"You'll meet them all again on their long journey to the middle."

There have been several great literary and cinematic influences in my life thus far and most of you are aware of my favorites. The one that comes to mind when I think about my life is from Sandman and always pleased me immensely (See photo). I like the thought of no matter when I die, it will still be a lifetime.

I have to say that I have lived in a glorious time in the history of the world. My childhood and adult life so far has been enjoyed in the relative safety and comfort of the United States of America during the last 40 years. I spent most of my life living in a Suburban bubble with almost no crime, disease, violence, fear, sickness, terror, injustice, poverty, or death. I look back at it and I have to say "Wheeeeee!!

I may drop dead tomorrow or live another 40 years. I may live long enough to truly see some rough times. Will it be an alien invasion, a terrorist nuclear attack, a zombie plague? Possibly. Do I fear death? Sure. Let me get this straight, I do not want to die. I think the problem is, I have spent YEARS playing video games where to DIE meant to LOSE and I HATE losing!

I am so incredibly grateful for the life I have and the time period and locations where I have lived. No one is ever trying to kill me! I can move in relative safety in my town. I can be in my home in a neighborhood that is fairly safe and pleasant. I can work in an environment where my overall comfort and safety is an overall concern. Other time periods may have seemed beautiful and romantic but they were riddled with disease, poverty, and crime. I am not saying we do not have those things now, I am just saying that when and where I live has been fairly devoid of such hardships.

I guess my point is, if you have lived like me, BE GRATEFUL! I am never going to be rich, powerful, handsome, or famous but who cares! I am thankful for every day I have had and hopefully all my future days will be this awesome. I got to live through the 80's! How fucking cool is that? 40 years of great friends, family, food, and feature films!

Kraken Dan is back!