Rant #1,945: Calendar Boy

So, I hear that Justin Beiber canceled the remainder of his tour.

I am completely heartbroken, of course.

Moving onto other matters ...

Today, July 25, is the 206th day of the year. In leap years--not this year--it is the 207th day of the year.

In 1965, Bob Dylan went electric at the Newport Folk Festival, which angered folk purists, but a move that probably extended his career to the present time. Without an electric guitar, he would have been relegated to history as simply the last, great folkie; with the electric guitar, he became a rock and roll icon with folkie roots. It was, ultimately, the best musical move he ever made, whether the true folkies liked it or not.

Thirteen years later, in 1978, Louise Joy Brown was born. This birth would have been a momentous moment for the Browns anyway, but it ended up being much more than that, as young Brown was the first person to have been born after conception by in vitro fertilization, a process which has given previously childless couples hope that the could become parents, too. As a side note, Brown herself has kind of faded into obscurity, although it is known that she has married, and has conceived two children naturally.

Among the famous people born today include actor Walter Brennan, in 1894; actor Jack Gilford, in 1908; Joseph Kennedy Jr., of the Kennedy clan, the first of the brothers to die tragically, in 1915; actress Estelle Getty, in 1923; actor/director Jerry Paris, in 1925; and footballer Walter Payton, in 1954.

Deaths that occurred on this date include those of singer Charlie Rich, in  1995; and golfer Ben Hogan, in 1997.

Yes, July 25 is just another day in the neighborhood, just another day on the calendar, and we have 159 more days until 2017 mercifully comes to an end.

It has been a tough year for me, personally, and I am looking forward to turning over a new chapter in my life in 2018.

But let's not jump ahead so far. With 159 days left to the year, so much more--both good and bad--can happen, that it is really too early to write off this year as just another brick in the wall, so to speak.

We are now in the middle of summer, and we still have fall and winter to contend with.

I am not going to write off this year just yet, not with so many more days to come.

Thus far, the year has not panned out for me too well, but with five months left, there is time.

And yes, being 60 years of age is fun, even though it is looked at as being ancient in some circles.

I have my health, I have a good family behind me, so overall, while I can say I can't really complain, I guess I can.

Thus far, 2017 has been a glass half empty/half full year, and it has 159 days to lean heavily on one side against the other.

That is what I am hoping, and I think that it can become a good year, a memorable one, with just a few of the right bounces.

Let's see what happens.