What should I spend my money on?

[pctchuck]

Okay, got the word today.  I've been offered a job, and accepted it.   Now that I'll have a couple of extra dollars in my pocket, what do I need to buy for myself as a gift?  Not something expensive ($100 or so), preferably not something practical (c'mon, I've had to scrimp for over a year now).  Like for the item to be Shi or at least comic related.  Anyone want to make suggestions?

[kikuchiyo]

A commission. lol

Congrats to you and your family. I know it has been a downer for you. When I was not working a few years ago, it was quite a bother to my psyche. Though I was collecting unemployment, i just didn't "feel right" sitting at home collecting $.

As far as what to get, heck I don't know. Probably go out and buy a few trade paperbacks to get caught up on some story lines you may have missed.

BTW, if any of you want a link to the best comic site in the world, PM me. I came across a link from another board and just canot believe how awesome this site is.

[Delvie]

You can always go out & catch up on any new Shi you've missed the last couple of years... oh WAIT!!!

[Delvie]

Or, take the family to an amusement park & the wife out to a really expensive dinner.

[pctchuck]

Life's been too much of a roller coaster lately to enjoy the amusement park!  We will go out to eat at an higher end eatery, but she doesn't enjoy food that she doesn't recognize.  Plus, having Crohn's disease, she has to be picky about what she eats.

I do plan on taking my folks and family out to BBQ at Pappy's as soon as I can arrange it. (Pappy's was shown on an episode of Man vs. Food about a year ago.  Excellent food at a reasonable price.)

But the point of this topic was for me to get some ideas on what to spend a little coin on myself.

[Delvie]

There's a Shi/Spawn piece on ebay. Not sure it's worth the $65, though.

[kikuchiyo]

I saw that too. Hopefully he gets whatever someone is willing to pay. I love see my work being bid on. So he probably is watching this thing non-stop.
I'll be putting some stuff up tomorrow at a lower than normal opening price.

[pctchuck]

The piece is nice, but I think I'd rather have a page from Martheus's books at lower cost.  I liked Spawn when it started, then lost interest a couple of years in.

[cristos]

I wish I had some good comic book related suggestions for you but, all the comic books stores in town have dried up and I'm way out of the loop on comics. There is one place in town left that sells comic books and other things unfortunately, they don't really take very good care of their stock. When you go in there they have piles of things everywhere and stuff on the floor!

[pctchuck]

Anyone for "American Pickers, Comic Geeks On the Loose"?

Sounds like this isn't so much a shop as an accumilaton of stuff that might sell one day.  While my collection might not be as well organized as I'd like it to be, at least the comics are getting bagged and boxed after they've been read.  And most of the rest of my comic related stuff is put away nicely or ready for display.

[Delvie]

Get ahold of Slammy, or I can text him for you. He's going to Pittsburgh Comic Con this weekend. He usually spends my money like a professional shopper & gets some top swag!

[pctchuck]

Looks like I get to spend some money celebrating my son finally completing his Eagle Scout requirements!
I am so proud that he has finished.  Less than 2% of the boys who start in Scouting reach the rank of Eagle.  He's worked hard, and I am going to celebrate when they pin his medal on him.

[Delvie]

I have mixed opinions about BS, but on a whole, they're good. Congrats to your son.

[pctchuck]

After about 30 years in the organization, there are things I don't like either, but I deal with them.  Scouting has takent a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" attitude about sex and sexual orientation, unless somehow it gets out that you're homosexual, then you get booted out.  The paramilitary uniform is a bit difficult for a lot, but we have to have some way of showing we're a group, and that we have levels of advancement for the boys.  I think a lot of that comes from the founder's background as a military hero.  I still don't know where I stand on it being a male only organization at the youth level, but an adult may be either male or female.  I still remember the changes that came about when women started going camping with us. And a lot of scout groups around the world are for either boys or girls at the youth level.

[Delvie]

There's all that, but to be fair, @ the time I had left the Boy Scouts, I had not met any friends that were gay, bi or lesbian. I grew up in tiny little farm town that to this day has only 1 stoplight. It was a morality choice of a different kind. The whole requiring me to lie about the existance of gods thing.

[cristos]

What exactly do you mean by lying about the existence of God. I don't know much about the Boy Scouts.

[pctchuck]

Scouts ask that the youth members acknowledge the existence of a higher power(s), refered to in the oath as "God".  The final point of the scout law is "Reverent".  I haven't had too much problem with any boy not meeting the requirements for rank advancement because of their lack of belief, in general, most adults are not too interested in prying into a boy's church going habits, but there are some who do, and make a big deal about it.

[Delvie]

I can expand in greater detail if anybody is interested, but I don't want to make a big deal out of it & I won't. Regardless, becoming an Eagle Scout takes a lot of time & work. Congrats to your son & to you. A child doesn't reach that goal alone.
 KUDOS

[pctchuck]

I'm afraid that my son may have athelet's foot of the tonsils from my foot being planted so far up his ___ to get him to finish!

Thanks for the Kudos.  I appreciate the recognition for both of us.

[cristos]

Hey congratulations, Pctchuck on your son's great achievement. I've only known one Eagle Scout in my life. He was my battle buddy in Basic Training. He sure was handy to have around!

[pctchuck]

Guess he out ranked you before you even started.  If the armed services find out a guy is an Eagle, it is an automatic raise in rank, sometimes two or three ranks.

[cristos]

Yeah, he was one rank above me, but they didn't make him a squad leader for some reason.