"Kneel down before me, son of Jor-El!"

I was recently thinking about Superman due to the impending production of a new Superman film. Superman has always held a special place for me. Sure he can be corny do gooder from time to time but to a kid growing up in the South Bronx, he represented every ideal that you wanted achieve. I know that I can never fly or have super-strength but I can be an honest man who tries to live his life on the square and right the wrongs that I encounter.

Between the ages of 6 and 18 I lived on 139th street in the South Bronx. I lived in a first floor apartment with my sister and my mother. Around us was the crumbling remains of a neighborhood that had hit rock bottom in the mid 70's and it's residents shuffled about as if victims of some terrible war with no end in sight. Walking these streets I encountered drug dealers, prostitutes, and toughs waiting to mug some innocent passerby. I was tempted and threatened everyday but I made it without succumbing thanks to my mother and Superman. My mother was and is a great believer that your living situation is not an excuse to fail at life. She was always very strong and would do everything she could to make sure that my sister and I were not impacted by the life outside of our apartment. How does Superman fit in all this, you ask? Well, Kal-El had every excuse to turn bad; His home was destroyed and he was sent to a strange place whose yellow sun made him powerful enough to enslave the planet but his earth parents loved him and centered him on the right path to use his powers for good. To me, my mother was Ma & Pa Kent wrapped up into one and I was her Kal-El and I was going to use my powers to lead a good life. My mother sacrificed many things for my sister and me so that we could lead a normal life. She never remarried nor did she seek a demanding career that would take her away from us. So, it was just my mother, my sister, Superman, and me in our little Fortress of Solitude.

Some of you may ask what does my post title have to do with what I just wrote above. In Superman II, the Kryptonian criminal General Zod demands that Superman kneel before him or face the consequence of having civilians hurt in the inevitable carnage that a fight between Superman and the three Kryptonian criminal would create. Superman answers that he would kneel only to save others; just like my mom did.

Two Riders Where Approaching...

I believe that the apocalypse is upon us. Not being a religious man, this may seem like an odd thing to say but all of the portents are there! I just saw the preview for Sin City and damn it looks like the perfect adaptation. They got everything from the comic book, from black and white with occasional splashes of color to Marv's craggy face. Mind you that I am only commenting on the preview trailer and not the finished product but I am optimistic.

I have been fooled by trailers in the past tha promised the world and delivered rancid earth. Here are a couple of my betrayals:

• Phantom Menace
• Phantom Menace
• Any Batman after Burton
• Phantom Menace
• And did I mention Phantom Menace?

So, start preparing for the end 'cause Sin City will deliver you to a geeky paradise :-)

Big Man in Little Pants Syndrome

Those of you who are part of the corporate world will surely recognize the signs of Big Man in Little Pants Syndrome (BMLPS for short). This crippling disease afflicts men in mid-level positions in most companies in the U.S. The typical sufferer of BMLPS is a male about 5'8 tall and has a position of minor authority. BMLPS manifests itself in the crazed belief that they are the most intelligent creature ever to walk this earth and everything that is uttered by them is brilliant. These poor, deluded souls will strut and preen like peacocks hurting all of their colleagues and, to a large extent, themselves. I implore all of you to get involved and stop BMLPS. Donate to the cause or just put these unfortunates out of their misery.

...And on the eigth day God created the iPod!

My wife, a woman I clearly do not deserve, got me an iPod for Christmas. I have craved an iPod for two years but could never justify the the hefty price tag for the player. I have been spending time loading music onto this thing's nearly 10,000 song capacity hard drive and as I gaze longingly at it's crisp little lcd screen, I almost feel like shouting for joy! Don't get me wrong, I am not going to be turning into a geeky Mac user but I am not above celebrating the pure genius of the iPod.

The iPod has replaced the 20 some odd mix-tapes that I listened to at work as well as about thirty cds that I also kept at work. All of that "work" music has been replaced by a device that is no larger than an old tape case and weighs about as much as a stapler (Swingline, of course). God bless the iPod!

Superman Video Tribute

I was poking around the internet today and found a rather interesting item. There is a website called Capedwonder.com full of great information on Superman and his many incarnations especially Christopher Reeve and the Richard Donner Superman. There is a remarkable video tribute that showcases all of the different Superman Actors using the Five for Fighting song, you know the one I mean. Anyway, this video clip made me believe a man can fly...

Welcome

I don't know how many of you have ever "Blogged" before. This is my first time doing this and I don't know how it will go. I will try to get some stuff up at least a couple of times a week or whenever something interesting occurs.

I guess some introductions are in order: My name on this blog will be Katar. I am married in my thirties and living in the southeastern United States. I work for a large insurance company. I guess that's all you need to know; the rest will come through my posts.

Good Night