The Weekly Muse #87

Thoughts on Growing Older

Hello, all:

I’m coming up on my 38th birthday this week. I can’t help thinking: when did I cross over that line between being a Young Person and being an Adult who is Capable of Handling Things?

I mean, and I do not mean this in a political way: here are people around my age who are leading the country right now. (I reserve judgment on how well they are doing in their respective posts, but regardless, they are indeed doing them). Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is three years young than me, JD Vance is only two years older. Zohran Mamdani is, I hear, a member of the New York State Assembly and he could be the Mayor of New York City soon, and he’s younger than I am. Again, reserving commentary on the merits of the gentleman in question, I don’t know that I could run a small township, let alone an entire city of eight million people.

Yet here I am, Married with a Child and paying Bills and working at a Job like any other standard adult. When did that happen? Or, I suppose my question really is, when will I feel like it?

On the other hand, just this morning the Child and I spent several enjoyable moments pretending to be an emu and an ostrich, respectively. It’s surprisingly liberating to pretend to be an ostrich. All you have to do is strut around and go “BWAAAAAA.”

…

Well, I suppose that’s a lesson learned for today.

On a less contemplative note, regarding last time’s poll as to whether you would rather be a ghost or a zombie, the results were a tie: out of four votes, two preferred to be a ghost, and two chose the “Do Be Do Be Do” option which I put in just for kicks. So there you are. Ghosts win over zombies. Science, and all that.

Writing Update

The novel about Brian Barnflower becoming a superhero, working title The Barnflower Project, is now a novel about a guy named Marty Faulkner becoming a superhero as my Muse decided that Brian Barnflower was really the secret identity of the Pinball, which I need to write more about at some point anyway.

Thanks to

Scoot

‘s Friday Flash Fiction prompt I wrote a story about an attempted burglary last Friday and I find I really enjoyed it. It happens that I think I already have the world made for it: this would be a great setting for … Bonnieditch Crumpleshnort and the Diamond of Rumentana.

Aka, a fun little sea pirate story I wrote and need to get out soon. It’s got politics and navy battles, sword fights and magic, and even a [Redacted for Spoilers]. So, yeah, I’ll work on that. In the meantime, here’s the tale of Faro, Master of Thieves:

I am almost entirely certain that Faro (and Lulu!) will return.

Closing Time

So, yup. 38. I suppose there’s really only one musical choice to go out on:

Until next time,

Michael