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Archives from 2002-2006

The other day Dylan and I were talking about what the plan was for the weekend and he suggested that we go bowling and when I started to remind him that wasn’t an option he snapped his fingers with irritation and said, “Right, the global pandemic.”

Oh RIGHT. That. It’s obviously not really forgettable — but sometimes it somehow is? Someone wrote in the comments a while back that it’s like when the power goes out and you find yourself bumbling around still flipping switches and feeling bamboozled when nothing happens. That feeling was more prevalent at the beginning but even now with actual weeks under my belt I still occasionally find myself thinking things like, Ugh the kids are driving me nuts I think I’ll go work from a coffee shop this afternoon OH RIIIIGHT.

One thing I am not remotely capable of forgetting is that I can’t see my hairstylist, which is a fact I am reminded of every time I look in the mirror. The roots are bad enough, but what exactly is happening to the ends of my hair? It’s like they’re just dissolving into dried-out frizz, my split ends have split ends and the whole effect is very Phil Spector, But Worse. Meanwhile my scalp has revolted/become revolting; thanks to a steady diet of dry shampoo, anxiety, and glucose, I am always itchy and flaky, and I have tried every dandruff solution available including the no-nonsense chemical kind that smells like DEET, and the hippie kind that’s full of tea tree and vague witchy promises, and nothing works. Please send all your suggestions that do not involve changing my eating plan from routinely loading up a Nerf gun with Cheese-Its and M&Ms and firing them directly into my mouth.

I had been enjoying posting to my product review website, Sundry Buzz, but I have put that project on hold because suggesting things to buy seems kind of not cool right now plus most of what I had been ordering is from Amazon and between wildly unpredictable shipping times and a lot of yikes news around worker conditions that part seems not cool either. I super stand by all of those recommendations, though, if browsing is something you enjoy.

I’ve been trying not to go overboard with online shopping lately, but it sure is tempting to indulge in a little add to cart action now and then. It’s such a treat to anticipate getting that good mail, you know? I find Poshmark to be a solid diversion, I can spend an embarrassing amount of time just clicking around and looking at things without actually making a purchase.

I really miss dicking around in stores, it turns out. Thrift stores and TJ Maxx in particular: I don’t know why wandering aimlessly in retail aisles was so weirdly important to me, but it clearly scratched some sort of itch that can’t fully be replicated online.

Speaking of brain foibles and whatnot, I’ve had “find a counselor” on my 2020 to-do list for a while and finally did connect with someone who also happens to do online sessions. I suspect all counselors, or at least the ones who want to continue getting business, are willing to do online sessions now, but this person has apparently been offering them as a service for quite a while and uses a telehealth-specific video system that I prefer to Zoom.

We’ve had two sessions so far and obviously it’s a little early to report back on any life-changing results but I am finding it to be helpful. If nothing else, I like having that hour set aside each week for my mental health, and I like the accountability it brings.

Video chatting is not ideal in many ways but the plus side is the convenience and in my case a reduced sense of social anxiety/awkwardness that physical proximity can trigger. I can get really distracted by my own dumb face on Zoom but this system displays you at an angle rather than head-on, which helps a lot.

Anyway, it generally seems like a smart time to get some expert guidance with life stresses — or just having someone who’s there to listen — and it’s easier than ever with all the online choices. Like snooping around in a discount home goods brick-and-mortar, it’s not quite the same as being there in person, but it feels like a good investment. Unlike, maybe, the cute lip liner I impulse-bought the other day, having forgotten about, you know: MASKS.

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