in the book series, not so big house, the key to getting the most out of a small space are niches. even in big homes, what makes a home “homey” are the small little places that feel cozy and safe. where memories are made. so good architects, builders and home makers build little spots into a house or apt to make the space memorable and alive. i’ve been blessed to live in a few places with little nooks and spots that radiate with life.

we bought one of the not so big house books because we were moving from a 2400 sq/ft md house into a 1100 sq/ft nyc apartment. but it turns out the not so big homes in the not so big house books were not so not-so-big. they were huge places! we have different definitions of not so big house!

in these features, i’ll detail mundane little spots around our apartment…..the spots where we live…and life is made.

with the baby coming….we’ve started the process of nesting…here’s the story so far.

this was the guest room with a queen sized aero mattress and queen box spring that we inherited from val. we’ve had this set up ever since we came to ny…even back in our place on the lower east side. but this is no room for a baby.

with steph’s help, i convinced theresa to paint part of the room to make the place feel a bit warmer. so armed with these supplies…..

…the girls got to work…picking a greyish green that felt spring-y but not overly girly…..steph was super excited to paint! theresa was super excited to put the painter’s tape on! i was super excited that they enjoyed doing these things!

we also ordered a crib and some real furniture…about the only other real furniture that we own is the dining room table. we’re mostly ikea people….functional and quirky stuff is what we tend to lean toward. but theresa’s mom insisted on real stuff for our daughter. having been warned that cribs sometimes takes weeks after an initial estimate, we ordered over a month ago. and we’ve waited more than 6 weeks! however, it gave the ladies a chance to paint without having to move stuff around.

more pics and story to come…

in this segment, i’ll detail my amore for the art and medium of comics. the title comes from a comic shop i frequented as a kid and a nod to my boy q and his blog. i haven’t done one of these in a long time so you might want to go back to earlier posts to read what this is all about. you can use the nifty select category button on the right if you are on the agapeshack.com site. sorry, facebook.

i may have to rename this column roger’s time machine chronicles. more about that in a second.

i’m a bit burned out on mainstream comics. having limited funds, i have decided to focus on the dc universe…the line and history that i grew up with; i’m lucky that my wife allows me to get any comics at all. with the marvel line, i only pay attention to daredevil…even though he shares the same universe with spidey and the xmen, there has always been an independent streak to daredevil. dd was a third rate character until frank miller; anything was possible in his comic because not many people were paying attention. in most mainstream titles, there are properties and profits to protect so there are limits to what can happen. no line on the horizon with daredevil….and other indie books and that’s why comic fans gravitate to them.

with many of my favorite mainstream titles and characters saddled with yawn storylines and writers i have been burned by, i decided to collect a few independent minded comics; much like i did in the early 90′s and came away with starman, bone, madman and strangers in paradise…beloved titles in my heart.

i picked warlord, a rebooted series from my childhood in the 70′s! and irredeemable from boom studios.

i thought i was going to pick these comics up and report quickly to you. but instead, i found that irredeemable(#2)was sold out. everywhere. across the city. and even across the country. so let me tell you about the warlord. its a fantasy series that has a cult following in the same way, soon to be released land of the lost has. pilot travis morgan stumbles upon a sword and sorcery culture in the center of the earth as the original series chronicled his adventures there. the new series finds surface landers/outsiders encroaching in on the warlord’s world…posing a threat on their home.

this is a nostalgic romp for me. much like the new star trek movie, any star trek movie…this is like a family reunion…doesn’t matter what happens….you show up regardless. i am enjoying my time but i don’t see new readers warming up to this. there’s too much back story to catch up on. also, the creator mike grell used to write and illustrate this comic…and part of the draw was his art. perhaps kids today would find it outdated but grell’s art was and is still magical. he’s a living legend! trying to reach a new generation, they maybe robbing the series of its soul. luckily, the covers are done by grell!

as for irredeemable by mark waid from kingdom come fame and upstart boom studios….i got issue #1 easily. even with the john cassidy cover! but i guess people caught onto the series and it became a sold out phenomenon….its rare for this to happen as often these days, as comics are over printed. i went to a few comic shops including regular shop and the old school forbidden planet….i called a few more shops…all sold out. when i checked websites, inflated prices everywhere!

