Grump Central Archive: Week of 30 August 2020
Saturday, 5 September 2020
Yesterday afternoon was fantastic and horrible all at once. I had to remind the son I never had that I was dying, and given how seldom we can get together, he'd have to assume each time he saw me, it could be the last. It threatened to ruin a great mood, but this is my reality. Incidentally, we're both wearing shirts bearing my likeness (drawn by me and produced as shirts by a fellow hobbyist), and OMG I've gotten fat!
Friday, 4 September 2020
I'll be spending the afternoon today with the namesake of the above feline, and I'm sooo looking forward to it. Except... the 4-5 hours we'll have will fly by in 4-5 minutes. That is such a cruel phenomenon.
Thursday, 3 September 2020
I've successfully completed my little slice of modeling heaven: a 6" x 10" field full of flickering fireflies. I'd built something like this back in the late 1980s, and I've wanted to do it again ever since. I'm really tickled the effect worked perfectly. Here's how I did it (there's also a YouTube video on that page showing it in action).
Wednesday, 2 September 2020
It's like clockwork. It never fails: the first of September I'll find a few leaves somewhere on the property that have already turned, as if to say, "I know what's coming, and I'm ready already." I know exactly how they feel.
Tuesday, 1 September 2020
The bulk of my time these days is spent in my office. This is my view from there—greatly improved after the camper's removal.
Monday, 31 August 2020
The days are getting a little cooler—I can now venture outdoors more often and enjoy the fresh air; indeed, last night it dipped into the 50s! Early yesterday morning, the woods had a rich, lovely glow. All of this wonderfulness stands in stark contrast to the news, which I simply must stop checking, because the latest headlines include:
- One dead in shooting during protests in Portland
- Body found in Brays Bayou is 2-year-old Maliyah Bass
- Brazen daylight attack by attempted rapist caught on camera
- Armed suspect shot and killed by police in parking lot of Clovis Walmart
- Man shot while sleeping in his car in central Fresno
- Struggle over gun inside Jackson gas station leaves one dead, one injured
- Chicago shootings leave at least 5 dead; 2 city cops among the wounded
- 2 St. Louis officers shot, 1 critically; suspect in custody
- 5-year-old killed in wreck on Athens Highway in Hall County
- Shooting at AirBnB pool party leaves one man dead, another hurt
- Police report 5 overnight shootings across Jacksonville
- Man kills himself after shooting 6-year-old girl and her mother
- At least 1 dead, several injured in latest Brooklyn shootings
- Florida mother accused of stabbing 6-year-old girl to death
- Teens lead deputies in 100+ mph chase before crashing into patrol cars
- Couple forced out of home by gunman accused of shooting 2 officers
I could go on, but this alone is enough to give a bull elephant a heart attack. And it doesn't even include the aftermath of Hurricane Laura, California wildfires, or the wacky goings-on with the election that would be hilarious if they weren't genuinely frightening. The world is truly circling the drain—is it any wonder that death will be welcome relief to me? Even removed from reality as I am here in my sanctuary, I'm still at the effect of things like the Coronavirus, which should have been dealt with already.
Sunday, 30 August 2020
September is nearly here—my least-favorite month of the year. Admittedly, the reason is just a bit silly: going back to school was always a harrowing, depressing prospect for a perpetual victim of bullying, and I've never fully outgrown the psychosomatic reaction. Oh, I don't go into a full-blown melt-down like I used to; nowadays it's merely a twinge in the back of my mind, just enough to remind me how dreaded those days were. This time back in 2016, work on the house was winding down, and a long slumber was about to begin.