Good News!

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It used to be orgasms; now it’s meter readings. 

Who knew I’d get such a high from lower energy consumption. Above you can see last year’s consumption in dark blue and this year’s, in light blue for the past few weeks. Last year I consumed 3,298-kilowatt hours; this year, I’m projected to consume 1,577 kWhs. That’s more than 50% reduction! (My fiscal year is October-September.) 

I’m really proud of this. I’ve worked hard to achieve it. I heat exclusively with wood, I turn all my lights off where after me (in spite of some ridicule I’ve received from friends!), I lowered the temperature in the spa and changed the heating cycle, I put a regulator on the pump that turns on the well and I put a timer on the heater in my studio. Plus: I take clothes out of the dryer when they are damp and air-dry them the rest of the way.

Hi five, Chris!

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Stop what you are doing and watch all three-and-a-half minutes of this.

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My pets profoundly fulfill me; they captivate me; we are constantly interacting. I go from one to another through the day. When I go out, Sheba comes with me. When we come home, both Fred and Ethel are at the door to meet us. 

I often wonder why I love isolation and solitude so much. One reason is that all my symptoms disappear. I can talk fluently to my pets and I rarely have seizures when I’m alone. The other reasons are Sheba, Fred and Ethel. I’m not isolated

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Last night I watched Happy as Lazzaro  on Netflix. I loved it. It’s an Italian film. I loved it as I loved Mediterraneo, Cinema Paradisoand other movies short on action and rich in character. It’s bravura storytelling.

I loved cinematography. It has a pale palette; I could almost feel the dryness of the climate and the life of the characters. It’s passionately and vividly directed and faultlessly acted. I felt I was in my twenties again as I watched it; that’s when I discovered the magic and deeply seductive atmosphere of European cinema.

Films like Lazzaroallow me to “dive into them.” Today, I’ve felt all day that I just got back from Italy.

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The January 28 New Yorker has an absolutely delicious article by Robert Caro about his research (to date) on his book about Lyndon Baines Johnson. It’s witty, arrestingly interesting and a magnificent tribute to journalistic scholarship. The man is a god.

I’ve no interest at all in a book about LBJ, but I love reading this insightful account of a specific writing form—investigative journalism. And, like a good video, there’s a delicious “kick” at the end that leaves a lingering impact: He addresses his motivation in writing the article.