Is there an age or year of your life you would re-live?

Daily writing prompt

This is one of those difficult questions that requires a little too much self-examination. A little more than I am willing to do at 6:39am on a Saturday morning at least.

A year I would re-live… The answer, of course, is none of them. It is also all of them. The catch is that I would re-live them all only if I could do so without changing anything. There was a time in my past when I wanted to go back and change everything, especially myself. I was basically cripplingly shy and afraid of everything. Socially speaking I was useless and romantically… well, that was literally non-existent.

Then in April of 2007 I went on a first date with someone remarkable. On some strange subconscious level I sort of said fuck it and got over all of my hangups and some how, magically, that first date turned into my first relationship which then turned into my marriage. At that point it occurred to me that all of the problems I dealt with before April 2007 were just steps on the path that lead me to the place… to the me… that I needed to be. Those experiences made me someone that Jen could find value in. Someone that Jen could fall in love with and marry and allow to be a step father to her two children.

That is why I don’t want to re-live even a single day, because doing so runs the risk of changing the eventual outcome. That is literally the last thing in the universe that I would ever want. I wouldn’t mind observing the me that I used to be, but I wouldn’t want to do so in a way that would affect any decisions I had ever made. I would especially like to re-observe everything post April 2007 as that would allow me to see myself becoming that one thing I had always believed I would never be… happy. That’s a movie I wouldn’t mind seeing.

So the short answer to what year or age would I want to re-live is none. As hard as it is to believe, I think I got it right on the first try. I mean, how weird is that?

What historical event fascinates you the most?

Daily writing prompt

I’ve always been a history nerd. There are so many things I would like to go back and witness. Today’s response to the daily writing prompt is going to be a list of things I would go back to see if I could time travel. It’s important to state the rules of time travel though. In my case I would follow the Quantum Leap rules, only not the way Sam did it. I would be Al. Al didn’t actually time travel, he was just able to see what Sam was seeing. He could not interact with anything. He had no affect, and nothing effected him*. He was just a witness. That’s how I want to time travel. I don’t want to step on the wrong bug and change things, you know? Safety first.

So what events would I witness? What are the most fascinating historical events?

• The first moon landing. Wouldn’t it be cool to be there and watch Armstrong come down that ladder? I would probably want to visit all of the moon landings.
• Unfortunately, many of the historical events I am fascinated by are battles. I would want to witness the battle of Gettysburg. Specifically Little Roundtop on the second day, and Pickett’s charge on the third day.
• Possibly the first thing I would do if I could Al-style-Time-Travel would be to see The Beatles live in a bar in Hamburg during one of their residencies. I’d probably catch a few shows in Germany and a few shows at The Cavern Club in Liverpool. All of them would be pre-Beatlemania. Once things went crazy you couldn’t hear them at any of their shows over all of the screaming. I would want to be able to hear every glorious note.
• The signing of the Declaration of Independence
• Lee’s surrender to Grant at Appomattox
• Lincoln’s inauguration addresses, the Gettysburg address, and his assassination. Also, pretty much anything Lincoln ever did in public.
• Every single Rush concert starting at the Coff-In and ending in Los Angeles. All of them. Literally.
• Countless concerts and sporting events.

Unfortunately I need to start my morning routine now so I will cut this post off here. I might add an addendum later as more things come to me, or maybe I’ll just add a second post. This will do for now though.

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*Did I use effect and affect correctly? I would look it up to make sure, but I am way too lazy right now. Let’s just assume I got it right.

What’s something you believe everyone should know.

Daily writing prompt

Anyone else catch the grammar error in the daily prompt today? Has there been an error like this in every question?

Here are a few things that everyone should know:

• Everything is true.
• God’s an Astronaut.
• Oz is Over the Rainbow,
• and Midian is where the monsters live…

Wait… that isn’t it… that’s a line from the Clive Barker movie Nightbreed.

So what was I going to write about?

Oh yeah, now I remember.

Here is a definitive truth that everyone should know…

Fascism is bad. Like… not a little bad, or sort of bad, but absolutely evil and very, very bad. Dig? Nazis are bad. Fascists are bad. Fascist collaborators are bad. Fascist sympathizers are bad. The entire free world once banded together to remove fascism from civilization. That was good. Destroying fascist states and fascist people is good.

It is really very simple. You can all understand it, right? If you start thinking that maybe that hitler guy had some good ideas, then you need to understand that those ideas were not good, they were bad. Also, it probably means that on a core level you are bad as well.

Stop being fascists.

Okay, here is a bonus based on a few responses to this question that I have read this morning.

Twelve people have walked on The Moon. They were all Americans.

• Apollo 11 Mission
  • Neil Armstrong
  • Buzz Aldrin
• Apollo 12 Mission
  • Pete Conrad
  • Alan Bean
• Apollo 14 Mission
  • Alan Shepard
  • Edgar Mitchell
• Apollo 15 Mission
  • David Scott
  • James Irwin
• Apollo 16 Mission
  • John Young
  • Charles Duke
• Apollo 17
  • Gene Cernan
  • Harrison Schmitt

If you have decided that these 12 people did not walk on The Moon then I suggest you get your head out of your ass and grow the fuck up.

Thank you, good night.

What does it mean to be a kid at heart?

Daily writing prompt

I have no idea how to answer this. I’ll throw out a couple of theories and then see how our faux friend Google Bard defines it.

• Is it open mindedness? Kids need to learn negative biases, right? If we ignore such things does that make us a kid at heart?
• Is it immaturity? Does loving fart jokes the way a kid does make you a kid at heart? That seems as good a definition as any, and I do love a good fart joke.
• Is it some innate ability to see the wonder in the world? Life tends to kick our asses as we grow older. Does being a kid at heart require us to withstand such torment in a way that allows us to still see wonder in the insignificant things?
• Is it just a matter of being a brat? Could be.

So now let’s ask Google Bard what it means. The answer can’t be any dumber than the ones I’ve vomited up, can it?

To be a kid at heart means to have a youthful spirit and outlook on life. It means finding joy in simple things, being curious and adventurous, and having a sense of wonder. It also means being playful, forgiving, and optimistic.

Here are some specific characteristics of a person who is a kid at heart:

• They enjoy simple things, like playing games, spending time in nature, or reading a good book.
• They are curious and always learning. They love to ask questions and explore new things.
• They have a sense of wonder and are always amazed by the world around them.
• They are playful and enjoy having fun. They are not afraid to be silly or let loose.
• They are forgiving and quick to move on from mistakes.
• They are optimistic and believe in the good in people.

Being a kid at heart is a positive trait. It means that you are able to enjoy life and find happiness in the little things. It also means that you are open to new experiences and learning new things. If you are a kid at heart, you are likely to have a lot of friends and be well-liked by others.

Here are some ways to embrace your inner child and be more kid at heart:

• Spend time with children. Let them teach you how to have fun and see the world in a new way.
• Do things that make you happy and bring you joy. This could include anything from playing your favorite sport to reading a good book to spending time in nature.
• Be curious and ask questions. Don’t be afraid to learn new things.
• Be playful and don’t take yourself too seriously. Let yourself be silly and have fun.
• Be forgiving and let go of grudges. Don’t dwell on the past.
• Be optimistic and believe in the good in people.

Being a kid at heart is a great way to live a happy and fulfilling life. So embrace your inner child and have fun!

Google Bard

Yeah, that definition makes sense. It’s also no dumber than any of the crap I came up with. I think this will do.