26 Comments
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Jenny's avatar

I spent my summer catching up on concerts around my area! And extending into September. I needed to catch up on some lost time. Love your book! 🤘

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Jim Ruland's avatar

Thank you! What was the best show you saw?

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Jenny's avatar

I think Jack White so far, runner up for a basement show with Robbie Fulks that was totally rad! So glad to be back full force in live music!

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Erin Holmes's avatar

Hey Jim! I had no idea they considered Jean-Claude Van Damme to be the Predator!

Nothing super exciting this summer. Have seen quite a few movies. We did watch Prey and it was fantastic!

Had a short road trip to Kingston and visited Canada's oldest penitentiary 😊 Fort Henry as well though it was too hot to stay long.

I've been preparing for all of my fall fairs and other vendor events....busy busy!

Went to Pyrofest....best fireworks I've ever seen!! 🙌🎇🎆

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Jim Ruland's avatar

Right on! Good luck with the vendor fairs.

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Ben Smith's avatar

Not much you can’t find in CR!

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Ben Smith's avatar

Spending it right now with my fam in, like you, Costa Rica, and like you, seeing a shit ton of wildlife (toucans over our balcony as I type), and like you, reading a good book (Lonesome Dove). (Unlike you - much respect - I’ve been indulging in some cold Costa Rican beer (Pilsen) and fiery Guaro.)

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Jim Ruland's avatar

Actually, I did find some NA Imperial!

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Scott Dickensheets's avatar

Spent Part 1 of summer vacation in a cabin near Bass Lake, California, reading delightfully trashy novels and baby-sitting grandkids. Part 2 will be less fun: taking my mom to Colorado to bury my brother's ashes. Hardly a vacation, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

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Jim Ruland's avatar

That's tough, Scott, but you're right. Our time here is so brief.

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Jim Ruland's avatar

Hey Scott you're one of the winners of the book giveaway! Can you email me at verminonthemount@yahoo.com?

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Brian's avatar

I'm reading this from a vacation house by the Potomac. I've been here with my partner's family since Saturday of last week, and we head back to Ohio tomorrow.

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Steve E.'s avatar

Nothing flashy for our family. Just a visit to Myrtle Beach. We do stay in a big rental with my parents and both of my sisters' families, so it makes it special. Hard to beat a week with people you don't see as much as you might like where you can hang out as late as you want without worry of having to return to separate locations.

I have Corporate Rock and am enjoying it. I'm only about halfway through even though I got in late June (see my previous comment about desiring the time/space to really absorb what I read). So, I am covered on a copy of it.

Enjoyed Prey also. It wasn't astoundingly different from what came before but still managed to feel fresh and entertaining. I've seen all the Predator films with the exception of The Predator that came out a couple of years ago. Don't remember much about the AvP films except feeling like they missed the mark since they shared the title with the Dark Horse comics which had an interesting twist where a human earned the respect of the predator clan and was kind of adopted in.

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Jim Ruland's avatar

I'm going to have to look into the Dark Horse comics. I imagine they've been collected into a graphic novel?

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Steve E.'s avatar

I bought the first series in the '90s in a collection. Since the house of mouse gobbled up as much IP as it could Dark Horse lost a good many of its film licenses and likely can't print it now. I would have happily sent you my copy, but I gave it to a nephew years ago.

They got pretty loose with some of the crossovers to their licenses- Terminator vs Robocop, Aliens vs Superman, Batman vs Predator, Archie vs Predator. Not all of it was gold by any means but some of it had germs of much better ideas than the movie sequels we ended up with.

I do have a single self-contained issue of a Predator comic I bought around that time you're welcome to, if you want it.

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Jim Ruland's avatar

Interesting! How about a trade? An old Flipside or Razorcake for the comic?

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Steve E.'s avatar

Sounds good. I'll throw in a couple more things to keep it interesting if we're trading because the comic is merely okay to me.

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Jim Ruland's avatar

Great! Reply to the newsletter with your address and I'll send you mine!

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Jesse Riley's avatar

Spent mine traipsing all over the mountains in the west!….until we snapped an axle that resulted in a $1500 tow fee.😬🤢

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Jim Ruland's avatar

Oh no! Hope it was fun while it lasted.

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Jesse Riley's avatar

It always is!!

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darryl e. gould's avatar

spending my vacation wishing my band made enough money so i could be a paid subscriber to message from the underworld and buy a copy of corporate rock sucks

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Jim Ruland's avatar

Right on Steve. Glad you got to spend time with your family.

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Jim Ruland's avatar

💰💰💰💰💰

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Bunker's avatar

Ive spent the bulk of my summer being absolutely thankful. I also got to meet the man himself Dick Lucas. In July & to be frank with you, I don’t think the Subhumans have ever sounded better. I’ve also spent a significant amount of my sparse free time hard charging through Corporate Rock Sucks. It’s def my summer punk rock education. I’m almost done & I highly recommend it. It’s def got that unflinching truth edge that I appreciate in rock & punk books.

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Jim Ruland's avatar

Thanks so much! Good to hear about the Subhumans!

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