Sunday, January 08, 2023

Go Productivity! Choose Productivity!

I have a gnarly winter cold. It's not Covid; I've test multiple times. Will probably keep doing it every couple of days anyway.


I'm too sick to be in enclosed spaces with people, plus I'm not drinking, but I feel better standing upright than lying down, and moving around feels good. I went to the gym and walked for an hour to White Lotus S2 E3:

  • 1 hour
  • 2.9mph
  • 8% incline

Today I ate:
2 matcha lattes, oat milk + honey simple
2 eggs, scrambled
1 bag Kettle chips, salt+pepper, with salsa (stoned)
salad: 1 tomato, TBSP green onions soaked in lemon, 4 slices salami, handful of parsley, leaves and stems, castelvetrano olives, blue cheese, EVOO+S+P
non-alcoholic vermouth on the rocks, castelvetrano olives
leftover Shrimp Creole with white rice


Today I: 
cleaned out our adopt-a-drain
vacuumed 
took out trash
steamed my face while doing a 5-min breathing meditation
calming face mask
shower, including pumiced feet and double face cleanse

Wrote out my resolutions. Blew my nose approximately eleventy billion times.

Friday, September 11, 2020

Commonplace Book

I wish I had done this all of quarantine. It may be better in actual written form though. Which honestly isn't a bad idea since I don't want anyone reading this anyway. (Not that anyone would care.)






This is what it looked like all day Wednesday. Today it's back to normal colors, but still thick with ash suspended in fog. AQI is purple.

So, I ordered groceries from GoodEggs. Ordered lunch. Sitting in the same spot I've been sitting for 75% of the last 6 months and 95% of the last 72 hours.


I have, for the last 20 years or so, always secretly worried/wondered if I was a super-high functioning alcoholic. But despite drinking more than usual for the past few months, I quit cold turkey 11 days ago and haven't caved. There's plenty of booze in the house too so WHEW. I sure would like a drink though.

You're not supposed to weigh yourself on Whole 30 but I couldn't resist the temptation. So far down over 6 lbs! Although on September 1st I was 2-3 lbs up from "the new normal" due to a combination of PMS and "eating that thing one last time before we started Whole 30" so maybe only lost 2-3 lbs, which actually sounds more appropriate for 11 days. It's honestly not that hard, just sort of boring and takes time, but I got plenty of that.

I got an extra $600 from EDD yesterday. No note, no explanation. Haven't seen an article on it. Just two additional $300 deposits in addition to my usual award. Not mad about it. Going to buy some more stretchy pants.

Breakfast: cultured cottage cheese, peach, rosemaried almonds
Lunch: chicken cobb, no cheese

Finally fell behind on my NYT crosswords. Never finished Sunday because, well, it was a DAY, and have been behind ever since.

Going to start The Stand today.


This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang, but with a whimper.
~T.S. Eliot






Monday, September 07, 2020

Labor Day

 Sometimes it really feels like the world is ending. Or about to turn into one of those post-apocalyptic novels I love to read. Not with a bang but with a whimper.


Yesterday it got to over 90 INSIDE OUR APARTMENT. The air quality was so bad we had to keep the windows shut. Fashioned ourselves a little swamp cooler:



Supposed to have a picnic today with J&L. Not sure if we should be outside in this but also I miss our friends and don't want to grow apart because we keep saying no to things.

Been thinking a lot about comparative stress/suffering. I know we have it better than so many people. But refusing to acknowledge or face my own stuff because others have it worse is not helpful at all. Put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others. I can't be of help if I'm a wreck. It's a fine line to deal&heal with my comparatively easier situation without becoming a brat but I think it's important to feel my feelings and still be empathetic.

Happy place: husband is listening to D'Angelo and making bacon while I do a crossword puzzle. 


Friday, September 04, 2020

what I've got they used to call the blues

I have been ardently trying to only read female authors of color this year. It was a goal of mine before SIP and global pandemic and #blacklivesmatter and the world generally going to shit in a handbasket. (don't @me) I think it's important for me to support these women AND I think it's important because I can learn from them.


I caved this week and got an audio book by a white man, because it sounded breezy (essays) which were largely read by famous actors, and it was free. I listened to the first two on my walk to grab our lunch - a walk I really didn't want to take for oh so many reasons, but forced myself to for another oh so many)... and returned the book when I got home. 


He was smart and funny, sure, but also entitled and a little mean. Of course I don't think that all men are entitled and a little mean anymore than I think all Leos are self-loving angerballs but the correlation was made in my head and I'm going back to reading women.


