A CLASSIC TALE: S.E. MN floods, 2007

August 23, 2007 - Thursday

S.E. Minnesota flood Current mood: restless We've had flooding in our area. Mostly the small towns to the east of Rochester. There were seven fatalities when cars were washed off roads and into small creeks that had become raging rivers. Because of the proximity, I had to find a way to appropriately respond to people's suffering while not getting in the way of professional emergency workers. I took my meager spending money and bought as much water, bleach, sponges and food as I could afford. I suited up and headed east to the troubled towns I had heard about. The first town I got to is St. Charles, about 25? miles east of here. I asked around town where the flood resource center was and easily found it. There were five nice ladies operating it. I introduced myself as a superhero from Rochester and they laughed and made some very good-natured jokes. I think I made their day just by giving them some humor. But I left them with about a quarter of my supplies as they admitted that other towns were worse off and that their town's recovery was underway. They told me I could get to the next town, Lewiston, which was about ten miles from there. They also said that I probably wouldn't want to risk driving much further than that. On my way out I met some of the townspeople showing up to ask for donations and they also got a couple of smiles from meeting me. I met a minister who was tending the church lawn and asked him where to go to donate. He told me, but said that Lewiston was doing okay. He said I might want to go light on the donations to Lewiston and give more to the next town, Stockton. He said that people in Stockton had lost nearly everything. One house was lifted from its foundation and rested on the center of the railroad tracks. I dropped off a case of bottled water and some bleach at the Lewiston Government Center. They took it and said that they'd send it to Rushford, which I had thought was impossible to get in or out of. On the way to Stockton, the devestation was unimaginable. Bluffs had fallen, bridges had broken and railroad tracks looked like curled ribbons. Stockton was a mess. People's belongings were heaped in their front yards. What used to be a pretty little rural town is now a mudpit. I was glad to have over half of my donations left for this place. It was apparent that everyone needed whatever they could get. And most of these people don't have flood insurance. Almost everyone had a project they were working on in their front yards. I asked around about where to donate and was directed down a muddy street clogged with construction vehicles and mini-bulldozers (cats) pushing mud around. I found "The Command Center" and saw a couple of trucks from the Salvation Army with volunteers unloading supplies. Bottled water, cots, food and clothing. Policemen were everyhere. I raised my arm and called out, "Sir?" to a County Patrolman. He looked my way, placed his left arm on his taser holster, and stepped toward me. As I've mentioned, I don't wear my mask on humanitarian efforts, but with the hat, glasses, boots and other gear, I realize I still look kind of freaky. I said, "I've got some supplies to donate. Is this where I do it?" He relaxed to normal posture and said, "Yeah. Right over here. Follow me." He showed me where things were to go and he headed out. As he was leaving, I said, "Thanks a lot. I'm a superhero from Rochester." He laughed and drove off. As I unloaded case after case of bottled water, another cop pitched in. "Is all this going in there?", he asked. I said, "Yeah. All of it." Inside the center, it was chaos. A woman asked me how this works, should she just take what she needs? I told her that I wasn't the one to ask, that I was just here to donate. Dozens of people, with their arms full, we were dodging each other - headed in with full arms, out with empty arms, to that corner to stack the water, to the table for bleach or food. The Salvation Army Captain was directing his people, a town volunteer was directing his. Kids were sorting through a box where their Dad was telling them to find shoes that fit them. I told someone inside that I'm a superhero from Rochester and it cracked a couple people up. It lightened the mood. I had a time commitment in my civilian identity, otherwise I would have liked to have stayed to help more. But my vehicle was in the way of others, so I headed out. And it started to rain. Again. -With more rain expected to fall this weekend. That's the last thing these people need. If you can help any of these towns, please contact the Salvation Army or the Red Cross. Thanks.

A CLASSIC TALE: First encounter with the police

August 24, 2007 - Friday

My first encounter with the police Current mood: optimistic A man wrote the following Letter to the Editor in our city's newspaper last night: Pay attention to crosswalks 8/29/2007 As someone who is proud to be a Minnesotan and hail from Rochester, I have to point out one area where "Minnesota Nice" falls flat on its face. Unfortunately, this is not some minor issue, but a major traffic law infringement that endangers lives. It is the law to stop for pedestrians in marked crosswalks. It is not something we do only when we are feeling nice. It is not something we can forget about when we are driving while distracted by cell phones, radio's, etc. As has happened many times in the past, tonight I went for a bike ride with two of my children on bikes (ages 7 and 4) and my 18-month-old in a bike trailer. To get out of my neighborhood I must cross Viola Road at Parkwood Hills Drive. This marked crosswalk has recently had flashing yellow lights installed for when pedestrians want to cross. Tonight we pressed the button and waited as 10-12 cars passed, oblivious to the family waiting to cross in a marked, and signed crosswalk with lights flashing. This would not happen in most areas in this country, where crosswalks are respected and enforced. Crosswalks are a critical element of pedestrian safety in Rochester, and are important to many of our quality of life. _______ I suited up, drove to the crosswalk and saw how dangerous it is. Cars are coming over a hill at a good clip and into a residential zone. The crosswalk is new and people aren't used to it yet. I decided to be a crossing guard for awhile. I had a cheap flasher on my arm. I helped a few people cross and got some stares, waves, nods, and a car of honking, waving and smiling people who I think had also read the letter to the editor and knew EXACTLY what I was doing there. It was more than an hour before the first police car arrived. The cop was cool, but wary. He asked what was in my pouch, and I told him it was my cell phone (it was, of course). I do have a great respect for the police. Unlike some of our superheroic bretheren, I see the cops in our town as nothing but heroes. And harder-working than we are. We just do this when we get a chance. They asked what I was doing and why I was dressed like this. I explained to them that this was a dangerous crosswalk and I was helping people cross the street. I cited the letter to the editor. I asked them if they had ever heard of Real-Life Superheroes and they said that they hadn't. They said that I was drawing attention to myself and sort of freaking people out. I think I (might have) said something about drawing attention to the crosswalk was the whole idea. I told them that the mud from my boots was from helping out at Stockton, and that the cops there thought I was a kook too, until I started hauling in cases of bottled water and bottles of bleach and bags of food. I mentioned as much of my other in-costume charitable work that I could remember (yes, I was nervous.) - Ronald McDonald House, Channel One, Salvation Army, Paws N Claws, the homeless under the bridge in Kutzky Park - and they suggested that I probably should stick to that. I didn't have the presence of mind/humility/bravado to tell them that I had run out of spending money helping out with the floods and that this was a free cause. I told them that I KNEW this is nutty. They were reasonable, suspicious and respectful all at the same time. One cop suggested that there were better ways to make people aware of the crosswalk like writing my City Councilperson... and when I sort of grimaced, he sort of did, too. I said that they should look around on the Web for Real-Life Superheroes and they asked if I had a website I said yes and the one joked, "Cover your names, Boys." We ended on a good note (heck, the whole thing was a good note in my book.) I told them that I refer to myself as Geist and they suggested that I be careful crossing while getting back to my vehicle. -Funny! In the end, it's exactly what I wanted. The police know I'm out there helping people. I think they know that I'm not a total nut and that I have half a brain in my head. There's an awareness and I'll certainly be talked about and if they get a few laughs out of it, good for them. They need it. Geist out.

