Superheroes

Everyone in my generation can probably quote the entire TV show intro narration that ends with "Truth, Justice, and the American Way!" And most of us have probably spent more than a few hours wondering why they used the phrase "leap tall buildings" instead of "fly," and why Supe was never once shown changing the course of a mighty river. I personally think that since such a feat would involve a significant engineering effort in addition to strength, it would be far more challenging than bending steel or outrunning a bullet.

Anyway, the point is that I grew up enjoying stories about superheroes. Spiderman was my favorite, by far, but I also enjoyed DareDevil, Hulk, two of the Fantastic Four, and to a lesser extent, IronMan, Thor, and Namor. I did enjoy the Superman TV show, but the DC comics were horribly lame in comparison to Marvel.

It's probably obvious that I still enjoy many of the television shows I watched as a kid -- and now that MeTV is broadcasting Superman and Batman on Saturday afternoons, well...you know where you can find me at those times.

Batman holds up extremely well, because it was always about the jokes and clever dialog. Plus, the guest villains were chosen from among acting's elite. And, well...Adam West.

I was sorry to hear, though, that Yvonne Craig (aka Batgirl) had recently passed away. Personally, I thought that the addition of Batgirl was an unnecessary distraction, but have nothing but praise for Ms. Craig.

As far as I know, though, Jimmy and Lois are still around.



The Superman TV show, on the other hand, is horribly dated. The chicks wear stupid flowered hats, the boss smokes cigars and blusters about firing everyone, the police inspector is best pals with a mild-mannered reporter, and the cars don't have seatbelts. But despite dumb plots and streets full of people that get excited about possibly seeing a bird in the sky, it's still pretty entertaining. I laugh out loud several times during each episode...and not just at the fact that Superman always does nothing but pose until the bad guys have emptied their guns even though he's supposedly faster than their bullets. Some of the dialog is hilarious; and I love it when Clark self-consciously touches his glasses whenever he says something about Lois's baffling inability to figure out his identity. It's cheesy, but absolutely great at the same time.

But what about today's superhero shows, you ask? Well, it just so happens that I went to see Ant-Man over the weekend. My expectations were low, especially since the character had never made an impression on me back in my comic-reading youth. Plus, my mental cataloging system had filed Paul Rudd under the "Seth Rogan Stoner Slacker Pinhead" genre, and I had trouble seeing him as hero material. (Of course, you may recall that I had the same sort of problem with Tobey Maguire as Spidey, and that worked out OK -- at least until he started dancing.) But I was pleasantly surprised. I liked this movie a lot!

As I've said many times before, it's not the special effects, the fight scenes, or the volume of destruction that appeals to me. In fact, there is almost always too much of those, and this film was no exception. But what I do like is humor, clever writing, and the establishment of warm and believable relationships. Ant-Man had these in abundance. And Rudd pulled off the role with ease. I am happy to welcome him into the Marvel Universe, and can't wait to see him share the screen with Downey, Evans, and Ruffalo. I recommend this movie.

As for real superheroes, well, I am proud to report that I get to hang around with some of them myself. I'll just mention a few, starting with the amazing Haley Benson (pictured here), who took 2nd place in the Pike's Peak Marathon by pushing her body beyond reasonable limits.

Next, I'll mention our swim team's butterfly prodigy, the unstoppable John Batchelder. Already having won multiple National Championships this year, John decided to swim the entire Horsetooth 10K race butterfly! John's time was faster than most of the freestylers out there...and then he turned around and took off to compete in the National Championship 2.5K open water swim about a week later. He was only one-tenth of a second away from making the podium in that race. He has had an astoundingly successful year of racing...and it's not over yet.

And then there's the Terminator: Mr. Reynold Kalstrom, who might be the superhero who inspires me the most. Not only does he look about 20 years younger than he is, but he beats most of the people in those age groups, as well. In addition to being an outstanding athlete, he is truly a great role model -- a classy gentleman who is as humble and friendly as he is tough. I mean, you gotta love a guy who clicks his heels as he crosses the finish line, right?



This weekend, Reynold took 3rd place in his age group in the 70.3 IronMan World Championships in Austria. Up against the finest triathletes in the world, the Terminator beat all but one of his age group out of the water, and finished with great performances in the bike and run as well. In just a few weeks, he'll be competing in the full IronMan World Championships in Hawaii, too -- so stay tuned for those results.

In summary, I'll just say that while I enjoy being entertained by superheroes in the movies, it is much more gratifying to me to be associated with superhuman inspirations in real life. Oh sure, I will probably continue to watch and be entertained by various costumed crusaders via the media, but I am 100% certain that I will always appreciate and be thankful for the opportunities I've had to hang out with (and learn from) the true superheroes I've met and count among my friends. Congratulations to you all...and thank you for inspiring the rest of us!

Have a great day!

Moe-Mentum

Despite my incredible good looks, massive intellect and irresistible personal charisma, there are occasionally times when obstacles impede productivity.

Of course, most of the obstacles I find in my path are entirely self-inflicted...
but this renders them no less onerous.

So, you ask, what the heck have I been doing lo these past months? Well, my friends, I wish I could tell rousing tales of adventure and accomplishment, and fill these pages with indictors of glory and honor...but alas, this is not to be. Do not fear: I haven't been a slacker -- not by any means -- but the tangible evidence of all my efforts and elbow grease is unfortunately scant. I swear to you that I have been as busy as a tribble's nanny, and you'll just have to take my word for it.

Things have really picked up at my office. Our company has spun off a new subsidiary, and efforts to ramp up are in full swing. I hope to provide more details about that later, but suffice it to say that my workdays are currently replete with the sounds of cracking corporate whips and the wailing of the oppressed. (And by "the oppressed", I mean those of us who willingly exchange our daily freedom and intellectual output for the financial compensation that allows us to buy chocolate ice cream and multiple pairs of running shoes.)

So, there is momentum at the office, where the accelerated work pace appears destined to continue to infinity and beyond...or at least through the end of 2015. And there is momentum in my athletic life as well -- my workouts with Revolution Running continue to improve my speed and form. I wouldn't yet say I enjoy running -- but I am hating it far less than I used to.

And the Foothills Masters Swim Team continues to thrive. When I have the time, I hope to share some of the amazing accomplishments we have recently seen from among our ranks.

In other news, I must announce that I am returning to my part-time lifeguarding gig. Will this result in more frequent blogs? Probably not.

Well, then, what would enable me to be a better chronicler of events within this space? Hmm. I'm guessing that a Lotto jackpot is just about the only thing at this point. But despite my lack of time, I know that I still owe you a report on look-alike actors, as well as more amazing Star Trek trivia, lame jokes, and advice on the 2016 elections. I shall do my best to deliver. But in the meantime, well -- it's time for running practice. We're doing hill sprints on Dinosaur Ridge again. Ugh.

Thanks for dropping by. Wish me luck, and have a great day!