Having unearthed some very old Beatles' recordings, most made before the forusome became famous, my home is filled this morning with the sound of raw genius. They were all good musicians; John Lennon was great. Losing him so prematurely via the bullet fired by an idiotic maniac "fan" is one the tragedies that permanently marks my generation.
The Baby Boom was created by World War II. When our Dads came home from Europe or the Pacific, our Moms got pregnant. The statistical anomaly started in 1946, where more and more babies born each subsequent year; the bell curve started falling off in the early '60s, just as we were entering college.
The transformation of Western culture (with deep effects felt also from Japan to Iran) followed.
***
The fog has swept across this slender peninsula that points north through the Pacific as if San Francisco is giving the rest of the country (but not the world) the finger. So the gesture is cloaked at the moment. My girlfriend is back in Tokyo for a spell, so her long, beautiful black hair and kind eyes are missing from my days and my nights. But sometimes at night, the ringing of Skype on my laptop announces that her gentle voice can still reach me from across the world's greatest ocean.
Like many immigrants from Asia, she has chosen this country, this coast, and this town to try and pursue lifelong dreams that continue to elude her in her native country. The Japanese government has done a crummy job of encouraging entrepreneurial ventures; thus it is losing its Best and Brightest to Europe and the U.S.
I've long loved Asia -- all of it -- for many reasons. The ancient civilizations of China and Japan carry an undeniable appeal; I must have read at least 20 books on the history of each country.
But my travels have allowed me access to many other fascinating places -- Afghanistan, Iran, Russia, Pakistan, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the nearby continent of Australia. The languages and dialects, the music and the food, the clothes and the temples, the tropical vegetation and the beauty of the people exert a hold on me long after I've visited there.
To my regret, I've not yet set foot in two other societies that fascinate me -- the Philippines and Vietnam. I've had sort of pen pals in those places, however, that afford me glimpses into everyday life there.
It's a Sunday and my mind is wandering (obviously); pro football season has started in America, but the sport does not interest me. Baseball season is winding down, which saddens me. It's autumn. The laundry's in; soon a chicken coated with olive oil and wedges of garlic will be in the oven, heating my kitchen. This is the first cool morning in a long time; I actually wore a jacket to go to the store!
I'm feeling restless; something is missing but I can't say what it is. Searching for old things (for the Rolling Stone and Michigan Mafia reunions), I uncover other forgotten relics.
How did life pass so quickly? I want to be a boy again.
-30-
No comments:
Post a Comment