A CLASSIC TALE: A return to the flood victims

August 25, 2007 - Saturday

My return to the flood victims Current mood: hopeful I feel more hope for the victims of the flood today. I went back to Stockton with more supplies. Rushford, MN also needs much more help. My secret identity only allowed me the convenience to go Stockton today. I hope to be helping more with Rushford and other cities. It was sunny. And although the devastation is evident, changes had been underway. I've read the phrase, "700-year flood" referring to what happened to the people in our area. These are not naive people who built their homes in an ill-advised area to live. I suited up and walked in with my offerings of clothing, towels, food, cleaning supplies. These were scrounged from my home. Half a dozen policemen were taking a long-overdue break a ways away, facing the resource center, watching me and joking around a bit. Good for them. Those guys did the real hard work. I only get to waltz in a couple of brief times and get some unecessary attention. A very elderly lady offers to take one of my bags and asks what's in it. I tell her that it's mostly food, but she'll want to look it over for cleaning supplies, too. One of the guys at the Resource Center comes over to me, puts a hand on my shoulder and announces, "This is my Masked Avenger from Rochester!" He remembered me (although I still wasn't wearing my actual mask)! I shook his hand and told him that I'm Geist. He said he was Chris. I said, "Chris, I know you've got all you can do here, but keep up the good work, Buddy." I asked Chris what's on his want lists. He told me that they gave away their last first-aid kit, he always needs boots, but what they really need now are socks. Dry socks. After a couple of trips in with supplies and out, I waved to the policemen and drove off. I'm sure they got a laugh out of it and that's the way I want it. They need a laugh. It was a sunny day, and you could see the difference in everyone. Three guys without overalls walked down the street caked in mud up to their chests. But they laughed and slapped each other on the back. Seven people confronted a mud-strewn front yard and a fallen tree with ropes and a truck. They were covered in mud, determination and smiles. I don't know if everyone feels this way about people in their area, but I feel that Minnesotans confront adversity particularly well. If for no other reason, our winters keep us in steady and consistent practice for it. Help is still needed in many of the area towns and I'm not sure what I'm able to do soon - in costume. Please give to the Salvation Army or the American Red Cross if you're able. That alone makes you a hero. Geist Out

A CLASSIC TALE: First meeting Thomas

February 10, 2008 - Sunday

A Great Patrol Current mood: accomplished Hi People! I was almost beginning to feel like a fake. My "other life" responsibilities had taken high demands on my time and I wasn't able to suit up for over a week. Yesterday I finally got a chance. I started out taking bags of aluminum cans to the Ronald McDonald house's can-drive. I met the McNeillus trash haulers and a nice kid from Ronald McDonald House named Alphnonso. I went inside, met the weekend staff and gave them a copy of the City Pages that they might want to share with the kids. One of the staff asked if I might want to visit with the kids someday and I said of course. I told them that I have a myspace page and they can reach me through that. It started snowing. Of course it did. It's frickin' Minnesota... I went on patrol, looking at some of the high-crime areas, based on Josh Paternik's rochestercrime.org site maps. From one end of the city to another... nothing. The snow became heavy and nearly white-out. I was coming up from Highway 52 onto south Broadway when I spotted a guy holding a cardboard sign near Menards. "Homeless. Hungry. Need a ride." I swung through Burger King, got a bag of food and some hot coffee - no cold drinks in cold weather this time. Live and learn. I parked and brought him the food on foot. He thanked me, of course and tucked it in his pack. He liked the hot coffee a lot. His name was Thomas. We talked for a while about his situation and his options. I'm not sure how many people watched us talk along the busy highway. Maybe one of those people might have seen the City Pages article and said, "Hey, that guy is actually real!" That's what I so selfishly needed lately. To feel real. I wanted to be a do-er and not a pretender. I've been dealing with book deals, radio interviews and documentaries lately. Fame will make you doubt yourself and your if you don't keep up the pace and be REAL. ________ Thomas was such a kind and gentle man. With sad eyes. He said he was living under a bridge not far away. The temperature was in the 20s. He thought he would have a place to stay if he could get there, but it was a long ways away. I offered to take him, but we had to pick up his other pack from the bridge first. I put the heat on high in my vehicle for him. We went to the bridge and while he picked up his pack, I called a hotel where I have connections to try to get him a free room. My contact wasn't there at the time, so that didn't work out. As I took him to his destination, we had a good talk. He's been "on the road" for ten years. He has health problems, but is able to do light carpentry or maintenance. If I can find him again, I might have a lead for him. He thanked me genuinely and profusely. I can't tell you the profound experience it was. He was such a nice and gentle man. Not an alcoholic and not deranged. Just in a bad circumstance and without a plan. After leaving him where he wanted to be (with a few other extra items), I was on my way home. I saw a truck stalled at the side of the road. I stopped, introduced myself and asked how I could help. Their battery was dead and they asked if I had jumper cables. Damn, why didn't I consider that as part of my standard gear?! There's a tip for us northern heroes... It never occurred to me. But I'll get some. The guy was really good-natured and said that they had a tow-truck on the way, anyway. So I felt pretty good about that, even though I couldn't actually help them. It was meeting Alphonso and Thomas that made the patrol so worthwhile. I feel privileged to have met them and I want to try to follow up on helping them in any way. I think I did some good. Geist out.

A CLASSIC TALE: Searching for the "Fake Cop"

February 11, 2008 - Monday

My Patrols for the Current mood: discontent I didn't catch him tonight, Friends. -But MAYBE I saw him. I went on two separate driving patrols looking for the Fake Cop. One in the late afternoon and another in the evening. I'm afraid that I had to stop out of bordom, frustration, and my work hours tomorrow. A patrol like that can seem like nothing but driving, turning down little-known roads, listening to music and drinking lots of coffee. It does get boring to the point where you just have to stop for now. I couldn't make out a lot of the cars on the highway and on the smaller roads, there were no cars. This is a needle in a haystack search, given the hundreds of square miles of his activities. I'll still keep it up, as I can, though. I want this guy to get caught. Whether by me or the real police. But I may have sighted him. I'm not at all sure. I was driving down US 14 and I noticed two sets of car headlights on an off-road. Parked. One behind the other. I was going 65 mph, so by the time I realized what I was seeing, I was well-past them. It took me awhile to find a place to turn around and I had to take a round-about way to get back to the location. When I did, both cars were gone. I don't know if that could have been the Fake Cop messing with a victim, but both vehicles got away safely, if it was. I spent a long time looking in that particular vicinity (a 25-mile radius), to no avail. Then I went to Owatonna, poured my first cup of coffee and headed back toward my town, using zig-zags and barely-paved roads. Getting closer to my city (Where I don't think he'd want to try anything, since we have a pretty good police presence), I decided to call it a night. I only saw two real cop cars (parked and talking to each other) the whole night. And none at all during my daylight patrol. Nothing against the cops. We know they're understaffed. Especially on the county level. No wonder he stalks this area west of Rochester. Oh, and needless to say, that I drove through some of the higher crime areas on my way back through Rochester, just to check on things. -When in uniform... Nothing of note there, either. Now I've had too much coffee. Geist out.

