"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"
September 09, 2020
Nope - I think we're stuck in the worst of times, not a lot of best out there. Other than Melancholia's sad little "Be Best" initiative.
I haven't blogged since May, for various reasons, most of them stressful. I have been active on Facebook, as a way to stay connected with people. I've also been getting into more arguments with right-wing Covidiots than I should, and have been following too many news sites for the latest information/rumours. COVID still weighs on my mind now, but not as much as it did a few months ago. As the lockdown eased, I started socializing more - shopping with a mask more than once every few weeks, sitting outside my local with a beer, a visit from Patty (after 7 months), walks around the hood. But I also had stresses added - relationship issues and then a notice of eviction. My landlord wants to move into my place, so I'm out as of October 31. I got that news a few weeks ago but now have a new place - yay! Going from a two bedroom in a house to a one bedroom in an apartment building will be a change, but a good one. I'm downsizing a lot of stuff, and I will have a nice 9th floor balcony with a view of the Parliament buildings, Ottawa River, and the Gatineau's. I'm sure I'll meet many interesting people in the building, and NCC park land is right outside, with lots of walkers. Many with dogs. So - less stress as I look forward to this change and work on checking off things on my to-do list for moving.
But, last spring stresses were definitely building up so I called in some help - as in I got a referral from my doctor to a therapist. She was very helpful and smart, and also a nice person to talk and joke with, so between the two of us (and my sister) I figured out how to deal with some issues, and some coping strategies for the ones I had to leave open. My psych "score" hasn't changed that much, but the important thing is to learn how to deal with whatever stressors pop up in your life.
So - projects? No writing/editing. No photography projects. Lots of online gaming/streaming on Twitch , driving trucks or trains or shooting animals. I like simulation games, and have over 700 followers now. I earn minimal income from it but it's fun to chat with people from around the world. The free opera from the Met is still on, and I've enjoyed a number of their re-broadcasts. After I move, I'll have a lot of unpacking and sorting out to do but I want to get into creating podcasts of my many short stories, here. I'll use Audacity to record and edit, use my headset for now, and put them up on my own site.
And I'll try to blog more here.
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