On March 8th I celebrated another lap around the sun. It was a good birthday but I’ll admit I’m feeling older. Ever since I left my last job I’ve been wanting to reinvent myself but have been having trouble actually doing so. My search for a new job was delayed after I fell and messed up my arm. Then I recovered from that and went on a family vacation and had RSV for a few weeks. Follow that with gum surgery, I thought I was done. But nature has been throwing the book at me and my latest is having my face turn red. Getting a dermatologist through Kaiser seems to be more difficult than brain surgery so, while I’m not quite as red, I’m now pink and peeling. Maybe the universe is telling me it isn’t the best time to be interviewing anyway. Sigh. Whatever the case, it is feeling frustrating because I really am in need of something new.
My health situation has delayed my exercise regime which of course has also delayed the weight loss I need to do. I finally got so frustrated I got my hair cut shorter because at least I could control that and, hair can always grow. I’ve also decided to grow out my natural color. Turns out I’m not nearly as gray as I thought I’d be. I also like not having to color my hair every eight weeks so I guess that is good. Still, I need a project. Preferably a creative one.
I got some paper and black ink pens as well as pencils for my birthday to try and start drawing again. I figured if I wasn’t writing as much maybe I could start drawing. I’ve done a little, and am definitely rusty. I haven’t drawn regularly for 20 years and it shows. Hopefully I’ll practice a bit more and it will come back. I also need to keep writing. I still dream of writing a book, but if I don’t sit down every day, that won’t happen. So I’m working on that too, though I’m not willing to show that yet. I need to be able to carry a story over multiple days and expand it. I know I want to do something with an older female protagonist. I just watched the latest Oscars and saw a lot of gray hair, which was great, but I realized how few stories there are for women over 35 in Hollywood. I would love to create a story for that age group that shows how complicated and competent women are, but it won’t invent itself.
In more mundane news, I got locked out of my master password list. I’ve been going through all my online sites updating passwords. I started with anything financial and have expanded from there. I think I’ve gotten the bulk of critical items but I often run across something that I’ve forgotten about. I feel like there are tools out there that I could use, but after losing that master or misremembering, I need to go back to old school and just write the damn things down somewhere.
I do so miss being around creative people. I want to have that sort of community and need to see where I can build that. Maybe a class? I dunno. I’m a member of my local YMCA these days. When there during the day I’m on the younger side since so many retirees go during the day. Sometimes there are a smattering of college or high school age students, and a few in my range. Probably more than I realize, but I miss being around a more age diverse group. I also miss having a dog, but that will have to wait until Grace is off at college. Covid taught us that Grace is not a dog person. Something I still don’t quite understand, but so goes life.
In the meantime I have refresh my web design skills. I have some pictures I would like to share and a friend has started a Substack/blog that if you enjoy how I write, I think you would enjoy hers as well.
Meanwhile, Spring is fast approaching. Hopefully the next time I write I’ll have managed to find a dermatologist for my redness or it will have resolved. Even better, maybe I’ll have a new job! A girl can always dream.