January 1, 1996

While I was at home scurrying about from room to room each time I heard large booms and fireworks popping outside, Cowboy was celebrating the start of 1996 in New York City's Times Square. The Artist, SLC, BET, Jay, The Purple Queen and her husband Thom were there too. Another one of those crazy few days that could only happen to Cowboy.

He had walked to a local corner hangout near our old downtown place to relax after working a long day (part-time at Holidays are Hell) just three days before Christmas. He also called SLC and asked for company. While there, a radio station had a local remote going on and a drawing for prizes. Cowboy got all chummy with the radio DJs and dropped his name in the hat. He encouraged SLC to do so but he had no interest. Cowboy filled out the card and entered SLC's name for him.

He won. A trip and hotel to NYC for New Year's. SLC felt Cowboy should go too.

The Artist already had a ticket to come to KC so Cowboy got a roundtrip to NYC tacked on for him for cheap after begging the Delta ticket person. The Christmas card from PQ and husband said they had a layover in NYC. BET already was there for the holidays visiting Jay. No way! It was perfect. He even bumped into Jon Secada on the street and got a Polaroid to prove it.

Six kids, a divorce, two marriages, a marriage next summer, lots of moves, job changes, and life experiences have all happened since then. He doesn't talk to SLC anymore and hears about Jay from BET.

And Calvin & Hobbes took off on their sled to explore. Cowboy couldn't wait to get the January 1 New York Times to see how C&H would end their journey. They started another!

According to an article in The Kansas City Star, "fans of all stripes can now enjoy The Complete Calvin and Hobbes, a monster of a compendium that traces 3,160 strips from Nov. 18, 1985, through Dec. 31, 1995. The slip-cased set, printed exquisitely on thick stock, contains three volumes, 1,440 pages and the heft of a steroid-laced bowling ball (23 pounds)."

I'm shaking my tail just thinking about it!