God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater

Kurt Vonnegut died yesterday of complications resulting from a fall in his home. The man known to me as Dirty Bunnyguts shaped not only my writing but also my way of viewing the world - the concept of getting unstuck in time was first introduced to me in his novel Slaughterhouse Five. This is at its essence an ability to pull back and view things with a sense of perspective - a deadly, lifesaving and invaluable ability for a teenager to acquire. Because of Dirty Bunnyguts, I and many like me are better people, and I'm sure Kurt is up in heaven now. That's a little joke, Kurt - I'm glad you got to have a little glass of champagne at the end of life. So it goes.