“Remoted” Day 306 (Saturday)

January 16 is one of those days that over the years had interesting things going on. If not for Facebook's "On this Day" memories feature, the specifics would be lost.

Eleven years ago on this date, according to a brief status update, “The 402,” my home in Tennessee, was in the final stages of an HVAC project, which, if I recall correctly, was running longer than scheduled. That status reads, “is on day six of heating/cooling install and attic seal/insulation. None of us knew what we were in for.”

Dr. Sketchy event of long ago.

Ten years ago this date featured a trip from Clarksville to East Nashville for one of several Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School events I attended. At Dr. Sketchy, models from all walks of life, usually in costumes, or in the cases of the burlesque dancer models, various states of undress, pose for sketches ranging from one to thirty minutes. It took place monthly on a Sunday and was always fun. I always meant to attend it more regularly, but for various (usually lame) reasons I didn’t, and then I sold The 402 and moved. After returning to Massachusetts, I attended one or two Dr. Sketchy programs in Somerville. Again, the plan was always to attend more often, which once again didn’t happen, and then the local program stopped. This is a theme that repeats throughout my life. 

Six years ago on this date, my niece’s high school hockey team was playing. She had translated her street hockey skills to the ice and was with her team at the ice rink at Cushing Academy. Now she’s been graduated from high school for several years, lives in Las Vegas, and has her own life.

Five years ago, I was at Vincent’s in Worcester “Reliving the old days” at one of my favorite watering holes in America. When I lived in Worcester, Vincent's was a place where my friends and I met for drinks, the best meatball sandwich available, and fun and eclectic juke box and band lineups. Many laughs happened there over the years. 

Layers!

Today had a mostly normal trip to Worcester for a mostly normal activity – a hair appointment at my friend’s salon. Before the world was changed by COVID-19, hair salon visits were routine and took place every seven or eight weeks, sometimes followed by lunch with a friend. Now, the appointments are scheduled for 12 weeks, and except for the infrequent trips for groceries, having my hair done is one of the last remaining “normal” out-of-the-house activities still in my schedule. The scalp massage is a brief and glorious period of human physical contact and relaxation. 

We took off several inches and cut a lot of layers to freshen it up. The winter dry air and seasonal wardrobe heavy on fleece and sweaters has meant lots of static. The length had crept well down my back and was encroaching on my waist. Sitting against the back of the office chair and the couch, made it hard to move my head without pulling my own hair. The same thing happens in bed. Now the problem is fixed and I'm liberated from the prison of my own hair. Sometimes it is the simple things that make all the difference.