Postcards from the Edge: One-Sided Blanks 1

This batch of cards are basically blank on the reverse side, so I only scanned the fronts.  The first here is your generic Holiday Inn card.

 

Hawaiian Lei Sellers.

Buffalo River, Harrison, Arkansas.

The World Famous Boot Hill Museum, Dodge City, Kansas.

Very old card, "From Morgan Cy, LA to Frisco."

Town Park, Buena Vista, Colorado.

Postcards from the Edge: Blanks 29

 Nelson's Motel, Butler, Missouri.  

A view from Angel Fire, New Mexico.  

This little article was mixed in with the postcard collection. 

Postcards from the Edge: Blanks 28

Bull Shoals Dam, Mountain Home, Arkansas.

 

Old Matt's Cabin, near Branson Missouri.  The story Shepherd of the Hills was written in a tent nearby.  I'm impressed.  I doubt I could write anything worthwhile in a tent.

The Post Office, Butler, Missouri.

Comics Review: Punchline and Deadpool

Or my original title: a Couple of Losers.  Make that Three Losers, if I include myself for buying these two comics.  Ron and I went to the Downtown Mall to try out the Grounded Café for their pizza.  That turned out to be a good decision, as the meal was excellent. 

 

Before going there, we went by Coas Bookstore.  Ron was looking for a couple of books.  I couldn’t find anything I was interested in there, but did finally find their used comics bin.  (I’d lost it in their reorganization.)  They had several Aliens magazines from Dark Horse from the UK from the 90’s.  They were pretty cool artifacts, but I didn’t care.

 

We also stopped by Zia Comics.  I was looking the new Batman/Joker team up book by Marc Silvestri.  This was pretty well hyped, looked great, and was well reviewed.  Of course like every time I’ve gone there looking for a specific new book, they didn’t have it.  They’d sold out.  I assume they had a bunch of them (maybe).  However, there were a couple other new comics that caught my eye. 

The New Mutants #98 (Reproduction)

It’s a reprint of the first appearance of Deadpool.  I’ve had a long history with the New Mutants, starting with getting the first 10 issues.  I might have had Rob Liefield’s first issue back in the day, but dropped it soon after.  As popular as comics were in the 90’s, I gave up on them then.  I’m sure I left a lot of valuable collectibles on the table, but just looking at this comic, I have no regrets.  I didn’t participate in the “big guns and big muscles” era.

I appreciate the raw energy and creativity, but this comic is just senseless fighting.  It’s two training fight sequences and then Deadpool suddenly shows up and starts a real fight, which ends quickly when Domino appears.  That’s it.  Liefield was clearly dictating the contents.  Credit to writer Fabian Nicieza, it’s not a complete parody of a 90’s Marvel comic.  There is some character development and plot progression.  In spite of looking like a modern “decompressed” comic, it actually doesn’t read like one. 

 

If you’re a Deadpool fan, you’re not getting much out of this.  He’s a bit of a smart aleck, but nothing clever.  Domino is likewise mysterious.  Gideon, who I’m not familiar with all, is brought out as a powerful, but subtle villain with unknown motives (like the rest of them).  The New Mutants are being deconstructed here to be replaced by X-Force in a couple of issues.  It’s just nostalgia.  You got me. 

 

I admit to liking one thing from these reproduction comics.  It’s always interesting looking at the monthly checklist and the subscription form.  It’s hard not to look at these lists and not want to go back in time.     

 

 

Punchline: The Gotham Game #1

And then it gets worse.  Punchline is the Joker’s new girlfriend.  Scratch that.  She’s his platonic business associate?  Harley is now a lesbian and is emancipated from the Joker (and from any interesting storylines).  So, Punchline is attractive like Harley, but criminally psychotic like the Joker, but smart and calculating instead of just crazy like the other two.  In other words, she’s uninteresting and unnecessary.

