1) Covid Sucks
(If you follow me on Twitter, you might as well skip #1.)
I’ve been absurdly careful. Like, I have skipped five concerts in the past few years. I have worn a mask everywhere I’ve gone indoors, including state park restrooms when I’m the only one around. I have avoided crowds. I had a backyard birthday party of three people who had to take rapid tests before they could join the large circle and hang out. I haven’t been on a plane. I haven’t been to a conference. I haven’t eaten inside a restaurant since March 2020. I haven’t eaten on a restaurant patio either.
I did, however, make the mistake of thinking if I was skating outside on the beach broadwalk (sic) with a sea breeze, I could go mask free. I still took the alleys and back street when crowds got too dense.
So, I’m feeling (still) a little like nothing is fair and everyone who’s been running around doing what they want can take a flying leap. I’m also willing to mask up to punch anyone who tells me it’s “just like a little cold or the flu” because that was not my experience.
The first week felt like pneumonia. By the end of the round of Paxlovid, I started to feel a bit better (more like a summer cold), but then it rebounded into what felt like a bad flu combined with a sinus infection. I still have days where my brain doesn’t want to “boot up” and I still have days where I’m inexplicitly tired. (Even though I basically spent three weeks as a potato.)
So, not pleased. (Especially not pleased with how it messed with Husband’s blood pressure.)
I’d highly recommend wearing a mask if you can even see other humans without binoculars.
2) Habits
Yeah, that explains why I haven’t managed to keep up with the newsletter or meet my Medium post goals or get in those 750 words I promised myself.
I didn’t get remotely close to my mileage goal for July with running and so far I’ve been failing at the first few days of August. I have gotten a little bit of skating in the past week. We’ve also been working on building a fence along the property line, so I’m getting some exercise.
My dudes, I need physical activity to keep my ADHD and depression under wraps. Meds are good, but that’s part of the picture. I need to run/walk/skate/snorkel/swim/hike/paddleboard/etc. I have to be doing things or I get a bit “off.” Like, losing all the habits it took me years to get into place. Habit building with ADHD is like building a pyramid with playing cards in a windstorm.
3) I hate shopping.
Yeah, I know it’s an unpopular opinion. I know I’m supposed to find a “Target run” therapeutic and I’m supposed to think the dollar spot is some sort of Suburban White Lady Mecca. Frankly, I find the whole thing stressful and I’d rather not.
I mean, if you love a good stroll through the aisles, more power to you. (Maybe you can pick up a few things for me while you’re there?)
4) Books I’ve Been Reading
So, I got a chance to read Thomas Pluck’s recent manuscript and it’s a lot of fun. I hope you get to read it, too, soon.
I also read When Women Were Dragons. Several reviews seemed to ding it for a lack of inclusion, especially of trans women, but I remember at least two places where the interspaced scientific accounts mentioned a reference to women and people who identify as women, but it was small. There was also a “news story” about a drag show where all the performers “dragoned” (not trans-specific, but acknowledging “dragoning” by people who aren’t cishet women). I don’t have exact quotes because I borrowed it from the library and there’s a waitlist. (I forgot to screenshot.) Most of it is also set in the 1950s, so the fact that the scientist mentions drag performers and trans women (despite not using modern verbiage) seemed pretty progressive. It’s one of those things that tries to balance our reality (with references to Nixon and the McCarthy hearings) with the alternate reality of women turning into dragons. (I’m not trying to make excuses for the author, but it didn’t jump out as super-problematic to me. So, your mileage may vary.)
Finna by Nino Cipri was a weird little work where a couple of retail workers at an alternate version of IKEA get sent into other dimensions to track down a lost customer.
Finally got to Bottle Demon by Stephen Blackmoore in my TBR pile and I’m glad I had that to get me through the first week of Covid. Equal parts fun and fucked up, as per expected. I have loved this series, so if you are remotely interested in a dark Los Angeles noir-type urban fantasy, get yourself the first book in the series. (This is book #6.)
Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby is on Obama’s summer reading list, so I don’t need to give it anymore accolades, but I got to that one in my pile, too. If you like crime fiction, realistic family struggles, and well-written stories, listen to Obama.
What are you reading?
5) Dark Chocolate Gingers
I sometimes pick up random candies from the “international” section of the local Publix. Husband is a big fan of these Caramel wafer things from the UK and there’s a Jamaican cookie he’s into. I recently picked up a box of Border Dark Chocolate Gingers. and accidentally found my favorite non-vegan cookie. They have a bit of a spiciness to them, which is why my favorite gingerbread is my own, and the dark chocolate actually tastes like chocolate. (Looking at your, Hershey’s.)
What’s your favorite cookie?
Glad you are feeling somewhat better. Those cookies look amazing. There's a UK shop in town near the Refill Store that sells sustainable soaps and whatnot with minimal packaging, and I've been meaning to go there instead of ordering stuff online, so I'll look for those cookies.