I turned 64 over the Archon 42 weekend. I have never been wished happy birthday to my face so many times. It was gratifying, amusing, and a little unnerving. I generally feel no one pays much attention to me. Not in a bad way, just that “normal” for me is pleasant indifference, quiet oversight.
Archon 42—the jokes are too obvious to repeat. If I’m an answer to anything, I am unaware of it and would be most surprised.
What do I think of being 64? At one time, I would be ten to fifteen years past average mortality. I’m still healthy, though. I still work out. I still work. I still create. And, with certain provisions, I still look forward to each day.
I have carved out a patch. Sometimes I imagine friends finding me dead at the keyboard, the last paragraph of some timeless piece of prose unfinished on the screen.
But I know better. I don’t write timeless prose. I try to tell a good yarn. I try to write what will not bore, what may bring a smile or a quiet “Ooh, that’s not bad” to the reader. I write largely to please myself and I still think that’s good advice, but I have learned as well that I don’t often know what will please me, so it’s all an exploration. And occasionally the undergrowth is just too thick to get through.
This past year I finally turned me photo site into a purchase site. You can, if you wish, go there and buy some work, which I also hope will cause smiles and appreciations.
I’ve read a bunch of books, as usual, but I’ve also read a number I might never have gotten to were it not for my job. The reading group I host at Left Bank Books has become a rather satisfying gig and I’ve expanded it in a few ways that I hope will make it even more interesting.
Not all is perfect and some things are thoroughly not good, but overall it’s fine. I have good friends, especially Donna, and that is something I find more and more important over time.
So, yeah. I’m 64. Fuck it. Just a number.
Meantime, you can often fine me here—which is not where it appears to be.
Be well. Check back from time to time. Read a book. Buy a photograph. Be kind.
Later, folks.