the guy at forbidden planet recommended a shop that i had not heard of before….roger’s time machine. it felt like a time machine that traveled to a time when your comics are available! this is what old school shops like forbidden planet used to be like. whatever you’re looking for, they have it. i got 2! sold out comics there including irredeemable #2. when i asked about daredevil 116, the guy squinted. then covered his eyes trying to recall where he had last seen that issue…checked 2-3 different place as i followed him around the shop. then an aha moment as he walked over to a final box and pulled out a copy. no where else in the city did these comics exist! they even gave me bags and boards with my purchase! and gave me a discount! on sold out books??? will have to go back when my graphic novel(collected editions) fast is over.

as for the series, irredeemable features a superman archetype gone bad. not as simple as going evil like pro-wrestlers changing allegiances but ruined…corrupted…rotting….from kind hearted hero to dark hearted monster. a story that could not be told with superman or any of the mainstream guys. the first issue went through the motions of setting up the series but the second issue takes off with the first hints of betrayal that slowly change the hero’s soul. anticipating the next issue greatly! if i can get it!

so i asked our friend leo chen one day, if his name is short for anything or is it just leo? he said….just leo. it got me thinking where that name came from. then we just started making up origins of the name. and started calling him permutations of leo.

so for one year, i’ll present one a week until we’ve exhausted the possibilities. we are now into our 6th month. i currently do not have 52 versions but only enough to get started. you can help if you’d like.

this week…..i will call my friend leo,  los angeleos, in honor of my wife and her grandmother who is moving in with us!

look at what i’ve called my friend leo so far

leonardo

leopold

for christmas, noel

leotard

leopatra

leoben(for bsg)

leometro

bibliotecha

fileo fish

leodis

leodore

leonazi

leopard

diosleos!

le occitane

speleology

leo and behold

leona helmsley

leogeo

leolithic

hustle and fleo

leonidas

when people come into the city, we are always surprised by where they want to visit or to go eat. they are equally surprised that we do not frequent those places or want to go eat there. no. i do not want to eat at ruby tuesdays , bennigans or tgifridays in times square. then they ask where we go……so here are the places we like…not the best or the cheapest or whatever category….just where we go and go on a regular basis…

presenting pinch and smac….not as in an s&m eatery but as in pizza by the inch and mac and cheese. a great idea for the exponential family crowds at the museum of natural history. after we saw night at the museum uno with ben stiller, we noticed the packed uptown b/c trains all getting out at 81st…and the crazy mobs piling in at the stop on the way downtown.

there weren’t many family friendly places for those masses to obtain nourishment. uptown shake shack absorbed some of the crowds….as did this place!

brilliant. pizza and mac and cheese are no brainers for kids. especially since you can order as little or as much pizza when its sold by the inch! but brains do make an appearance in the form of gourmet mac and cheeses that adults will want to eat as opposed to have to eat because of child slavery….as in the kids are the master and we’re the ones chained. here are buffalo chicken mac and cheese and napelentana: fresh mozzarella, roasted tomatoes, roasted garlic & fresh basil. the pizza is made to order…your exact order. multiple choices.

just ask these ravenous kids. adults had similar pics but they seemed less cute and presentable.

my friend jon moy tagged me on this…but i was unsure of the rules except what was in the title. he wanted to do a version of the random 25 that was not as pretentious. in my continuing efforts to descend the ivory tower that seems to be my lot in life, i did this too. i promised to periodically post videos of the songs i picked as a public service to people who want to hear the soundtrack in my head. today’s track as done by arcade fire:

these are songs that i chose for a mix of reasons….some define me…some played crucial roles at turning points in my life…some continue to shape me….some i can listen to over and over…some i would jump to hear live…and many if not most, encompass all these reasons.

here’s the complete list:

U2 bad
U2 all I want is you
U2 stay
Radiohead let down
Rolling stones under my thumb
Beatles in my life
Arcade fire wake up
Killers all these things that I’ve done
Stone temple pilots plush
Frank Sinatra new york, new york

tickets for any imax opening weekend is harrowing….but add to the fact that star trek in imax is limited to a 2 week run because night at the museum 2 is opening soon…and you’ve got one of the harder tickets in town. but we are veterans. back(this is imax after all)and center. and well worth it on imax…giving an experience that you cannot get at home…unless you are a baller with a three story screen?

