How’s everyone doing?
Incredibly, we are well into 2021.
We, more or less, survived 2020. So that’s good.
So, now that that dumpster fire is done, how are you doing? What’s bringing you joy? What’s still hard? What are you hopeful for?
Impenitent social media enthusiast. Relational trend spotter. Enjoys both carpe diem and the fish of the day.
I miss life, vibrant, unterrified, open to others life. #feelingalittlebitblue
But this made me feel a bit better:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnbZHhuq3Vo
At this moment all is well in my world. Yes, it’s ridiculously cold and snowy in my area, but that is normal. I’m not sure when anyone in my family will get the vaccine, but we’ve all managed to stay healthy so far. I’ve finally started on a project I procrastinated for over 20 years— going through all my pictures, including my parents’ photos, and choosing the ones I want to digitize. Despite my dread, it’s fun to see the old pictures, the younger me, kids, etc. I think this year has been one of introspection and practicing finding peace within when the world does not feel peaceful at all. Sometimes I’ve felt so stressed and down, but lately I have a greater sense of equanimity, as they say in meditation. Books help, and so does this community of like-minded book lovers from all over the world. I hope those of you who are struggling have better days soon.
That’s lovely. I too have embarked on a project I’ve long dreamed of–I am taking old photos, printing them on my printer, cutting them up into small pieces and making a work of art that replicates a larger photo. I was inspired by the work of Vik Muniz.
I am first doing a black and white picture of myself at three–it’s such a challenge and I think this first one will look terrible because it is a first try but it’s interesting.
Dabney, that sounds like a wonderful project. Thank you for sharing the link. Really creative and fun. It reminds me of another artist I saw who uses photos to create “urban mandalas” of different cities, Neal Peterson at http://www.nealpeterson.com/. Perhaps you can post a photo of your work when you are done?
Wow! That is so cool.
And, if I ever figure out how do it well, I will!
Here is the starting point. I got a very inexpensive canvas printed with the picture I want to remake. This seemed like the easiest way to start. I plan to completely cover it with little bits of photos.
That picture of you is super cute!
Thank you. It is my favorite baby pic of me.
This is a super cool concept. I hope you’ll show us the results some day.
I did the same thing last year! It’s is so much fun.
But fair warning: digitizing those photos is only the first step. Then you have to capture/document who/what/when/why about them. Names. Dates. Captions. Tags. Family stories. Which turns into family trees. Which turns into marriage licenses and obituarys and scanning documents (first grade art projects, anyone?). Which turns into . . . ack! All I can say, is pace yourself! I had to quit before the holidays and have yet to get back to digitizing photos for fear of falling down the rabbit hole again. LOL.
Thanks for the warning! There are many good reasons I’ve procrastinated this project, and you just reminded me of some. But one step at a time.
A year ago, I was teaching high school and it was hard to “virtually” support 12th graders who lost the senior sparkle experiences. Within six months it was apparent that Covid is not a problem for the under 18 ages in Virginia but the school systems didn’t open until mid-Nov. and only for a few hybrid days before closing for a 2 month winter virtual round. My heart breaks as this year my youngest daughter is a 12th grader and her year has been virtual except for 9 hybrid days.
She arrived home yesterday from her first 2021 in person day to tell me that they cannot have another student at their lunch tables even though the school is at 25% capacity and they are 6 feet apart and masked all the time. Her teachers have been offered the vaccine so I’m not sure why they are tightening student interaction. FYI, they all get together with other students in their neighborhoods and houses albeit in small groups but still more than what lunchtime offers. It’s unfortunate that they are going to see the Flu vs Covid numbers for previous years and realize that this wasn’t the response needed for their age groups.
So now I’ve need to think outside the box and create Senior experiences since the school cohort will not. However, the principal called to tell us we can order the cap/gown for $35 for a ceremony that is not scheduled or will probably not take place.
We’re going through something similar. Our youngest is also a senior. Classes so far have all been virtual. They say they may go hybrid in April, which I’m not sure they should even bother. We were reminded just before xmas that we needed to buy the cap and gown package. They had several to choose from, but none were under $100. What a rip off when you’re not even guaranteed a ceremony. I live in a poor district, so I think there should be more affordable options.
My daughter goes to a magnet school for the arts, and she’s specializing in visual arts. One of her classes is sculpture. Fortunately, they’re allowing for creativity since none of the kids can use the school equipment for their class. She’s been getting credit for making and decorating cakes for her class. She’s gotten really good at baking in the last year and has even sold a few to parents of her friends.
Healthwise we’re doing okay. None of us are in a high risk group, so we’ll wait until later in the year when vaccines get rolled out to the general population. I know some businesses are talking about whether it will be required for employees that travel. Most of my co-workers want to keep their work from home arrangements and don’t want to deal with the bureaucracy that’s being developed just to work in the office. How offices are going to be used in the future is a highly debated topic.
Agreed.
