Bearcastle Blog » His Spaceship

His Spaceship

I write to congratulate my friend and former colleague# James Howard, who just had a short story published in the University of Baltimore's annual literary magazine Welter. I could send him a private note, but he's one of my four regular readers and this way everyone else gets to hear about the story.

The story is called "My Spaceship". He wrote it in the spring of 2002 just after we'd fired all of us from Wavix, the now-defunct satellite-communications company I had started with a different colleague. Anyway, he was spending too much time at home looking for a new situation and hatched the idea of effecting escape by building a spaceship in his apartment. This story is a chronicle of his flight of fantasy.

I am rather parsimonious in what I find humorous — especially in written work — but I find this story very funny. It gets my highest marks for beginning with a very funny idea and sustaining the conceit to the end of the story. It's not so long, so I think everyone should read it.

Here's a wee enticement. I won't say that the following bit is my favorite — to avoid choosing favorites — but it does indicate the flavor of the story:

Day 41: I called mother today. She likes the idea of flying away, but suggests I am not thinking this through. She is right. I forgot to make myself a spacesuit! How could I fly without that? Mom is great.

Day 42: I made a spacesuit by sewing together sandwich bags. I have lined it with aluminum foil to protect against radiation. El Niño has left the Van Allen Belts unpredictable this year.

I find this quite funny. One is now free to decide for one's self who was the worst influence on whom during the all-too-short time that Jamie and I worked together.
———-
#And possibly future colleague as well, if I can find lots and lots of money for Ars Hermeneutica. I'll let y'all know when the IRS gets off their … forms and starts processing our Form 1023: Application for Recognition of Tax-Exempt Status. But let's not rush things: they've only had it for a little over eight months so far.

Posted on June 2, 2006 at 00.19 by jns · Permalink
In: All, Writing

2 Responses

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  1. Written by James P. Howard, II
    on Friday, 2 June 2006 at 18.39
    Permalink

    Dude, a shout out! Right back at ya!

  2. Written by S.W. Anderson
    on Saturday, 3 June 2006 at 00.48
    Permalink

    That is good. It puts me in mind of a comedy writer discovered when I was a kid as an offshoot of watching the "Tonight Show" whenever I could during the Jack Paar era.

    I'm referring to Paar's friend, Jack Douglas, whose works included "Never Trust a Naked Bus Driver" and "My Brother Was an Only Child." I had copies of both and read them two or three times each, cracKing up each time.

    If you can find copies, I'm sure you'd enjoy them.

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