More writing inspired by Lost in Translation.  Since the movie is about a relationship that is essentially only possible and wonderful because of it’s fleeting nature I have decided to make a list of fleeting things that I have enjoyed in life.  The list is in no specific order:

• Climbing the Duns River Falls where I first came to realize that there is nothing quite like doing stuff outdoors in flowing water and a temperate climate.  Since then, I have noticed that I really enjoy tubing and rafting as well.  These may be fleeting but I guess I will get to do these again soon.

• A family trip to Orlando back when I was about 15 or 16 and in high school where I got the attention of this very good looking girl from Tenessee.  Let’s just say she looked a lot older than 14 to my young ass.  This would be the first appreciably mutual attention I had received from the opposite sex if I recall correctly.

• Elkwallow.  The first band that I really felt like I made any kind of significant musical contribution to.  There wasn’t a member of that band that didn’t help to define the sound – then again it was only 3 of us.  I hope I will get to feel like that again some day.

• Just about any time I can sit, entranced, watching sunlight shimmer on water in a pond

• Having my French cousins in town for a couple months while I was in college.  We played lots and lots of Duke Nukem 3D on our LAN and never really got tired of it.  That was such a blast.  I had met my match in the computer gaming world and he was in the next bedroom over.

• Writing poetry for my friend Brittany.  I was wonderful to have an appreciative audience for such a thing.  She made every little thing I wrote feel so important.

• Dancing 4 nights a week during what I call “the Swing renaissance” in 1998.  I met more interesting people during that year than I can remember doing at any other time in my life simply by going around and asking people to teach me their dance moves.

I'm noticing a pattern.  All of my selections for my favorite fleeting things also double as the things I consider to be important points, what Vonnegut calls "emotional landmarks", in my life.