For the past few years, my brother and I have been involved in a number of events meant to foster entertainment and friendship.  They put people outside of their shells and encourage both teamwork and a sense of accomplishment.  It all started off with a little event I’d like to call “Warrior Dash” (which coincidentally is also what the creators would like to call it as well.)

Warrior Dash is a crazy event in which average participants get to pretend like they are crazy, mud-slinging warriors that can handle army-like training obstacles.  All in all, it’s a pretty fun event and doesn’t really require a ton of additional training to complete (luckily for me.)  You even get a free beer and first dibs at a giant turkey leg immediately following the race. Heck, you could have beer in your mouth and a turkey leg ready to go in less than 3 minutes following the race. Now THAT’S a true warrior.

Of course, if you’re on the circuit of crazy events, you’ve probably noticed the crazy influx of new “crazy and wacky” events popping up all over the place.  The “Super Crazy Run!” this and the “You’ll Get So Dirty” that; it’s almost too much to even think about. However, if there’s one race that remains constant (probably due to its greatness and its urban-ness), it’s The Great Urban Race.

My brother and I first tried our hands at the Great Urban race in Normal, IL a full two years ago. We were young and naive then; amateurs on the road to greatness. But our biggest flaw was a lack of experience and in these cut-throat competitions, experience is everything. We tried again in Chicago.  But more teams means more competition and we got caught up in a net of difficult clues.  You live and you learn.

However, this past year we entered the Great Urban Race in Normal, IL again, determined to take the throne in a town we have both come to know and love.  We raced hard, solved every clue, strategized on an approach and ran our little hearts out (I almost ran the contents of my stomach out as well, but fortunately crisis averted.)  After pushing ourselves to the limit we crossed the finish line in record time and, wouldn’t you know it, we won first place. It just goes to show, if you dream it you can do it. And we’ve been dreaming it for 2 years.  Victory never tasted so sweet.

So it seems I’m still on the charity kick. Can I help it if there are so many awesome charities doing so many awesome things?  The latest installment to “Best Charity Videos on the Internet” is this little gem from the fine folks over at Stand Up to Cancer.  Turns out they’ve partnered with Star Wars to launch a hilarious collaboration of some of the best film comics for “Stand Up and Use the Force For Good”.  How could you really go wrong with a cast that includes Zach Galifianakis, Seth Rogen, Andy Samberg, Aziz Ansari, Bill Hader, Ed Helms, Ken Jeong, Jaime King and Emma Stone?  Oh right, you can’t.

I seem to be on a charity kick this week, but one of my favorite charities, Charity: Water, has released a very inspirational video to commemorate their fifth anniversary.  They are working on taking their efforts to the next level by raising funds for a new drilling rig which could potentially bring clean water to millions of people over the next couple of years.  Get creative with your fund-raising efforts or just donate. You’ll feel better about yourself and do something great for people that will absolutely appreciate it.

The WWF (the one that advocates saving the planet, not the one that gave us Bret “The Hitman” Hart and Bam Bam Bigelow) has just released a public service announcement which, in actuality, is more like an epic short film.  You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll even see some recognizable faces in the crowd. Heck, you might even swing over to the WWF website to find out how you can help. It’s a group effort, right? Right.

“It was the coolest thing I have ever seen.”

That was the quote that came out of the girl’s mouth at an amusement park I visited this past weekend. What was she referring to? A batman-themed poncho that included both his signature logo and authentic bat ears on the hood.  A $9.99 novelty rain coat at Great America.  For kids. Over-exaggeration? Absolutely yes. But it got me thinking: how many times is this phrase over-used?  The answer is, of course, a ton.

How many times have you overheard someone wildly explaining a weekend story with the passion and vigor of a professional story teller, only to end with “It was the coolest thing I have ever seen”?  What a way to ruin the enthusiasm of a story.  That phrase has now lost all emphasis.  How am I supposed to believe it truly was the coolest thing you have ever seen? I can’t and I won’t.

The next time you see something mildly amusing, take it for what it is. Don’t try to exaggerate its importance on your everyday life using unnecessary superlatives.  Because when that moment comes where it truly is the coolest thing you have ever seen, no one will ever believe you. And that my friends, would be a sad day for everyone.