40wp+(3*2m)+h2o=-5.5

Last year between September 2009 and May 2010, I lost about 65 pounds following the Weight Watchers plan.  I hit a plateau and found my weight loss stagnating.  I knew that dieting alone wasn't going to cut it anymore.  I needed to exercise.  One would think spring and summer time would be the best time to exercise.  Longer days, warmer weather.  Activities one could join.  Sports to play.  For multiple reasons, the exercise didn't materialize and my eating habits relaxed.  The result was I gained 16 pounds in the last 6 months.  Still down almost 50 pounds, but I was starting to feel ugh again.  This past Sunday, Cute Fan Girl and I decided to start dieting again.  We figured out our Weight Watcher points (40 for me) and I decided to go hard-core.  I started drinking more water and decided that I needed to exercise.  I looked into the Couch to 5K program and figured that was going to be the best method.  I'm not joining a gym, so running is it.  With my schedule, there really is no good time for this.  We're up at 6:00 every morning and I'm either out the door before 7:00, home with the kids or we're running errands (if only running errands involved running!).  We're home by 5:00 or 6:00 and by the time the kids are in bed it's often 8:00 or later.  

5:00 AM!  Of course!  Why hadn't thought of that!  Monday morning, I got up and dragged my butt out of bed.  I looked outside and it was sleeting.  Nope.  No way was I going to start in the freezing rain.  I went back to bed.  Tuesday, though, I got up and went out.  I started walking and knew instantly that my body wasn't ready to run.  Was there a Coma to Couch program available to get into shape?  I am proud to say I walked hard for 30 minutes.  Wednesday was a rest day (the Couch to 5K people recommend 3 days a week) and my body needed it.  My shins ached.  Yesterday morning I again got up (at my usual 6:00 AM-I didn't need to be to work until later) and walked 2 miles.  Again a very brisk pace.  Threw in some hills and was feeling good.  This morning, Loki was up at 5:00 AM and I decided that I might as well go for a walk.  I got out there and walked another 2 miles.  Towards the end of the walk, my body felt good.  It felt like running.  So I did.  For about a minute, before my body decided that was good, we could stop now.  My feet also agreed-I need to get proper running shoes if I'm going to run.

All in all, I feel good.  I've been following my Weight Watchers points (actually left 8 points on the table yesterday) and drinking gallons of water.  I'm down 5.5 pounds in five days.  I know this trend won't continue long, but I feel great about the start!

Gigi's Big Adventure

Today was Gigi's last day with us.  The plan was to meet my ex-wife Melissa at the airport at 10:50 and hand her off.  I have been advocating that Gigi is getting to the point that she could fly solo as long as it was a direct flight.  Melissa has been dead set against this.

This morning, as I was running around trying to organize things for my mom who was watching Lex & Loki, the phone rang.  It was 8:20 and it was my ex.  I knew her flight was scheduled to depart at 8:30 (7:30 Central) and I had a feeling of dread.  I answered as usually do, saying hold on and immediately handing the phone to Gigi.  Studies have shown that exposure to radioactive waste and cigarette smoke can shorten your life-span.  Dealing with my ex falls squarely between those carcinogens.  As Gigi handed the phone back to me, the dread grew.

"They won't let me board the flight," she said.

"You mean you were late and missed your flight."  You know that episode of Seinfeld where Elaine tries to see what is in her medical chart?  The airlines have that kinda file on my ex.  She consistently and habitually pushes the envelope on getting to the airport on time.  The beauty of it is she now lives less than 10 minutes from the airport she uses, so she can't even use traffic as an excuse.

"Let's not argue.  I need you to tell her she's going to have to fly back alone."

"No, you're telling her."  I was not about to be the brunt of that emotional outburst.  Bad enough, I was the one who had to deal with the fallout.  I handed the phone back to Gigi and within seconds she was screaming and crying.  Then, conveniently, Melissa's cell phone lost cell reception.  I talked Gigi down, calming her down to the point she could breathe again.  I explained that there was nothing I could do about this, but that we would make the best of it.  I told her we would leave for the airport early and talk to the airline and see if she could sit up front with a stewardess or that we would look for a family that was travelling that had kids her age and explain the situation and have them "adopt" her for the flight.  She had a haunted look on her face, but seemed okay.  The phone rang again and it was Melissa.  I handed the phone to Gigi and listened to her howl at Melissa that she didn't want to fly alone.  After a few minutes, again the cell reception died.  Once again, I calmed her down and told her we would make the best of it.

She was freaked now, more-so than earlier.  Lex & Loki tried to comfort her the best they could as I called Kitten to tell her the news.  Lex sang the 'Gigi song' (a variation of the 'Loki song' he sings when Loki is crying) and Loki hugged Gigi.  The three of us calmed her down again and the phone rang again.  Melissa said she would talk to her calmly.  I handed the phone back and they talked for a few minutes and then Gigi hung up.  She threw herself, howling onto the couch screaming she didn't want to go alone and that I couldn't make her.  She demanded a lawyer!  I sat her down on my lap and told her that she needed to be a big girl and that I sympathized with her being scared.  Five minutes of calmness and soothing got us back to pseudo-normal.

