The most familiar “Fourth” is Independence Day. My mother’s birthday was February 4th. Today is “May the Fourth Be With You,” based on the 11 episodes in the movie series that now spans over 43 years of my life. It would be a good day to watch one or two, either in order of release or chronologically: 

  • Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
  • Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
  • Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
  • Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
  • Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
  • Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
  • Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
  • Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
  • Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
  • Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
  • Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

In movies years, Episode I took place 32 years before A New Hope, while Episode IX happened 35 years after. I was never a huge fan, but it’s always been hard to ignore. My son was three years old when it first came out, and has taken his children to the movie theater, as I did with him. I’ve bought tickets, merchandise, tapes, CDs, and records through the years as his interest grew. All of us together recently went to the new rides & exhibits at Walt Disney World, along with my wife who may be the biggest buff of all of us. As a souvenir, I bought a Diet Coke that is shaped like a thermal detonator and keep the bottle on my desk as a reminder of our day together.   

I’ll take a break from James Bond movies to honor the Star Wars occasion. I’ve got until the end of the year to catch-up on 007, since the No Time To Die (#25) premier has been delayed by the virus until November 25th. It will be worthy of a turkey feast and respective box office bonus. Hopefully, the movie business will be back in full swing by then, as we’ll all have a lot of catching up to do. Reportedly, it won’t be until the end of next year before Disney and Lucasfilm will offer the next installment of Star Wars.   

“May the Fourth be with You” is festively followed by Cinco de Mayo, another ethnic social event ruined by the Covid crisis. If you’ll remember, St. Patrick’s Day also fell victim at the start of this ordeal. Nothing has really changed in seven difficult weeks of self-isolation. We’ll continue another slow-moving week with “Date Night” take-out – mixed with leftovers, fattening snacks, and at least one more trip to the grocery store. There’s not much to look forward to except more episodes of Succession, Killing Eve, The Last Dance, Skinwalker Ranch, Lost Gold of WWII, Outlander, and Bordertown. I’m outside only about an hour-and-a-half every day, including my morning run and a couple of dog walks. Life is not very eventful without travel. We would have been leaving soon for Bali, but that’s now off the table. 

There was a stretch last summer when I was home for a biblical-like 40 days and 40 nights. (See Post #1007). I’ve now officially surpassed that mark, but we were then able to do some regular dining out, drives to the coast, errands, get-togethers, and “Leadership Meetings.” My wife was also working during that spell, we lived in a condo rather than this small apartment, and she did a couple of short, overnight business trips without me. We were certainly not locked together in the same confined space with nowhere to go, although we’ve gotten along re-markedly well, at least from my perspective. 

I’m drinking some wines from my Cubs and Indy 500 bottle collection, only because I’ve temporarily run out of reds. It was also a good way to commemorate the temporary loss of baseball and auto racing. May was always a special time in Indianapolis, especially when there was Indycar action every day, culminating with the Memorial Day race. It was also a short drive to Wrigley Field or Comiskey/Cellular one/Guaranteed Rate Park, whatever it’s called this week? As I drown my sorrows in alcohol, I’m trying to focus on the good times ahead and the rest of the Star Wars story. “May The Fourth Be With You!”