A CLASSIC TALE: Superhero team-up

March 27, 2008 - Thursday

Superhero Team-Up last week Heya, I’ve been remiss blogging about this big event. Last week I got a message from Citizen Prime (someone I greatly admire) and hear that he’s coming to Minneapolis, But he’ll be coming in at midnight at the airport the next day. At first, I’m thinking that this is crazy and any kind of meet-up could possibly never work out. I go into work the next morning and ask for the next day off, if nothing big is going .. years of service, I get a ton of vacation days and if nothing happens to be going on, so they say, "sure." So I’m going to go up and meet Citizen Prime at the airport that late night. And it’s in Minneapolis. So I gotta contact My Buddy Jack from Hero-Gear! (Despite living in the same state, we had never met.) And I’ve had some documentary filmmakers, Sean and Evan (awesome guys)working on a film about the RLSH movement and/or me. So, of course I contacted them. The weather was bad somewhere else and the plane was so late that Sean had to go crash for the next day’s classes. Without seeing him that night, we literally wore the poor guy out with all the waiting. Evan had later classes, so he was still up for some shooting. I finally met Jack at the airport! What a cool guy! If you think his email comments on Heroes Network are good, you should meet the man in person. A chuckling Citizen Prime shows up very stylishly and we give him a chance to suit-up for a VERY late-night patrol of downtown Minneapolis. NOTE TO HEROES: Following Citizen Prime’s worldly advice, I had emailed the Minneapolis Police Department and informed them of who we are (Wikipedia "Real-Life Superhero" and my myspace page and the City Pages article online.) and what we intended to do and NOT do. I think this was a wise idea and I’ll try to remember it. I’ve had a run-in with the police before. In that previous situation, all they really would have needed was a heads-up. Not three squads attending to me and my weird get-up just to get an explanation. So Jack, Citizen Prime and I spent a few hours walking the cold blocks of downtown "Murderapolis." We were looking for trouble, not finding any. CP stopped and spoke with a few of the policemen, who didn’t seem to mind us. (Of course, Prime has a great way about him.) We got our fingers dirty and picked up some trash. Okay, here was my funny thought... I was thinking, "Gee, Citizen Prime has a set of very expensive bullet-proof armor and a stun baton, among other things. But it’s pretty cold and I have a plastic nut-cup and a warm SCARF (-Yes!!) and a stun baton, among other things, but Jack is a BIG guy and a former wrestler with a mask in his pocket. I thought we were all about equal. Just because I had a nice scarf. Seriously, I know that each of us was ready for anything at all. ...And we had the real danger, Evan, the filmmaker walking backwards and filming us almost all the time as we talked. We needed to protect him. -from railings, from trees, from passers-by that he might walk into... Big dangers. Some people recognized me from the City Pages and I pointed out that we were each in the article. Jack’s comments and Prime’s photo and quotes were there, too. It was a meeting of the publicized. Cars drove by and and honked. Maybe they saw the article or maybe they were driving by and honking at everyone. Who knows? I know that each of us guys could have and would have taken on anything that might have come along. And we were tight. We would have had each other’s backs to whatever extent. That’s what’s so cool about meeting other Heroes. Automatic life-or-death trust. Whatever happens... You don’t forget that. We got WAY too much curiosity from FIVE security guards at the bus depot when we were only trying to film an interview with Prime. One by one, they approached. As soon as we satisfied one with our explanations, another one would appear. Try explaining the RLSH experience five times in a row to separate people sometime. It almost made me want to get out the smoke bombs and "disappear". Geesh! What a fun night! I share Shadow Hare’s belief that one way to find true brotherhood and trust is to meet each other in person. To look each other in the eye and believe that the other is speaking from their heart. So far, I’ve met Tothian, Jack, Citizen Prime, Civitron, Life, Street Fighter, Red Justice, The Cleanser, Direction Man and The Super. I know I’m forgetting someone, so email me and forgive me. But I believe that from the heart of each of them. Superhero Team-Ups for everyone! Geist

A CLASSIC TALE: City Pages interview

June 7, 2008 - Saturday

Minneapolis Patrol and the Interview Hi Folks and Supes, I told a lot of the other RLSH's about a patrol that I planned to do in Minneapolis and that I hoped to meet the Chief at Hero-Gear.net, Jack. Due to time constraints, I wasn't able to meet up with Jack. And I feel bad that I hadn't told the rest of you why else I was going to Minneapolis. I was, thanks to Jack, being interviewed by the well-respected Twin Cities alternative news/entertainment weekly newspaper, the City Pages. Jack arranged the whole thing, because they're doing an article about him and his relationship with the Real-Life Superheroes of the world. I'm apparently Minnesota's only RLSH so far, so Jack kindly suggested that they contact me. (And it's great that they have contacted several others and intend to contact more.) The reporter is really cool, BTW. By cool, I mean honest and with interest, verve and integrity. I told him several things off-the record so that he could have a better understanding about what NOT to report about me and why not. I trust him, Ward, completely. From him and my other experiences with print reporters, they do their job with integrity and high ideals, which aren't evident when movies or tv depict the media. Although I loved it when John McClain's wife slugged that nasty jerk of a reporter in "Die Hard", that's not what 99% of reporters are or want to be. Of course, TV reporters (I have no experience with them) seem to be entirely a different story that I can't begin to address. I just know that with print reporters, at least, there is a jounalistic code of ethics. Their word is their word as much as yours or mine. They'll go to court and to jail to protect their sources (potentially you.) I had an old buddy of mine who went into the career and talked to me and introduced me to his colleagues. ______ Anyway... The interview was very cool. And, as Jack warned me, very long, but fun. As of this moment, I don't feel like there was something that I left out and I don't think I said anything I shouldn't have said. Then there was a photo shoot. All over the place. With a cool photog named Nick. It was in the studio with my various equipment, it was on the rooftops, it was in a stairwell. The idea, as most of you with your own photos on your webpage photos, was to convey the drama (or potential drama) of confronting an RLSH. It was a blast! I even used one of my green smoke grenades. Very fun stuff and hundreds of shots. Wonder if any one of them is good? Then it was time for the real mission. And Ward wanted to go along. Doing some research beforehand, I found a charitable cause called "People Serving People" online and on the same street as the newspaper. I'm an idiot with maps, so I thought it would be a short walk. Then I realized that it was going to be a drive. Ward got into the Geist-mobile (any car I happen to be in at the given time), with a medical emergency bag at his feet. I wonder if he knew why I carry that and if that's part of the superhero-gig or something else? -It's part of the RLSH for me. Be prepared, y'know? Ward is asking me some questions as we drive and I see someone on the street. "Change of plans!" I said and pulled the car swiftly to a halt. I got out, reached into a bag in the back seat, and started chasing after a tattered man across the street who is pushing a shopping cart full of... I don't know what. I'm yelling, "Sir? Sir? Sir? SIR?" He finally turns around as I approach, looks at me and says, "You mean me?" I said, "Yes. I have some food here. Can you use these?" It was a gallon of diced tomatoes and a bag of pasta. Stuff I had purchased in Rochester to donate to People Serving People. I had plenty more left, though. It was something, but maybe not the ideal gift for him. He said, "Uh, yeah, sure." I said, "I'm a Superhero." He said, "Uuuuuuu... okay?" And I said that "I dress up like this and try to something good. It's fun for me." He said, "Okay. Thank you." and I think he was glad I wasn't chasing him anymore maybe. ____ I wondered outloud to Ward if he isn't used to being called "Sir." And that everyone deserves to be called Sir. Ward added, "From a stranger on the street?" I agreed. We didn't find any crime or other trouble on the way there, but I was looking. As we approached the entrance for People Serving People, I made a bad joke to Ward that I don't think he understood, since he's kinda young. I said, "But it's a cookbook!" That's a reference to an old Twilight Zone episode, "To Serve Man." Most of the rest of you RLSH's are pretty young, too. _____ We got to People Serving People and it was crazy. A wonderful and chaotic crazy. __ The place was a madhouse - sort of. It was a fun madhouse where everyone is happy to be there and everyone is kept happy. Ward and I placed my bags of donations on the security guard's desk, asked him to accept them. I told him that I'm a Real-Life Superhero and I asked if I could volunteer for an hour or two. He said that there was a process and procedure. I told him that I had emailed the staff a couple of days ago and he said he'd call someone. He was a great guy, doing his job in a very nice manner. There were kids all over the lobby. Little kids, bigger kids. I'm a superhero and when I was a kid I loved superheroes, so I tried to introduce myself to all of them. As far as I could tell, they loved it. Eventually a couple of young ladies appeared - Wendy and Stephanie. They told us to come through the metal detector. I warned that I would set if off and Wendy said it would be alright. (I think they pressed a button.) We made introductions and Wendy said that she noticed that the kids were drawn to me, so that she'd show us around, have me do a little work and I would pass out books (for keeps) to the kids and adults. She had a Radio Flyer red wagon half-full of books that were mostly adult. We packed the rest with kids books, donated by various publishing companies, and went back down to the lobby. The kids were having so much fun. They were VERY curious about me and asked me all sorts of questions. I asked them to look through the wagon, passed out books, and recommended some, based on their ages and interests. I broke up a fight (in a nice manner) between a couple of kids. Passed out some more books. Some to adults, too. I answered all sorts of fun questions. One of the parents was like, "He's go no superpowers like the Punisher doesn't have superpowers, right? I said that "I'm a nicer guy than the Punisher. Think more like Batman." He said, "Cool. I gotcha straight." And then the kids got back to me. They were having so much fun. So much curiosity. So much wonderment. About a Real-Life Superhero standing next to them. Talking to them. Getting on his haunches and answering their questions honestly on their level. What a blast! I highly recommend donating your time to People Serving People or any other similar experience you can find in your area. Seeing those bright eyes of wonderment. Hearing those intelligent questions from young minds. You'll be smiling all the way home. Geist

