Life update

Clouds… while waiting in line for a Hannaford store.  (They no longer require a line.) (Jun 14 12:50 p.m.)

Things had gotten a little busier since I’d last left off.  Since last post, I’d studied and passed the IC3 Digital Literacy Certification exams for the Information Technology field, and now I’m on the path toward certification.  Just part of vocational rehab, no biggie. 😉

Summer, summer… fog/haze on day two. (Jun 21 5:07 p.m.)

Of course, I’ll have to do interviews and other such things that bring some anxiety for someone who’s both introverted and autistic.  My people skills are not great… so that’ll be another challenge, another test.  Something to think about.  And my mind goes to Office Space… A classic, that film.

Most of all the testing has been online, and not because I can’t get out of the house.  (I can get out of the house.)  But because of Covid.  That virus has been a real drag.  I’ve seen stores close for good, and I’ve seen stores open.  And schools, well…

Metal play thing: dismantled. (Aug 3 11:56 a.m.)

I don’t know.

I saw two men digging in this very playground the other day.  The sight of that reminded me of California officials partially burying Venice Beach Skate Park… But these two were probably digging for some other reason.

Not everyone is following the rules.  Some people walk their dogs in areas that make use of the No Dogs Allowed sign, in red text.  I’ve seen so many people walking dogs in Portland, I start to think: what if that’s the only exercise the human gets?

An area is unusually dry. (Jun 22 2:29 p.m.)

This summer has been mostly okay.  Some days have been sweat-all-day hot; clothes stick, and you need to open more than one window to make any difference in room climate.  The humidity can be high sometimes, hence that fog near the top.  But it’s never too bad in Maine.  The need for an A/C was raised, and eventually one was installed, considering the other client here is heat-sensitive, and could literally faint if too hot.  The squeaky wheel got the oil.

(Jun 29 1:48 p.m.)

I can’t mention growth and change without including some new coneflowers that appeared near the front porch.

(Jul 4 12:25 p.m.)

They’re always green before pink.

(Jul 4 2:39 p.m.)

The flowers at Back Cove stood out— an interesting indigo/purple color.

(Jul 12 5:12 p.m.)

And little pine cones landing everywhere near park and school grounds.

(Jul 13 12:42 p.m.)

And then this: a lily.  (Or at least I think it’s a lily.)

Tree with mixture of colors. (Jul 15 11:43 a.m.)

By the middle of the month, it was time for a cookout.  Some firemen—who also purchased goods—may have had a cookout of their own too.

We arrived at a familiar park… one with a lighthouse.

(Jul 15 12:15 p.m.)

Fort Williams park.  So much grass, so much water in the distance…

(Jul 15 1:42 p.m.)

Some areas of the park give an impression of a jungle during summer.  Be sure to check out a previous post that featured this park.

(Jul 15 12:43 p.m.)

All of the homes of the group home service came together.  And… our house was left to clean up.

(Jul 15 1:23 p.m.)

Many a year it has been since I’d eaten grilled food from a cookout.  Oh, and shish kabobs!  (I failed to get a shish kabob for myself.)

(Jul 15 1:32 p.m.)

This park is great place to walk around.  The weather was perfect, and the coastal water is dreamy.  The bigger concern at the time to me were the seagulls.  Those white, squawky screamers with feathers were circling overhead, hoping for a chance to nab our stuff.  At one point, three of em fought for the territory that was our area.  But they got nothing.

(Jul 15 1:33 p.m.)

Maine’s islands are pretty beautiful.

(Jul 15 1:36 p.m.)

Covid-19 is… not so beautiful.

(Jul 15 1:37 p.m.)

And, well, hey, the museum was open that day.  But you need to pay an admission fee.  I wasn’t interested going alone.

(Jul 15 1:39 p.m.)

The museum shop doesn’t require fees for entry.

(Jul 15 1:40 p.m.)

(Jul 15 1:40 p.m.)

(Jul 15 3:51 p.m.)

It was really nice. 🙂

(Jul 27 3:57 p.m.)

In other things, the Maine Mall has lifted more restrictions.  You can now enter Best Buy from the inside of the mall, for example.  But again, many stores are closing for good.  I was surprised, after all these years, that this local Sears was doing well enough to not have to close.  And then the official “store closing” signs went up.  I didn’t think Gloria Jean’s Coffee would shutter, but it did.  More recently, the mall food court Amato’s went dark; they didn’t serve pasta after reopening.  Hopefully that’s only temporary.

(Jul 12 5:10 p.m.)

In other things, generally speaking, two milestones were passed lately:

1. I’ve lived in this new house for over a year.
2. This blog has turned 8 years old.

And the only thing I’d like say after that is: I’m sorry for how boring I’ve become.  I mean, I was never a good writer, but man…

(Jul 15 12:36 p.m.)

The tiredness has really gotten to me.  I mean, there’ve been times when I’ve run on steam in my life, but… living here isn’t fun.  The time consumption in cleaning up after others not because you were designated to a task but because you don’t see anyone else cleaning it up otherwise… There are better things I could be doing, and better places to be exploring.

Duck; duck; goose about to evade me. (Jun 15 2:55 p.m.)

Beyond the tired and the time lost, my memories are mostly what’s left of whatever culture I have of my own.  For example, there wasn’t a Christmas tree last year at this house.  It isn’t so much that I wanted a tree; I didn’t mind that so much.  It’s that there isn’t… meaningful family stuff like that.  Staff are less encouraging and more sitting around.  And the rotation; connections are lost.  You have have to know entirely what to do with yourself, and you have to be sharp to not lose yourself with all the dullness and the low-to-medium-grade chaos and clattering, and other loud sounds that make it harder to think.  The good times at this house are a memory.

I am obviously not suited for being socially deprived like living in a space station, alone, with only some remote communication… Planet Earth is blue, and there’s nothing I can do.  This isn’t home sickness so much as my mother’s home was a family home.

But I digress.

(Jul 13 10:27 p.m.)

Rana asparagus and mozzarella ravioli is my favorite food.  It’s some needed quality comfort while the world falls apart.

Anyway.  That’s it for now.  Wherever you are, dear reader, have a good night, a good morning or afternoon, and take care.

Until next time…

Ba-a-a-a-a-a-a… (Jul 27 3:58 p.m.)