A Letter Concerning A Reduction Of Library Services

 This is a letter I wrote to the Salem City Council and Budget Committee concerning the possibility of reducing the public library's budget. In all honesty, I wish I could take this further, but wanted to keep the length short while still hitting key points. I found some excellent articles and relevant issues in my research that I wasn't able to cover.  I was particularly interested in the many roles a library takes on in a community as well as the disappearing safe locations for youth and adults to gather in towns and cities. 

I hope this letter can serve as an act of support for the community at the least and potentially a spring board for others and their own research.

Notice: Blogger does not allow for indented paragraphs for long quotations. In lieu of this formatting option I will be using single quotations.

***

Esteemed members of the city council,

Salem is facing a budget problem and somehow our library’s future has been placed squarely in the center of this fight. Many members of our society have spoken, over the years, on how valuable libraries are to a city. What is the benefit to a community? I can tell you my personal experience, but I can also tell you what citizens who have studied this very problem have discovered, in their own words.

I have lived in Salem since I was a small child. I spent an enormous amount of time in the children’s book section during the summer. It felt like a safe space. Participating in summer reading programs was a huge boon to my cultural and general education as a child. As a young teen I often spent half a day in the library studying for papers with the resources offered. The internet was new at the time. I learned to use a search engine from a librarian to find scholarly articles. I received help looking at old newspapers for historical information, and used periodicals to browse subjects I simply wanted to know more about. The library was a place I could feel at home and supplement my education. Today, it still serves as this type of place even as the world has changed. I have gained and still gain research skills and curiosity about subjects that improve my education and they follow me into adulthood and have aided me in my career, hobbies, and everyday life. Most importantly the library helps me to feel a part of a community, a member of the city of Salem.

In a 2015 article from NPR, entitled “Do We Really need libraries?” by Linton Weeks, sums up why libraries are important to any community.

'What are the benefits of libraries in this day and age?

Like a good librarian, Tony Marx of the New York Public Library has some answers. Today's libraries still lend books, he says. But they also provide other services to communities, such as free access to computers and Wi-Fi, story times to children, language classes to immigrants and technology training to everyone.

"Public libraries are arguably more important today than ever before," Marx says. "Their mission is still the same — to provide free access to information to all people. The way people access information has changed, but they still need the information to succeed, and libraries are providing that."

Or as Andrew Carnegie said many years ago: "A library outranks any other thing a community can do to benefit its people. It is a never failing spring in the desert." '

Libraries help our entire community thrive. If people, younger and older, have a place they can learn and grow as our society changes and our city has the capability to provide that space, we all benefit. Fostering community involvement, ensuring our city has a bright future, and giving everyone this exceptional service that the librarians and programs provide, is just as important as providing police and fire and other city services. It is another type of security in the community. “A library is a place of safety, a haven from the world.” (“Why We Need Libraries”)

Citizens all over the country prefer to live and visit where there is a working and thriving library system. In Minnesota “[p]eople prefer to live near a public library if they have a choice, and often perceive library access as part of an enhanced quality of life.” (“Create and Strengthen Communities - Libraries Matter") Libraries are often visited as tourist destinations or by new residents to a city. “Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is the area's most visited regional asset. The Main Library in Oakland alone is the second most visited destination[.]” ("Library as Tourist Destination") The reason for this gravitation towards libraries is not just the physical books and librarians, although they can offer a huge draw on their own. The library as a physical community meeting space with a focus on education and communication seems to be a main reason for frequent visits. In an ALA document regarding Wisconsin public libraries entitled "Public libraries provide valuable meeting spaces,” this topic is discussed.

'Many interviewees place a great deal of importance on the value of a comfortable public library facility where they can gather, especially as opportunities for social interaction have decreased in the wake of more people seeking out services online[.]'

Salem is no different. The decrease of hours and staffing would greatly reduce the ability of community members to hold meetings, socialize outside of their homes, and seek the essential services provided by the library.