Our lunch was a disaster. I won't bore you with the details. I tried to salvage what I could by turning it into another salad. I like to think of myself as a problem solver. Don't get me started on day 4 of Whole 30 but for posterity's sake: I'm more bored than hungry, I have a headache, and I'd probably slap a person for a Tito's on the rocks.


Someone posted an article this week about how popular Les Miserables is, and how people who love the musical would hate those exact same headlines. How did "anti-fascism" become left wing? The right should HATE fascists, because "their freedoms!" right? Also... white people loooooove watching anti-fascist stories. Gladiator. Star Wars. Star Trek. Battlestar. Batman. ANY superhero move. Harry frickin' Potter.


Ohhh, right. White people love antifa stories about white people. They even conveniently shortened it to a word that sounds vaguely ethnic and organized and aggressive. Simply stunning.


What am I doing about it, you may ask? Nothing. Sitting at home self-medicating my own depression, and reading female authors of color. 

Saturday, August 29, 2020

just a note I sent to my girlfriends this morning

Hitting a rough patch and have no energy to write more than I already have, with the following note to two very close girlfriends this morning.

Hi ladies,

I watched this video this morning and it made me think of you two, separately, but I think we are all close enough for me to address you together.





I'm a generally optimistic person and girls... I'm running out. I'm not sure why this video in particular tipped me off, something about watching people move their bodies with JOY maybe, but I just sat down and had a real good cry.

I do feel better afterwards (emotional orgasm for one, please) but man, the world is so fucked up and I just really need some hope. I've never gone through so much knowing that the entire world and everyone I would normally lean on is going through it too. I could really go for some precedented times, y'all. It's like you don't even know what you're supposed to feel and but god, so many feelings, and then recognizing that so many others have it so much worse that you feel guilty for the feelings, you know?

I bring this to you two today, via email, because I know you both have no problem helping me with my burdens -- and I mean that as the utmost compliment; I would wither if my friends didn't need me -- and I wanted you to be able to process my stuff on your own time, with the option of choosing not to take it on until you're ready. I'm learning so much about grown-up female friendships right now and above all, to put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others.

So I'm going to have leftover pizza and a White Russian for breakfast like a goddamn grown-up and lean on the fact that I have people like you both, out there somewhere, dealing with your own very real and complex emotions. I am here for you to lean on as well, and I appreciate the fact that you know that and use it when necessary. We are a village.

Watch the video! Maybe you can absorb the joy instead of crumbling in the face of it. Or maybe you'll have a good cry like I did and write a sappy note to someone you care about. This is all fine. I love you!

~JLH

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Go ahead. I trust you.

Man, my brain is all over the place. I need writing prompts. I end up wandering around instead of actually saying anything. I like writing and want to do it more but I'm still getting used to this stream-of-consciousness word-vomit approach (journaling.... I think it's called journaling).


Today I wanted to write -- not edit, just write (yeah right) -- about teamwork. Something I've been thinking about a lot as I apply for job after job. Although this is a terrible time, it IS an opportunity. One I hope to never have again, but an opportunity nonetheless. Husband is still working, we don't have any real debt, and we're barely spending any money. I'm getting unemployment (for the next 3-ish months) and we're not in danger of losing our home. So I actually have the time to think - what do I really want my next career to look like? Do you prefer to work alone or on a team?


I've never had one of those "shut yourself in an office and work all day" sort of jobs. There have been aspects of it of course, in every job, but mostly my work has been group-focused and dependent on a team. And while there's something very attractive about a role that would allow me be alone to JUST WORK, would I miss bouncing ideas off someone else? I think teamwork has the opportunity to encompass the best of all of us. (Or rather, it should ... but that's another essay.) Then again, maybe it's the end of the world as we know it and I'll have to work from home for the rest of my life. What would that look like?


When I was up in Mendocino last month with my brothers from another mother, we did a little project. Ross bought a chandelier from a thrift store and stripped the bulbs, spray-painted it, and strung it with a row of solar lights. Our goal was to hang it from a tree. Side note: these are my very favorite kind of projects.


In order to hang it where it would get enough sunlight to actually power it, it had to go very high. At first they tried to put a ladder in the back of the pick-up truck (translation: they didn't try. They actually did it while I stood at the bottom shouting "this is not a good idea!!!") but it still wasn't tall enough. Ross tied a weight onto a rope, which he then attached to the wire that was going to hold the chandelier, and he, Dave, and Evan proceeded to try and throw that over the branch about 800 times. It was fun at first and then it got annoying. It was hot. We all had cricks in our neck from staring at the sky. We put it off until the next day.