I answered and Melissa asked to speak to her.  I told her no, that each time I calmed Gigi down, she just riled her up again.  Melissa told me the name of the terminal manager that I needed to talk to when I got to the airport.  I asked her why she couldn't just fly later in the day or a different day.  She couldn't afford to pay the transfer fee and couldn't afford to miss more work.  I just had to convince Gigi to fly solo.  I told her she needed to come clean about missing the flight and again she lay the blame on the airline.  I finally relented and handed the phone to Gigi.  They talked and towards the end of the conversation, Gigi began relaying information to me.  The airline was going to block out the seat next to her so she would have the aisle to herself.  I had to fill out unaccompanied minor paperwork at the ticket counter.  And then the kicker.  "Mom says we should leave so we get to the airport an hour ahead of time."

Really?  Wow!  What a concept!  "If she had done that, we wouldn't be having this conversation."  I snapped back.

I packed her a little survival kit for the drive and the flight.  Water and a granola bar, her DS, a couple books.

We left shortly afterwards for the airport.  My mom had told Gigi that it was going to be an adventure and that she would be fine (ironic, seeing as my mom has NEVER flown).  We left the house 2 1/2 hours before her flight left.  We hit traffic.  We had trouble finding parking.  Guess what?  We were at the ticket counter an hour before her flight was scheduled to leave.  I explained to the clerk what was going on and I filled out the paperwork and Gigi met Gina, the terminal manager and Gina explained that she was going to meet us down at the gate and get Gigi situated.  We went through Security, where I was told I couldn't leave the terminal until her flight was in the air.  Made sense.  We got to the gate and spent a few minutes buying snacks and sundries.  Gina appeared and paged us and before I really had a chance to say good-bye.  I gave her a hug and a kiss and wished her good luck.

I had to wait about 15 minutes for the rest of the passengers to embark and then I was sitting in the terminal alone.  Gina let me know that Gigi was doing OK and that Gigi had even admitted that she has flown hundreds of times before, just never alone.  The stewardesses were taking care of her and she was sitting in the front row all by herself.  I explained to Gina that I thought Gigi was old enough to fly solo, but it was my ex that was, ironically, against it.  The second I said 'ex-wife', Gina opened up and told me everything that happened with my ex at the airport on the other end.  She had arrived at the ticket counter at 7:20 for the 7:30 flight and when they turned her away she had a hissy fit.  Freak was the word that the ticket agent there used to describe her.  Gina commented that I seemed like such a nice guy and asked me what was I thinking?  I laughed, having heard echoes of the question for years now.

Gigi's flight left 10 minutes early and the airline said that her flight was going to land a full 30 minutes early, so I called Melissa to give her a heads up.  She still managed to be late to pick Gigi up.  Gigi's flight landed at 1:15 and from what Gina had told me, Gigi would have been the 1st one off the plane.  By 1:40, I hadn't heard from her so I called Melissa and she explained that she was still in the security line waiting to get through.  She ended up getting Gigi over 30 minutes after she got off the plane.

Gigi is doing OK and admitted to me tonight that she was OK doing it, but doesn't want to fly alone in the winter in case there's a snowstorm.  I told her not to stress about things and just bask in the fact that she did it today and that she's stronger than she thought.

A Walk In The Hood

I'm home this week with the kids. Our daycare provider is on vacation and thus so am I. We also decided to not put my oldest, Gigi, in summer camp this week. Handling all three of the kids can be a challenge, but I had a plan. Kim took yesterday off and we all went school shopping. We made a day of it and had a great time. My plan for today was to have my mom come out and join the kids and I as we ran our errands (usually Target, the dairy and the library). My mom usually buys us lunch and then offers to "watch" the kids as they nap so I can get out for a bit.

My mom called yesterday to let me know she wasn't feeling well and wouldn't be visiting. OK. So slight change. Kim went to Target, leaving me with only the library today. I decided the best strategy was to tire the kids out.

"We're walking to the library" I announced. It's a one mile walk. It's a sunny day. All good, right? Not so much. Gigi wanted no part of this. I offered to let her stay home, but she wanted no part of that either. "Why do we have to walk?" Before I could respond Lex chimed in "Me like walking and Daddy said we were." Thank you Little Man. More grumbling as Gigi wanted to wear her brand new shoes. I said "No, wear your old ones because you need to break them in before you walk a mile in them."

"You're being mean." Gigi started to stomp off.

"Fine. Wear them, but when you get blisters and your feet hurt on the way home, I don't want to hear it." She wizened up (slightly) and wore flip-flops. We packed up our books and headed out. Gigi wanted to read a book as we walked and I told her to be careful. 250 feet later, she tripped and slammed into me. "Urggh! Why do we have to walk? It's too dangerous to walk."

I wanted to say "Uhm, maybe if you didn't have your nose in a book, you'd be okay." but I didn't. I did offer to let her stay home, but again, she declined.

Lex had a field day walking to the library. Every fire hydrant we passed, he tried to turn on. He picked up a piece of Styrofoam and flew it around as a plane. He acted as our scout, looking for cars at each and every crosswalk and he pressed the crosswalk crossing light buttons. Most importantly, he responded to every negative comment Gigi made with a cheery "Me like walking!"

Loki also enjoyed the trip. She got to ride in style as I took the stroller. She waved to every person we saw, but sadly in our neighborhood, no one waved back.

Gigi huffed and puffed the first 10 minutes until I explained to her that when I was her age, I routinely walked 2 1/2 miles to my library. She retorted "This is my week of rest and relaxation!" I'm sure I'll remember that tonight when it's bedtime. 'Can I stay up later?' 'No, sorry, this is your week of resting.'

We made it to the library with a minimum of additional grumbling.  Maybe half-a-dozen "are we there yet?" and a handful of exasperated sighs.

