Not being someone that likes to live in the past, there are not many things that make me think of my childhood.   Recently, something has rekindled the boy in me more than anything in years.   Superman.  A few months ago, I got Superman Returns on HD DVD and let it sit on the shelf for a while until I really had time to enjoy it.     I finally plugged it in a few weeks ago on a nice rainy night, cranked up the volume and just let it go.    Since then I have watched it again and again...I may be addicted.    I guess that I was right at the age when a child begins to understand the world because Superman was the thing in my mind growing up that truly represented what "good" is.  The ideal that we all should strive for.   To this day, my fondest nighttime dreams are those where I suddenly discover I can fly.   

Over the years, the subsequent Superman movies became almost unwatchable but in my head Superman was still the hero of "real life".  In my mind he was the culmination of all the real hero's in the world.   He represented the firefighters that dangle from ladders high in the air, the paramedics that swoop in to rush us to safety when we are most in need and the police that will stop a bullet to save those of us that can't do so ourselves.   There is even a bit of the Everyman hero in how he is just a normal guy trying to muddle through until he is needed.   For me,  Superman connected to something deep inside...that is until the day when Christopher Reeve was hurt.    On that day, Superman was no longer "real" to me..    I had disconnected him from my reality.   No more was he invincible, invulnerable and perfect.   He was a fictitious man and the movies were well, just movies.

Sitting alone in my living room watching Superman Returns...it all changed.  You see, when the theme music began and the blue title letters begin to fly past the screen, I was instantly transformed into the little 6 year old boy, sitting in a theater believing, without any doubt, that a man really can fly.     It's like Superman really is back after being gone for a long long time.     As I get older than I like, "Superman Returns" is exactly what I needed.   A new Superman that combines the strength and honor of old but with a bit of humanity that was never there before.   In this new movie, there are scenes where you really get to connect with the lonely life a real hero must live.  Sure, our "real life" heroes don't live lonely lives.    The act of being a real hero must be lonely, knowing that if things go badly, their life may end right there alone on the end of the ladder or standing in the path of a criminal to protect a person they don't even know.    Knowing all of that and still going through it is what separates the real heroes from the rest of us.    After watching the movie 5-6 times,  I am happy to say the boy in me is back, the dream is back and Superman is once again my favorite "real life" hero.

Wow, that week flew by.   I guess I was busy at work but before I knew it the week was over and I was ready for the weekend.   I didn't do anything interesting other than Thursday.

The weather was beautiful outside with a very slight breeze, cloudy and low 60's.   I decided to do my run on riverside as I do a few times a week..   As I was running, I felt great after my typical 3 miles, so I decided to just keep going and see how far I could go.    Pretty soon, I started playing a little game with myself.   Each time I would pass a bridge, I would set a goal to run the next one (there is one about mile or so).    After a while, I realized I had run 5 miles from my car.     So far so good so I turned around and headed back.   I felt great right up until mile 7.   People talk about that "second wind" you get when your running.   I haven't seen it yet but I did get to experience the amazing feeling of  "holy crap this was a bad idea" instead.    After about an hour and 45 minutes, I finally made it back to the car.    When all was said and done, I had gone a little over 10 miles.   That shattered my previous best of around 6.5 but after a very tired and sore Friday, I think it will be a while before I attempt that again.   I will just give credit to the perfect spring weather and beautiful scenery.

While I was running I had lot's of time to ponder life, art, and breathing.   I did come up with the idea for this image while I was out there and decided to shoot it yesterday.

That Spark.   You know it when you feel it.   You can see it when other couples that have it but boy is it hard to find.  You know what I am talking about...that little feeling that lets you know that "this" is going somewhere.    So, I haven't been commenting on how dating is going mostly because  I haven't really found that spark yet.   I have met a few great women so far.    Each had things that made them interesting, fun or different.    All of them great people.    But as I go through this process, I still haven't found that "spark" so the search continues.

While I continue my search, I am beginning to rediscover what great friends I have.    I spent the whole weekend hanging out with friends.    Saturday, we all got together for a much needed night of snacks and one to many bottles of wine.    After all of the incredibly sad events of last week, a tough week at work and just feeling the blahs, I was ready for a relaxing night.   However, I paid the price of a throbbing headache on Sunday morning but all was good after a afternoon of shopping and cruising with my friend Teresa.   All in all it was a great weekend but next weekend, I am thinking some sleep in in order.

How was your day, here is how mine started.

7:30 - My alarm goes off reminding me that it's time to get up and go run.    I lay there for 5 minutes before actually getting up.

7:35 - I walk to the window to see that despite my hopes last night, it is indeed windy raining and 34 degrees.    I spend the next 10 minutes convincing myself that I am still  going to go run in this mess.

7:45 - Out of the shower to find out my running buddy is NOT going to run this morning.  10 more minutes of convincing.     I keep reminding me that it's a test of will.   Mind over Body and all that.    Hey, Army guys have to do this all the time, I can handle it once.

8:34 - The gun fires and I begin a cold wet windy run.    Surprisingly after 5 minutes, I completely forgot why I was thinking of not coming.    I was completely miserable and LOVING IT.   Yep, it was my first trail run and I was splashing up a storm.   My face had probably turned a bright shade of red but despite the obvious discomfort, I was actually running and it felt pretty good.

9:01ish - I  sprinted across the finish line not caring at ALL that I was a minute slower than my last run.   Considering the cross country start (non-chip timed), the lack of split times (what's up with that),  the tiny 3 foot wide path that forced us all to run slower at the start and of course the constant puddle jumping, I am pretty happy with my time which ended up right around 27:50 ...I think.

It was so cold that I didn't wait around to get an official time.   After the finish, I grabbed a banana to snack on and it was frozen.   I decided that my work was done and hopped quickly back in to the car and sped on home enjoying a job decently done.    

Lots of stuff going on this week.    First up...piano practice.   The piano arrived on Saturday and have been going through some online lessons ever since then.    It will be a long time before anything recognizable comes from my uncoordinated fingers but I have never been afraid of long term projects so I am sure that that is not to much for me..  In the mean time, with the piano delivered and a couple of other tidbits that are on the way,  I think the living room is finally "finished"   Now it's time to move on to decorating the bedroom.... finally.

Next up this week is MY BIRTHDAY.    I am celebrating 35 so this year it marks my 10th year not being a kid anymore.   Older and wiser I suppose.   I normally hate birthdays and this year will probably be no different.   This year I am getting together with the family for some dinner and probably a little wine and beer.    It will be a nice quiet evening like I prefer.  

The final adventure of the week is my second 5k run on Saturday.   It's going to be cold but I will be there regardless of the temperature.     This run is to support the research to help those with Autism.     I have a couple of friends that are planning to run with me this time around but the more the merrier     If you want, come on out and see if you can outrun me to the finish.   I'm slow so it's pretty easy.     If you want to come the details are here.  http://autismtulsa.triadcentral.com/index.cfm?id=45

OK, now that I have Apple TV connected to my theater, I am finally catching up on some of the  geek culture I have been missing the last few years.   Specifically I am catching up on a pile of video podcasts ( or what ever we are calling them ) that I have refused to watch sitting at a computer.   I just finished watching every episode of  Tiki Bar TV and like most  of the geeky guys on the internet....I am officially Gaga for Lala :)