Molly, Frank, Loren, and David

I don't know exactly when I became aware of Frank Frazetta's artwork. I suppose it could have been from the Molly Hatchet album covers.

More likely, it was the posters they sold at Spencer Gifts and Coach House Gifts in the early 80's.
At some point, I bought this book in a secondhand store.

In it, Frazetta's painting of "Spider Man" (1966) is the stuff of nightmares. The paralyzing fear I felt when Sam fought Shelob in Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and when the children of Aragog chased Harry and Ron in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets stems from this:

I found this calendar a few years ago at a Salvation Army store. I didn't know what I was going to do with a calendar from 1980, but it was too cool to pass up. 

I think "Circle of Terror" would be better suited for October, but maybe it's a take on "March in like a lion, out like a lamb"? I don't think that guy is going to meet any lambs anytime soon.

I think I've seen this on TV...

Yep, I've seen it. It's too bad they changed the cast and put Lorne Green in there.

Charlie's Angels was popular, but this show looks like it would have been better.

Okay, this made me jealous. Check out October 16.

That was the night when the Van Halen World Invasion Tour rocked Des Moines at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium. That would have been such a good time. I didn't get to see David Lee Roth as Van Halen's front man, and I lost interest when Sammy took the mic. Sadly, I missed the show because I was only ten years old and living in Rock Valley.

But I like the calendar's previous owner; they had great taste in art and music.

I was organizing the basement last December when I came across the calendar on a book shelf. I opened it to January. I remembered that the first of that month is my mom's birthday. I checked the current calendar to see when I needed to give her a call, and the days matched. Both 1980 and 2019 began on a Tuesday. I could actually use this calendar!

(I hope that dentist appointment went okay.)

It was fun for January and February. No, I don't stare at a calendar all of the time, but when I would notice it, I'd think, Hmmm. Is 1980 or 2019? Have I time traveled? 

Then I noticed something else about February.

February has 29 days! That means 1980 was a leap year, and 2019 isn't.  Dang it, my "new" calendar was broken!

The next time it will be accurate is in 2036 when Charlotte is 26.

I wonder who will be Van Halen's front man then?

Anyway, Happy New Year! 

PS. 2020 is also going to be a leap year.