Less Words Wednesday–My Husband Makes a New Friend

 Last Weekend, We Spent a Day in 

the Country.

My husband made a new friend.  =)

Less Words Wednesday - Bat Boys

 I found this picture of my boys from about seven years ago.  

Don't they make a striking pair of Batmen?  

AlphabeThursday - Superhero Style! J is for the Justice League!

Property of DC Comics

The Justice League is DC Comics Dream Team of Superheros.  

Making their debut in 1960, they were a group of seven:  Flash, Green Lantern, Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Aquaman and Martian Manhunter.  


Over the course of the next half century the lineup has gone though changes, but the core heroes remain.


Seen in comic books and cartoon series, The Justice League, JLA,  Justice League America, Justice League Unlimited, etc. have welcomed many members.  Elongated Man, Green Arrow, Red Tornado, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Zatanna, and more.

These series tend to be popular, for obvious reasons.  All of the fan favorite heroes wind up on the comic book pages, or in the television episodes.


Thanks to Jenny Matlock, who blogs at ...off on my tangent....  She is the hostess of the AlphabeThursday meme.

 Why not drop by, or join in?

AlphabeThursday – Superhero Style! “I” is for IronMan!

Continuing through the alphabet, one superhero at a time - This week, the letter "I" is in the spotlight.  If you have been following along, you have probably guessed that I would choose Iron Man as the star of this week's post.

Anthony (Tony) Edward Stark is young, rich, arrogant, and reckless.  He is also brilliant, successful, and secretly socially conscious.

Tony's father was Howard Stark, the guy who built the empire.  In the Iron Man movies, Howard is given a significant role.  He is also crucial in the development of Captain America.

The first Iron Man appearance was in a Marvel Comic in 1968.  He looked like this:

He evolved over time, and by 2006, he was looking more like the guy Hollywood made into a household name.  The deep red and gold make for a much better look, I think.


The comic book version of Tony Stark/Iron Man has some very interesting story lines.  His adventures are sometimes complicated, and occasionally a bit agenda driven, making him a very intriguing character.  In spite of all of his flaws, he was extremely well received when he made his theater debut.

The first Iron Man film was released into theaters in 2008.  In my opinion, Robert Downey Junior was a brilliant choice, and he plays the part to perfection.

The movie takes a few liberties, but does a great job.


Tony gets into a bad situation in Afghanistan which changes his life forever, especially since his heart can no longer function without an arc reactor to prevent shrapnel from entering the chambers  and killing him.

Captured by the terror group the Ten Kings, he uses his amazing intelligence to escape and eventually he goes back to Afghanistan to finish them off.  He deals with a complete change of attitude, betrayal, and even love in the process.


Iron Man II picks up the story a bit further into the future.  The presence of Iron Man in the world has created an era of world peace.  Unfortunately, Tony's arc reactor (that had been keeping him alive) is now killing him.  The key to his survival is delivered by his father from the past.

Additionally, Ivan Vanko, a fellow from Russia, who is tied to Tony in a way he is not aware of, is plotting revenge against him for injustices that were done to his father.  He uses Tony's technology in an attempt to destroy him.  In Tony's weakened state, the plan almost works. This is where SHEILD steps in and gets involved - since another of Tony's rivals has partnered with Ivan and hopes to assemble an army of Iron Men.

In the end, the good guys win, and Iron Man lives to become a part of the Avengers.


If you have seen the move, you know that Iron Man is a vital member of the Avengers team, and plays a critical role in saving the world.  He continues on the path of maturity as well, and is even willing to give his life for the good of mankind.

Since we all know that filming has begun for Iron Man 3, I don't think it is too much of a spoiler, to tell you, that Tony (thankfully) lives.


I am looking forward to the release of the next Iron Man adventure.

Join Jenny at ...off on my tanget... each week for AlphabeThursdays.

Less Words Wednesday – Twins: Compare and Contrast - Two Months vs Twelve Years

This is a photo of my sweet twin babies taken when they were two months old.

Aren't they precious?

This is a photo of my sweet twin babies taken this morning - they are now twelve years old.  

(and still quite precious!)

They grow up much too fast...

AlphabeThursday Superhero Style! H is for Hulk

You probably recognize the big, green Avenger in the picture above.

That's the Hulk.  When he is in a good mood, he is Robert Bruce Banner, brilliant nuclear physicist with a bit of an anger management problem.

In 1962, Marvel introduced this new character.


Bruce's father also worked in atomic sciences, and he was convinced that somehow, his radiation exposure had given his son mutated genes.  He thought that the boy's strength and amazing intellect was the result of some sort of freak DNA accident.

