My last regular textual contribution to The Stranger, the Obits column, has been suspended as of three weeks ago. It might come back later, should the paper’s ad volume go back up.

THE MUCH BETTER NEWS: The new-look print MISC is finally ready, and should be back from the printer any day now.

It’s a regular-magazine sized,, 48-page volume just packed with exciting stuff to read and/or look at.

It’s the “Hipster Parents & Swingin’ Kids” issue. “Theme” stories include:

• Punk dad Julian Fox defends the honor of his punk daughter from slanderous school administrators.
• Debra Bouchegnies remembers the lighter side of a bedridden pregnancy.
• Charlotte Quinn becomes a feminist single mom, attaining true independence by having a dependent.
• Stacey Levine finds creepy Oedipal undercurrents on a TV cooking show.
• Doug Nufer thinks baseball is behaving like a bad parent.
• New stepdad Eric Nygren watches nice “progressive” parents trying to re-segregate the schools.
• Clark Humphrey (yr. humble editor) differentiates between real families and the fantasy that is “The Family,” and also offers lesson plans on how to tell your kids the sad truth about Bush.
• Illustrator Sean Hurley finds the inifinities of the universe in a little child.
• Susan Purves thinks punk legend John Doe should stick to grownup music.

But that’s not all! The issue also contains these other great features:

• Yr. editor asks his fellow men to rise up for peace.
• Tom Deluxe shares sure-fire moneymaking ideas.
• Julie McGalliard discusses her worst job ever.
• Filmmaker John Michael McCarthy claims American culture hasn’t produced anything of value since Elvis died.
• Doug Nufer and his parrot decide what TV shows we’re going to watch.
• Spinoza Ray Prozak dissects the corpse of nihilistic heavy metal.
• Matt Briggs thinks fiction writers don’t have to be gay to be “queer,” but it helps.
• Doug Anderson wonders what winning the lottery would be like.
• Cartoonist David Lasky and writer Tatiana Gill recall a wild night of naked beer drinking and frozen-pizza eating.

And that’s still not all! There’s also news briefs, Ms. MISC, a David Lasky comic, a photo essay about autumn in the city, a funny In/Out list, a junk food review, recommendations of books, videos, and CDs, and even a few scattered typographical errors (can you find them all?).

The splendiforous MISC #118 will be available at select retail outlets starting in mid-January for a mere $3.95 US; or you can order it by sending a check or money order to MISC, 1400 Hubbell Place, #1314, Seattle WA 98101.