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Had Goines been going through hard times at the office 14 years ago? He doubted they were hard times. They were midway through the tenure of UNC President Erskine Bowles, and Erskine was delightful, more outgoing than Molly Corbett Broad had been.
Erskine had even shared at one of his party’s for employees that he was late coming down to greet them because he had just been on the phone with Bill Clinton, who had called to lament Hillary’s not being selected to be Obama’s running mate. Goines thought that was what Erskine had said Clinton had called about.
Or had he posted about holidays 14 years ago in an attempt to be controversial? He had written that his main philosophical objection to “holy days” was that if any day were holy, then they all were, and to single particular days out to make a big to-do about being extra good or whatever was, conversely, to single all the other days out to slough off and be mediocre, or worse. Or to create an excuse for over-eating watermelons and hot dogs and acting more rowdily and foolishly than usual.
That seemed okay to have written, but why restate it? It seemed more grumpy than controversial anyway, like railing against holidays because there was no mail delivery. Railing against holidays struck Goines now, 14 years later, as foolish. Surely he could find something more productive to think and write about.
Besides, Goines felt neither grumpy nor in need of being controversial. He just wanted to write something true to fill a slot.
Erskine had even shared at one of his party’s for employees that he was late coming down to greet them because he had just been on the phone with Bill Clinton, who had called to lament Hillary’s not being selected to be Obama’s running mate. Goines thought that was what Erskine had said Clinton had called about.
Or had he posted about holidays 14 years ago in an attempt to be controversial? He had written that his main philosophical objection to “holy days” was that if any day were holy, then they all were, and to single particular days out to make a big to-do about being extra good or whatever was, conversely, to single all the other days out to slough off and be mediocre, or worse. Or to create an excuse for over-eating watermelons and hot dogs and acting more rowdily and foolishly than usual.
That seemed okay to have written, but why restate it? It seemed more grumpy than controversial anyway, like railing against holidays because there was no mail delivery. Railing against holidays struck Goines now, 14 years later, as foolish. Surely he could find something more productive to think and write about.
Besides, Goines felt neither grumpy nor in need of being controversial. He just wanted to write something true to fill a slot.
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