Once at the library, Lex began his library ritual.  We walk in, he yells at the cardboard cut-out of the T-Rex in the lobby and we proceed to the book drop.  Lex returns all of our books and then dashes off to the water bubbler.  Once his thirst is slaked, he runs off to the library registration desk and says hi to the clerk.  Occasionally, he will stop and chat with the clerk, sometimes drawing them a picture.  Today, as he ran by and said hello, Gigi let out a frustrated grunt and said "Stop it" to Little Man.  I asked her what was wrong.  "He's embarrassing me."  Really, by being friendly and out-going?  "He shouldn't be just saying hi to anyone he sees."  The problem here is that Gigi is severely introverted.  She won't ask a librarian to help her; doesn't talk to people unless spoken to and even then it's mono-syllabic.  Little Man, on the other hand, is going to be a politician.  He has no trouble interacting with complete strangers and happily, he is 100% polite about it.  Perfect example, this weekend, while at a State Park celebrating a friend's birthday party, Lex wandered off.  I saw him going and followed at a safe distance to see what he was doing.  He walked up to a lady who was walking her dogs.  He said something to her and she said something back.  He proceeded to pet the dog.  I approached and asked Lex if had asked if it was okay to pet the dog.  The woman said that he had asked quite politely if he could.  Earlier in the week, when we were at Border's he offered to share his cookie with a woman.

We gathered up our books and after checking out began our trek home.  I chose a much less hillier route to get us home.  Even with this, our journey was punctuated again by Gigi's litany of complaints.  I offered to let her wait on the stoop of an abandoned warehouse and I would drive back once I got home with the kids.  She quickly stopped complaining.  For about 3 minutes.  Lex picked up on her incessant complaining and started saying how tired he was.  Lex, Loki and I had made this same trip twice previously with no complaints, so I am annoyed that Gigi's complaining has rubbed off on him.  Hopefully once she has returned to WI, her influence will wear off.

I want to raise my kids to be self-sufficient.  I want them to feel like they can talk to librarians.  I want them to be able to stay home at 10 years old and not be afraid.  I want them to be able to walk a mile and not feel like they're stepping into the Richard Bachman book The Long Walk.

Book Review: Bringing Up Geeks

My wife recently recommended several books to me. The first one, Bringing Up Geeks by Marybeth Hicks talks about how you can raise Genuine, Enthusiastic, Empowered Kids (hence GEEKS).

The book is broken up into 10 chapters; each chapter focusing on a different potential aspects of your future geek's personality.  There are chapters for raising brainiacs, team players, an uncommon kid, a principled kid, a faithful kid, etc.

Each chapter opens with a real life example drawn from the author's life experience and then lays out the principles behind the aspect and closes with a Q&A session and activities to foster that behaviour.  I really like the examples because they are broken into school-age categories (elementary, middle and high school) and are really easy to implement.

I really enjoyed this book and agree with 95% of what the author recommends.  There were a few areas that I disagree (the author seems to govern with an iron fist whereas I like to allow my kids a little free reign.  The chapter involving mass media was a touch too controlling for my tastes.)

Can Wii tell me how to get to Sesame Street?

Yes it can!

Gee Mom I want to go...

In elementary school, I was tested and found to be "gifted and talented".  Not sure exactly what the criteria was, but it revolved around IQ scores, creativity, teacher input and an interview.  As a result, I was placed in the DELVE program (I cannot recall what the anagram stands for) and encouraged to explore my full academic potential.  One of the ways was to make learning a year round experience.  My parents signed me up for educational summer camps and/or classes.  I attended camps on computers, robotics, literature; one summer I took an AP US History class.  I really enjoyed the opportunity and I feel like it was a very useful application of my time. 

I fully intend to provide the same opportunity to my kids.  I have been trying to get Gigi to branch out and explore different options (she is getting ready for her 3rd year of Summer Camp in Mansfield Park & Rec program) but she likes to play it safe.

I have gone through and found some of the more interesting summer camp options available this summer in the New England area. 

• iD Tech Camps offer classes in programming, game design and game modding.  RPG game design!Warcraft III and Starcraft Game Modding! Facebook App Development!
• Children's Technology Worksop offer iCamp opportunities including a LEGO Mindstorm class, video game design, audio engineering and a Mission to Mars program
• Want to be a knight?  Higgins Armory offers a day camp program teaching children all about castles (and how to knock them down!), calligraphy, armor, poetry and swords.
• The Ecotarium offers three camp sessions: Amazing Animals, How Things Work and Cosmic Camp. 
• Allandale Farm offers week-long camps where children learn about farming, livestock and composting.
• I wonder if you'd be exempt from your summer reading if you went to the Great Books Summer Camp?  Authors covered include Plato, Thomas Jefferson, Leo Tolstoy, Jorge Luis Borges and Kurt Vonnegut.  Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone, Shutter Island) will be a guest lecturer this year.
• Shakespeare more your speed?  GAN-e-meed Theatre Project is an all-woman production of As You Like It.
• Concord Academy Summer Camps  offers sessions covering digital story telling, architecture, movie making, a writer's camp and community service.  They also offer sports including baseball, flag football, soccer, kung fu and lacrosse
• Unicycle riding?  High wire walking?  Trapeze?  Clown class?  It must be Circus Camp!  
• Earthwork Programs offers a camp where kids can learn Ancient Fire Making, Natural Cordage, Animal Tracking, Wilderness Living Skills, Storytelling, Wild Edibles and more!

