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