The Monday Peeve 30

Today’s peevery is dedicated to my friend Stan the retired lieutenant man!

Smiles and positive posts are all well and good, but sometimes I need to vent a bit. How about you? That’s what The Monday Peeve is all about, a chance to blow off a little steam at the beginning of the week, so then we can go merrily on our way once again (hah). I’ll pick a topic that’s on my mind, but you can vent about whatever you please, here in comments or on your own blog. Grab the photo, use the #TMP tag, and link back to me (or not ~ I dgaf), and Bob’s yer uncle. I do reserve the right to delete any links that offend my delicate sensibilities. So far, none have, but it could happen! I have feelings!

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What is up with the bombardment of COVID emails from every damn place I’ve ever done business with? I’m glad my bank and doctor and dentist and pet vet have all hurried to institute social distancing, etc. measures, but do I need to hear from the electric company too? These places are all just lying in wait to spam everyone with crap to remind us of their existence, not that we’re likely to forget when we pay them every month. I mean, duh. I dgaf what the phone company is doing. It’s not like the olden days when the guy made a service call. When was the last time a freaking telephone repairman needed to come in the house? And Toyota? Yeah, I was really worried how I was gonna run out and buy a new car in the middle of all {waves arms wildly} THIS!

Just quit it! I have enough on my mind without getting emails from you annoying companies! If I have a question, you’ll hear from me! 😛

~*~

Image originally from Pixabay.

©️2020 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

Talk On The Street…

Well the talk on the street
Says you might go solo
A good friend of mine
Saw you leavin’ by the back door
I need to know (I need to know)
I need to know (I need to know)
If you think you’re gonna leave
Then you better say so
– Tom Petty / “I Need To Know”

Solitaire is my game these days (coming up, in fact, on Day S) as I isolate from the world in my apartment. My street view has been updated since the last Fandango challenge when I lived in Costa Mesa. I moved in December to a shiny new place with all good vibes and no bad memories. The pretty waterfall masks the noise of the usually very busy street, but of course lately it’s been much quieter. Still, there is traffic throughout the day and night… even now, Sunday morning.

I like it a lot here. Moving (though always a pain) was a great idea for me. BC, we had a gym and a sauna, which were really nice. There are also tennis courts and jacuzzis, plus it’s a better area to walk around in. If I want to drive over to Huntington Beach to walk there, that’s a short hop. The beach is still relatively close as well. Of course, now everything is closed, including the State beach parking lots.

I’m super glad I didn’t end up having to do this isolation thing in my old dump of an apartment. That would have been even more depressing. Again, it’s not being alone most of the time that bothers me (I like to be alone); it’s first not having the routine of an office to go to every day to feel useful and productive and second not being able to visit family occasionally… those missing pieces of my life are huge. As far as friends, shopping, restaurants, etc. ~ that all I’ve been dealing with okay. Work and family are the big deals.

~*~

Image is my own.

©️2020 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

I Think It’s Tuesday #PoiMe

Warning: this is not gonna be one of those smell the flowers in the pandemic posts, but there are plenty of those around, so if you would rather read something cheery, move along now.

I’ve been doing my side work from home as usual but not my main work. It would be complicated to set up. The days blend in a haze of sleeping late, sweatpants, coffee, news, news, and more news. 😢

It’s depressing to live this way and never see any of my favorite humans. I don’t know when I’ll be able to visit my daughter up North again. Or even see my family in Los Angeles. Everything seems terrifying. But I’ve been staying indoors mostly and not even going for walks. I don’t like getting the mail because I never know if someone will stand too close. Today was okay. No one was at the mailboxes when I was.

The worst thing is reading these constant bits of news and feeling more horrified. But I need to know what’s happening! I live near a busy street and traffic never stops whooshing by… where are they all going? Why aren’t they staying home like they’re supposed to? Aren’t they hearing the same stuff I am? 😡

I’ve been cleaning a lot. I have nothing else to do but keep checking the mishmash of news. I read a book. Probably will read another. Been chatting with friends. I was gonna bake banana bread, but no one else is around to help me eat it, so I didn’t. No need to turn into a chubby hermit. Got bored with the phone games. I’m finally working on Ghosted. 👻 Luckily, I really like it.

I am grumpy and sad. I don’t find the beauty in this. Maybe if I had a partner? Then we could be having luscious sex and engaging in wonderful deep conversations and playing chess and watching lovely old movies and making lasagna and planning our escape from this mad mad world, but instead I just keep checking the cat boxes to make sure no poop needs to be removed.

