This morning, you called... just to tell me the good (actually, great!) news.

Suddenly, I want you so much more.

I am thrilled for you, and the future! Let’s celebrate!

Now all I want is to see you. I can’t wait!

My freshman year of high school, like many others, I was a target of an upperclassman. Quite literally.

There was a junior who, as I recall, was a real asshole. At least, I could take his punishments (at the time), so eventually the hazing stopped and a respect of sorts developed.

Yet, there was this one time in a phys ed class: for whatever reason, he thought it was funny to launch a basketball at me. From about ten feet away. In the face.

Damn. It hurt like hell.

For a moment.

Then tingles. My face was numb. For a longer moment.

Maybe something broke. Inside. No visible damage, but...

Fast forward to many, many years later. Everyday, breathing is a struggle. It seems to be getting worse. Blowing my nose feels like I’m trying to blow around a barrier. Occasionally, it stops... that hurts—and I flashback to that basketball in the face.

Perhaps a nose job will solve this problem. Allow me to breathe again. End this pain.

Perhaps.

As I am sitting in this small diner at the edge of the Bible Belt, I am keenly aware that everything I am thinking about—everything I want in my life—is inappropriate.

At least to them.

I find that my distaste with society stems from what I see. Every day.

Plus, what I have been taught. From day one.

Yet, it is time to push beyond these limits. Nothing worthwhile was ever obtained by staying within these limits.

The women in my life deserve no less. It is well beyond time for me to show up. For me to find my “edge” and to move beyond it.

Into the unknown.

Correction: into MY unknown.

Admittedly, I am a recovering movie nerd. Only recently, have I discovered there is so much more to life than movies.

Some may argue that I’m not much of a movie nerd at all. After all, I know some movie nerds that can talk for weeks about every nuance of the Marvel cinematic universe, or the Lord of the Rings movies, or, God forbid, Star Wars.

Yet, there are a few movies I have really gotten into. Some are truly amazing. Others are truly awful. But they have all earned my admiration.

However, my all-time favorite movie is likely The Shining. As a long time fan of Stephen King’s novels, and even with the flaws and faults of Kubrick’s interpretation of the movie, it is truly a cinematic masterpiece.

It’s beautiful. It’s breathtaking. It’s remarkably detailed.

It’s also not the true subject of this post.

Another fun fact that indicates I may not quite be the movie nerd I once believed: I had never seen a movie on opening weekend.

No, never. Until this weekend. I simply could not resist.

I had to see Doctor Sleep on the big screen. Had. To.

And it did not disappoint. Like its predecessor, it was beautifully shot. The cast was brilliant.

Unlike its predecessor, it, somehow, proved itself a faithful adaptation of the novels, yet a complimentary sequel to Kubrick’s vision.

It truly brought all of the pieces together.

I’m not going to lie. There were a couple of scenes that were unnecessary. There was a character from the book that could have been left out of the film entirely. And I’m not certain everything makes sense to anyone who hasn’t read either book. In short, it wasn’t perfect.

It was, however, an excellent, entertaining movie. After a second viewing, I may be able to even affirm that it is the follow up the original movie deserves. I loved that it didn’t hide the fact it IS a different film from the original. They didn’t do the “trendy” thing and CG a young Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall as their characters.

I don’t know if it is at all watchable to someone who has never seen The Shining, but as someone who has been so invested in the characters, the story, and the hotel itself, it was amazing.

And I was blown away at the recreation of the hotel. Simply breathtaking.

Okay, clearly I will never be a movie critic. Or even a writer. I did, however, want to capture some quick notes on what I thought of the best film I’ve seen in ages!

Worth seeing on opening weekend, and removing one more “never” from my life.

It has taken over three hundred days, but I have finally reached that moment of absolute zen.

Okay, perhaps I exaggerate... but many of my friends know that I’m off the Facebook. What they may not realize is that I also do not read the newspaper, watch television, nor do I find the Twitter useful.

So, it is safe to say, I enjoy a modest level of disconnect.

I still allow one social network to distract me, albeit a li’l less. every. day.

Snapchat.

I use it as a tool though. It’s a convenient way to keep in touch with the unavailable women I continually find myself drawn to. Phone numbers? How quaint of you.

Plus, it still largely encourages that “personal” element that has long been abandoned by the other social networks. You get glimpses of the lives of your friends, mentors, and occasional random girls.

Some of the ladies in my life are hilarious. I used to be funny, but I take something for that now.

Anyway, last night (and this morning) I discovered that I missed the Chicken Sandwich War of 2019. Entirely.

Wow.

Apparently, there was a chicken sandwich that I need in my life. Then it was gone.

Not unlike 1893. (Ahem, Pepsi)

Then it was back, but not quite the same.

Yet, I’m just happy there is more to life than fast food.

I have observed one of the classic foibles of people is their tendency to overshare.

It’s like we need to explain our justification process for our decisions—as if a simple “no” will not suffice.

Perhaps it’s the way we’re raised? I can recall plenty of times my parents, grandparents, &c. would ask me “Why?” This happened enough to where we’re conditioned to offer the reason before we’re asked.

So, if we want to end our relationship with our trash hauler, we feel compelled to give them a reason why. Or switching from cable to dish. Or switching mechanics—wait that’s easier... we just become a ghost to our old mechanic, which then leads to that awkward situation when you run into him at that local diner in our small town.

Is this the same mentality that leads to relationships ending via text message? Or a change in relationship status on the Facebook?

Possibly. We’re conditioned that ANY confrontation is so bad that it must be avoided at all costs.

Anger. Is. Bad.

Society: you’re missing the point. Blind rage is bad. Violence is bad. Anger is valid—and necessary. By not allowing people to blow off steam, you’re just exacerbating the problem.

Passive aggressiveness is the problem. (Well, society is the problem, but I digress.)

I still find it amusing that this “back to nature” crowd finds any. emotion. at. all. offensive. We need to be more like robots. Bottled up.

No.

But we’ll keep on being passive aggressive. Keep on back biting. Keep on oversharing.

Anything to avoid actual confrontation.