Stan "The Man"

Today we lost a real-life superhero.  Stan Lee passed away this afternoon, and both Mommy and Daddy were on our way back from the dentist when we heard the news on the radio.  It was like a quick sucker punch to the stomach, minus the physical pain, but certainly all the shock, with plenty of lingering thoughts about the death of people you love.  Obviously it's not the same as the day Billy Graham passed away earlier this year, but in some ways there were parallels.  For one thing, both gentlemen were very advanced in years, and so therefore this sort of things was something we knew was coming for some time now, particularly this last year when we knew things were deteriorating with his health, and of course his wife had just passed away.  So we knew it was coming.  But that doesn't make it any less sad.

We played as Stan Lee in LEGO Marvel, right there amongst the other superheroes he helped create, and the list is humungous!  It would be impossible to show the impact that this one person had within the world of comic books.  There is no other like him, nor will there ever be, and the very fact that he has been honored so frequently with cameos in movies, games and television shows is something that only cemented his iconic status of legendary heroes.  Walt Disney developed an empire from his mind and enthusiasm, and we're still going to see the movies, see television shows, play games, and read books about the remarkable world that came from this one guy's head.  On top of all that, he seemed like a really pleasant person, always a smile on his face, or willing to go through a self-depreciating joke in a cameo.

Anyway, today we lost a real-real life superhero, one who lived a really long and amazing life.  It was so great to see him enjoy the fruit of his creativity in so many ways, watching kids from all over the world flock to these movies.

Today was a bummer of a day in some ways.  The dental visit was good, as was the trip to Cracker Barrel for lunch.  We did a bit of Christmas shopping there, believe it or not, and then got ready to go home so Madison could make it to her piano class on time, which she did.  We actually typically arrive about five minutes early, which is pretty amazing considering the "Cheaper by the Dozen" routine we have to go through as soon as Madison gets home.  Seriously, we have to pre-heat the oven at a particular time, put food in at an exact time, and then Madison gets home precisely when the food is ready so she can sit, eat, and then pretty much head out the door.  Fifteen minutes or so is all we have to eat and move, and that we do on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.  But we usually make it okay, without too much stress.  Christmas season is here though, and I'm thinking the traffic will pick up slightly.  We'll see how that works out.

Yes, Christmas season is here, and there are decorations popping up here and there, although not too many too early this year.  We're putting things up inside, although from the outside you can still see pumpkin decorations and fall harvest flags and so forth.  We're listening to Christmas music, but not the full-on sort, rather the instrumental Windam Hill stuff that sort of sets a mood in the background.  the mood is this:  it's Christmas time, and you'd better start getting the stuff out because it takes a while to do so, and you'll want to have it all up in time, right?

We mentioned that the election is not over, right?  Yeah, it's going on and on and on some more.  The consolation is that other states are in on the joke too.  Florida has a US Senator and a governor who both conceded the election, basically saying, "yes, the other candidate won."  And then they took it back, and are all about the "Count Every Vote" train we were forced to ride on back in 2000.  It went nowhere back then, and of course it won't go anywhere this year, except to a place where there's suspicion and dishonor.  And other states are still struggling too.  It wasn't too long ago that elections were settled rather quickly.  To begin with, I'm sure it took a lot longer.  In fact, the first elections ever are probably about as long to figure out as these are today, even with all our advanced technology.  What does that say about us?

Anyway, we read tonight, including a return to Daddy's Thanksgiving-themed devotional, where a character goes to a place somewhat like Halloween Town, but it is in fact Thanksgiving Town.  It's a cute little read, a nice ongoing story that helps us keep Thanksgiving on our minds, rather than completely jumping over to Christmas.

It was an okay day today, one tempered by a general wash of gloom, but still we have much to be thankful for here.  Madison's grades are slipping a little bit here and there, but on the whole she's doing well, and very importantly, she's happy and confident still.  Mommy's been struggling with a few health issues lately, but she's keeping upbeat and we're still managing to work our schedule around anything that pops up.  It's all good, and it's going to get even better.

'nuff said!