CapnGregCap’n Greg isn’t answering questions in this column. He’s telling it like it is. So let’s get right to the point. Life is too freakin’ short. You need to know that. Even more, you need to do something about it.

One of the greatest ad campaigns of all time was for beer. Not a great beer, but not a bad beer. Schlitz beer, in fact. The slogan was something like, “You only go around once, so grab the gusto.” For those of you who slept through English class, gusto is another way to say the essence of life. The slogan means enjoy every moment. And if that includes beer, why not?

From a philosophical perspective—yes, I minored in philosophy—in our prime we are convinced we’re bullet proof and invincible, and when those our age suddenly drop off the radar well before their biblical three-score-and-ten, we say it’s bad luck or bad genes or bad karma. Then we stumble ahead and count our lucky stars that it will happen only to the ‘other guy’ and never happen to us. Oh, no. Not us. Not me.

Well, listen up, swabs. It happens every day. Tom O’Hare, the guy who put out this paper, left us in September. I like to think he’s bellied up to the Black Dog bar for an eternal happy hour. Or has his feet stuck in the sand, a bottomless margarita in his hand, and is forever watching the mother of all sunsets. Maybe he’s savoring half a dozen Sonoran hot dogs or refried beans and enchiladas on a plate as big as the universe. Wherever he is, we will not have the pleasure of his company, his humor or his gusto ever again.

So get off your butt and come to Rocky Point. Bring the family. Bring your friends. Bring your sweetheart. Grab the gusto. Squeeze every drop you can out of this incredibly short life. Or as Tom O’Hare would say, “Otra cerveza, por favor!”