Out and about in the wilderness of Life – This is my little place to keep track of things that happen while I am 0ut and About.

So, opening day for the big Warner Brothers film Superman Returns, and of course I was there. Heck, not only was I there but I took 15 people from work to it.

Now most of you know my history, and I certainly have a comic book oriented past, so it should be no surprise that I was there to see what they did to the great Superman franchise. Well no worries, I will not spoil anything for anyone…just want to say it was a fun time and a good film. Perhaps a little bit long, but it was packed with story so it wasn’t like I was watching my watch. And frankly, if your going for a slug fest like X-Men 3 was, then forget about it. Plenty of action, but it was actually more a love story than an action flick. After all, its been almost 20 years since the last Superman movie (and frankly you should just forget III & IV since this movie takes up right after Superman II) so there is a whole generation that has been born and maybe even had kids since the last movie. I have no doubt that there will be another after this, and I expect a lot out of it too…

I give Superman Returns 3 1/2 stars out of 5.

So my friend Jen convinces me to go see her favorite local band Falling Sideways tonight. This is the second time she has invited me to see them, the first time I cancelled due to a snow storm…so when flooding was happening all over last night I was tempted to stay home, but glad I went.
They played at a bar in Fairfax called TT Reynolds. Nice place, lots of hard wood, small but good kitchen and a decent drink selection. And as a bonus my bud from work Paul came out. So even with all the rain it was worth goin out.

So this weekend, me and Jen worked the Riverdance matinee performances at Wolftrap. On Saturday it was a nice sunny June day. So after our time ran out on the Press Gate, we moved over to the lawn to enjoy the show. Unfortunately, as you can kinda tell from the pic, one of the older patrons appears to have succumb to the heat and EMT’s were called out. Everything seemed okay after awhile though.
On sunday the performance took on its name sake a little to well. Boy did it rain on us… Needless to say we did not stick around for the performance that day.

Nice but long week. Started it off by working at Wolftrap for the BB King concert on Monday, course the rain made it pretty muggy, but still a decent time. Work was uneventful until Thursday when we had a good beer bash to celebrate summer. Now I am looking forward to a rainy weekend standing outside at Wolftrap listening to Riverdance.

Oh well…at least I have updated my 2006 Photo Album with some new pics. Enjoy!

So as some of you know, I am an officer of elections for Prince William County here in VA. Its a nice title, but basically I just help out at the polls, ensuring all the rules are followed and everyone has an opportunity to vote. But I really dont think that everyone truely appreciates their right and ability to vote.
Today was the Democratic Primary, now since I come from Oklahoma, where you have to declare a party and can only vote in elections where your party is involved, this can be a bit confusing. See, in Virginia anyone can vote at anytime regardless of their party affiliation. When I first moved here I did not know this and missed a couple of opportunities. And since North Virginia is ripe with non-natives, I am sure more people are confused as well.
Due to this and general apathy from the populous, todays turn out was simply sad…very very sad. At our polling place we had 51 people. The potential is 2800 (approx), so that is less than 2%. Perhaps something drastic has to be done. Lord knows that the only time people get involved is when something is taken away or threatened to be taken away. Perhaps we should make it if you do not vote every 3 years you have to reregister. And if you dont reregister within 6 years you have to petition the local courts to have your RIGHT given back.
Rant over…

All good trips must come to an end. I was fortunate enough to squeeze a lot of people into my short time in OKC. There were a few that I missed and others I didn’t have enough time to spend with.

The reunion was entertaining, but it pretty much confirmed what I already knew. In high school I was very busy with taking care of my grandmother. She passed at the end of my junior year…and frankly my senior year is quite literally a blur in my memory.

The people that were really close to me then are still part of my life. There are a few lost souls out there I wouldn’t mind finding, but that is for an adventure on a different day. In the meantime I sit at the airport relishing in the last taste of OK before I head out. How more civilized can you get than a Sonic at the airport?!

Well tonight was the formal. Holly, our class president did a fab job on putting this together. Nice decorations, good food, and some nice entertainment.
Saw a few more people at this one. Either I was just missing these folk at the other events or some only made it to 1 of the 3 events. I will miss hanging out with Rusty, Debbie and Cameron. They are my extended family…just all the way out in Las Vegas.

And yes, my face is sunburnt. One of the only good thing about Oklahoma, plenty of sunshine!

Today was the picnic and Earlywine park in Moore. Boy, did it seem like everyone turned out with all their youngens. Saw a few more people than last night, but still did not recognize a lot. Ken and his family showed up briefly but did not stay long enough for the group picture.

So tonight the Moore high class of 1986 met at the Bricktown Brewery for a social event. I was happily surprised that I recognized more than just the few I knew would be there. We drank and chatted till about 11pm when I headed over to Hudsons to meet my pal Stuart.

Well it was a hot day in the ol’ Bricktown, but we managed to have fun anyway. A great feast at Burbon Street Cafe, the OKC Riverwalk cruise, then a movie to top things off.
And what great company, Rusty, Debbie, Cameron, Jim & Edie. I am one lucky guy.