Quarter-Life Crisis

I'm almost 25 (that's Almost 25, I still have plenty of youthful 24 to take advantage of). Over the last few months I have been devoting some thought to my upcoming Quarter-Life Crisis. I take this milestone event very seriously, and don't want to simply jump into some sort of crazy decision... I want to iron out the details of said crazy decision first. The MID-Life Crisis is easier to figure out, there are solid road maps available; hair-plugs, Porches, new 20-something trophy wives (for the divorcées - edgy? I know).


















The Quarter-Life melt down on the other hand is a tricky one. I've toyed with a few ideas:

1) Get really Fat, go on the Biggest Loser, get skinny, and win big money... to buy food and get fat again (see, this could in fact be recycled as a Mid-Life Crisis later on).
2) Learn to play the guitar, quit, give it another go 3 months later, quit, and then continue the cycle well into my 30s.
3) Smash a guitar (this would follow the above, ideally after a few cycles have run their course).
4) Sell my belongings, cash out my savings, burn the money, and wander off with out a plan; 'Into the Wild' style.
5) The above option, but without the burning of the money, and the ominous 'Into the Wild' reference, sooo Travel.
6) Become Tony Stark... or Bruce Wayne, really either one would get the job done. Batman does get to wear a cap though... hmmmm.
7) Learn to juggle swords, or fire, or swords on fire, Oooo, or Chainsaws!!!
8) Learn to cook, Eat the food, become Fat - (refer to item 1 above).
9) Get into flying kites, or building models, or constructing 3D puzzles - Ooooor continuing to not do any of these activities, and feeling Great about that choice.
10) Join the C.I.A. as a spy (cause this is something you can simply choose to do).
11) Get Nun-chucks.
12) Become an astronaut and walk on the moon (you need to shoot for the stars... or the moon in this case).
13) Go on Survivor and befriend Jeff Probst.
14) Go on Big Brother and try to evict Julie Chen.
15) Go on the Amazing Race and punch a Travelosity Gnome.
15) Join the circus.
16) Learn to not count '15' twice.
17) Pull off a Heist.
18) Eat more Candy.
19) Take longer and more frequent Naps.
20) Become a dominant Board Game player.
21) Continue to be Awesome, always.

The key is to commit. It's about wandering well out of your comfort zone in search of the big rewards regardless of the big risks. It's about a touch of regret with a taste age, as the invincibility of youth begins to slip away. It's also about being a huge goof, and wanting a little more attention (I'm a Quarter of a Century Old, Look at Meeeeeee!).

















The truth is 25 doesn't bother me. The day will come and go and aside from blowing out the candles and getting a few extra B-Day hugs (and loving having a Party that's all about Me), I will be the same person. It's a nice round number, it's five hands worth of fingers (Oh, add it to the list: return to describing my age by the finger... I'm This many), it's five years away from Thirty and fifteen years away from Fourty (which is the new Thirty). It's that age where you're old enough and young enough at the same time. It's an exciting piece of life that's action-packed with uncertainty, potential, enthusiasm, and an eagerness to search for more. I didn't ask the question before, but I'll ask it now: Am I ready to embrace my Mid-Twenties? Like a Shark embracing a weekend Surfer. (Perfect, add it to the list: 'Learn to Surf'... wait, 'Learn to beat up a Shark' then 'Learn to Surf').

Italy - 100km Later...

My phone buzzed. I dropped everything (which in this case was a piece of toast and a good chuck of the newspaper). It was a new text message with the latest update:

'Almost finished! So far so good. If he stays on pace he could get 7:50 and a possible Canadian record for the masters ultra! Will know within the hour.'

MomVsWild (my Mother and seeker of great adventures) was keeping me posted with updates on the 100km Ultramarathon World Cup as the race unfolded. This year's event was being held in the Tuscany region of Italy, so while I woke up a little early for a Saturday, the sun was starting to disappear on the athletes over seas.

