Terrible Analogies

I just finished reading Stephen King’s latest novel 11/22/63, and was once again reminded why reading a King book is much like spending time with an old friend.

in 11/22/63, high school teacher Jake Epping is shown a gateway to the past, and is asked by a dying acquaintance to correct a tragic wrong; prevent the assassination of President Kennedy.  The only caveat: What you change in the past can be undone (or “reset” as Al best describes) by once again stepping back in time.

At first a non-believing Jake Epping derides any such notion as time travel, but soon becomes a believer and begins the task of changing history, unaware of the inherent dangers of changing events from the “Land of Ago”.  The past, it seems, does not want to change (the book often chimes with the motto “the past is obdurate”), and the more you try to change it the more it puts up a fight.

Even though 11/23/63 clocks in at 849 pages (a typically sized King novel as of late), this novel goes by way too fast.  And unlike the abrupt ending to The Dome (which was very unsatisfying, but man the bad guys in that were bad), King nicely closes out this novel in a way that seems natural, human, and very touching.

Whether you’re a hard core King fan, or simply enjoy reading the odd King book, you can’t go wrong with 11/22/63.  King is back to old form with a tale about love, morality, and paradoxes that “Einstein could love”.  Just make sure you have a fifty cent piece for the Yellow Card Man before stepping down through the portal…

Next book up: I, Sniper by Stephen Hunter

Five Minute Fiction is an ongoing experiment. The goal: To write as much as I can in five minutes.  Don’t think.  Let the fingers do the work.  Once done walk away then come back later to clean it up.

Enjoy!

Our Highlight Reel

I’m not what you call an emotional man.

I posses what the wife called a “heart of stone” that not even the death of my parents could soften.  But today is our anniversary, and I found myself watching a recording I took of our Maui honeymoon on the television.

Lily looked beautiful in her blue bikini, sitting on the railing of the anchored Sea Shanty as it languidly bobbed up and down just off the shore from Molokini island.  With a dive mask perched on top of her head, she reaches out to me and says, “Will you stop it already with the camera and come in with me?”

“I will, hon,” I say, panning back for a wider shot, “But I want to film you jumping in.”

“You perv.  You just want a shot of my ass,” she says, scrunching her cute freckled nose.

I absentmindedly toy with the remote control and think about the first time I saw Lily, and how long it took me to work up the courage to speak to her.  About our first date.  Our first fumbling kiss.  The dimples below the small of her back.  How perfectly her hand fit in mine as we walked together to wherever it was we were going.

On the screen Lily pulls the dive mask over her eyes, smiles, blows me a kiss, then tumbles backwards into the warm ocean with a splash only to surface a few seconds later.  “Come on in,” she says, brushing aside her snorkel,  “The water feels great!”

And that’s when the logo for “Shark Week” appears superimposed over what should have been an idyllic scene from the life of a happy couple just starting their journey down that path of marital bliss.

I turned off the television and did my best to choke down the lump in my throat and wipe the tears from my cheeks.  I couldn’t bear to watch her die again.

Even though this past work week contained a mere four days, it still felt hellishly long.  I think I’ll reward myself with a bag of Doritos and an ice cold Corona this weekend…

Hope everyone has a great weekend. See you on Monday!

Here’s a copy of a comic strip my subversive parents managed to sneak into my hands last night:

Sure, Karin and I joke about that special day when Tyler asks to borrow the car.  Tyler is only two at the moment, but I feel that fateful day fast approaching!

I think we’ll follow the route my parents took when I got my first car; we’ll scour the paper for a used car that has low mileage, and was only driven by old people to and from church on Sundays.

What I eventually ended up with was a brown/tan 1985 Nissan Sentra.  Sure, it was ugly, but it was my ugly.  I really didn’t mind, and it was a steal for $3000.  Fast forward 12 months you’d be witness to it buried under a garbage truck whose driver thought it would be a good idea to make an illegal left hand turn on a busy six-lane road in the middle of a rain storm.

Luckily I wasn’t hurt, but my poor Nissan was dead, through no fault of my own (thanks to the police report, eyewitnesses, and much finger pointing).

So, no Mustang for Tyler when he gets his license.  Heck, he’ll be lucky if he gets a swanky 1985 Nissan Sentra with cracked pleather interior and am/fm cassette player  ;-)

I’ve seen a double-yolked egg, a two-headed snake, a double entendre, a double-decker bus, a double play, a 2×4, double seating, a twin turbo, a two-for-one sale, dual action formula detergent, dos equis beer, double mint gum, Twin Peaks, a double feature, a double header, two turntables (and a microphone), double parking, two for flinching, two to tango and Tea For Two.  I’ve even had second thoughts, second sight, second looks, a second glance, a second to think, and have even gone to second base, double-downed in Vegas, have had two pennies to rub together, double nickels on the dime, and a two dollar bill.

But it wasn’t until last night when I opened up a package of Top Ramen and saw this:

Two packets of flavorings!

What do you think?  Is this some sort of a sign?  Should I go out and buy a lottery ticket tomorrow?