I cannot express how incredibly happy I am right now

Okay, I'm going to work on the premise here that Jeremy doesn't read my blog very often ... okay, like never ... and I don't have anybody else to tell except you guys, and I don't keep secrets very well.

For Christmas, Jeremy bought me a copy of "The Sound of Her Wings" (Sandman #8), which has incredible cover art and contains the debut of Dream's sister, Death.

I can't remember if I bought him a Christmas present. Assuming I didn't (which is probably the case), I'm making up for it now. I picked up a copy of "The Tempest" (Sandman #75) signed by Neil Gaiman and Charlie Vess.

For those who have read Sandman but have forgotten, this is the last bout with Shakespeare after The Wake. My favorite quote from it is "... he did not understand the price — mortals never do. They only see the prize, their heart’s desire, their dream. But the price of getting what you want is getting what you once wanted."

The issue was a top contender for the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Comic-Book Story of 1997, and Vess won a '96 Eisner Award for best penciler/inker for the issue. In other words, finding a first edition signed by both of them is quite a catch. :)

I feel like such a comic book nerd saying all that, but Sandman has made a big impact on my life. Jeremy lost all his trade paperbacks when he and Sara split — she threw out all his things — and I think this'll be a nice Christmas gift. Of course, if I did buy him a Christmas gift and I'm just having a brain fart remembering it, then this will be a nice not-Christmas gift.

Yeah, I could do a little dance. Can't wait for it to get here. ... And on the off-chance you're reading this, Jeremy, you might as well go on and tell me so that I don't have to keep it a secret anymore. :D

Happy Thursday, a.k.a. "Kate's favorite day of the week and she won't tell anybody why." <3