Saving the world with Burger Rain

 

 

I had a conversation with a friend a while back about our boys being maybe too aggressive from watching too much super hero-evil fighting tv shows. It was deep winter and with a broken elbow, television was in heavy rotation so don't judge me. The problem came up during a break in the weather when a little girl at the park wanted to play on the play structure thingy and the boys came running out from behind some Laurel hedges toward her with sticks yelling, "Slay the monster intruder."

The thing is, the glowing boob-tube is merely an accessory to the action and monster slaying that goes down during episodes of super hero crime fighting shows. Think of it more like the P90X for tots. Other accessories include a small trampoline, a couch and a carpeted basement for all this world saving to get done. And any other objects or people to jump on/over. As a father of a boy it is my duty to instill a sense of imagination, adventure and responsibility to take care of others. I think I'm doing a pretty good job. Besides, his mom started it with  the Captain America costume at 18 months.

Spiderman, Superman, Batman...the classics are great, but Ninja Turtles were a bigger draw. Until we found the Aquabats Supershow!  Even a 4 year old can see that Ninja Turtles are a cartoon and Aquabats are real. Who better to save the innocent from extra-terrestrial monsters than an aging punk band from Orange County? Anyone? Anyone? I thought not.

So while I was away for work last month, A came through again by making G some Aquabats goggles out of pipe cleaners. G thinks they're the real deal. He goes out of his way to take care of them so as not to bend them up too much. He wears them practically everywhere. Last week, when G asked,  I  took a break from other projects to crank out an equally official, laser shooting, electric guitar, just like the one Eagle Bones Falconhawk rocks. Today G took it to school for show and tell. But not the goggles. He was worried the other kids would jack them up.

Stay tuned for future episodes and more cool homemade Super gear.

photos via google  courtesy of the Aquabats Supershow! on the HUB. Watch it.

Project: Don't Break Bones This Week

Spring Break has greeted me with a to-do list that looks similar to the one in January I was progressing through when I broke my arm. One project in particular I have been looking forward to was a jump box or 3 as a warm up for some garage cabinets I'll hopefully tackle this summer.

The box was originally planned as an alternative to protecting my junk while sitting on the couch watching The Aquabats Supershow! with G as he jumped all over the couch and everything else in the room. Television is an interactive experience for that kid. In fact, I tried to sign him up for a gymnastics class after witnessing his prowess on furniture, and the conversation went like this while we dropped in to watch before signing up:

Me: Check it out, they have a giant trampoline and a padded floor as big as our house!

G: Yeah, but gymnastics is for girls! I'm a dude!

Me: You're totally a dude. Dudes' do gymnastics. See those rings and that rope? That over there is a pommel horse. Gymnastics is rad and will teach you to be quick like a Ninja and a totally better bike rider.

G: If I want to be a ninja, I'll go to ninja school. And riding my bike will make me a better bike rider.

I had no come back to the truth, so I caved and we left.

Anyway, today we went out to my folks and I told my dad what I wanted the 4 x 8 ft sheet of plywood to look like after I cut it up. He has a knack for planning and doing math that I lack. As it turned out, I could get 2 boxes out of one sheet of plywood. Lucky news for a buddy and his kid who likes to jump on furniture just like G.

Here's all the pieces. See, just like building cabinets.

I especially love my handles

The blur of stripes is G testing out the finished product. 

I expect to improve my jumping skills as well. Unless I break something. 

This box is 12 x 18 x 24 inches. I don't think standing it up tall to the 24" height is very stable for an adult to land on. I'll likely build a 24" stand alone box with a wider, angled base for that. 

Feeling Gravity's Pull

I haven't worn black dress socks with plaid shorts simply because it's been winter. But with jeans, and Adidas, I am guilty. I don't choose to, I just do. It happens. And I don't care. I'm old.

It didn't used to be this way when I was young and svelte. I didn't eat steak dinners with martini's then though. Now days I take a somewhat guilty pride in the fact that I can just see my black stocking toes extruding from the profile of my belly when I stand tall and look down to contemplate my core strength. It's been a long time since I lived by simply eating, sleeping and riding a bike. Anymore I don't ride or sleep, except in fits.

And when I can ride a bike, it seems I break bones. Twenty-year-olds break bones while doing crazy feats against gravity on tiny, 20" bikes. Not me. I use a 26" rental bike made for grown ups, attempting less crazy feats against the same gravity. While wearing black dress socks and jeans. Two objects of varying weight may very well fall at the same rate of accelleration, but the fat, old one breaks his left elbow to match the right one he broke years ago, when he lands.

I remember being 19 or 22 or whatever, and working through some early season tendinitis. For two-weeks I iced, massaged, and fretted over my aggravated knee. Fearful of what the loss of 10-14 days of riding in mid-January would mean come June. Anymore, I think of how two weeks (or 4 in my most recent case) off work will affect a family vacation in June.

I think about my 401k, politics and their effect on Social Security, war in the middle east, job security, schools for G, health care, the mortgage, etc. etc. until even with the painkillers for my broken and bolted back together bones, I can't sleep. Then it hits me; It doesn't matter if I wear dress socks with jeans or shorts, there's way more important crap to worry about. When will I be healed enough to go for a long bike ride again?