Frazz by Jef Mallett for March 11, 2015

It seems mathematics to him is a magic act that you can’t understand and can’t escape.

I’m still breathing.

When I was a kid I had a book — “My Book About Me” — with a lot of questions and prompts for me to fill in with information about myself. On the page that said, “When I grow up I want to be ______” I wrote “40.”

Growing old is mandatory.Growing up is optional.

But the one he is reading is Joseph Heller’s “Catch-22”. A great escape from story problems.

Are the two practicing curling or shuffleboard?

And… curling in the hallway with a roll of duct tape!

“Catch-22” was published in 1961.

If you’re referring to Capt. Kirk of Star Trek, probably not. The book was published in 1961 and Star Trek began in 1966.

I tried to read it; got to about pg 50/5 chapters in, gave up. Not making sense. Went into the AF, read it, got it, funniest book ever. Ten years later, reread; incredibly sad book. Another 5-10 years, got it both ways.

Well, no, Frazz, you’re there to clean up.

My mom stopped asking me “when are you going to grow up?” after I told her “when I’m retired on $5,000 a week.” Still not there; still not grown up … not to mention adjusting for inflation, I now require being retired on $50,000 a week before I’ll grow up. :-P

Re: When I grow up . . . . When my father was my age, he’d been dead 14 years. So I had low expectations.

Hmm, I’m in my 60s. Nope, no sign of growing up.

The three laws of life: 1) You can’t win 2) You can’t break even 3) You can’t get out of the game. So kick back and enjoy the ride, as best you can…

He’s reading Catch-22, one of the greatest books of all time, but even better read while serving in the military.

But behind Catch-22 is Penn and Teller’s great book; growing up with a mind influenced by Penn, Heller and Teller, he’s going to be a force to reckon with.

Catch-22 is an entirely inappropriate book for a kid that age, Just think about the plot line concerning Nately and his “companion”, among other aspects. Aside from that, no kid, however precocious, will be able to make any relevant sense of the book. It’s one of the most profound novels ever to be written. You probably need to be at least 40 to have enough life experience to get a real grasp of Heller’s insights—maybe older. Still, it’s a courageous choice for a kid,and I suspect, bright as he is, it will afford him images that will haunt him for years. I would wish him best of luck and to seek help from a literate adult when needed.

“Learning is what we’re all here for.” Good on ya, Frazz!

Al, our minds, like life, are funny things….Your story is great….

“Alive.”