Here and Next: Time & Time Again

Source: Jane Doe Asylum

Eye'm back... though I don't recall ever leaving.

I've been sort of... stationary, like a planet having no apparent motion in longitude, while the words, "You're only as good as your last story," once said by journalist Helen Thomas, spin in my head.

"Only as good as your last story."

I sure hope not. My last post: A Mess Done and Dusted, was a disaster, about a disastrous move that left me hollow, and worse, it was written almost three years ago!

I know, I know... excuses, excuses. Well here's another one... the Pandemic.

Like most, I was Here, at home. And, as you well know, because of the shutdown, there weren't any Next(s)... the next place to dine, the next get-together, the next bit of travel. And it was that same-old, same-old, day in, and day out, that left me without much to say, except... "It's been a lost year plus two months, and still counting."

That, and time flies.

End of excuses.

So, what exactly did I do with my time in quarantine, besides: grocery shop, eat, sleep, read, research and play games on my computer, view movies, and binge-watch?

Well, since we were all in this together, for once, I refused to beat myself up over my total lack of motivation, and instead, treated this prolonged confinement and concentration of time as one extremely long Planetary Retrograde.

Source: Moonboard

Specifically, a Mercury retrograde, which in Astrology, refers to a time when Mercury appears to be moving backwards in the sky, an illusion that happens about three to four times a year for a period of three weeks. And during this time, things having to do with communication, transportation and technology seem to go haywire: computers crash, flights are delayed, contracts are misconstrued etc.

It's a time best for reviewing, reorganizing, revisiting unfinished business and projects, rather than starting anew.

Source: Abstract Clock Wallpaper

And so, I Reviewed: Cosmetics.

No, I'm not an influencer. But I do use facial cleansers and moisturizers, just none that I like. So, I've been on my computer reading tons of reviews and researching tons of products, spending so much time online that the ONLY ads that now pop-up... on EVERY site I visit... have to do with skin care!

And like an idiot, I click on every one of them!

And because there may be more beauty products out there than people on this planet, I may be reviewing this subject long after the Pandemic is over.

Source: istockphoto

Then I Revisited: Periodicals.

About 2 years ago, I purchased a huge stack of Art in America magazines for 25 cents apiece from a local library and haven't looked at or touched them since, until now. I've since: read the articles, researched the contemporary artists whose work interested me, and then cut the lovely glossy pages filled with great color into assorted shapes to be rearranged into various compositions to be photographed, or collaged, or both.

The fact that a gazillion of these cut-out shapes still sit on a shelf, still not photographed or collaged, says they're perhaps waiting for some future Mercury retrograde to take place.

Source: Wallpaper Cave

And I Reorganized: Photographs.

This was a tough one. Everything I've ever read about downsizing and what to keep, toss, or donate says, "Save the sentimental stuff for last; it's the hardest to part with." Plus... perusing old photographs makes me sad... so many lives, so few loved ones still living.

But since there might not be a better time, I located and opened the large box of photos that had been kept closed for over 6 years. The old photographs, no longer contained in albums, were a mishmash collection I inherited from my mother and grandmother, a collection in need of major organization.

After months of sorting, some of the sadness turned into amusement, when I noticed just how many images involved cake!

The celebratory events may have differed, so too the hair styles and clothing, but cake remained constant. There were photos and photos of people: blowing out candles on a cake, cutting cake, handing out cake, and eating cake... cake! cake! cake!

Happy to say... all photos have now been sorted. All that's left to do is choose the ones I wish to keep and which to pass on to my remaining relatives. To be continued... I imagine, when Mercury again starts spinning backwards.

Enough of my life in quarantine. What have you been up to?

Interestingly, back in March of this year, I read an article published in The New York Times titled: 7 Questions 75 Artists 1 Very Bad Year... where 75 artists shared their experiences while quarantined.

Here are 9 of my favorites:

Source: You Are Just A Number

Perfume Genius the musician Mike Hadreas

In the beginning, I was writing a lot. It was all kind of fragments, but it felt like it was starting a new project, and then it just kind of died. I thought: What if I started drawing again, or doing things that were just creative practices for me? But I'd rather just, like, have a snack, you know?

Sean Scully artist

Lately, I have fallen in love with yellow. At the moment, I seem to be using it in every painting. I'm not sure I understand why, though maybe it offers a kind of protection against the cold, or against the sorrows of Covid. One on my new paintings is called "Yellow Yellow." Another is called "Wall Orange" and has blurs of yellow and orange seeping into each other. Yellow is complicated.

Karen Russell novelist

I made a googly-eyed owl out of toilet paper rolls. It was supposed to be a collaboration with my 4-year-old son, but we had artistic differences and he left to be a Ninja Turtle. My baby daughter pulled the wings off, and now the owl looks the way we all feel. We've got our fingers crossed for the Whitney Biennial.

Lexie Smith artist and breadmaker

I killed my goldfish. His name was Feldspar. It's really a metaphorical reckoning for me: In the beginning of quarantine I took aquatic plants from a friend, along with some teeny tiny snails that lived in the water with them, and put it all in my goldfish's tank in an effort to cheer up his living environment. Soon the plants were monstrous and the snails were enormous and plentiful, and my goldfish could no longer swim. Eventually I decided the only ethical choice was to deliver him to his end. Why did I do this to him? He never asked for anything. The whole thing made me question my ability to visualize a better future or nurture anything.

Katori Hall playwright and screenwriter

Ordering a couch during the pandemic. It took four months to arrive, and I had never sat on it, but once I did, it was so uncomfortable, so I had to send it back. Then I ordered another one and had to wait another three months.

Source: Clock Forward

Mike Birbiglia comedian

We took my 5-year-old daughter Oona snow tubing. One time, Oona and I went down the hill together and the snow tube just kept going and going and going, and I realized we were about to slide into this little pond, which is not the best place to bring your snow tube. So my brain went into panic mode, and I pushed my hand against the ground until we stopped moving. Anyway, I saved our lives and until now I'm the only person who knows that. Oona just knows that we were going fast and it was really fun. Which is sort of a metaphor for the entire pandemic with kids - you only tell them what they need to know.

Karen Russell novelist

Thinking I could watch a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old while also participating on Zoom calls with students; I have a bleary memory of watching our baby feeding bread to the houseplants while her brother stood on the kitchen table, feral and naked, and thinking to myself, well, at least I can angle the camera.

Hayley Williams musician

I still don't know how to estimate what the practical amount of groceries for my household should look like. They don't teach you that on tour. Every night in my kitchen is like an episode of "Chopped."

Makaya McCraven musician

I don't know if I'll ever forget washing a bag of Doritos in my sink with Clorox.

The last two, by Hayley and Makaya are so familiar. Michael and I are still grocery shopping two weeks' worth at a time to reduce our Covid exposure. And before items are put into our freezer / refrigerator, everything (except produce) gets wiped down with alcohol.

And once the groceries are jammed into the fridge, we can no longer find anything. Every time we pull something out, it's a surprise! "Oh, look what I found: a container of orange cranberry chicken salad!" And then the disappointment... when we discover it's past its "use by date."