Inner Doodles

Creamy Optimal Foamy Freedom Everyday Energy END TRANSMISSION

As we now get closer to the two-month mark, I wish I could say things are stabilizing. We remain as lost and detached as ever. Floating in a void that is this new planet with all emotions living on the edges of our sleeves. Fraying and escalating at the slightest prompt. Simple commands like, "Eat your peas," cause an eruption like never before. News such as, "High winds and possible power outages," leaves me limp. I pull the blanket tighter and refuse to get out of bed until there are only minutes left before I need to make myself presentable to the Zoom world. These logs are starting to loop and repeat as do the days. Monotony is the new rhythmic norm. Chief Mate shakes me from my spiral. "Let's go outside!" I don't hesitate. Not for a second. Chalk in hand, we draft tags. Keep calm and chalk on. END TRANSMISSION

I tried my best to turn off social media this weekend. It is a hard habit to break. I found the phone in my hands several times before a sharp reminder scolded me and I put the box down. So much of my daily routine relies on this weird box. I never would have imagined such a thing could exist as a child. Recipes and reminders keep me searching for the phone. I take to hiding it from myself. Then curiosities like, “What does a beetle eat?” cause me to pull the box back out. Compared to most days, I’d say I succeeded in disconnecting. I feel revived. Today was a day of music. Teaching, playing, discussing. I’ll take my small successes where I can. They are few and far between these days. END TRANSMISSION

I've been wracking my brains all day trying to think of an appropriate topic for today's log. But there is only one thing that keeps coming back to my mind. It is truly too horrific to speak of and yet it plagues me. I feel it is my duty to inform you of this morning's events because you may one day face a similar situation. I believe it is my duty to warn you so that you can prevent such a thing from happening to you. Let me reassure you, it is preventable. But I must also warn you, this is not a post for the faint of heart. I was brushing my teeth, as I do every morning. Nothing unusual about it. Left side first, then right. Always the top first, then the bottom, then back to the top because I switched down to the bottom row too quickly. I work the brush over a big chunk of them at once instead of individually. I used to be more careful. I stopped counting teeth somewhere in my teens when stickler routine became tedious. I brushed my tongue because that's what someo...

I'm starting to get used to the oscillating weather. And I do love the way the rain shimmers on the kelly-green leaves. Rain or shine, I make my way outside now. If the animals can do it in their fur, I can grab an umbrella. I met a man on my walk. We had a conversation. A real live conversation. His image didn't glitch out. His voice didn't warble or chop itself into bits. We spoke and the sound waves traveled directly through the air from one person to the other. From six feet away. When it ended he gave me the most quizzical look and we each went on our way. Human contact. Interaction with people is rare these days. I'm afraid to have a conversation in the grocery store. Go in, collect needed items, go out. Don't dawdle. Don't breath on anyone. Only get what's on the list. Except for those windmill cookies. And the key lime pie. I don't feel human in the store. Everyone is plastic wrapped in their own little bubble and there is no human contact. Eve...

Time is thick and foggy, and yet there is somehow more stuff crammed into every moment than there ever was before. Usually that makes the day pass more quickly. Now it plods on. Multitasking takes on a new level. It is a skill necessary for survival. The monsters will eat you on this planet if you can't keep up. Work, family, sanity. Balance the wheel or the wheel will crush you. Self-preservation is key. I have found an archived document that accurately depicts my new way of life. It is hyperlinked below. In this scenario, I am represented by Jack Sparrow. Chief Mate is represented by Will Turner. And my work is the ever level-headed and authoritative James Norrington. Me Vs the Wheel of Life END TRANSMISSION

A deep vibration of a song emanates from the woods. The unmistakable sound of the great horned owl. Its call is both soothing and weighty. One swooped above my car once. It’s one thing to understand their size from books and a bit of imagination. It’s quite another to see one several feet above you. It could easily take our brute-of-a-cat at any time. The call and response of two owls becomes a song and dance. I am in bed. Covers over my head. I don’t want to Internet. I don’t want to Zoom. I can’t take another story about people who have no regard for other people’s health because they want someone else to cut their hair. Okay. I know it’s about more than that, though. I know it’s about people without jobs right now. They are scared about survival, too. They just want normalcy. We all do. It all breaks my heart. Mother, moon, magic, mystery, mythology. All associated with the owl. It is no wonder it was my grandmother’s favorite bird. I think about all of the animals on the plan...