#79 Super Serial

This year Superman turns 80, which means I'll probably write a handful of Superman blogs over the course of the year. Today's topic is the 1948 theatrical serial Superman. I watched this serial for the first time the week before last. The story took place over fifteen black-and-white chapters that were originally shown weekly in theaters. The chapters averaged about seventeen minutes in length, so it was sort of like watching a TV show from the days before TV really took off. It's hard for me to imagine going to a theater week after week only to be treated to another cliffhanger, but that's how things worked back in the day.

I really enjoyed Superman. The story was packed with action, and even though the constant cliffhangers got a little bit annoying, I kept coming back for more, anxious to see how Superman would foil the Spider Lady's plot to take control of the dangerous Reducer Ray.

Superman himself was fantastic. He performed some impressive feats of strength and showcased both his X-ray vision and his invulnerability time and time again. He flew quite a bit as well, but, due to budget constraints, the flying sequences were animated, which always seemed somewhat funny. Still, watching Supes wrangle bad guys, bounce bullets off his chest, and leap out of windows was great.

In my opinion the real star of the show was Lois Lane. I think it's fair to say that a Superman story is only as good as its Lois, and serial Lois was magnificent. Time and time again she rushed headfirst into danger to get a story and refused to be intimidated or pushed around. Back in the day Lois always loved Superman but couldn't stand his disguised identity, Clark Kent. She's always scheming to get the scoop before Clark. At one point, Clark and Lois are competing for a story, and Clark says something about getting a break. Lois responds that she hopes it's an arm or a leg. (Savage!)

The rest of the characters were good, too. I liked Jimmy Olsen as a rough and tumble cub reporter, unafraid to get into a fight. I appreciated gruff editor Perry White, and I enjoyed hardworking if somewhat timid Clark Kent. The Spider Lady had quite the gang at her service, and it was fun to see all the different types of trouble she was able to cause.

From what I gather, Superman was very well-received and hugely finiancially successful. It's pretty cool to know that 70 years ago there were thousands of Superman fans out there who enjoyed Supes and his adventures just as I do today. "This is a job for Superman!"

Grace and peace,
BMH

#78 Daylight Saving Time

I hate Daylight Saving Time. I think it's a terrible idea. Dramatically shifting daylight hours messes with my head in a big way. I hate that it's now dark when I wake up when just two days ago it was light. That shouldn't happen when the days are getting longer. I can deal with gradually increasing and decreasing daylight. Abruptly sliding daylight an hour forward and back just annoys me. I was taught that the idea behind Daylight Saving Time is saving energy. Researchers say that's not necessarily the case. In fact, when Indiana adopted Daylight Saving Time a dozen years ago, energy consumption increased by 1%. And even if we're saving on electricity, studies show that we use more gasoline because we're more likely to go out in the evening when it's light. So Daylight Saving Time isn't saving the planet. The article I linked above says that convenience stores and businesses that sell gardening, home repair, and sports equipment are the ones who lobby hard to keep Daylight Saving Time around.

Now, research shows that there are a couple benefits to Daylight Saving Time. People do go outside more when it's light later, and evening crime is reduced with later daylight. However, there are also a number of drawbacks, some of which are pretty serious. There are more deadly car crashes and workplace injuries after flipping our clocks ahead. Heart attacks are more common after the switch, and sleep deprived judges are a bit harsher with their sentences. I just get irritated, and I'm sure there are others like me. If politicians included eliminating Daylight Saving Time in their platform, I would probably be twice as likely to vote for them.

In the end, I just don't think Daylight Saving Time is necessary. A few years back I spent five months in Malang, Indonesia. Daylight was about 5:30 am to 5:30 pm there. Nobody moved their clocks. They just adjusted their schedules to the daylight. They got up earlier and went to bed earlier than most Americans do. I realize we all can't just shift our work schedules, but we could learn to do some things before work if we wanted to maximize our daylight. With the rise of DVRs, we don't need to worry about being awake when all our TV shows air. Maybe we should just let the light be. Let's stop changing all our old clocks twice a year. Let's leave saving the day to our superheroes. I know that'll make me much happier in early March and November.

Grace and peace,
BMH

#77 All by Myself

Tess and Lanie are gone for the weekend. After I dropped them off with a friend of ours this evening, I stopped for dinner on my way home. Now, as most people know, I'm an introvert. I'm very comfortable being by myself; in fact I spent some time living alone overseas after college. But there's something about eating out alone that makes me feel sort of weird and pathetic. I'm not really sure why. There must be people that regularly eat out alone. I've never had the staff at a restaurant look at me funny for eating by myself. But there's something about being alone at a restaurant that throws me off. I get self-conscious. I just don't like it. So if you ever see me sitting at a table for one, feel free to come and join me. I enjoy a good conversation over dinner, and there's nothing like food for building friendships. For now I'll just be glad that my belly is full and I'm back in the privacy of my own home, where nobody has to feel bad for me being alone.

Grace and peace,
BMH