Hello, all:
On a personal note, I am a year older now. Yes, my birthday was this past Monday, which means I am just that much more closer to the big four-oh. Time flies, doesn’t it?
But seriously, it really does. I have just been informed by the Internet that the people who are starting college now, i.e., people who turned 18, are people who were born in 2006. Y’all, 2006 was when I started college. I didn’t even have a smartphone then. I was still writing on Xanga and listening to cassette tapes and driving a Ford Aerostar van I inherited from my parents. (It was a good van, though).
To put it another way, the people entering college now were two years old, give or take, when Iron Man was in theaters. They have never known a time without the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Hancock came out the same year as Iron Man, remember. I saw that one in a theater too. Just the once, though. I saw Iron Man and The Dark Knight, which also hit that year, many more times. 2008 was a good year, superhero movie wise. Hancock was part of an interesting movie, until it went off into a whole different plot altogether. But I digress.
Anyway: all that to say that it’s been fun, I’ve written a lot, read a lot, and let’s keep writing and reading, shall we? To that end:
Writing Update
I have completed a gathering of all the Edison City stories so far aside from the serials; now comes the editing for a collection I hope to release via Amazon KDP sometime soon. My aim is for a month or so from now when, one hopes, the 2.17 Seconds Into Never serial is complete and I can include that and Meg’s prior adventures in as well. All depends on editing of course, but at any rate, keep your eyes on this space, folks! I may try to slide in some all-new story material!
Closing Time
The day before yesterday was Independence Day in America. John Adams, second president and a lot of other things besides, wrote the following on that subject at the time:
The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more."
Well yes, but also no:
It ended up being the 4th, not the 2nd
People now tend to celebrate it a lot more with bonfires, fireworks, and explosions; less so with solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty, I notice.
So it goes. Until next time,
Michael
"Day of Deliverance." Wow. Bill Hicks famously describes Easter as when "a giant bunny rabbit leaves chocolate eggs in the night." We take the fun superficial stuff, and forget the profound experiences that led to the original "Festival." Of course, we're too smart and cynical to buy all that sappy nonsense.
Thank you for your insight.
Please read with the understanding that I am partially tongue in cheek. I am verifying the old person stereotype here.
Happy Birthday! Yes, getting older is a fact of life. You might enjoy it after a while. But you are barely old enough for differences between you and the most recent cohort to matter. You measure the difference between you and people who don't remember a time before the Marvel Universe. Those movies came out practically yesterday.
To bridge the generational gap, I want to supply some insight for you about differences of scale. The difference between you and teenagers is tiny compared to the difference between you and me. Do you remember a time before personal computers? I do. Yes, everyone gets younger and younger each year. It's harder getting in and out of cars, or going upstairs. And medical problems mount. I remember Kennedy's election, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the horrible decade that followed. Aging? It's natural, and we inevitably feel wiser than younger folk. So we point that out (like here).
I still feel the same inside but I don't look the same. I am now the proverbial little old lady with white hair. if I drop something someone picks it up for me. Someone always gives me their seat on a packed commuter bus. People feel free to call me dear or honey or sweet heart.
Go ahead. Take a shot at guessing my age.
Yet, I use a computer, and a smart phone. I text at my daughter's request. I can screencast to my TV, and run maintenance on my computer, mostly. My son did have to help with integrating my network. I learn new things all the time from my kids.
I follow Christ. It has been an amazing journey.