escape from a parking lot - and the Flash on tv

I went to a festival over the weekend - the standard carnical rides and elephant ears sort of deal. Not normally my cup of tea, but I was helping out a friend who was part of the committee running it. I got there early evening on Friday and though I had a special pass, I wasn't sure where to park. So, I followed the signs that said additional parking was available at the school. So, I found a school - discovering that it was under construction as I pulled in - and parked there anyway. It's not like I had to go off-roading, but it still wasn't a finished lot by any means.

I enjoyed the festival for a bit, but didn't stay too long. I made the trek back over to my car, but as I tried to leave, a woman was pulling a baracade across the exit/entrance. I pulled up and waited a moment until she noticed me - then she came over to my car and asked me a deeply stupid question:

"Are you leaving?"

My instincive response was to say "duh" - but she still did have things blocked off. I don't think she would have tried to trap me there out of revenge, but you never can tell about crazy people. So, instead, I nodded and told her yes. She then proceeded to tell me that the lot wasn't supposed to be open - and that they had conducted a band event there which is why there were cars there since it was under construction.

I, of course, didn't give a rats posterior about the explaination - I just wanted to leave. After a couple of minutes of droning on, she finally realized what I had known all along. That being:

1. I was trying to leave - making me no longer part of the problem - but part of the solution.
2. I didn't care what she was saying and I really just wanted her to get out of my way so I could leave.

She moved the baraicade just slightly off to the side giving me barely enough room to pull out into traffic and let me get on my way.

I think she was blinded by the problem before her. It might have even been her fault that it wasn't blocked off to festival parking or that there weren't better signs. But she was so caught up in her own vision she couldn't see that the fastest way to resolve the problem was to get the cars out of there - and I was trying to help.

While I appreciated her problem I was still annoyed by her. Which is pretty much standard with me. I try to avoid being strongly angry about things since it rarely does any good - but I can't seem to help being annoyed.

Also this weekend I watched the latest episode of Justice League Unlimited on Cartoon Network. Only a small portion of the population of the planet might actually care about this part of the post - but that's better odds than what I usually have - so I'm going to write about it.

The Justice League faces off against the combo of Brainiac/Lex Luthor - and the JL gets their butts kicked. They make a little headway and Brainiac/Luthor makes alternate version robo-clones of the Justice Leagues - as based on an alternate version where the Flash dies. Since there's nothing to base the Flash clone on - they used the Reverse Flash: Professor Zoom from the comics! While everyone is battling their clones, the Flashes are racing around. The good Flash stops, begins to vibrate his hand at super-speed, and plunges it into the chest of his clone - causing it to explode (a power that works just like it did in the comics - and incidenatally, the same way that the comic reverse flash was taken out - though less messy).

The Flash is heard to say "I won't be trying that one again".

A little later in the fight, Brainiac/Luthor knocks out all of the Justice league - except for the Flash. Brainiac/Luthor tauts the Flash and he runs away. A moment passes and suddenly there's a blur and a piece of Brainiac/Luthor's armor is knocked away. Another blur and more is torn away. Then we see that it's the Flash - racing past B/L and tearing him apart piece by piece - far too fast to be stopped. We catch a view of the Flash in motion, running across the planet to build up tremendous speed. After several more hits, the Flash comes at B/L at near lightspeed and tears into B/L - fists hammering at the armor and lightning flashing. The rest of the Justice Leage is recovered by now and watches as an explosion obscures the area. When the smoke clears, Luthor is fully human and Brainiac is destroyed - but at a cost. The Flash is now translucent and fading fast - vibrating at incredible speed. He says,

"I think there's something wrong,"

Then he vibrates out of existance.

The Justice Leaguers' jaws drop (mine did too)- then Luthor starts posturing and has words with Superman. Suddenly, the Martain Manhunter shouts that the Flash isn't gone yet, that he's still nearby but fading fast. A portal open up and Hawkgirl reaches in. We hear the Flashes voice, describing where he is - "a force - made of speed - it's wonderful"

(Just like in the comics!)

The Justice Leaguers form a chain and together pull him back from the Speed Force. When he's finally rescued he says that "I can never go that fast again or I may never come back" - harkening to the comics where he used to have a mental speed limit based on his fears and how only his connection to his wife would be enough to pull him back from the Speed Force.

There's a bit more to the show, but it's mostly about Superman.

But, that's not important - the important part is that, once again, the Flash saves the day.
...

This is already a really long blog for me - so I'll wrap it up for now and next time I'll talk about why any of this matters.