
Nine Snowboots

Dispatches from the pandemic wall
Writing always requires a certain amount of motivation, even if only for attention.

Social Distancing Diaries: April 4
My birthday went well, all things considered. A lot of people took the time to send greetings over Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, I spoke with my family on the phone for a little bit, I ordered dinner in from Swiss Chalet, and had the cheesecake I bought on Wednesday.

Social Distancing Diaries: April 1
My birthday is tomorrow; I turn 38. I remember reading something when I was a kid about something next occurring in 2020 and thinking that was a long way away, and expecting my life to be more or less what a typical child’s version of their adult self would be

Social Distancing Diaries: March 25
I hope everyone reading this is doing alright. I know this self-isolation hasn’t been too big an adjustment from my regular lifestyle, but I see a lot of my friends are going a little bit shack-wacky and feeling lonely, disconnected and anxious. If you’re reading this and feeling this way, your feelings are valid and I see you.

Radio silence and watched pots
I took a short break from social media last weekend; I’m not sure what specifically triggered it, but when I made a deliberate choice not to check in on my feeds, it felt good. I decided to take another hiatus from starting after work today and lasting until the morning of the 23rd. I haven’t felt like I had enough focus, motivation or energy lately (and definitely wasn’t using it to be social), so I hope this will help with that and let me find my voice again.
I’m leaving Facebook Messenger on my phone because family members use that to check in, but I also appreciate e-mails (bjdwsm@gmail.com) or text messages (not posting my number here, sorry).

Depressive episodes, self-care, aging, and other fun things
I had a depressive episode last week. I’m doing better now, but it brought back memories of two years ago when this state was more common. I’m not sure what (if anything) triggered it; I’m just going about my business and then all of a sudden I’m in a mood where I’m dreading and consciously minimizing interactions with others. I just hid in my cubicle on Friday, trying to endure the day, and as soon as I got out of work I was in a hurry to get off the Halifax peninsula. I knew I was in no mood to cook, so I stopped off at Mary Brown’s for dinner, and then once I got home I just stayed in bed for most of the weekend.

Something to look forward to
I was going to write another entry about how winter’s been wearing me down (particularly the physical aspect of traipsing over insufficiently cleared sidewalks), but I already explored that subject in the last few posts and it’s already March, so I’m just going to give another short update on what I’ve been up to, what I’ve been thinking about, and what’s on the horizon.
Hi, it's been a while
I apologize for not writing in here for a few weeks, and on personal (ie. non-dream, non-abstract thoughts) matters for even longer. My plan to write in a cafe at the same time each week hit a snag mid-month, partially due to bad weather, partially due to boredom with the routine, and partially due to energy levels.