No Strings Attached

Posted By Kathleen David on August 18, 2021

There is a lot going on in the world that makes me sad, mad, and angry.

The same is going on around me where I live.

The Delta variant had put a big spanner in the works and those who decide to not get the vaccine, rather than the small percentage of the population who cannot get the vaccine, are sliding us back to where we were a year ago.

I have taken to wearing a mask at work and when I am indoors anywhere but my home. I want to keep my family safe. We are vaccinated but this variant can cause havoc.

I enjoyed not wearing a mask for the short time.  Now, I have to protect my family and friends.

The reason I am back in a mask does have a lot to do with a percentage of the population who probably just dump their shopping carts anywhere in the parking lot. 

Selfish is the word that comes to mind first. 

And it is just showing us how many people are still in the mindset of the characters from “Wall Street”.

They do not think of others. There is only them and what they want. Which means they are not thinking of their families either. They are putting their relatives and especially their children at risk.

And that just floors me.

I made dámņ sure that I kept Peter and Caroline safe. I haven’t seen my folks in almost two years now. I am frustrated that every time it seems that we have turned a corner, there is something that is extending this national nightmare. 

We were scheduled to go to a convention in Orlando but had to cancel due to Florida’s COVID rate.  

Then there is Afghanistan. It is a sad ending to a terrible tale that has been in the making for a very long time. 

I worry about what is going to happen to the women there and the people who helped the United States fight the Taliban.

Also, the Taliban said one thing then does another. For all their sweet promises, what they are doing in the field says a lot more about what Afghanistan will be.

Other sad fact is that, here in the US, we are more likely to be killed by a domestic terrorist than a foreign one or shot by someone with a gun because they had a bad day.

This is a high stress period in our world.

Not being OK with what is going on is fine. It is, honestly, healthy to feel this.

I am going through my feelings and letting them wash over me. I am not classifying them as bad or good but just things I need to deal with.

I am grateful for the mental tools I have learned over the years.

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Posted By Kathleen David on August 16, 2021

And getting my keyboard to behave. Right now, my space bar and my ’s’ key are fighting me.

I know Caroline will be coming home this week for a couple of days to see friends and get a few things she left behind.

Right now, I am in a vert quiet house. I expect to hear Caroline get out of bed since her bedroom is over the living room. I do know intellectually that she is at her new digs. It is going to take some time to adjust.

The cats are a bit confused. Fig, Caroline’s cat, either hangs close or hides. I have been trying to give Fig a little more attention on her terms,

I am starting to get ready for DragonCon. This is one of our biggies for the year.

It is something I can focus on around work and other things.

I know I have six puppets for the slam and another three I want to get to have at the convention. They will be at Peter’s table.

Over the weekend we had to put in a new air conditioner in the basement. The old one was a Kenmore and over 30 years old. I have the bruising to prove it. The difference in weight between the two machines was amazing considering that they were both made for the size room they are in.

I have a few things I want to get done before going to work. I have a slightly different shifts than I normally do.

There has been a lot of adjustment over the past year and a half.

This is just another one. And it is one that I feel good about.

I am so proud of my daughter. She got into her dream school. She found a place to live. She got herself ready to move. She is an adult and shows me how much of one each and every day.

I am grateful to feeling that I can let my daughter spread her wings and  fly.

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Posted By Kathleen David on August 15, 2021

Yesterday was another milestone in Caroline’s life.

We moved her to her new apartment on the upper west side of Manhattan.

It is a great situation for her. 

Her land lady is our kind of people.

There are doggies to pet.

She has a room behind a secret door. Yes, it is that cool.

She has her own bathroom.

It is just the kind of situation that, I think, will give her a safe space to move on to her next adventures.

Caroline pointed out that this is only the second address she has lived as.

I know she is going to do great.

She is taking a couple of days to orient herself to where she is living then she starts orientation for FIT.

Peter and I have worked hard over the years to give her the tools she needs for this jump.

Our baby bird is spreading her wings and getting ready to fly.

Itt isn’t like we will not being seeing her. She is planning to come home for a couple of days this week for some things she needs to get done here.

But it  is not where she lives anymore.

To say I have mixed feeling feels like I am underplaying things.

This is a big step for both Peter and me.

For Peter, it is the first time forty years that there are no children in the house.

For me it is only twenty-four years but that is still a long time.

With Caroline, I swear I just brought her home the other day or she just started kindergarten or middle school or high school.

Intellectually I know eighteen years and nine months have passed.

But emotionally, I am working through a whole bunch of feelings as it Peter.

I am very proud of her and I hope I have given her the tools to succeed.

I am grateful that we got Caroline onto her next adventure.

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Posted By Kathleen David on August 12, 2021

This morning I woke up at the usual time for me to go to work. I figured out that I could not get back to sleep and I got up.

It is quiet here that early. 

If I feed the cats first, then they leave me alone.

I have a mental list of what I want to get done before the rest of the house wakes up.

I am going to make it a physical list to keep myself honest.

Most of the day is going to be devoted to Caroline since she is moving into her apartment this weekend. We have those last-minute items that she needs. She is doing a good job of getting her stuff together for the move. I am sure we will have a list after she moves in.

There are household chores that need to be done and I am going to use the morning for that.

I was such a night owl for so long as my friends attest to.  Now I am an early riser and tend to go to bed around 10 PM or so.

Each have their advantages and disadvantages. 

I started to flip when I worked at Del Rey since I had to get up a 6 AM.  Having Caroline finished the flip. I don’t think I could go back.

It does mean I don’t party late at conventions like I use to but that is a game for the young. It also means there are less drinks spilled on me by carousers.  

I am grateful for the ability to wake up early.

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Posted By Kathleen David on August 11, 2021

Things have been moving fast here.

Caroline getting ready to move into her first apartment and start college is a biggie.

That is where most of my mental energy has been going.

I am so proud of her and all she has accomplished to get into the school of her dreams.

It has not been easy for her, and she has persevered.

I have a number of puppets I have to recreate and create for Dragon-Con. I have created a time-table for that.

We are also going to finish one or two of Caroline’s costumes.  Both have complicated parts.

These are ticking clocks in the back of my head.

I have work as well. I am very happy that I found this job and the people I am. working with. It is a positive atmosphere with lots of support from management. Honestly it worked out better than I could have imagined.

Wednesday August 11, 2021

Well, this one sat on the screen for a couple of days.

In that time, we had a couple of things that moved up and our schedule was totally changed. 

Again, we have regrouped and redone what we are doing when.

Today is costume day. I want to have the cardboard mock-up of Caroline’s boots/cos-play done.

It is also laundry day.

Tomorrow is help Caroline get ready to move day.

Saturday is Free Comic Book Day.  Peter will be at 4th World Comics in Smithtown from Ten to Noon to sign books and talk to Fans.

Sunday is a bit up in the air. I have work.

Then we are onto next week counting down to DragonCon.

I am grateful for things that I have in place.

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