Catching Up

And so the world goes round and round.

It's been such a bloody long time since the start of COVID, but here we are with the world having not yet returned to normal. Not that I'm actually expecting it to, but I live in so much hope.

Yesterday depressed me.

I spent 5 hours with a very dear friend of mine. We went out to lunch at a local Mexican restaurant that we both enjoy. Then we watched Finding Neverland with Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet. It had been, oh, at least a decade since I'd seen it. I'd forgotten that it was so good! BUT, our reason for watching Finding Neverland is because we had theatre tickets for a live production that's been getting rave reviews. Guess what was canceled due to COVID?

We did the next best thing, but it just wasn't the same. We were supposed to dress up a little fancier than usual, go out to dinner at a nice restaurant, and troop into the Pikes Peak Center for a live production. 

I'm reminded how much our world has changed in just the last four months. So many events have either been canceled or put on hold. Even the Colorado Renaissance Festival was moved to an August through September run, but may still be canceled. LeakyCon, a Harry Potter convention we have tickets for, was moved from October 2020 to October 2021. And it just feels like the world is completely closed.

How is everyone coping with the isolation and boredom?

I'm continuing to learn Swedish through Duolingo. If you want to learn a secondary language, this is a pretty good resource. My family is from Swedish/Finnish origins and the region of Finland we come from on my mother's side actually utilizes both Swedish and Finnish, hence the Swedish lessons. It's remarkable how natural the language sounds and feels when I use it. My sister is also learning Swedish, she's actually way far ahead of me, so we can practice together.

I also ordered my first textbook to learn Japanese called Japanese from Zero!. It should be here on Monday. I'm sure it sounds crazy to be learning two languages at once, but I really do want to learn Japanese so very badly. Not just how to speak it, but how to read and write it too. This textbook series is apparently pretty successful with homeschoolers, of which I was one, so I'm hopeful that it'll work with my brain.

I've lost between 12 and 13 pounds since the start of COVID, so that's a plus. I've slacked off a bit in the last month, but I'm getting determined again. I use this particular Youtube video for the exercise portion of my weight loss plan. It's EXHAUSTING, but it works and I always feel so much better after working out. I just have to remember to shower afterwards so my skin doesn't break out. Sometimes I think I can get away without a shower, but no can do.

Food obsessions right now are miso and dashi flavored foods, so a lot of Japanese influence there. Still watching my Japanese entertainment. I've seen so many amazing programs and found some incredible actors along the way.

The We Love Lucy Blogathon will proceed as scheduled, so keep a lookout for that. I need to re-watch Two Smart People for my topic.

Blessings to all of you and I hope you're able to create a balance of staying safe and still seeing others.