"Don’t get me wrong, I’m not an unhappy person. Quite the contrary. I just know there’s a hole in my life and I’ve got to fill it — soon.” -- Ben Whittaker (The Intern)
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One editor I respect who looked over my draft memoir back when I was writing it told me maybe it should be called "Slices," because my entire career/life seems to have occurred haphazardly in multiple pieces. It was hard for him to see a pattern.
That sounds about right to me. Furthermore, I suspect that I am not the only person who has tried to make sense of his life only to discover that the main theme seems adapting to change.
But what excites me about the present moment is the next slice of life, though I don't know what it will be yet. At least now I'm relatively free of baggage, literally and figuratively. And after many pieces of my previous self have been sliced away, many more remain for the cutting board of the future.
Sort of like aged cheese, which the French swear by.
I'm not settled geographically, really, or required to be any specific place. I have no job or professional obligation; I own next to nothing, I owe next to nothing, and I am not anyone's emotional property.
In other words, I am pretty close to a free agent. You can be cynical and say that means I've got nothing left to lose, and you may be right, but that doesn't necessarily mean I have nothing left to give.
Which I hope is what matters.
These days I am trying to stay out of the mainstream as much as possible in favor of alternative paths, as I have done most of my adult life.
These blog posts represent one of those alternative paths.
As for options, I suppose I could go back into the workforce but on the other hand maybe I've done enough of that. Not that I couldn't be tempted by the right offer since there are plenty of good things I could help to accomplish with more money. But after being the primary breadwinner in my families for 55 years, maybe it's best for me to avoid returning to that role?
The fact is I don't know what I'm seeking but like Ben Whittaker, I know there's a hole in my life that needs filling -- soon.
***
Even when the pandemic acted like it was going away, which now seems like months but was only a few days ago, I didn't stop carrying masks in my pocket, usually 2-4 at a time. Occasionally, one of my grandchildren forgot theirs, so they sometimes came in handy.
Now we are officially supposed to be masked again indoors in the Bay Area, but it's not the same as last year. Back then we were trying to prevent a disease from coming; now it feels like the disease has come, gone and come again and we just have to surrender to that reality.
Anyway, regardless of what we do, the virus will continue to mutate, and the wildfires will continue to approach. In fact, I expect it's going to get much, much worse around here before it gets better.
That is not a very hopeful note to end on; on the other hand, I'm trying to be realistic. Then again, ask me tomorrow.
***
THE HEADLINES:
* Heat waves to drastically worsen in Northern Hemisphere, studies warn (WP)
* Fast-Moving Brush Fire Burns on Hawaii’s Big Island (AP)
* The Seas Are Rising: Could Oysters Protect Us?" (New Yorker)
* Spanish, Croatian planes join battle against Turkish wildfires (Reuters)
* The Death Toll Continues to Rise Following Flooding in China (AP)
* A nonprofit has embarked on a mission to clean up as much trash as possible off the bottom of Lake Tahoe. (SF Chronicle)
* In heat emergency, southern Europe scrambles for resources (AP)
* Bolivia's lake Poopo dries up and scientists fear refill unlikely (Reuters)
* Panic Buying And Transport Lockdowns. In Wuhan, It Feels Like Early Pandemic Again (NPR)
* Masks are back in the Bay Area (SF Chronicle)
* The Delta Variant in Schools: What to Know -- Classrooms are opening their doors to a different pandemic. Here is how to think about risk. (NYT)
* Facebook will require all employees to wear a mask in the company’s offices regardless of vaccination status. (SF Chronicle)
* Mask Mandates Are Returning in Many Cities. N.Y.C. Is Holding Back. -- Louisiana and San Francisco brought back indoor mask requirements, but Mayor Bill de Blasio said he wanted New Yorkers to focus on vaccinations. (NYT)
* New restrictions sweep China as officials race to contain delta outbreak (WP)
* Delta variant cases surge in Australia (Reuters)
* Americans Suffer Pandemic Whiplash as Leaders Struggle With Changing Virus -- An evolving virus and 18 months of ever-changing pandemic messaging have left Americans angry, exhausted and skeptical of public health advice. (NYT)
* It’s time to admit it: The vaccination campaign has hit its limit. Mandates are the only way forward. (Opinion/WP)
* U.S. automakers reinstate mask mandates at all plants effective Wednesday (Reuters)
* Don’t Want a Vaccine? Be Prepared to Pay More for Insurance. (NYT)
* The surge in coronavirus cases seems to be spurring more vaccinations (WP)
* Four police officers who responded to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol have now died by suicide. News of the third and fourth officers, Gunther Hashida and Kyle DeFreytag, came within hours of each other on Monday. Several officers who responded to the Jan. 6 riot spoke before Congress about the day’s events last week, detailing the horrors of the day and the ongoing mental anguish. [HuffPost]
* Liberals erupt in fury at White House over end of eviction moratorium (WP)
* New York AG says Gov. Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, broke laws (Reuters)
* Maricopa County defies Arizona Senate subpoena seeking to expand GOP ballot review (WP)
* Scientists expected thawing wetlands in Siberia’s permafrost. What they found is ‘much more dangerous.’ (WP)
'Cause we got the fire, and we're burning one hell of a something
They, they gonna see us from outer space, outer space
Light it up, like we're the stars of the human race, human race
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