The thought for this post came about during a conversation I had with a saleswoman today.
Every establishment has those "frequent shopper cards" nowadays and, should you forget them, they'll ask you for your phone number to make certain you get points or discounts or whatever the offer may be.
She entered my number into the system and it didn't register. However, she realized she'd skipped one.
Saleswoman: "Oh, I hit the wrong button and it took me back to the beginning."
Me: "I wish I had a button I could push to take me back to the beginning."
Saleswoman (laughing): "Like this morning with the snooze alarm."
Me: "I was thinking much further back than that."
Suffice it to say that I let that part of the conversation die right there. One, she looked somewhat perplexed and two, I didn't have the time nor the inclination to delve into my lifelong fascination with time travel.
From 1979's excellent (but dated) Time After Time (with Malcolm McDowell and David Warner) through the late 80s/early 90s run of Quantum Leap to more recent fare like Donnie Darko, Lost and even Life On Mars, I've always been drawn to content that dealt with time travel.
I think it's because that's something we haven't quite mastered yet and, as a result, it's one of the few things still left out there in the realm of the fantastic--in other words, true science fiction.
In fact, if you ever want an interesting read, try Ken Grimwood's book, Replay...
I'm not revealing anything astonishing by telling you that the main character dies within the first few pages of the book because that's where the fun starts. He awakens in his own body at age 18 and, with his memories intact, has to live his life over...and over...and over...each time with a shortened life span.
The most interesting point is how he alters his life slightly each time and the consequences that occur as a result.
So I suppose I have two questions for my faithful readers...
If you could press a button and go back, at what point would you start over and live your life differently knowing what you know now? Or would you even want to go back?
And, what are you fascinated with in terms of the unknown? Is it ghosts...the afterlife...the human psyche...or why dogs enjoy the wind blowing in their faces when they stick their heads out of a car window but get irritated when you blow in their face?
Talk to me...because I keep feeling fascination with all of you too!