 

It’s hard to justify the Joker, Harley, and some of these other non-super-powered Batman villains.  Any dummy with a gun could kill them.  You can live with a couple, but they get ridiculous the more you see them in combat.  In the movies, these villains generally get killed by the end, unless you’re a hot chick or you’re watching the Batman ’66 movie.

I’d heard of Punchline and liked the look, but clearly this actual first impression didn’t go over well with me.  She’s a real villain.  Punchline is violent and efficient in her criminal activities.  She’s also unlikeable in any sense, not even as a compelling villain.  She is the star of this comic book, so if you’re interested in her, you’ll get enough of her to not be interested anymore.    

 

The story is disturbing, because it’s too close to real life.  The garish genre elements just highlight the less fantastic elements of the story.  If only real mass criminal activity were just the fault of supervillains.  The only story redemption is a Batman cameo.  At least somebody is trying to stop crime in Gotham City (but not in the real world). 

 

The artwork is good.  I may get some use out of this for sketching, but it wasn’t worth $5.  The only other thing I’m getting out of this is a hard lesson: new comics really suck.  Am I done with buying comics . . . the tenth time?  Probably not.  There just don’t seem to be any new comics to buy that are safe bets for entertainment anymore. 

Thanksgiving Cards

For the holiday, here's selection of Thanksgiving cards I've gotten recently. 

From the American Heart Association.

From the Shriners.

From the Salvation Army.

Postcards from the Edge: Blanks 27

Lillian Dimmitt Hall girls' dormitory, Morningside College, Sioux City, Iowa.  The ladies look like they're getting ready to play tennis.

Eureka Springs, Arkansas.  A town built into the mountainsides of the Ozarks.  Very cool and impractical-looking.

Floyd Monument, Sioux City, Iowa.  Built in 1900 as a memorial to a deceased member of the Lewis & Clark Expedition.

NM State Aggies vs UNM Lobos Women’s Basketball 11-15-22 Part 2

Part 1.

Halftime

Surrounded in our seats, Ron and I didn’t have much option about staying for the Trojettes’ performance.  The Mayfield Cheerleaders around us were cheering for them.  The girls performed a high-energy dance number to a 50’s Elvis medley played at a very high tempo.  After, the girls did their signature formation walk off, as they huffed and threw back their heads and strutted off.  The Lobo fans were unimpressed or wouldn’t even condescend to applaud a group of high school dancers from Las Cruces.    

 

The Trojettes returned to their seats below us.  Some of the Aggie Soccer team was still here watching.  The Cheerleaders stood in the stands and threw t-shirts into the crowd before the half started. 

Third Quarter

The Lobos started off with a layup and a foul.  Soufia Inoussa answered with a jumper.  Molly Kaiser picked up a foul.  The Lobos lost the ball on a Travelling call and again after a 3-second violation.  The Lobos did start full-court pressing and would do so for basically the rest of regulation.  Soufia picked up a bunny.  Both teams played very sloppy going into the media timeout.  36-16 Aggies, 4 minutes left.

 

There was a near riot as souvenir hats were tossed into the stands.  Glad we came early and were handed ours.  Tayelin Grays got involved in the scoring with a layup and the foul, but missed the free throw.  Sylena Peterson and Sabou Gueye both picked up fouls, but the Lobos got a foul on a charge.  Shania Harper fed the bunny.

 

Sabou made a fast break layup and drew the foul.  It was another missed free throw, but Harper got the rebound.  The ball got loose again.  Tayelin hustled all the way into the backcourt to finally retrieve it.  Molly dished to Harper for a jumper to make it 44-16.  Timeout Lobos, 2:30 left.  The crowd was roaring at this point.

 

Bongo Cam went over very well with the crowd.  The Lobos came back fired up.  Shaiquel McGruder made a layup.  Harper got stripped of the ball.  LaTora Duff hit a 3.  After another quick Aggie turnover, the Lobos got a layup and a foul.  Shaiquel made a steal and made another layup.  Had the Lobos been laying back all this time?  44-27 Aggies at the end of the quarter. 

