Anything Goes

Quarantine stuff

Annual shot of the crocuses growing in our front garden

Sign of the times

 

You would think being in a lock down would be boring. And sometimes it is. But if you’re like me, who has basically shunned society and avoid going out in general, it’s actually not that bad. But… Things have never been more interesting when society bands together.

In the last week or so, I’ve cleaned out my room a bit more, gone through my clothes, did a solo pilates workout, actually made some progress on my book, helped clean the backyard… And baked an upside down banana cake! I diverged from my go-to banana crumb muffin recipe and decided to try making this recipe. It was pretty good, and won the taste of approval from my family.

We got through it so fast I only had half a portion of cake to take a picture of

Now as for an explanation as to the title of this post: I indeed helped search for a lost dog about two Monday mornings ago. When I was about to leave the house with one of our dogs, a young couple in a truck pulled up to ask if I’d seen a golden retriever. I told them I hadn’t; of course they were pretty upset (the dog had escaped their yard), and I wanted to help. I didn’t have my phone to take their number (I left it charging!), but my Mom, who was coming out with the other dog, was able to take the couple’s phone number (who happened to live one street over from us). Some how, something like this always happens with my family: we come across a stray dog or animal and we end up rescuing it. It has happened with baby squirrels, racoons, baby birds… Needless to say, we are guardians of the animals! So, it was wet and rainy outside, but we walked with our dogs up the street where the local school is. We were also getting worried for the dog, so we wanted to see if we could spot it. Sure enough, within a few minutes we see this dog come running out from the school yard. We called its name, got her attention, but she didn’t come towards us. Instead, she went the opposite: she galloped across the main road and onto the street where she lived. Luckily her owners were just pulling into the driveway of their house, she went straight towards them and was home safe. Crisis averted!

The second most riveting thing to happen is a neighbourhood noise-making-session every night. Last Thursday, a few neighbours on my street started banging pots and other things every night at seven as a show of support and gratitude for our healthcare workers. To do our part (since we have relatives working in the healthcare profession), my fam and I go out and bang pots and create a racket as well. It’s rather fun, and it’s fun seeing our next door neighbours get in on the action as well. I tried playing my guitar a few times and made some fabulously crap music. (meaning: can’t really play.)

I started re-watching the Lord of The Rings movies. Honestly, I loved them so much when I was younger, and it’s so good to get back into it. You were either a Legolas chick or an Aragorn chick. Feel free to guess as to which one I was.

I’ve also been watching a cross-combination of The Witcher, Schitt’s Creek, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee and The Marvellous Mrs. Maizel (Not Netflix!).

As I write this, it is now Easter Weekend. We have no family gatherings, just a family gathering-esque meal. My contribution is the homemade variation of the humble dinner roll. I’ve only made bread a few times, and definitely still need some practice (since everyone else seems to doing bread during this quarantine why not, ha) but hopefully this recipe will turn out.

Rainbows seem to be a prevailing symbol of optimism as of late. Coincidentally I found this Easter Bunny song by Rosemary Clooney, so I figured why not? I wouldn’t have guessed The Easter Bunny hailed from a rainbow, but there you have it. Bunnies and optimism!

 

I’m back

Sorry for the cut off flowers at the top

Hi there. If you have been checking up this blog lately, you’ll have noticed that I’ve been MIA since October. Why? Well, for a few reasons. One, I wasn’t happy with what I was putting out at the time: the personal questionnaire I was following was getting stupider by the day, and got me frustrated. Second, I was in the mindset that nobody really reads this blog. And hey, most people probably don’t; I don’t do a good job of promoting myself and my writing (hello shyness my old friend), so no one really knows it’s here–unless you’ve accidentally stumbled upon it through the WordPress algorithm, and if so, then hi!!–so I asked myself, what’s the point of keeping it up? Third… Well, I simply wasn’t in much of a blogging frame of mind.

Which brings me to today: March 26, 2020. We, the people of the world, are under an honest-to-god lock down. The novel COVID-19 is running rampant and making its mark in the history books. People are at home (or should be!), bored out of their minds and are finding various ways to keep themselves entertained. All it took was this Manrepeller post to get me back on here, so here I am. Maybe we need more personal blogs, or more blogs in general. Something rather nostalgic about the written word, ya know?

But I’m not here to wax nostalgia. Times are fast, times are rough. And in an ironic twist, I’m finding more creative opportunities to do during a lock down than I ever had in the past 10 years. I’m pretty much a hermit anyway, so given the fact that almost* everyone else has been forced to hermit themselves as well, I felt that I may as well make my contribution in my corner of the internet.

