It's that time of year again. I probably say the same thing every 12 months, but I love Halloween. Growing up in England in the late 70s, early 80s meant there really was no Halloween to speak of. Dressing up and going trick or treating was always something you saw Americans doing on TV. So it's nice to actually live here, with kids of your own, experiencing it first hand.
In life, strive to not be Mr I drank the last bit of coffee and didn't make any more guy. Don't be that guy.
The house behind us, empty for weeks, has life. The noisy kind. I think 4 dogs and perhaps 5 kids?
It's…different.
A homeless man was sitting in McDonald's not bothering anyone. I was glad the employees didn't move him along but sad those around him were giving vile looks with kids pointing. In a moment of regret some hours later I felt annoyed I hadn't really done anything to help. I didn't mind him being there, but I sure didn't go out of my way to do anything.
Later that afternoon we were in another restaurant on the same street and he walked in and sat down. We decided to give him our bread rolls. I walked over to him and gave him the food. I don't really know what I expected to happen, perhaps a look or word of thanks? Instead he said he didn't need it and told me to fuck off.
The gesture of food perhaps was really just to make myself feel better, and at the end of the day I really hadn't done anything to help him. I suppose it's possible I misread the situation entirely through my white privileged eyes. Life is complicated.
Outside in the back garden on this pleasant Arizona evening doing back garden things. Three neighbors around us are cooking wonderful things. Depending on which side you walk towards we have rich spicy Indian food, somethin' somethin' fishy, and that has to be burgers? All fantastic, all making me hungry.
It's that time of the year where for a brief few hours the windows can remain open. It's nice sipping coffee outside with the sound of birds instead of neighbors air conditioners humming. And breathe.
This rolled in late afternoon. The sky was completely black 20 mins later. So what to do but sip some red wine and look to the heavens to see how it unfolds.
No rain or thunder this time.
As far as I could tell, we got all the rain for about 10 whole minutes. And then it stopped and what remained was a sense of calm and quiet. You step outside and take a really deep breath and just for a moment, everything is alright. That, and the car got a wash.
For a few days I decided to consume less Twitter. And you know what, it wasn't bad. Life went on. Twitter "the experience" hadn't felt quite right for months. Taking a break for a few days and coming back to it I immediately knew what the problem was. Political Twitter had become exhausting.
I'll admit I've officially reached peak Trump fatigue. I don't want to wade through all the outrage retweets. I just don't want to read about it anymore full stop. Any change you make in your life should be for the positive and make you happy. And so, I took a hatchet to political Twitter and unfollowed the entire echo chamber.
What remains are all the things I enjoy reading. And that's what it should be about anyway.
So why don't you give blood, you didn't ask. I'll tell you.
It's not that I don't want to. I'd love to be able to donate and think it's one of the easiest ways to give a teeny something back. They just don't think I'm a suitable candidate.
I dunno somethin' somethin' Cows, England, madness. Red Cross Eligibility:
In some parts of the world, cattle can get an infectious, fatal brain disease called Mad Cow Disease. In these same locations, humans have started to get a new disease called variant Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease (vCJD) which is also a fatal brain disease. Scientists believe that vCJD is Mad Cow Disease that has somehow transferred to humans, possibly through the food chain.
And so:
You are not eligible to donate if: From January 1, 1980, through December 31, 1996, you spent (visited or lived) a cumulative time of 3 months or more, in the United Kingdom (UK).
Bummer.