Our library has recently undergone a beautiful new upgrade. To reduce staffing and hours to a bare minimum would be a waste of needed, and already funded, resources. Many libraries throughout the country have updated their facilities to keep up with growing community needs, as Jennifer Howard explains for The National Endowment For Humanities:

'To keep up with changing technology and user expectations, public libraries have invested in more computer terminals and Wi-Fi capability. They have upgraded and expanded facilities to provide more outlets, meeting rooms, study spaces, and seating that patrons can use for extended periods of time as they take advantage of free Wi-Fi.'

In addition to these upgrades, Salem has a somewhat unique set of needs. Like any city, we have a changing set of demographics whose needs cannot be met by the same standards of a city in a totally different state. Salem is the Capital of Oregon. With that status comes certain responsibilities. The entire state looks to us as well as Portland as a leader. With that in mind I would like to address our unique demographics. Salem has a high percentage of Spanish speaking residents. On Census.gov the city of Salem has a 22.8% hispanic or latino population, which is greater than the national average of 19.1% hispanic or latino citizens. (“US Census Bureau”) While this population may or may not speak Spanish, this data suggests there is a higher likelihood of Salem benefitting from Spanish programming and bilingual librarians than many libraries in the country. Salem also has more citizens under the age of 18 than the national average. Salem has a percentage of 23.2% people under the age of 18 and the national average is 21.7%. (“US Census Bureau”) Teens need a safe place to hang out and study and in my trips to our library I have seen teens using the library as such a space. To limit everyone’s ability to use this space and all that it offers would do great harm to the community.

I would like to end by giving gratitude to the Salem Public Library. The library has gone through adversity in my time living in Salem, and grown stronger from the challenges. The services the library provides are immeasurable, such as: mobile apps, concerts, study rooms, the library of things, self check out, free parking, movie and music check out, wifi, computers, reading programs, cultural programs, arts and crafts programs, language lessons and services, child enrichment, space for community meetings, compiling Salem’s history, and of course books. Imagine our city with a 20% reduction of these services, 30% reduction or even greater. Community members would have less places to spend time, socialize, gather, learn, and grow. The alternatives would create strain on other city services, and create a deficit in community involvement for years to come.

Please consider other options than drastically limiting the library’s budget. There are other areas where we can ask volunteers to fill in to help such as in areas of our parks, police support, or fire support, or find a compromise that does not severely limit a needed service such as the library. Reducing services that create community only limits our community. Let’s build our community.

I really appreciate your time in hearing me on this important issue. Thank you to the city council and employees of the city for your attention to this matter.

Lisa Miller

Citations

Weeks, Linton. “Do We Really Need Libraries?” NPR, NPR, 5 May 2015, www.npr.org/sections/npr-history-dept/2015/05/05/403529103/do-we-really-need-libraries.

Gaiman, Neil, and Chris Riddell. “Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell on Why We Need Libraries – an Essay in Pictures.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 6 Sept. 2018, www.theguardian.com/books/gallery/2018/sep/06/neil-gaiman-and-chris-riddell-on-why-we-need-libraries-an-essay-in-pictures.

"Create and Strengthen Communities - Libraries Matter", American Library Association, dynamically generated page. http://www.ala.org/tools/research/librariesmatter/category/create-and-strengthen-communities (Accessed April 14, 2024)

"Library as Tourist Destination", American Library Association, July 15, 2011. http://www.ala.org/tools/research/librariesmatter/library-tourist-destination (Accessed April 14, 2024) Document ID: b4186f44-c45e-cec4-4de6-6bbb0e3a0242

"Public libraries provide valuable meeting spaces", American Library Association, February 29, 2012. http://www.ala.org/tools/research/librariesmatter/public-libraries-provide-valuable-meeting-spaces (Accessed April 15, 2024) Document ID: dff4410a-cb3c-c0e4-91e4-0c60a920abef

Howard, Jennifer, et al. “The Complicated Role of the Modern Public Library.” The National Endowment for the Humanities, 7 Nov. 2019, www.neh.gov/article/complicated-role-modern-public-library.(Accessed April 14, 2024)

U.S. Census Bureau Quickfacts: Salem City, Oregon; United States, www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/salemcityoregon,US/PST045222. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.

Powerless: a diary of the blackout in Oregon

Friday

The freezing rain started thursday night and continued into friday evening

I took some macro pictures and scraped the layer of ice off of my car so I could make a quick run to the pharmacy

We lost power at 530pm on Friday night, just as dinner was being prepared

We ate cold left overs instead

The power company fixed some of the power and said our apartment would be fixed the next day

We read books and tried to play guitar by candlelight 

Saturday

A heavy ice storm hit saturday morning damaging many trees, power lines, buildings, cars, and more

The world looked like an ice sculpture

I resisted the urge to take photos and helped to clear branches and a tree from the road instead

Glad we always have at least one hand saw around

We collected ice that fell from the trees and bagged it to keep the fridge and freezer cold

We also drove a short loop to see damage and charge phones

Dinner was cold leftovers again

Vegetarian sloppy joes are pretty good cold

We read books and I played solitaire by candlelight and flashlight

Outside the air was thick with haze and smoke as people with woodstoves burned wet wood

Sunday

The next day tens of thousands of people lost power, even more than saturday, as the ice melted and more trees fell

We heard transformers blow like several gunshots

It was valentine's day

We got snacks at the store, and a bottle of champagne 

On the drive we saw the power company making their way down the neighborhood, block by block

Much progress was made, several street lights came online, less four way stops to worry about

We went on a walk to stay warm

The apartment temp was as cold as outside by now and we were wearing several layers of clothing

A family member with power ordered us pizza and we were extremely grateful for the hot food and good pizza

If they need help with damage repairs I hope they know we are there for them

We listened to music and drank champagne while playing rummikub

Monday

Monday morning got warmer, which was good for morale and health but bad for our food

The food started to go bad in the fridge, the freezer still had some good items and we started to eat them

My parents very kindly let us take showers at their place and lent us a cook stove

We were so grateful, hopfully we can help them with their roof damage if they need it 

We shopped for a lantern or some sort of light, more food and searched for wifi, then grabbed burgers as it was getting dark

We heard power might be out for the whole week

I am grateful for water and candles as well as gas in the car and family

I hope my sister is doing okay as I just heard she lost power and water a couple days after we did

Maybe the power will be on tomorrow

Tuesday

The day was a blur

We hoped for power, but after we heard that our powerline was restored the power company marked our complex as having power

It did not have power and so a neighbor called management who thought it was only our building and we called the power company who said it was the entire complex

This prompted my parents to call the power company and they found that they were marked as having power restored when in fact the whole street was without power

We read books most of the day

Then we cooked chili by camp stove on the balcony

The temperature got colder again tonight, I could feel it

I fell asleep reading my book by lantern light

Wednesday

This morning I woke a few times to trucks and chainsaws

The tree service and landscapers came back to do more work

Brian thought he heard someone talking about power outside, asking when it will be on and they said they can't really say but could get to it today after fixing a downed powerline nearby

We went for another walk

I noticed that one of the apartments has a daily letter board with short odd messages throughout the blackout, I don't always understand them but they amuse me

I found out my sister had her power turned on earlier today and my parents power came on tonight

We went to my parents house to get warm, heat up food, go online and watch movies

Their cable is spotty but the internet works so I caught up on the week's news and emails and the warmth felt good

Hopefully the power will be on tomorrow, and hopefully management can help

We called them to tell them about the loud crack we heard when the power went out which might have been one of the power boxes on property and how long the outage has been

The street sweepers were sweeping up the road gravel at 10pm, a clean road is one step closer to normal I suppose

Thursday

And Ode To The Trees After A Storm

Stumpy winter tree , grown straight and tall as an overgrown coat hanger

Windswept trees reaching for the eastern sky catching precarious branches within their grasp

Trees laying down where once they stood

Fragile trees blown apart under duress

Cut up circles of trees 

Sawn off branches in neat piles

Tall proud mountain trees unafraid of the weather

Come spring buds will blossom, leaves will grow, but the memory of ice will remain

Cold today again and rainy, snow-like rain that hits the car windshield like a melted flake, but no snow thank goodness 

Called the management for an update, nothing new

Went for a charging drive and got warm too

Called power company to see if they had all the info about what happened just in case later on and they said nothing much new, just that we were in a hard hit area and there had been 400 calls from our complex, which makes sense

We are still the only large place without power in our immediate area as far as we can tell, with the exception of a house here and there

Got more chili and snacks at the store

We read, ate dinner, and waited for a package that never came

I was chilled during the night, probably need to move around more

Friday

Slept late, still no package which is our weekly food delivery

The bread, peanut butter, dried fruit and seeds are great to have for breakfast, sometimes I have avocado instead, but I'm out of them now

I stretched really good and got the blood flowing again, no more chill

I wonder how people stretch on a snowy mountain climb if they get chilled, in all that gear and in tiny tents? 

