Thursday, July 9, 2009

Superhero at Large

Early one Tuesday morning this past fall I was driving along about two miles from my house.

I stopped for a red light just before entering a school zone.

I was sitting there, minding my own business, singing along loudly [and badly] with the radio.

My attention left the song I was singing when the floorboard of my car started to vibrate.

It tickled my feet.

What I saw tickled my whole body.

Coming toward me, still in the school zone, was BATMAN.

Batman, in full Super Hero regalia, driving sedately through the school zone at 20mph.

He was riding a huge black motorcycle. He rode toward me, cape billowing behind him, the sun glinting off of his shiny handlebars.

The ground rumbled beneath the bike.

I couldn’t have been more delighted. My mouth fell open and I started laughing.

As he came level with my car, I goggled at his Batman mask, his Batman tights, his Batman utility belt, his Batman boots, his Batman gloves.

The only deviation to his workaday crime fighting clothes was fringe hanging all along his gloves. The fringe dangled from wrist to elbow. I say deviation from his usual clothes because I’m of the generation that grew up with Adam West embodying Batman on tv, and Adam didn’t have fringe on his gloves.

I started wishing that everyone I knew was in the car with me to see Batman riding around in my neighborhood. As he passed me, I scrambled in my purse for my camera phone. I got the window open and my arm out, but by then he was too far away to get any kind of picture.

He did give me a tiny two fingered salute.

And I gotta tell you…..it made me all butterflyee in my tummy.

About a week later I saw a headline on yahoo that a guy dressed as Batman had been ARRESTED in Florida for wearing a mask in public. Apparently as part of the homeland security guidelines wearing a mask in public is a no no.

This law makes me wonder how the good guys will be able to protect their secret identities.

Will we force all of our crime fighting heroes to abandon their posts?

Will they all be unmasked?

Will the evil doers know who they are and where they live and thereby be free to come to their house to kick their dogs and pull up their shrubs?

I hope not, because I love the idea of Batman casually tooling around early on a Tuesday morning.

I wondered if he was coming from or traveling toward something official, like opening an electronics super store, or a child’s birthday party, or disarming a nuclear warhead.

Or maybe he was just on his way to pick up Robin to go shopping for some brie and a nice chardonnay.

Whatever he was doing, I hope that Ohio never opts to arrest Batman for being Batman.

Superheroes need to remain at large. To delight young and old. To do what they do best. To make grown ups into kids again.

And if anyone knows how to mount a video camera to the hood of a car, please send me an email.

I want to be ready for the next time.

23 comments:

j said...

Holy hero spotting, Karen! I could not love this post more. I wish I'd been there! That Batman is my very most favorite superhero only adds to my delight, but I have to say... seeing any superhero tooling around on a Tuesday morning would make me happy, happy, happy!

Reading about your experience is the next best thing! And we're both talking superheros today! GREAT minds!

Rachel S said...

nana nana nana BATMAN!

Leaping lizards, Batman!

Let me get this straight. You think that your client, one of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the world, is secretly a vigilante who spends his nights beating criminals to a pulp with his bare hands. And you want to blackmail this person? Good luck!

Ok, I think I'm good now. Two very different types of Batman too.

Wouldn't that be awesome if there really were superheroes? But then we'd get the supervillians too, and then I'd have competition... I mean... um... And that would suck.

Ashley said...

I'm not even sure how to respond to this post.

Karen from Mentor said...

Good Ashley,
I live to confound you.

:0)

Karen from Mentor said...

nope, Rachel,
I read your commment four times now and it still baffles me.
Good thing I'm seeing you in the morning so you can splain it to me Lucy.

Karen from Mentor said...

Judy,
Batman rules.
Like redheads.
Glad to add to your happiness meter.

Lisa Katzenberger said...

Karen,

You must read this post. That is all.

Karen from Mentor said...

Lisa,
Thanks! I did. I saw the batmobile years ago at a car show. Never met Adam though...*sigh*

I enjoyed Stacey's post. Thanks for pointing me to it.

Karen :)

mdvelazquez said...

Karen: You have to practice so you're quicker on the draw. :-)

Earlier this week I saw a golden hero on the subway. Full gold costume, including top hat and walking stick. Face and hands painted in matching gold. I smiled all the way to the office.

Cat Connor said...

Holy rusted metal!

:-) Seeing batman is just too awesome for words... I really should put the wine glass down and go to bed. Before I see batman!

Stacey Ballis said...

It was just a Batman kind of week! Love this post...

Amy Branham said...

What an absolutely way cool experience, Batman on a motorcycle next to you!! WHOAH! Reality check!

Thanks for sharing!

Avery K. Tingle said...

THAT HAS GOT TO BE THE COOLEST STORY I HAVE READ IN FOREVER!! I would've given vital parts of myself to be there with you! Thank you for sharing; it's inspirational, cool as all hell, and I'm REALLY sorry you didn't get a photo. But if you see him again, have that cameraphone ready, for I feel that we will always need a Batman...people who do what they must to make the world a safer place. You'll see him again. Can't wait to read that story. :)

Karen from Mentor said...

Thanks for stopping in Avery. I now carry an ACTUAL camera with me at all times.
I often see weird and or funny things...but this was one I would have loved to have captured as an image to giggle and grin at in the privacy of my bat cave....I pull up the experience in my head from time to time and that gives me plenty of warm and fuzzies...but as you suspected.... I hope to see him again....if only so he can salute me again....
:0)

Karen from Mentor said...

Yes Cat, what the heck time is it in New Zealand...oh, I saw Steven Colbert and Jeff Goldbloom reporting that a New Zealand tv station was reporting Jeff's death from a fall during filming in New Zealand....it took a while...but Jeff was finally convinced that he was dead and walked into the light....

Amy! hey girl. thanks for stopping in..

Maria, I want you to start carrying a micro camera and sending me pictures for steal it saturdays or for Judy's caption this! The NYC subway is a whole wild and wooly world unto itself apparently.

and finally, Rachel explained that the quote came from Dark Knight and the person speaking is addressing someone who did some work for Bruce Wayne....ah ha!
I like a kinder, gentler batman....but michele pfeiffer as catwoman in the first movie?....oh man!

Anonymous said...

Well, I'm late to this party, but I know nothing about Batman anyway. I just want to say that after reading so many of your posts, I think riding along with you would be trippy. :-)

Karen from Mentor said...

Linda,
I do have an inordinate amount of fun.

:0)

jane, candid said...

Great post! You have that special skill of finding the fun all around us!

CoffeeJitters (Judy Haley) said...

awesome!

T. M. Hunter said...

Mount the camera to your dashboard instead of your hood...that way, you can take it inside with you. ;-)

And as far as masks being a DHS no-no, I guess these guys will just have to wear an indeterminate amount of makeup instead. :-)

Karen from Mentor said...

Oooh, Goth heroes....Aston, you may be on to something.

How about spray on makeup like in Bladerunner....this could be a new trend.

And the dash makes much more sense. I was just picturing having it on the hood, like a gun turret...but the DHS would probably frown on that too. :0)

T. M. Hunter said...

Plus, it would probably get ripped off faster than a hood ornament. :-)

Daniel Powell said...

Great post! You have a serious fun-vein running through these posts, Karen!