i am drifting in a strange stupor, a numb head space. it feels like an out-of-body experience.

i touched down at SFO pre-dawn this morning, reeling from the emotions that came with seeing a childhood friend graduate from law school. i woke up grateful for the bit of sleep i could get, anxious about the work that awaited me. i checked my email, and found missives from various friends (thanks nat, branwyn, ryan) informing me that rory root had passed away yesterday. he was only 50. the news knocked the wind out of me. now, mentally, i’m like a horse with blinders on.

i can’t concentrate. all i can think about are rory and the store.

comic relief was a fantastical refuge, a dreamy play land. when i first stumbled upon it in college, i felt as if somebody had answered all my wishes for THE perfect retreat. it alone bumped up the value of living in berkeley. i spent hours there, lost amongst the awesomeness, reverting back to my childhood days. i loved it so much that i had to work there, so i did. the store not only remained all those wonderful things to me, but it also became a home away from home.

comic relief was/is one of the best things that ever happened to me. it generously bestowed upon me a fun job, amazing talented friends, a way to get even closer to one of my lifelong loves, and most importantly, it delivered on creating vivid memories that still thrive in my mind.

if there was no rory, there would be no comic relief. in this startling sense, i was deeply affected by this singular character (flawed, quirky, but with a good heart). imagine the stirring impact his passion–and his dedicated, desire to share this passion–has had on countless others. it’s a pretty special thing.

branwyn (CR alumna) says that the best thing folks can do now is patronize the store, and i wholeheartedly agree. it’s a fragile, transitional stage. before people check out with their purchases, they should play with todd and give him a good backrub. he, of all people, will have to bear the brunt of this severe blow. tomorrow’s new comic book day, so bring your wallets and a healthy appetite for visual storytelling. it’s one way to celebrate the spirit of rory, the store, and comics.

ps – the first thing i thought of when i heard the news is rory’s proclivity for packing hearty snacks for cons. early on, he found out i had a fondness for summer sausage and liverwurst. for subsequent cons, he’d always exclaim to me that he had packed these particular vittles in the cooler. also, he liked ginger soda a lot.

pps – landry’s blog entry really nails what i suspect is a common, complex sentiment amongst CR employees, past and present.

the joy that is comics; this magic happens all the time in the best damn comic book store on earth

though i bought it six months ago, i just recently inaugurated the use of my BLACK JACK mug. FINALLY!

i’m not really one for buying mugs, so how could i justify shelling out a good $20 for this particular one? the most obvious reason: graphics. tezuka’s famous character is plastered all over it in bold, cinematic black and white. stylish, right? makes hot liquid consumption that much more enjoyable

two, it is a memento from the tezuka exhibition that the museum presented in june ’07. a fantastic groundbreaking show, it had significant meaning to me. i’m a lifelong comics nerd, and we all worked our a$$es off for it. those were some grueling, stressful times, but i learned A LOT and bonded with coworkers. i was lucky enough to flex some otherwise untapped skills and knowledge, make the acquaintance of VIZ (and visit their playful offices), and meet folks like fred schodt, one of the most wonderful, heart-melting, intelligent beings to walk the earth

three, the mug is from japan. there was some serious retail prepping for this exhibition. months before it opened, the store manager traveled to tezuka’s homeland to get the business ball rolling. the store ended up carrying all kinds of special goodies directly from japan, available nowhere else but at the museum.

four, it’s BLACK JACK!!! among its alluring facets: 1) the morbid, gruesome surgery sequences 2) the namesake anti-hero medical pirate with a heart of gold 3) justice is repeatedly served in perverse ways 4) it “reflects the glory and squalor of early adulthood.”

so why am i writing about a gosh darn mug?! because i like it, and maybe because it’s in giddy anticipation of vertical’s release of the first two volumes of black jack six months from now. go vertical!

yeah. this is basically what i do for R+R:

chill on anthony’s pungent bed (“spells like crotch!”) with durkey and read comics (while anthony’s working away on his wacom).

the only thing missing are gallons of green tea or sesame ice cream, the rest of the gang, and a lap cat / lap dog.

i went to the corner korean restaurant tonight to satisfy a serious craving for dol sot bi bim bap. i’m ashamed i don’t know the name of the place, but they had subtitled korean soap opera on tv, which kept me entertained. something about once-lovers who end up living next to each other, missed opportunities, their forbidden love, same ol’ same ol.’

the check was delivered along with dessert: a bowl of house-made cinnamon broth. tastee like sugar water with a hint of cinnamon (duh). it was refreshing and light, not saccharine. my favorite part: the three pine nuts floating gracefully on top of the broth. decorative and quaint, like something you’d find in a lotta jansdotter design, or on tasteful asian stationery.

the waitress said it’s supposed to aide digestion. they brew it with cinnamon and ginger, and we all know (at least us asians) that ginger is serious restorative fuel.

some artists i’m feeling: jon han, chris ballantyne, prunella clough, tom friedman (whom i completely forgot about until recently. kinda old school and old news, but still good), jenny pockley, and others whose names i can’t recall.

i was delighted to see a pair of cute undies by evah fan, one of my all time favorites, at park life today. while there, i also saw a neat portrait of murakami by ian johnson.

it was an exhausting weekend. does it have to be sunday night?
i’m going to read drifting classroom in bed now.