 

Fourth Quarter

AD Mario Moccia said after the game, that at this point, he’d told someone that the Aggies should be able to handle it from here.  He blamed himself for what happened next.  Lobos put up 30 points and tied the score.  Credit where credit is due, the Lobos made that happen.  I don’t even think I can call it a choke by the Aggies.  They were playing about as well as they were the rest of the game.  The Lobos just finally started making their shots and the Aggies were having to fight their way up court every time with the press.

 

There was an odd fight in the stands going on.  The Mayfield Cheerleader girls on our side of the court were being out-cheered by the Las Cruces High girls (probably their Basketball team and some others) on the other side.  This started with a PA playing of YMCA.  Later, during another song, it got more heated.  A guy with the Mayfield Cheerleaders took off his shirt.  On the other side, one of the girls took off her shirt, revealing her sports bra.  I think they won that one. 

 

“Say, Ron,” I said, “Isn’t that girl your little adopted niece, Emma?”  There’s a whole story behind this.  I can’t find it easily in the blogs.  Several years ago, Ron wanted to adopt this little girl cheering at a Softball game.  In any case, that was her flashing everyone.  Ron kind of growled. 

 

Too many details follow in the game notes.  Basically, Lobos slowly worked their way back into it.  The Aggies were still making shots and playing good defense.  The Lobos’ fouling even put the Aggies in a bonus situation early.  That was a great strategy, because the Aggies were not hitting free throws to save their lives.

 

With three minutes left, the Lobos had hit a 3 to make it 51-50 Aggies.  All of the crowd was really into it by this point.  Both sides were going crazy.  Fama Thiam hit a free throw to make it 52-52.  There was a near fight over a contested ball.  The Lobos tied it on a layup and then fouled immediately.  The Aggies fouled right back.  The Lobos fouled Ashlee Strawbridge, who made both shots, which I think was the first time all game an Aggie had done so.  The Lobos then made an uncontested layup.  55-55, 1:25 left.

 

Sylena was fouled and made both.  (If the foul shooting had been this good earlier, the Lobos would never have gotten back into it.)  The Aggies fouled and the Lobos make both.  57-57, 1:14 left.  Timeout Lobos.  The Aggies got a defensive hold on the next Lobo possession.  The Aggies held for a last shot, but missed.  We went to Overtime. 

      

Overtime

Back to Mario’s postgame comments, he said he heard Coach Adams tell Molly in the huddle that the Lobo player was going to win the tip.  She was going to tip it to a specific spot on the court.  (That’s some advanced scouting.)  Molly needed to be in that spot, catch the ball, and then to run it in for a layup.  When I saw that happen on the first play of OT, here I just thought they were just playing well and being opportunistic.

 

Soufia followed that up with a 3.  The Lobos did not start off pressing during the Overtime.  They had to have been exhausted.  Sylena dropped in a pair of free throws to make it 64-59 with 3 minutes left.  The Lobos came back with a couple of free throws, but Molly answered with a jumper.  The Lobos then had a turnover.  They pressed and caused a messy play with players on both teams falling on the court, grabbing at the ball. 

 

66-61, under 2 minutes.  Timeout Aggies.  Soufia came out with a 3, which essentially sealed it.  Fama dropped in a couple of free throws and Molly made a layup.  The Lobos couldn’t keep up.  “Winner, winner, chicken dinner!” proclaimed PA Ed, as the Aggies won 73-64!  The Canes Challenge had been activated by going over 70 points.  It was an added bonus. 

 

If I had to pick a turning point in the game, it was that Lobos came back and tied it, but never led.  I almost wanted to scream at the Aggies on defense, “Don’t let them have a 3!”  In spite of what happened in the fourth, the Aggies never panicked.  Both teams were actually very composed.  There were only a couple of times I saw poor play late and it would be both teams at the same time. 

