Some January

On January 4, 1998, I had just finished reading the book Emerging Infection Microbial Threats-and two decades later we were at the peak of Omicron. On January 11, 1963, Please Please Me hit No. 1, and 45 years later, music recording was pronounced dead--just as The Beatles nixed performance in favor of recording, and then flipped again fifty years later with bands focusing on live performances. Now we wait to see how the Metaverse will factor in, and how recording and performance might converge.

On January 6, 1966, The Beatles were in the studio recording Penny Lane with piccolo trumpets and on January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol was under siege.

In the future, both Tony Townes and Anthony Townes have diary entries for 2046, 2047, and 2048. Tony was involved in the hit-and-run on December 15, 2046, and is still in the hospital. He still knows his name is "Tony" but the shift has happened and he really is enthusiastic about his new life.

As you read through, consider the "January-ness", or the "monthiness". Everyone knows what their months feel like, aside from seasons and holidays. We know what September feels like because of 9/11, and now what February feels like because of 2/24. But even in the UAE, the winter months are scorching hot.

InSum is a personal diary "remixed" with the diaries of others (including fictional characters in the past and future) so as to highlight interesting chronological juxtapositions. It is the book version of the non-linear film which skips around in time in almost a random fashion, but is logical in some ways: For example, something happening in November 1964 would echo into January 1969, or even January 2046, or January 1868.