ERNEST HEMINGWAY

When I first read some of Ernest Hemingway's work I was just a freshman in high school. I was taken by his life story more than his work. I thought that Hemingway was a cool guy, well traveled, and interested in life's grand pursuits. I began to read Hemingway's work more thoroughly and was taken by the very real quality of his characters, larger than life and yet incredibly flawed.

Hemingway was one of those guys that was straight up badass before badass was some stupid classification for punks with big mouths and guns. What I thought was great about Hemingway was the he was a man that believed in living hard and full. I think it's really the nature of writers like Hemingway that made literature in those years so great.

There was no fear, no politically correct bullshit, Hemingway and his contemporaries were all about truth. Hemingway had that unchecked depression which only made him all the more compelling. Mental health was not really considered important in those days so for Hemingway to stay as creative and powerful given his issues only made him a more mythical figure.

Hemingway was also an example of someone who could have benefited from treating his depression. I could only imagine Hemingway writing a book about Vietnam and the love power generation. I wonder what Hemingway and disco would have been like, given that the 70's was the me generation. Sadly none of that happened, we lost a genius and life went on. Still, it's not that bad to think of what might have been every now and then.

79 COUNTS

The driver of the train that met a horrendous fate in Spain was charged with 79 counts of homicide. I can't imagine what this 52 year old man must be thinking, nor what the hell he was thinking when he took a corner too fast and demolished a high speed train along with so many lives. I don't know anything about Francisco Garzon, the driver, other than the fact that he had been working for the rails in Spain for over 30 years.

I can't say a lot other than how shocked I am that this happened. A lot of fingers have been pointed in directions other than the driver, still everything comes back to the driver. I wonder what this man was thinking that day, if he was thinking at all. While the dust is settling on this particular story, this man will likely fall into a world of emotional despair.

This man will have blood on his hands until the day he dies. There have been several injuries which include 22 people in critical condition and 48 still in the hospital. Maybe this tragedy could have avoided, perhaps it was destiny, but it doesn't matter. There have been 79 deaths and that cannot be changed, one man killed 79 others because he was having a bad day.