It’s late afternoon here in New Hometown, Florida, and boy, is it nice outside! The temperature is 85˚F (30˚C) under mostly sunny skies. With humidity at 62% and a northeasterly breeze of 15 MPH (24 KM/H), the feels-like temperature is 91˚F (33˚C).
Although the forecast for the afternoon and early evening still calls for rain in the evening, it was pleasant when I went for a brief walk to the park that I like to go to and get fresh air and some sunshine at. I didn’t take a book with me, although I thought about it, but I did venture to another bench – yes, there’s more than one! – and snapped a few quick photos while I was there.
I only stayed a little while; I still feel a bit uncomfortable walking around the neighborhood, even though I have lived here for over four years and have had a State of Florida ID listing my current address since March of 2018. Maybe it’s – partly – because I have what I call “COVID-19 hair.” I haven’t gone to Just for Guys since March, so my hair is longer than it ought to be. I’m not exactly a sharp dresser or overly vain, but I don’t like looking like I’m a wild man from the woods, either. So The Caregiver’s failure to make sure I get a haircut really inhibits my desire to go out and – eventually – meet the neighbors.
I also feel a bit tense in this part of New Hometown because many of the residents are either active duty military personnel or military retirees. There are also some law enforcement officers who own or rent homes here. So this is a neighborhood with a lot of Trump-Pence 2020 yard signs, Trump 2020 flags, and U.S. flags on display. Obviously, I’m not going to advertise that I’m not a Trump supporter or get into a political discussion with any of my neighbors, but it is unnerving to see that I’m in a part of a majority Democratic county that is so pro-Republican.
So, since I didn’t take a book to read and wasn’t exactly at ease outside, I only stayed at the park for 10 minutes and walked back home. On the way back I saw a woman talking on her cell phone while she walked her dog. I thought about saying “Hi” just to be neighborly, but I squelched the urge, in no small part because I wasn’t happy with my “mountain man meets Florida” look.
Well, despite my inability to make my usual two cups of coffee, or even walk to Starbuck’s to get one, I managed to write a review for this blog. I chose to write about the soundtrack album for Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, which I’ve owned since its release in May 1999 and have lugged to two different homes now. It’s not my favorite Star Wars film score, but it is by John Williams, so it’s still worth listening to from time to time.
Other than that…I haven’t done much else today. I have eaten a few snacks here and there, and I’ve consumed two cans of Coca-Cola to compensate for my missing cups of of coffee. I could have watched TV in the Florida room or even in my bedroom after 1 PM, but I didn’t feel like it. I did listen – with headphones – to an album I can access thanks to my Amazon Music Unlimited subscription. It’s a recording of various Baroque era compositions by J.S. Bach, Tomaso Albinoni, Antonio Vivaldi, and other composers of the era.
I usually like more upbeat music, even in the “classical” music genre, but when I’m down I tend to listen to either somber works like Albinoni’s Adagio in G minor[1] or calming ones like Johann Pachelbel’s Canon in D. With memories of my mother flitting around my head and simply because 2020 has been a crappy year all around, I didn’t feel like listening to Star Wars scores or Billy Joel songs from the 1970s and ‘80s,. So, Baroque music it was.
I might watch something in a bit, either out in the Florida room or here in my room. I prefer the Florida room because I absolutely hate moving my desk to get a better eyeline when sitting on my sofa/futon to watch TV. Plus the couch out there is comfier than the one here. So….
Well, that’s all I have to share with you on this Sunday, October 18, 2020. I’m tired and have a mild headache – a sign of caffeine withdrawal, more than likely – so I will close for now. I’ll be back tomorrow, though, so stay safe, stay healthy, and I’ll catch you on the sunnier side of things.
[1] The famous Adagio in G minor is a Baroque piece in name only, and it’s not even by Albinoni. It was composed in the 1940s by another Italian composer, musicologist, and Albinoni biographer named Remo Giazotto.
A Certain Point of View, Too 
You must be logged in to post a comment.