The CD Binder, Part 2

Being a continuation of the story told previously, entitled The CD Binder, Part 1.

The CD Binder, Part 1

It was the start of spring break my freshman year of college and I was walking to my car to drive home (this was before that car got stolen, but that’s a different story for another day). At an intersection near my dorm, a car pulled up to the stop sign, presumably also driving home for the break. There were two girls in the front, and on top of the car was a CD binder.

A Crazy Two Weeks – March 31, 2020

On March 1, the state of North Carolina had its first confirmed case of COVID-19. On March 5, I got on a plane to fly to San Antonio. That sounds absolutely insane to say now, but that just shows how quickly everything changed. The virus was concerning, but not necessarily life-altering.

The Parking Garage Incident

Alright, so this one is a bit of a long story, but it’s totally worth it. Despite the similarity in name, this story is vastly different from The Garage.

Some friends and I were going out to downtown Durham on a Friday night. I was driving. I decided to park in the parking garage conveniently located across from our destination.

The Cruise

1000 hours
Maintenance Bay
Time to start cleaning the passenger cabins. This is my favorite part of the day! I have the privilege of serving aboard the finest cruise liner ever produced, and I have the honor of ensuring that every passenger’s cabin has the cleanest floors, tidiest beds, and sparkliest bathrooms they have ever seen.

I can’t wait!

The Nazgûl

Hi!

This essay is now hosted over at https://tolkienessays.com/nazgul

I hope you enjoy reading it over there!

Control

Then Jesus told them a story: A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, “What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.” Then he said, “I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, ‘My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!'”

But God said to him, “You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?”

Luke 12:16-20

In 2018, I felt a bit like the man in this story. I had just been married. We had bought a house together. I had just switched jobs, taking a senior engineering position at a startup. We had recently gotten back from our honeymoon in Greece. I had it all — I was on top of the world.

Duffel Bag

About a decade ago, I opened a checking account with a bank that doesn’t even exist anymore (NBC, bought by Suntrust (now Truist) in 2005). At the time, of course, I didn’t know it was going to stop existing. I just knew that it, conveniently, had a branch inside the Kroger I lived next to.

Graveyard

The Checking Account

A couple of months ago, my wife and I went to add her name to my checking account. We have joint finances on paper, but we had yet to make reality match the theory. No, we’re not newlyweds. We’re just lazy.