i heard a review of a star trek movie once saying that they are like family reunions: it doesn’t matter what happens…you go anyway. its like hanging out with family. in this case, hanging out with family in their days of youth! this movie reboots the franchise on multiple levels…and not requiring novices know 40 years of back story because they start at the beginning when everyone from the classic, old generation meets.

the plot is paper thin and totally jj abrams with time warp elements but again, it doesn’t matter as its the characters and spending time with them that you are here for. the real story are the stories of firsts: origins, literally, of spock and kirk; the first meeting between them, the doctor, the engineer, the russian, the asian…and the not so surprising surprise guest star. the threat to the universe is almost secondary. the action and banter are zippy and fun. a great time!

i would watch this again especially on any big screen. don’t wait for the dvd! theresa enjoyed it as well. i may not buy this but i don’t own that many of the star trek movies even though i’m a big fan(nerd).

there are some stories that get ignored because they do not catch the public’s fancy. perhaps we want them to stay hidden so we can go about our lives.

and the new cycle is so short that after a few hours, stories can become old news. as jay said, we can go from swine flu one minute, forget that and talk about topless photos of miss california.

here’s one story that i hope to keep in our psyche for a longer cycle.

More than 1M child prostitutes in India

NEW DELHI, India (CNN) — Around 1.2 million children are believed to be involved in prostitution in India, the country’s federal police said Monday.

Ashwani Kumar, who heads the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), told a seminar on human trafficking, that India occupied a “unique position” as what he called a source, transit nation and destination of this trade.

India’s home secretary Madhukar Gupta remarked that at least 100 million people were involved in human trafficking in India.

“The number of trafficked persons is difficult to determine due to the secrecy and clandestine nature of the crime.

“However, studies and surveys sponsored by the ministry of women and child development estimate that there are about three million prostitutes in the country, of which an estimated 40 percent are children,” a CBI statement said.

Prostitution in pilgrim towns, exploitation through sex tourism and pedophilia are some of some of the “alarming trends” that have emerged in recent years in India, it noted.

Authorities believe 90 percent of human trafficking in India is “intra-country.”

*******

i’ve been pausing and blogging about child slavery as i have been meditating on the imminent birth of my baby girl and the world that i am bringing her into.

in my faith, we give thanksgiving offerings as a sign of gratitude for such gifts of life and joy. such grace. i’ve decided to give to speak up, an international human rights organization committed to the eradication of modern slavery and human trafficking. this is a gift for a better world for my girl…and a lot of other baby girls.

if you are interested in joining me in giving…..

1) Send checks payable to SPEAK UP

Speak Up
PO Box 5595
Pasadena, CA 91117

2) If you’re on Facebook, go to http://apps.facebook.com/causes/252674 and donate through
Speak Up’s Causes page. Again, by April 14th if possible.

Speak Up is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, making your donation tax-deductible.

i am interested in matching your donation to double your giving power. please touch bases with me on that.

its obvious who my favorite band is. if you don’t know, you probably don’t know me. at all.

but people ask me who my second favorite band is. hmmmm…..that’s harder to answer. live? of all time? still together? i’ll explore that question with this feature. maybe you can give me an objective vote.

so up first….perhaps the dalton brothers? they have only appeared a few times, opening for u2 and the pretenders. and you never know if they will ever perform again. they haven’t in a few decades. but they may be back on stage again soon. i hope to see them!

they only play country and western!

comedians are the last prophets that culture will tolerate. they can speak truth as long as there is that gleam or smirk. instead of stones, we throw money at the good ones.  politicians on the other hand are expected to lie. so when the president takes his annual turn as lead joke teller at the national white house correspondents’ dinner, it makes for fascinating viewing…..

so i asked our friend leo chen one day, if his name is short for anything or is it just leo? he said….just leo. it got me thinking where that name came from. then we just started making up origins of the name. and started calling him permutations of leo.

so for one year, i’ll present one a week until we’ve exhausted the possibilities. we are now into our 6th month. i currently do not have 52 versions but only enough to get started. you can help if you’d like.

this week…..i will call my friend leo, leonidas, suggested by multiple folks!

look at what i’ve called my friend leo so far

leonardo

leopold

for christmas, noel

leotard

leopatra

leoben(for bsg)

leometro

bibliotecha

fileo fish

leodis

leodore

leonazi

leopard

diosleos!

le occitane

speleology

leo and behold

leona helmsley

leogeo

leolithic

hustle and fleo