A CLASSIC TALE: Redemption

November 23, 2008 - Sunday

Redemption Current mood: fabulous Hi Folks! I had a REALLY good day today. I knew that the shipment of food for Angel Food Ministries was arriving today between 10 to 11am in Claremont, MN. This was identical to the appointment that I promised to be at last month and then missed, throwing me into a temporary state of guilt, doubt and and a self-imposed "break" from RLSHs-ing that lasted about four days before I had to 'Cowboy-up' and get my butt back in gear to deliver some goods to some good people and kids before Halloween. This morning I suited-up and took the drive to the rural small town of Claremont (population 609). It started out as a cold morning with snow on the ground, so I took my ultra-long and wide hand-knitted green scarf that actually keeps me very warm, but also serves as an impromptu mask, if I need it for cameras, etc. I arrived early, which gave me time to drive around the town. I was a little hungry, so I stopped at the gas station (full costume minus the stun baton and bolas) and bought a beef stick. There was a nice lady personally manning a donation bucket for "The troops". I immediately thought of our RLSH-Friends, Knight-Owl and The Saint, across the seas and contributed as much as I could afford. I met some people at the gas station, including some kids. I always try to address their parent first, and if the parent isn't freaking out, then I talk to the kids and try to remember to give them one of my cards that read, "You have met GEIST" with some handy emergency phone numbers on the other side. Finally, the semi-truck arrived, full of low-cost, direct-from-wholesale food to be distributed from the tiny town of Claremont to a lot of other cities in the area. This IS a nation-wide program, so you might want to check if this is going on in your area at http://www.angelfoodministries.com/ And the volunteers arrived in droves. These are people who will organize, unload, sort and distribute the cases of food to their respective cities. And all the while, they were doing it today in the cold of a Minnesota winter today. It was pointed out to me that I had a lapel pin ready and waiting for me. Every returning volunteer gets a name-tag. Mine reads, "GEIST - SUPER HERO Volunteer" I hopped up into the back of the semi with Ralph, a good guy with a great sense of commitment with whom I've worked with before. The Point-Man for handling on the ground was Paul, a very nice and good-natured older guy. Penny is also on the ground with a clipboard, heading up the priorities and figuring out where the pre-ordered goods need to go. There were about 20 other people on the ground, waiting to help however they can and also to get the donations for their represented cities. This is part of why the food is so affordable. -Because all of these good people volunteer their time to do this on a cold Minnesota morning. Like I said, it's Ralph and I up in the semi. One of the guys on the ground jokingly says, "Geist! Glad to see you back. I was wondering if you were maybe a one-hit wonder." I held up two fingers and said with a smile, "Nope. TWO. I'm a two-hit wonder." (I know we've seen each other at this event about four times now and I know that he was just kidding. He even made an unecessary point of sincerely expressing that later.) He was right in a way, though. It had been awhile since I'd been back to Claremont. ___ In the back of the truck, it was almost like we were on a stage, in a way. So I start cracking really lame jokes about almost every food item that we were hauling out. Eggs: "Oh great. Just watch the 'Superhero' drop a crate of these. Don't count them until they're hatched." Beef Boxes: "It's what's for dinner". Thanksgiving box: "I think there's a live turkey in every box. You'll have to settle that matter for yourself. Chicken breasts: "Now I want to point out that we unloaded the eggs and now we're unloading the chicken, so I think that big question is entirely settled now." And there was a guy who tended to be the one I handed the empty pallets to. I said, "Look! Here's PALLET-MAN to the rescue!" ___ By the time we were done unloading, I was heated and was wishing I wasn't wearing the coat and scarf. It was good work for a good cause. I went inside and spoke to my Good Friend Dorinda (Ladybee on my Friends list). We touched base about a few things as I sweated profusely. I said something like, "I'm sorry, but my glasses are fogging up." She said, "Well just take them off, then." And laughed. I said, "But it's like looking through a gauzy lens and you look so great today!." Dorinda is a great friend and she's the soul of the operation. She inspires and maintains the good spirits in everyone's hearts. She's a Sweetheart. I talked to some of the kids and then told Dorinda that I had a fun family obligation and needed to be on my way. She heard about the specifics of it and understood entirely. On the drive back to Rochester I saw the wind farms that create clean electricity for us all. That was another reward to appreciate. I also realized that I hadn't returned my volunteer pin, so I'll bring it next time I can help out. Dorinda realizes that I can't help out every time, but I'd like to help most times. I've already gotten a "Thank you" comment from her. - As I've said, she's a Sweetheart. Returning to Roch, I did a random city-wide patrol. There was nothing in the bright sunny cold daylight that needed my attention. But it was a Good Day... Geist

