This post will be all over the place. This fall (2021) has been stressful. Last fall (2020) ended up being less stressful than I thought it would be. I was worried about covid, and didn't know exactly what having a book come out during a pandemic would be like, but things were smooth sailing. I thought this fall would be more normal and it hasn't been. I feel like I've been really bad at keeping in touch with people recently.
I received my third moderna shot on August 24th. In September, my nephews, Elliott and Grant, and my brother, Alec, had covid. Based on the dates, I may or may not have been exposed to it. Elliott is in Pre-K this year and got it first. He is great at wearing a mask, but not all the kids at his school wear masks. Then Alec got it, then Grant. Alec had a breakthrough case, of course. Grant is only one and he had to go to the emergency room twice. They are all doing much better now, but have been sick off and on until just recently. I don't know if it is long covid or if they got sick with other bugs because their immune systems were down.
I recently had my wisdom teeth removed. I was nervous because I have some PTSD about medical things, and I was told it was a big deal (riskier) having them removed in your thirties. (They didn't start coming in until the last few years.) Overall, it's been way less painful than many other things I've experienced. The pain and swelling have gotten better. There is finally enough room in my mouth again so my bite has improved and my jaw feels more aligned. The bruising is getting better, but started out looking pretty scary. I have been wearing full stage makeup to teach on zoom. (Minus the false eyelashes, though I have some on hand.) I don't like foundation and have had to put on multiple layers.
I have a poem forthcoming in Horse Egg Literary. I'll let you know when the new issue is out. I need to get back on my writing schedule. I write at different times in the day/night, but usually the unpredictability is still steady. Lately...not so much... I have little things floating around in my head that I need to pin down. I hope I can get more focused.
I was so stressed when Grant, Elliott, and Alec had covid that I didn't post anything anywhere about Without: Body, Name, Country being out for one year on September 15th. Eventually, I voluntarily(!) added some posts to instagram. I don't care if everything related to facebook/social media burns to the ground though. Frances Haugen's testimony was awesome.
Lately I've been enjoying poetry by Penelope Shuttle and short stories by Haruki Murakami. I really liked this article about Lucia Berlin by Jenny Shank.
I'm currently less stressed, and in a bit better mood, but still feeling weary.
