Practice for death, and actual death.

Because of recent power outages, my parents did not have power for a period of some days.

After contacting them via my mother's emergency cell phone and confirming that they were well and as set up as best as they possibly could be, I otherwise left them alone, since they had the ability to take care of themselves, and why go and drain that cell phone battery.

But, it was very odd not to talk to them every day -- almost like practice for what my life will be like, when they are gone.

And, while all this was happening, I found out that an old professor had died, through two people who I know texting me about it.

Quite strangely, that very same night, I finished a long-held goal of reading all of a famous two-volume set of (Christian) apocrypha, that project coming to a close along with his life.