Today, I’m taking a page from Stephany’s book and using blog posting as a distraction from the ongoing endless current heavy news. Losing myself in the mundane is soothing, in its way.
If you need a genuine smile, Michelle’s post about photo doodles was magic for me. In the meantime, here are five inconsequential things on my mind today.
- Watch Me: I am having an Extremely Reactive Skin Situation this week. My underarms are itchy and inflamed, my lips are dry and peeling, and my face is sporting multiple spots and blemishes (including a Rudolph-esque cyst on my nose; a little late to be festive, no?). Plus, my Apple watch band is leaving an angry, painful red blotch on my wrist. Well, wrists plural, because I switch arms every day to give each wrist a break. I love my Apple watch and use it for various timers and alarms, and to track my steps, my exercise, and my sleep. Honestly, no wonder my arms are getting tired of it. But my wrist-swapping method is not working as it once did, so I need a new solution. My husband uses a leather watch band during the workday, and a nylon watch band for working out. I just use the silicone band that came with my watch; maybe I need a nylon watch band? Of course, as with everything, I am spoiled for choices… this one is utilitarian and simple and cheap. This one comes in fun colors/patterns. Or maybe I want a new silicone one, like this? I would prefer a watch band I don’t need to swap out every time I exercise (although if I do need to swap it out, I would be tempted to try a stainless steel band for non-exercise time. How can I choose? Do you have an exercise watch band you like? Or some way to prevent the skin reaction?
- Everybody Plays the Fool: Some people in my life believe that I anthropomorphize my cat. Which is entirely true. I feel like he is a person in the purest, most universal sense of the word. Sometimes I get the feeling that he is trying very hard to see me as whatever the cat equivalent is for “person.” But I am so very stupid, and have such a very difficult time understanding his clear and simple wishes. Even though I do not understand his clear and simple wishes, I understand his frustration, and just how patient he is being with me, and just how very stupid he thinks I am. I mean, look at this face. I am the recipient of this face multiple times a day. This morning, he sat there staring expectantly at me for a good ten minutes before he gave up in disgust and left my office. I never did figure out what he needed.
- I Won’t Back Down: Yes, yes, I know I made a big ol’ deal about how I’m FINE with giving up on books that aren’t working for me. But right now I’m reading two books – one with my eyes, one with my ears – that aren’t doing it for me, and I’m just unwilling to let them go. The audiobook is a mystery, and it’s kind of boring, and I don’t really care at all about the narrator/protagonist… but I’ve already given up four hours of my life to listening to it, and I’m more than halfway through it, and I just want to figure out who the murderer is and be done with it. Multiple times a day I tell myself, “Just Google it, and start something else!” and yet I keep plugging away. WHY. The other book is one that SO MANY PEOPLE seem to love, and I want to love it too, and yet it just isn’t striking the right tone with me. To be fair, I haven’t given it much of a shot – a few pages, at most – but I have no desire to pick it up. Seems like an obvious DNF… Except that I WANT to like it. There have been a handful of times when sticking with a book turned out to be worthwhile. I remember thinking The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was a drag for at least 100 pages, but then I ended up really loving it and enjoying the entire series. Of course, the best example is The Goldfinch, which I hated right up until the very end, when the book transformed itself into one of my all-time favorite novels. What if I give up on one of these two books and miss out on another Goldfinch?!
- Take a Picture: When I was putting together a holiday card this past December, I found plenty of photos of the three of us, and tons of photos of my husband and daughter, but it was extremely hard to find any pictures that featured me and my daughter or me and my husband. I have only one or two very loose goals for the year, but one of them is to appear in more photos with my husband and child. The thing is, I’m not exactly sure how to accomplish this. My husband is a wonderful and prolific photographer, but he’s not always inclined to take photos of people – his eye is on scenery and artistic groupings. Plus, I’m usually the one who insists on taking photos on more mundane occasions. Like, he’s fine taking pictures when we go to Paris, but has no patience for pictures of all us around the Thanksgiving table, you know? I did announce my goal to both husband and daughter, and asked them to help me accomplish it. They seemed receptive, but time will tell. Of course, the other obstacle is me. I do not tend to enjoy seeing myself in photos. If only I can remember that I *do* like seeing myself in photos, long after the fact. My critical eye is kinder with the passage of the years. It is well worth the teeth-gritting of appearing in photos today to achieve the pleasant nostalgia I will feel when I see them in two or five or twenty years.