CLASSIC TALE: Christmas Eve Mission

December 28, 2008 - Sunday

Christmas Eve Mission Current mood: accomplished Heya Guys, I hadn't planned a mission on Christmas Eve, but I thought it was appropriate. I was sorta obligated, since I found a stray Barbie doll that had fallen out of a bag in the closet where I stored toys for the Toy Drop in Minneapolis. But now, I needed more toys. I scrounged around and came up with some unopened toys around the house. (Some of us collected these things, but now I have a far better use for them). Then I looked around at my other stockpiles. I had accumulated enough for drops of various things to other places as well. So I suited up. First I went to Apache Mall (the big mall in my town) and dropped the toys off at the Sharing Tree. As I entered, someone out in the parking lot yelped/hooted when they saw me. That's the only way I know to describe it. It was girl giving sort of a piercing "Whoo-hoo" from a car. I strolled into the mall with my bag and people stared. You have to remember that 99.9% of the people in my town don't even know I exist. I might have been in the City Pages, on MSN.com, the London Times and the New York Times, but people in this town don't seem to realize that I walk down their streets. My favorite part about this drop was some guy who was on his cell-phone. As I took the toys out of the bag and put them under the tree, he was in a babbling conversation. He glanced up at me and just stopped talking in mid-sentence. He was speechless. Maybe that's a superpower - to get people off of cell phones. As I exited the mall, I smiled, waved and said Merry Christmas to people I passed. Hey, I wear green, so I'm in the Christmas spirit. Then I went to Ronald McDonald House. I had a huge can of deluxe popcorn for the kids. For as many times as I'd been there, again, I met two young ladies whom I hadn't met before. I introduced myself and they asked me to fill out a form about my donation. I explained that I could only fill out so much, because I have a secret identity. They laughed and said that was just fine. By the time I finished the form and looked up, I looked up and there was one of the nice staff-guys I've seen a couple of times before. He was leaning against the wall and smiling. I said, "Hey, how're you doing?" He said, "Good, Geist. How are you, Man?" It was nice to see him again. I headed out for the pet shelter next. If you "get" me at all, you know that I protect the Forgotten. And that doesn't have limits as far as species. Animals are as helpless and needy as any of us. Paws N Claws wasn't open, but they have a bin for donations. It was pretty full and I added my contributions. Finally, I had a big bag of groceries that I had accumulated. I knew I wanted that to go to the homeless. We have a shelter in town called Dorothy Day House. They don't open their doors until 4pm, I think and it was around 3:30. I knew I could drop things off at the door. When I pulled up, there was a TV news van idling. I was thinking, "Holy crap. The local news media if finally going to get ahold of a story that I don't want them to have." But I needed to make this important donation. I got out, went to the door, where an elderly woman and two children were waiting. I was guessing that she might be their grandmother. I introduced myself (to the woman first, then the kids). She was shivering. I was kicking myself for having left hats, scarves and gloves in the trunk of my other vehicle. The young boy seemed kind of curious about me. So I told him that I was a Real-Life Superhero and shook his hand. He smiled. I told the woman that I had a bag of groceries for either them or the house. -Their choice. I left it on the stairs and got in my car. As I did, the reporter came out of the house and got in the van. He hadn't really seen me. Hey, I'm a geist, right? But the news van did need to turn around. As they did, they saw me. And I'm thinking, "You guys wouldn't know a story if it bit you..." And they drove right past me. Slowly, but they kept on going. It was a good Christmas Eve. I think I did what I could. I know that this is belated, but Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. Geist

CLASSIC TALE: "Word on the street"

April 2, 2009 - Thursday

Finally, there's "Word on the street" Current mood: jedi Tonight I set out for a donation and patrol. I went out at around 8:15 as the sky was darkening. The place I intended to donate was once again, the Dorothy Day House, which provides shelter for the homeless. I wanted to take care of the donation before it got too late. As I walked into the entry to Dorothy Day House, there were a couple of young guys (late teens?) who were manning the front desk. One of them said, "Hey, I know who you are. You're Geist!" I said yeah and asked if they had seen me on tv. Refreshingly, they said they hadn't. I asked how they knew about me then and they both said, "Word on the street, Man. Word on the street." I thought that was cool. I'd rather be known from people talking about me than being on film. At least if they talk about me, they can exaggerate a little. Did you know that I'm 7 feet tall, have a stare that instills fear, and truly disappear before your eyes? Me neither, but let's start those rumors flying, shall we? Anyway, the guys introduced themselves and they were really nice. I dropped my bag of canned peaches, toiletry items and candy for the residents. I turned to leave and had trouble with the door. I think I pulled it when I was supposed to push it. I turned back to the guys for a second and said with determination, "I'll figure a way out of this." and pushed the door open and left. I'm so suave... I then set out on a foot patrol that became pretty lengthy. The only interesting thing about it was that my friend Phantom Zero happened to call me then, so we chatted a bit. He asked if I was wearing the night mask or sunglasses. I told him that I was wearing the glasses, but peering over them to drive. I returned to my vehicle and wanted to cover more of the town. I drove from one end of town to the other, paying attention to neighborhoods with recent criminal activity. I didn't see anything. There were a few other drivers who seemed to be staring at me, though. That was weird. I saw a few cops on the patrol and I got the feeling that they realized who I was and that I was on vehicle patrol. I hope that they realize that I'm another set of eyes and ears for them and that I'm more than willing to report whatever I might see. Unfortunately, I didn't see anything to speak of. Nothing eventful. I returned to my lair (it sounds more mysterious that way) at 10:45. I do have to get up in the morning. Anyway, that's it. Stay safe and stay sharp, Geist

