Mostly just surviving, but I also really want to teach my daughter simple things. We are trying to do something every day, as I have noticed our lives are disappearing without anything really resolving/changing/improving on a day-to-day basis. We have started working more hours since the pandemic started, and it is not a good change in our lives. We are much more sluggish, overwhelmed and too tired to do anything after work as a result. I've noticed the person who is suffering under this the most is our daughter who is trying super hard to engage us. So I'm trying to work through some of the ideas here
https://www.kiwico.com/diy/lists/30-screen-free-steam-diys-for-kids
Some days we manage, some we dont do so well. I'm trying to make a plan to manage at least something every day. Otherwise I am supposed to be preparing for a new baby, but do not have the time to do it (I'm sure this will be an oversight in a couple of months time ).
Christmas shopping. I decided I wanted to have the Christmas season this year totally disconnected from shopping. So I'm doing it super early and am having a great time! I'm filling Christmas stockings for people, and they're really personalized and a bunch of fun.
I'm also trying to finish my jewelry collection. I know that sounds like jewelry, and you asked for things other than that - but finishing a set collection is a very specific thing and is taking a lot of active designing and finagling in general. It's very goal specific, and I'm pushing hard to get it done.
Lastly - right now - my back is taking most of my focus. My back is often pretty crap, and I've just recently re-blown at least one disc and am living my life around trying to find a comfortable way to sit, stand and walk. I normally exercise a lot, but can't at the moment, and it's sending me crazy! I see a surgeon on Tuesday and am anticipating back surgery (which I've had before but which is significantly more complicated now).
And today is my birthday. And I have a house full of the people I love most in the world.
So it's a mixed bag for me right now.
Happy Birthday, @mrs-b! Sending healing thoughts to that back of yours.
For me:
Music: both my profession and my main hobby. I've actually been in a funk around it for the last couple years, as even before COVID, the number of places to play for instrumentalists like me has been dwindling rapidly. There are essentially no places to play classical chamber music anymore, which is my first love as a performer. Almost all my jobs for quite a few years now have been musical theater pit orchestras - a specialized skill as it requires proficiency on multiple different woodwind instruments - which has been my second favorite playing setting, but that has now dwindled down to almost nothing as productions go to using all keyboards or canned music instead of live, while the number of people being cranked out of universities with music degrees who also want those jobs is ever-increasing. (It seems universities are quite happy to take gobs of tuition money to give lots of people degrees in fields they can't possibly find work in - and even recruit high-school-age kids who don't know better into those programs.) A huge part of the place that music has played in my life has not just been as an outlet for doing something that I absolutely love personally, but as a way that I have felt that I could contribute to society. That no longer applies when no one wants to hear the music you play. As a result, I've been quite depressed about it, and after I put my oboe and English horn away after the last performance in the last show I did in March 2020, since the rest of them were all cancelled, I could count on one hand the number of times I played them or one of my other instruments since until the last month or so. It just seemed too pointless. It appears now, though, I've managed to wrap my head around the idea of continuing to play for my own enjoyment and well-being, and find ways to "create" entire musical works, so I've resumed playing. I'll just have to find alternate outlets for contributing to society - still trying to figure that out. I also decided to add flute to my "arsenal" (oboe, English horn, and the clarinet and sax families), which is proving quite challenging, and I'm going to revisit piano, which I dabbled a little with in high school and college.
Animals, especially dogs. And when COVID is less of a concern, I'm going to find somewhere to be around and get to snuggle horses - with whom I have zero experience. Should be interesting.
Gardening and (slowly) designing our landscape, which I'm fairly new at. Learning a lot there!
Exercise, especially running and walking and (lighter) hiking.
Longevity and extension of "health-span," the science around which I've been interested in for a long time, and which I've tried (with only very limited success) to apply to how I live and eat.
Spending time in nature in general. I need fresh air, sun, wind, green spaces......
Performance and learning psychology. I'm fascinated by learning how to learn and develop skills better and apply that to my life, especially around playing my instruments, and how to teach that to potential students of various ages and stages. No one taught me how to properly practice or learn how to learn when I was a young musician; I often wonder where my career would have ended up if they had.
Psychology and sociology in general. I honestly don't like people very much in general - I much prefer animals - but I am fascinated by what they do and why they do it.
Reading informational (non-fiction) materials in general. I could easily read stuff all day long.
I hope you enjoy your time spent getting to know horses. I have 4 horses & I have to say that they are healing to my soul. Look into their eyes & be captured by their gentleness. Blow softly into their nostrils & they will return the "kiss". It is how horses greet each other.
In December 2020 I cleaned out my closet. wow. It was a really scary experience. I made 2 trips to goodwill, throwing out some things that had tags. yes you heard me right..forgot they even existed. I was particularly brutal with the cleanout ...I was shocked that I had clothes that were...dusty.
So I now don't buy it because dammit, I should be able to just make it if I want it bad enough. I thankfully have enough "work uniforms" for a while. making pants are scary.
So This is my year of discovery to sew at least 1 piece of clothing a month sometimes managing 2 or 3 pieces. They aren't terribly complicated, but seriously why am I wasting money for clothing of unknown origin again? I've done quite well, though I've had a couple of oopsies. In August I am slated for making pants based on a self drafted pattern. that is going to be eye opening. I pushed back the suit because mentally I wasn't there yet. Maybe once I get a toile of the pants I'll feel more prepared.
I really admire you! I wish I could sew.
Needlepoint, fountain pens, and Excel.
Ribbon. I love fine ribbons! I’ve been collecting Silk & Willow lately.
House hunting for our dream family home