- Long As I Can See the Light: Linda Gregg is one of my favorite poets. This poem, from In the Middle Distance, is bringing me a measure of solace today.
I get that kind of look from my cat ALL the time. He can’t believe how clueless I am sometimes. Poor guy, he’s stuck with me!
Give up on the books! Givvvvve upppppp! Because you could be using that reading time for a different book that you love! There’s never enough time to read them all, you might as well enjoy what you do read.
Poor cats. Their humans are such idiots.
I have a black cat who always looks hostile but is a very loving girl–only to me though. They stare and slow blink to show love for their humans. I never give up on my Book Club books so that I can discuss them intelligently. However, I do get bogged down in other reads and often don’t finish them. I don’t like that about myself. I’m disliking pictures of myself lately too. I look old and haggard. The country and world news is bringing me low.
What a beautiful poem! Thanks for sharing, friend.
OMG what is HAPPENING with your skin reactivity??? You poor thing! That sounds dreadful, and also itchy. Ugh, so sorry. I wish I had advice but alas. I have none. I just use the watch band that came with my Garmin.
Aren’t we supposed to anthropomorphize our pets? I mean, I think that’s part of pet ownership.
Suzanne, this was just the post I needed to read today, and thank you for the lovely mention. ❤️ You brightened my day! I love the stretchy nylon solo loop watch bands. I have a multicolored pack of them, and I wash them all with my CPAP stuff once a week. Of course you anthropomorphize your kitty! Have you seen any YouTube videos of people who train their cats to communicate with a button board? I love watching the cats ask for treats and cuddles, and it seems like one of their favorite words is “Mad.” 🤣
Okay, your skin situation is worse than mine in degree, but in kind I am right there with you. It’s fairly important that I wear my carpal tunnel braces every night, but every January it starts giving me eczema on my left hand – only the left, wtf – and then it’s a choice of evils. My lips are crazy dry – have you tried the Blue Blistex Lip Medex? It’s the only thing that works, although at night I smear on a bunch of Laneige lip mask over it.
My friend is staying with her friend to help after surgery, and she sent a picture of the friend’s chihuahua looking at her with MAJOR judgy face while she was chopping vegetables and watching Heated Rivalry.
I am older than you and I JUST started being able to DNF, so I really, really get it, and I support your choice either way. It’s one of those things that you just have to be ready for, and I don’t think it can be forced.
Also got annoyed when I looked for pics of me with my husband – who are the only people who live here most of the year – and had to go back a full calendar year. If I ask him to help me remedy that he will readily agree and then immediately forget. And YES about hating pics of myself but then liking them later. When someone tries to hand me the pic they just took of me to check I always throw up my hands in horror. TOO SOON.
I call it the Middlemarch Quandary. I may have already mentioned it, but years ago I read Middlemarch and it was just not doing it for me (and this is back when I read classics all the time). I soldiered on, and the last page was so moving that i cried. So now I have a similar feeling to you- I’m afraid to DNF a book because what if the ending is AMAZING???
Foxy has a “resting sad face”- I mean I don’t really think he’s sad, but every time he stares at me I have to rush over and reassure him that everything will be okay.
Yikes, that skin issue sound ANNOYING. I have no good suggestions about that watch band- I hope someone else can help.
I have to wonder if the silicone is what is aggravating your wrists? I’d be inclined to get something that isn’t silicone to see if that resolves the issue.
Now I want to know what book you are trying that isn’t working. I’m guessing Heart the Lover? I loved that book but if the tone isn’t working, set it aside with no guilt. Not every book is for every person! And often times, a book I adore is not a good fit for you, and vice versa!
The skin issues are horrible to deal with. I’m so sorry! Winter seems especially rough for anyone with skin sensitivities. Phil’s eczema is so awful, and the boys get more patches than usual. But then sun screen season is terrible for Will. So I guess it’s just bad to have sensitive skin FULL STOP.
I anthropomorphize a lot of things. Like my piano is definitely a girl!
The poem is helpful and true. Thank you.
