kestrel

kestrel
2021-12-30 22:25:35 (UTC)

Drunk n' Rambling: December 2021

Personal entry follows.
///

Not sure what to make of the world, at the moment. I took some time to ride my bicycle along the boardwalk of the ocean-front town where I'm staying during the new year. There was one restaurant open at the time, accented with propane-flame columns at the outdoor tables. 20- and 30-somethings meandered outside, a persistent cloud of hash dissipating about them as they walked, aimless and acting as if they were looking for a fight.

Families also traversed the boardwalk, sometime round 8pm in the evening. Not really sure what they were doing. Apart from the one restaurant and the 24-hour cafe, there was nothing else open. What are people doing? I, perhaps, had a half-decent excuse, as I was bicycling during a low-traffic period of time. During daylight hours, not only are there pedestrians, but there are also workers replacing boards along large sections of the boardwalk, making swift cycling impossible.

I returned to my room and resolved to do my once-yearly bottle of red. I figure I can wrap up my calendar year with some drunkenness and at least one more horror/slasher film. I'll kick off 2022's list of films with Dario Argento's -Trauma-. That will be the first film write-up of 2022, though it's maybe 48 hours early.

I'm currently of the opinion that very few people have a plan as to what their future holds. If they do have a plan, it likely encompasses 48 hours, at the most. Beyond that I acknowledge a lot is beyond our control, but hey, at least you should have a vision of the future. Do typical people profess to have such a vision? Do people actually think about future goals, future plans, what they want their life to look like maybe five years or so down the road?

I remember asking myself two questions earlier this year, both of which were inspired by listening to Earl Nightingale recordings...

What will teaching look like 10 years from now?

-and-

Where do I want to live 10 years from now?

Perhaps a short time after scribbling down those two questions, I submitted my resignation to my day job. Were I to still be doing the kind of work I am doing now, ten years from now, I don't know how I would feel about myself. The city where I currently work is -doomed-. I can't think of any admirable qualities that can justifiably describe it. Perhaps industry is on the upswing, but it's not to provide a hand-up to its inhabitants, only to shareholders.

And the city government is full of looters. That's plain, conspicuous, and described in a rather un-diplomatic way. So it goes.

I just don't want to contribute to their looting anymore. I'm done with that town. Though I have no idea what to expect out of the second half of 2022, personally speaking. Who knows where I'll be 12 months from now? Maybe living in a goddamn tent.




Ad: