Getting Shit Done...About Grief!....About Caregiving!

Yes. The water was really that blue. And I found beach glass too.

Or as our 4-time governor, Jerry Brown, might say, Age quod agis. Do what you're doing is what this Latin phrase means, and according to the report I listened to on the car radio this morning, it's one of Brown's favorite Latin sayings. There was live coverage of Brown's inauguration, and I almost got weepy. I think he's the current politician I most respect.

I wrote in a previous post that I'm not making any resolutions this year, but if I were, Age quod agis would be a good one. Go ahead, take it if you need one. Meanwhile, I'm just trying to get shit done which is similar, but not exactly the same as doing what you are doing.

What got done today was finding a new desk chair for my mom (has to be ordered, darn) but finally she'll have a safe chair for her to sit in at her desk. The one without arms was pronounced as unsafe by her physical and occupational therapists. New yoga pants were purchased too which means the stretchy pants that I bought after starting Jazzercise about 20 or so years ago can be retired. Honestly, those two pairs of pants really did get worn to the gym most weeks for almost two decades, but I felt I was in danger of stretching up into downward dog and suddenly finding my ass hanging out. Now I have three brand new pairs of identical black yoga pants. (Yeah, I went to Catholic school for 12 years and wore a uniform every day, why do you ask?)

And I waited on hold for 14 minutes to speak to someone at the City of Baltimore, only to find that my memory did serve me correctly, and that yes, it's perfectly acceptable to pay my mom's health insurance premium weeks late in January because that is just how the City of Baltimore likes to start the new year. They will get those invoices in the mail in a couple of weeks. Any other month that you pay late, you'll get a cancellation letter announcing that your policy will be cancelled within twelve days of the date on the letter. Which in my mom's case would be a financial debacle of proportions similar to what Jerry Brown took on with California's debt after Schwarzenegger's reign.

And also under the heading of unhappy tidings, I researched the cost of a power washing service to clean my boat dock which, as has been called to my attention by the HOA, needs a thorough cleaning. I'm normally all into maintenance and cleaning, but since I really don't get away to kayak anymore, it's like outta sight, outta mind. I'm the disgrace of the neighborhood.

And I am monitoring the fuck out of my mental health. I plan to take the month of January to record my lack of wellbeing in some cogent way and consider getting back on some meds. For those of you in a similarly leaky boat, I found some worthwhile things here:

Resolutions after a Trauma
Your Resolution Absolution
Self Portraits of Living after Loss

And in the caregiving department, I found THIS immensely helpful as I pondered whether or not it would be okay to try and get my mom into assisted living.

And meanwhile, here in Pillville, I'm doing what I do.

What I'm thinking about on a Friday night:

The way reflected light in the marina can make the water look like it's burning.

This book:

And what Ingersoll says about happiness: "Happiness is the only good. The time to be happy is now. The place to be happy is here. The way to be happy is to make others so."

My friend Paula's latest blog post: Better, Worse, or the Same? I think this way of looking my mom's discomfort over her various ailments will help the two of us communicate more clearly.

These thoughts from poet Liz Kay's blog: Her thoughts about Complications and rage and desire have been rolling around in my head ever since I read her post yesterday.

Boat Naming Contest

I am determined to buy a boat.  A somewhat laughable boat, yes, but a boat. And I will learn to drive my little boat.

Here in my marina beige-world community, the boat docks have outlets. I'm going to buy a little electric boat. I might buy a Duffy. Or I might buy an Electracraft. There are quite a few of both of them in the neighborhood.

I wish my name was Virginia so I could name my boat "Ginnny's Tonic." But it's not, and another name change is not in my future,  so other boat names under consideration are:
Moby Dink
The Lucy-Tanya
Titania
Non Liki
Mighty Slow
Naughty Us

Morning Becomes (if I buy an Electracraft)

And of course, there's always:
Margaritaville

Feel free to send your suggestions. And in fact, I declare this to be a contest--the very first here in Leaving Divorceville! The top 3 contenders will receive a book of essays.

Bird of the Day

Maybe not this exact bird, but some kind of cormorant. On my neighbor's boat dock. 7:35 a.m.