I'm really starting to feel it today on day 7

I miss warmth and hot water

Glad I live in a temperate climate though

I think the temperature has stayed between 34 and 50, mostly in the low 40s.

We hiked the croisan scenic trail as far as we could and there were less downed trees than I imagined, except a patch of beautiful old maples or oaks which are now gone

We passed a two person crew who cleared much of the fallen limbs

Found a nearby neighborhood with no electricity, so we aren't the only ones without power back in this area

It is a neighborhood known for its tall trees and many of the oaks came down or lost limbs

Came home and read

Went to parents again to heat up soup, take showers, and do a little laundry

We got to watch some tv, which was nice

Apartment parkinglot was half empty last, so people are finding other places to sleep

Saturday

Another day

Temperature rose to about 48

Was able to get public wifi on a street corner nearby

Got our food delivery, which included as much nonpareshables as they had available

Read most of the day until there was a flash of light from the light bulbs for a second in the bedroom where we were reading by windowlight

It was 5pm, hopefully this is a good sign

For dinner we got fancy and combined chili and italian soup

As dinner was cooking outside, the electricity came back on for good

I was way too excited, but it had been 8 days with no electricity or heat, except for the car and the couple visits to family

I feel for others who are in a poorer situation, I am very aware this could have been much much worse

As of this post, there are still ~27,500 homes without power in Oregon

P o e t r y

~1~
Come Out And Play

When will the sun come out and play

The sun has hidden beneath a shroud

Heat radiates from behind a cloud

It suffocates an open wound

Why won't the sun come out and play

Like it did the day before

The light casts a sickly hue

Not dusk or dawn, but muted grey

I asked the sun, "Please, come out and play"

"No," came the distant reply

Echoing like thunder in the cloudy sky

Boom, flash, away birds fly

Light came trickling softly, slowly

I did not say a word

The sound of wetness undeterred

Just rain drops, drip, drop

~2~
Conversation

Let us walk and

I will talk with you.

How I should move my mouth?

I can't recall.

Nervous, heart pounding

Drowning out your voice.

I forgot the words

To my favorite song.

I hear a sound;

Shouts and screams in shrill nuance.

Silence is preferred.

I can't remember how to speak,

I forgot the words.

~3~
5 Haiku For Modern Times

A Summery haze

Blankets the perfect valley

Forests are burning

Gentle breezes drift

Fall fragrance filling the air

Masks cover noses 

The Winter Finch perched

Softly chirping a sweet song

Far away from home

A bountiful spring

flows freely from the mountain

And is bottled fresh

A beautiful mess

Healthy fungus breaks down wood

Natural decay

-2020, L.A. Miller

Photo of The Day, end of July

 A photography project in which I take (at least one) photo a day with my Sony A7 and a single lens. The first week I used the Canon 500mm manual focus. This is a fun lens. It has mirrors in addition to glass elements, aiding in the magnification, creating a lighter telephoto lens. I also used a Jupiter-11 135mm f4 from 1976. This is a cheap but beautiful rendering lens. Apologies for the quality of some of the photos. There was a heat wave that made for an interesting challenge.

July 14th

July 15th

July 24th

July 26th

July 27th

July 28th

July 28th

photos copyright 2020 L. A. Miller

New Times, New Habits

It's been 147 days since Covid-19 lockdown began for me; 2 more months and that's half a year. I started thinking about how my life has changed and what new habits I started because of the new normal. Not all of my new habits are a direct result of the pandemic, but I made changes for better or worse to adapt to a new way of life. Most of us have a few new habits that are obvious. We wash our hands when we come home, after unpacking groceries, and after touching any new or foriegn surface. We wear masks like we wear pants; they are necessary for decency and hygeine. These odd or tactful habits are fitting to new situations. 

