No Strings Attached

Posted By Kathleen David on April 7, 2020

Or Day 23 of the Homebound Saga

First, I would like to wish my niece a very happy birthday. She is a sweet and very smart child. She is already proving herself quite the storyteller and works hard to keep up with her big sister. This past Christmas we got her sharpies and other drawing supplies, so she had a set of her own. My brother and his wife are doing a great job raising two great children with a thirst for knowledge. 

In my area of New York, they have said masks when out in public based on the CDC recommendations. The catch-22 is that there are no masks to be had or, if they exist, they are going to the hospitals and people on the front lines of this pandemic including grocery staff who really need them.

My mother passed on a pattern that my parents found on the Internet. I tried it out yesterday using non-permeable interface (the tightly woven/pressed kind) in the middle for extra protection. They are machine washable made out of 100% cotton fabric. 

The pattern I used can be found at  ragmask.com

I had to expand it just a hair for both comfort and good fit. Make sure if you decide to do it that when you print the template take a ruler and make sure the pattern is at full-size. It was off ½ an inch when I first printed it, so I adjusted the settings and got the proper size.

I used armature wire for the nose but just about any flexible metal that you can wash should work.

Over the weekend I did a demo for the Virtual Heliosphere about building puppets. I wanted to show a rod puppet which I never got to because of time constraints. But the little dude needed to be finished. I made a plague doctor puppet. Caroline came up with the idea for the sign. This is what happens when I get bored.

It’s not perfect and I plan to redo a couple of parts of it to make it look better but for a throw together I think he is pretty awesome.

This week I am going to make some more masks and something I have promised Caroline I would get done by Easter. 

More on that next week.

I am grateful for patterns that do what they are supposes to do.

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Posted By Kathleen David on April 6, 2020

AKA Day 22 of the Homebound Saga and the beginning of week 4

Right now, I feel like I am bouncing through my emotions and not holding onto one very long. If one sticks, I don’t want to dwell on it because I can’t afford to wallow in despair. I know if I let my brain twist on it nothing good will come from it.

I slip into the role of caretaker for my family and use that to distract myself. But that can only go on so long before we reach the point of diminished returns and I have to look at what is going on with me.

As things sort themselves out, we discover our new norm that we all hope is going to end sooner rather than later. Finding a balance is difficult but not impossible. We are still feeling our way through all this. 

And all feelings that everyone is having are normal under these circumstances. Feeling angry or sad or afraid is not wrong or bad. You should not feel guilty about feeling happy about something or joy or peace. Those are yours to treasure.

I really think we need a national viewing of Inside/Out the Pixar film about emotions. It was one of the best things I have seen to show both children and adults that all emotions are valid and can help you through any difficulty. 

Caroline and I are using our daily walk to talk about all kinds of subjects. I am happy that she feels comfortable to talk to me about what is bothering her. I am even happier that she takes my advice and uses it. 

One thing we keep telling her is that she does not need to be going from the time she gets up until she goes to bed. It is OK to take some time for herself and play a video game or draw or read or write or whatever that gives her a warm feeling. She has her schedule and is working on that before taking her ‘me’ time. And taking a nap is a good use of her time considering how early she gets up.

My sleep has been a little up and down. I am averaging a solid 6 which is better than a year ago when I was lucky to get 4 hours. Even though I do wake up in the middle of the night and my mind is racing through all my fears, I can get it to calm down so I can return to sleep rather than my insomnia returning. It is amazing how two hours can make such a difference for my mental health and well-being. 

I do worry for all kinds of reasons and I know a lot of them are the same reasons my friends are worrying. Income is taking a serious dip with no idea when it will return. Can’t fill for unemployment since I am an independent contractor. I had some commissions put on hold. We had some unexpected expenses that needed to be paid like just about everyone right now. A lot of people are scared about money and where it will be coming from and when. In addition, the cost of basic goods is going up due to demand and amount available. There are problems getting stuff into the stores and then problems with panicked people who think that if they don’t get things now, they will never see it again. They might be right about toilet paper.

I will survive this. You will survive this. 

Yes, the unknown is still out there and nebulous. We don’t know if New York has reached the apex or if we have more to come. We are seeing hotspots exploding all over the United States. Places that had next nothing are now experiencing where New York was a month ago when we started shelter in place. And we are going to see more as this goes on. We are not out of the woods. Heck, I think we may be about a third through the woods at best. I am expecting to spend May the same way I have been spending April. 

It is scary and the paranoid feeling is not unwarranted, but the task is to not let it take you over. 

Take comfort in that which gives you comfort. Take some time for yourself. You don’t have to finish all the projects you have this week. 

This is the perfect time to slow down a bit and give yourself time to be in the moment. 

I am grateful for my daily walks with Caroline.

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Posted By Kathleen David on April 5, 2020

Aka Day 21 of the Homebound Saga

It has been 21 days since we were told to stay away from each other and disinfect everything and the kitchen sink. In my mind since the virus moves so fast each day is a year to it so the virus is 21 and could have a drink if any bars were still open.

