Pr3++yG33kyTh1ng

I come here all the time to confess various moments of weakness.
In all honesty, I don't have "moments of weakness". I have moments of strength precariously suspended in a web of cowardice and ethical flexibility.
Since confessing a moment of strength is boring, I'll delve into another weakness.
I've got a profound weakness for the little guy.
While I make 100% of my income from Microsoft-based software, I use Open Source as often as I can.
When I could buy bottled colas at a giant chain for $1.15, I choose to spend $1.29 at the tiny corner store. Not $1.61 downstairs at the cafe after the price hike, though. There is a difference between "supportive" and "bleeding cash from every pore".
Every Wednesday I stop by the little local comic book store on my way home from work. I buy three of four comics, talk to the owner for a few minutes, and then get on with my life.
The comics are different every week. Mostly Marvel Civil War, but it isn't always out (like yesterday).
Here is the thing: Before I have even bought them, I've started downloading them in electronic format.
Usually, I could read them the following day from the comfort of my laptop with no worry about the oils in my fingers destroying the delicate ink. Regardless, I wash my hands about 20 times a day, making my skin as brittle and dry as antique chalk, only lighter in color.
Further, I've been playing World of Warcraft with six million of the geekiest people on the planet, so I haven't even made time to read the electronic versions currently occupying over 100 gigs of space across three separate storage volumes.
In other news, my ISP hates me.
I buy the comics every week because I like the idea that a fellow nerd can make a living doing what he loves.
I can support that.
I like it when people are able to work to do what they love, not just make the mortgage.
If I get comics out of the deal it is a bonus.
The other benefit of buying from a local shop is that the owner has pointed out other comics to me, knowing my taste.
He hasn't showed me anything in a style I hate or featuring a character I don't care about.
It is like his mutant gift is in identifying the style of the geek in question. He has me pegged as a Marvel Civil War, DC 52, Joss Whedon X-Men enthusiast and as the last Aquaman fan on the planet not living in a some kind of "facility".
This is 100% accurate.
Freakish.
I'd be happier if I could buy Dungeons and Dragons books there, but I don't think he has enough traffic to support that.
In still other news:

Coke Reward Points = 1,976

Waaaaay short of the recently re-added Sony digital camera, but almost twice the amount I've redeemed so far on the PlayStation 2, a copy of EverQuest and a magazine subscription no one reads.
Gwynyth is happy to help me empty 12-packs of Coke Zero, but we can't seem to drink fast enough. I'm thinking of having the water cut off at home.