A collection of 28 quirky essays that explore the author’s ongoing adventures in growing up and living an absurd life, asking the BIG questions: What is the nature of time, and can you get overtime? Why do I exist, and what’s so great about existing? What is truth, and how do I get some? "How appropriate that Gene has chosen to group together a wonderful compendium of his off beat life events into one easy to read and entertaining volume. Whether he's digging for bones or in pursuit of the Rolling Stones, his bi-coastal adventures are packed with wry observations and of course his own unique infectious twists of humor. It was especially enjoyable to relive the chapters from when he was foraging in our area and I'm happy to report they remain as timely and as delightfully 'absurd' as ever." Barry Fain, Publisher, Providence Media "Gene Twaronite's book is funny and fun, with fascinating scenes of his journey from childhood through a young old age. With wit and honesty, he describes those moments of growing up when we struggle to understand what it all means: the church, our place in the universe, our parents, and teachers. Sometimes whimsical, sometimes hilarious, the stories deftly describe his 1950s neighborhood of unsupervised play outdoors and no TVat home, his relationship with his dad, dealing with loneliness, and then on to his many jobs, marriage, founding a nature center in New Hampshire, attending a Rolling Stones concert, moving out west, coping with aging. These tales engage the reader in the nostalgia of looking back and remembering those flights of imagination we took in the process of becoming who we are today." Susan Barlow, writer and town historian, Manchester,CT "We all have stories. But few of us can tell them like Gene Twaronite. In turn, his stories amuse, instruct, entertain, and inspire. You'll smile, chuckle, laugh out loud, wince, and often identify with the life lessons shared in his memories and musings. Best of all, you might decide to turn on the computer and record your own stories. Now that's fine writing!" Suzanne Barchers, EdD; Advisor and Chair ofBoard of Directors for Lingokids, Madrid, Spain; author of approximately 300books and songs for educators and children "Gene Twaronite has written a wonderfully entertaining and at the same time a deeply philosophical memoir/essay book. He has a marvelous sense of humor, very dry, somewhere in the veins between Mark Twain and Monty Python. From the womb to the present, we learn about his tap dancing through life, of his sojourns with other authors, and what he has finally decided constitutes the meaning of life - or at least his life. This is definitely a book worth reading." Susan Lanning, author of romance & mystery A Note to the Reader   Aside from the title essay and "Sex Toys After Fifty," both of which should not be taken too literally, the remaining pieces are largely autobiographical. To the best of my memory, I have related events as they occurred. That doesn't mean, however, that their account must be boring, so occasionally I have tweaked the narrative in places, to keep things lively.   I prefer to think of this as a work of "creative nonfiction," a gloriously elastic category which allows a writer the freedom to explore a subject unfettered by adherence to strict journalistic standards, relating the facts with a certain amount of artistic flair.   As these pieces came together, they took on a life of their own and began to tell a story. GoreVidal wrote that "a memoir is how one remembers one's own life." It is not hung up with precise dates, names and other details of the past, but is more a re-creation of one's life as seen through the author's lens. The emphasis is less on accuracy and more on emotional experience.   When it comes to emotion, tears are overrated. Beware of anyone who cannot laugh.Run for the nearest exit. So in re-creating my life on these pages, I tend to write mostly about events where I can find some humor while eschewing those where, for the life of me, I can't find anything to laugh at. Fortunately for me, these are rare. I like to think that, even on my deathbed, wracked with the pain of knowing not only that my best days are behind me, but that I can no longer remember them, I'll still find plenty of things to crack me up.   I call these essays absurd,because absurdity is the lens through which I choose to see my life and the world. It is the only thing that keeps me sane.       Though some of these essays do cuddle up to each other in places, mostly they move back and forth through my life, willy-nilly, like my memories. So jump in anywhere. The only thing you have to fear is the day you can no longer laugh at yourself.     Gene Twaronite is a Tucson poet, essayist, and children's fiction writer. He is the author of nine books, including two juvenile fantasy novels as well as collections of essays, short stories, and poems, and a forthcoming picture book. His poetry book Trash Pic