This Isn't Your Father's JLA...

One innovation that the 80's brought to comics was the limited series.  The first limited series, World of Krypton, was released by DC in 1979 to coincide with the theatrical release of Superman.  Series starring Batman (Untold Legend of the Batman) and the Green Lantern Corps (Tales of the Green Lantern Corps) followed.  Based on the success of those series, the 80's saw an explosion of limited series.

 Marvel published series featuring the solo adventures of some of their popular team players: Hawkeye, Hercules, Iceman, Magik, Nightcrawler, The Vision & Scarlet Witch and Wolverine all had mini-series in the 80's.  Marvel also used the format to gauge audience demand for a title spotlighting characters as varied as Cloak & Dagger, Elektra, Falcon, Longshot, Machine Man, Punisher, Rocket Raccoon and the West Coast Avengers.  Marvel also pioneered the practice of using the limited series for the mega-crossover event.  First Contest of Champions, then Marvel Super-Heroes Secret War and Secret War II took dozens of heroes and teamed them up and/or pitted them against one another.



Over at DC Comics, the idea of the limited series allowed writers and artists to play outside the traditional sandbox of the DC Universe.  Titles such as Ronin, Camelot 3000, Masters of the Universe, Amethyst, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Cinder & Ash, Doc Savage, Lords of the Ultra-Realm, Flash Gordon, V for Vendetta, Thriller and Watchmen all explored comic worlds separate from the traditional DC multi-verse.  DC also utilized the limited series for their mega-events: first in 1985 with Crisis on Infinite Earths, and then followed by Legends, Millennium, Cosmic Odyssey and Invasion!.



My favorite mini-series of the 1980's was a 12 issue maxi-series that explored the dynamics of a group of super-heroes and their efforts to save the world.  The series utilizes analogues of a group of established superheroes to explore a world where things have gone sour.  Heroes are forced to battle former teammates.  Heroes' actions impact society.  Nuclear disarmament.  We see how the personal lives of heroes are affected by the decisions they make.  We see loved ones of a hero die as an accidental result of their powers.  You may be thinking Watchmen, but you would be wrong.  Before Watchmen, Marvel explored these themes in Squadron Supreme.

Squadron Supreme was the story of a group of super-heroes that mirrored the Justice League of America team that was active in the 1980's.   The Squadron wasn't loosely based on the JLA, they were blatant copies.  Hyperion, their Superman, was the sole survivor of a doomed planet raised by a couple who instilled a strong moral background.  His powers included flight, invulnerability, atomic vision, super strength and the only thing that affected him was argonite.  Power Princess, their Wonder Woman, was born on Utopia Island, but left this paradise island (pun intended) to spread their teaching to the world.  She fell in love with a US Serviceman who she rescued from a sinking ship.  The similarities run the entire gamut of the JLA pantheon even encompassing nods to the SuperFriends cartoon (Redstone is an Apache Chief clone) and the Justice League Detroit (Moonglow has the same power set as Gypsy).  I have included a separate blog posting with each character's analogue.

Squadron Supreme opens with Hyperion "pitting his awesome might against a massive object caught in the irresistible force of Earth's gravity...It is a contest not even Hyperion can win."  This sets the tone for the series as Hyperion and the Squadron try to use their powers to better mankind, even when mankind doesn't necessarily want the help.  We will see variations of theme throughout the story arc.

As the story opens, the Squadron's satellite headquarters is plummeting to Earth.  The Earth has almost been annihilated by an attack by the Overmind.  The Overmind had enslaved the Squadron (with the exception of Hyperion) and the Squadron had taken over the world.  The Overmind then planned on using the Earth as a forward base to conquer the universe.  Hyperion was able to defeat the Overmind, but the world is in shambles as result.   The Squadron decides that it is their responsibility to save the Earth from the brink of disaster and make it a utopia.  The first chapter delivers a recap of what has gone before and it chillingly foreshadows the Squadron's own actions to implement the Utopia program.  The Squadron votes on their plan and both Nighthawk and Amphibian vote against the plan.  Nighthawk disagrees so vehemently, he quits the team in protest and decides to assassinate Hyperion to stop the Utopia program.  The first chapter ends with the team explaining their plan to the world, unmasking themselves to the public and Nighthawk, in his secret identity of Kyle Richmond, finding himself unwilling to kill Hyperion.

The rest of the series follows the Squadron as they try to implement their plan and their ultimate failure.  Things go poorly for the Squadron as soon as they decide to eliminate crime by brainwashing criminals.  Tom Thumb invents a behavior modification device to rehabilitate criminals.  Almost immediately, the technology is abused by the Golden Archer who uses to ensure that Lady Lark will marry him.  The Squadron eventually learns of this and kick him out of the Squadron.  The Institute of Evil is apprehended by the Squadron and subjected to the device.  They are then "offered" the opportunity to join the Squadron.  All the former Instituters become model members of the Squadron, but due to their brainwashing they are unable to stop potential disasters.  When Hyperion is replaced by an evil doppleganger, Lamprey realizes this but cannot say anything without betraying a Squadron member.  Doctor Decibel is worried about Arcanna's pregnancy and Ape X learns about Tom Thumb's terminal cancer prognosis, but they cannot say anything.  This culminates with Ape X having a nervous breakdown after discovering Moonglow had stolen the plans to the behavior modification machine.  Ape X is torn between her compulsion to be loyal and report the betrayal.

