Knowing someone only online is weird. You often interact with them less than you do with a stranger at a bus stop, yet you know so much more about them. And not petty details, like name or age or occupation, but intimate things – the subtleties of their tastes in music, what they’re passionate about – that are usually reserved for those that have crossed the threshold into friendship.

Such is the case with the subject of today’s post. Aside from being long-time posters on message boards whose relevance in our lives only exists in a cyclical line of reasoning borne out of habit, Megs, as she goes by on her old blog, and I have never really met, but I feel the same way talking up her work as I do about bands that I’m friends with. I probably like it more than I would if we were strangers proper, and I’m also super proud of knowing such interesting/creative/weird people.

Anyway, The Queen (as she’s known to me; we’ll get to that) has moved her blog, formerly (and hilariously) titled Laura Dern’s Cry Face to her own domain at Stories I Never Want To Tell Again

The announcement, made yesterday on LDCF is a little premature on the technical side, but as is the case with most good things on the Internet, the content is so gold that failing to comply to web standards is something we can overlook. This time.

The premise of the blog is fantastic. The Queen is writing to mark a transition in her life, proverbially putting these stories to rest in anticipation of the birth of her first child. The same kind of family values evoked by that other favourite blog of mine, Rules For My Unborn Son. That’s where the comparisons end, though, as the stories on SINWT are longer and not as feel-good.

As with most superhero stories, the origin story is fantastic and a great entry point, both for setting the tone of the blog and introducing you to the protagonist, Queen LaQueefa.

12:17:15 PM: Matty and I were restless and wanted to get out of the house. After contemplating beach, flea market, etc., indecisiveness led to cruisin’.

12:39:58 PM: Current Tunes: The Rolling Stones – Tattoo You

12:49:16 PM: Matty’s done all the DJing so far, in case you were interested.

12:51:16 PM: http://twitpic.com/gl4ii – Current Tunes

1:23:31 PM: http://twitpic.com/glf6n – We haven’t turned once since we left. OK, turn here.

1:37:25 PM: I think Matty and I just found the new bar for OAHQ. Also, I bought Airplane (the movie) on CED. Look it up.

2:27:31 PM: http://twitpic.com/glqtt – Down by the beach.

3:02:33 PM: Milkshakes and slushees!

3:50:01 PM: Drove around for a while hoping some food would catch our eye. Nothing did, so it’s home for BBQ and Stay Tuned featuring John Ritter.

3:51:58 PM: Matty took a walk to the bakery for snacks, I’m getting the charcoal out, people are on their way over. Liveblog, over and out.

3:55:07 PM: Matty outtake: “Can we swing by my old place? I need to get my postal code.”

Most of us nerds have already heard the news that Disney will soon acquire Marvel Entertainment. Reactions seem to be generally negative but to me it seems like a promising partnership. Let’s face it, as popular as comic book films are these days, it’s just not translating to more comic book sales. The San Diego Comic Con has become a corporate festival for launching big movies. I see the sale as a positive thing for Marvel. As a 25 year-old comic reader I was not alive for Marvel’s heyday and have only seen the company struggle to stay afloat.

Now, let’s say Disney gives Marvel some sort of Pixar-like deal. Pixar is essentially a sister company to Disney. They are a separate entity through which Disney creates the pictures, and their output is pretty sweet. If Marvel will be working as a separate company from Disney simply partnering up and distributing the comics and potential films, then doors are opened to sweet Marvel/Pixar team-ups, and I’m fully open to that being awesome.

Here’s what Editor and Chief Joe Quesada tweeted earlier:

JoeQuesada: If you’re familiar with the Disney/Pixar relationship, then you’ll understand why this is a new dawn for Marvel and the comics industry.

I think the key to their success, ultimately, is going to be in how careful Marvel and Disney are in keeping the Marvel brand distinct and independent and keeping Marvel’s rules alive and respecting its history. This is something that has negatively affected the the similar partnership between DC and Warner Brothers.

Having said all that, if you’re still freaking out about this, you’re probably rooting for the little guy. If that’s the case, there’s plenty of little guys left in the comic book industry! Go out and support your local shops, your independent publishers, and your starving artists. Come on, do it.

So while the OA R&D team works away at Top Secret projects, the blog is lagging.
We’re bringing on an Editor for the blog and working the kinks out in a new CMS, so shit should be getting a lot more real sometime soon.

Anyway, here’s some miscellanea that a million others have blogged about because it’s all awesome, to pass the time.

1. Jozin z Bazin

These guys are basically the Polish Official Awesome, except they were doing it 30 years before us. Respect.

2. Monkey vs. Magic

This monkey’s enthusiasm is nothing if not unbridled.

3. Steven Seagal: Lawman on A&E

Deputy Steven Seagal

4. Shit My Dad Says
Shit My Dad Says on Twitter is, pound-for-pound, the best Twitter account ever.

“The dog is not bored, it’s a fucking dog. It’s not like he’s waiting for me to give him a fucking rubix cube. He’s a god damned dog.”

5. A new band called forgetters (yes, lowercase) with Kevin Mahon and Blake Schwarzenbach
Details via exclaim.ca
Against Me! and Jawbreaker are two of my favourite bands. This is exciting.

