Short Takes

Today is Free Comic Book Day, the annual celebration of all things related to comic books on the first Saturday in May, featuring a variety of books offered for FREE by publishers working with comic shop owners to provide access to the world of comic books.  My daughter and I have participated in Free Comic Book Day for much of the last decade, and will be visiting our favorite shop, Big Planet Comics in College Park, MD.

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My Dear Daughter Melody began her Summer concert tour by seeing Lord Huron perform at the relatively new venue at the DC Waterfront, The Anthem, last night.  While Lord Huron likely won't overtake twenty one pilots as #1 in Melody's heart, they are a current favorite, and the first of another series of live concert performances we plan to attend this season.  On tap is Imagine Dragons and Yes, with more to come.  We love the music of our favorite bands, and seeing them live is a great opportunity to celebrate that love.

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Melody and I saw AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR last weekend.  If you're a fan of the genre, and/or you've seen the previous Marvel movies, you owe it to yourself to check out this movie.  It is really good, though it ends on a bit of a cliff-hanger, and you'll have to wait a year to see the rest of the story.  But we were mesmerized.  We loved seeing the various team-ups of the characters, and while a cast as large as this one makes it difficult to go too deeply into anything but surface characterizations, everyone gets at least a few minutes in the spotlight.  We do lose a few favorite superheroes, as you may have heard.  SPOILER WARNING:  I don't believe that any of the character deaths are permanent, however there are a couple that are integral to the story, and we may not see their returns.  That's as far as I'll go.  END OF SPOILER WARNING.

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Medical updates:

Mom is at home, resting and feeling better.  She started physical therapy a few days ago, and that will continue for the next several weeks.  She's on the road to recovery.

Mom-in-law is at a rehab center for the next six weeks, going through physical therapy while keeping her "knee-less" leg from taking any weight.  After the six weeks, she will have surgery to place a new knee into her leg, and then she will have six more weeks of rehab.  She's doing okay.

Daughter Melody is still dealing with Spring allergies, resulting in stuffy nose and sore throat, but she's feeling better.

My sister is preparing for toe surgery on Tuesday morning.  She'll be off her feet for at least a week.

Have a great weekend, everyone!