 

Props to Coach Adams for keeping the team focused.  She got the team to believe in her game plan before the game.  When things got rough, they kept following her plan.  In the fourth, I noticed Tayelin on the sidelines with the coach.  They had their arms around each other looking at the court.  The senior, who’d been with the program for four years, was clearly hanging on every word the new coach was telling her. 

 

One thing the coach had to learn on-the-job was the intensity of the rivalry.  I heard an interview with Men’s Coach Heiar after his loss on the weekend to UTEP.  He blamed the team’s lapse in concentration right before halftime and a Miner 3 at the start of the second half for burying them.  But later, he mentioned Johnny McCants on the staff was out sick.  There were only a couple players who’d played in the rivalry and only once each.  Heiar said he didn’t understand before the game what was needed to win these kind of games here.  He does now, as does Coach Adams.    

 

The team went around the court collecting high-fives.  This is a great tradition to continue for the Aggie sports teams.  I think I got a smile and a wave from Sylena from where we were.  Ron made a beeline to the bathroom afterward.  I followed.  Via the team Twitter, Coach Adams got a Gatorade bath when she entered the locker room later.  All was right with the world.          

 

Here’s the final stats.  Soufia Inoussa led all scorers with 14 points and 7 rebounds.  Molly Kaiser had 12 points, Fama Thiam had 10, Ashlee Strawbridge had 9 points and 8 rebounds, and Sylena Peterson had 9 pts with 6 rebounds.  The Lobos had four players in double-digits in the scoring, led by LaTora Duff with 13. 

 

As for team stats: the Aggies shot 41%, 3-pointers 30%, free throws 50%.  The Lobos were at 35% shooting, 3-point shooting 26%, and free throws 78%.  The Lobos were up 15 of 19 in free throws, while the Aggies were an abysmal 11 for 22, but made them in the clutch.  The Lobos were also up 14 to 8 in steals.  The Aggies out-rebounded the Lobos 44 to 33.  3-pointers weren’t much of a factor for either team. 

Out-of-Town Scores

It has taken me so long to write this that I need to report on some other Aggie games that have occurred since.  (I blame a Planet of the Apes marathon last week.  I regret nothing.)  Aggie Volleyball lost in the first round of the WAC Tournament to GCU.  They were swept in straight sets, but went well into extra points in that first set.  The girls still have a final game against UTEP, who were bounced from their tournament by nationally-ranked Rice. 

 

Aggie Football lost 45-14 to Missouri on a frigid Saturday night in Columbia.  I’d tuned into the radio expecting to listen to the Aggie Men’s Basketball team playing the UNM Lobos, and instead got the football coverage.  That game had been postponed.  AD Moccia couldn’t offer a full explanation in the pregame interview.  Even news reports are really sketchy, but apparently Mike Peake on the team was shot in Albuquerque the night before the game.  The incident involved a UNM student, who was shot to death.  Needless to say, this looks really bad.  We’ll see what further news develops.  

NM State Aggies vs UNM Lobos Women’s Basketball 11-15-22 Part 1

Coach Brooke Atkinson’s main fault as the Aggies’ Women’s Basketball coach was her inability to beat UNM.  Every other failure could be traced back to not being able to beat NMSU’s in-state rival.  Unfortunately, I was there for several of those losses.  In 2017, I saw one the best Women’s Basketball games I’d ever seen, but it was a 101-93 loss.  In 2021, the Aggies led 56-43 in the third quarter and lost 73-66.  It’s been like five years and eight losses in a row. 

 

New coach, Jody Adams, either figured out this mandate for herself or was explicitly told it when she was hired.  In any case, the Aggie coaching staff threw everything at this game and it showed.  She was going to get a first-hand experience in I-25 Rivalry that I doubt she’ll ever forget. 

