Don't Panic!

May 25th is Towel Day! Are you prepared? Do you have any idea what I'm talking about? And if you don't, shame on you!

Douglas Adams, the beloved author of the hugely successful The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, gave the universe the two most important pieces of advice for any traveler: 1. Don't panic and 2. Always have your towel handy. If you love travel as much as I do, then you understand the value of a handy towel. It will not only dry you off, it makes a handy wrap, a picnic blanket, a pillow, a seat holder... make up your own towel use.

I've kept a towel handy since I first read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. In my bag, in my car, in my luggage there is always a towel. To my 15 year old mind it seemed logical to keep a towel handy. And unlike the pen knife that was part of my necessary items, airport security and education nazis don't recognize a towel as a deadly weapon. No one is going to confiscate it and really, who steals a towel?

Begun in 2001, by fans to mark the passing of Douglas Adams, Towel Day has swept across the globe. There are plenty of things to do. Want a list of Towel Day activities taking place around the globe? I know you do. Check out http://towelday.org/

Take in a Vogon poetry slam. None in your area? Try writing some. Trust me, this isn't difficult. You can donate some towels to homeless shelters and next year organize your own drive. And if you live in the out-and-beyond (as do I) with no one willing to listen to poetry, least of all the Vogon variety and if none of your neighbors recognize the importance of 42, then take a towel to work and see if anyone in the office asks you why. For the love of Zaphod Beeblebrox, don't miss the opportunity to convince someone of the importance of that towel.

If all of this seems strange and confusing, remember Don't Panic! Pick up one of the funniest novels you'll ever read, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for years of enjoyment.

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

Iron Man 2 is Kid and Adult Approved-- Sorta

It was Iron Man 2 day in my little corner of the world. It was celebrated like an important holiday. Everyone had to wear Iron Man shirts and if you were small enough, shoes, masks and other related gear. My nephew didn't let anyone forget. He called every number he knew and he knows a lot. "Guess what Friday is? Iron Man 2 Day!" His older cousins were all as excited as he was. So, with Bill's prodding, the siblings and I decided that the perfect thing to do for mother's day was take Mom (and the rest of us) to see the much anticipated movie. Just to point out how terrible we are as children, Mom's invitation was an afterthought, but she was thrilled to go. Not that she'd ever admit it, but she's as big a sci-fi dork as we are.

So the 13 of us, pile into our local theater, separating all the nephews with adults, settle in with drinks and popcorn, expecting the equal to Iron Man. Um, we're still waiting.

There were enough explosions to keep the restlessness to a minimum, but OMG I felt like I was stuck watching Titanic again (Which will never, ever happen. James Cameron should have stopped making movies after T2). Were our expectations too high? Had we built up them up for so long that no matter what was on the screen it just wouldn't be enough? This movie was heavily marketed to kids. The toys, the kids meals, the toys... how did it fare with those critics?

Okay. Which without the toys and the toys it would be a kiss of death.

Iron Man was okay. Whiplash was okay.

The things that confused my nephew were the little things that I thought added to the story. They're also the things that are hard to explain to a kid. "Why did they hurt the bird? Is he the bad guy, cause he likes the bird and the other bad guys hurt the bird. They're not bad guys together?"

"Um, no those bad guys are trying to be more bad than the really, really bad guy but they're just not that bad," I whispered without taking my eyes from the screen.

"They shouldn't hurt his bird. I like birds." The couple behind us giggled.

There was the same confusion with the fight between the Tony and Rhodey. Good guys and bad guys have very specific functions in the mind of a 5 year old.

Non-stop action was what I was expecting, but this movie was heavy on 'relationships.' And while a little on the long, slow, Twilight-y, brooding side it did add dimension to Tony's character's growth.

But the part that will forever stay in my mind was the scene where we actually see Black Widow in black leather. My nephew nearly jumped out of his seat at her first leap into the fray. "Did you see that! She jumped high! I can't do that! Wow!" It was the most exciting part of the entire movie. After the movie he said, "She killed like one hundred bad guys! All by herself! HaHa! He got one, too." The he being Happy and that was cute.

But I do feel for my other brother, who now has 3 sons totally in love with a red-headed bad ass. Hell, I want to be a red-headed bad ass now, too. When Scarlett Johansson was cast as Black Widow, I had serious reservations. She played the character with an icy fire that was pitch perfect.

And one last thing: Rock-on AC/DC! My nephew is gonna get kicked out of kindergarten when he wants to sing "Highway to Hell" while playing Iron Man with his clueless classmates.