Young people, stop being more successful than me. Seriously, if you’re under 30, try to fail more. This is really getting annoying. Kaleb Nation is the latest wunderkind that I discovered in a Google search who has succeeded in making me feel like a slug among men. He’s barely in his 20s, and he already has a book deal, a popular blog, millions of views for his videos on YouTube… hell, he’s even a former syndicated radio host. When you’re in your 20s, the only thing I want to hear is that you were formerly a teenager.
At this time, my publicist would like me to point out that I’m kidding. I am, of course, happy for Kaleb Nation. Improbable name or not, he seems to be a level headed kid who deserves his early success. On the other hand, my upwardly tracking success graph seems to be matching my upwardly tracking maturity level graph so I am right on schedule when it comes to succeeding.
I actually found Kaleb when I was looking for information on publishing contracts. He videotaped himself signing his contract. The video has great production value, but I was surprised how unceremonious the signing actually was. This is the realization of a lifelong dream (granted his life is pretty short on the long end), but where are the fireworks and the non-alcoholic Champaign, and the publishing bigwigs with their disingenuous smiles (sorry, my vision of publishing executives comes from classic Hollywood films). I got more pats on the back, and enthusiastic handshakes when I bought my car. Granted, I did buy a Honda Element, but c’mon, this is a book deal. Do you know how rare those are? Here’s the video. (And seriously, Kaleb, congratulations. I’m super happy for you. (and no that wasn’t a sarcastic congratulations. I really meant it (and I really, really meant that))).
The South Side of the Moon 