I'm doing some things differently right now. Shifting some daily schedule stuff around; managing things a little differently. I guess just a re-balancing of physical work, mental work, and how I'm addressing emotional/energetic waves. It's all just tiny little things - but it all contributes to a change of mindset for me, and how I'm dealing with my "mental to-do list" around here - worry - and changing real life circumstances I can't possibly control.
We are literally in the part of the year where projects are difficult. The weather presents challenges it's not worth confronting; today it's ice. So yesterday, I didn't think about it - I just moved all the pieces for my grow lights and seed starting supplies to a cat-free, controlled environment space. I have to assemble these - clean off a table - fill pots & flats; get a couple more watering cans... and while I'm in the garage perhaps spend some time "making order from chaos" again in the disaster of tools that weren't dealt with by those who used them. I still have several places to do this around the house & studio. I have a month to get ready to start seeds; planting before Memorial Day (for most things) is dicey.
Hol has begun the process of preparing two rolls of giant wool roving for a couple more hand-knit blankets. And we've been brainstorming some farm production projects for income. I need to use up some of the baking supplies I over-bought at Christmas. I got tired of being in the kitchen all the time.
The USPS disaster is affecting so many things. I've been told the only guaranteed delivery dates are for express mail; and the price for that has gone way up. And it's affected my bill-paying routine. I still get paper bills - except in one case, I didn't receive one at ALL for 2 months; some don't arrive here until the payment is due. Yes, paying online is an option -- until my internet access is down -- THEN WHAT DO I DO? Anyway, this is nationwide and is another indirect change from the virus... and also decades of mismanagement. I knew something was up already when I mailed my quarterly taxes - certified - and the one to my state, took over a MONTH to be delivered; a full week after they due, Jan 15. I mailed 'em on Dec 5th to make SURE there was enough time to be delivered before the due date. Right.
Things are getting so bad, Hol's union wrote to the White House, offering set production workers to build vaccine centers. They WANT and NEED to work. Most of those people have already gone through the union protocols for working on set - including getting the vaccine, if available. But it's not like film/tv is considered "essential". Sales are not exactly improving at the business either. So, I have to stay on top of that too.
Both Hol & I are sensitive to the negativity levels online; so we're avoiding them. Lately, that's meant more time together again for us. I have to occasionally list the things that are now in an advanced state of entropy... so that I can continue adapting/adjusting/coming up with creative ways to deal with it. She sees other things I need to be aware of too. And both of us are given to the technique "when things get tough, the tough get silly" as an antidote. It's taking more antidote these days.
My hair cut - new stylist - repeated some techniques that everyone does the first time they cut my hair. As a consequence, I now have more of the things I was hoping to change when it was long - it falls in my face constantly and the frizziness is worse with the layers she added. She used a curling iron to put soft texture in the layers... but I gave away my curling iron some years ago. I don't have curlers anymore either. So, now waiting for it to grow back out again. Hol has an old friend who has cut hair for years; she's currently not working either - but still comes out time to time. And for that matter, Hol & I can cut each other's hair if I can order & get delivered the scissors for what our hair requires.
Mouse's experience with that class at school, has kind of upset me. For one thing, I can certainly sympathize with her response. And I don't think she's a pushover; so this must've been a confrontational presentation of the material. Yes, sometimes prof's will use that approach to get student's attention. And I really don't know enough yet about the details of that class or the material. But her sense that the students are being used in an experiment w/o consent bothers me to no end. Those rules are incredibly strict in the health professions and should be even more explicitly explained prior to consent in the psychological or social realms.
As a non-conformist, in many cases auto-didact, and free thinker... I learned a long time ago that there were situations where it was much wiser to keep my mouth shut and simply avoid in the future, the kinds of people who would make my life a living hell trying to convert me, or change my perspective to theirs - "for my own good". Very few people have it in them to listen to other's points of view, consider them, and discuss them without criticism of the POV holder, or even so far as condemnation, othering, and shunning. (Yeah, that old username has significance for me. You simply don't exist, when shunned.) I sure hope that's an isolated, one-off situation and not an educational trend. I tried fighting that kinda crap once because it's a calling of mine. I retired. I don't want to get back into it again - but I stand by my opinion about how wrong it is. And it's part of how/why people get into the us vs them mentality - if in an educational setting, discussion of ideas turns into personal "evaluations", "assessments", and personalization of arbitrary categories from those ideas as applied to people.
ANY PEOPLE.
