Too Cool To Be Forgotten

I got two notices by email earlier this month that I took up. First, Jackie in my hometown of South Bend, IN, invited me to a house party. It's the same weekend I planned to make my holiday trip to visit my dad in the Bend, so I RSVPed. And Top Shelf comics had an online sale, so I ordered wads of new cheap comics from them. I'll read just about anything Top Shelf and Oni put out.

As my editors know, I've moved all over the Midwest since graduating from college. This means I don't often hang out with folks I knew in high school. Really, that's just Eric and Scott, who aren't in this photo, but I still like the same kind of folks that Eric and Scott do.

Shortly after I got back, I received my order from Top Shelf. It's all great stuff, but my favorite item is Alex Robinson's Too Cool To Be Forgotten. The basic premise is simple: a fortyish man undergoes hypno-therapy for his smoking, and finds himself trapped back in his high school days. There are lots of stories like Too Cool, but few really catch the awkward hopefulness of that age. I'm not done yet, but this kind of honesty and skillfull storytelling can be appreciated by anyone. Find a copy.


It also visualizes a feeling I've often had throughout my thirties: I feel like I finally have the resources I'd needed to get through high school and college. It's just that I've got better things to do now than re-learning calculus and going to prom. Ah well. Hopefully on my 40th this year I'll actually be ready to be a 40 year old!

P.S. Another good Top Shelf book, by Minnesota's Tim Sievert.