Yes, I know my mind is a strange place. I live with it.

I do wonder if drinking alcohol will be down after things open up again. I know, as a social drinker, I am drinking a lot less. We have alcohol in the house. It is mostly liquor and wine to cook with. I don’t drink at home for the most part. Neither Peter nor Caroline drink so I am the lone consumer of alcohol at this address. 

I did my puppet demo yesterday. I think it went well. I got some good questions and I hope I educated people about puppetry which was my goal. Peter’s reading went over well too. 

Now for the clean-up from all the stuff I pulled out. Then Caroline and I will be working on a couple of projects both cleaning and creative.

Caroline has made a schedule for her schooling for the next week and is sticking to it. I am so proud of her organizational skills.

Restoring order to the house gives me a sense of accomplishment and control. More so than any time before. 

I also want to finish the demo puppets done and in my online store.

We still have no idea when we will be able to appear in public without face covering and gloves. Each day that happening it seems like the reopening is further away. It is frustrating not being able to make plans even for a month from now and know absolutely that I can do that.

I am hoping for Shoreleave, GalaxyCon Raleigh, and SDCC going forward. I am thinking it is going to be more like DragonCon before we emerge. I have no idea if we can do our beach week this year. It is all up in the air until we have a better idea what is going on. 

I think the biggest problem for me right now is that I can’t just go into the city and participate in my Art’s Salon or visit friends who come to the city from the other coast for a while. My social animal is not very happy right now. Video is OK but not the same. 

I miss bowling as it was both our sport and our local social life. The rest of league has been cancelled and the summer leagues are in jeopardy. 

Well onto the rest of the day which pretty much looks like yesterday and tomorrow.

Be safe and be well.

I am grateful for helpful distractions.

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Posted By Kathleen David on April 4, 2020

At 1 pm I will be presenting my demo on building puppets for the Heliosphere virtual convention. 

You can find the schedule and links http://www.heliosphereny.org/beyond-the-corona-2/

Come on by and see what I am up to

I am grateful for something to do that I can share.

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Posted By Kathleen David on April 3, 2020

A reminder that on Saturday April 4, 2020 Peter and I will be participating in the Virtual Heliosphere. I will be doing a puppet demo at 1 pm and Peter will be reading at 4 pm. These panels are being held on the Zoom platform. The ‘rooms’ will be linked on the website and opened right before the event. You can find the whole schedule <a href= http://www.heliosphereny.org/beyond-the-corona-2/> here</a>.

Today is gathering what I need for my demo and setting up our Zoom space.

It’s nice to have something to do that has a real deadline to it.

I have a number of concerns as this goes on.

My biggest concern is about people and behavior. 

We are working so hard to flatten the curve and not overwhelm the hospitals. I don’t think people understand that flattening the curve does not mean this is over but that our hospitals can now take care of the sick rather than having to figure out who has the best chance of survival. 

My fear is that people are going to take this as a sign that everything is fine and we can go out and stop physically isolating ourselves. That is the wrong way to think about it. If we do that then we will be right back where we are right now as the virus ramps up again. 

The vaccine is being worked on day and night but it is still as least six months off. 

I think Andrew Cuomo has the right idea about restarting things. People get tested and if they have the antibodies in their system then they are cleared for work again and assembling in public spaces. This will allow us to work our way to letting everyone move freely.

Once we have a working vaccine then we can be out in public.

I am concerned that there will be a small but vocal part of our world population that will not get vaccinated because they believe all those things that have been proven false so many times and they didn’t get their children vaccinated for simple diseases. 

I am concerned about how they are going to roll out the vaccine and how people are going to panic if they don’t get it immediately. It needs to start with the frontline people. Medical professionals of course but how about grocery workers and pharmacy workers? How about the mail carriers? How about the people that have been putting themselves in danger by doing their jobs which puts them in contact with lots of people? Then I think we need to inoculate teachers and students so school can start again at some point.

I am concerned right now about how a small percentage of our population are still grabbing vital items that would not be so hard to get if they played fair. Stores have imposed all kinds of restrictions on how much of what one can buy but there are still people who are trying to profit from our misery. Trying to get people to calm down and wait doesn’t seem to be working well and some people need those supplies others are hording a lot. 

I am concerned about price gouging. The cost of a gallon of milk has gone up as has the price of eggs. Some stores are just about the point of price gouging but not over the edge. Advantage is being taken of people who do not have the resources to be taken advantage of. 

I am concerned about my family and friends and their families as well. My parents are in their 80s and, while they are in great condition, if they get this virus it could very well be fatal. I know that I have diminished lung capacity due to scarring of the lung tissue. Peter has various health issues that make it so he has to be extra careful to not get it. I have friends with asthma or COPD or compromised immune systems or… the list goes on. 

I am concerned about our future and I don’t think that is overthinking it.

So be careful. Wash your hands. Keep your distance. 

We will get through this eventually.

I am grateful for people who understand what is going on and are working on being part of the solution.

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