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Dad did 20 years in the Navy and retired as a Chief Petty Officer. I think he would have liked to stay longer, but Mom would have none of it. He ended up teaching drafting afterwards, and loved it.

I’ve heard a lot of people complain that Time Enough for Love was “too much Heinlein.” Lazarus Long certainly made an excellent mouthpiece for Bob’s views, but he had some entertaining adventures along the way. Stranger felt a bit too much like message fiction to me, although I can’t really explain why. Not enough spaceships maybe.

Dave

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I don’t recall that your dad was in the Navy. I have no doubt you’ve mentioned it at some point.

The cool thing about modern technology is that you can get any book anywhere, pretty much–online. I love it!

d

You’re in good company when it comes to confusing plant seeds. In Cosmos Carl Sagan’s “spaceship of the imagination” was modeled on a milkweed puff, although he called it a dandelion seed.

It sounds like you’re keeping busy, which is a good way to stave off the nerves for a while. When I moved to New York from Ohio I was too busy making arrangements to get the family moved. I had plenty of panic, but I can’t say I was all that nervous.

Dad got me into SF by loaning me his Lensman series, then Heinlein’s Have Space Suit, Will Travel. I was pretty thoroughly hooked by then. I was about 10 or 11 at the time. Our little one-horse town didn’t have a lot of current SF in the library; it was mostly stuff from the 1940s through the mid 60s. (And they had the wonderfully convenient habit of shelving Andre Norton in the YA fiction where I could find it.) When Dad left the Navy and was home all the time he started requesting new materials there, and they built up a pretty decent selection by the time I moved out. Somewhere along the way someone gave me a hardcover with the Foundation trilogy in one volume. I spent most of the summer reading that. (It was 1976 and I had discovered girls, so my attention was divided.) Once I knew who Asimov was I started hunting down his stuff, and that’s how I found the humor book.

Dave

I did indeed mean dandelion seeds. Thanks!

I’m not nervous yet, but who knows what will happen once I’m out? My therapist keeps asking me how it’s going and if I’m nervous, and…nothing so far. We’ll see, though. And you know I’ll report my progress. ;)

I remember Asimov’s book on humor! I read that when I was about 13 or so. Got it from the college library. I wasn’t funny as a kid and thought that if I read about how humor worked, I could fix that.

I also read the Foundation trilogy as a kid, thanks to Daddy. He was and is a huge Asimov fan. I’m reading this one because my cousin Mary suggested it a while back. Her recommendations are golden.

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Do you feel nervous about the upcoming change in status? I’ve never changed jobs without having some trepidation, some wondering if I’m doing the right thing. Even if it was a job I hated and knew I had to leave.

Asimov was an interesting character. I forget how many non-fiction books he wrote, but it’s an impressive number. Almost as impressive as the number of fiction novels he wrote. I read an analysis of humor that he wrote, and it was very informative. I still can’t tell a joke worth a hoot though. I didn’t realize he’d written on the Bible, but it doesn’t surprise me. I wonder if it was out of his own curiosity (he tended to do that - get interested in something and learn about it until he could write a book) or if someone or something challenged him to do it. Being a rather famous Jew he may have encountered vocal but not-well-informed Christians, and set out to inform them.

Dave

P.S. Did you mean dandelion seeds? Daffodil seeds drop from a pod; they don’t float on the wind. D.