Time Enough at Last
Hi!
In my last newsletter I was like "yeah I'll probably be firing these off more regularly," so naturally I've taken even more time to write one than usual. What can I say? Unemployed and stuck in my apartment, I have 1.8 responsibilities and I'm putting all my energy into shirking them. I literally don't have much to say! I am losing interest in ideas and tossing them left and right. Will anything juicy or fun ever happen again?????
I am not having a remarkable quarantine - I have the standard complaints, but nothing to write home about. Over the past few weeks, I've found myself really leaning into the isolation. I worry I'm damaging relationships by not reaching out or responding adequately, but for large chunks of every day I just want to be left alone. (*Googles "signs of depression"*). I've also had a lot of days where I haven't known what to do with myself. I'm not bored - I'm paralyzed by the opportunity to do anything. It's like the Twilight Zone episode "Time Enough at Last," but my signature Warby Parker clear frames haven't shattered - I just can't choose which book to read, so I waste my time and flip through Brunette Ambition by Lea Michele.
Aaaanyway, I don't mean for this to be a pity party. I've designated today my day to be the cranky one in my apartment (I haven't told my roommates, but hopefully they just sense it's my turn). Tomorrow I will be CHIPPER and ENJOYABLE, maybe.
The other day, I brainstormed a list of potential topics to focus on in this newsletter. I am repurposing that unedited list as a poem:
What do I miss? Cold brew.
For once I am having more sex than other people.
Survivor.
Would you rather
Who would you like to be quarantined with
What have I enjoyed watching?
Everyone's posting nudes on Twitter
Having a boyfriend feels illegal
Share my goals.
Zoom -- tv show
MadFit
Didn't like Where the Crawdads Sing
Smoothies and coffee
Instagram is throwbacks or posts clarifying why it's ok to be doing what you're doing
I don't think I will mess with my hair
ART PROJECT?
I love to make my bed.
Puzzles, bread, and rollerblading
I keep dreaming I'm in high school
I am so scared of being boring, uninteresting, accidentally proving I'm not creative
I don't feel like talking to anyone!
Yearbook quote / Mrs. Martling
My favorite sandwiches, meals
Indigo Girls live
Doctor's Orders
What feels worth doing? What feels worth saying?
I just watched a helicopter fly over my apartment. I never ever want to be in a helicopter. Bach.
Terrified of heights.
Things that are fun to buy
Fiona Apple
Throw up game
Untouched by the Veronicas
Obsessed with being hot
This is going out on a Saturday because nothing is real
With next to no responsibilities I am still bad wtih (sic) deadlines. I feel busier now? Idk
IF WE ARE ON THE SAME ZOOM CALL/PARTY AND I'M BEING UNCHARACTERISTICALLY QUIET, IT'S BECAUSE I'D RATHER BE TALKING ABOUT
Season 40 of Survivor
Fiona Apple's new album (eight days!)
Does Dua Lipa have "it" ?
My shiny new addiction to Words With Friends
For years I have semi-regularly attended a knitting circle where I am the youngest attendee by decades. The group is almost entirely Jewish women of the San Fernando Valley in their 50's to 70's, as well as ~3 gay men in their 40's. I wouldn't dream of telling tales out of school about the group - it's too risky and I can't afford to be exiled. That being said, I'd like to share some anonymous excerpts from our last Personal Updates E-Blast that made me smile:
“I have been working on a coat and looking to make a dress. If it was not for our problem with the fridge (the refrigerator broke) I probably would have enjoyed a few days off.”
“So, now that I've caught up on all this sleep, week #2 has me driving my husband crazy getting rid of stuff in our house. Yesterday was a big win for me! I finally convinced him we DO NOT NEED OUR 25 YEAR OLD FAX MACHINE!!!!!!! Yesterday was a GREAT DAY INDEED!”
“The one good thing I’ve done is get outside and start walking. This is a new activity for me. Since I live in the city and the air is usually dirty, I don’t go outside. Suddenly the streets are empty, the air is clear, you can smell the flowers, trees and grass as you walk, and I am now into garden judging, as I wend my way through the bowels of Beverly Hills. If I particularly like the foliage, I go up close and take pictures, dressed like a bag lady… with my facemask and my cane, taking pictures, and judging as I walk. If the gardens don’t please me, I refuse to visit that street the next day.”
FUN GAMES TO PLAY WITH YOUR BUNKER-MATES
One person (the guesser) leaves the room. Everyone throws up on the rug. The guesser has to guess whose puke is whose.
Put on the Wicked soundtrack really really loud and see how quickly someone asks you to turn it OFF, PLEASE
See if you can go a day without seeing each other. Use blindfolds! Coordinate who gets the common space when! Stay in your room and pee in a pickle jar!
X-Treme Hygiene: try to remember to brush your teeth before noon. If you forget, you have to knock out a tooth. :(
Chug That!
Play cards but with the pile of 2018 Emmy screeners littering the living room
In case you were unsure: yes, I downloaded Quibi.
THINGS "QUIBI" MIGHT STAND FOR OTHER THAN "QUICK BITES"
Quiet Bisexuals
Quiznos bile
QUarantine Is a BItch
Quintessential Binoculars
Quvenzhané Wallis Bites
Bye for now! Hope you have a lot of fun weekend plans coming up! Xoxoxo
[Originally published on TinyLetter]