Category: Ruminations and Crackpot Theories

Observations on life in general.

Thursday Thoughts: On Being Essential

My day job is working for a beverage distributor. According to the Department of Homeland Security and the governor of my state, I am essential. My employer takes this seriously. Not because they can make money, but because we are a business-to-business industry; we help other business stay in business. (My internal editor is cringing at all the “businesses” in this paragraph!) My company has donated to a bartender relief fund.  When ventilators were donated to my state from another, Jet Blue provided air transportation  and my employer donated the ground transportation.

My employer takes the safety of its employees seriously. We have been given masks. Hand sanitizer–we’ve even made our own. Our temperatures are taken every morning before we enter the building. Social distancing is strictly enforced. People have been hired to do nothing but walk through the office and wipe down the surfaces with sanitizer several times a day.

My particular team has the option of working from home. Several of my co-workers have taken advantage of this.  I have not. Other than my hours being changed, my routine hasn’t been drastically altered. And yeah, I like getting out at 4:30 instead of 5:30. If and when I have to start working from home, I’m afraid I will never want to leave my house again.  It’s the downfall of being an introvert.

I order in food when I can, and am as generous as I can be when tipping delivery people. I want my favorite restaurants to stay in business.

The toughest part of being essential has been talking to restaurant and bar owners who have been forced to “pause”. Some of them will be okay. Others are scared they will lose everything. Some cry. Others curse. All I can do is listen and assure them I will work with them once the state is off pause. We want them to stay in business.

I’m not a health care professional or a first responder. I don’t work directly with the public. But I’m proud of what I do to keep the economy going.

MJ Monday-Music: Linda Ronstadt

My husband and I tuned into the Kennedy Center Honors this year because we both wanted to see Sally Field and Linda Ronstadt. Ronstadt’s music is an integral part of the sound track of my life. Shortly after the Kennedy Center TV special we watched the documentary, LINDA RONSTADT: THE SOUND OF MY VOICE.

I could listen to the sound of her voice forever. Until relatively recently, there was no compilation of her greatest hits. I know because I looked.

Ronstadt was an amazing performer, with an unmatched versatility that allowed her to sing in a wide variety of genres.  She has performed with many other legendary musicians. Her voice is arguably one of the best of voices of her generation.

Check it out.

Different Drum

Long, Long Time

Thursday Thought: The Colors of Pain

When I was a child, I saw pain in two colors. Ear aches were red. Stomach aches were black. As I grew older and experienced different types of pain, they always red or black.

RED PAIN:

  • Headaches
  • sinus infections
  • foot cramps
  • leg cramps
  • torn meniscus
  • damaged ACL
  • toothaches
  • coughing
  • giving birth

BLACK PAIN:

  • gas pains
  • menstrual cramps
  • labor pains

How do you see pain?

 

 

 

MJ Monday-Meals: Chicken Taco Casserole with Cucumber Avocado Salad

Going on my writing retreats can sometimes be a challenge, especially when I try to take other people’s dietary needs into consideration. It’s a good thing I like to cook and peruse recipes.

Here’s a combination I used the last time I took off for the woods with my critique group.

Chicken Taco Casserole

With this, I left off the black olives and made my own taco seasoning to make sure there was no sugar in it. There are at least a couple dozen taco seasoning recipes on Pinterest.

I paired the casserole with Cucumber Avocado Salad.

With this, I swapped out the feta cheese with goat cheese, as not everyone likes feta.

The cool creaminess of the salad was a wonderful counterpoint to the mild spiciness of the casserole.

MJ Monday-Motivation: Journaling

I periodically get away from journaling, but eventually return to doing it. Some people call it Morning Pages; others have different names for it. The main character in Diary of a Mad Housewife referred to her journal as “Accounts”.

Whatever you call it, sometimes writing out everything helps. I find that my “secular” life, if you will, tends to clog the creative flow. Writing down my frustrations, expressing my rage, even recording those special good times helps purge the blocks. Once those thoughts are gone, consigned to paper, my brain is free to focus on my stories.