It’s not that I mind being alone. I like to be alone. It’s the forced aspect of it. And it’s the constant uncertainty in every direction. Health, family, finances, job, future. What’s going to happen? Even if things tentatively begin to improve, will we be re-whomped with this, or a new version, next winter?

Sorry, I can’t put up some Hallmark card type of post. This really sucks. 🙁

~*~

Image originally from Pixabay.

©️2020 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

Sharing At A Distance

This week’s questions from Melanie:

Are you a sweet, sour, tangy or other type of person?  Take that as you will! 😉

I have been told by the majority (in real life) that I’m a sweet person. Even online now, I’m pretty darn nice, compared to back in Usenet days. It’s just not worth it to engage with trolls and jerks. They have all the time in the world… and I do not. But that doesn’t mean I’ll put up with crap! Those days are gone. I vanish if someone is mean to me. 👻

Does the whole coronavirus phenomenon worry you?  Or are you more a “meh – it’s just another severe flu scare” type of person?

First, severe flus are scary! They kill loads of people every year, relentlessly. So, there is nothing not scary about another severe flu coming around. I’ve had the flu twice and both times were absolutely miserable experiences I do not wish to repeat. Each year, I get a flu vaccine, which supposedly is not perfect, but I haven’t had the flu any of those years (knock wood). 🍀

Second, scientists don’t have a complete handle on this coronavirus yet. They aren’t sure exactly how it behaves, and there is no vaccine yet. Its progression from mild to moderate to fatal can be extremely rapid, which is… scary. You feel like you’re getting better and then, bam! Your lungs overload.

Third, while the number of cases in the U.S. is tiny at the moment, we don’t know how many contagious people are walking around shedding the virus everywhere. This unknown is scary. Next week there could be thousands of cases shutting down a particular city, but which? Ah. 😱

Fourth, while I’m not in a high risk group, I am older-ish, so it’s prudent for me to be cautious. Forex, I just canceled a pleasure trip to Vegas next weekend. It can wait. No need to be on a plane and in large crowds right now. I’m not so much worried about death as I am the pain-in-the-assedness of having to deal with some kind of two-week quarantine or whatever annoying thing if I’m exposed to the virus. 😛

When was the last time you were snooping, and found something you wish you hadn’t?

I’ve written before that I snooped as a teenager while babysitting and found many “interesting” magazines and books. Later in life, the only times I’ve snooped were the typical looking for evidence on a guy’s laptop type of situation. I can’t say I’m sorry I found what I did. It’s always better to know.

What’s the most pleasant sounding accent in your personal opinion?   Everyone has a pleasing accent to someone! 

British, of course. 🇬🇧

Gratitude: Your chance to share your joy!

I found two new chairs for our dining room and that makes me happy.

~*~

Images from Melanie and me.

©️2020 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

Ock? Ack!

Since I’ve deleted all the photos men have privately sent me from dating sites, I didn’t think I would have any *ock pics for Cee’s challenge. But then I remembered socks.

Not only is Gatsby posing with socks, but he is wearing perma-socks too. This was in my old-old apartment back in Huntington Beach, not too far from where we’re living now. But we have a nicer table.

~*~

Cee’s black & white *ock challenge.

©️2020 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

Unpacking [socs]

I recently moved, so I dealt with a lot of packing and unpacking. I didn’t mind the packing so much because it made me feel organized and accomplished. Ooh another box filled, taped, labeled. Yay! I especially enjoyed throwing stuff out as I went along. Even though I consider myself to be a very cautious buyer lately, I still had a bunch of junk I didn’t need and never used.

Unpacking though… argh, what a pain. You think things will fit in a certain spot and then they don’t. You remember putting items in this box, but they aren’t there. You swore you got rid of a stupid thing and here it is again… WTF?

I can’t even relate to the concept of a “pack rat” ~ a person who never throws anything away. That boggles my mind. I’m always tossing stuff. I despise clutter! I was sad for a minute that I had to donate most of my remaining books, but now I’m glad. What freedom not to be bogged down with more things. Kindle books FTW!

If I had more time, I’d be deleting and dumping things constantly. Nothing feels better than to have empty space to begin creating anew. That goes for email boxes as well as meatspace.

~*~

Image credit to Shelley Krupa.

©️2020 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

Wordless Wednesday

~*~

Image is Paula Light’s.

