Pains big and small

I did that thing where you pull your fingernail back and pull it away from the skin just a little. no big deal. Unless you then clip the nail and expose that unskinned area. This itsy bitsy abrasion hurts a lot. At least compared to no pain at all, probably not compared to fighting cancer or leaving the boy you love. Which brings me to the real point of this note.
Ev and I are alone this week as Cat and Car(e) are already in Beaumont. Since Ev's bed is packed and the fold out couch is "between rooms," she's been in my bed the last two nights. Last night, about 30 minutes after I put her down, she wondered into the disaster that was once their old room (no worries, nathan. it's clean now). She said with much morose that she couldn't sleep. The conversation as she slowly wanders back to bed.
"What's the matter?"
"I'm just thinking and can't stop."
"What about?"
"I'd rather not say."
"Is it your friends?"
"Kinda."
"Is it a boy?"
Reaching the bed she sadly sluffs under the covers and lays her head on the pillow. I sit at her feet realizing that the drive to Bmt tomorrow may be flooded by her little tears. We talked about the boy and how long she has liked him. I shared my first grade crush and my second and third and so on. Surprisingly (or maybe not so considering her depth) Ev seemed to understand that there will be other boys and to enjoy the times she has and still will have in Waco. Either that, or she was finally tired enough to go to sleep.
The latter may have been the case because this morning she got upset on the way to school. When I told her to have a great day, she said, "Well even if I do, I'm not telling you." I really do cherish these days.

Iron Days

So, I happened upon the new Superman movie from last year on TV. It seems like it was trying to tap into the same empowerment and hope that Ironman went after. Ironman worked much better at capturing the hearts of Americans in troubling times (I have no idea if box office numbers reflect this).
Is this because Superman was never narcissistic? We as modern Americans can't relate to someone with the virtues of Superman (even though they tried to make him more relate-able with the affair angle). We grew up just like Tony Stark - lookin' out for number one, my way and all that. But, we like to believe that when faced with ultimate truth of mortality and evil, we'd rise above while still having the luxuries to which we've grown accustomed. And the last line in Ironman was the best commentary. (SPOILER ALERT) Screw anonymity! We want the credit and the glory for anything we do for the greater good.
I am sure there is a lot more out there about this. But I haven't seen it. I am sure a lot more could be said about it, but I don't have the time.