I’m sad (kids sick and dying from Covid). I’m mad (very high Covid rates: cases, hospitalizations and deaths). I’m annoyed (financial advisor says to me, “if Carmen ever decides to work for a living”… sigh. Once more for those in the back: just because I don’t get paid to take scrub walls, scoop poop and butcher small animals… and hang bee traps (that I paid for), trim beaks and talons, replace perches, jesses and platforms… doesn’t mean I’m not working.
And my hip hurts (see ill-advised patio installation gig, and subsequent physical therapy).
See also: too much doomscrolling. (Why does my spellcheck insist that this is not a word?)
My fall plans were never set in stone, but aside from switching to KN95 masks when the kiddos come back to the Outdoor Learning Center, whatever plans I had in mind are no longer viable. Depending on how the next month or so goes, our holiday plans might also be out the window, which… I’m having trouble contemplating that, so…
In other words, everything sucks. (Except the Paralympic Games. The Paralympics definitely don’t suck.)
So I’m going back to school… sort of. I’m taking three drawing classes, all online, two of them asynchronous, and one of them with an artist whose work I admire (I’ll be making the sketchbook(s) I use for that one). They’re socially distant by design. It will have the benefit of putting me on a schedule (a rather tight one, actually), keeping me busy, and allowing me to upgrade skills I already use. If this term goes well, I’ll do some more of that kind of thing so I can specialize a bit more.
So it’s not school, per se, since it’s not an accredited program with a terminal credential. It’s more like a couple of classes concentrating on subjects I enjoy and want to learn more about… just on a pretty good schedule, with feedback.
Here’s hoping I learn some things, improve on some skills, get to interact with fellow students, and cut down on the doomscrolling.
Carmen Yount 