Today we got an awesome piece of mail from some friends – a coloring book page colored by their 2 year old daughter Ophelia. I think we really bonded at Disney World, while eating bacon at Kevin’s wedding.

Thanks Ophelia. Feed the birds.

Even though there aren’t really a lot of comics I read, I still always check out Graham Cracker Comics website every week to see what’s new. The other week “X-Babies” caught my eye and I just couldn’t resist picking up a copy because really, who doesn’t love superheroes as babies?

I found out that this wasn’t the X-Babies’ first appearance. They originally appeared in Uncanny X-Men #12. This appearance is included in the first issue of X-Babies, but frankly the illustrations were so bad I couldn’t bring myself to read their original origins.

But X-Babies, now that is a great comic. The premise is that the X-Babies are characters on a television show. Essentially, they are being held captive by Mojo. They accidentally stumble upon evidence of other shows being aired, including one featuring younger versions of themselves. They aren’t going to stand for this, and fighting ensues.

A show where younger versions of the X-Babies learn about the merits of eating healthy.

The comic has a ton of great features – dinosaurs, outer space, babies. It was thoroughly entertaining, and well illustrated. I will definitely be picking up the next issue.

A few weeks ago Josh and I picked up a bunch of old Star Trek comics (more about that later). The oldest of them dates back to 1984.

One of the things I love about them are the ads. All of them have a form to fill out for a comic book subscription. Most of them also have ads for comic book conventions around the country. Then there are some with mail away offers for kids or get rich quick schemes.

But the thing that I like best are the old video game ads. This Return of the Jedi ad comes from the February 1984 issue. The game is for the Atari 2600 (and soon available for Intellivision).

Good news everyone! I have located the 50 Øre coin!

On our honeymoon we spent a day at Disneyland, where we found this coin. It was on our seat on the Matterhorn Bobsleds. I thought I had lost it forever, until today when I found it. It’s a good day.

On the eve of my 25th birthday, I offer a gift to all of you. A song from the 1960 record “A Child’s Introduction to French.” This was acquisitioned on a trip to a record-hunting trip to a local thrift store. I couldn’t resist the “twenty activity songs, games and conversations that will teach your child and entertain everyone in the family.” You can play it below or just download it here.

With a little digging I found that Golden Records released a series of “A Children’s Introduction to…” records. Spanish, Jazz, the Orchestra, Gilbert and Sullivan, Beethoven and Mozart, etc. This record uses the new “language by ear” method and is approved by leading language teachers.

Without further adieu, Let’s Parler Français: