With the release of Man of Steel just days away, I thought it'd be appropriate to blog today about Superman and what he means to me. Regular listeners of the show and Facebook friends know that I am a HUGE geek and am completely unapologetic for it. Comics, superheroes…I never grew out of that phase. I was always a fan of Spidey, the Hulk, Batman and others.
The new Hardee's/MoS commercial is one of my favorites right now
But, it was the Last Son of Krypton that really captured my imagination. Here was a guy that was everything I wanted to be as a kid; tall, handsome, virtuous, with super speed and strength. He could fly and bend steel and he was bulletproof. You couldn't really hurt him.
Coming from a broken home as a child, it was that last one that really stuck with me. You couldn't hurt him and he always beat the bad guys. Man…if I could be Superman, I'd never have to hurt again. Cartoons and comics were a vehicle for escape that I still kinda use to this day.
Yep...that's me!
The very first time I saw a real-life Superman was with Christopher Reeve's iconic portrayal in the 1978 movie. I was only about 3 when I saw it and I was captivated. In fact, I was so emotionally invested that in the scene where Lois Lane falls from the helicopter, I actually dove off my couch to try to save her!! I'm pretty sure that when my Mom was alive, she told that story to every girl I ever dated.
I'll never forget the way that movie made me feel and, as an adult, that's the way I look at superhero movies. I don't care about how it matches the comic or how they changed the outfit or anything like that. I just want to get lost for a little while. I want them to make me feel like a kid again.
"I totally tried to save you this one time..."
Compiling and reading the news everyday, I see all kinds of death, destruction and all-around bad news. This is exactly why it's the perfect time to be reintroduced to the Man of Steel. Clearly, the world still needs a Superman. He may not always be the coolest or the edgiest. He may not be snarky and witty or an anti-hero. I'm okay with that. He's still MY hero and "truth, justice & the American way" will never go out of style.
Now, if only I could find some adult-sized Superman footie pajamas…
"…on my soul, I swear that until my dream of a world where dignity, honor and justice are the reality we all share, I'll never stop fighting. Ever." - Superman
Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of attending the 3rd Annual Hickman County Spring Chicken Fest in Clinton, KY. It was my first year going and I was REALLY excited after hearing how much fun Windy Waters had the last 2 years out there. The poster says it’s, “A Feather Rufflin’ Good Time,” and I was ready for it!
When Windy was there last year she competed (and did really well) in the Chicken Dance Contest. Given my past as a professional Chicken Dancer, I knew I could do at least as well as she did. Maybe even a little better. I embarked on an intense 3-week training regimen to get ready and felt I was well prepared. More on that later.
(Flashback pic: Windy last year)
We made the hour long trek to Clinton and I was pretty nervous. It rained cats and dogs pretty much the whole drive there. I was afraid we’d get there only to find out the event had been rained out. Much to my relief, things were going forward as scheduled when we got there and we got right to setting up.
Something pretty incredible happened after we got our tent up. Mr. Froggy was a little upset about all the rain and decided to do something about it. He chicken danced. This was no ordinary chicken dance, though. It stopped raining as soon as he was done.
Seriously.
It didn’t rain a single drop the rest of the time we were out there. I don’t know if there was something mystical about the way he did it and I wasn’t about to dwell on it. It was time to have some fun!
And a fun time we had. Considering the weather, there was a great amount of people there checking out the booths of arts & crafts, the games for kids and the chicken. Oof. There were food vendors cooking a million kinds of chicken and it smelled sooooooo good. It was pretty yummy, too! It was hard not to spend all of my money on all that tasty chicken.
Shortly before noon, they held the first of many events that day: the kids chicken clucking contest! Willie Cluckin’ Nelson kicked off the contest and the kids had a pretty good time. After that, I started warming up for the Chicken Dance contest. I double-knotted my Adidas and got my “wings” a flappin’. My confidence was at an all-time high. Little did I know, I was about to come crashing back down to earth.
I was approached by a representative of the southeast division of the APCD (Association of Professional Chicken Dancers). She proceeded to tell me that I had been disqualified from that afternoon’s competition and had been suspended indefinitely.
I know what you’re thinking. “What? This is a travesty of justice!” Well, in the spirit of “National Honesty Day,” I have to come clean and say that I got busted for cheating. Yep. Banned substances.
Whilst in the middle of my training regimen I realized that I’m no spring chicken and my days of competitive chicken dancing were long behind me. That, combined with the pressure of trying to compete with Windy Waters, led me to use PEDs. You know: Performance Enhancing Drumsticks. I was also caught with pine tar under my wings…er…arms for a more smooth flap. I’d like to extend my sincerest apologies to my fans, my family and the APCD for my actions.
Still, a good time was had by all and I hope to be invited back next year too!
(*Okay…being that this is “85% of a true story,” it’s clear that part of this story is made up. I’d like to set the record straight on that now. I wore Asics that day, not Adidas.)
Ever since I was a little kid, I've been an avid reader. My Grandma started reading to me when I was a baby and by age 2 1/2, I was starting to read back to her. I absolutely LOVE to read. Fiction, non-fiction, biographies, comics...it doesn't matter. I'm always happy to have a book in my hand and I'm notorious for being in the middle of 2 or 3 books at the same time.
About 3 weeks ago, I was invited to read to Ms. Sheila Cooper's 1st grade class at Southwest Elementary School for Dr. Seuss week. I was incredibly honored and jumped at the chance to share my love of reading with these little tykes. It was, without a doubt, the coolest, most rewarding experience of my DJ career. I read the Dr. Seuss book, "I Can Lick 30 Tigers Today." I had the full attention of the class the whole time and we did a cool little Q & A session at the end.
I left the school that day with a skip in my step. I had a blast and it really felt good to make the kids laugh and smile. It was a very rewarding experience and I look forward to doing it again in the future.
Well, I got another reward from the experience today. A big yellow envelope came to the station today full of "thank you" letters from the kids in Ms. Cooper's class. I haven't stopped smiling all day long and I have to share these with you here. So...I scanned all 10 letters and I'm including them in my blog today. I hope that you enjoy reading them as much as I did.
(Author's Note: Challenge Accepted!)
(Author's Note: Only when the air conditioning is broken) (Author's Note: This was one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. Hopefully next time we can bring Mr. Froggy.)
As a radio DJ, I get a lot of work perks. It's definitely a cool job. This might just be the best work perk. Ever.
You know, I normally try to find things fun or unusual for my blogs. I figure that we all deal with enough serious stuff every single day that sometimes you need to check out something entertaining to take your mind off of it and brighten your day.
This week’s blog deals with the serious stuff. More specifically, it puts the serious stuff in a bit of a different light. It’s about The Gratitude Jar.
TheGratitudeJar.com is a website that’s made quite a splash recently on the internet and the concept is pretty cool. It’s a chance to not only read uplifting messages from others, but it gives you a chance to share what you’re grateful for in your life.
From their Facebook page: Expressing gratitude for your blessings has been scientifically proven to create optimism, decrease health problems, and protect your heart against heart attacks... It has also been unscientifically proven to create more things to be grateful for... true story!!!
It’s really easy for people, especially me, to get caught up in the stress of day to day life and turn mole hills into mountains. Car trouble, money trouble, feeling sick, something goes wrong at work, trouble with a family member…sometimes all you can focus on is the negative stuff that’s happening. I do it more than I’d like to admit. I have a lot to be grateful for, though. I have 3 amazing children that I am very proud of. I have the most incredible woman in my life. I’m doing what I’ve always dreamed of doing and I get paid to do it. I’ve got some really great friends. I’ve got a roof over my head and food in my fridge and shoes on my feet. Life isn’t so bad.
“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” -Thornton Wilde
That quote is straight from The Gratitude Jar’s homepage. It’s a message that we all should remember as often as we can. What are YOU thankful for? Feel free to tell me at jjack@forevercomm.com
Valentine’s Day is just a couple of days away and while it’s supposed to be a time for love, it can also be a time of great stress and agony. Especially for guys.
There’s so much pressure to deliver on Valentine’s Day. Do I get her the chocolates? Do I not? Am I picking out the right jewelry? What if she’s allergic to the flowers I pick out? How can I be original without being cheesy? It’s even harder if you’re romantically-challenged like me. She might say it’s not a big deal or any gift is better than no gift but if you fail to deliver on V-Day, you’re gonna be in the doghouse buddy.
Or maybe you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day alone this year. Is there anything more depressing? How do you handle that?
Of course, maybe we’re just trying too hard. Maybe we’re over-thinking the entire holiday. After all, isn’t simple sometimes better? And who has a more simple approach to over-thought adult problems than kids. Ryan from Guyism.com hit the streets get some advice from kids about how to handle Valentine’s Day. You’ll laugh...you’ll feel awkward...you’ll want to give this dude a hug. Check it out.
Whatever you decide to do, just have fun with it. Happy Valentine's Day, Froggyland!
