It doesn't feel like a whole year has passed since I started this job. Its probably because I remember the whole application process like it was last week. I began writing the application two hours before it was due and only finished it because I shut myself away from the world, put my head down and typed like a conspiracy nut. I had a week from when they called to organise the interview to the actual meet, greet and interrogate and do you think I prepared for it in anyway?

If you answered 'No' you win the prize.

I barely remember any of the interview anyway. I'm not sure if this is due to laying my eyes on the fancy new digs they worked in or the cold terror that clutched my heart as I realised maybe I should have written down some notes or something.

I must've said something right during my 20 minute long rambling session because at the end of it they asked for my referees. Then they asked again when I told them I hadn't heard right the first time. I didn't admit that what I had heard was a sort of rushing white noise sound. Possibly the sound of my blood trying to explode.

Having someone call up and say "hey you got the job" surely rates as one of the greatest things to happen during your life. Next to getting married, having kids winning a major sporting event. I'm assuming.

I still have that feeling every now and then. It's the little things that bring it on, like no one telling me I have to attend training courses I have no interest in just to meet performance plan goals; the view; the abundance of natural (natural!) light and finally my boss.

A boss that actually listens and offers advice; understands (but sadly doesn't approve of ) my acute hatred of meetings; and wants me to be the best at what I do, rather than be mediocre at a whole bunch of vaguely connected tasks without offering me any support.

Yeah, this place really is great.

We open on a small, stuffy meeting room. There's enough room for a small round table, two chairs and not much else. Two men walk in and sit opposite each other, the DESIGNER and the CLIENT.

DESIGNER
Thanks for meeting with me.

CLIENT
My pleasure!

DESIGNER
Ok, thats enough of the pleasantries. Lets get this started. Tell me what it is you want.

CLIENT
Bit of an open question isn't it? Basically I've got this website/blog/blog site/thing and I want to update design. Bring it into the 20th Century.

DESIGNER
You mean the 21st Century?

CLIENT
Yeah that.

The designer pinches the bridge of his nose tightly, takes a deep breath and flips through a stack of website screenshots.

DESIGNER
OK. So looking at this you've currently rocking a two column blog with a vaguely retro look to it.

CLIENT
This is true.

DESIGNER
Any thoughts about what look you're after? What do you want the site to say?

CLIENT
Well I still like the retro look, but I don't think it really goes far enough. I love the worn look too. Can we include that?

DESIGNER
(angry)
But you just said you wanted to bring it into the 21st Century!

CLIENT
While also paying respects to the current design.

DESIGNER
(sighing)
Moving on. What about functionality? Is there anything you want the site to do?

CLIENT
A couple of things come to mind. Better Twitter integration would be nice.  I tried daily Twitter roundups but that became a quick way to kill the site. Something on the sidebar would be nice,

DESIGNER
Oh, so you still want the sidebar?

CLIENT
Er. Ah. Maybe we leave that question for later.

DESIGNER
Sure thing. That Twitter thing is easy. Using Twitter Tools you can have your latest tweets appear on the site and have a tweet sent out when you post on the blog. Anything else?

CLIENT
Gravatars, please.

DESIGNER
Great! Now we're getting somewhere. We'll just install Gravatars on your site. Easy peasy.

CLIENT
Uhh...yay?

DESIGNER
Exactly. What about comments? Have you thought about that part at all?

CLIENT

I have. I was thinking about making the Turing stuff better. And maybe having my comments formatted differently to the others.

DESIGNER
Yeah. I don't know what the hell you're using for CAPTCHA now, but it's pretty hideous. I can check out the formatting thing for you. No probs.

CLIENT
Just getting back to that sidebar...

DESIGNER
Yes?

CLIENT
Can that be viewable on the individual posts?

DESIGNER
Sure thing. But it'll cost extra.

CLIENT
Fine. Whatever. While I'm getting gouged can you at least make the site looked different to the standard Wordpress themes?

DESIGNER
Now you're talking! I'll even throw in a chunked up footer and incorporate your sideblog posts into the main RSS feed better.

CLIENT
So you'll take the job?

DESIGNER
(not hearing the Client and starting to twitch)
I'll rejig your whole content. Big fonts! Whitspace! Prettier images! Blockquotes! Pull quotes! All on a canvas that stretches to fit the width of the biggest monitor money can buy!

The Designer begins to cackle uncontrollably.

CLIENT
Are you OK?

