Thursday Thoughts - You wear sandals in the snow and a smile that won't wash away

1. Officially fall last week, officially October today. This time period we're living in is wild but time itself has remained consistent in how quickly it's moving. I'm transitioning my porch stuff to fall at the shore, which I never do, but I'm here so I'm doing it. The dogs are mostly annoyed that the new cushions have not arrived so they cannot sit in the style to which they have become accustomed. 

2. Monday I killed it at work, made a meal (deconstructed chicken parm, an old favorite), cleaned up a little, walked on the beach after work, and started a new book. I felt like a fully functioning adult again but something still felt weird. All of the changes and thought processes I've had this year have reminded me of so many conversations I had with Mom Mom about how she lived her life, and how things she was doing in her 80s were a result of ways her family adapted to living through a relatively short period of time early on in her life when everything was turned upside down - The Great Depression. I think this time period will alter our mindsets like that, where you act differently for the rest of your life based on a short period of time where the world itself was akimbo. ANYWAY the king bed finally has new skinny side tables after a long hunt, and if you are using refillable lamps this is the only one to use. I've been through my fair share of fillable lamps with shells. 

3. Speaking of Monday night: It was the best friend dogs' triumphant return to daily beaching that does not require a drive to Dog Beach and they were here for it. 

4. And this is Wednesday night. I love the approach of the Harvest Moon. 

5. Lest you think we only go on nice days. This was Tuesday?

6. Currently reading two books at once, which I never do unless one is nonfiction in which I need space to process and learn in between. Like with Hood Feminism. I could highlight every sentence it seems like. Show Us Your Books anniversary edition is October 13. There will be prizes. 

7. This morning 15 year old Gus took a messy walking poop on the sidewalk in front of the trump HQ office here. I guess that's how he feels about the debate. This is how I feel.  

8. Here are some random photos from the week including masks washing in (can we not), morning coffee, MFD in his 1970s lawn chair someone left here a few years ago that he loves and refuses to throw out, canine coworkers, shiny happy kitchen, sleeping 15 year old dog. 

9. Reminder 

10.  E-cards as we enter breast cancer awareness month - action over awareness. 

The words following the hyphen are the song I am listening to when I start the Thursday Thoughts post. This week is Building Mystery by Sarah McLachlan

Hello from The In Between

That's what I've been calling where we are now.  The In Between. Still applicable: Life in the Time of Corona. Quarantine Diaries.

So The In Between, where we are certainly adrift. We're allegedly out of quarantine, but not really. Nothing is as it was before March. Not for me, anyway. You wouldn't know that in a lot of places. 

Over four months in, we have the people who have still not left their homes and judged others who have done anything. 

That’s not realistic.

We also have many who think they're the only ones doing it right, even if they're doing it like this: ANOTHER DULL QUARANTINE WEEKEND AT HOME, TARGET, CHIPOTLE, HOME DEPOT, AND OUR NIECE’S GRADUATION PARTY

That’s not realistic either.

I think most of us are doing the best we can, calculating risk and cautiously moving about in this world. There are some slip ups. There will be. This is the most realistic.

Some people are doing the worst they can,  sharing shit from a doctor that thinks demons cause illnesses and touting her as a Covid authority. Including your president and his son. 

We're at war over masks. Americans who are anti-mask (lol) seem to think this global pandemic is only happening in America. They say this is political, and planned. They cannot see the rest of the world, or they don't want to. 

We also have the mask police, who think anyone in their line of vision should have a mask on regardless of their proximity or lack thereof to other people. 

We're at war over school and expectations of teachers and students to be physically placed in situations the White House, federal and state governments, major league sports, and most companies will not place themselves, their employees, or their patrons in. I feel like constantly screaming. Yes, Karen, kids DO belong in school, and that's where they would be if there had been some sort of coordinated federal response on a level of other countries, but we are America and we bucked the system and kept having parties and refused to wear masks and here we are with a fucked up and uncertain fall looming. Thanks for that, everyone who has been kicking and screaming like toddlers. 

We think we're headed for another shut down over flu season. 

Some small businesses remain shuttered - I was in Liberty Place yesterday in Philly, and most food court restaurants are still closed, some it looks like for good - so this is still hitting the people at the lower end of the pay scale the hardest. Many people are still not back to full time or full earning potential. And the federal government has done nothing to prolong extra unemployment benefits or pivot or create jobs or fucking anything. People are still out of work with no prospects and it's not because of the goddamn Governors that are trying to keep people safe. We should have done literally everything differently in this country. Our government is failing us. The White House is a black hole. What has Congress been doing? People cannot afford to live and eat right now, and a lot of us are ignoring that so we can fight with each other online over wearing masks.

And of course people are still sick, recovering, dying, getting, spreading. We are years away from knowing the ins and outs of Covid.

We think 2020 is absolute shit but also we've learned some things and loved some things. 

Me personally? The last time I wrote about coronaland in depth was Things I Want to Remember on June 10, and if you type quarantine in the search box on the left if you're on a computer, you'll find more. I usually recall what I've written, but one of the side effects of this is not great recall. 

My brain is working better than it was. 

My mood has evened out. There's a lot less fight or flight happening. 

I've gained weight that I probably won't lose. 

I'm drinking less coffee than I was. 

I'm reading more. 

When I buy something, I'm trying to buy from a black person, black women in particular. 

I'm flexing work hours more. 

Still feeling lucky to have a job where I can work from home, and to do so for a company that's been extra great throughout. 

I'm so fucking furious at a lot of things in this country. The fury increases as we approach Election Day. Please make sure your voter registration is solid, and that you  have a plan to vote in person or via mail on Election Day. 

I'm in Philly until tomorrow, my first time since June 22 or 23. I had a dentist appointment yesterday and TODAY IS MY MOTHERFUCKING HAIR APPOINTMENT. My last one was February 26. To say I am looking forward to this is the understatement of the year.

But being in Philly itself is disorienting. 

I head back to the shore tomorrow until 8/8, when I'm back in Philly for a week with plans to whip this house into shape since I'll go back to the shore in mid-August and stay there for the fall. As of this week, my office is closed to in-person operations indefinitely - until the Governor lifts telecommuting recommendations which I don't think will happen this year. 

I've settled into a TWTW post on Monday and Thursday Thoughts on Thursday with a few other posts peppered in here or there. I always link to them in my Instagram profile and share them on FB as well. This is an extra for this week, and Frank will be here Friday to share his annual birthday blog post - his actual birthday is today. Happy birthday Fronk! 

I'm trying to appreciate the good that has come from this and just operate as best as I can. How are you doing? Really?