CLASSIC TALE: Disaster in St. Charles

April 17, 2009 - Friday

Disaster in St. Charles Current mood: quiet Hi. I had an interesting day and I'm afraid it takes awhile to tell. About mid-morning today, I began hearing about a fire in the nearby small town of St. Charles. I learned more and more details as time passed and the events transformed. There was a major fire at a food processing plant, North Star Foods. It's one of the primary employers of the town. Everyone was safe, but the fire raged on. And on. And grew in intensity as the hours passed. At first, nearby houses were evacuated. Then an elementary school was evacuated. Word had it that the evacuees were at the high school gymnasium. Then the high school was evacuated. It seemed that there was a danger of tanks of anhydrous ammonia being ignited by the blaze that wouldn't be squelched. -Five tanks of ammonia. By 2 pm, various sources were reporting that there was a call to evacuate the entire town. I found a way to leave what I was doing and suit up. If they were trying to get all of the 3500 residents out of town, I figured they might need some help. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/news_cut/archive/2009/04/breaking_news_st_charles_evacu.shtml I've been to St. Charles quite a few times. I've been to family reunions there. It was also one of the flooded towns that I brought relief supplies to in 2007. I set out heading east on Highway 14, expecting to run into a road block eventually. From 15 miles away I could clearly see the black plume of smoke obscenely scarring the cyan sky. The roadblock was at Eyota. A patrolman standing in the road was stopping all vehicles from proceeding east and redirecting them elsewhere. When it was my turn to be re-directed (I was in-gear, minus the coat and mask), I waved him over and told him that I was looking to volunteer in St. Charles and help with the evacuation. He told me to pull over to the side of the road "for a minute". The clock ticked on as he re-routed long lines of cars, letting none through the roadblock. I saw a local TV station doing a remote shot at the roadblock. I hoped that I hadn't been caught in the background of one of their shots. The cop caught a break in traffic, but still didn't make a move to talk to me further. I figured that I was being jerked around and had had enough of it, so I took off in search of another route to St. Charles. I tried some rural roads south of 14, but nothing worked out. I kicked myself for not bringing the gps. I thought there was a route north of where the cop was, so I went back to his intersection and let him wave me on to the north. I found a gravel road parallel to Hwy 14 and took a right, heading east. It was a long road, but eventually it led me to a road that went right onto 14 and into St. Charles. I had called ahead to the police and was told that the command center was at the fairgrounds, but didn't know where that was. Avoiding roadblocks and looking as if I knew what I was doing whenever I saw city vehicles, I drove down the various hazy, deserted streets looking for anyone to help. It was a ghost town. -Just like those zombie movies where you see the downtown city streets with parked cars, but no one at all on the streets. I was carefully avoiding blatantly driving through any obvious road block, although there was no one on the smoke-filled streets to stop me. At times, my choices were limited and the path of least resistance directed my route. I made a turn and came upon the engulfed building, big as life and not three blocks from me. Through the smoke and steam I could make out a fire crew spraying all the water it had. Mockingly, smoke billowed and orange flames licked the sky. I'm a big believer in letting the experts do what they do best and staying out of their way, so I meandered away from the scene, still alert for anyone to assist. Convinced that the town was largely deserted, except for remaining emergency personnel, I started to head west. I saw a cop and pulled over to ask her about where to volunteer. She gave me accurate directions to the command center. As I headed to the command center on the west side of town, I realized that I appeared to have a bit of credibility, because I was coming OUT of the mess like an experienced person, instead of trying to head into it like a newbie. I asked the officer where to volunteer and he told me where I could park and who to talk to. I did NOT introduce myself as a real-life superhero, although I'm sure they thought I was odd-looking. I just told them that I wanted to volunteer if they needed any help. The guy told me to hang out with the other guys for awhile (cops, EMTs, city workers, the Mayor was there somewhere, too.) I waited for quite awhile. Whenever someone passed by, I said "Hi", "How's it going?" or "Whaddya think?", attempting to convey an appreciation for the serious situation in a sane way. There were a lot of media there. Local TV, newspapers, Twin Cities TV. They were kept at a distance at the opposite end of the parking lot from the command center. I could see them, but they were appropriately focused on the urgency of the story and didn't seem to notice me. The city guy (City Engineer?) waved me over to him. He was on the phone and I waited patiently as he finished his conversation. I heard that if the tanks were to all blow, everything within 250 yards would be dead. Anyone within 500 yards would have chemical burns and major lung damage. The town's water supplies were running dangerously low. They had re-routed water and tapped three wells, but it wasn't enough or fast enough. Even as I listened to his phone conversation, tanker fire trucks periodically screamed by back and forth bringing and fetching more water from nearby towns. He got off the phone and told me that if I wanted to, I could relieve the highway patrolman who had directed me into the command center. I walked over to the officer (Jason Owen) and said, "I've been asked to let you catch a break, grab some food and use the bathroom. I guess they figure I stand out almost as much as you do in your neon vest." He laughed and gave me quick instructions on who to let pass and who to re-direct and where. I think I did it right. I got a private thrill about telling a TV news van to go to the third drive-way with the rest of the media people and don't wander off. Yeah, it was just me beside the highway patrol car and stopping traffic... I only find it a little amusing now. I was dead serious and felt very honored with the responsibility. Officer Owen came back and he "took over" as we chatted awhile, leaning against the patrol car. I learned that the town had been evacuated before I arrived and at this point there wasn't much to do but let the firemen do their work. We watched the smoke continue to rise. Eventually, I got a non-awkward chance to explain to him that I'm called Geist and I'm an RLSH, blah, blah, blah... He was polite, but unimpressed. Which is cool, because I was deliberately trying to not sound impressive. Soon enough, I knew my moment of token usefulness had passed. I wasn't really needed to begin with and I was becoming even less-so now. Here's my take on disaster response: The focus is on the problem - not you. If you have a pedestrian version of your costume, wear it. I'm regretting wearing the bright shirt instead of the dark one. I would have fit in a bit more. All in all, I'm glad I went. I went there to find out what I could do and the answer at that time was: Not too much. As I drove back home, I've got to say that I giggled as I drove east past the cop at the road block who had turned me away before. _____________ Unfortunately, earlier this evening I heard that one of the five ammonia tanks has burst. I don't know what this will mean for the city or my opportunities to aid the people. This problem isn't over. I'll let you know if I can manage to be useful to the people of St. Charles. Take care, Geist

CLASSIC TALE: Unblogged patrols

August 6, 2009 - Thursday

Recent unblogged patrols Current mood: accomplished Heya Folks. I've been remiss about recording my activities, so I'll hit the highlights here. Let me start earlier, than later. I had spotted some gang graffiti belonging to the Gangster Disciples along a bike path (frequented by families) near the skate park. These gang wannabes don't realize how fortunate it is that this crotchety conservative old-money town thought enough of their youth to consider building something like a skate park for them. I'm sure there were a few important people in power who thought it was a lousy idea. A lot of times, the park gets tagged, but the city cleans that up often the next day. The stuff I spotted wasn't getting taken care of, so I went out there and grayed it over. I've seen the tagger's work before and he signed it on the path itself with the same paint and style. M.L., I wish you didn't have the same initials as my Friend, Master Legend, because you don't deserve to share those letters with him, punk. ___ Different patrol. This one, last Saturday: I had some supplies that I had built up, so I took them out for some deliveries and a patrol of the city. I started out with a cruise of the town and surveying some of the areas of recent troubles. Nothing I could notice or do anything about. I want to remind you though, that when I say, "I went here and then to there," for instance, I'm always looking for someone to lend a hand to. When we suit up, it doesn't pay to be entirely tunnel-visioned about your next move. Ya gotta be open to happenstance. I went to the Salvation Army Thrift Store. I had a couple of boxes of things to donate. We should remember that what's useless clutter to you or I might be of use or even invaluable to someone else. No great events there, but I show up in costume to donate, regardless. People have to see that what THEY'RE doing on an everyday basis is Heroic. They should feel like they're wearing a cape or have superpowers, because they're doing fantastic work. I cruise the town, looking, knowing I'll find something, someone who just needs a bit of help or even a good laugh out of meeting a "superhero". I spot him holding a cardboard sign at U.S. 14 near Hy-Vee south. He's got nothing and his sign says that he's trying to get money. I REALLY try never to give money, so I head to KFC to get some food for him instead. I park a ways away in the nearest legal parking spot and I need to stroll a pretty good distance to get to him. There's a lot of traffic. This is the part that I sorta enjoy, but also downright hate. I know that until I get to him and get back, I'm being watched by SO MANY people, SO MUCH traffic. This is a big part of the "inspiring" that many of seek to do. I'm seen by so many folks, carrying him some food. But y'know what? The most important part is obviously when I meet and talk to him after I hand him what I can afford to give him. I always try to talk to "The Forgotten" (My term - and please don't think it's condescending. I think of it as unjustified and enobling.) and hear their story or whatever they're comfortable sharing with me. I'm never trying to pry or judge, but a lot of times, these guys don't have a lot of folks to talk to. I always try to leave as soon as it feels appropriate. I certainly don't want them to lose potential donations because they're seen talking to an RLSH, y'know? I also want to add that I don't have an agenda of prescribed religion or a social re-adjustment, but I do carry some basic helpful phone numbers and addresses they might contact if they wish. The man never offered his name and I didn't find it appropriate to ask. He has a system to get by that some people might judge, but it's the most successful one HE can figure out to get by with his skills and disadvantages. It's actually honest and direct. More honest than some. And the walk back to my vehicle is especially useless, except that by that time, I feel pretty good and hope that everyone watching is wondering if they could take that extra step to give a stranger a hand. I patrol onward, to the rest of the city. This is still a daylight patrol in a vehicle. I come across another homeless man who I've heard about at Hwy 52 and 2nd St. SW. I saw him, but there's again, nowhere near to park. So I get some food at the McDonald's and have a ways to walk to him, too. It's not really the DISTANCE this time, but all of the traffic and the LONG time between "walk lights" there. I was seen by a LOT of people in cars. And some of you guys know me, I don't like to wear my mask unless there are cameras going off. I like people to see me smile and know that I'm friendly, instead of some kind of bandit-kook or something. I want everyone to know that Geist is a Friend to the innocent civilian, but the lawbreakers better look out. So I kept my head down as I walked or waited, which, with my wide-brimmed hat, basically keeps my entire face out of sight. I walked up to the guy. I was actually behind him and didn't want to startle him. I said, "Excuse me, Sir? -Sir?" Just a note, I've had a lot of people who were down on their luck tell me, "You don't need to call me Sir (or Ma'am)." And I really don't know if this is the best response or not, but it's what I've said, "But everyone deserves to be called Sir or Ma'am sometimes, don't you think?" Geeze, I might not be the best person to judge, but he was a nice looking, relatively young man with the clearest blue eyes you've ever seen. Not a sign of drugs or abuse of any kind. Or am I being naive? Is that actually a sign of meth or something else? I've never seen anyone on meth and known it. Y'know, I dunno and I can't truly tell yet. The only thing I could tell was this was a guy who needed a hand. He said his name was Tom (No, not my Friend, Thomas who frequents 52 S.) And I had some food for him. The rest - possible substance abuse - is not something I have a whole lot of control over. But maybe I need to recognize a lot of those signs to figure out (not to judge, but to help) how they might see avenues of help, instead of holding up a cardboard sign along the highway. He's got me thinking that I need to know a whole lot more about visual signs of abuse than I do right now. He was a nice guy, btw. The walk back to my vehicle was as interesting as the walk to where he was. -A lot of waiting for lights and knowing me, a lot of brief waves of acknowledgement to people smiling or laughing at me. I'm not the Badass type of RLSH who cares if people laugh at me. Heck, right there I'm doing some good for people, right? My pride doesn't have a whole lot to do with what I do or why I do it. Thus, one of the many reasons for the mask. -Take no credit. So THEN, (It was a REALLY good day), I went to the Dorothy Day House because I had a grocery bag of stuff and also a bunch of soap and shampoo (hotel style) that I thought they could use. Truly, it wasn't as much as I'd like to give (times hit me hard, too). I also had personal dobts as to whether it might better to toward the people in need in St. Charles, where the recent fire happened and unemployed so many people. But I wasn't up for a drive to St. Charles to donate so little. So I went to Dorothy Day and nooo... the nice older lady at the front desk wasn't the very cool teenagers who recognized me last time I was there. Ah well. She had never heard of me, and that's okay. Expect that volunteers at places like that rotate quite a bit. At least I knew which way the door opened this time. ;-) And I rationalized, of course... It's ONE bag of groceries and St. Charles is 20 miles away. Yeah, we all make logistical and ethical choices. I will try to never argue a dumb choice like that made by another Real-Life Superhero. By the nature of the "secret identity" business, most of us have a whole lot more going on than we're going to talk about. Think about it, the majority of our time and our "real life" is something that we can't tell you much about. But I will say that the reason I haven't blogged in a bit is because of some family health issues. The outlook is now good, but it wasn't always. -And THAT had me freaked for a while. And when I'm freaked, I sometimes act like it. I know some of my online Friends unfortunately experienced THAT and I apologize. __ And no well-wishes necessary. (You probably don't realize this, but I KNOW you guys and I also know that it's already implied, Buds. And appreciated right back atcha!) I'm just making an apology for my lack of blogging and general rudeness lately. _____ Hey My Friends, I gotta go. Thank you for your great patience about my trivial exploits. Just in case you needed a reminder, we don't all need costumes to be Heroes, My Friends. That's not really the point of what RLSHs are doing at all. But it is ONE way to go about it, but there isn't ONLY one way to go about it. Be your own individual Heroes in your own way. My way is just weirder than some. ;-) Stay cool, My Cool Friends. All My Best, Geist

