
Yet another treasure dug up from the ’77 box is this old folder, whose front I adorned with yet another Star Wars battle scene. This one actually surprised me a little, since nobody, not even a TIE Fighter, is being blown to bits. Instead, it seems the X-Wing in the foreground has two darkside bogies on his tail. Hmm. That sounded interesting.

Look Ma, foreshortening!
Something tells me this is from closer to ’79 or maybe even ’80 (*Update: It is from 1979 –GN). I don’t remember having the knack for foreshortening back in ’77, but who knows. What really strikes me about this layout is this thing (slightly enhanced for detail):

Where the heck did this come from?
Kinda interesting that I really took the time to put in some detail in it, yet I have no idea where I conjured it from. I’m pretty sure I must’ve referenced it from an existing spacecraft, judging from the intricacy. I showed it to a buddy of mine and he remarked how it looked like a small thumb (on right) was holding the ship aloft.

Thrusters, girders and beams, oh my.
Of course, he also remarked on the peculiar flagship which appeared in the middle of the melee…“Man…is that a Gregship?”…sure enough, it was, in all its thrusting glory. But, inquiring Jedi minds want to know—was it trying to join the fight, or trying to get the hell outta there? Either way, I could totally see and hear myself drawing that thing, making the BRRSSSSHHHHH booster sound with my mouth as I drew the thrust jetting out the rear.

Yes.
Ah, and hanging in the distance like a morbid moon is the master of all death and destruction, in quiet observance of the showdown. Yes, the Death Star need not participate in such petty skirmishes; it saves its power for the obliteration of planets. “Carry on, little ones,” the metal mother murmurs. “Just be home in time for supper.”
Update: I’ve received 3,942 emails asking what was inside the folder. Well, if you must know, it was a compendium of typical schoolwork, meant to engineer and wield the young mind with essential tools to tackle future real world situations.
Most of the paperwork wasn’t anything interesting…well, not interesting enough to be included on the pages of Lefty Limbo. However, there was one page that made the grade:

Whatever you do, don't take a plane.
At first glance, it may look like just another ditto from the ’70s. One of those school assignments that, if one was lucky, he/she got to get a whiff of its chemicals if it was run hot off the press.
But, a closer look reveals a young mind that had already been engineered, perhaps by society, or perhaps out of a simple awareness of life’s possibilities, good or bad. Taking a look at the bottom portion of the paper, the paper prompts the student to list the advantages and disadvantages of traveling by different modes of transportation. It begins with a train as an example, filling in the blanks for you:
- Advantages: You don’t have to do the driving.
- Disadvantages: You can’t make stops when you want to.
Next mode of transport? A car. Here were my written responses as seen above:
- Advantages: You can stop when you want to.
- Disadvantages: Gas shortage (a sure sign of the times, there was a big energy crisis in ’79).
Last but not least? A plane. The advantage? “You can sleep.” Simple enough. The disadvantages?

Sign of an innocent mind?
I was 8 years old at the time (for most of the year). Now, at a young age, it was common for me to ask for help from my parents when it came to homework and such. But I don’t think I got that answer from my folks. Nope, I think that was just me, on my first wee little steps to morbidity. Note that there is no “can.” Instead, there is a certain conviction that it will happen. “You get highjacked.” Well, that counts as a disadvantage, right?