By the Elevator Part 1: Harold Wannabe and Death

Yesterday We just watched the 1971 movie HAROLD AND MAUDE.   Harold is an eccentric young person, probably under age 20 and Maude an eccentric lady that will turn 75 before the movie is over.   Harold is obsessed with death and Maude is obsessed with life.  They were made for each other; a love made in heaven.

Maude is played by Ruth Gordon and Harold is played by  Bud Cort.  HAROLD AND MAUDE is a great movie full of quotable quotes.

As I watched Harold AND MAUDE it reminded me of someone obsessed with death: an Atlanta Postal employee.

I don't remember his name, it has been about 35 years since I have seen him.  He mannerisms and speech reminded me of Disney's Goofy.  So, for this we will call him Goofy.

Goofy's job was in the basement throwing parcels into tubs.

 The elevator was right by the parcel sorting section.  Doing my timely rounds as a timekeeper part of my route was take the elevator where Goofy was throwing parcels.  We talked often.  I found out he was an expert on western novels.  He had every western writer, their stories, and characters memorized.  He was compulsive. 

Goofy  was also compulsive about looking at dead people.  And so was his mother.  He told me he and his mother went through the obituaries regularly looking for wakes and funerals to go to.   They each had a small camera to sneak a picture of the honoree corpse.  They had picture albums full of dead people they did not know.

It was nice that a mother and her son had a hobby together.