Greetings, loyal airmen.  Well, here I am, home again, slowly getting back to normal.  Although at 61, we just don't bounce back like we use to.  My chest still feels like there's a steel band wrapped around it, and I tend to get tired a lot quicker.  Still going to be a while till I can get my old stamina.  But overall, when I sit here and consider this time last week I was in a hospital bed, only days past from major surgery, it all seems fantastic.  Modern medicine is just wonderful.  One of the bright spots of that week in the hospital (not counting my granddaughter Kristi getting her driver's license or our nephew Scott and his wife Kelly having their first baby – a 11 pound rascal they named Gus after Scott's dad!) (see…life goes on all the time even when your laid up on your back..ha) was the opening of Baseball Season.  And our Red Sox are back into the thick of it, despite their long overseas trip to Japan and then the west coast, the Boys of Beantown are looking very, very good.

This past weekend, Big Papi, David Ortiz slammed his first homerun of the seaon while in Oakland during the final two games agains the A's.  I love the photo above as it captures all the grace and power this man possesses.  Our Gold Glove first baseman, Kevin Youkilis also broke the World Record that very same game for the most consecutive games played at first base without an error.  Way to go, Youk!  Now the team travels to Toronto for a weekend outing against the Bluejays and then come home to New England to season opener in Fenway Park this coming Tues. when the players will all received their 2007 World Series Rings.  Go Sox!!

And speaking of Boston, shortly before going into the hospital, I thought it was time to plan out a few convention appearances.   As much as I love writing, it is a solitary passion and so attending cons allows me to actually meet all of you, my friends and fans.  Which is why I have so much fun at these things and truly wish I could do lots more.  Anyways, the first one of this year I am attending will be in one week –  Sunday April 13th from 10 AM to 5 PM.
                             Monkey House Entertainment Presents
                    The Boston Comic Book – CD/Record  & Pop Culture Spectacular
                                                  at the
                            Boston Radison Hotel
                            200 Stuart Street.  Boston
                           6th Floor Ballroom   
 (Located in Boston's downtown entertainment district, near the MBTA's Boylson stop.)

The big name guest will be DC artist Cliff Chian, who has worked on more DC titles than I can list here.  Also my good pal, Rich Woodall of JOHNNY RAYGUN and up and coming artist, Kris Carter.  Kris is working on a wild new sci-fi adventure book and has asked me to help script it for him.  I'll let you know more about this new project as it develops.  I'm very excited about working with Kris.  Believe it.  Anyway, that's the goods on the show and I'm hoping lots of you airmen will be able to make it down.  I will have many of my pulp tiles available for sale, plus a very small supply of our DAUGHTER OF DRACULA graphic novels if you still haven't picked up one of these.  So please check your calendars and come on down to say hi.  Meeting many of you would make this a really great show for ye old Air Chief.

                          
Finally, in one of my log entries last year, I discussed how I personally detest the new version of cinema werewolves we've had to endure ever since John Landis made his classic WEREWOLF OF LONDON.  Don't get me wrong, I love that movie, but Landis and make up genius, Rick Baker, took the guise of the monster too much into making him an animal and they completely ignored his human aspects.  It was a major shift away from the classic make up worn by Lon Chaney Jr. in the Universal Classic THE WOLF MAN.   One of my all time favorite movies.  When I heard recently that Universal was in the process of re-making this particular gem with actor Benicio Del Toro, I was both happy and worried.  Would they continue to push the CGI dog-like creatures of UNDERWORLD etc. or would we finally go back to the true classic depiction of a man monster.  Well, just prior to heading out to the hospital two weeks ago, my copy of Entertainment Weekly arrived and within its pages was the answer to that question.  And what a wild answer it was.

             
Now THAT'S A WOLF- MAN…emphasis on MAN!  And scary as hell.  Thank you Rick Baker for bringing us back on line and finally getting it right.  This is one horror flick I'm chomping (…oooh..bad pun) to see.  Ha.

And there you go, loyal airmen.  Our first Post-Surgery Log.  Thanks again to all of you who stopped here these past few weeks, read my accounts and then said silent prayers on my behalf.  To have been showered by these during this experience was a true blessing and all of you will forever be in my prayers of gratitude.  That's it, airmen.  We're back.  Take care, and have a super week.

Ron – Over & Out