Kick the Can

When I was a little boy, I would daydream constantly. All I ever wanted to do was escape from the desolate poverty of the South Bronx and live in a place of wonder and magic. Stories drew me in, and I read voraciously as a result.

It was only appropriate, then, that I should fall in love with fiction in all its forms. First came books, then video games, and then comic books; and finally ... the umbrella genre of Speculative Fiction. So, in effect: anything and everything that had to do with the fantastical, be it science or in fact fantasy.

This is a photo I took of myself the other day. While cleaning my place, I came across a t-shirt I had forgotten I owned since 2004 when the Punisher film starring Thomas Jane first came out. I wore it a few times back in those days, then promptly shelved it because I thought I was too old for such silly things.

And now I've found the t-shirt again, and I'm even older! The difference this time, I guess, is that I just don't give AF about how old I am, or how silly I might look. I'm going to do only those things that bring me joy from now on.

That's the mood I'm in these days. I am reminded that all the things I love to do are not to be ashamed of, but to be embraced. What's the point of living in this world if you're not trying to appease number one, numero uno -- i.e., yourself!

About a year ago I dusted off my old Nintendo system and popped in one of my favorite video games from 1989: Ninja Gaiden:

This game I played from sunrise to sun down and beyond, until I had mastered it like very few people have ever been able to accomplish. It's one of my silly proud achievements in life, and I took the opportunity to record it for posterity. It took me around 2 weeks of "training" to recapture the mastery I once had over this title, but eventually I pulled it off. What makes this recording so special to me is that it finally presents irrefutable proof to all who've ever doubted me that I can defeat the game without my character, Ryu Hayabusa, ever dying! In fact, he barely even gets touched by the demon hordes and enemy ninjas sent to stop him in his quest:

This is considered one of the toughest old-school games around, but I tried to make it look like child's play. I hope I succeeded!

See what I mean? It's important to let loose and have fun. To recapture one's youth from time to time, if only to remind yourself of what you once held as the universe's paramount truth:

That we are here to have FUN!

And, hey -- to look good while doing it, no?