind.  And best of all, it avoids all the comic book clichés and offers authentically identifiable and appealing characters that will remain in your heart long after you’ve read their adventures.

Best of all-it’s just flat-out cool.  When all is said and done, it’s just a cool piece of art that everyone will benefit from having experienced.

Now is the perfect time to get acquainted with Starman as DC has given it a terrific honor and released it as an omnibus collection.  You can find the first installment here:

http://www.amazon.com/Starman-Omnibus-Vol-1/dp/1401216994/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212018565&sr=1-1

Two of my favorite things in this world, art and literature, come together in a perfect union surpassed only by chocolate and peanut butter.

“Hey Oscar Wilde!  It’s Clobberin’ Time” is a website compiling several renowned artists’ renderings of beloved literary characters and authors.  There’s even an occasional excursion into nonliterary pop culture (such as Howard Stern).  It’s a wonderfully entertaining site!

Give it a look here:  http://digitalmedusa.com/sgettis/word/

If anyone would like to share positive or negative feedback concerning CafePress, I’d be interested in hearing it.  I’m thinking of placing some products on their site and want to know if you recommend them.  Give me the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Feel free to let me know in the comments or email me at scottwilliamfoley@gmail.com.

Remember when you were eight years old and digging through a junk drawer in your bedroom only to discover a five dollar bill you’d hidden a few years before?

I just had the book-lover’s equivalent of that.

Kristen (my wife) and I are in the process of getting the house ready for our little daughter.  As we were clearing out rooms and moving furniture and selling odds and ends deemed unnecessary, I came across a bunch of Kristen’s old books from college.  I started looking through them to determine if they will go on a bookshelf or into storage (for I can never sell or toss a book, though I’ve been known to occasionally give them away), and guess what happened?

I found the equivalent of an eight year old’s five dollar bill.

Amongst Kristen’s old books rested a pristine paperback copy of Dave Eggers’ A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.  It’s one of those books I’ve always wanted to read, but because our funds are limited, always chose something else to buy instead.  Imagine my delight at finding a free book I’ve always wanted hiding away in a drawer!

It made my day.