In order to oppose the Squadron, Nighthawk is forced to partner with the remaining super-criminals of the world: Master Menace, Mink, Remnant and Pinball (the latter 3 being recruited only after travelling to the Marvel Universe's Earth and teaming up with Captain America.  This extra-dimensional excursion struck me as unneeded to the overall story.  Halfway through the story, it crossovers with one issue of another book-which results in no discernible effect to the story.  It would have been different if Captain America had accompanied Nighthawk back to aid him, but he doesn't.)  Nighthawk has his allies infiltrate the Squadron and they steal the plans to the behavior modification plans.  Freeing the Instituters from their compulsion, the Redeemers and the Squadron then battle each other.  I'm not going to spoil the ending, but the fight that ensues is an epic battle that highlights the persona; disputes and allegiances that developed and fractured throughout the series.

I remember the story quite fondly but having just re-read this in trade format I do have to admit the story does seem very dated now.  The major distraction for me was the inclusion of an almost obligatory "Previously on Squadron Supreme" flashback every chapter.  We very rarely see this in today's comics and I'm sure that it is an editorial function of the books being written with the inevitable trade in mind, but I'm also reminded of Steven Johnson's book "Everything Bad Is Good For You".  One of Johnson's premises in the book is television has evolved from a one and done mentality in the 60's & 70's to an ongoing, multiple weave of intertwining story lines. Johnson argues that this is making us smarter and allowing pop culture to evolve even further.

The art in Squadron Supreme is nothing to write home about and it's interesting to see how dramatically different the Alex Ross splash page differs from the original artwork (I like the photo-realism look of his art, but I'm not a huge fan of his DC work-ironically perhaps due his slavish devotion to the comics of the 80's.  I love the 80's comic scene, but I also realize that things change).

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the supremest of them all?

The 1985 mini-series Squadron Supreme featured a team of heroes very similar to the Justice League.  The similarities stretched from team names, heroes and villains.  Here is a list:


Squadron Supreme / DC comics counterpart

Teams

Golden Agency of America / Justice Society of America

Institute of Evil / Society of Super Villains

Nighthawk & The Redeemers / Batman & The Outsiders

Original members
Hyperion / Superman (Founding member)
Amphibian / Aquaman (Founding member)
Dr. Spectrum / Green Lantern (Founding member)
Whizzer / Flash (Founding member)
Power Princess / Wonder Woman (Founding member)
Nuke / Firestorm
Hawk / Hawkman
Arcanna / Zatanna
Golden Archer / Green Arrow
Nighthawk / Batman (Founding member)
Tom Thumb / Atom
Lady Lark / Black Canary
Skrullian Spy-master / Martian Manhunter (Founding member)


Members of the Golden Agency
American Eagle / Hawkman
Professor Imam / Doctor Fate


Institute of Evil
Doctor Decibel / Sonar and/or Doctor Light
Ape X / Gorilla Grodd
Quagmire / Shade
Shape / Ragdoll
Lamprey / Parasite
Foxfire / Star Sapphire


Redeemers
Redstone / Apache Chief
Moonglow / Gypsy
Haywire / Poison Ivy(?)
Thermite / Captain Cold and/or Heatwave
Inertia / Turtle
Mink / Catwoman
Remnant / Toyman
Pinball / Penguin


Other Villains
Scarlet Centurion / Chronos
Master Menace / Lex Luthor
Cerebrax / Brainiac
Rustler / Terra Man
Bollix / Trickster
Iron Moth / Killer Moth

I Know What I Want My Kids To Do Some Summer

A summer camp for teen sci-fi and fantasy authors where they create a shared world setting.  This is so cool.  I had run a website on GeoCities in the early 90's that was a shared world fantasy setting called Hadelphia.

I really hope this program is still around when my kids are old enough... 

You never forget your first time...

As I mentioned previously, I was a Marvel Zombie when I first got into comic books.  In thinking back, I don't recall a specific reason it took me almost 3 years before I picked up a DC book.  Was it exposure to the Super Friends cartoon and I assumed that the comics were too childish?  Was it a case of branding?  Make Mine Marvel?  I honestly can't recall a reason.

I do remember my first though.  One night I was out running errands with our neighbor, a gentleman who was confined to a wheelchair.  I would help him get his wheelchair in and out of his car and help him shop a couple times a week.  I also did his yard work.  We had stopped at the Big Y and while he shopped I headed over to the magazine aisle and the comic book racks.  I don't remember what prompted me to pick The Year's Best Comics Stories digest up.  Was it the bold "Year's Best" proclamation?  I had just started reading and enjoying Squadron Supreme. Did I realize that it was based on the JLA and that factored into my decision?  Was I just bored and had already read all the Marvel comics that were for sale?

