"Post No. 621"

Well, yesterday was "April Fool's Day", and I could just make up a story about how I've stopped purchasing cigarettes completely and then say, "April's Fool!"

But it's not a joke. Yesterday also, cigarettes increased in price for the second time this year due to new tobacco taxes, and although I had already cut way back on any smoking, with that day I've completely quit buying them. Not because I wanted to, as I enjoy smoking. I've smoked off and on most of my life. And for anyone who says they don't miss smoking who has already quit, they're a damn liar.

There's nothing like a good smoke after a meal, or sex, or just to calm one's nerves. And I didn't quit for health reasons. No, I quit as a protest against the ever-increasing taxes imposed upon smokers, and I feel like the best way to do that is to stop buying any tobacco products just so no one will get another penny in taxes from me off of them.

In fact, if everyone who buys tobacco products were to quit, only for a week (because, like not buying gasoline, a day just won't do it), it'd send a message to those in charge of imposing such extra taxes. After a week they'd start getting a little nervous over that lost income, because they'd know that anyone who can quit for a week, can completely quit, and there goes those taxes out the window. They'd be lowering cigarette prices and offering special deals faster than a slamming storm door in a tornado.

And now, on to other things.

I purchased a copy of Star-Spangled War Stories (DC) #151 (1971) today from an on-line sale. It'll complete a straight run for me from #138 (beginning of the "Enemy Ace" series in that title), to #152. It's the first issue wich started the run of "The Unknown Soldier", and actually his first true app. (previously only seen in DC comics, although there was a series of stories in the 1940's by another publisher of a different character, in a proto-type tale in Our Army At War #168 in 1966) in the title.

IF I can find an "affordable" copy, I'm also looking still for a decent copy of House of Secrets (DC) #92 (1st. app. "Swamp Thing").

I wouldn't mind buying a full run of Watchmen again, but ONLY if I can buy it as a full run.

And I finally mowed all of my front yard for the first time this year. Was going to start up the riding lawn mower and do both my mom's yard and my own backyard too, but the battery's dead and needs at least a 2 hour charge, which I didn't feel like doing until I have another day off and more time. I'm not used to using that push mower this year yet and the effort of just mowing my own yard was enough for the day.

Did better on ebay this week than I had in a long time. Sold 9 out of the 10 items I had listed, 6 of them to the same person. All of the humor comics I had pulled recently from my yearly weeding sold; about 200 of them. They were a mixture of Gold Key, Whitman, Charlton, Archie, Spire, etc. titles. The other 1,100 or so (all adventure-action hero stuff) are still slated for my yard sale May 1st.-2nd. which runs in the week of my yearly vacation (this time from April 28th. thru May 4th.).

And today also I want to remember my father who died just a little over a year ago. Today, had he lived, would have been his 89th.Birthday. (We miss you, dad.)