This Hero Thing -- I'm Starting To Think It's Contagious ...

Today's title comes from a story I'd first read seventeen years ago (1997) and I'd remembered some mangled version of it all this time. It's from Spider-Man Team-Up #7 which eventually has him working with the Thunderbolts, a group that in light of the Avengers and Fantastic Four having disappeared -- and presumed dead, but in true comic book fashion they came back, but I digress -- is rising to prominence in the public eye. But at first the Thunderbolts are sent to apprehend Spider-Man since he's mistaken for a murderer ... the matter gets cleared up, but the gist of the matter is that the Thunderbolts are actually super-villains in disguise, figuring that with their main enemies gone it won't be long before they can gain the public trust themselves in new identities only to betray it. When push comes to shove somewhat later, three of the former villains decide to remain working as heroes ... hey, perhaps a more or less reformed villain is the best person to fight other villains!

And since Spider-Man IS a hero, yet public perception within Marvel's fictional universe often lends to the impression that he's a villain too, a team-up like this really works. And is really contagious; on that subject, I remember talking to my son Jeffrey this morning before school and saying Spider-Man's signature line "with great power comes great responsibility" with him being Student of the Week and Jeffrey replying that I always say that -- at least, I've said it several times since he was born. (He's seven; OF COURSE I've said it before.) For a guy whose reading tastes are running right now to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- he's read fifteen minutes out of it with me the last two nights -- he has got it going on. Just please, Please, PLEASE don't say at school today that the world's coming to an end in twelve minutes (we finished chapter one last night, which ends on that note)! Although I have already planned for evacuation, but it's not by hitching a ride on a flying saucer.

Now what about Sarah? And by extension, the rest of us? (I tried to post this yesterday, but Internet Explorer was being ... painful; I heard on the radio that tomorrow's Internet Slowdown Day where several major websites demonstrate what it will be like if a "Net Neutrality" law gets passed, though I wonder if we'll notice the difference. Snark.) Friday night I came home to Martha, Sarah, Jeffrey, and Sarah's friend Addy from school with two Papa Murphy's pizzas being made ready -- you get them made in-store and bake them at home; we had one with pepperoni and one with half-black olives and half-cheese -- and settling in to watch The LEGO Movie. I thought the kids had seen parts of it already for they'd been singing "Everything Is Awesome" quite a lot the last few months, but no, it was a new experience for everyone except Addy. Had to stop her a few times from telling us what happened next ...

The sleepover, at least according to Addy's mom's report when I saw her in Marketplace Saturday and by my own eyes at six in the morning, wasn't much of one (her words: a "not sleepover") because they were already awake by then! And Saturday the current season of Breakfast With The Boys began at church; I'm happy that I am able to go at least for the meal -- I can't stay for the Bible study though because I've got to be at work at eight and Bible study's eight-thirty. But Sunday morning for now I am able to get to, which is why after a service including perhaps the most awesome sermon I've heard in months (and the most challenging, see yesterday's post "Don't We Often Do The Opposite Of This?") I offered to teach some of the Parable Playhouse classes -- probably about half, depending on how many Sundays I'm slated to work at Marketplace. But since Karn had already written up the schedule, I'm fine with not having to start that until October 19! But in which room?

Our normally uneventful Sunday afternoon was interrupted by the surprise of four free (for us) tickets to a Jay Owenhouse magic show held at the MSU Dome; the first family Kari tried to give them to had other plans already, and after we'd arrived -- Martha was proud that though I took a detour to Main Street Books before the show, I did not linger as I'm wont to do -- we saw Angie who said she meant to call us too for she had extra tickets! Which makes me think that right there right then was someplace we needed to be and definitely enjoyed! Now this morning was the day the boys caught up on their sleep; oh, I was up at three thirty-five today with Martha to get our paper routes, both the regular one we're assigned and the one we're subbing for (and that's a LONG walk), assembling route 2's papers while she delivered route 1. And starting tomorrow we'll alternate routes, each doing one route a day. The extra money is nice, and no gym membership required!

Heat's faster because you can catch a cold, David