No Strings Attached

Posted By Kathleen David on December 31, 2019

It is the end of the year and the end of another decade. 

10 years ago, Caroline turned 7 and was in first grade and became a voracious reader

Ariel graduated college and went on to earning her Masters in teaching.

10 years ago, we walked the streets of Hobbiton and petted Kangaroos.

10 years ago, we did Pirates vs Ninjas which gave me one of my favorite photos of Caroline.

10 years ago, I rebuilt the Doctors and built my first companions. The Captain Jack puppet was given to John Barrowman the next DragonCon.

Now Caroline is half-way through her Junior year and is starting to think beyond next year by looking at colleges.

Now Ariel is the mother of two and teaching in Jacksonville Florida.

Didn’t travel out of the US but still had lots of adventures.

Now Caroline is building her own costumes and wearing them to Anime conventions.

Now I have my website up (www.nostringsattachedpuppets.com) and have sold a couple of puppets.

This past year saw the birth of Ariel’s daughter Lily. That gives Peter three grandchildren. Gwen and her family moved to Canada for a better job. Shana and Tim are expanding their business again by adding a pizza restaurant (www.sunraycinema.com). 

The biggest life changer for me this year was the passing of my friend and brother from another mother Angelo Ritz. He was my confidant and confessor. He knew the good, the bad, and the ugly about me. I could always talk to him and he would know if I was looking for advice or an ear to vent. It hit me hard.

I notice that I stopped blogging for the most part the rest of the year. My creative went downhill fast. I was not doing well at all. I couldn’t focus and all the stuff I would talk to him about just piled up on me. Then I had a total breakdown in my doctor’s office having been told of another life annoying thing I was going to have to deal with. I was hysterical which is not something I have not done very often.

Out of that I got some help I think I may have needed since Peter had his stroke. I am getting more than 2 to 3 hours of sleep at night. I feel more myself and others who know me say the same. 

The other thing that came out of this is that I found out that I have a form of attention deficit disorder and that has made all the difference. I have gone from a couple of OK hours of focus to being able to get projects done in a timely fashion. I can plan and execute the plan. I am writing more. I feel in control of me.

Now we are getting ready for the new year. I expect there will be a lot of 2020 jokes especially at the end of the year.

But right now I can take a moment to breath and assess what I want to accomplish next year.

I am grateful for the pleasant memories I take from 2019.

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Posted By Kathleen David on December 25, 2019

We made it down to Atlanta yesterday in time for our usual Christmas Eve rituals and Mass at the local Catholic Church.

This morning Eggs Benedict has been eaten and presents opened. 

Christmas also means that there is one more week of this decade until we move into the 2020. Hard to believe that we are almost 20 years into the 2000s. 2020 will be 30 years since I graduated from the Yale School of Drama with my MFA. 2020 will be the year that Caroline turns eighteen years old. 

But right I am sitting in my parents’ house with the sounds and smells of the season. We have been in this house since I was 9 and, with the exception of one Christmas, I have been here every year on December 24th and 25^th. 

Caroline received a lot of nice gifts. Her Aunts and Uncles found things that fit her likes and personality. Peter and I received some nice gifts as well. 

Happy Holidays to all.

I am grateful that my family gets along with each other.

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Posted By Kathleen David on December 21, 2019

Last one this decade which is strange to contemplate for me.  The 2009 into 2010 wasn’t even a blip on my radar but, for some reason, going into 2020 is making more of an impression on me.

Today is the shortest day of the year as in the least amount of light in the Northern Hemisphere but it is also the last Saturday before Hanukah and Christmas so there is that too.

Today I am working on one project to be mailed out Monday and getting the house in order for our journey down to Atlanta. 

Tomorrow is the second half of that and packing. 

I am looking forward to seeing my family and those rituals that have been part of my Christmas for as long as I can remember. 

Yesterday we went to see Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. I am asking for no spoilers in comments. Let’s let everyone experience it and make their own opinions not colored by spoilers that will not make any sense without seeing the film. 