The elder Banner, (Dr. Brian Banner) became obsessed with these thoughts and over time, his neurosis drove him to alcoholism and he was a nasty abusive man.  Terrible things happened in the Banner household and when all was said and done, Brian was institutionalized, his wife was deceased, and his son went to live with relatives.

Bruce Banner continued to suffer - now at the hands of bullies.  He began to develop two personalities.  The angry Bruce filled with pain, rage, and hatred, coupled with the mild mannered Bruce who was hyperintelligent, and very sensitive.

After dealing with school bullies in a highly ineffective manner, Bruce was expelled.  However, his methodology was noticed by the United States government, who quickly instructed the military to keep an eye on him.

Eventually, Dr. Robert Bruce Banner graduated with a doctorate in nuclear physics and went to work for the Department of Defense where his plans for a gamma radiation bomb come together.  He also meets the girl of his dreams there - the boss's daughter - Betty Ross.

On the day the bomb is to be tested, Bruce sneaks into the test area into a shielded spot.  He would have been safe, except - just before detonation, he sees a young boy, Rick Jones, out on the test feild.  He jumps out to protect him, and gets him into a trench, but absorbs a massive amount of the radiation.

It turns out, Bruce's father was right.  The boy DID have a gene mutation.  One that allowed him to withstand the gamma rays.  But at a price.

The result was:


Whenever his pulse races, and he loses control of his anger, the big, green, rampaging beast (with underdeveloped verbal skills) would appear, and he is terrifying!  Only Betty and Rick Jones still see him as the man and not the monster.

From there, my green friend has had many writers, many incarnations, and many faces.  He has had a TV series, animated series, and films.


Most recently, he was in the Avengers film, played by Mark Ruffalo.  I was happy that Hulk had some excellent lines, and great scenes.



And this - is my favorite Hulk of them all... <3



Thanks to Jenny who hosts AlphabeThursday each week at ...off on my tangent...

Less Words Wednesday - Bibliophile Kitties #WW

Crazy Kitties!!

They Love Books and Bookshelves!!

AlphabeThursday - Superhero Style! G is for Green Lantern

Green Lantern is a DC Comics character.  He's got a whole line of toys, an animated series, a rollercoaster named after him, and last year - he scored his own big screen action movie!

The plot told the story of Hal Jordan, a test pilot who is selected to become a human member of the Green Lantern Corps. Hal is given a ring that can harness energy and create whatever he needs to confront evil.  In the movie, he battles evil forces which threaten to destroy the balance of power in the universe.

Comic book purists complained that there was a little bit of a departure from the original story - okay a fairly large leap - but sometimes creative license is needed.  There's only so much you can pack into a movie, after all, and Green Lantern has been around for a while!

The first Green Lantern appearance was in 1940.  

Alan Scott was the first human to wear the Green Lantern ring.  (He made a few headlines recently when DC added a little special flair to his character)  Chosen by the alien members of the Green Lantern Corps, a ring was bestowed upon him.

Since Alan Scott, there have been other new recruits to this intergalactic police force, and they all have a similar ring, with energy harnessing power.  Members of the Corps must have great discipline and control to wield the powers properly.  The powers are almost limitless, and can be dangerous if used recklessly or without restraint.

One of the keys to mastering the power of the ring and becoming a Green Lantern is to face your fears. For the rather headstrong Hal Jordan, that was something inexorably twisted into his life, always close, but never confronted face to face.

As a young boy, Hal saw his pilot father die in a terrible and tragic plane crash.  He was determined to follow in his dad's footsteps, so he tried to repress his memories.  The result was an arrogant, reckless, and sometimes insubordinate test pilot destined to face an end similar to his father's.

Then, one day, a dying alien crashed to Earth, and changed Hal's life forever.  Before the alien died, he chose the young pilot to be his replacement in the Green Lantern Corps. Hal agreed to do the bidding of the Guardians of the Universe.

As he learns to harness the power of the ring,  the young man is forced to deal with his repressed fears, and sadness.  This transforms him in ways nobody expects, not even Hal.  It appears things could go terribly bad, but in the end, he does the right thing, and makes the ultimate sacrifice to save not only himself, but all of creation.

Lets just say, comic book Hal spent a little time contemplating his sins, before he was "born again".   This what a modern day Green Lantern looks like post "rebirth":

My kids like the animated series.



There is also a member of the Corps in the Justice League.  This is John Stewart's oath:

In brightest day,

In blackest night,

No evil shall escape my sight,

Let those who worship evil's might,

Beware my power,

Green Lantern's Light!

Every Thursday, Jenny, who blogs at ...off on my tangent... hosts the AlphabeThursday link up.

