we say "shapah!"

This is an astounding metaphor for our culture and the gravity of our situation as lifeforms on a planet we know next-to-nothing about:
enveloped by the inelegance of our current technology, with wires and all kinds of ugly schwack running up and down the walls surrounding and protecting him, Ed Lu is aboard the International Space Station. Technically, he IS out of our atmosphere and orbiting in space, though, he is only BARELY off-world. Consider the resources and history it took just to get him THIS far.
Meanwhile, he engages in this arguably “unproductive” act of pure beauty, playing a sonata written by a composer who’s been dead almost 200 years.
Ever so slowly but surely, this clip seems to make it all worth it:

It’s true:
without the people around us there wouldn’t be much of a story to tell. Our friends are the stuff that make us who we are. While the rest of the world takes no notice, they’re the ones who hear our trees fall in the forest. A forest that otherwise wouldn’t exist.

Our times with pals can carry seemingly little significance in the immediate moment, though they gather reverence with time and leave us shaped by them in bigger ways than we could have known while immersed in them. Add to that our innate ability to take them for granted and not give them the proper nods they deserve.

This season look pals in the eyes, tell them you love them and thank them for knowing you exist.

Typically, this is the time of year where I’m only beginning to consider how to share the festive spirit of the season through gift giving. Problem for me is, I’ve read The Gift more than 3 times (thanks, Z) and it’s thrown a bit of monkey in my wrench.

Nonetheless, imagine my surprise at having this year’s heavy lifting already done:

Zach Falcon, 37, of Iowa City, earned the recognition for his story “The Malamute.” The honor came from the United Kingdom’s Bridport Prize, which will be announced today. The Press-Citizen received an embargoed copy of the announcement and originally posted it (this version has been edited for clarity):

“I was delighted. I know writers sometimes make too much of it being a lonely and solitary endeavor, so I don’t want to complain about it. Any sort of recognition is exciting,” Falcon said in a telephone interview.

The annual competition recognizes top submissions for stories and poetry. The contest is open internationally and received over 14,000 entries from more than 75 countries.

Falcon, who was born and raised in Alaska, is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, as well as the University of Michigan law school and Columbia University. After college, he returned to live in Alaska until he came to Iowa City to attend the Writers’ Workshop in 2007.

He graduated in May and stuck around to finish a collection of short stories and to work on a novel, he said.

“The Malamute” is set in his hometown of Kodiak, Alaska. The story explores the trials and tribulations of a small-town community.

“I was frankly surprised (the judge) selected it,” Falcon said. “It is a fairly grim story. It doesn’t have a lot of humor or levity. The (criterion) asked for something a little more lighthearted. I sent it anyway, and I am delighted she selected it.”

“The Malamute” will go into an anthology with the other winners, Falcon said. Falcon was pleased that the voice of an American, and more specifically an Alaskan, is being recognized in an international competition, he said.

“It’s a major award,” the local man said (no he didn’t)

Some comments from competition judge Ali Smith were included in press material about the prize.

“All good writing is about economy, edit, rhythm and precision; the short story form demonstrates this to the other literary forms. An end, when it comes, should always send you back to the beginning, because a good story, like any real art, demands revisitation. A good short story is lifelong,” Smith wrote.

Cheers to Randy Crow