WebbRacer (my Father and avid participant in this crazy sport) was chasing down a Personal Best and was working on the climax of the story. A story that was full of heavy training, mental preparation, race strategizing, and hours and hours of logged miles. This is not just jogging (or maybe it's yogging, I don't know, the J might be silent); this is a daily running streak that stretches out over a quarter of a century, this is the determination to qualify for the Canadian National Team, this is molding a runner's body into an Enduro-Machine that's injury-free, this is 100 kilometer battles in 35 degrees of Celsius heat, city-to-city slogs through the Open-Heaven-Downpours of B.C.'s winter season, and spirit -crushing defeats in the midnight wilderness of the Lost Souls Eco-Challenge-on-steroid's 100miles of mayhem. This is what happens when foot races are taken to the next level. This is the underground of running. This is a way of life that is being showcased. This is a full day of travel, halfway around the world to tackle a 100 kilometer test with the best that Long-Distance Planet Earth has to offer. This is the Big Dance. And as WebbRacer faces the last leg, and MomVsWild helps to manage the chaos, I wait thousands of miles away, clutching my phone, hoping this is not just jogging, that this is IT!

The next text came flying across the ocean with such force that I could feel the excitement all the way from Italy. 7:39!!!!! I was floored. I couldn't believe it. WebbRacer had crushed the race and destroyed the idea of disappointment with a strong Personal Best on the 100km track. He was the first Canadian to cross the line, and finished 32nd overall, IN THE WORLD. It was way too early on a Saturday morning for me to be this excited, but I was, I was ecstatic. Later, news from the finish line told of the extreme conditions that left casualties in the wake of an intense Tuscan heat. And while racers were reduced to the Death Walk, WebbRacer pulled from his Edmonton Scorch-out 100k that had turned him into a full body cramp a year ago, and pushed on, slowly moving up through the ranks. The struggle hit at the 85km mark, but in the words of WebbRacer, 'It's all about the struggle'. He had spent most of the race in a constant fight, trying to maintain his pace and not indulge in the faster speeds, and the result was a later 'struggle point' and enough juice left in the tank to complete the Personal Record.

Meanwhile MomVsWild was in high demand playing Support Crew. In a 100 kilometer race, it's not just the Runner and the Elements, it's the Runner, the Elements, and the team that helps them live through the experience. Fluids to hydrate, Foods to fuel, a calculated balance of electrolytes, new shoes, clothes for all conditions, and most importantly the motivating words to convince someone that 'to keep running' is a better idea than not to. Race Whisperer. MomVsWild first had a hand in the very involved preparation that is required for a team of 11 of these crazy Ultra runners. During the race itself she manned the Aid Station and then essential became a triage nurse as victims of the long battle crossed the finish line in slightly better shape then Horrendous.

In the end, win or lose, race or crew, hot, cold, rain, wind, Italy or anywhere else, the result is the same; Exhaustion, and lots of it.

The latest update from MomVsWild and WebbRacer has them transitioning from 'Recovery' to 'Vacationator', as they begin to explore Italy's non-race scene. The fall-out for a Personal Best hasn't been debilitating, but it's taken time for team Webb to come back to life. The plan for the second leg of the trip is to experience Florence, then Rome, and finally London. And after a time of 7:39, I'd say the Folks have earned a bit of a holiday.

Over the passed few days, as I've updated the rest of the WebbRacer Fanatics on the World Cup success, my mind has wondered to the wounder of the event. 32nd overall. My Dad qualified, ran, and ranked with the best in the world. Out of the billions and billions of people on the planet, he finished 32nd. 32nd!!!! I am beyond proud, and have been telling anyone who is anyone who is Everyone who is willing to listen, that my Old Man ranked among the best of the best. I'm just happy to have been involved in such an achievement ('involved' in that I happen to share the last name, and have run along side the WebbRacer on occasion - for significantly shorter distances). And here's the best part; with this result, WebbRacer is looking at a qualification for next years Worlds in Belgium as well as the Commonwealth Games in September. Today it's all about the 7:39 in Italy, but the excitement is far from over. Stay tuned for more from WebbRacer and MomVsWild when they are next seen in '2009's World-Class Doubleheader'.

