14 Years

 

14. 

Twice 7. 

Twice perfect. 

And though they aren’t equal, at seven years each, it does seem we’ve had two perfect periods. There was our time in Texas. And our time starting here in Indiana.  Both perfect in their own ways. 

Two periods of laughter, of tears, of joy and surprises. Of  struggle and challenge. Of adventure. 

Of love. 

Gorgeous, you are the greatest partner in this life that I could ever find. You support and challenge me and complete my life in a way that I could never have imagined. We are better together. I am eternally grateful for these past fourteen years and look forward to being triply, quadruply, quintuply perfect and more in the years to come. 

Bigger than Godzilla,

All the way to the moon

To infinity and beyond,

To the ends of the earth.

I love you!

And no, you don’t love me more. 

D-Day

“It was unknowable then, but so much of the progress that would define the 20th century, on both sides of the Atlantic, came down to the battle for a slice of beach only 6 miles long and 2 miles wide.”

President Barack Obama, on the 65th Anniversary of D-Day

Today marks seventy-nine years since the Allied Invasion of Normandy, France.  The largest seaborne invasion in history, with a force of over 350,000 troops and naval personnel. It began the liberation of France and laid the foundation for Allied victory in the Western Front. 

It remains a defining battle in U.S. military history and has been a part of the public consciousness for these past seventy-nine years. Rightly so, as the fight those troops engaged in is still raging. 

Though World War II is long over, we’re still fighting fascism. We’re fighting actual Nazis and Neo- Nazis.  We’re fighting against the truth that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Fighting those that would use might to define what is right and to exclude those they disagree with, disapprove of, and simply dislike from equality, justice, and fraternity. 

We honor the sacrifice of those who paid the ultimate price those seventy-nine years ago. We will not forget them. And we will continue their fight. 

Superman's 85

Superman turns 85 today, marking the anniversary of the publication of Action Comics #1 on April 18, 1938.  The series has been rebooted, the costume has changed and changed back, and Superman has died and come back (a few times), but the first superhero is still being published monthly and still fighting the never ending battle.

And boy do we still need him.

Think about it.  Everything Superman stands for seems to be under attack.

"To best be in a position to use his amazing powers in a never-ending battle for truth and justice, Superman has assumed the disguise of Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper."

The American Way was later added to Superman's fight, making the better-known phrase "Truth, Justice, and the American Way."

But what is truth when unpopular realities can be dismissed as "fake news" or a documented record can simply be denied?  When the images we see must be evaluated for their level of manipulation?  When scripted dramas are passed off as reality television?  What is truth when feelings and opinions matter more than facts?

What is justice when it seems to be applied unevenly at best?  When the color of ones skin can be the difference in a business meeting in a coffee shop and an arrest at a coffee shop or between life and death in a traffic stop?  When antisemitic, white power, and alt-right groups are on the rise?  When the gender pay gap still exists?  When affluenza is a recognized condition?  What is justice if it is not blind?

What does the American Way mean anymore?  Especially when our country is as fractured as it is.

Sadly, even the "reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper" part is going away in our society.

Superman has always existed to be our ideal.  The hero of heroes.  The greatest.  He has been a social-justice warrior before the term ever existed (look back to those initial comics where he was beating up slum lords and corrupt business men).  The Blue Boy Scout.  A father figure figuratively and literally.  The leader of gods and men.

He has been portrayed as a Messiah figure of late, though that is a little misguided in my opinion.  He is much more of a representation of Moses, the leader-deliverer.  A child sent away in a vessel, raised by adopted parents who discovers his heritage and becomes a leader and inspiration.  An important distinction given the heritage of Siegel and Shuster, two Jewish kids growing up in the Depression, with a war raging in Europe.  Into these dark times, these two guys created a beacon of hope.  A strong man who could stop all the bullies and protect the little guy.

Over time, Superman's character continued to solidify.  Powers and weaknesses came and went; some of them very, very strange.  But the core of the character remained.  Superman is honest, fair, and decent.  He is a paragon of virtue who knows and does what is right.  He is the strongest one there is, but uses that strength to protect only, not to intimidate or bully.  Strength with responsibility.

And through the years, we have seen him bubble to the surface when he is needed.  Christopher Reeves fully embodying the character more than any other actor, making us "believe a man could fly."  More than any actor, Christopher Reeve gave the character a lightness, a comfort in his own skin than shone brightly through the screen.  The movies may be a little corny and only two of the four really work, but there is no denying the sincerity of the portrayal that would define the character.

It's that character we need again.  Not the struggling, near-objectivist protagonist present in the more recent Warner Brothers films.  

We need that paragon, that beacon of hope to inspire us again.  The example that causes us to find a better way.  That figure that causes us to lift our heads and look...

Up in the Sky!

Five Years of Writing

Five years.

1,112 posts.

It's almost hard to believe.

So much has changed over these years of posting.  New home, new state, new job.  Highs and lows, and everything in between.  It's been an amazing journey.

I want to thank everyone who has continued to read these entries.  It has been many things especially over these last three years.  A sanity check.  A sounding board.  Therapy.  All well beyond the original writing exercise.

Your readership has been encouragement.  It has been humbling.  For all that have expressed their readership and for those that have remained anonymous, thank you.  It means more than you can imagine.

To the next few years.

