Old Man Take a Look at My Life

My grandchildren: "Grampa James, tell us about the great Spotify war of 2022..."

Me: "Well, you might not remember this but there was a time before Joe Rogan was declared God-King of the Universe by the GOP, not long after his presidential victory in 2024..."

— Baby New James (@wetcasements) January 30, 2022

"life's most refined pleasures"

"There is a subtle state most dedicated urban walkers know, a sort of basking in solitude -- a dark solitude punctuated with encounters as the night sky is punctuated with stars.  In the country one's solitude is geographical -- one is altogether outside society, so solitude has a sensible geographical explanation, and then there is a kind of communion with the nonhuman.  In the city, one is alone because the world is made up of strangers, and to be a stranger surrounded by people one passes, is among the starkest of luxuries.  This uncharted identity with its illimitable possibilities is one of the distinctive qualities of urban living, a liberatory state for those who come to emancipate themselves from family and community expectation, to experiment with subculture and identity.  It is an observer's state, cool, withdrawn, with senses sharpened, a good state for anybody who needs to reflect or create.  In small doses melancholy, alienation, and introspection are among life's most refined pleasures."

-- Rebecca Solnit, Wanderlust: A History of Walking

Since Nobody Asked Me...

This probably isn't the hugest of limbs to go out on, but I'm feeling the Chiefs and Buccaneers in the Super Bowl yet again next month.

I'm rooting for the Bills though.  Loved to see them beat the tar out of the Patriots.

Standard disclaimer: I am always wrong about sports predictions.

Gimbap Blues

I think part of the issue is that I live in the middle of nowhere, but my strong craving for Korean convenience stores is real.  One-dollar gimbap.  A single three-dollar can of Japanese beer.  A decent two-dollar sandwich.

Maybe it's just knowing that they're there, 24 hours a day without fail.

Snacking just isn't the same in America.

Bad Boy or Just Bad?

Reading James Ellroy's Perfidia and as usual I can't tell if he's one of the greatest American novelists ever, or a complete hack.  I go back and forth while on the same damn page.  The same damn sentence, if I'm being honest.

My working weekends are also going pretty well.  Without saying too much, the mix of untreated mental health issues and drug use in America does not make for the easiest of times when dealing with people who are having health issues with their pet.  If your animal is sick, you need to have enough cash on hand to take it to a vet.  Taking on a pet is awesome, but also a responsibility like any other.  Enough said.

Snowbound

 

Bellingham, Washington.

It's been dumping snow pretty hard out here lately, but hopefully some rain is coming in tomorrow to melt most of it before I have to go into work this weekend.

It's pretty!  It's also annoying!  Work-wise, people lose their damn minds when the weather turns bad.

Happy New Year!

 

Bellingham, Washington.

This is the view from my office when I get off of work these days -- nice and almost dark around 4 p.m.  Bellingham certainly has its charms.  Best wishes for 2022!

White Christmas!

White Christmas in Bellingham!  I don't have to drive again until Tuesday, so I'm not complaining.

Merry Christmas!

"May You Be Held"

Sumac, "May You Be Held"

Maybe heavy experimental music doesn't scream Christmas.  Maybe it does.  But I walked at least 100 miles to this over the past year and saw many deer and raptors and wore out at least two perfectly good pairs of shoes.

I braved Costo so tomorrow for Christmas lunch me and my Dad are having some smoked ham, stuffing, gravy, and salad.  My sister turned us both on to the ginormous apple pies they have too.  My Dad has sheepishly been asking me if he can have a piece for breakfast, as if I'd ever say no to pie before lunch for me or anybody else.  What am I, Hitler?

One year ago I was finishing my final teaching contract in South Korea, in lurvely Daegu, and preparing to move back here to America and sleepy Bellingham.  I had no idea what this year held in store for me, what with moving in with my Dad as his full-time caretaker.  I've been getting up at 6 a.m. every morning for almost a year now (which if you knew me in real life would probably shock you more than anything), reading a hell of a lot, writing short stories, and working part-time at the local Humane Society.

Living in the woods north of Bellingham is my life now -- for now -- for the foreseeable future.  None of this was particularly easy, but I hope the worst fights and arguments are over.  Nobody wants to get old, and nobody wants to admit they've grown old, and nobody ever gets too old to realize that they've become old.

That's all crystal clear, I'm sure.

I've got Christmas day off to enjoy the holiday with my Dad, and I'm filling in next week for my co-worker.

I'm not sure where any of this is headed, but I'm trying to make the most of it.  I hope you and your family and your friends find yourself in a good place in 2022, and if that's too much to ask well, May You Be Held.

"a biological contamination of the infinite"

"Here, human beings had to remember that the universe was far wider than their little nest of stars -- that, in the universe at large, silence was always more than the noisiest shout of life.  Humans explored and intruded against it, and built their stations and lived their lives, a biological contamination of the infinite, a local and temporary condition."

-- C. J. Cherryh, Foreigner

Hark

Bellingham, Washington.

I was out and about downtown last night for the Humane Society Christmas party.  It was fun, and rainy of course!

(The Bellingham Herald is the local newspaper, and that's their building.)