We finally got the rope over the branch. It carried the wire. Which by the way had been coiled so got tangled and involved me untangling a one-sided snarl of thick wire that was attached to a tree branch 40' in the air. (Aside: I am freakishly good at untangling things and also at peeling off stickers. Two feats that seem completely unsuited to someone of my Type-A impatience but hey, I contain multitudes.) We then realized we needed to slip a rubber tubing over the wire where it came in contact with the tree, so it wouldn't cut into the tree branch over time. It couldn't make it through the snarls of the 50' long wire (plus we needed it you know, at the other end) so we had to start from scratch.


Back came down the rope, back came down the wire. Added the tube. Discussed at lengths ways to affix it so we could position it correctly. Discussed the pros and cons of every idea from chewing gum to climbing the tree and adjusting it once it was up. At some point we tried something that worked. At some point we tried something that didn't. We just kept evolving to the next idea.


At some point Evan was explaining his next avenue, and gesturing with his hands, and using phrases like "no, the other end" and then, as things go, said, "do you understand what I'm saying?" Everyone was nearing frustration and Ross just said, "no, I don't, but go ahead - I trust you." 


It was not a large moment and I don't think out of character for either of them, but it really struck me. Go ahead; I trust you. How often do we do that? How much do we let go our inner control freaks and give someone else the reins even though we have absolutely no idea how it's going to play out? 


I can't remember if that idea worked or if we moved on to the next one but my end feeling of the project is that we all weighed in and we all got it done. Some tactics worked and some tactics didn't. Failure happens until it doesn't. No one was a control freak, no one was defensive, we pooled our resources and we got it done. Together. 


Go ahead. I trust you.



Saturday, August 22, 2020

Le McRib

 I think I may have popped my rib back in and now it's just sore. I hope. Fingers crossed.


I always think of things I want to journal about at night and then when I sit down the next morning, I have forgotten. Is this how writers feel always? (Note: I know I am not a writer. Just asking.)


We went out last night. To this little place in the Richmond we've gone a few times. You order inside (in a mask) and then eat outside. No table service. The girl that works inside is super nice and I always tip her fat. I still don't feel great about it but our apartment was so hot we had to get out. We had wings and brussels sprouts and wine/beer and rolled our eyes at the Karens of the Inner Richmond and it almost felt like a normal Friday night.  


Almost.


Looking for a job is hard. Looking for a job during a global pandemic feels insurmountable. If I wasn't married I might have had to move home to my parents' by now. That thought is sobering.


Speaking of sobering, we're going to a modified Whole30 in September (I need a new name). Modified because I just can't get into a no-bean lifestyle. We're keeping our morning beverages and all legumes and yogurt. I use it for a lot of sauces. I'm not inspecting labels for added sugar because I like balanced flavors. But, no cheese, no grains, no superfluous sugar (like chocolate or desserts), no alcohol, no chips/fries/charcuterie. Focusing on meats and produce and no doubt a lot of weed, if I'm being honest. I'll probably document it here for posterity and sincerely hope that no one is reading this.



Friday, August 21, 2020

my legally prescribed trip

I have this weird thing where one of my ribs "pops out" ever so often. That sounds fucking absurd, right? The second time it happened, my generous friend Sonya who is also a massage therapist came over to help me out, and after feeling my back, told me that's what she thought it was. I promptly forgot that statement because of the pain and also because THAT SOUNDS FUCKING ABSURD and a week later, still in pain, I went to the chiropractor who said, "it seems like you've popped a rib out" and I was like ... oh, so that's really a thing?!? Sincere apologies to my smart and capable friend who I doubted even though she's an expert in her field and I am .... not. SO anyway, here I am in excruciating pain. Meandering between foam rollers and ice packs and muscle relaxers.


I am not an idle person. I have never been one to sit around and watch TV all day. I just don't do it. No judgment -- I like the idea of it and I try it sometimes but after like 3-4 hours I just cannot. I NEED TO MOVE. But oh yeah, even if it didn't currently hurt to take a deep breath, we're still sheltering in place because there's a global pandemic going on. And most of Northern California is on fire because of the raging wildfires due to the drought and the freak lightning storm so the air quality is terrible even if it wasn't for the pain and the pandemic. I really don't have a lot of options here. I can't really work out. I can't go outside. Why am I being a brat? I love reading and crossword puzzles and movies and day-drinking so why can't I just lean in and do this? God I'm such a whiny bitch.


I have a close friend who I rarely altercate with. (Awkward grammar; YKWIM.) Lately we have just... not clicked. I feel like I rarely understand what she is saying, and rarely think she is getting what I'm trying to say. When I try and reach out for chitchat it feels forced. We don't have a lot of overlapping interests/hobbies so it's not like we can just fall back into a safe space of discussing X for hours. Maybe we shouldn't fall back into a safe space? Maybe we should stretch into a different space? Why shrink when we could grow? I'm humble enough to not blame this on either of us or her. It happens. It happens with family and it happens with partners and it happens with close friends. The difference is the platonic friendship. With your family you can get as over it as you want and still fall back on the "welp, they're family" cushion (if you want to... I know that's not a choice or desire for everyone). With lovers you can demand an intention. With friends it's different. You don't ask a friend, "do you want to be friends forever or am I just a fling?"* You just have to navigate the relationship assuming or hoping you both want the same outcome. That's kinda wack when you think about how important your friends are.


