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Sunday, August 17, 2008

Russell's Aquaman Birthday Package O'Fun

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Waiting for me in my mailbox on my birthday was this giant envelope, from my pal and F.O.A.M. member Russell Burbage--it was stuffed to the gills (sorry) with all sorts of Aqua Bric-a-Brac! Wow!

As I've mentioned before, any mail Russell sends my way is always decorated with all kinds of stickers and doodles, making it even more fun. (In case it's too small to read, on the back Aquaman is saying "Gotta hurry, Robin! It's Rob's birthday!" to which the Teen Wonder replies "Right behind you, Aquaman!")

Inside the package was a vintage issue of Aquaman, two of the new DC Super Friends "Step Into Reading" tie-in books, the Aquaman page from the 1976 DC Comics Calendar, plus a whole smaller envelope full of Russell's specialty, hand-colored stickers:
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...made from art that has appeared on the Shrine, Russell colored some examples from my Aqua Sketchbook and sent them only to me, making them sort of "limited editions." Neat-o! I now have enough stickers to decorate my letters and packages for the next several years.

Russell has been extraordinarily generous to both me and the Shrine (as well as my other blogs), and has been a really good friend, despite the fact that we've never met.

Every time I read some old crank complain that the internet is making us all so distant from one another, I think of guys like Russell.
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F.O.A.M.er Vincent Bartilucci gave me the heads up on this, another Aquaman-related headline about Michael Phelps that appeared in yesterday's New York Post. Thanks, Vincent!

And just before I typed this, Michael Phelps won his record-breaking eighth gold medal. Nice job, Michael "Aquaman" Phelps!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I brought the envelope into the office to mail it, and several people saw the decorations on it and commented...not always in a good way, but, what the heck, right? :-) Glad you loved everything, Rob! It was simply my gift to you for running this shrine, and giving me a smile every morning when I check it.