Congratulations to Richard Webb, and his extensive team (Marie Webb)!

Post-Script Note: 'Old Man', HA! What a Riot! Cause that's what 'Old Men' do, they run 100km in sub-8hours...

Go to the MomVsWild blog for all the first hand stories of the Race and the Days leading up to the Big Day:

http://momvswild-marie.blogspot.com/

"Dexter Style Killing"? Yeah I have a problem with this.

I dont' know what I'm more disappointed in; the fact that someone thought it would be a good idea to play copy-cat to Showtime's serial-killer-of-killers Dexter, or that they did such a horrible job of it. The Edmonton Journal reported that a 29 year-old filmmaker and show enthusiast (also reads 'Deeply Deranged Lunatic Nutcase Fanatic') has been charged with the murder of a man that went missing three weeks ago. It was reported by Police that Johnny Altinger was lured to a detached residential double garage in the south of Edmonton under the pretense of rendezvousing with a girl he had recently met on-line. Oddly enough this garage was the same garage that had been recently used to film a short movie, by Mark Twitchell (the Dexter-Loving creative mind that felt it was a good idea to base this alleged murder on a project he had just wrapped... at the Same Location!!).

The whole scene is a disaster. First off, if it feels like a stretch to believe that a 38 year-old man would agree to set a first date location with a girl he met on the internet at a garage, how far fetched is Twitchell's ridiculous plotline? If I'm watching a movie and the main character thinks this is a good idea, I'm dropping the old 'Come On, Really?', and then I'm pulling the plug on it. It gets worse because not only did Twitchell first film the scenario (what as some sort of test-drive or trial run?) before following through with the real deal (allegedly of course... still no body to be found), but it looks as though this was his second attempt at bringing his film to life. Two area residents reported seeing an individual fleeing the garage on October 3rd, being chased by a man wearing a black-and-gold-painted hockey goalie mask (a mask that was later found in Twitchell's residence after it was used in his film... come on Mark, are you kidding me?)

If it wasn't bad enough that Twitchell advertised the whole event in his movie, he also went ahead and spent some time alluding to his Dexter-ways on both Facebook and his MySpace page, refering to himself as 'Mark has way to much in common with Dexter Morgan' and 'Mark is set to Evil'.

How Creepy is this Guy? And how badly does he want to be Dexter Morgan? Messed up.

So at this point we have two issues thanks to Mark Twitchell; the first being that he is running around doing a horrible impression of Dexter, the second (and the more serious of the two) is that he has provided support to those who disapproved of the television's portrayl of a vigilante hero. When I first brought the premise of Dexter (seriel killer who kills killers) to people I knew, there was a variety of responses that resembled everything from 'Sweeeeeet, I love this guy already!!!!!!' to 'Yikes, I don't think that's sending the right message at all'. But what many viewers realize soon after getting hooked on the show is that Dexter doesn't focus on the Right-vs-Wrong of being a Vigilante, but rather involves the subject. The show is driven by complex characters, clever writting, a twisting plotline, and a devilish narrative that allows the audience inside the head of the intriguing Dexter Morgan. The Showtime series spends about as much time highlighting Dexter's vigilante night-life as Friday Night Lights does football. Sure in FNL's case the show's shell is a high school football team, but you don't need to be the guy who watches eight-hours of NFL every Sunday with the option of a couple bonus quarters on Mondays, to enjoy the strength of the Dillon Panther's team dynamic, the adolescent dilemmas, and the intricacy of human behaviour. Dexter Morgan follows a strick code, continually battles with his Dark Passenger's hunger, and is constantly faced with The question of the Vigilante way of life. What Dexter is not, is some Loony-bin Applicant that runs around in a black-and-gold-painted hockey goalie mask, poorly re-enacting his own troubled fiction. My hope is that Mark Twitchell is seen as a Crazy Person with one too many voices in his head, wanting not to make a movie, but to be a movie. My fear is that the show Dexter will be in anyway associated with this ridiculousness. The unfortunate thing is that most people won't get the chance to see passed the 'Filmmaker charged in 'Dexter' killing' headlines, and will question whether or not a show like Dexter should be on TV. The answer to that question is a definite yes, the answer to the other question (should the Mark Twitchell's be allowed to compare themselves to Dex?) is an outstanding No.