That cat is just stunningly photogenic.
I am sorry to hear you are dealing with an uncomfortable skin issue.
“How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the DNF” is a movie that needs to be made. DNFs are our friends. That said, I did start to read “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” and hated it (I’m not overly fond of epistolary novels) but then a few years later read it for book club and loved it. And I often dislike a book that everyone else likes. “A Gentleman in Moscow” – read it in its entirety for book club and was annoyed by it the whole time, but everyone else raved about it.
I’m sorry about your skin. That sounds very trying. This may not apply because it sounds like a more global problem, but I used to get a rash from my FitBit band so I stopped sleeping with it on and that (and not showering with it on and getting soap suds stuck under it) seemed to do the trick. I did find the sleep data interesting, but not interesting enough to be worth it.
That cat clearly wants something and you are clearly not trying hard enough to figure out what it is.
Yes to making sure that you are in photos and not just taking the photos! The more photos you take, the higher the odds that you will end up with photos where you like the way you look. The secret for the ones where you don’t like the way that you look is the little trash can icon on your screen.
Enquiring minds want to know what this book is that everyone else loves that is hitting you like meh. It’s a tough call – it might be another Goldfinch, or it might not which means that it’s keeping you from reading your next Goldfinch. There is no way to know.
Ugh to winter skin. My solution is that I’m heading down to New Orleans where they have humidity next week. Failing that, yes get a new watch band but make it something fun! The watch that I have right now doesn’t have a lot of options, but in the past I’ve had a lot of fun with this. Back when I had a tiny fitbit I had a (super cheap but fancy looking) pearl band, and in my Garmin era I’ve had metallic bands that looked great. Note to self: maybe I dive into the Amazon Rabbit Hole and see if it’s really true that there are no other band options for my current Garmin.
Doggo said to tell Leo that she knows the frustration of the hoomans not being able to get it so well. Sigh.
What on earth is happening with your skin? That sounds dreadful. I have no advice.
now I’m curious which book you’re reading that so many people liked, but you are struggling to get into.
I’m in very few photos, because I’m usually the one taking them. For years Coach worked late and missed birthday celebrations etc. I take so many photos. I suppose I appear in more now that everyone has a camera on their phone. I’m glad you intend to make a point of being in more pics with Carla.
Love the poem! Thank you for sharing.
The skin thing sounds so uncomfortable. Three things, if they’re useful. One: the main thing I took away from Miranda July’s _All Fours_ is how amazing Vanicream products are. I’d never heard of them before, and now I appreciate how inexpensive and hypoallergenic they are! Two: Would it be possible to use your apple watch as a clip-on for a while? Or around your your ankle? I don’t have one, so this may be a very ignorant suggestion. Three: At who has very reactive skin was wondering if desperation over skin would make them more prone to being revolutionary. (Karl Marx and Jean Paul Marat famously had skin conditions.)
What could you NOT anthropomorphize Leo?!
The Goldfinch was TOOOOO LOOOONG! I finished it though, and did enjoy it in the end, but if that is what I have to go through every time to have a good book finale, I think it may only be worth it three times out of ten, which means that you should be DNFing at least 7 possible Goldfinches out of every 10 books you consider DNFing. FOMO is real, but sometimes you are not missing much! 🙂
Suzanne, do you think your skin is reacting to Winter? I mean your face, not your wrist.
I think that is pretty common with Apple Watches or smartwatches in general. It’s probably just the government slowly implanting a tracking device in your skin, but you’re not supposed to notice it, but you, my friend, are too keen.
I totally get what you are saying about the photograph thing!!
I’ve never heard of Linda Gregg- I love that poem. 💜
I recommend taking selfies (if only just for you) to practice seeing yourself in photos… and then also always put the phone in someone else’s hand when you want to have photos taken of an occasion where you would usually be the only person taking photos!
P.S. I loved your Christmas card by the way and feel privileged that you included me in your list!
That poem. It hit me right in the heart. Thank you for sharing; I’ve never heard of Linda Gregg before. I love expanding my poet universe, so if you have any other favorites you’d like to share, please, please do. <3
(Also, Lenny. LOL. He looks well and truly PO’d. C’mon, mom, do better! ;>)