40

So this is 40.

I honestly cannot believe I arrived here so quickly, but here I am, another birthday, another decade.

I keep telling anyone who will listen that it's not the number that bothers me, it's the speed in which the time has flown by.  And I honestly believe that.

It feels like just yesterday I was stressing out over university classes, just barely out of my family home and high school.

But honestly, if I really think about all that I've done and experienced in the past twenty years, and the people I've met, I realize that I've been incredibly blessed.  And busy.

Moving to Atlanta.  Australia.  Traveling Europe.  Making friends across the United States and worldwide.

So Happy Birthday to me.  I'm looking forward to the next 20 years.  And this time I promise to slow down and appreciate the ride!

It doesn't hurt that I'm going to NYC tomorrow for the Memorial Day weekend.  That'll take the sting out of anything...

Superman

So I went to see the latest "Star Trek" flick at the theatre today.

The movie was alright, but I have to admit I checked out mentally during the previews.

The object of my obsession is the upcoming Superman movie.  I'm all for this current trend of rebooting stale franchises and giving life to stories from my childhood.  The new generation deserves to benefit from the tales of Superman, Star Trek, and Star Wars as much as I did when I was young.  (No jokes about my birthday next week.  Please!)

What I don't understand is, if you're going to update a classic tale such as Superman, why not update EVERY FREAKING DETAIL?

Case in point:

Why does Superman still wear tights?  Isn't that just a dated throwback to the action heroes of the 60's?  Does it make him more aerodynamic in flight?  He's the man of steel, I hardly think the drag and resistance created by a nice MODERN pair of fitted khaki shorts (from the Gap of course) is going to significantly impact his flight speed.  He's faster than a speeding bullet and all.

And what's with that cape?  It's a bit showy if you ask me.  I cannot believe that Superman honestly thinks that added piece of uniform is going to intimidate his foes.  Unless he's going head to head with Liberace.

And if he's really concerned with aerodynamics, as addressed above, a piece of cloth flapping in the wind is hardly helping the cause.

On the other hand, I guess Halloween wouldn't be as much fun if kids and adults alike didn't have the opportunity to ditch their everyday couture and throw on the best skintight flammable polyester superhero attire Wal-Mart has to offer.

But it still makes me cringe, and not just because my days of being able to pull of a pair of tights are long gone...


 

Damned Kids

Once again, I spent the week in Denver for work.  It was a fairly uneventful week.  The weather was nice, at least there was no snow.  I continued to awake at odd hours of the night.  I just can't seem to adjust to time zone differences like I used to.

My flight home yesterday was a little disheartening.  First of all, Denver International Airport stinks.  TSA confiscated a jar of artichoke dip (don't ask) from my carry-on luggage.  I consider dip neither liquid nor gel, but I relinquished the jar without much of a fuss.  That's the reward I get for not checking luggage.

Once on my Delta flight to Atlanta, I found myself sandwiched in between two other gentlemen.

The young man seated next to the window seemed nice enough, although I questioned whether or not he was an unaccompanied minor.  Right before take-off he asked if I wanted the window up so that we could watch the plane become airborne.

I found this a bit odd, wondering if I should expect anything spectacular, such as a close call with the Rocky Mountains.  He said that just going from zero to 400 miles an hour was a huge feat.

Having taken countless flights in my lifetime, I chose not to seem jaded and merely entertained his whimsical request.  I should have known better, because it was all downhill from there.

In a span of five minutes, the conversation suddenly went from the spectacular take-off to him questioning my age.  After replying that I had a few weeks left in my 30's, he asked "How's your health?"

How's my health?  Seriously?  I'm still not sure if he was intentionally trying to make me feel geriatric, but I couldn't help but be a tiny bit offended by the subsequent line of questioning.  As I found out, he was a mere 24, and was very interested in what it feels like to get old.  It got much worse, but I've managed to block most of it out, in hopes of avoiding weeks of therapy.

Fucker.  How I restrained myself from jamming his tween skull against the against his window is nothing short of a miracle, but it surely is owed only to the known existence of air marshals.

Needless to say, once we landed in Atlanta, I hobbled my ancient ass to my connecting flight to Atlanta, and was home by 8 pm.  Just in time for bed.  Like a true oldie.

My final thoughts before passing out in bed were apologetic in nature, sending out positive thoughts of remorse to any of my elders who I might have ever offended with youthful arrogance.  It's true what they say, every dog indeed has his day.

 

Happy Cinco de Mayo

Feliz Cinco de Mayo everyone....

I hope everyone is celebrating with a cold margarita.  Remember to practice moderation - nothing worse than starting the week with a margarita hangover.