Returning to my question at the beginning: what’s the point of keeping this blog up? I realize, if anything, it should be for my own enjoyment. I will be glad if anyone likes what I have to say on here, regardless of who follows me or not. I enjoy writing about what’s happening (or not happening) in my life, what music I’m currently into, or posting silly things I’ve found on youtube. I may keep it up for another few years, depending on my mood/where I’m at in life, but who knows. And if you haven’t found me now, maybe it will be a few (or 10) years from now. Which is pretty cool!

Anyways, this is a very strange and scary time we’re living in. But we are all in this together, and it’s nice to see what people can do the lift the spirits and make others feel better. If anything, we can only become better and more thoughtful human beings as a result of this. And when we come out on the other side, the sunshine will be brilliant.

So, what have I been up to lately in this lock down mode? Baking. I got some yeast packets last week, so I may find myself trying a loaf or two. I’ve also been on a vintage clothing kick, but since I can’t actually get down to a vintage clothing store, I’ve been browsing Etsy for 1940s and 1950s clothing. (And I have yet to buy anything.) I’ve also been experimenting with hair rollers to get myself some nice 40s/50s inspired waves. I need a bit more practice, but I am liking the results.

And if I haven’t been doing either of the above, I’ve been working on my book (of course). Some days the words come faster than others, but I have to be patient with my precocious teenage characters. (For that is what they are.)

Take a few moments to enjoy the music and peace of this video. We will find tranquility again.

*Shout out the health care workers and others working on the front lines to take care of the public!

30 for 30: day 16

10 things I would tell my fourteen year old self

1. Just do it
2. Fourteen won’t last forever, so enjoy it (even if it’s sucky at times)
3. Hey, at least you’re not thirteen anymore
4. Math is your friend… Sort of
5. Don’t be afraid to be different from your class mates
6. There’s nothing wrong being quieter than the others
7. Mistakes are just that–mistakes
8. Comparison is the thief of joy
9. Your talent lies in your writing
10. Believe it or not you are awesome, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise

30 for 30: day 15

Three legitimate fears and how they became fears

Yay, fears! But not really.

1. Puking: I can’t even remember how this phobia came about, but it’s a legit thing (and people have it). When I was a kid I was absolutely paranoid about it. Today it’s… Better. I still don’t like it and do what I can to avoid getting sick, but still. (And you best believe that if anyone is about to whoop their cookies I’m running for the door.)
2. Speaking in public: this fear was spawned from being forced to the front of the class in school to recite my own notes. To this day I don’t think I can stand in front of a group of people to recite something of my own writing.
3. The ocean. It’s deep, dark, vast and powerful, and overall creeps me out. It’s taken down ships, planes alien warcraft, and I’ve seen enough disaster at sea movies to stay the hell away from it.

30 for 30: Day 14

Things that make me happy

• My dogs
• Creepy paranormal stories (are they/aren’t they real??)
• 1960s music
• Italian food
• Lipstick
• Fantasy movies (i.e.: Star Wars, and speaking of which the new Rise of Skywalker trailer comes out soon!!!!!!!)
• Homemade baked stuff
• Getting on a good roll while writing my story
• Cappuccinos in traditional cappuccino cups
• Watching birds at the feeder
• Swimming on a hot day
• Eating outside
• The anticipation of Peppermint Mocha season

30 for 30: Day 13

Hobbies/Interests

• Writing (duh)
• Ballet dance (but not limited to just that)
• Photography
• Vintage fashion
• Old movies
• Musicals (but only when done properly)
• Sci-fi/fantasy genres
• Reading
• Baking
• History
• Immersing myself in the history of a place

30 for 30: Day 12

Do you want to be famous?

Do I? Do I??? YES! And no. Yes for the fact that I want to be known for my writing and overall fabulousness, but at the same time I want to be invisible from the public eye. The thought of people actively searching me out online both scares and exhilarates me. Let’s just say I want to be famous, but… Low key famous.

 

30 for 30: day 11

The last dream you remember having

Usually I’m better at remembering dreams, but lately I’ve not been remembering them. However, I’m pretty sure the closest one I can recall is one where I’m trying to get to my ballet class by a particular time, and something has held me up and I’m getting anxious. I seem to have these dreams often of where I’m trying to get somewhere, and I either lose track of the time or something is keeping me from going. It’s a weird feeling, and I have no idea what my subconscious is trying to get at.

30 for 30: day 10

Things you like and dislike about yourself

Likes

• My green eyes
• My hair that can be styled curly and straight
• My worthy/not so worthy attempts at vintage style
• My capability to keep (mostly) patient in tough situations
• Not giving up on things so easily
• Seeing things from both sides (I think)

Dislikes

• Not always asking for help when needed (because, shy)
• Not being tidy enough
• My insufferable need to procrastinate
• Not paying close enough attention to certain things
• Maybe too much of a perfectionist?