The start of a new year is supposed to recharge your batteries, usher in a sweeping sense of change and lighten your spirits. At least that is the story everyone keeps trying to shove down my throat.
I have spent a lot of the new year with my nose stuck in a book. Actually about 11 so far. Some people when faced with a bucket full of suck will bury their sorrows in shopping or drink or random acts of stupidity (like trying to be a ninja only to wind up almost de-nutting themselves with home-made nun chucks), me I tend to crawl in a hole and read. I have set a tentative goal of reading 24 books this year as I figured that two books a month sounded like a good idea. Then I ended up reading 9 books in January. Ever so slowly I am starting to crawl out of the funk that has thus far made 2012 a year that I can’t wait to see the end of.
This in part stems from facing new financial difficulties (much like most of the country) as I have had to yet again tighten the belt due to a cut in pay as the University I work at looks for ways to cut into a budget deficit. Living in one of the poorest counties in NY I am just glad that I have a job yet I still like many American’s have to work more than 40 hours a week just to pay the monthly bills. In trying to come up with a more stream lined budget we cut out the things we don’t need (eating out or going to the movies) but as someone who has already shrunken his monthly budget four times in the last 12 months it gets to a point where enough is enough. At what point do we give up and start living like a hermit?
For me the only thing I do other than commute to work and back is enjoy myself a stack of comics every week, that is when I am not raiding the library for books. I have even stopped buying books, movies and video games either at all or new. Mostly if I end up buying these items I am getting them off Ebay for a fraction of the cost even when shipping is considered. Why the hell should I pay $60 bucks for a game brand new when I can wait and get it on Ebay for say $15 after shipping? This is something I used to do a lot but have limited myself to once every other month if that. The only real non-essential spending I do every month is comic books.
This one beloved part of my identity, this one shining beacon every week that keeps me sane, is the one thing that seems to always take the hit when push comes to shove. As my monthly pay has shrunk I have sat down and taken a hard look at my pull list (60-70 titles strong once mini series are included) and sat myself the task of cutting it to 20 titles. I have again discovered that cutting titles is like asking yourself with toe you would like to have cut off to save your foot. You can say to yourself that it will be an easy task then you actually look at the list and have to start cutting..and all of a sudden they all become the toe you just can’t see yourself living with out.
It has taken me a month to narrow down the titles that I consider “must have” and then sort out the rest. During this time Marvel, DC and now Boom have announced the ending of at least 10 series on my list. So in part all I have to do is just ride it out until the ending of these series and just focus on every thing else. Still this slow torture piled upon all the other random odd ball things that have added to the “meh” have me down in the dumps.
I shall endeavor to crawl out of this funk. Some new Atomic Robo will do wonders so the next issue can’t get here fast enough.
atomicrobo5 