Monday

Ask Ty...June 14 (Flag Day)

Q: Dear Ty-

From the opening scene in Star Wars where Darth Vader boards the rebel ship to the award ceremony at the end, how long is that supposed to take? Is it like three days or is it closer to a year? You don't really get any sense of travel times.

- Otterfarm Powell

Ty: Good question and an even better observation, O.P.

Today, I have a some clarity. I took the kid to the first day of camp in the woods, she was so excited. I went and got my very favorite haircut (I call it the "Puerto Rican"). I ate some breakfast, did some exercises, and made some calls. I've had two showers and I haven't had a drop of coffee yet and it's like 11:20 a.m. Oh, don't you worry, I will have my coffee but I first thought I'd take care of this "Ask Ty" question from the weekend. And given this moment of clarity, I can easily answer any and all questions. Watch me.

Ahh, Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope. Yes. 1977. May of that very year. I was but a boy of, what? 11. Ha! Eleven years old. End of sixth grade. John Wise was my teacher and I can easily name him as one of my top-5 most influential educators. Wow, that must have been some movie for a boy of the sixth grade, huh? I believe I went with Jamal Green, the Robin to my Batman.

I hadn't even entered the beauty and majesty that was Jr. High (really, I had a great time). I didn't even really have many of the quirks and idiosyncrasies most of you know me for yet. I was neither addicted nor OCD. I was just...a kid. Skinny. A bit shy. Not overly academically promising. Just kind of normal, if not poor. I was a decade from being declared a genius.

And that was the last time I saw that film, too. In 1977.

Speaking of 1977, Tiger Woods would have been a year and a half old, right? Did you see that shit yesterday? Did you see it? Most of you don't know what I'm talking about. And, I'm not going to tell you (if you know, wasn't that something?). Makes all of us half-breeds proud. I'm talking me, Tiger, Barack. The future.

'77. Yeah. Twenty years from the New America. Over thirty years ago from today. Today is but a moment though. May 25th was too. Star Wars. The motherfuckin' force, yo.

Hey, you wanna see a picture I took yesterday? You want to see what I do? You wanna see a little Jedi Master? Look at this:


I've been all over the country, but I've never been to Texarkana. 11:59. Coffee time.

Just a guess,

-I Am Ty