Regardless the reason, I bought it and started reading it on the way home.  It had a variety of stories that I was fascinated by.  It started out with a heady story that was unlike anything I had read up to that point and was followed by a super hero story that posited that the hero didn't exist.  It had a WWII story and a story about Green Lantern-but not the guy from the cartoon.  Some stories were great (as advertised) and some lost on me:

• "The Anatomy Lesson" from Swamp Thing- As comic fans know this was the 2nd issue of the Alan Moore run on the character.  At the time, I'll admit this story was lost on me.  There were no superheroes; nothing that at that time interested me.  Having re-read some years back, I appreciated it much more.  
• "If Superman Didn't Exist" from Action Comics- At the time I enjoyed the story for the story.  Two kids 'invent' Superman and he saves the day.  Re-reading it today (for the first time since then) I see that it was DC Comic's (Well, Marv Wolfman, Gil Kane and Julius Schwartz at least) love letter to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.  
• "Killers Also Smile" from Sgt. Rock- This may have been my favorite story at the time.  I was a huge WWII buff growing up and here was a story that took place in the European theater.  Sarge Rock and Easy Company take on a SS unit that is moving from village to village massacring civilians.  A poignant story then and now.  Interestingly, Joe Kubert and his son Adam both worked on this story as editor and letterer respectively.
• "Guess What's Coming To Dinner?" from Legion of Super-Heroes- Another super-hero story with no super-heroics.  This one dealt with a controversial mixed marriage between two members of the Legion.  Oddly, also lettered by Adam Kubert.
• "Final Duties" from Green Lantern- This story was a tales of the Green Lantern Corps back-up story about a GL's last day. Kwo Varrikk's last day is filled with his heroic feats: stopping an interplanetary war, stopping a planet wide earthquake, diverting a meteor swarm from destroying a planet.  As he retires though, his thoughts are of a runaway kite he retrieved for a little boy.  At the time, the moral of the story was lost on me.
• "Viva Nebiros" from Blue Devil- A fun, goofy tale featuring a team up between Blue Devil and Zatanna.
• "Who is Donna Troy?" from Teen Titans- This Titans tale was and is still lost on me.  Then, because I had no idea who Donna Troy was and now, multiple retcons later, I still don't know who Donna Troy is.
• "Babe's Story" from Atari Force- I'm sure this origin story would have made more sense if I knew what Atari Force was.  As a stand alone sci-fi tale, it's decent, but formulaic.

In hindsight, I don't know what grabbed my interest so much, but I was soon reading DC titles.  Searching through the cover galleries at DC Comics Database at Wikia Entertainment for July 1985, I remember reading Crisis on Infinite Earths #4 (there's a gateway comic for you!), All-Star Squadron #47, Infinity Inc #16 and Green Lantern #191.

What was your first comic?

Yo Joe!

My love affair with comic books started when I traded a bag of shooters for G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #2 during the summer of 1982.  I read it that sunny afternoon and within minutes of finishing it, I was on my bike riding to the Dairy Mart 1/2 mile away where my friend said he bought it.  I walked into the convenience store and there it was- a circular wire rack of comic books.  I remember finding G.I. Joe #3, Avengers #225, Star Wars #66 and Captain America Annual #6.  I don't remember any DC Comics from that trip or for quite awhile to be honest.  I was a Marvel Zombie.  DC didn't get their hooks in me until 2 1/2 years later.  Rom, The Incredible Hulk, The Defenders and Spider-Man all quickly followed.  The Fantastic Four.  Marvel Two-In-One starring the Thing.  Marvel Team-Up.  Before I knew it, I had read everything that Dairy Mart could provide.  The phone book led me to three different comic book stores in Springfield (AKA the "Big City" in Western MA): Treasure Island, Rebel Peddler and Bob's Hobbies & Collectibles.  There were whole stores devoted to comic books!  This was too good to be true.  I convinced my mom to drive me to the Rebel Peddler.  It was a hole in the wall little store that had tables of long boxes.  I had discovered back issues!  My meager allowance wasn't going to be enough.  I quickly got two paper routes (the daily Union News and the weekly Pennysaver)  to make money.  Within months, I was taking the bus into Springfield every Friday afternoon, catching one or two transfers depending on the shop I was going to.

Looking back at G.I. Joe #2, I can't honestly say what it was that hooked me so hard.  It's a great story (I recently re-read it as part of IDW's collection of the Marvel run).  A Joe team consisting of Stalker, Breaker, Scarlett, and Snake-Eyes parachutes into the Arctic to investigate what happened to a US research station that was attacked. They cross paths with Kwinn, an Eskimo mercenary who is working for the Russians.  The Russians were preparing to use a fear wave on the US, but it backfired on the Russian team that was deployed to use it.  The Russian team, in a fit of paranoia, attacked the US research station.  Kwinn was hired by the Russians to recover the fear ray and destroy the evidence.  Kwinn gets the drop on the Joe team (so much for them being an elite counter terrorist outfit) and takes the firing pins from their weapons, adding them to his weasel skull necklace and he leaves the Joes stranded at a deserted Russian base.  Kwinn is torn by his conscience; not wanting to work for the Russians once he realizes they were using fear as a weapon, but forced by his word to honor his contract.  The Joe team scavenges enough equipment from the research station to make an ice sailboat and chase after Kwinn.  Meanwhile, Kwinn leaves his weasel necklace (with firing pins) hidden in an ice cairn and delivers the fear ray to the Russians and leaves, warning them that the Joe team is on the way.  The last panel of the comic shows the Joe team with Snake Eyes on point wearing the weasel skull necklace marching through the Arctic towards the Russians.

Can We Build It?

Yes we can! At least, we are learning to. One of the skills that my father neglected to teach me was how to do anything with tools. Just ask my my mom about my aborted attempts to fix a shower head or install a screen on the back door. My only official learned experience with tools was 7th grade shop class and to be honest, I was much more comfortable in Home Economics.

I truly hope my children know the difference between pliers & wrenches and know which screwdriver is called Phillip. Lex & I have begun attending Lowe's Build & Grow clinics.  Thus far, we have built a kaleidoscope, a mini basketball game, a baseball game and last week a planter.  With the exception of the kaleidoscope, all have been great successes.  Daddy failed to read the instructions for the kaleidoscope and ours ended up being quite lopsided.  Lesson learned: Read the directions.  Right up there with Measure twice, cut once.

