Grump Central Archive: Week of 15 September 2019
Saturday, 21 September 2019
Things were going fine yesterday until, out of the blue, my knee decided to go on strike. Now I'm stuck taking it easy, just as I was starting to get my enthusiasm back. Figures.
Friday, 20 September 2019
Yesterday was unexpectedly productive in a totally unexpected way: I had a sudden inspiration to add a seat to the shower. Yes, my home is gradually becoming ADA compliant—not that it's required, or that it's been my goal, but as I get older, I'm finding ways of making life safer, more convenient and more comfortable. And yes, it's quite comfortable, despite appearances to the contrary. I also designed the seat to impinge on the floor space as little as possible.
Thursday, 19 September 2019
I've finished the entertainment center. Granted, it's a very low priority project, but it was something I had to do. And it does make me feel a little better to see it done.
Wednesday, 18 September 2019
The leaves have begun to fall. This is nothing new; September has always marked the onset of autumn. But it's a season with which I've a love-hate relationship: it's visually striking, yet emotionally dispiriting, for it leads into winter—five months of cold and, for a forest, the outward appearance of death. Yes, I confess this all sounds abnormally morbid, and I should probably spend some time on a couch. But it's been this way with me for as long as I can remember. For the most part, I enjoy seasonal changes, but the emotional toll they sometimes take on me can be really rough. This, on top of an already profoundly depressed state, has me almost seized up; I can't seem to get motivated about much of anything, and lately, instead of working on the house, I've been casually pursuing my hobbies, or utterly escaping into music, or just crying.
Tuesday, 17 September 2019
A long time ago I had a very special cat. Emma has been with me ever since, and now she has a place of her own, a place of honor.
Monday, 16 September 2019
A year ago today I was preparing to get electricity up to the house. It was a challenge that literally took years and thousands of dollars to complete. I prevailed. But... now I'm wondering if I still have that level of resilience. I honestly don't know.
Sunday, 15 September 2019
I simply must cut back on my news consumption. With the political races heating up, the rhetoric is flying fast and furious, which tends to bring out the very worst in people, and my blood pressure can easily bust a cuff reading just a few articles—especially the reader comments. I've been forced to conclude that the vast majority of Americans are frighteningly—even dangerously—ignorant. More than that I won't say, because I've lost friends expressing my opinions on such things. Instead, I'll focus on getting my house ready for my kitties—they're excellent at lowering one's blood pressure!