I formed new habits without the consultation of the WHO or CDC, and sometimes I wonder what led me to that particular habit. For instance, I use paper towels now. I dislike paper towels for various environmental reasons, but now I am an avid user of the product. One reason is that I do not have a clothes washer or drier, I have access to a comunal laundromat. So, this disposable product found its way back into my life. The other reason for the paper towels leads me to another new habit: I clean with bleach now. I have not used straight bleach to clean since college. I recently used a combination of vinegar, lysol and clorox wipes. The latter of those products are like diamonds, very rare and expensive. (And, yes Clorox wipes are disposable, but less waste than buying multiple products.)

Other habits that intrigue me are my new clothing habits. Aside from mask wearing, I now wear more head coverings when I go outside. I used to wear baseball caps, but now I wear them more often. I also wear bandanas on my head. I tuck my shirts in too. I used to hate tucking in my shirt, having grown up in the pop-punk era of skate boards and surf wear. But, now I feel all clean and put together when I tuck my shirt in, don a cap, and mask.

I love my hobbies more. I have always had numerous hobbies since I first banged away on my parents piano, picked up my pink 110 camera, drew rainbows and sunsets in watercolor, and rode my bike around the neighborhood. But recently, hobbies seem like important sanity savers. The world is burning and corporations and tyrants are playing chess with our lives; we deserve a little sanity to get us through. And so, I make an effort to draw, write, photograph, and garden every week.

Speaking of sanity, my most helpful new habit is listening to calming music. It helps me think, breathe easier, and be calmer. These times make me want to be an angry punk. Relaxtion is necessary so I can get angry when I want, and not stay angry. 

Last of all, I get grocery deliveries. I never thought I would do a food delivery service, but here we are. I kind of love it. I get fresh veggies, some new foods to try, and I feel healthier. I hate shopping, so this was a great change.

Change can be good, if we are able to adapt with ease and flexibility.

Photo of the Day, Week of July 5th, 2020

A photography project in which I take (at least one) photo a day with my Sony A7 and a single lens. This week I used the Jupiter-3 f1.5 50mm manual focus lens from 1957. This is a fun lens. It can have an older look to it because of minor distortion and round bokeh even when stopped down. 

July 6

July 7

July 9

July 10

July 11

photos copyright 2020 L. A. Miller

Photo OF The Day, Week Of June 28, 2020

A photography project in which I take (at least one) photo a day with my Sony A7 and a single lens. This week I used the Canon FD 24mm F2 manual focus lens from the early 1980s. This lens is one of the sharpest wide that is a legacy manual focus lens. The bokeh has a bit of a zoom effect but it is not very distracting due to the low contrast of the lens.

June 29

June 30

July 1

July 2

July 3/1

July 3/2

photos copyright 2020 L. A. Miller

A song for the times; A song written for Covid

A song for quarantine / covid-19.

If You Pick A Package Up / Wash Your Hands - [If You're Happy And You Know It]

[verse 1]

If you pick a package up, wash your hands. [clap, clap]

If you touch a foreign surface wash your hands. [clap, clap]

[chorus]

If you want to stay real healthy, germs can be really stealthy, so if you pick a package up, wash your hands.

[verse 2]

If you go out in public, wear a mask. [cover your mouth]

If you visit, shop, or party, wear a mask. [cover your mouth]

[chorus]

If you want to stay real healthy, germs can be really stealthy, so if you go out in public, wear a mask.

Lyrics CC for use in classrooms L.A. Miller copyright 2020

Day 109, June 29, 2020

Day 109

I sit here listening to the large construction project next door. The earth movers are back. I think the siding is up on most of the buildings. Maybe this is a sign that they are getting close to the end.

The covid numbers keep going up in my state and all over the country. There is a solution, but a large group of people are ignorantly fighting the solution. 

"I'm being anti-racist." "I want to apologize for my past." "They should be fired." "It is a diversion!" The BLM movement online is filled with arguements and statements that many cannot agree on. I think it is a process. A messy process, because it is an explosive movement, just like me too/time's up. 

