Miles Davis is playing on the radio from the 1954 album “Bags Groove”, I’ve got a nice Gurkha lit, the sun is setting and there is gentle breeze blowing the scent of cooked meat and vegetables throughout the my neighborhood. Life does not suck for me right now.
Sure our country is in turmoil. It seems everyone is pointing fingers at everyone else and blaming everyone for everything and the shouting and name calling reminds me those moments in the fourth grade at recess. You know, where two kids are just about to get into a fight and everyone circles around them and starts yelling and screaming and chanting… yeah, that’s what this time in our history reminds me of… except unlike a fourth grade recess fight, if someone throws a punch, shit is going to be a lot more serious than someones parents getting called and maybe an ass-whooping at home.
But, I digress…
Earlier this year I took a trip to Martha’s Vineyard. No, not for vacation. For work. I went and worked on the “Gay Head Lens” a first order Fresnel lens built in 1854 and retired from lighthouse service in 1950. Now, as of this writing, there are only six authorized Lampists, that is what they call the people who work on these lenses, and I am the seventh, however, I am but a mere apprentice. And I love it.
It seems I’ve been headed toward this sort of thing all my life. I’ve had a love for history all my life and always seem to be reading about the comings and goings of interesting characters of the past. When it comes to figuring out how things work, mechanically I dig right in and seem to have an innate ability to repair the items or if it is more complex than I first imagined, I figure it out and get it working. If the problem is beyond repair, I’ve been known to come up with an alternative solution and remedy the situation. When it comes time to learn new skills and traits for a job, I’ve always been able to wrap my head around the knowledge being offered to me and absorb it like a sponge.
Quick side note, the last paragraph is not me being a braggart, these are all things that have been told to me by my teachers and supervisors.
Now, I’m getting ready to head to California in a couple weeks to work on another Lighthouse job. Which tells me I did something good up in Martha’s Vineyard otherwise I would not have been asked to go on another trip.
More has happened this year, my daughter graduated high school and settled on a film school. It’s local so that’s good although she wants to stay on campus. I’m proud of her. Scared for her. Concerned for her. Happy for her. Damn I’ve so many mixed emotions about that situation it’s almost too difficult to write about.
Let me just say that I’m happy she’s close to home, sad she’s out of the house, concerned about the money, worried about the influences she will be around and proud she will be stretching her wings and chasing her dreams.
On another note, and this is news I’ve been sitting on for quite some time… it’s a tough pill to swallow and talk about. I’ve turned down some writing offers. For a few reasons. The pay wasn’t good, I didn’t like the subject, and I really didn’t have the time to write what the publishers wanted. Now, I know I’m just a short story writer and I shouldn’t be so picky, but I’ve always maintained that I do my writing as a hobby and that I have a career and other interests. So when I write I write for myself or for something I feel is worth my time. That being said, I am working on a project. It’s in the beginning stages but I am working on something.
Well, I suppose that is all for now, I hope you all are having a great Independence Day celebration.
Have a great week!
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