 

For my part, I was a bit ambivalent about the game.  This wasn’t so much because I’d already been to a Women’s Basketball game (11-9-22), two Volleyball games (11-10-22, 11-12-22) and taken a trip out-of-town to see a bunch of birds on migration for my week off.  No, it was because everything caught up with me on Sunday and I was laid out flat sick with the flu.  I couldn’t eat or drink all day long.  Somewhat miraculously, I was okay by Monday.  I sat up and typed up stuff that day.  I called Ron Tuesday morning.  He hadn’t gotten sick and was still willing to go with me to the game tonight.  I felt fine, but I was still in shock over being sick and then suddenly recovering.       

 

We didn’t have a meal out before the game by mutual agreement.  I still had plenty of leftover Barbeque Chicken Pizza from Saturday.  My appetite was more-or-less back and it tasted great.  There was a bus outside the Pan-Am Center when we got there.  We didn’t know if it was for the Lobos or for their fans.  Their fans travel well.    

 

Ron wanted to be there early for the souvenir hat giveaway.  I do not need one more hat, but I thought this one looked pretty sharp.  I took off the hat I brought and put the new one on.  Ron didn’t put on his.  I don’t know what he’s planning on doing with it.  There were also full Aggie Basketball programs out front along with a signature poster for the Women’s team.  I picked up one of both. 

 

There were already quite a few Lobo fans inside and some Aggie fans.  Our usual spot was filled by the Mayfield High School Trojettes dancing team, so we moved up a couple of rows.  (I could still smell their hair product and perfume.)  The Aggie players were warming up on court.  Barbara Hubbard was also at courtside.  When some of the players were leaving, they gave her a hug on the way out, including Moe Shida.  (I’m starting to wonder if Mother Hubbard actually has an apartment somewhere in the building and lives there.)

 

Some other high school groups came in and sat on the other side of the stands.  The Sundancers came out.  They were wearing different uniforms that were a lot skimpier than their normal ones.  The Lobos came out of the tunnel clapping and in formation to warmup.  Their fans also gave them a round of applause.  Some of their coaching assistants, or injured players, posed on court for a picture from someone in the stands.  Gasp!  One of our Cheerleaders went over to the Lobo section and hugged some of their fans there!  How dare she!  Even if she was possibly related to them.  You’re in uniform!  No fraternizing!      

 

The Aggies stayed in the locker room, while the Lobos returned to the court to warmup more.  As soon as they left, the Roadrunner Revue band started the Anthem.  I guess this is what we’re going to do from now on.  The Aggies came out right after.  The crowd filled in as the game started.  Attendance was an excellent 1,218.  I’d say about a quarter were Lobo fans. 

 

Marketing Director Nicole Sack was dancing in the tunnel before player introductions.  Everyone was a little giddy.  It was hard to know what to expect with the new coach for this old rivalry.  I thought I saw the Soccer team up in the rafters.  That would turn out to be correct.  PA Ed Carnathan sounded a little off, like he had a cold or some congestion, but there was no way he was missing this game if he could do it.  When the Aggies were introduced, they took something of a cue from Volleyball team and the starters tossed rolled up t-shirts into the crowd. 

First Quarter

I took detailed notes for the game, which turned out to be mostly illegible and all-over-the-place.  The end of the game became possession-by-possession.  I’ll try to condense this (and fail).  I also kept score on the program, which was pointless.  The video board gives quick player stats and I can get the full stats off the Aggie website.  It’s force of habit.

 

Ashlee Strawbridge started the scoring with a 3 for the Aggies.  Fama Thiam put in another.  Meanwhile, the Lobos were putting up shots, but not connecting.  I counted six misses before they finally got a basket.  At 10-2 Aggies with four minutes left, Coach Adams changed out units and brought in five fresh players.  She’d also been constantly telling her team to slow down on offense from the sidelines. 

