Enough fantasy, time for a reality check.

Hey gang. Since no one liked my last posting, or at least didn't like it enough to leave a comment, I am moving back into the real world. Two things happened this weekend that left me feeling at the opposite ends of the spectrum.
On Saturday, my niece Jenny was married. I am very happy for her and Matt, he seems like a really nice guy. I will admit to having a twinge of feeling old. I have been there since just after Jenny hit the atmosphere, and I have watched her grow into a beautiful young woman with a sense of humor. The day was made better for me by two things; first off, the reception was held at Art Donovan's country club. If you don't know who he is, you've never lived in Baltimore. The chance to meet a living legend and to discover that he is the same in person that he projects on TV was amazing. I mean when you think of him, you picture a guy sitting in a bar having a Nattie Boh and telling stories. About an hour into the reception, into the bar comes this man who sits at the bar and has a couple of Schlitz. He was gracious and humble to everyone who stopped and thanked him for the place and his contributions to the community. His humor was self-depreciating, as you would expect from him. To get a picture of my mom and my wife with him and be able to thank him was a real treat. Today's athletes could really learn alot by sitting down with him, having a beer, and just talking about life.
Secondly, I had the chance to see some of my family that I had not had the opportunity to for several years. My uncles and aunts that were able to be here (sorry to hear about your back, Uncle Ron) were sitting at one table and we were able to chew the fat (not the dinner, that was great) about what was going on in their lives. I made a decision to sit with them seeing as they were out-of -towners who didn't know anyone there. It wasn't until later that I figured out that Cindy and I were supposed to sit with my immediate family. So for all of my recent bitching, I guess they wanted us there with them, and for that I am grateful.
Today began on a sad note. Mike Wieringo passed away from a massive heart attack at the age of 44. Mike had been one of my favorite artists since his work on the Flash way back, and I was looking forward to getting an autograph at the Baltimore Comic-Con next month. He was a dynamic artist and he will be sorely missed.
More to come later in the week. Be good to each other out there.