A Day at the Beach

What bores you?

What could be more boring than getting to the beach early in the morning on a cloudless day in late July? The sun only a dozen degrees above the Atlantic. The waves clapping at the shore; seagulls complaining no potato chips left on a blanket to steal yet.

I’m practically alone, just a fisherman in the not too far distance casting a quizzical glance at his surf pole as it jerks with intent. I set up my umbrella and chair, my bag of snacks, book and towel beside me. After slathering on some 75 spf lotion, I settle in, sunglasses nestled on my zinced nose. and I listen to the waves lapping, the gulls yapping, and the fisherman laughing as he pulls his leviathan from the (not so deep) depths.

And I’m aware of others arriving and settling up their own little fiefdoms: mostly families with young children at first and some older folks. The lifeguards drag out their tall chairs and plant pennants designating swimming areas. Later teenage girls lay down their blankets and bronzed bodies. College boys scamper onto the sand like puppies, and begin passing a football around or tackling eachother in the saltwater. There are fishing boats, searching for schools, scattered on the horizon.

I scan a novel thriller for a bit and my eyelids grow heavy, It is a plot I’ve read a thousand times. And I’m happy to see it again. I’m so, so bored, but happily so.

And then there’s sex, of course.

Hmmm 5 things I do just for the fun of it. I do the New York Times crossword puzzle and Wordle most days. I like to think it keeps my brain a bit nimbler too. I spend an inordinate amount of time watching TikTok videos. I’m entirely too invested in Elyse Myers life and too divested of my own. I’m learning Spanish on Duolingo. Everyday for going on 3 years I spend some time practicing. I don’t do it because I might get a job as a translator at the United Nations, so I must do it just for fun. I like to listen to music. It makes my long commutes so much better. Sometimes, I’ll even go to a live concert and they usually bring me joy. And, finally, there is sex. It’s strictly for fun at this point. I’m not trying to procreate. I’ve done my bit for the genealogical tree.

How have your political views changed over time?

Im not sure who said it (Winston Churchill, possibly) or the exact words, but I have heard that any young person, who isn’t liberal, is soulless and any old person, who isn’t conservative, is brainless. And my own political trajectory has traced that arc to an extent. I became politically aware during the Nixon era. JFK was still idolized and Nixon abhorred. Universities in my day were recruiting grounds for the left.

Nowadays, I consider myself more centrist in a country of extremism, pulling itself apart at the seams. Unfortunately, there’s no center anymore, no compromise between parties. I think I’m socially liberal and fiscally conservative. Idealistic, but wondering how we’re going to pay for it.

Step One

What daily habit do you do that improves your quality of life?

I find my daily habit of waking up has really improved my quality of life. I suspect when the day comes that I break this habit, my life will take a terrible turn for the worse.

Top Ten Movies

What are your top ten favorite movies?

There are movies that I will just stop and watch whenever I see them on TV. Here in no particular order (because that would take some real contemplation) are my top 10 plus a bit of a cheat:

Casablanca

The Quiet Man

It’s a Wonderful Life

The Godfather

Jaws

The Matrix

Blade Runner

Pirates of the Caribbean

Young Frankenstein

A Cohen Brothers movie: No Country for Old Men, Fargo or Millers Crossing

A Secret Chord

What do you enjoy most about writing?

“Now I’ve heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord”-Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen

There are very rare moments when I’ve written a few lines of prose, maybe a paragraph, a chapter, or a short story and it touches me to my core. Or maybe a few lines of poetry that actually say what I meant AND rhymes. At those moments, I think perhaps I’ve written something good enough that others might like it, even appreciate it. I know I’m not a great. I’m merely okay, but I have occasional flashes of brilliance and maybe it pleases someone besides myself.

Nurses and Librarians

What profession do you admire most and why?

Don’t tell my ex wife… she’s a registered nurse after all, but I really appreciate that profession and the folks who choose it as a career. Often women and just as often disrespected, they are full of knowledge and compassion. Facing disease and tragedy on a daily, they keep their humor and courage on full view and take their despair with them when they clock out.

And I think librarians are terrific too. Horribly underpaid, often the most educated person in the room, they spend their days providing services well beyond locating a book for your bewildered child.

30 things that make me happy

List 30 things that make you happy.

I’ll just make a list in no particular order:

Watermelon

Mangos

My bed

The beach

A good book …the Aubrey/Maturin series to be specific

A steak cooked to perfection

Ska/reggae-old school

London

The Caribbean

The end of the workday

A cleansing shower after a filthy day

Chatting with my sister

Cradling a sleeping baby in my arms

Ice cream

Sangria, particularly after the third

Collecting tailed scallop shells along the beach

Body surfing

Poetry

Rock music: The Rolling Stones, The Who, Bruce Springsteen , The Police, Dire Straits

The Pogues (Shane Macgowan)

A beautiful woman

Sex

Cinema (Casablanca)

Rainy days that cancel plans

Pushing my child down a snowy hill on a sled

Sharing memories with old friends

Driving an excellent sports car

The birth of a healthy child

That child’s successes

Retirement (I hope, I hope)