 

During the timeout (which really ran long during this game), the Trojettes got up and left to get ready for their performance.  The Soccer team was introduced and came down to the court.  They tossed championship shirts into the crowd (like the one Coach Adams was wearing last week).  MVP Makenna Gottschalk was all smiles and into it.  Ed said the shirts were available at the kiosk.  I hadn’t noticed them earlier.  I’d thought to try to go there and get one at halftime, but I was too hemmed in by the crowd around us to leave.  (Good thing I didn’t need to go to the bathroom.)   

 

Right out of the break, Moe Shida found Sylena Peterson under the basket for a layup.  Meanwhile, the Lobos were having even more problems than just missing shots.  I started listing them: passed to a ref, two air balls, stepped out of bounds, travelling (it wasn’t even called one time). 

 

A large group of high school girls moved in right below us.  They turned out to the Mayfield Cheerleaders.  Across the court, there was a group of girls from rival Las Cruces High.  More on that later.  On court, Ashlee took a slap going up for a rebound, but didn’t convert on either free throw.  Molly Kaiser took over at the end.  She hit a jumper, made a steal, and hit a last-second jumper.  It was 20-2 all Aggies after 10 minutes.  There’s only one relevant stat for the quarter: Lobos went 1 for 14 shooting.  It was a very quick quarter.  Coach Bradbury for UNM never called a timeout and seemed unperturbed. 

 

Second Quarter

AD Mario Moccia was working the crowd at courtside.  He was all-smiles.  More girls teams came in.  More girls came in to sit in our section.  Two of their chaperones (?) were a couple of young cowboys wearing spectacular hats with feathers in the brim.  Up on the scoreboard, I noticed Taylor Donaldson already had 4 rebounds and Ashlee had 3.

 

For the Lobos’ first possession, they took 3 shots, got 2 rebounds, and picked up a foul, no points.  Fama found Soufia under the basket for a layup to make it 22-2.  The Lobos answered with a layup to finally score their second basket.  The Aggies then had a turnover on a bad pass, but the Lobos had a shot clock violation on their end.  Shaiquel McGruder on UNM got on a block on Ashlee.  Soufia picked up her second foul as she accidently hit Nia Johnson in the mouth. 

 

Shaiquel got another block, as she swatted a shot by Molly on a fast break.  And, she got another block on Ashlee.  The Lobos’ made a 3 with about 5 minutes left in the quarter.  Coach Adams sent the second team in again.  Moe got called for a block, while the crowd wanted a charge on the play.  This took us to a media timeout and a t-shirt toss.  No team timeouts yet.

 

Moe came back with a jumper.  The Lobos made a layup and Sylena was called for a block.  Next time down, the Lobos took 3 shots, had 2 rebounds, and got no points.  (Didn’t I just write that?)  Taylor was called for a block.  Ashlee made a jumper, but the Lobos answered with a 3.  26-13 Aggies, 1:50 left in the half. 

 

Ashlee made another jumper.  The Aggies started normal subbing, one at a time.  The Lobos had a turnover off a pass.  The Aggies took a timeout.  Taylor came out with a jumper.  Molly had a layup on a great assist by Fama.  Fama also blocked out the Lobo’s last-second shot.  The half ended 32-13.  I was feeling reasonably good, but I’d seen the Lobos’ come back big before.

 

Part 2

Postcards from the Edge: Blanks 26

Shawano Motel, Salida, Colorado.  I have no explanation for the random hole-punches.  I 

Howard Johnson's, Tucson, Arizona.  

This hazardous-looking stretch of road is the Trail Ridge Road at Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, near its highest point.

Postcards from the Edge: Blanks 25

Lago del Oro, Colorado.  "This 15,000 acre refuge for man."  That sounds vaguely ominous for some reason, like the setting for a post-apocalyptic story.

  

Mountain View Motel Lodge, Taos, New Mexico.

Cristales de Chihuahua, Juarez, Mexico.  Hand blown colored glass art.  Visitors are welcome to watch the crafting.