I don’t know if you’ll find this amusing or annoying, but I outright refused to go to my high school graduation ceremony because I hated school so much. My parents and I asked the school secretary/registrar to discreetly give me my diploma on the last day of school, which she gladly did because she hated all those longwinded graduation ceremonies. Furthermore, she said she wished all high schoolers graduated the way I did. So no fuss, no muss, no expense, and one of my happiest memories. :-) But I know that path isn’t for everyone…
I understand. I’m a low maintenance, informal sort of person. Too much pomp and circumstance is not my thing. My husband and I even opted for getting married by a Justice of the Peace because we didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a wedding, and I am really not comfortable with public displays. Weddings are fine for other people, but so not for me.
That is so awesome! I wish more people were forthcoming about keeping things lowkey. Oh, wait…
My daughter (28) just recovered from covid. She lives in the same town but has her own place, and I was unable to see her for three weeks. I know of four people (all acquaintances, no close family or friends) who have died of covid. I’ve been back at work (public school system) since August. I live in a very red area of a very red state and it’s so exhausting listening to people (many in positions of authority) saying that the covid numbers are inflated, that the vaccine will kill you, that the government is paying extra money for death certificates that list covid as cause of death, etc. (QAnon has infiltrated every level of our government. In the future, this whole response to covid will be an object lesson in mass delusion.) Anyway, I work with special needs students and, believe me, it is an endless battle to explain to a teenager on the autism spectrum why they have to keep a mask on all the time. The one saving grace is that I’m in a reduced-numbers classroom with the same students all day, so we make our own little “pod,” but I’m exhausted by everything happening, the absolute intransigence of many elected officials in my area and from my state, the fact that even at 63 and working in a school, I still don’t know when I’ll get the vaccine. Thankfully, my home & family life is happy right now because work & outside-home life is draining, to say the least.
Bless you and the work you do under all that stress.
Second that!
Thank you for the work that you are doing at a risk to yourself.
I am experiencing the flip side school wise. One of my children is at higher risk of death from COVID so my kids are studying 100% remote learning even though their school has opened recently for hybrid (2 hours a day in person). I worry that I will get covid and pass it to them or get sick myself and leave them without a parent.
Remote learning requires a high level of parent support in particular if you have a child with special needs. It has taken a toll on my job and has been exhausting, with no end in sight until a vaccine for my child’s age group becomes available. But it is the only option for us and I am conscious of how fortunate I am to be able to have the option for my kids do eLearning. So thank you for the invaluable work that you do. You make a big difference to a lot of families for parents who are not fortunate enough to be able to have their kids study remotely. I wish teachers were better protected and supported by your community.
As for escapes, I used to love dystopian sci-fi. Turns out living it is not so much fun. :-)
So now, I get my breaks from snippets of standup comedy on Youtube or from reading a bit of lighthearted romance.
“hugs”
Hang in there, Zapat050!
Like you, I’ve found that this is a good time to read lighthearted fare, including romance. AAR is a great resource for recs. Maybe too great a resource- my TBR list is going to collapse! ;-)
If you’re looking for more hopeful science fiction right now instead of dystopian, there is an entire growing subgenre called “solarpunk” that emphasizes the positive aspects of future science, technology, nature, and humanity. World Weaver Press has published a number of anthologies in this category. This April, they are going to publish an anthology entitled Multispecies Cities: Solarpunk Urban Futures that looks fantastic. It was funded by a Japanese ecology company, if I’m not mistaken. There’s another solarpunk anthology from the small publisher JayHenge entitled Sunshine Superhighway out there too. Finally, DreamForge Anvil’s online speculative magazine has a mission to promote positive, uplifting science fiction. Happy reading!
Here in the UK I am fed up with the politicisation of Covid and the negative attitudes and reporting in the press. No government, anywhere, has a crystal ball, is capable of prophecy, has a magic wand or can give us the exact date we can go on holiday or shop without a mask, etc., etc. It just makes it worse to the point that some days go by when I can’t bear to look at a newspaper or news site from anywhere in the world or listen to the BBC carp on and on. Please STOP already!!!
On the positive side, the DH and I have both had our first Covid jabs and it was a dawdle. Well organised, quick, simple and a great relief. As we are looking after immediate neighbours living alone of 86 and 94, we feel a bit relieved that we are, hopefully, less likely to pass anything on to them after having our jabs. Not that we are going anywhere anyway! Right now, the weather is below freezing, there has been snow, the sun shone today and the air was crisp and clean. Wonderful! And, thankfully, as we are retired, we do have fewer worries than so many others for whom we feel much pain and sorrow. Best we can do for everyone is to stay at home, use the internet for shopping that enables us to do that, and keep positive thoughts for the future. And thank heaven that we are well and happy to be with each other 24/7 as there will be those who are finding it very hard to cope with that.
Today is crap for me. People around me mostly in my apartment building but too in my city are exhausting with all their anger. Tolerance for people other than them isn’t a thing. Dreaming of an imaginary life in a commune with kind people.
Sorry. Not a great day.
Oh man do I hear you. Yesterday I watched a woman in the lobby of my building–she was incandescent with rage–scream at another resident because the latter was doing approved construction during workday hours. A friend of mine was just in a bad accident due to road rage. It’s depressing.
Hang in there!
