Today is Today, September 15, 2020
I went for a bike ride this morning. I live in an area with a ton of public schools, and it felt like the sidewalks were bursting full of families. I think it’s the first official day of school here. I didn’t notice the kids much, but the parents. There were so many parents. Two thoughts collided: it’s probably more normal to walk your kids to school now than it was in the 80s when I was in grade school, and it’s likely these parents are more protective this year.
Thinking about my own childhood collided with something I’ve been watching on YouTube in short spurts: Tim Rogers’ review of Doom. It’s over three hours and there’s only “fat” on it if you don’t enjoy Rogers’ winding asides, which I do and find essential to his arguments. His review of Doom is personal and I love it. It reminded me of many moments I had with proximity friends in the mid-90s. I had a friend in grade school who seemed to get whatever he wanted from his mom, and having a friend like that opened me up to experiencing games I never would have otherwise. I played Sega Genesis games on the Sega Channel delivered through a cable TV network in 1994! It barely worked but in 1994 “barely” is a miracle contraption.