Tonight was Beggars’ Night but I missed it.
Beggars’ Night is a Des Moines area holiday - it’s when kids trick or treat for Halloween, and kids are also expected to tell a joke. We found out shortly before the day of during our a first fall in Des Moines a few years ago, luckily with enough warning. Halloween is my kids’ favorite holiday. I missed it tonight because I’m teaching an evening class, which is a bummer. The night class is over all a failed experiment, I think. I teach two other classes on the day of, so I finish totally wrecked. I’m trying to reduce my commuting time and expense by compressing my teaching into fewer days. It’s not really working because I’m so worn out afterward.It’s odd that we’ve lived in Des Moines so many years now, one of the places I’ve lived in for the longest but life here has been so work focused and so kid focused that I don’t feel much sense of rootedness in place. It also might be cumulative effects of multiple uprootings, creating an over all dislocation. I’m unsure. Sort of related - I started back to rewatching Detectorists again. It’s low key, weird, quirky, funny, touching, and there’s an undercurrent of loneliness and sadness that gives it a more rich flavor. Speaking of flavor, I made lasagna yesterday, made for good leftovers today.
The weather took a turn to early winter, dipping down toward freezing - it’s 33 degrees just now. Made for harder trick or treating for the kids. I’m going to try to go for a run in it tomorrow, take advantage of the natural protection from overheating. I found out today while driving to work that the heater has quit working in my car, so I need to take the car in to the shop, which is a pain in the neck. I’ll have to call around and see who can take it. Come to think of it this might put a wrinkle in running as I may need to walk home a couple miles from the shop. It’ll work out, just small hassles. Whenever stuff like this happens I get worried about a big unforeseen expense, the psychological hangover of being broke as shit for a really long time, and the financial hangover of being underpaid too long. I’m a lot of fun at parties! Truly I am, so fun I quit going. Having mastered the art, I retired a champion.
