The Age of Not Believing

In a few years, I'll be 40.

The preceding sentence was typed with no excitement. Perhaps some slight gratitude of living into another decade. But certainly no anticipation of the age. I was thinking about this t'other day, and how much the sensation of growing older now differs from how it used to feel then. As a kid, getting older was a crusade. It started with an idolization of the teenage years, and reached its zenith in pining to become a full-fledged, college-aged adult, doing all the things I saw teens and early-twenty-somethings doing in 1980s' movies.

Of course, those years came soon enough, and then ended almost just as quickly as they'd begun (or at least that's how it seems in hindsight). Overall, being a teenager and college-aged person were all right. Not ideal, but then how many of us get to enjoy the idealized version of life? I went to classes, got to drive a car, had sex for the first time, went to nightclubs, had my first beer, etc. etc. It wasn't quite like those '80s films, but close enough.

Pic of the Week

This week we have something a little different -- a woman!

That's right. Just so it can't be said this an exclusive club, we'll include a beautiful dame from time to time. This week, it's British actress Sonya Walger, who celebrates her 39th birthday today! Enjoy.

The Adventures of Matt Sawyer

Did I tell you about the time I was scared for my life by a couple of (probably) drunk guys who took my treasure chest?

It was the summer of 1989, the first summer of my teenage years, and the first full summer I'd spent living in north Champaign. Mom and dad had divorced in the autumn of 1988, and mom and I had moved from the central/west part of town, to the north end, in order to save money. It was disrupting to a then-12-year-old, who'd spent his entire life in just one part of town. When you're young, and have less mobility, your world is particularly small. What is a short drive nowadays was like the other side of the world back then.

Thankfully, a couple of friends from the old neighborhood made the bike ride over to where I lived (and vice-versa), so the separation from familiar surroundings was filled with a little less anxiety. So, with the summer of '89 in full-swing, plenty of time on our hands to think of things to do, I decided to create a treasure hunt for my friends. Now, looking back, such a notion brings but a shrug of the shoulders. Back then, however, I thought it was the most brilliant idea EVER. Probably reading too much Tom Sawyer, or something.

At any rate, I cobbled together a few bits and bobs, some spare change left over from allowance, and found a suitable container to serve as the treasure chest (actually, just a light tan plastic box with clasps and a handle). The really clever part consisted of the clues. I had written down cryptic instructions on scraps of paper and, while the initial clue would be present at my house (the starting point), the rest of them would be hidden along the way, only found if the previous clues had been deciphered. At the end would be the buried treasure, with a nice big 'X' marked in the dirt above it.

The Gay Predator

Google "Liberace predator." Go on, do a Google search for it, and you'll see at least eight hits on the first page alone that reference the famous, late musician as being a sexual predator. Well, one of the eight references states that he was not a predator, but that's the exception. Of course, if you come to this post some time after it's been written, the search results may be different. The reason there's so much chatter online about the flamboyant piano player who died 26 years ago is a new, high-profile movie recently aired.

Behind the Candelabra premiered on HBO two nights ago. It has a nice Hollywood pedigree, yet eventually took form as a TV movie (albeit a graphic one) because it was deemed to be too gay for a mainstream Hollywood theatrical release. And, yes, it is most certainly gay. Heterosexual actors Michael Douglas and Matt Damon do a brilliant job at playing the homosexual and bisexual characters of Liberace and his lover Scott Thorson, respectively. Thorson enters the star's rich and luxurious world, and never wants to leave. It is their relationship, and how it developed, that leaves me puzzled as to why so many articles are referring to the late showman as a "predator."

Star Trek Into Doctor Who

This past weekend I watched both the new Star Trek movie, and the Season 7 finale of the new Doctor Who program. I enjoyed both, but had some issues with them that won't seem to go away. Therefore, I'm going to ponder said issues here on the blog. Obviously, if you haven't seen either production yet, and plan to do so, now would probably be a good time to stop reading.

Pic of the Week

British actor Christian Cooke, whom I've seen in a 2008 Doctor Who story, is our lovely pic o' the week. Enjoy!

Sammy Davis Jr. and the End of the World

"I've found it."

"What?"

"Eternity. It's the sun mingled with the sea."

-- Total Eclipse (1995)

The candlelight flickers on the table between us. We share a conversation over drinks. Casual and elegant in its contrasting deepness and simplicity. The words flow, often more freely than the alcohol. This is as it should be. The two compliment one another, but the people and the notions should always be center stage. Drinking is merely set design.

There is an intimacy to these occasions. Not necessarily of the romantic variety, but it is there. It would be difficult to arrange oneself in the environment -- nighttime, dimmed lights, inhibition-dropping beverages and people who engage you -- and not feel some level of intimacy. Our time is precious, and we should spend it wisely.