Day job has been busy as an anthill for months, so I’m burned-out. Plus the firm just laid off staff across its US offices (they didn’t specify who, almost certainly on-site support staff who’ve been underemployed for the past 11 months since we all went remote; nobody in my practice group), so I’m anxious.
My beta reader/designer has been too swamped with *her* job to give much feedback for months so I feel like I’m writing in a vacuum. Am almost at the end of things that are ‘ready’ to publish, and while nobody is out there going ‘Where’s the next book?!’ getting something launched still feels like an accomplishment, so the idea of stalling out is discouraging.
On the plus side, my job does seem to be secure (for now), I’m healthy (for now) as is the husband, as are all of those in our immediate family. Or at least none of us have the virus. My dad is scheduled for gallbladder surgery next month having spent 6 days in the hospital with an acute infection in January.
tl;dr: much that is not great, but mostly as good as can be expected.
I am still months away from a vaccine, variants are spreading here in Europe, and February is grey gloomy damp and dreary.
On the good side, I have really found enjoyment and calm for reading (also big idea) books, I still have work and no one of my close ones is seriously ill. Also, I can easily go out and just take long walks in lovely nature (though damp and stormy and grey…).
I know the end is closer, but it feels far away, and it asks a lot of reserves of patience and serenity, right now.
It really does, doesn’t it?
But I do believe there is hope and a light at the end of the tunnel…..
(this is the sunrise yesterday from my deck)
Good things: I had my first COVID vaccine this past Saturday. I was surprised to be contacted by Duke to set it up, but I went with it (I turned 65 in 2020). I wish I could have given my spot to my husband. He doesn’t meet the age requirement yet has chronic asthma. Anyway, I have an appointment for the second shot in a couple of weeks.
I’m going through an online drawing course and have stuck with it for over two weeks now. I’m really enjoying it. I love to draw but have no real training. My youngest daughter is working on her computer drawing and animation to get her portfolio together for job searches, so we’re encouraging each other.
No one in my immediate family has gotten COVID,and since everyone is being super careful,we’ve been able to see each other in person all year.
My DBT therapist is helping me work on strategies to resist the downward spiral I can get into. Drawing is one of the strategies. So is my weekly volunteer work at the riding therapy center. (HORSES!) I’m also setting doable goals for getting work done around the house. It might sound silly, but this includes making a list each morning and then going over the list at the end of the day with my husband to “celebrate” any successes. Not having well laid out goals like I did at work has been difficult, so this helps.
Still difficult: Cabin fever is real. We watched the live stream of a ballet this past weekend (we have season tickets to the NC Ballet), and while it was fun, it was sort of depressing,too. It highlighted the things we’ve lost in the past year,like monthly outings to the ballet or a Broadway show. It’s amazing how much having something like that to look forward to helps your outlook.
While we’ve done amazingly well cramped in our smallish house for a year (three adult children and my husband and I), we’re all tired of it. Two of my daughter’s haven’t seen their boyfriend/fiance in over a year now and it’s difficult. My oldest who struggles with mental and physical health issues is sort of in limbo trying to seek disability.
Hopeful: Vaccines are happening,so maybe the end is near? Youngest daughter is getting stuff together for job hunting in the computer animation field. Hope for good things there.
Carrie–does your DBT coach do sleep? I have a friend in the area who is desperately looking for someone.
Not that I know of. Sorry! As someone who has battled, and been treated for,severe insomnia for two decades, I sympathize. I had both trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, only sleeping in approximately one hour stretches. I started having significant cognitive issues that prompted me to seek help. I started with my GP, and after a year of trying behavioral changes, diet, white noise, etc., we turned to meds. I was on Ambien nightly for over a decade. I didn’t have any of the weird side-effects, thankfully. People used to ask me if I was afraid of getting addicted to the Ambien,and I could only respond, “How would I know? I didn’t sleep before I started taking it, so nothing would really be different.”
When I started seeing a psychiatrist, we decided to switch off Ambien to Trazadone. It doesn’t knock you out, but it does help you stay asleep. It works pretty well for me. I’m now with a sleep clinic doctor at Duke being treated for sleep apnea as well as insomnia. I still take Trazadone after trying a different medication (had to up the dose recently), but other than a few breakthrough bouts of insomnia a month, I’m sleeping fairly well.
I recommend your friend try to see a sleep specialist,like the sleep clinic at Duke. I’m pretty sure don’t just treat sleep apnea, but look at insomnia problems as well. Plus insomnia is a side effect of sleep apnea. Best wishes for your friend!
P.S. I still pay attention to sleep hygiene,as well, like limiting screen time before bed, avoiding lots of “white” food (empty carbs), exercise but not too close to bed, limit alcohol and caffeine, etc.
The Duke Clinic is very good–love Dr. Danforth!
I am so grateful that I just got my 2nd shot of the vaccine! I have my first grand baby due in a few weeks, a girl, we are so excited. I also am reading more – and really started listening to audio books last year and really enjoying it, Hoping and praying we get back to some sort of normal soon.
I am so happy for you! I am at the end of the list even though my children assure me that 59 is ancient. And, given that the four of them are all under 30, they look at me as if I’m crazy when I say the word grandchildren.
Someday….