"Life, although it may only be an accumulation of anguish, is dear to me, and I will defend it." – The Creature

I went to a lecture. A scholar talked about Mary Shelley and her novel, "Frankenstein." It was a pleasant evening. Fall is starting in my neck of the woods and a tree the lecturer was standing under had started dropping red leaves. The backdrop was a 35 room mansion built in 1903 called Joslyn Castle. It looks like a castle. Idyllic setting for learning about a Gothic Romance tale. (see what I learned there? Plus I was reminded the creature had no name. It was created by Frankenstein, not named Frankenstein. I can't wait to spring that on an unsuspecting trick-or-treater.)
I enjoy lectures. Early in life I heard stories of Mark Twain traveling the world, delivering lectures to massive audiences, and thought, "how great would that be?" To me, it sounded like a music concert, or comedy tour. Twain would come to town, people would buy tickets, and he'd entertain them for a bit. Since I can't play music, and I'm not funny enough to be on stage, maybe, I thought to myself, I could lecture for a living?
When I listen to lecturers I spend some mental energy listening to the content, some thinking about their formatting, and a lot of brainpower wondering how I can make a living at it. Our "Frankenstein" lecturer has spent years studying Mary Shelley. Years writing about her, talking about her, publishing books including her. My brain tells me that must be a key. A lecturer must know a lot about something.
Let's see. I don't have musical ability. I am not a comedian. And I don't know a lot about any one thing.
Maybe world-renowned-lecturer isn't in the cards. Plus, I hate traveling for work, and I'm leery of fame.
All this is spinning through my head as the lecturer winds up her talk, and we offer applause. My lovely bride turns to me and says, "Well, what did you think?" I take a minute to think about how to respond.
"I'm hungry," I say, and we head to the bar.
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