The First Dozen

We’ve been talking a lot about how time is relative and I know that is true because these first dozen years have felt simultaneously like they have occurred over a number less than half that and as if this has been the way things always were and were always meant to be.  This is what my life was meant for. 

Gorgeous, you are the fulfillment and completion of so much in my life. We have grown stronger over these past two years than I would have ever imagined we could be. We’ve been tested and tried and we are better for it. 

I don’t know what the next twelve years and beyond will bring. I don’t know what new challenges we will face. What new joys and new pains we will experience. 

But I do know, there is no one else I would rather have at my side. 

I love you…

Bigger than Godzilla

All the way to the moon

To infinity and beyond

To the ends of the earth!

Two Years

Two years.

603 posts.

It's almost hard to believe.

So much has changed over the two years of posting.  New home, new state, new job.  It's been an amazing journey.

I want to thank everyone who has continued to read these entries.  It has been many things over these two years.  A sanity check.  A sounding board.  Therapy.  All well beyond the original writing exercise.

Your readership has been encouragement.  It has been humbling.  For all that have expressed their readership and for those that have remained anonymous, thank you.  It means more than you can imagine.

Our lives are getting more together, as we should be finally moving into our new place next weekend.  I expect the posts to become more regular over the coming weeks.

To the next few years.

40th Anniversary

Today my parents celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary.  The ruby anniversary.  It's a number that is impressive just standing alone and one that is becoming increasingly rare in society today.

I feel very blessed to have had these two as parents and to have had their wisdom and example as a guiding light in my life.  Their love and relationship represent a goal to strive for and a path to follow.

So, a very Happy Anniversary to the best parents I could have asked for!  Hope y'all get to enjoy the day!

Just 22 more days until we are all together to celebrate.  Can't wait!

25 Years of TCM

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the first broadcast of TCM, on April 14, 1994.   The channel was launched in the heart of Times square, with the launch commemorating the exact centennial date of the first public presentation of movies in North America.  The network's first feature presentation was a world television premiere of the uninterrupted and commercial free road-show version of Gone with The Wind.

Over the subsequent years, TCM has remained the most consistently well-curated, well-preserved, and well-programmed television station.  Thanks to the Turner library containing the best of Warner Bros. and MGM, as well as United Artists, RKO, and Fleichser Studios, the network is never at a loss for quality programming.  With original host Robert Osborne and the new stable of hosts led by Ben Mankiewicz, the films have always been in good hands.  The information that the hosts provide is insightful and informative and succeeds in making you feel like you are part of that club.

The network has expanded their focus, creating excellent documentary programming like Moguls and Movie Stars, outlining the early history of Hollywood.  They have further expanded their product to include restorations of classic films from the Turner Library, excellent books on all aspects of classic filmmaking, and one of the best film festivals you can attend.

Jamie and I have attended two of the TCM Classic Film Festivals and cannot wait to go back.  The opportunity to see these films on the big screen as they were intended, with hosts and guests that are tied to the presentation is an experience like no other.  How fitting that the 10th Annual Festival is wrapping up this weekend as TCM celebrates 25 years.

Tonight, TCM is programming with The Sweet Smell of Success, It Happened One Night, The Petrified Forest, and Cat People.

Why not make it a classic film night and settle in for your favorite great classic movie?

I think we will be.

One Year of Posts

Today marks one year of blog posts.  Nearly daily.  This is post number 363, so it looks like I only missed a couple of days.  I'm pretty satisfied with that result.  The completist in me would like it to match, but I can live with the difference.

To everyone that has read this blog, that has continued this journey with me through the various ramblings and musings, thank you.  I never expected anyone would ever read this, and am always appreciative to hear the kind words that have been passed along.

You all lift my spirits more than you could know.

I started this blog as a writing exercise.  An opportunity to get thoughts out of my head, to hone my voice, and to have an outlet for my rants.

Further, I started it to prove something to myself - I can write.  If you took the combined words of the blogs and put them together, you get a page count and word count that could rival the best novels.  To me, this shows me the only thing keeping me from writing anything I want, whether it be a play, an article, or a novel is the commitment to see it through.  To me this blog has shown time cannot be an excuse.  Over the past year, I've invested the time that could equate to any of those.  What is required is just the drive to do so.

And I've gotten that bug.  The blog was accompanied by adapting a play, as well as ideas for the next play and another adaptation.  I have the first few chapters of a novel, I just need to continue it.

I'm excited to see what happens next.

I am continuing the blog.  I may not be as dogmatic on the daily posts, but I'm going to try.  I like the exercise. I need the exercise.  It has often been a cathartic process.

So, again, thank you for sticking with me through this process.

It's continually in development.  Just like me.

Nine Years

Nine years ago today I married my soulmate.  I don't use that term lightly, as there can be wont to do.  At the time we got married, we both had nearly settled in to being single.  We were both self-sufficient, independent, and fairly content in the lives we led. 

But I can tell you, she is my complement, my helper, my cheerleader, my conscience, my love, my friend, my companion, my match.  And I am hers.  Though there have been challenges and we have faced trials of various sources, each day with her in it is better than any before.

I love you Gorgeous! Bigger than Godzilla, all the way to the moon, to infinity and beyond, to the ends of the earth! 

The first nine years have been great.  Let's have many, many more!

To new adventures!