More Delights and Disdains . . .
of a diminutive nature of late . . . Number 7
Disdains:
Waiting several days on the HVAC technician to repair the air conditioning unit at my office. Since most of my fellow workers retained their remote office capabilities, they were fine at home. The others had to make do with large fans. I felt as if I were running a white-collar sweatshop . . .
Listening to people complain about the hot weather. They forget that it is summertime in South Carolina and that we have the luxury of air conditioning. I can just remember what it was like before air conditioning became commonplace and it was definitely a slower, less monetized, and more sweat-drenched lifestyle. Air conditioning along with nuclear power stations changed all of that and became the enablers of the modern South’s economy. I am sure some graduate student has written a thesis on the subject . . .
Thinking about heat, sweat, and the general decline in male sartorial style prompted me to look for Nik Cohn’s out of print 1971 book Today There Are No Gentlemen only to find one copy available for $330. A bit too much to satisfy my curiosity . . .
Delights:
Watching my 9 year old grand nephew splashing in the pool at his birthday party. He and his 12 year old brother are the only two males of their generation (Generation Alpha?) that bear my family’s surname so no pressure there to pass it on. Of course the way things are changing, surnames may be considered too patriarchal by the time they have children. Thankfully, this particular grand nephew appears to be a prototypical alpha male that carries on the can-do spirit of his grandfather (my oldest brother). A family needs one every couple of generations just to remain extant.
Having ice cream in downtown Greer while catching up on the gossip with an old political consulting friend from my Statehouse days. She brought her three wonderful children including her 3 year old spark plug whom when asked what she wanted to do when she grew up replied, “Conquer the world!” I believe her! An alpha female in the making . . .
Contemplating the past and conspiring about the future with a much beloved friend over coffee. Actually we had smoothies because of the heat. Besides, maybe conspiracies formed in a smoothie joint can come to fruition.
Hearing the excitement in my son’s voice as he told me about his freshman writing projects. Scoring perfect marks on his first two college papers makes for a good start.