newnumber6 | New Comic Day + other stuff

This week I got two books:

NYX: No Way Home #6 (of 6) (a bit of a mess, a conclusion that doesn't conclude)
Runaways #7 (a bit weak, maybe it's best Moore's leaving)

Full reviews as usual at my comic reviews site for anyone interested.

Also picked up at the bookstore, Queen of Candensce, by Karl Schroeder (Book 2 of Virga), and The Century of Science Fiction, a short story collection (it was in the 'books we want to get rid of so we'll price them really cheap' bin.

Work was okay, but it arrived just about the same time I did, and I had to do more, not only because we're in the busy season, but because one guy wasn't there and they asked me to do his part too.

I hate Roll Up the Rim.

And just heard that Philip Jose Farmer passed away at the age of 91. Enjoy the River, man.

I promised the story about how, on Monday, at 5:30 am I found myself helping a homeless woman steal back a bag of clothes. So, here it is! (It's not as entertaining as it sounds).
First, I'm not 100% sure she was homeless, I'm just going by various cues, like the fact that she had a bag of clothes that she lent somebody who was sleeping in the stairwell and using it as a pillow.

Anyway, I was on my way to work, and this woman swears, and then runs past me. I let her by. I pass by her again and she starts to talk to me, saying she was yelling because she was down to her last cigarette, and then starts to asking me for either a cigarette or a light, before I cut her off and say I don't smoke. But anyway, she asked me to stop and talk to her for a second, and I did, at a distance, but she wanted me to get closer, repeating her name as though that might convince me she wasn't crazy or not going to hurt her. ANyway, I still kept a safe distance (heck, I don't like getting too close to people I know, much less potentially crazy people). Anyway, she asked me if I knew somebody, I didn't. She said he was a guy with a broken arm, and she'd loaned him a bag of her clothes to use as a pillow, but she needed the clothes back. He was sleeping in a stairwell in the building she was standing next to the door of.

She asked if I would help her out by holding the door open, because she was scared, and that way if anything happened, I could hear and presumably help. She told me a couple times that it wasn't a scam or a trick and repeated her name again to try and reassure me. So I said I would, and held the door, and she called out, then ran up the stairs, and was back down in a few seconds with a bang. Apparently the guy wasn't there, but the bag was.

Why did I do it? Cause apparently I can't say no to people who are engaging me directly. Even potentially crazy homeless people. Shrug.

Anyway, she wanted me to stay and talk a bit more but I figured I'd done my good deed for the day and I did have a completely valid excuse to avoid pleasantries - I did have to go to work. So I left, leaving me mildly befuddled about the whole experience.

Shrug.