Overall, I am a very satisfied Star Wars fan. I saw the first film back in May of 1977 and immediately became a fan. I can say with no uncertainty it is the film that I have seen more times than any other film. 

This one brought to a conclusion the whole series. It is not perfect but it does answers a lot of niggling questions and has so many moments for the fans. Conclusions can be harder to do than beginnings. You have set all the dominoes up and now you knock them down and look at the pattern. Kudos to everyone who has been involved in the making of these films. Y’all done good.

I can’t tell if the cats are fighting or playing or both but there is a lot of scampering right now.

I found that Amazon Prime had Arcadia of My Youth: Endless Orbit SXX which I had only seen in Japanese when it came out in 1982. It is interesting seeing it again. It hold ups very well. But then I am a big Harlock fan from way back. They also have some of the other TV shows and films in the series. I am a very happy Anime Fan.

Off to pick up from the latest puppet project and get ready for the next one.

I am grateful that I saw Star Wars in 1977.

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Posted By Kathleen David on December 19, 2019

I have one project I need to get to the finish line today and out the door.

Friday is my day to finish another project that I have delayed on and rethought half a dozen times. I need to execute my plan tomorrow.

Saturday will be laundry, or I will start it today and finish it tomorrow and cleaning up around the house. I can’t tell if I have more cat hair or puppet fur on the floor and in the corners.

Sunday is pack and finish and another pass on the cat boxes.

Monday off to Atlanta.

That’s my next couple of days.

Yesterday I did get a lot done on several things and made it to kickboxing where I pushed myself to work on my flexibility. Then Peter and I bowled in our weekly league. I enjoy that because it is something we do together and the other couple that we bowl with are good friends. We did pretty well taking 8 out of 11 points.

I was concerned considering how much my legs were hurting that this morning was going to be agony. Not really. I had the usual aches and pains that are part of my life but over all my legs are feeling fine. Hip flexors feel very stretched. I will say after three months of kickboxing that my flexibility is much better along with my endurance and muscle tone which was the point of taking these classes. Caroline loves it. She can beat the ever loving out of the bag and her round house kicks are dangerous. It makes her feel better.

Now off to what needs to be done.

I am grateful for kickboxing.

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Posted By Kathleen David on December 18, 2019

This time of year can be tough on people. There are expectations that are not met. There are issues that linger from year to year. There are people one has to interact with that one would really not. There is the social expectation that everyone is filled with the holiday spirit and there is joy and good feelings all around. There is the stress getting ready for the holidays and the stress of cleaning up afterwards. Travel can be a big stressor too.

I know I am lucky that I get to go to Atlanta and spend Christmas with my family. We get along well and again I know how lucky I am in that regard. I love and appreciate my parents and my brothers and sister. 

I read and hear from friends who have to deal with all kinds of issues when they go back to their families. I know two friends who are concerned about how their conservative relatives are going to deal with their pronoun change. Others are praying that politics will be off the table but know that they are going into the bear pit without a spear. Others travel without their partners because there is an agreement on both sides as to how bad an idea that would be. I think that gets compounded when the person is told that once X relative passes then you can bring your partner with you. 

I know what I am walking into and the expectations on my time in Atlanta. Getting there can be a bit of a crap shoot. 

Losing people around this time of year can bring a pall to the whole proceedings. Also if a loved one’s birthday is around the holidays and they have passed, it can bring up some serious mixed feelings. Missing people is not bad or wrong. It never is. They were part of your life and now they are gone.

This year is hard for me because every year I would go to Jeff & Angelo’s for some Christmas Cheer and seeing how they had decorated that year. It was a holiday that the two of them had great enthusiasm for. There were silly songs and in jokes that were acquired over 30 + years of friendship. There is an Angelo sized hole in my heart. I won’t hear him say “Chrima Chrima” or his version of hark the herald angels. I don’t know of the ornament exchange is going to happen. I am hoping that I will see Jeff at some point. It will be the first time we have seen each other since Angelo passed. A bright light of the holiday for me has dimmed because of his absence.

Now there are presents to be wrapped, packages to be shipped, and the anticipation of the season.

I am grateful that I get along with my family and extended family.

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