Julie and Alex had learned to play by reading the notes but didn’t know the theory. I played by ear and always struggled to read the music. I’d always faked it good enough that most people didn’t notice. Even with them I covered it up for a while. They asked me join their music sessions after school and I successfully used the “ladies first” excuse to get them playing first so I could sync up with them. They still caught on though.
As some people decried corruption in the virtual world industry, others wished for a day before the industry went mainstream. When only highly-educated computer nerds could run the systems that ran the worlds, all worlds were designed for them. But as systems became cheaper and easier to run, the worlds would programmed for larger audiences. Some felt like as if the worlds were losing what made them great. It became a difficult time for the industry.
From the Halls of Montezuma
To the shores of Tripoli;
We fight our country’s battles
In the air, on land, and sea.
Thus begins the United States Marine Corps Hymn. Happy Birthday Marines.
And let me give a special shout out to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 112, the Cowboys. My ability to write stories about people who serve in a speculative futuristic version of the unit is only possible because Marines and others put on a uniform and devoted their lives to defending the freedom of others.
Thank you for serving.
The conquest of China by a socialist rebellion was one of Russia’s greatest foreign policy victories. It was the kind of victory that nearly destroyed them in later centuries. But the short-term results included at least 50 million dead Chinese due to Chairman Mao’s pogroms and his Great Leap Forward famine. China nearly collapsed, but an elemental stoicism kept the people marching forward until socialist China became one of the most powerful nations on Earth.
The first time I “really” met Julie was during recess in middle school. I was plucking at my guitar, trying to write a song that was playing in my head. I was starting to realize that girls were nice so that called for new songs. I just couldn’t get the notes right. She waltzed up, snatched the guitar out of my hands, and told me to shut up as she played what I was trying to write. I think I fell in love with her a little bit that day. Maybe more than a little bit.
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