I received some of the best news I've heard in years today. The two surviving members of Rush, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, are going back on tour in 2026. For me, that's huge. Rush has always been more than just a band. I jam out to them every chance I get. (1) Their music has been a soundtrack to my life, especially during tough times. I've said before that their lyrics have a way of cutting through the noise and speaking directly to your soul. They're not just catchy phrases - they're philosophy set to a 7/8 time signature.

Hearing that Geddy and Alex are returning to the stage after losing Neil Peart reminded me that life doesn't stop after tragedy. You carry on. You adapt. You find new purpose, even when part of you is missing. They could have easily retired and spent their days sitting around their home studios reminiscing about the good old days. Instead, they decided to move forward. That's strength. That's courage. And it brought to mind one of my favorite Rush songs: The Pass.

A few Captain's Logs ago, I mentioned that from time to time I'd pick one of their songs and do a deep dive. Today feels like the right day for that.

Now, if Fly By Night is about leaving behind what doesn't serve you - striking out for something new - The Pass is about facing adversity head-on and sticking with it. It's not about escape. It's about endurance. It's about surviving what life throws at you, finding hope again, and realizing that sometimes the hardest thing to do is just keep going.

This song has always resonated with me on a personal level. I've been through my share of rough patches - a divorce that turned my world upside down, and an incident that cost me the vision in one eye. But you learn to adapt. Life doesn't stop. You pick yourself up and move forward. And after all that, I found love again. My wife is my best friend, my rock. It's proof that new beginnings can come after heartbreak, not instead of it. As for the one-eye thing, well, I've learned to see life from a different perspective - literally. There are even perks. If I want to sleep in a bright room, I just put my good eye down on the pillow. Problem solved. On airplanes, my sleep mask is an eye patch. Also makes for some really cool Halloween costume possibilities. (2)

That's the spirit of The Pass. It's not denial or fake optimism. It's accepting that life is hard, sometimes cruel, but still worth showing up for.

This philosophy applies everywhere, not just to relationships. Take software development, for example. If you've been clinging to that old, kludgy Microsoft Access database you built ten years ago, the one held together by duct tape and wishful thinking, maybe it's time to start fresh. Don't be afraid to move forward and apply what you've learned since then. I see this all the time with my students. They get attached to their old databases, afraid to let go because of all the work they've invested. But progress means evolution. The new version will be better because you're better. That's how we grow - in code and in life. Start new - with proper naming conventions, normalized tables, and get rid of those OLE Objects and attachments.

If you've been sidelined in your fitness journey, it's okay. Maybe you broke a leg and can't work out for a while, or you're a runner who needs time to recover from an injury. Let it heal. The gym isn't going anywhere. (3) And if you've been off your diet for six months and the pounds crept back on, that's fine too. It happens to everyone. What matters is that you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start again. Take it one day at a time. Progress isn't about perfection - it's about persistence.

The same mindset applies to business. Sometimes things just don't work out, and that's not failure, it's experience. I started my first business back in 1994. It was a PC sales and service company which eventually grew to a dozen employees. We made a fortune in 1999 helping everyone gear up for Y2K. Then the clock struck midnight, nothing crashed, and suddenly our clients had blown their budgets on new hardware. Business dropped fast in 2000, and I didn't see the trend shift soon enough. I had to close the doors. (4) It wasn't easy, but looking back, it was the best thing that could have happened. It pushed me to pivot toward Access consulting, software development, and teaching - which led to what I'm doing today. Sometimes you have to let one chapter end so a better one can begin.

I think that's why Rush's music has always connected so deeply with me. It's not blind optimism or fantasy. It's realism with hope. It's looking at life in all its complexity and saying, "Yeah, it's hard - but I'm still here."

That's what Geddy and Alex are doing now. That's what I try to do every day. And that's what The Pass reminds us all to do: keep moving forward, no matter what you've lost.

All of us get lost in the darkness - Dreamers learn to steer by the stars.

After all, as Captain Sisko once reflected after losing his wife, you can't live in the past. You honor what you've lost, you carry it with you, but you still have to move forward and keep living your life. That's what healing really is - learning to live again.

So... they're back on tour. Yes! Slappin' da bass! And uh, if Rush happens to be reading this, I am a keyboard player. I don't mind putting everything on hold in 2026. Just sayin'.

If I don't release many new videos next year, you know what I'll be doing. :)

LLAP
RR

(1) My neighbors can confirm this every time I try to play along on my keyboards in the garage.

(2) On the bright side (pun intended), I can still spot bad database design from a mile away even with my good eye closed.

(3) Trust me, I've checked - it's still there, mocking me from across the parking lot.

(4) Everyone thought the world might end at midnight, but all that really died was my profit margin.

P.S. I've also been listening to their new drummer, Anika Nilles, all morning. She's fantastic. I think choosing her was a brilliant move. If they had picked another male drummer, the poor guy would be compared to Neil every night of the tour. But with Anika, there's a fresh energy and a different vibe. She's not there to replace Neil - nobody could - but to bring her own voice and style to the music. And that feels exactly right for this new chapter. Her playing has a progressive edge that reminds me a lot of Dream Theater.

P.P.S. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go practice that Tom Sawyer keyboard riff...