It's hard to get wistful about the greater Chandler area, but I know one day, that may change.

But summer is newly arrived like a ferocious housecat. You want to love it, but, let's face it... it's kind of mean. And it smells bad.

Austin summers are great. There's so much to do that it can actually be paralyzing. The Paramount has the classic movies showing with the shorts beforehand. The snow-cone stand is open on South Lamar. Barton Springs is open and taunting you (sure I'm refreshing, but you KNOW you can't stay in for more than 30 minutes, sissy...). People are out Bar-B-Qing, the 4th of July offers fireworks and live music. Baby A's is never that far away for a drink. Or really any place on Barton Springs.

Hot as hell, but it's a good place to be for a few months.

Of course, we used to have a squirrel infested back yard where I could toss some tennis balls for Mel while I was grilling out. The back stoop was ideal for sitting and watching grackels while enjoying a beer or two. And we had the front porch where you could sit and watch the neighbors go by while Mel threatened them from behind the chainlink fence. We had a horseshoe set we put in the front yard, and we'd chuck them around a bit, occasionally playing with the neighbor kids until they decided to become thugs when they hit middle-school.

Occasionally, I even mowed the yard. Good neighbor Ry, Jason would call me, as I was out there whacking away at weeds. Don't ge tme started on the sticky grass and burrs in the yard.

We had good neighbors. Todd the mysterious Catholic guy on our right. And the ever-changing cast on our left. The ever changing cast (starring Henry and Carol) invited us over for Bar B Q and their son's 13th birthday party. I mean, how cool is that? And we had flamingos in the yard, and the pinwheel sunflowers and the weird silver ball Jamie always hated. Our landlord was this great lady who LOVED Jamie. She even dropped our rent when Jamie asked nicely.

Sure, we had no hot water, and the AC barely pumped out from the window units, and the house occasionally threatened to burst into flames, but it was a fun place to live when we didn't fear for our lives.

And it got SO HOT in the summertime that we would just lie on the bed in front of the AC unit, wishing it were winter.

But, man, I loved that house.

In the summertime, folks would swing by, and you'd sit in the house for a while, but there was ALWAYS something else to go do, you know? We didn't go to swimming holes too much anymore by the time I left (that one sunburn in '98 really turned me off of swimming too much), but it was a possibility. And we could always walk to David's Food Store and get some soda and gum.

Summertime, man. Hurray for summer.

The weekend passed without incident, for the most part.

I saw Shrek 2. The movie definitely was a crowd pleaser and had parts I liked, but it still isn't in my "Holy cow, I NEED THIS ON DVD" list. I will say, I was a tremendous fan of Puss in Boots. Especially during the "Knights" sequence. Jamie even picked up on a Garfield reference which went right over my head (which is weird, because she kind of hates Garfield).

But even better, I saw the Justice League Series Finale. Now THAT'S what Justice League is all about, Leaguers. Hoo-AHHH!!!!

And don't read too much into it, but it also cemented my preference for John Stewart GL as my favorite part of that show. No no no... he has not supplanted Superman as best of the best... They've just given John Stewart a lot of room to grom on Justice League, space that I don't think he gets enough in the comics.

At the end of the show, CN showed a preview for this Fall's new series, Justice League Unlimited. Supergirl. Green Arrow. Captain Atom. The Question. Holy Hannah! I hope that the actual Atom (Ray Palmer) was just too small to see in the pan-shot they did. He's a favorite second-stringer here at League HQ.

Am busily re-arranging the comic-book room/ office. I'm trying to maximize space in there, and I think I figured out a fairly decent solution for the time being. The moving of furniture also means I can plan to build shelving, which allows me to use power tools. And that's always a high light. I really want to do something different with this shelf, so we'll see how it goes.

Hope everyone had a good Memorial Day, and I hope every got to see the footage of the new WWII Memorial in DC. It looks amazing, and I hope to make it up there to see it soon. I also have an aunt and uncle in DC whom I haven't seen in two years, so I'm probably due, anyway.

Hope all is well with you Loyal Leaguers.

Apparently my ex-roommate, Kevin Bankston (pictured here looking quite chipper), is now the kind of person who CNN goes to for quotes.

Apparently Kevin has been on CNN before (a rumor I can neither confirm nor deny) as a pundit for his position as some sort of Electronic Rights advocacy. I am unsure of whether or not he's actually representing this guy who is on trial, but this article actually asks Kevin for his opinion on huge matters of import.

Which is funny, because I lived with the guy for a year, and the biggest question I could dream up for him was "So do you want to go to Jack-In-the-Box or not?" Sure, we batted around issues of personal liberty, justice, our collective freedoms as Americans, but who knew?

Hurray for Kevin! He is not only a really good guy (and one of the most irritatingly intelligent people I ever met), but he is also a bit of an encyclopedia of pop-culture from Robert Anton Wilson to Galactus.

Kevin's one fatal flaw? He thinks Superman is a bozo.

Kudos goes out to San Antonio DJ and Loyal Leaguer, Nathan Cone.

nathan's radio station recently obtained a copy of an album which had somehow escaped by telescopic gaze.

It's The Metropolis Symphony, a collection of tunes based upon your friend and mine, Superman (the Ace of Action!)!

I will, no doubt, be suckered into adding this to my collection.

"One thing I learned when I WAS IN THE NAVY", Kerry droaned on, "was that when you're headed for the shoals, you need to move the rudder." presumably so you don't hit the shoals. Or something like that. I don't remember exactly what he said, but it wasn't very inspiring. Nothing this guy does is inspiring (at least not as inspiring as Al and Tipper breaking all their own PMRC rules right there at the convention. Whoo-hoo! That was HOT!!!!).

With The League's official choice for President now sadly off the campaign trail, we have begun to seek a new candidate (or perhaps a new ticket as we dream starrily over a veep with all the charisma of Dan Quayle or Walter Mondale)...

And I think I found my man. If I watched more Fox Network, he'd have been staring me in the face all along. But it's so painfully obvious. The League now officially endorses the candidacy of Dennis Haysbert solely on the strength of his Allstate commercials.

Yes, Dennis Haysbert, of whom I know so little (as I've never actually seen 24) has guided me through many trials already. Did you see me bar-B-Qing too close to the house? Or accidentally turning my fried turkey into a bonfire? No. You didn't. Why? Because for some reason, I am willing to listen to Dennis Haysbert in a way that I simply cannot listen to the two mooks currently running for position of Leader of the Free World.

Shouldn't I be able to listen, rapt, to a 30 second sound bite without worrying about the President saying "Uhhhh....." for the entire length. I want somebody who isn't just some Skull and Bones dud Yaley. I want some guy who is going to make me want to leap into the belly of the beast with his oration. And who is that man? He's Dennis Haysbert and his Allstate ads.

I am told Mr. Haysbert is a good president on this 24 show. So, hell. If he's over 35 and a US citizen, let's vote the man in.

Dennis Haysbert in 2004!!!!

Super Chopper!!!

Check out these pics of a motorcycle which just won awards at Daytona Beach Bike Week.

Full view

Seat Detail

rear wheel and other detail

Super Shield Handle bar detail

these links are from www.Supermanhomepage.com