Anyway, wasn't it Black voices we white people should be lifting up? And here we are fighting amongst ourselves.

I am deciding to be less vocal. I try to speak what I believe is reasonable and I usually am ignored and at worst called names. Not to say there is not some support and agreement, however... It is better to speak with actions and, to listen.

So, I am taking a twitter break. More time for processing news, listening, reading, exercise, volunteering and other things.

Photo of The Day, Week of June 21, 2020

A photography project in which I take (at least one) photo a day with my Sony A7 and a single lens. This week I used the Pentax SMC 28mm f3.5 manual focus lens from the late 1970s. This lens is very sharp with beautifully smooth bokeh. There is a bit of a swirl, from light distortion, to the bokeh at longer distances, but it is not distracting.

June 22

June 23

June 24

June 25

June 26

June 27

photos copyright 2020 L. A. Miller

Getting through

Personally, I was pretty prepared, on many levels for life during a pandemic. Of course there were a few adjustments such as cleaning, pandemic hygiene, and being creative with food. But, I know a few things that have helped greatly such as how to stay fit, how to stay mentally occupied, how to destress, any a few other things that have help.

For excersise, I found that squats and calf raises (near) daily are extremely important when stuck inside. They engage your feet, legs, buttocks and core if I do them correctly. They are excellent exercises to do even in a top floor apartment. I feel much better when I do them regularly.

Also, stretch! I keep thinking back to all the stretches I learned in elementary school. I mean yoga is great and all. But, those generic stretches work wonders from sitting all day.

I also walk, but not as often as I would like. Neighborhood walks are good for mental and physical health. I walk when I feel stressed or tense and it helps me feel better.

For activities, I want to play video games or watch tv when I am bored. They are easy and don't cause me pain to do. But, I feel better if I make a to-do list of things I need to do and projects I want to do eventually. That way I can slowly work through the list inbetween mindless activities.

Also, reading and writing. These activities do not hurt, unless one has a migraine. Reading and writing engage the brain and make me feel productive. As do other hobbies like photography, drawing, painting, building mechanical objects or repairing old items. Accomplishing something makes me feel like I did something productive and so even working on a project feels good.

Stress is still an issue. I mean, have y'all seen the news lately? I have listened to so much calming music lately. Instrumental music that is usually in a major key and as slow as 70 bmp is perfect. If you do not like the calming music on youtube, try Bach, Brahms, Beethoven, or Handel.

Lastly, get outside or look outside everyday. This is important. There are birds and trees and flowers. The seasons are slowly changing. Nature is beautiful. And, I need my vitamin D. Eating healthy and getting the right vitamins are helpful for a good immune system.

Expertise

I often feel like I should be doing more with my life. I want to do more. Depression sets in if I overthink needing to do more activities or being more involved in life.

I started feeling unwell when I was in college. It may have even been before that, but I really noticed it at that time. I was getting headaches and stomach aches. I was not sleeping well. Anxiety, a doctor said. Sure, fine... They put me on a happy pill which helped the symptoms a little, but not really. I tried everything, from books to yoga to deep breathing to meditation. I believed the doctors. I also knew that I was stressed from a bad relationship and being away from home.

Eventually I got away from the bad relationship. I did not feel as anxious. And, because of the relationship I did not get my teaching degree, only a BA. I gained experience in retail and data entry and eventually IT and databases.

As time wore on my other symtoms grew worse. I still had trouble sleeping and eating. I had headaches. I was told it was still anxiety or grief. This was starting to not sit well with me, but doctors were not listening. They would try an allergy med for my sinuses and that was it.

Evetually, after about 6 or 7 doctors, I started not trusting them. They were not listening and I was getting more relief doing exercises I found online. Chiropracty was helping at least. It was taking me years to diagnose myself, but I was learning that it was not just anxiety... It was TMJ and migraines and bruxism (yay for the dentist). But, I could not afford a specialist...

Now, 15 years later, I have all of this knowledge about my health but not much work expertise, no family of my own. And most of all, no formal diagnosis, except the dentist, because I am broke. I had to quit my job in the middle of all of that because my health had gotten to a point where I could not eat very well, had jaw pain and had a hard time concentrating. I used my savings on those 6 or 7 doctors and my move back to my home state.