*Britt actually tells me she wants to be friends forever. I should remember to thank her for that. She is so special. Vanessa tells me not to edit while journaling. I do it anyway but I'm and will leave in this rando self-reminder in her honor. She's so special too, in a completely opposite way. 


I'm stoned on muscle relaxers. The house is heating up. It smells like a campfire. Are there really more sirens these days? Or am I just now noticing? How did we get here*, as a planet?


*Stuck inside during a pandemic reading a near constant stream of fake news from all sides to gear up for one of the most dramatic Presidential races in history while outside is burning because of climate change-induced drought and unprecedented August lighting storms. And let's not even get started on the systemic racism. Feels too big to tackle. Or the psychological toll being quarantined has on you, your partner, and your relationship. Feels too small to matter. People are dying after all. They're dying here and in Palestine and in Beirut and in China and I'm so, so lucky. So lucky I don't always let myself feel my feelings. Feelings feel indulgent. I'm privileged enough to get to possibly just consider the opportunity that I might do Whole 30 in September. But I'm not giving up my soy creamer. I just can't get by on black coffee.


I'm glad I'm stoned. It helps when reading Facebook. I could really go for a martini and some precedented times. 

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

random musings ending in the title of my autobiography:

 The air is heavy and so am I.


We cleaned ash up from our windowsills and floors. It's hot and our windows are closed but we can smell the smoke anyway. My right ovary hurts. I'm doing something I never do, which is lying in bed instead of taking a walk or looking for a job or working out or zooming a friend. I'll likely regret the choice later. 


I had to have a virtual meeting with my PCP today, because my new insurance won't cover a migraine Rx that has been working wonders for me. Our system is so f&^*%ed. What if this was actually life-threatening? 


So many childhood friends on Facebook are Trumpers and it bums me out so hard. I see how they're raising brainwashing their kids to think their masks are stupid and the Clintons ran a child sex trafficking operation out of a pizza parlor and it makes me want to rip my eyelashes out. How did we get here, as a nation? I've voted for both Democrats and Republicans in my lifetime. When did everyone get so MEAN?


Some people want equality and some want revenge. I personally don't believe revenge makes you feel any better and if it does make you feel better, what does that say about you? Shouldn't we go high? Why doesn't reciprocation make you just as bad as the person who did it?


I can't figure out how to pair my bluetooth headphones to my bluetooth sound bar speaker and if that's not a first world problem I don't know what is. It also makes me feel solidly middle-aged. 


I took off my sneakers and left them in the middle of the floor. I've been staring at them for 20 minutes, thinking I should get up and put them away. It's all fun and games until your spouse comes in and trips over something you deliberately left out because you were too lazy to get up. 



Monday, August 17, 2020

the end of birthday celebrations

Yesterday was my last bday party. Jason and Leanne and Barbara and Carson and Tara and Joan. A lot of people didn't make it which was kind of a bummer since everyone went to a lot of trouble to make and bring food and drinks. It rained all night the night before - a rarity in San Francisco, especially in August - and I was worried that it would be humid and steamy and everyone would be miserable. After most people had left Barbara and John got into an intense discussion that brought up years of hurt feelings and it was all pretty aggressive and ended the evening on a sour note. I'm super pissed about it to be honest but it's his friendship and he's protective of it in general so I can't really say much without being an asshole. 


I walked to Bi-Rite and spent $170 on groceries. WTF. I have mosquito bites that are driving me absolutely bonkers. I'm over-socialized from all the get-togethers and want to stay inside for a week.


This morning I weighed 150 lbs. I'm not body shaming -- especially during this quarantine -- I feel like I generally look pretty good for 44. But nothing fits and I'm kind of uncomfortable so I need to make some changes. Going to go grain-free and nix the non-fermented cow dairy for a bit, skip the mixed drinks, work out more, etc. Just little steps to get myself in a healthier frame of mind (and body).


Had a phone call with a recruiter for a staffing agency this AM. She seems very young and inexperienced and says "um" a lot which drives me crazy. We have a zoom interview tomorrow afternoon and she said she would send me a zoom link and some questions to answer before our talk. That was 3 hours ago and I haven't heard from her yet which is a bit irritating. How long do I wait before following up via phone? Ugh.