Two pretty memorable things happened today that have caused me to pause.

First, my little guy turned three. I know one day I’ll be sitting here writing that he just graduated high school and wondering how the time flew by so fast… and then doing it again when he hits another big milestone… but three years still seems like it went by in an instant.

It makes me happy he was born right before summer break and I got to spend the first two months at home with him. I’m also thankful my work doesn’t require me to travel often, allowing me to watch him grow up before my eyes. Every week he comes more into his own person and it makes me proud.

It also makes me wish I had him sooner. As my wise friend and spiritual mentor once told me many moons ago, there’s never a perfect time and to wait for it is just an attempt to feel like you’re in control. He was right because there was no reason to wait.

The second memorable event was the death of Harlan Ellison.

If you’ve been following me for any period of time, you’ll know I’ve mentioned him a few times as an admirer of his work. As a writer, I’ve aspired to have a fraction of the poetic prose and depth of thinking that goes into any one of his stories.

It’s bittersweet for me to learn of his passing.

While there’s no doubt he was a giant at writing and some of his work is pure genius, his personal character was something else entirely. I learned recently of his intentional groping of Connie Willis in 2006 at the Hugo awards. Many in the audience thought it was a bit between the two, then later found out it wasn’t. He humiliated a colleague and a wonderful writer and for that, the backlash to him was justified.

For once, I would like to see genius in art without the narcissism of character where actions like this (and I presume there were others not spoken about) are called out and stepped upon.

To my son — Happy Birthday!

To Harlan — Thank you for Shatterday and RIP.