Now, I want to be able and be involved in life. I wish I could have a family. I wish I could have a job again. But, l make due. I do my best. That is my expertise: doing my best. I would rather something in science or history... But such is life. 

I have learned many technical things on the job before, held several jobs in fact, for a while. I even managed an IT department. Not to mention my volunteer work, writing, and photography. I shouldn't sell myself short. But, as of now I feel helpless because of my body.

I will keep trying to take care of myself and be a good person. I hope I can be more than that, eventually. I miss my life.

Daily Log: An Update

Here we are, day 52. I honestly can't believe I have kept this log going for this long. I did this as an experiment to see how society, and I, changed over time during this pandemic.

 I am currently taking a break from posting, however I am still writing my log. I find it interesting. I am curious to see the difference between me posting and not posting what I have written. I will keep going with this experiment, either online or offline. I will know soon.

I hope everyone is safe and healthy.

Edit: I have decided to quit the online daily log for now. I am going to pick a day and do weekly reports instead, in a more formatted way. Less of a daily log and more like an essay on life. I will be removing some of my less interesting daily logs, in favor of a "best of" list.

Thank you for reading along as we all figure this global pandemic out together.

Day 46: April 27th, 2020

Day 46

Today is a rest day. I still have a bad migraine. I am listening to music and resting most of the day. The things I need to do are nagging at me, but I know I will get them done. I should not stress over them.

I stretched quite a bit today. It feels good to get a good stretch. I made sure to stretch my arms and shoulders against a wall because I have not been moving them as much as normal.

I feel like the rest and attention to what I needed such as the stretching, really helped me today. 

Day 44: April 25th, 2020

Day 44

Tense this morning and so I listened to calming music.

I am kind of excited to work on my project and it almost over shadows my fears this morning, though I am back to being scared of getting sick. I watched videos last night of people with a rare disease where they rapidly age. It gave me some perspective. I am alive and I need to be thankful for that.

I worked on my rain mobile most of today, after doing chores. I have it hanging outside on the balcony. I like how it turned out, very rainy.

When I took the trash out, the bag broke and I had to go back up to my apartment to get a second bag. I cleaned up what spilled and doubled bagged it. Then I washed up, because... Yeah.

I watched some tv the rest of the night. I watched After Life. I won't get into details but it was not great yet I still watched most of it because some of the actors were funny.

I think both my boyfriend and I have stress hangovers. We both feel exhausted today. I have a headache. 

Listened to calming music again to get to sleep.

Day 43: April 24th, 2020

Day 43

Woke stressed about the car. I do not think I have had to file a claim before. I've been lucky and I didn't need to drive much for a few years.

It is weird filing a claim right now. My insurance had no one manning the phones. The website was not as helpful as I had hoped, but I was able to figure out what to do with  help. 

I will take my car in at some point, I guess. This is just another thing to add to my growing list. 

I still have a migraine today. I feel like crying, but I won't. 

Challenged my boyfriend to make something out of an item out of the recycle bin. He is making a chandelier out of beer bottles and I am making a rain mobile from a plastic jug. We are using the craft supplies that we already have.

I feel a bit better after painting. Today was not a great day mentally, for reasons won't get into the details of. But, I had a ptsd episode.

The rest of the night was spent crafting or watching youtube silliness.

I definitely needed calming music tonight.

Day 41: April 22, 2020

Day 41

I woke late and feel a bit droswy. I still have a headache but at least I feel less anxious. I think yesterday helped.

It is raining today. My balcony plants are loving the weather.

My boyfriend took some time to go to the store. We ran out of some of the staples. We signed up to try a veggie delivery service, but it won't start until May. I wish we could join a CSA, but our local one is full.

He found every thing we needed at the store except soy milk and hemp milk and cleaning products. I understand the cleaning products as the stores have been out for 40 days, but I do not understand the soy milk or other nondairy milks being gone. How many vegetarians are there in my area? Will have to go to the other store again for milk on another day.

