New Year's Day

 It occurred to me this evening while washing dishes that the thing that bothers me most about death is that I don't like to move. I don't like change. I don't like to change my residence. I'm the sort of person who puts down roots and I don't like to be, well, uprooted, ya know? Now, if you put me into a deep sleep or something and get the whole move done for me and then wake me up when it's over, I guess I'd be okay with that. As long as one can put down roots in heaven, and then not have to be shuffled around to different neighborhoods there. 

This morning I had the idea to drive out to Bali Mal Galeria. I don't go there often, but that's where the Gramedia bookstore is and I had found myself once again out of paperback books to read. The trip out there was amazing--almost like the old COVID days--as there was only very light traffic on the road. Probably people were sleeping in after having too much fun on New Year's Eve. 

I ended up buying Yu Hua's novel, To Live, which I had read before, given to a friend, and then decided I wanted to read again. Also, I bought a novel called All She Was Worth by a writer named Miyuki Miyabe. I know nothing about this writer or this book, but I thought the title was interesting. We'll see. 

By the time I had a coffee and headed back to the road, the New Year's revelers had awakened and managed to cause an epic traffic jam. I had gotten to the mall in record short time, and now it was taking me a record long time to travel just a quarter mile. It was also already 32 degrees centigrade. My helmet kept slipping over my eyes because of the sweat on my forehead. 

I've said before that I never liked New Year's Eve. I will add that I never liked New Year's Day either. I don't know about now, but in the 'old days' back in America, nearly everything was closed on New Year's Day, which made it just about the most boring day of the year. Moreover, the only football games on TV were college games, which are of no interest to me. I watch professional football, not kids practicing to maybe be professionals someday. The good thing about Bali is that nearly everything is open on New Year's Day. In fact, nearly everything is open nearly every day of the year except Nyepi Day, when nothing whatsoever is open, not even the door to one's own house. So yeah, we have our one extra boring day to make up for all the others.