©️2020 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

Purrompts! 🐱

Gatsby here. Mommy is busy, so I’m doing the Wednesday post today from up on the fridge where I have a good view of all the things. As you can see, Mommy tried to take the energy guide sticker off the front of the fridge and failed, lolz! I refuse to help with such frivolous endeavors, for I am original cat and concern myself with much more important matters such as killing spiders and hiding under the bed if it appears Mommy might take me to the vet. My life is no cake walk, I’ll tell you that! I don’t think Mommy appreciates how many complicated tasks I perform while she’s out, but it’s all very tiring and now I must nap.

Goodbye! 💤

~*~

Image from Paula Light’s library.

©️2020 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

The Monday Peeve 16

Smiles and positive posts are all well and good, but sometimes I need to vent a bit. How about you? That’s what The Monday Peeve is all about, a chance to blow off a little steam at the beginning of the week, so then we can go merrily on our way once again (hah). I’ll pick a topic that’s on my mind, but you can vent about whatever you please, here in comments or on your own blog. Grab the photo, use the #TMP tag, and link back to me (or not ~ I dgaf), and Bob’s yer uncle. I do reserve the right to delete any links that offend my delicate sensibilities. So far, none have, but it could happen! I have feelings!

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As I reorganize my drawers after moving, I realize I have a ton of random buttons. Some are loose and some are in little packets. Others have a length of matching thread attached. To which article of clothing do these buttons belong? Hell if I know! I stuck them all in a baggie and smooshed them behind my lingerie, never to be seen again, probably. Luckily, they don’t take up much space.

But it’s annoying! Many articles of clothing have spare buttons sewn into an inside seam or pocket. That way, if you lose a button, you know exactly where to find a matching one. You don’t have to hunt through the button baggie in hopes of stumbling on the right replacement. Why can’t all spare buttons be done this way instead of coming in those silly packets or separately loose?

And what about stuff I’ve dumped? Their spare buttons may still be hopelessly waiting in the baggie forever, while some poor soul who picks up my old sweater at Goodwill might never be able to find the matching replacement button. What a tragic scenario! 😢

Remember folks, no peeve is too minor for TMP. We don’t judge.

~*~

Image originally from Pixabay.

©️2019 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

Holiday Oversharing

Melanie has questions!

QUESTIONS FOR THE WEEK 12-23-19:

1. Do dogs ‘talk’ (communicate) with their own species?

I think so. I’m not sure if all that barking means anything other than to warn critters away from “their” territory, but dogs seem to have a complex system of body language to communicate with each other. So do cats and other animals, even bugs. We aren’t that special. And no I didn’t read any of the links; I’m just jabbering away, as I do.

2. Have you ever had to work on Christmas Day?

Had to, no, but it’s a good day for me to get work and other chores done, since I don’t celebrate Christmas. This year, I’ll do some work in the morning before heading over to a friend’s house to watch movies.

3. If someone gifts you something that you immediately loathe, do you pretend to really like it anyway or are you brutally honest about your opinion?

I find something about it to like and a kind comment to make. “Brutally honest” is a euphemism for being an asshole ~ it’s one of the terms you see a lot on dating sites from men who revel in being jerks. Yuck.

3. Which popular drink, found during the Christmas season most often, is called “milk punch?”

Don’t know, sounds gross.

4. How many ghosts show up during “A Christmas Carol?”

Just had this Q in a trivia game and luckily one of my teammates knew it was 4.

5. Are you all about the holly and jolly or more about remembering the alleged ‘true’ meaning of Christmas?

Neither really, since I celebrate Chanukah, and that only mildly. But I’m not a humbug either… I’m happy for other people’s joy and will go to parties, sing, dance, and be merry.

6. Please share a memory or thought about the holiday season if you’d like, whatever kind of celebration you may observe.

When I was in 5th grade the music teacher asked if anyone was Jewish. Unfortunately, I had told someone I was so she pointed to me. The teacher asked how I celebrated Chanukah and I said I didn’t. He was confused and made a joke about Santa not celebrating Christmas. Everyone laughed and I felt humiliated. I hated him. And them. But it wasn’t their fault. In 6th grade, I stayed home sick on music days around that time to avoid this scenario repeating.

I was a half-Jewish girl who didn’t celebrate the Jewish holidays because my father had no interest in them. My mom liked to put up Christmas lights and decorate cookies, so that’s what we did. We had Easter bunny baskets too. I grew up with all the standard American stuff, even though I didn’t really belong to it. It was easy to give it up when I married a Jewish man. Later, after our divorce, when faced with various dating options, I decided I didn’t want to observe holidays in my home that I no longer felt connected to. (I am fine with not doing anything for any holidays however.) Why do I feel connected to my father’s side and not my mother’s, when he wasn’t even interested in his own holidays? I don’t know.

~*~

Images from Bitmoji

©️2019 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.