So far, Lex seems to really enjoy it and we're talking about getting him his own real tool kit for X-Mas.  I highly recommend the classes.  The website says it's for grades 1-5, but as long as you're willing to help the little one, it seems any age can participate.

Dead Or Alive

We've all played the game before, no not necessarily this one. The momentary exchange when you're confused about whether or not a celebrity is Dead Or Alive. "Did you hear X is going to be in that new movie?" "Isn't he dead?" "No, I'm pretty sure he's alive."

Let's play a quick round. Kirk Douglas. Harry Morgan. Herman Wouk. Tom Clancy. Tom Clancy's writing career.

Alive. Alive. Alive. Alive. Huh, that last one is a tough one.

Earlier this week, Penguin Putnam announced the first new Tom Clancy novel in 7 years would be released in December. 


In the interests of full disclosure: I will be at Borders or B&N on December 7th to get my copy. I am a huge fan of Tom Clancy's Ryanverse.  I can't stand Clancy's politics (He makes Sarah Palin look liberal).  His last two books have really disappointed me.  I can't read Clancy now without picturing Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan.  Air Force One, although not written, created, conceived or even thought about by Tom Clancy should have been a Jack Ryan story.

Reading the description of this latest novel, I am intrigued and bothered by a few points. 

• It's a Jack Ryan novel. This should be a bonus, but I feel like having followed Jack Ryan through his progression from Marine to CIA analyst to Director of the Intelligence to Vice President to President and into retirement, we've pretty much run the gamut of life experiences.  No offence to The X Presidents, but all relevancy ends the moment you leave office.     
• It's "ripped from the headlines". The plot revolves around trying to catch "The Emir, a sadistic killer who has masterminded the most vicious terrorist attacks on the West." Emir=Bin Laden. No subtlety there. 
• The suspension of the suspension of disbelief.  I read fiction because it allows me to escape from our world.  I love fantasy novels; I love comic books; I loved Star Wars novels until the prequels ruined the franchise.  I allow myself to believe that a man can fly and that another man would dress up as a bat to fight crime.  I enjoy those stories.  What disappoints me is when something comes along in story that ruins that suspension of disbelief.  In the Ryanverse, the following things have happened: The FBI Director was assassinated by the Colombian drug cartel. The city of Denver was nuked by a multi-ethnic group of terrorists including Palestinians, East Germans and an American Indian.  Washington DC is the site of a Japanese terrorist attack resulting in the death of the President, 98% of Congress, the entire Supreme Court, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the President's cabinet.  An Iranian coalition attacks the US using a biological weapon that releases an airborne Ebola virus.  US based eco-terrorists almost wipe out all of civilization by trying to disperse Ebola at the Olympics.  The Vice President of the United States is assassinated by white supremacists.  All of these terrorist attacks were hatched by someone other than The Emir.  Half of these are arguably more vicious than 9/11.  Tom Clancy prognosticated some pretty horrible events, but now it seems he wants to revisionist history all that away so he can write a thinly veiled attack on the Obama administration.
• It's co-written by Grant Blackwood.  Rumors abounded that Clancy had a ghost writer during the 90's.  That's when I liked his books.  As I said, his latest two have been disappointing.
• It's being released on December 7th.  Pearl Harbor Day.  Really?  Couldn't get it done to be released on September 11th?  (And yes, I know September 11th is a Saturday this year and new books are released on Tuesdays).  Subtle.
• It's a team-up.  The initial press release must have hammered home the idea that this book is special because it's going to feature all of Clancy's characters together.  A sampling of headlines from newspapers: Tom Clancy Heroes Team up to Fight Terror, New Clancy Thriller Contains the Sum of All Characters, Tom Clancy's 'Dead or Alive' to feature all-star list of Clancy characters, Tom Clancy's All Star Reuinion Novel (their spelling error, not mine), and New Tom Clancy book has all-star lineup.  These characters have always interacted.  All these characters have been in or mentioned in 3 of the last four books. 
• It's Clancy's first new novel in 7 years. Could the wait be a good sign?  Or will it leave me wanting, like John Grisham's pseudo sabbatical from legal thrillers fromm 2005 to 2008.

How've you been?

I am continually amazed when I open my Facebook page and find friend requests from people with whom I went to high school. As I am now, I was a geek in high school. Unfortunately, being a geek wasn't as cool in the 80s as it is now (unless you looked like Val Kilmer in Weird Science Real Genius, but that wasn't happening-I was more a cross between Crispin Glover from Back to the Future and John Cusack from Better Off Dead). I had a small handful of really good friends but otherwise kept to myself. I didn't branch out socially until I got a job at the local Stop & Shop and made friends from all over the Pioneer Valley area.

So I find it humorous when people with whom my only interaction in high school went kinda like this actually want to be my Facebook friend.:

THEM: Hey, there's Genny (my delightful high school nom de non-choice). Let's shove him in a locker!

ME (studiously ignore THEM)

Really? Should we get together for beers and swap stories about high school? Like that time we...oh, wait, you didn't talk to me in high school. I've actually challenged people to recall their favorite memory of me from high school.  I usually don't get a response, which pretty much sums up my favorite memory of them, but I've actually gotten responses of "I don't really remember, but we should definitely catch up."  What I want to respond with is: 'Uhm, there's nothing to catch up on.  This Facebook interaction is 10 times the amount of conversation we had in high school.'