Dexter - Season 3 so far

It was recently pointed out to me, by a committed student of the Dexter Morgan Cronicles, that everybody's favourite Forensics-Superhero/Big-Hearted-Murderous-Monster is not just a participant in the dilemma of Good-vs-Evil-vs-Right-Wrong-and-the-Inbetween but is also a great teacher of Life Lessons. In a recent episode of the Showtime Fav, Joey Quinn, the new slick Dic on the Miami Metro scene, made magic and manipulated the masses by defending Miserable Masuka in front of the Police Department Big Wigs. Suddenly a hero, Quinn was the same guy who caused poor Vince Masuka to tailspin into a self-doubting disaster when he bluntly told the querky forensics nerd that people didn't like him. As my Dexter Confident informed me, this was the second time in as many episodes that Pretty-Boy Quinn had exercised his charasmatic muscles, vaulting himself out of a person's bad-books and right on to their Best-Bud list. Previously on the 'Quinn Smooths Things Over' show, he had stepped up to bat for Deb after underminding her (aka using her shamelessly to snag the win on their latest case) and once again made everything alllllll better. The guy is good. The Dexter Analysts give the technique two thumbs up, pointing out it's brilliance in being able to identifying the person's 'hurt' and then filling their 'need' (some classics being the need to feel 'important', or 'valued', or just 'all warm and fuzzy inside').



My goal of course has been to have everyone love the Jackson, and so far things have gone pretty well; minus a few broken hearts and Bold-worded e-mails (have you ever received Hate Mail in your e-mail inbox, no one needs that, wireless yelling, it's both hurtful and impersonal all at the same time). BUT you never know when you might need this type of 007 charm to calm the waters. DEXTER!!!!!! Entertaining and Educational.



After what was arguably a flawless rookie season, I've been trying to ignore the fear I have that one day the series will get caught in it's own clever web and become a cliche of itself. Half a dozen episodes into season three and the show still ends with me dropping the old 'Best Show on TV!!! Period!' I'm really intrigued by this season's new Puzzle Piece, Miguel Prrrrrado, and have been trying to see how he'll fit into the overall Dexter-Picture. In both season one and season two, when someone was introduced to Dexter's Dark Passenger, they had pretty serious issues occupying their own scene; Dex's Bro was taking the 'Family Business' waaaaay too seriously, and Lyla was a complete lunatic psycho (who Roophy's themselves? that's a new level of crazy). But Miguel is an upstanding citizen. Sure he's hungry for justice, and is a little down on the System, but the guy is far closer to 'Normal' than some of Dexter's passed confidents. This might actually make Miguel the scariest addition to Dexter's secret world, and the most interesting. Plus I love all the other stuff that season 3 is offering; Dexter the Dad and Hubby, Deb and her Criminal love interest, Angel's new position of power vs his pursuit of Miss-Bad-A$$-Cop-Lady, Masuka's Feelings, IA and the mysterious Quinn... and what's the deal with buddy who's collecting trophy skin patches off his victims? Great stuff, really great stuff.






















If you're not watching this show... wow, just stop reading now, rent the first 2 seasons, and don't stop watching until the Bay-Harbour Butcher has been taken care of.