Somnambulent

Hearing a siren go past. I noticed because it's been a while since I've heard one. Things are always quiet in our college town at this time of the year. Lay some pandemic on top of that and things are s l e e p y. It's the heat and humidity chapter of the summer and even though I want to go outside sometimes, I rarely want to stay outside.

I've been doing some planks and exercises and it's good to have a physical thing to do after leaving my desk every day. Wish I could add some jogging on that but I haven't figured it out yet. Maybe late next month.

I have some sinus pressure and have felt like my right ear was blocked for about three days now. It sometimes makes me feel a little dizzy. Then that fades and I feel fine, just congested. I can still breathe through my nostrils but the other head spaces are affected. I am hoping that some guanefesin will help. Neti pot is another option but I fear it. I don't have any other, more exciting, symptoms and no one else in the fam has it.

Old Guard was a fine video comic book if you don't mind the high body count. I'll always watch C Theron and didn't mind. The team's special power made the fight sequences quite different, that must have been fun to storyboard. Another cast member is Matthias Schoenarts who I just saw in something completely different on the nflx: A Little Chaos. I really enjoyd MS's performance and it is a calm and lovely confection. I have some quibbles but am v. glad I watched it. It must have been Rickman's last film before he died in 2016. imdb confirms that he had a few voice roles after but nothing else. And it stars Kate Winslet! Why hadn't I ever heard of this film?! Now I must watch the first film Rickman directed in '97: The Winter Guest starring Emma Thompson (💝) and her mother Phyllida Law.

Some work stuff is waiting for me and I'm going to go take another run at it. What a world. I'm glad my expertise is in demand. I will hope for a good outcome as we approach the fall semester. 





 

Venturing

Went to a restaurant Monday to meet my peripatetic brother and his partner. We stayed out on the patio which was hot but shaded. I'm surprised at how long they were willing to visit with me there considering the temp and humidity. It was really good to see them. I still have free floating socializing virus anxiety because I don't have a way to control all the factors and still see people. This is a problem and I know I have lots of company - my feeble monkey brain is not equipped for these types of decisions. 

OD (oldest daughter) was at a protest last Friday night in the big city. She got tested for Covid today just in case. She's weighing whether she wants to attend her first freshman quarters on-campus in a single-occupancy room or do remote classes. I don't think I want YD to attend high school in person this fall. But am worried about her social network needs. There sure won't be any group singing this fall and that is super sad. 

Graduation party happening in a friend's backyard on Saturday for the kids' friends to come and go. I have a list of things to do: get a guest book, drinks, assemble a photo for each of K's 18 years and get it printed as a poster (that's do-able, right?!). 

I am resisting the impulse to correct sloppy writing in the last post. It is probably indicative of my mental state and can stay that way. Yesterday was a doom and dread day. I always hope those moods are caused by hormones/weather because they're hard to shift. It felt like I was behind on everything in all aspects of my life and there was no way to get a good outcome. Today is better. 

Learned that the wasp I killed yesterday was probably a great black wasp and I should have let it go on its pollen and grasshopper eating ways. It was the largest insect I've encountered in a while and I was horrified to see it bumping the light bulb directly overhead while I was cleaning the cat pan. After making many undignified sounds I squashed it. I hope the next one I see is outdoors and if so I pledge not to kill it.  

I mowed the backyard on Sunday and noticed teeny grasshopper nymphs for the first time. They aren't around in the spring but come later in their very definite developmental waves.