Hey Grovers! Did you get to see the transit of Venus? Well, not directly, I hope. I hope you took the necessary precautions and didn’t look directly at the Sun. Anyway, I hope you got to see it. Once in a lifetime event and all…unless you’re immortal and will be around for the next one in 2117. I on the other hand, being in exile here in South Florida, was foiled, once again, by the weather. Don’t be fooled by the propaganda…weather down here is not always sunny skies and girls in bikinis or guys in speedos working on their skin cancer…uh, I mean, tans…no, when it comes to anything happening above the clouds, astronomically, the weather plots against me and either rains or is overcast.

There I was, all set up with a poster board and my binoculars, as well as a pinhole projector waiting for the day to roll on up, not paying attention to the weather forecast saying 60% chance of storms as the weather forecasts are sketchy at best. I think one of the ingredients of those weather models on the computer is voodoo, after all, so I take them with a grain of salt…which was a mistake, because I should have learned by now, when it comes to astronomical events, especially rare, once in a lifetime ones, those models have always been spot on. Meteor shower? Rain. Eclipse? Thick clouds. Alien landing? Hurricane.

Once again weather of South Florida, you conspired against me and I had to watch the transit of Venus on NASA TV…just like the last ever shuttle launch (which every other one was visible just by looking out my front window).

Now, I shouldn’t get my hopes up but, in 2045, when I’ll be 78 going on 79, there’s going to be a total solar eclipse, right over South Florida, which I should be able to watch simply by stepping out into my front yard. I know you’re planning to rain South Florida weather…I’m not a gambling man, but I’ll bet my last nickel in the bank I have right now on it.

It’s time once again, my dear Grovers, for the CotW! This week dives into a futuristic, 3D comic by the name of Sunset Grill by Katastrophe.

In the year 2426, the Earth is a confederation of Domains called the Empire that is constantly fighting off aliens who want the land the Earth provides for themselves, not really caring that it is already occupied. The title refers to a bar in the not so savory town of Kieselburg, who have no real interest in what is going on in the world outside of the bar, they just want to escape and forget it, they just want to stay alive.

The story is not always linear and can jump around a bit, but it is always interesting and compelling to read. It is updated Tuesdays and Fridays. With an archive dating back to 2008, you are bound to spend some time exploring this future picture of what Earth might become. Please stop by and read and help support my fellow Spiderforest.com creators.

Oh wait a minute…yes it is! Those of you who follow me on Facebook know by now that the air conditioner here in Hell the Grove has not been functioning since May 20th. If any of you know what life is like in May in South Florida, you know it is hot and humid, even at night, so my brain has not been functioning along with the air conditioner for all this time…which is bad…because I have two weeks of pencils to scan, ink, color and letter, but it’s been too darn hot and humid in the house to spend any period of time near the heat generator I call my computer. Why is this bad you ask? Because those two weeks of strips are the strips that would be published starting Monday…which means I have no new strips in the can. I have the part ready to be installed, it’s just that I can’t do it myself…hopefully, it will be installed tomorrow, and I can start working, not only on the strips that need to be done, but on some clients sites that have been on hold until I can lower the temperature inside the house.

Keep your fingers crossed! I’d cross mine, but they would end up sticking together, like some other unmentionable body parts, from the sweat that is pouring off of me. With all the moisture that has left my body in this sauna, perhaps I will have shed a few needed pounds.