01-26-21

Here’s the photo I meant to post yesterday. A wider view of the tapestry since I worked more in the middle of it.

Today was a bit better as far as work. I checked my work email last night before I went to bed, and that was a definite mistake. I won’t do that again. It set my brain to spinning and I heard Amtrak go by for its 3:15 stop in downtown Greensboro before I fell asleep.

I didn’t lose my temper, I saw and acknowledged a few mistakes of my own, and I came up with some ideas to fix the problems, as well as explanations for why we could not do some of the things that were proposed. It was helpful to vent a little bit yesterday.

What was funny is that he mentioned that he didn’t know what they would do without me doing the class schedule, at which point I told him to start thinking about it because after this one I would be doing it only two more times before I retire at 62. He was surprised. Apparently I hadn’t said anything or he didn’t remember. But I appreciated that he said that.

My friends who were over-the-road truckers sold their big rig and bought a big RV. If for some reason we can’t move overseas, I will buy a smaller RV or camper van. I don’t want a huge vehicle.

I’m trying to decide whether it is worth it to buy N95 masks now or to double mask with the new variants of covid-19 popping up. We haven’t been going out, but tomorrow we might do a quick grocery trip, and so the plan is to take as many precautions as possible.

Tomorrow the NC Solar Now guys are supposed to replace the circuit panel on our solar panel system. We have been without solar energy generation for over three months now, which is a bit irritating since it was very expensive and we didn’t notice that it was down for over a month. They were supposed to monitor it. I’m trying to decide whether to be generous and not raise hell or to be assertive about some kind of compensation.

And, no 2019 tax refund yet, and again, no indication of whether it was received on their end or not.

“The Given Day” is a good novel that moves right along, so I’m going to forego the weaving tonight and read, then try to get to sleep early.

I was thinking last night about how Harold and Maude might really be my all-time favorite movie instead of Groundhog Day or The Big Lebowski, then this article popped up.

44. Harold and Maude

It’s not ridiculous to say that watching Harold and Maude can change your life. On paper, the film may seem like a dark romantic comedy based on the relationship between a 20-year-old boy infatuated with suicide and an 79-year-old woman who lives each day like it’s her last, but it digs so much deeper than that. Harold and Maude is a celebration of life. Director Hal Ashby wants to eliminate societal tropes like age and gender in order to fully cherish living and appreciate the freedom of it all. It feels like watching a dream that’s speaking directly to you, urging you to understand that life is worth living—not in any particular way, but in whatever way feels authentic. Cult movies are beloved for being weird or campy, and Harold and Maude is no exception, but the appeal goes beyond that. I could go on and on; instead I’ll leave you with the Cat Stevens lyrics that reverberate through the movie:

Well if you want to sing out, sing out
And if you want to be free, be free
‘Cause there’s a million things to be
You know that there are.

—Sean Yoo