6. Gun Camera

The DORYU 2-16 is a Japanese police-issue pistol camera.

Good night, everyone.

Photo by MrOmega

“If you took cigarettes away from the 20th century, we wouldn’t have any of the writers you go on about or anybody worships; they just would not exist, and I want this acknowledged. In fact, I think non-smokers should be barred from buying any product that a smoker created.”

2:40:59 PM: Darko shows up around 1pm. He is very upset.

2:41:44 PM: Aside from discussing his recent troubles we don’t have much to say. Today that will change, it’s my new goal to bond with Darko

2:42:15 PM: Since then we’ve bought smokes and are well on our way to a possible friendship!

2:42:34 PM: “It’s 3, let’s watch watch Springer!” – Darko

2:43:57 PM: Sorry for the technical difficulties, Springer is a real life version of Lars and The Real Girl

3:06:44 PM: Darko is now on Twitter. Welcome @DarkmanJ http://yfrog.com/05gy7fj

3:08:49 PM: Legends of Wrestlemania!! Bring it on!!! http://yfrog.com/11mm5mj

3:14:23 PM: It’s raining soon, a hidden suprise has brought out the first hug of the day.

3:17:09 PM: Darko remebers things only in number form.

3:18:04 PM: I’ve now offered my services as a bodyguard. Bring it on Brampton thugs!!!!!

3:43:12 PM: Darko only picks new wrestlers…. Weirdo!

3:57:53 PM: Shit of course he’s good at this game, friendship in question

4:20:16 PM: Darko just pissed off a bee, now he’s hiding on the deck in fear

4:23:16 PM: Ok, so @DarkmanJ wants a haircut, suggestions please

4:42:48 PM: Haircuts before bike ride, keep those suggestions coming

4:45:03 PM: Darko isn’t sure if he could pull off a Mr. T haircut. Little Support Here?

4:50:12 PM: like that chick on Degrassi? RT @_stephaniesays_ just keep the bangs. Shave everything else off.

4:50:12 PM: like that chick on Degrassi? RT @_stephaniesays_ just keep the bangs. Shave everything else off.

4:50:44 PM: You know, the one that didn’t put out for Joey? (@_stephaniesays_)

4:59:40 PM: Today feels like take your Darko to work day

5:16:44 PM: Darko scored big, check out his interview with the staff of officialawesome later tonight

5:43:41 PM: New blog post: Darko Needs Your Help! http://bit.ly/kO9d0

5:43:41 PM: New blog post: Darko Needs Your Help! http://bit.ly/kO9d0

5:43:41 PM: New blog post: Darko Needs Your Help! http://bit.ly/kO9d0

5:46:29 PM: Time for a bike ride, watch the video at http://www.officialawesome .com

6:30:38 PM: Bike ride was great, Darko makes the best human bike lock

7:29:50 PM: Haircut is finished it’s half David Beckham half Adolf Hitler…. BFFF

7:31:43 PM: http://yfrog.com/6×33pj

7:51:38 PM: Darko thinks all macs are touch screen. Told me to late as he just rubbed the entire monitor

7:54:36 PM: This just in!!! Darko thinks Ugly Betty is hot…. Not the actress, Ugly Betty herself

8:19:21 PM: And…. That’s it folks

Let’s face it. The internet is retarded. (Nothing against folks with special needs or anything.) Retarded, but somehow able to spawn cultural memes that infect my daily speech.

Case in point: OMG. Sadly, not pronounced “om-guh” – although that would be awesome, too – “oh-em-gee!” has taken on a life of its own in my house. I cannot stop saying it. It’s been months. Unfortunately, OMG is like most internet things. When you try to import it into the real world, you end up sounding like a kindergarden student or someone who loves to spell. LOLcat verbage is the same. I end up sounding foreign.

OMG is a useful bit of shorthand, infused with all kinds of subtext. It denotes shock, but also derision: “OMG, she’s actually dating him? I thought that was a joke!” It presents the reader with youthful vigor, like “gnarly” once did. OMG! OMG! It’s like, Holy shit! for the self-mocking hipster set (and, weirdly, Hannah Montana).

I can’t fight it. I still say “like” every fifth word and, with my Toronto accent, end up sounding like a Valley Girl. OMG is just, like, totally next generation slang; unfortunately, I’m susceptible to internet craziness and will carry it to my grave. I can’t wait for the day my obituary reads something like, “OMG! Grl Dead :*(” In the words of the 1907 version of me: it’ll be whoopie.

Summertime means one thing, road trips baby! So get ready for excitement as Official Awesome takes their first official road trip of 2009.

I’m playing in a charity soccer tournament on August 22 organized by Athletes For Africa.

The goal is to raise money in order to build a youth centre for sport, arts, culture, reconciliation and peace in war-torn northern Uganda.

Great cause, tax deductible and buckets of karma.

You can sponsor me by going to myathletesforafrica.com/elvedinterzic

I’m playing as part of the team from Exclaim! magazine, called Dynamo Exclaim.
Our team page is here.

More information about the tournament can be found here