The world has been told that an asteroid spanning 70 square miles is about to strike the earth and eradicate all life on this planet. People begin to react in odd, but varied, behavior. Crime; riots, murder, suicide, everything, is rampant. No one goes to work. There are end-of-the -world parties which are a last gasp at the pleasures of life.
Many people seek religion. Many go to their parents or to their childhood homes. Then all flights are cancelled and almost no one can go anywhere.
Steve Carell, an actor whom I am truly fond of, is the leading man in this show. He stars as a guy named Dodge. Funny name, that. This man has family issues, almost no relatives, and his wife has just left him for another man. He didn't really need the news that he has only 21 days to live. (Along with the rest of the planet)
His rather spaced-out neighbor, played by Keira Knightly, gives him a fistful of his mail, which she hasn't bothered to tell him about for months. Foremost among the letters is a heartfelt missive from Dodge's high school sweetheart. Dodge sets out to find his former girl and the neighbor lady tags along. She has to because there is a mob outside her door. She wants to return to the bosom of her family, which would involve air travel. The story of their quests and their bonding through trial, is both funny and thought provoking.
I didn't love this movie but I liked it fairly well. The main reason that I wanted to mention it was merely because it makes you think. What would you do if you knew that the world would end in 21 days?
I meditated on this as I went to sleep, which is not conducive to sweet dreams. Ha, ha. I came to the conclusion that I would not do anything too radical. There are no great quests to fulfill. If the phones were still working, I'd chat with family a bit, maybe have them over to grill some steaks and chicken. Maybe give them an extra strong hug when they left. I might read a good book or listen to music. I might mow my yard. I hate a mess, end of the world or not.
Really, it is an uncomfortable question in some ways. The bottom line for me is, I do what I like to do, which is rather boring. I have nowhere I just have to go, nor anyone I have to see. I live with the only woman I want and I suppose that I could set up a telescope and watch that interplanetary visitor come in. Of course, talk is cheap, and no one understands that better than a writer. Sure, I have a bucket list of things I would sort of like to do, but I don't really have the drive to do most of it. I prefer to sit on the porch or play a few I-Pad games.
I would like to go to Australia and see the Australian Open. Before I came back, I'd trek in the outback, see the Great Barrier Reef etc.
Monument Valley would be a nice, quiet place to watch the meteor come in. You could climb a big rock formation, have some wine and cheese. Then you could play Rage on the Padster and listen to that dude tell how Apophis fell and no one survived but those in the arks. It would probably be one heck of an atmosphere for that final game.
Hey, speaking of reading... I was reading an old favorite by Tom Clancy entitled Debt of Honor. After not reading anything of this nature for years, it was a revelation how much I had changed. I always loved Clancy's detailed stories. He actually was called before Congress and asked how he knew so much about secret weapon systems, if I remember correctly. My point is this: I have changed as I grow older. I tend to favor less involved plots and in many cases, short stories. It's funny how reading and what we enjoy the most may depend on our mood, our surroundings, available time. That's another reason that e-readers are cool. You have a stash to carry around, of hopefully great books. Maybe some new authors, old friends, short stories, news articles, westerns, poems, whatever. For a lifelong reader, it is an ultimate luxury. If you were sitting on a promontory, watching a meteor's approach, you could read what you darn well pleased.
Next post, I'll be more cheerful. Have a nice Sunday.
I'm CE Wills.
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