I think the pandemic is bringing out my antisocial tendencies. Maybe I was born to be a hermit and this is just exacerbating my proclivity. How many 4-syllable words am I allowed to use before you smite me? Hee.
We are on our third week of working solely from home, and I’ve kind of resigned myself to being alone all the time now. At least I get to read my book at lunch and go out on the porch when I need a break. I was thinking maybe I could turn my monitor screen around so that I can watch the birds at the feeder over the edge of it as they decimate the daily serving of birdseed, but I suspect I wouldn’t get anything done. It would be worse than election week, watching the results tick up, although this would be watching the birdseed level tick down. No, nothing could be worse than the jitters of election week (EXCEPT THE LAST FOUR YEARS OF TRUMP).
Anders just told me that Tetra Pak is sending everyone home now, no more rotation, through the end of the year. He can only work in the office when he’s holding a class (online) (because he has to be by the machines he’s teaching people to use), and that will be every other week until Christmas, so I’ll have company every other week, if our rotation schedule doesn’t start up again.
I think I mentioned before that I wasn’t really looking forward to Christmas. I had started Christmas shopping in the late summer, but only a few stocking stuffers, and I have no idea what anyone wants or what to get them. All anyone is wishing for is to be able to travel or visit relatives or go see shows or concerts and none of that is happening for the foreseeable future.
While I was scrolling through my friends feed, I clicked on a link to Kate Baer’s Instagram and now I’m obsessed. Read this, it hits me where it hurts:
Robyn Hood
by Kate Baer
Imagine if we took back our diets,
our grand delusions, the time spent
thinking about the curve of our form.
Imagine if we took back every time we
called attention to one or the other: her
body, our body, the bad shape of things.
Imagine the minutes that would stretch
into hours. Day after day stolen back like
a thief.
Imagine the power of loose arms and
assurance. The years welcomed home
in a soft, cotton dress.
***
If you’re looking for something good to read, I can recommend these, that I’ve finished lately:
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay and a Mother’s Will to Survive by Stephanie Land
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
Ursula Under by Ingrid Hill (not new, but really good)
Maybe instead of being a recluse, I could become a librarian. Or a book recommender. Or I could just go read. Yeah, that’s it. That’s the ticket.