Feist-dog got me up at five a.m. The sun's still not out. My little round ball Alexa alarm doesn't go off until six, so I don't know what his hurry is.
This week is preparation for the big move. I meet the movers on Wednesday. Some stuff I'm going to have to part with. One is my dad's desk. I've been using it as a desk for a while, but it was improperly stored after his death and got really badly warped. It's also eight feet long. As he was in the business of selling desks, I think Dad wanted something he could show off to people as an indication of what they might expect from us, plus I think our manufacturers had an expectation that he would showcase some of their more impressive wares.
My dad liked everything modern. Especially furniture and architecture. He even grew his sideburns out for a while, and most of his lapels could double as a glider. Being Mississippi's only Herman Miller dealer for a long time, most of his office set was Herman Miller, including the famous Eames Chair and Cricket Table.
Since I still have mobility issues, I want to have safety rails installed in the bathroom. I thought that'd be crazy expensive and complicated, but Lowes installs them for $85 each. I already have an adjustable bed, so that's about all the accommodations I'll need.
I'm pretty relaxed about it now, but I'm sure as the time gets closer, I'll freak out. Some of my theater friends have agreed to help hang my art. That's probably the best I can do since they've done it to about a hundred of Brent's sets.
There are two really important events at Millsaps this week. The first is a presentation about Millsaps, Tougaloo, and the Civil Rights Movement Tuesday at 1:00 at the Christian Center. Speakers include Jeanne Middleton, TW Lewis, and Ed King. Like myself, Ed has been having a mystery element with his leg and may attend by Zoom. All three of these people had a pretty important role in several levels of integrating Jackson, from the sit-ins to the integration of the churches and the ultimate integration of Millsaps and lastly the public schools. I'm proud to say that Millsaps and Galloway led the way in these movements, and I'm ashamed to say we didn't do it before the mid-sixties.
We did this before in 2010 when Rob Pearigen was new at Millsaps. The panel was then Jon Meacham, Governor William Winter, Jerry Mitchell, Jeanne Luckett, and Dr. Leslie McLemore. There's a chance some of these will attend the lecture Tuesday. Jerry Mitchell now has his offices at Millsaps, and Jeanne Luckett gets around to more stuff than I do. Sadly, Governor Winter is no longer with us.
This might be Rob's last event as president of Millsaps. He and Phoebe attended Galloway yesterday. Cary mentioned him in his sermon but assured us we'd see Rob again when he comes to visit Phoebe, who we have no intention of letting go. That's not entirely wrong. Losing Phoebe is gonna cost, Jackson. She's been very involved in the years they've been here, and I think it's fitting that she'll be moving back to Sewanee after attending one last International Ballet Competition.
Later, at 5:00, we'll meet again at Fondren Guitars for the second session of the Millsaps Ted Lasso talks about effective management. The presenter is LeAnne Brewer, who heads up our executive education effort. LeAnne was a student when I was a much better student, apparently. She has remarkable energy and insight, so I'm looking forward to this. Where I'm headed, this little cluster of businesses will probably be where you can find me most nights. They have whiskey next door. That should do.
I think the operational plan for the next two weeks will be to mask my anxiety about moving with false enthusiasm. That usually works. I simply have to take the next step, though. I've accomplished all I can here, and I'm worried that I'll regress if I stay. I have to learn to maintain my diet and exercise on my own. I've done both before. I tend to slip into really bad habits (mostly fast food) when I don't maintain my mood, so going to have to watch that.
You'll notice changes to the blog. I'm trying to make it look more professional since I'm trying to go out into the world as an actual writer, not just a guy who scribbles his thoughts.
My wake-up alarm still hasn't gone off. Probably the greatest thing I ever did for myself was when I learned to touch type. Now I can type much, much faster than I can read, meaning I can do about a thousand words an hour. Not too bad for a dyslexic kid. It's also a pretty good indication of just how much my mind races when I'm alone and when I'm not alone. The way my mind works has always been a real irritation to the women in my life, starting with my mother. I'm pretty satisfied with it, but it can make it difficult to have a conversation with me sometimes.
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