Don't Heckle The Supervillain

And then other times it makes me proud...

Sure sometimes my home state of Wisconsin can embarass...*ahem*

Not today:

Wisconsin law bars forced RFID implants

Way to make papa proud! Striking a blow for personal freedom!

That is all.

Long lost love lorn.

I don't know if you read the web comic Machall. I really like it. The guy who draws it, Ian, has a great style and the guy who writes it, Matt, has a clever sense of humor. Sadly it doesn't update as often as I'd like but you take what you can get when it's free, and what I get is a really good laugh. I think I make out better on the deal.

Machall started out as a gamer comic but it has really evolved and while the gamer humor is still there in large part there is a small thread of plot moving through it as well. Lately the comic line has been about two of the mainish characters Micah and Helen. They were a couple; they broke up because she wanted a new guy. This all culminated in this comic.

First, Sobby McEmopants is just funny. I know it's become a convention in pop culture to make the Something Mc-whatever joke but I still think it's funny. Moving beyond the prima fascia humor however, I'm more talking about the moments in my life of which this comic reminds me. It makes me think of the first girl I loved and how I felt when we broke up.

I don't remember crying. I just remember a gnawing in my gut. A frustration. Hurt of course. Rejection. I think it was life's first real lesson in you can't control everything, you can't always win; even if you did everything right. It was a hard lesson to learn. My parents were less than supportive, which seems odd. I'm not really sure they could have been much of a help but they could certainly have avoided rubbing salt into the wound. You sit alone in your room and wonder "Why?" And it's a question that won't ever be answered. You just have to accept it, get past it any way you can and move on. For any person, anyone who feels and loves it is one of the first challenges you face as an adult. Or rather, it is a first step into adulthood. A rite of passage. No one can help you through it. Some might say that it's how you face these first challenges that tells what kind of person you are. I believe that they help you become someone. Because you're going to make mistakes. Oh yes. Mistakes like sleeping with her again two months after you broke up because her brother is taking driving lessons in town and she has two hours to kill twice a week for a month. You'll make that mistake but learn from it so that the next time you don't make it again. There's a lot to be said for getting it right the first time and there's a lot to be said from learning from your mistakes.

The key, it seems, is to take all you've learned from your mistakes and apply it so that, when it counts, you get it right be it the first, second or twentieth time.

Back to Machall, Helen and Micah. I like the way the story is unfolding. I like that they didn't go the cliché route of the "horny guy" screwing around on the "innocent girl". I like that they went the other way. The girl dumped the nice guy. She was the "horny jerk" which so many male characters are cast into in the name of following stereotypes. I'm rooting for Micah. I hope Helen realizes her mistake and comes back. And when she does I hope Micah has the strength to move past his feelings for her and move on rather than making the mistake of restarting his relationship with her. So, simply put, I hope Micah gets over her, rejects her and moves on with his life with honor and dignity.

*editor's note* It was pointed out to me that my last sentence might indicate that I want Micah to accept Helen back and forgive her for wanting someone else, this is not the case. I have changed it to more clearly express this point*end of note*

That is all.

Posting a web survey of yourself is not the same as actually posting.

American Cities That Best Fit You::

55% Atlanta

55% Chicago

55% New York City

50% Austin

50% Las Vegas