Thursday Snippets and Inspirations

It's one of those mornings where I wonder if I should even try to write a blog post.  First my computer took a long time completing the updates that I thought were done last night.  Then I took a longer walk and when I got back to the computer, I felt like a dried out old stick in terms of writing.  I don't usually lack for inspiration, even though there may be posts that don't seem inspired.

I blog for a multitude of reasons.  Primarily, I'm trying to record life as I'm living it.  I know it's important to me, and it may be important to others in coming centuries.  Even if it's lost forever, it's important to me.  Therefore, when I don't blog, I worry that I'll wake up in a year, having only written 4 posts.

I also blog to record inspirations, to comment on current events, to comment on historical markers, to comment on anything I don't want to slip away.  I record Facebook posts that I've written that I've liked--it's easier to find them here than on the Facebook site.  I write posts to situate myself, to keep myself grounded, and as spiritual and artistic practice.

So I decided to write, even though it's a bit later than my usual writing time.  Let me record a few things, before the day crushes in.

--We're told we will have wristbands to give out to people as part of our check in procedures.  I'm going to try to see more of the festival/music show aspect of my work life.  Perhaps the wristband will make some revelations!

--Yesterday, my colleagues started singing "Happy Birthday," before we realized we shouldn't be singing in the small conference room.  Some continued to sing loudly--obviously, they haven't spent the last 3 months mired in church debates about the safety of choirs.  Others whispered.  Some backed away.

--In late March, my allergic eye reaction returned, and I stopped wearing eye make up.  On Tuesday, I wore it again for the first time.  With a mask on, I'm not sure the eye make up adds much.  I probably won't wear it again.  If I do, I should probably get some fresh supplies.  My eyes haven't felt good since Tuesday.

--I continue to put on lipstick in the morning, even though I'll be wearing a mask for the first 45 minutes at school as I take temperatures and collect COVID-19 Question Signature Sheets.  Lately, I haven't refreshed my lipstick the way I once did.

--Yesterday, I made this Facebook post:  "When I said I wanted to study eschatology, I didn't really have our current situation in mind. I was thinking more about a deep dive into ancient prophets or T. S. Eliot's "The Waste Land" or a comparison of nuclear war movies and climate crisis themes. I wasn't thinking about a case history of Florida."

--Yesterday I saw a Tweet that said that the literary journal Waxwing was taking submissions.  I looked to see what I had already sent them, and I realized I had never sent them the story that my Hindu writer friend said was my absolute best.  So I did.

--I spent a bit of time nostalgic for the time when writer friends would go to Panera and read each other's drafts.  I remember how happy it made me to write that story, which is set in the future, and I thought about another story I wrote that was set on a space station.  Remembering writing them made me happy.  Maybe I should try some science fiction again.  Writing about the current situation is too grim, and that includes the way I feel about my novel-in-progress most days.

--Maybe those short stories could form a linked collection.  Hmmmmmm.