Apparent Damage
Wednesday. So, to bed last night at ten, to sleep soon thereafter, awake and up this morning about six-thirty, to breakfast to read the papers over the monologue of an early Wednesday morning breakfast group speaker at my usual café before seven, back now before eight. This morning I skipped the little pills that have become a habit during a time they seemed to knock the unpleasantness off my aching sinus thing. The sinus thing is still with me, but I suspect any need for the pills evaporated some time ago and I've been taking them out of habit. Am I less tired, now that I've stopped? I think so, but I'm in a mood to think so after feeling tired these last several days, so maybe I'm projecting. Still, the sinus thing isn't in the way, I'm telling myself I'm not as tired as I've been and that's to the good, kidding myself or not. I'll know soon enough, whether I want to or not.
Bitch, bitch, bitch.
It's Wednesday, the start of a new month, autumn doing its thing, although the temperature's still holding the line in the mid to high seventies. Better than the desert, I'm thinking, having driven through the desert once in my twenties. The only thing I remember was the occasional roadhouse bar where you could buy a gin and tonic in an air conditioned environment for something like eighty cents. Or am I not remembering that right? I suspect I am, as I was on my way to Mexico at the time and was shocked to find similar drinks costing even more when I arrived in San Miguel de Allende thinking Tequila, gin: I would undoubtedly be in heaven when I arrived as what little money I had would undoubtedly last longer time.
I seem to recall you survived on fifty cent Tequila by the glass and chicken burritos bought off a cart.
That sounds good on paper, but I don't recall San Miguel de Allende having any burrito carts. We sat in funky leather chairs in an old ex-patriot bar that opened onto the town square talking politics with the local Americanos who'd escaped the States during the McCarthy period in the 50's, holding forth on the local government except for those times when the local sheriff would come by and allow us to buy him whatever he was having.
I'm embarrassed to say I was but marginally aware of the Mexican political situation then (even less so today). I knew at the time the government had machine gunned hundreds of students and civilians in Mexico City the year before in 1968 for petitioning their government, you had to cross someone's palm now and again to comply with local custom and that was about it. You put money in someone's hand when directed and it was best to keep your ill-formed political opinions to yourself when you were drinking within earshot of the sheriff. I did learn San Miguel de Allende was full of young American women attending summer school to get or augment their U.S. teaching credentials but I was too stupid and shy to gain any advantage from it.
Stupid and shy?
All the foolishness of youth becomes clearer as you grow older. Not that I would have done it differently - “stupid and shy” are but a gross approximation of a more nuanced condition that evolves over time - but you're able to admit it after a certain age without particular embarrassment.
Later. Two naps today, each lasting for something over an hour. Still, we'll see how it goes. Naps and a Netflix movie sitting in front of the fan. I'm not sure a day like today should go on your resumé, be included in your obituary under good things done. He sat in front of the TV set watching a Netflix movie without apparent damage. Here in Oakland?
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