CLASSIC TALE: My 09/11/09 Patrol

September 18, 2009 - Friday

My 09/11/09 Patrol Current mood: accomplished A few of you know that the events of 9/11 2001 hit me a bit harder than most. Since I've become what we call a Real-Life Superhero, I've always tried to make 9/11 a positive day. That day shouldn't belong to the terrorists, but to all Americans trying to make a positive difference in this world while honoring the memory of the victims of the attack. I think we need to take it back and make it OUR day. I think that President Obama's concept of making it a national holiday and a Day of Service is an excellent idea. That's what I try to do. So anyway, I had been saving up supplies and gathering items for donations to my usual favorite charitable causes. I started out with a donation of a couple of big bags of food to Paws and Claws Animal Shelter. One bag for cats and another for dogs. Next, I went to Interfaith Hospitality Network, a shelter for families on the run and in need of a new start in life. I know that kids stay there and often must feel alone in a new and strange environment. No one was there when I rang the bell and there was a note saying that someone would be back in about 20 minutes. I left a bag of stuffed animals and dinosaur toys hanging from the doorknob. Since I hadn't spoken with anyone, I left one of my cards, which says only: Geist Real-Life Superhero www.myspace.com/superhero_geist Then I went to Ronald McDonald House. For the kids there, I donated a big bag of aluminum pop tabs and a bag of assorted candy (individually wrapped, because the kids have to worry about infection and stuff. So you can't, for instance donate a bag of Twizzlers or popcorn or something like that. I headed south toward the Channel One Food Shelf. As I've mentioned before, when I have "a plan" or a mission of what I'm doing that day, I still try to ve VERY open to anything that might happen along the way. I might have goals, but I still have to be aware of 1) Anyone in trouble. 2) Anyone who just might need a hand with anything. 3) Happenstance. You just never know. I've been parked at a stoplight and watched a car get rear-ended right next to me. I was civilian, but was still glad to jump out of my vehicle with an emergency kit to hand to the nurse who ran to the scene. So I try not to get too narrow or focused in my ideas about what I'm doing next. That's actually sort of a difficult attitude to learn and stick with. And then I saw my old Friend, Thomas. Thomas, who's homeless and was recently featured and pictured in a front page story of the local newspaper. http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=2&a=413721 I walked up to Thomas and asked him if he was too famous to talk to me. He laughed and told me that two cops had asked for his autograph. We chatted about a lot of stuff, I gave him the granola bars and some canned Fruit Cocktail. I talked to his friend, Bob too. They're currently living in the woods nearby and said it's good weather to do that. I went to Channel One and made a donation of a bag of groceries. I was able to chat briefly with a familiar lady there. She knew Geist and I recognized her and her great attitude. I went on a daytime crime/helpwatch, but didn't find much. I a graffiti tags, but didn't paint over it because it's on an outdoor Coke vending machine. I don't think I have much of a right to add to vandalism on a privately owned thing like that. I photographed it and if I figure out how to post it, I will. I also saw another homeless man, who I wasn't familiar with in north Rochester and was able to hand him a bag of food from Wendy's restaurant. It was a good day and I'm sorry I hadn't blogged about it earlier. There's been a lot going on that you haven't been hearing about. It's sorta secret. But maybe not TOO secret... I'll find out which and let you know if I'm allowed. All My Best, Geist

CLASSIC TALE: Geist's Great Misadventure - A Learning Experience

November 2, 2009 - Monday

Geist's Great Misadventure - A Learning Experience Heya Folks, I think one of the things that people respect about my blogs is that I try to tell you everything, even if it's something dumb I did. Well, I had the dumbest mission ever. And man, was I dumb... I set out to obliterate some graffiti that was bugging me. There was a Gangster Disciples' star, a swastika and of course, the tagger's name. It was bordering the river in our town and painted in bright red. I can't stand to look at that stuff. It was prominent, but in a hard-to-get-to spot. Maybe not so hard-to-get-to, cause I got to it. -It was a hard-to-get-out-of spot. It's a location that's popular with the gang taggers. I had been there before and had gotten rid of some earlier tags. But this was on the other side of the railroad trestle. Take note, when you're looking at something across a river, it's a lot different once you get on the other side. I dropped a confidant off at the airport. She knew what I was going to do next on Sunday morning. I thought Sunday morning was an ideal time because of lack of traffic and lack of the gangs. I went home, geared-up and did a last check for supplies. I saw this cord and decided to take it along. When I walked to the trestle, I realized that it was indeed a lot bigger than it seemed at first. So I tied a couple of pieces of the cord to the railing. I even thought to myself, "This is kind of dumb, but I'm a Superhero, dammit! It's my job to do something foolhardy." I was also thinking that if the gang tagger had done it, I certainly could. I should have thought again. I lowered myself down, using the cords. That act reassured me that if I went down, than I could surely get back up. The drop was 10 or twelve feet above the surface next to the river. Friends can find a photo album of "Geist's Great Misadventure" in my photo section to illustrate it a bit. I'll try to snap a long-distance shot from the other side of the river as well. So I'm on this little cement landing. Part of Rochester's flood control project. I sprayed over the graffiti. I had to step into the water a bit to do it. No prob. I have good waterproof boots. I got rid of the graffiti. Good work, "Hero." And then I try to climb the cords. These aren't ropes, but something quite smaller. And I can't climb them. I mean, I got up to the point where I could put my hands on the ledge, but by then, I was shaky and my strength was all but drained. Worse, my self-confidence was highly questionable because I realized I had done something stupid. I let myself back down the cords and rested. I paced the small platform and tried to shake it off. My doubt grew and grew. But I knew I had to give it another go. And I did. I wrapped the cords around my hands as I climbed. The cords in my left hand unraveled and my weight (and the weight of my 50 pound coat, accessories, etc.) were put upon one hand. And I lost grip on those cords, too. Which caused them to wrap around my fingers. As I lost my footing, I came to the point where I was hanging involuntarily only by the cords wrapping themselves around the fingers of my left hand. I was lucky that it didn't pull my fingers off. I still can't entirely feel my right pinkie finger. I managed to get the cords unstrapped from my hand and control-fell a few feet back to the platform. Yeah, I was bleeding a bit. When the work is hard, I like to say that "I'm not happy unless I'm bleeding." So I'm back down. I manage to swing the end of one cord up, around the rail and back down to me. I won't bore you with how I did that. My concept was that I could hook my foot into it and use it to pull myself up. Wait... my first concept was that I could put the loop under my arms and hoist myself up. I started to arrange that and then realized that if the cord were to somehow slip over my arms, I would be hung. I again tried to scale the wall, but couldn't find the height or knack to get my foot into the loop that would hoist me up. I was losing all strength and confidence. I did a controlled fall back down. And my brain raced. What to do, what to do? I did NOT realize that I have a couple of friends who I might call. I hate to say it, but I've lost a lot of friends because of my time devoted to RLSH-ing that I overlooked at least two confidants who might have been able to help me. In my manic state of mind, I instead settled on, "I have no Friends to call". Plus, I had just dropped off my closest and most dedicated confidant at the airport... I think you get where I'm coming from, although I admit it wasn't entirely rational thought at that point. I was also quite convinced, and still am, that the taggers had worked as a team. I was solo. My great solution to my embarrassing dilemma? Call the police non-emergency number. Maybe not a stupid solution, but not incredibly noble, either. I explained to the dispatcher what i was doing, identified myself only as Geist, where I was, that I was in no danger and wasn't injured at all (a small lie). She asked what I would need to get out of my predicament and I said "one strong guy and a length of rope." About a half hour passed and I tried scaling the wall again. No luck and even less skill. Then fire trucks appeared across the river. Fire truckS... They brought the big ladder truck and another vehicle, too. A couple of firemen crossed the bridge via the rails and came to talk to me. I motioned with thumbs up and said, "Isn't this sorta overkill?" I apologized profusely for putting them to such efforts and went through a standard Q&A with "Fireman Mike". The whole thing... I'm not injured, why I was there, why I was wearing goofy looking clothes, what was on the wall before I painted it over. Mike asked my name. I said that I'd gladly show him or anyone else my ID if I absolutely needed to, but I'd prefer to go by just Geist for now. Mike told me that they didn't want to risk hoisting me up with a rope or anything and they just sent out for the fire boat to come and get (rescue) me. Just for geographic information, the fire station with the boat is very close, but I'm thinking, "Holy crap! What a fiasco I've created." So the boat arrives and they have me put on a life jacket before I get in. Fine. I thank them profusely and apologize for their troubles. They said that "Heck, it's good training practice for us." I sort of lost their interest when I tried to explain about RLSHs and why I was dressed the way I was. I figure that they were thinking I was a psych case at that point. They take me to the other side of the trestle, where I could easily climb the brick-brack boulders to the area above. Mike is there and says that he's called for a PD unit to talk to me. I am VERY compliant, polite and cooperative. The police car with a single officer arrives. I try to explain to him what I was doing there and my name, Geist. He asks me for my driver's license and I gladly give it to him. I know for a fact that the Rochester PD has known about me for about three years. In fact, I have a contact with them who I also entirely forgot about in my "emergency". The officer, (yeah, I looked at his nameplate, but I'm sorry that I can't remember it now) asks some basic questions about who I am, what I was doing, why I'm dressed the way I am, and then asks me to stand behind his vehicle while he talks to his superior officer. Just before he gets in, I say, "There was a swastika, Man. That just isn't right." He said something about the graffiti having been previously reported and that no, it wasn't right. And that was a long wait. And I'm trying to maintain a quiet, compliant cooperative demeanor. People like our friend Phoenix have got to realize that no, you never run from the cops. They're on our side. But frankly, I didn't know if I would get matching bracelets or not. I figured my odds were 65-35 FOR the cuffs. The officer comes out to talk to me. He has some questions, and I'm thinking that's a GOOD sign. He wanted to know all about the RLSH thing. And he had some great questions. "So do you ever think that by wearing the costume, that it might destroy your credibility?" I said, maybe, but there's also a portion of the population that are optimistic. And they might look at this whole deal as something inspirational. We don't want to inspire anyone to put on a costume and run around doing good things, but we do want to draw attention to our causes and make the average person think, "Maybe I could step up and do a little extra in my own life in my own way." We had a good chat. We really did. He said that it's possible that I could be charged with criminal trespass from the railroad because I hopped their railing. But he also said that he wasn't going to charge me with anything. He had talked with his supervisor and his supervisor agreed. I don't know, but I think I've got some unknown friends behind desks there. Not sure. And no, I don't truly know what the officer thinks of me. Cops are cryptic even when they seem straightforward. But he did ask -ASK if he could take a photo of me. And I'm like... "Of course, but I know this is for a couple of reasons. One for jokes around the station and more importantly, so that you guys all know what I look like. And I want you guys to know what I look like and that I'm on your side." The photos are the only mask-down photos that I know exist. He didn't ask me to remove my glasses or hat. He did kind of kid around with me and ask me to strike a Heroic pose. Believe me, I felt anything but heroic at that time. He asked me if I had all of my equipment that I'd brought and said that if I ever wanted to do something like that again, get proper equipment (real ropes) and call the PD about it beforehand to see if it's cool. I told him that building a closer relationship with the Rochester PD was truly a goal of mine and thanked him. I was free to go. I had another mission in mind for that morning, but decided that I had done enough damage for one day. I gladly went back home. _______ Lessons learned: 1) Have the right equipment for the job. Nothing on the fly will do. 2) In my case, at least, give the cops a heads up when appropriate. That could work out to be a cool relationship. ___________ That, I hope, will be my most embarrassing story I will ever report to you guys. But I learned a lot of important things from it. Take from it what you will. All My Best, Geist Oh yeah... In the Fire Calls report in the newspaper, it appears as "Public Assistance". That's a whole lot better than "Stranded Superhero".