AlphabeThursday – SuperHero Style! F is for Flash

So many superheroes, so little time.  I had quite a few ideas for my "F" post, but I think I knew all along that I'd be writing about Flash today.  The problem is, DC comics has had quite a few different guys, and even some ladies, who become the fleet footed fighter of crime.  It gets complicated, so for today, I'll give you the top three.

The first version of Flash appeared in January 1940.  (He's the guy in the pith helmet with wings.)  His story (and he is sticking to it!) is that he inhaled some hard water vapors one night after falling asleep in his lab.  The result was that he gained superhuman speed.  He put on the hat, and a red shirt with the lovely lightning bolt on the front, and he set out to fight crime.


Then came Barry Allen.  If you know a bit about superheroes, you probably know that most of the good ones have tragically lost one or both parents.  In Barry's case, it was his mother.  After she was murdered his life's mission was to find her killer and bring him to justice.  This obsession led him into the field of forensic science.  Consumed by his work, he was often squirreled away in his lab poring over evidence.  On one of those long nights, a bolt of lightning hit his lab and gave Barry an amazing super power.  He moves as fast as that electrical current.

Barry had a nephew by marriage, Wally West.  Wally was in his uncle's lab with him one day when he was about ten.  Through a nearly identical circumstance as his uncle endured, Wally finds himself marinating in electrically charged chemicals.  The result is Kid Flash, he who grows up to become the third Flash.

There is a Justice League cartoon series that the boys and I used to watch.  We all loved the episodes that highlighted Flash.  He had the best wisecracks and funny antics.

After Wally West it gets a little crazy, and I can't quite keep track - but there are a plethora of Flash's and a Bizzaro Flash, too.

This is a rarely seen version of the Flash, that was spotted in my back yard, circa 2007.  ;-)



 Thanks to Jenny, who blogs at ...off on my tangent... for hosting AlphabeThursday each week.

AlphabeThursday - Superhero Style! E is for Elastigirl!

Elastigirl is the heroine of the Disney - Pixar film, The Incredibles.  I love this character, voiced by Holly Hunter.  She is a wonderful mix of superhero and mom.  (Kind of like most of us, except that she can stretch, and she has a 10 inch waistline.)

At the beginning of the movie, Elastigirl is in her prime.  She is a a crime fighting superstar, about to be married to Mr. Incredible.  They were the prom king and queen of superheroes.

Shortly after their nuptials, things went wrong in the world, and people began suing the very heroes that were saving them!  Forced into hiding, the supers assume normal, suburban lives.

Elastigirl and Mr. Incredible live as Helen and Bob Parr.  They have some children, and try to settle down.  I was so glad they made them a regular family.  They are funny and lovable, but they bicker and argue, too.  The children also have superpowers, which adds an interesting dimension to parenting.

Helen is a great mom.  She fiercely loves her family, but she doesn't take any nonsense.



As the movie progresses, we find out that Bob is not having an easy time leaving the superhero life behind.  His deception eventually leads the family to don their supersuits and save the world.

I would love to be able to do this:




Thanks so much to Jenny Matlock, who blogs at ...off on my tangent...  She is the gracious hostess of this weekly alphabet meme.

Wordless Wednesday - School's Out!

Good bye sixth grade!!

We've got seventh graders in the house!

Alphabe-Thursday - Superhero Style! D is for Doctor Strange

Oh!  Look!  It's  Alphabe-Thursday!  Time to visit with Jenny, at ...off on my tangent..

Continuing with the superhero theme, this week, I'm giving Dr. Strange the spotlight. He's a Marvel man, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in the 1960's.  Being a somewhat groovy and psychedelic kind of guy, he gained a bit of a cult following with the college kids.  It was enough to keep him around, and he has managed to hold his own over the years.  

Although he isn't the best known Marvel Hero, the Sorcerer Supreme has had a TV show, a video game, some trading cards, and a DVD movie.  He is also a regular in the Defenders stories.

Although he began as a headline act in Strange Tales,  he has made notable guest appearances with the Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, The Avengers, and Spider Man.  

Dr. Strange has harnessed some magical powers for help - like the Eye (and the Orb) of Agamotto, and a Cloak of Levitation.  (wouldn't you love one of those?)  His home is called the Sanctum Sanctorum.  It is the third floor of a townhouse in Greenwich Village, New York City.  The story is, that the building rests upon an ancient pagan burial ground.  This is how he comes upon his magical artifacts.  It's a very psycadelic kind of place, and the centerpiece is the magical book of the Vishanti. 

Dr. Strange is an interesting guy, and he has held his own over the years.  If you like your superheroes with a dash of cosmic coolness, you'll like Dr. Stephen Strange.

Whoops! I forgot Wordless Wednesday!! #Immaturity

There’s only one thing to do - 

snap a picture of my work space.

Happy Wednesday,