DESIGNER
(still laughing insanely)
Never better! Now get the hell out and don't come back unless you've got a bottle of rum and a fat wad of cash. I've got designering to do!

When I heard that they were going to make a movie of the Watchmen graphic novel. I had to ask why.

I'd only read it for the first time this year, but it still had a huge affect on me and I can see how people two decades ago would've shit bricks after reading it. There's just so much story packed into the 12 issues that any movie version would be just a mere shade of the original.

Then I saw the teaser and it blew my mind (well everything except the god awful Smashing Pumpkins song they used to promote the Batman and Robin movie). It looks like they've captured the general feel book at least. For the first time i wasn't quietly mortified about the idea of a Watchmen movie.

But then Twentieth Century Fox smelled money and raised up from the black pit waving the "true" rights to the Watchmen franchise and asking for their share. Surely they could've let everyone know they might have an issue with this movie being made without their permission a year ago. Before they started filming the goddamn thing.

So if they're going to be dicks, then I can as well. I'm hereby boycotting all Twentieth Century Fox movies until this crap gets sorted out. There's a few big blockbuster movies in that list:

• The Day the Earth Stood Still
• X-Men Origins: Magneto
• S. Darko
• Halo
• X-Men Origins: Wolverine
• Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian

I won't be watching any of these. Not in the cinema, not even a screener. I'm that serious.

For most Victorians (and some interstate folk) today is the day. Thousands upon thousands of people gather in houses and bars. Some in a giant stadium. They eat hamburgers and sausages charred black on a barbeque grill and stuffed into bread rolls. They drink cold beer in stubbies pulled from a bathtub full of ice.

Then they huddle around the television or radio and they listen and watch. For two hours all the troubles in their lives are forgotten as a greater battle is fought on a grass green field just south of Melbourne.

And when it's all over the people will laugh, joke or cry. They'll wake up tomorrow still buzzing with excitement or devastated by loss. But they wouldn't have it any other way.

I'm enjoying DC books a lot more lately, it's just a shame they don't keep to a decent schedule. From the October solicits it looks like all the good DC stuff hits around the middle of the month.

Oh well at least I'll have Wizard to flip through this week.

Hellboy: The Crooked Man #3 (of 3)

I came into the Hellboy comics fairly late in the game, but I've been enjoying the hell out of these little self contained stories.

All-Star Batman and Robin, The Boy Wonder #10

Holy late comic book, Batman! They finally got around to releasing this. It would've been out a couple of weeks back, but apparently there were some problems.

Legion of Superheroes #46

The Legion book is finally starting to turn around. Seems like the team is finally free of the government control that hobbled the last few months of stories that could be condensed into this exchange: "We must help them!" "But we can't. They've taken away our funding!" ZZzzzzz.

Trinity #17

It's hard to write notes on Trinity. Mostly because of how incrementally the story moves. At least they've finally confirmed Engima's identity instory.

Avengers Initiative #17

This has to be one of my favourite Marvel books. Filling it with all new non-legacy characters means their fates are far more uncertain. Ant-Man has to be one of the biggest jerks in the Marvel Universe too.

Ms Marvel #31

Two Ms Marvel issues in one month? No complaints here. This book always seem to lose a bit of momentum after each event tie-in. I hope they've figured out how to correct that.

Cover-wise we say farewell to Greg Horn cheesecake and hello to relative unknown Frank Martin Jr.

New Avengers #45

Hey at least this issue sort of, kind of stars some Avengers. They're alternate version though, so that shouldn't really count.

Thunderbolts #124

I never picked up the Thunderbolts one shots, written by Christos Gage back when Warren Ellis wrote the main book. But they must've been pretty good as they slotted Gage into the main book once Ellis was done with it.

Ultimate Fantastic Four X-Men Annual #1

This is the sequel to Ultimate x-Men Fantastic Four Annual #1. Rather than mark is as #2, they've just switched the team names around. Incredibly confusing.

Ultimates 3 #5 (of 5)

In this, the final issue, they have to explain who killed Scarlet Witch and why, what the robots want, who Black Panther is, why none of the story meshes up with Ultimates 1+2, Ultimate X-Men AND Ultimate Origins. And then it has to explain why we should care when the universe is basically getting reset after the coming Ultimatum mini.

X-Force #7

Before this title came out I didn't think too much of it based on the initial previews. Now that the first arc is complete I'm happy to have been proven wrong.

X-Men Legacy #216

Isn't digging your nails into a captive's scalp a violation of the Geneva Convention? Not that Emma Frost ever had a problem with breaking laws.