Oh, the cleansing ritual... First he carries the groceries into the kitchen. Then, I put on a long sleeved shirt for protection. We carefully put the groceries away. I wipe down everything we or the groceries touched and a couple things that get left out like a chip bag or cat litter containers. We put all the bags in recycling. Then we wash our hands and his mask and I remove my protective clothing. He takes a shower. Every household seems to have their own routine based on house size and amount of cleaning products.

Doing a little sluething. I saw a big structure in the parking lot next door and wondered what it was. I looked up the writing on the side and it is a portable or rather, a modular office / storage building. Curious what it is for but it seems odd to yell across the fence.

Watched Tangled. The music was pretty good. Some of it sounded like Aladdin, but there were parts of the orchestral score I really loved. The animation was odd, but still cute.

Also watched Some More News and The Daily Show.

I find it ironic that I watched The Death Of Stalin yesterday and now it turns out that Kim Jung Un is very ill. Weird how things line up sometimes.

I got some elastic bands and want to sew masks again. I also forgot that I have t-shirt yarn I could use for ties.

Egg noodle lentil bolognese was very good for dinner. I remembered that we still had last year's garden tomatoes frozen and needed to use them up.

I listened to relaxing music at night.

Day 39: April 20, 2020

Day 39

Woke up and went back to researching mattresses.

I keep noticing that they have sales often and so the prices jump around. Though I am getting better at determining the quality of foam mattresses by eye, I do not know how to be fully sure of what I am getting. May look into videos later.

Noticed a mattress company or two are making cloth masks for the public. One was selling them at cost.

Whelp, we did it folks. Oil is worthless. It tanked down to .10 a barrel and then into the negatives.

Looked at the projects I want to do because I started to get overwhelmed. I need to research mattresses, I want to sew some handkerchiefs and cleaning cloths, and I want to plan and plant the garden soon. 

Swept my building's stairs because no one is coming around to do it. I honestly do not mind doing it because sometimes the building uses a leaf blower which does not work well.

I did some cleaning and chores.

Watched a movie, The Death Of Stalin. It was pretty good. It had Michael Palin and Steve Buscemi in it.

I was feeling relaxed enough to read the news tonight. Then I read that we are running out of C02 for processing a number of food and beverages and possibly water. I really hope they figure it out soon. Sounds like our VP was warned April 7th. Normally, I would not be worried, but I feel like this administration cannot take care of important necsesities.

Day 38: April 19th, 2020

Day 38

Lazy Sunday.

Stretched quite a bit this morning. My back feels like it might go out each morning because of the mattress lately. This has been going on for a while, but has recently gotten unbearable. Glad to have the new couch. The floor is starting to look good too.

I have been able to eat a little more the past few days and today is the first morning I did not lose weight. I was starting to wonder what was going on because I was losing weight quickly. I think it is a combination of higher stress and being more active.

The cat was very cuddley today. She kept wanting to be brushed and picked up. Now I remember that she jumped on the bed this morning and sat with me. She has not done that in a long time.

Cleaned at little, and then played some No Man's Sky.

Ate tikka masala for dinner. 

I researched and made a spreadsheet of possible mattresses we could buy. There are many possibilities. I want to be sure because we cannot try it first.

I stayed up a bit and watched some youtubube. Jonh Krazinsky's Some Good News was adorable.

Day 36: April 17th, 2020

Day 36

Woke early. Listened to calming music and got some much needed advice on the gov site I was having trouble with.

Listened to some new music from Fionna Apple that she put out just for the quarantine. She has not released new music in 10 years. Greenday released some punk covers of '80s songs because their tour was cancelled. I also listened to another Colin Meloy live stream. I've listened to many of his, Ben Gibbard's, and Ben Folds' live streams lately.

Waited for my boyfriend to get off work early and then we went on a walk at a wildlife refuge nearby. On the way there I noticed the small stretch of highway we take was littered with trash. If only we had the right tools to pick up trash. That would be good exercise!

The trail had only one car parked, so we did not need to avoid other walkers like we do on neighborhood walks. I got to take a few photos, use my camera.

On the drive back I noticed several people riding bikes today. 

Processed photos for most of the night and then watched Unorthodox.