Thou Shall Not...

I have decided that one of the things I hope to accomplish with this blog is to produce a list of rules, laws, and/or commandments to raising the next generation.  You don't have to follow them, but I hope they make you think about your parenting style.

Today was Lex's first trip to the dentist.  I was very nervous about how it was going to go.  I remember nothing pleasant about my visits to the dentist as a child.  The sounds of the drill, the antiseptic smell, the gooey taste of the fluoride, the way my dentist would laugh off my complaints of pain.  I'm fairly certain of one of two things: my dentist didn't know how to administer Novocaine or I am immune to it.  Going to the dentist was not something I would wish on my worst enemy.  As a result, I had gone a good 15 years without going to the dentist.  Within the last 5 years I have gone back to the dentist and overcome (partially) my odontophobia.  My first choice for dentist was not the best choice as her smarmy attitude just reinforced my disdain of dentistry.  When I moved to Worcester, I was fortunate to find a dentist that my mom had recommended to me some time ago, but had relocated from Western Mass: Dr. Haselkorn.  It was with some trepidation that I went to my first appointment, but the staff and dentist there have been nothing but great.  Dr. Haselkorn is patient, understanding and honest.  He addressed all my concerns and we have put together a plan to get my mouth back in shape.

At Lex's last doctor visit, they suggested that Lex was ready to go to the dentist.  Visions of my childhood dental  torture danced in my head.  I called Dr. Haselkorn's office and found out that they accept toddlers as patients.  We made an appointment and we talked to Lex about his visit and we were encouraged about his response.  Then last week, one of his shows featured a visit to the dentist and Cute Fan Girl explained that Lex was going to the dentist.  As a result of the show, however, Lex wasn't as excited and even went as far as to say that it would hurt.  It was with some trepidation that we made the journey this morning.  My mom and I also had appointments scheduled and the plan was that she would sit with Loki while I went in with Lex.   However, she was running late and we arrived on time.  As I filled out the endless reams of paperwork that fuel the medical and dental industries, the hygienist came out and said hi to Lex.  Before I knew it, he was following her back into the exam room.  From where I sat, I could hear her explaining to Lex what all the things in the exam room did and what they were going to do.  Before I knew it, she must have had him in the chair and was working on him.  I was amazed.  15 minutes later, he came running out, beaming and shaking a light-up toothbrush like it was a lightsaber.  The hygienist's report:  great teeth and great disposition.

On the ride home, I had an epiphany.  I had built this trip in my head as something potentially traumatic, but for Lex it was more of an adventure.  I realized that I was projecting my fears onto him and I had anticipated his reaction to be like mine.  I furthermore realized that I shouldn't be doing this.  My fears are my fears and not his.  And thus was born my first parenting commandment:

Thou shall not project your fears onto the next generation.


My kids will have fears, but they will be their fears.  I will do my best to make sure that Gigi, Lex and Loki are not afraid of: dentists, bees and heights.

Bunnies, Baskets and other B words...

Late Saturday night, the Easter Bunny paid a visit to us.  EB (as his friends call him) hopped on through Worcester and left three baskets here for the kids.  Gigi's basket remains unopened until she arrives in June, but Lex & Loki made short work of their baskets.  Easter grass is still strewn around the house and the kids have thoroughly enjoyed their gifts.  Lex got a new cartridge for his Leapster 2 and Loki got a drum set.


Lex and his Leapster 2 are inseparable.  If Leapfrog ever offers a cybernetic implant (Leapborg?  Leapjack?  Leapdroid?) Lex will be the first toddler in line.  His latest cartridges are Creature Create and Finding Nemo. The Leapster 2 is great because it tracks his progress and highlights his strengths and areas of improvement.  


From before she could sit up, Loki has shown great interest in percussion.  Put anything in her hand and she'll bang it against something.  Give her a bowl and she'll turn into a drum.  EB must have known this, because he obliged her with her own drum set.  Loki has taken to her drum set-she loves to bang away.  We're trying to teach her to bang her sticks over her head before she starts to play.  Having been told by my elementary school music teacher that it was a waste of his time to continue to teach me, it makes me happy to think that Loki may have an aptitude for the drums.  If she has the desire to play, we will support that decision-even if it means loud practice sessions in the house.


As I mentioned, Gigi's basket remains unopened, but she did inquire what she got.  We don't tell her, opting to leave it a surprise.  When she did call Easter morning, she was audibly upset and I asked her what was wrong.  Gigi's mother had yelled at her because Gigi received a basket here in Massachusetts.  Huh?!?  Yes, you read that right.  Gigi got yelled at because EB brought her a basket.  But why you ask?  Why should it matter?


I can only speculate, but I believe this can all be blamed on that evil man Santa Claus.  Gigi spends every Christmas with us and when she is here for Christmas, Santa brings her presents here.  For some reason, he conveniently doesn't leave any presents for her in Wisconsin because, well, I guess he's trying to cut costs?  He leaves presents for Gigi's half-sister and pseudo-step-siblings so it's not like he doesn't stop there; Gigi doesn't get anything from Santa (or for that matter from her mother for the last 2 years, but thats a completely separate post).  As Gigi gets older and certain truths become evident, I can only speculate that her mother is realizing that Gigi is going to remember that EB made it a priority to ensure that she received a basket at both her homes and that Santa only left her presents in Massachusetts.


It's sad that in attempt to save a few bucks, my ex is going to end up spoiling what should be a treasured childhood memory.