I need to write more. Fuck, really. I stopped for way too long and it sucks. I wanted to do a weekly column for a while, but for some reason, I never really started. We are all cooped up now for the forseeable future, so here goes. This is the first of hopefully many.
I don’t really have a theme or idea on what these columns will be. I am thinking some sort of hip stream of consciousness bebop hipster style thing. This is also a cover for if I am too lazy to spell/grammar check each week. It is called Wandersday because it is Wednesday and my mind wanders a lot. Speaking of wandering to a new topic, I think I will start each week with some music I have been listening to.
This week’s track comes from the excellent Run the Jewels 3, looking forward to the new album next week. I am currently listening to RTJ3 while typing this. Huge fan of Killer Mike and EL-P’s production. So good.
Rona has been a lot of fun to deal with. Being an inside cat mostly, there hasn’t been much of a change for me. I guess we go out to restaurants less, and we probably won’t have a summer vacation somewhere this year, but other than that I feel like a bystander.
Working from Home
I guess, I am working from home, which is something the ‘rona is changing about my every day life. Working from home is simultaneously weird and rewarding. I get to spend a lot more time with my dog and cats, and I do feel like I get plenty of work done, especially with the sick 2 monitor setup I have in my home “office” (computer room with a card table jammed in), but I do miss talking with people face to face somewhat.
I talk to my dog all day I guess, but that isn’t the same, I can’t bounce ideas off of her like I can a co-worker. The pressure to slack off at home is definitely real, but I don’t feel like it is any more than working at the office. The biggest difference between working from home is that rather than walking around the office, chatting with people, my breaks are hopping across the hallway and laying in bed watching a Quibi video or scrolling twitter/instagram.
Right now the state is “open” because the virus is over, at least according to people who are not doctors or physicians. I really hate that this whole pandemic has turned into some sort of culture war, with people thinking that this virus somehow cares who you are voting for.
Photo by Gustavo Fring from Pexels
Danger Danger
I also think sometimes the danger feels overstated, so I understand a bit of the people claiming that we are over-reacting to this pandemic. It is important to remember that the vast majority 98%+ survive an infection But even if this is something that most people will survive, I don’t think we are over-reacting in any way to this crisis. If you think about it in another way, remember your high school or college assembly, think about a room with about 50 people in it, most of which you know. If this virus has a 2% chance of killing someone, someone in that room is going to die. This isn’t the flu, but it isn’t ebola. Wear a fucking mask, it is easy, it isn’t some sort of political statement.
Wear a Mask you Idiot
This year I have finally accepted my lifelong journey with anxiety, which I might focus on in this column in the future, but for right now I am very thankful to be taking medication and having regular counseling sessions to deal with the stress. I feel like it has helped immensely when dealing with this virus crisis.
Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels
Listen to your Doctor
I don’t know why I waited so long to take medication for this, but the stigma is real. Oh, I can handle it on my own! I was able to get over it in the past without taking an SSRI. Just like a virus, the chemicals in your body don’t give a shit about your personal beliefs or politics. This time I needed help beyond meditation and stress reduction techniques. I should be fair to myself, I set a goal of making positive progress in 1 month, and it didn’t happen, so I took the advice of my doctor, and started medication and counseling.
Best decision I have made in a while, and if there is anything I can get across in this column, it is that it is OK to get help if you need it.
I think I am done for the week. Check you next Wednesday.
FYI all photos from Pexels.com great place to get stock photos for free. I like to also attribute when I can, I lost the links for the first 2 photos. But big ups to the people making free stock art for boring blogs.