Well, hello. Again

I've had two requests for a blog from two new people who didn't know that this place existed. Being an accommodating person, I decided to hop back.

I might like to focus on something here. Change directions. Or maybe find one. But alas, I'll just end up back in the center going off in many directions again. Like spokes on a bike wheel. It's a nice analogy, right? The spokes and different directions are what make it stable.

. . . . .

But wow, two years have gone by without a word from me. I've started a few posts in that time, but I always change my mind for some reason.

This place has been semi-anonymous for me in the past. Very few readers. Hi Scott, Alana, Oscar, and that strange Russian data mining site. I was more comfortable being too emotionally open. I don't want this to be a diary anymore. That said, I don't want to move to a new place. I did create a blog under a different e-mail address. It was going to be my new place. It was going to be for and about Oscar and me. It was going to be less emotional. A place to keep family and friends updated in a narrative way. But I can't seem to leave "carmingular." I've had her for ten years now. I'll write a post about her in the near future. It's a cute story.

'Sup?

There's kind of a lot I can write about. I have a lot of interests these days, what with the internet and all. So here's a briefish rundown.

I started running two years ago. There are a surprising number of things that can be said about putting one foot in front of the other quickly and over long distances. Some runs are stupid hard and shitty. Some, like yesterday's glorious 4.5 miles in sunny, mid-40˚ weather, are literally* the reason I run.

I make stuff. Last night, I made two envelope style pillow covers for our couch. They're the first thing I've machine sewn since the hand puppet in sixth grade Home Arts. I used to make prints, but it's been two years since I've done that. I will do it again, but I'm on hiatus.

I am a media/pop culture/aesthetics glutton. 
I am on the internet. A lot. This is where I find things to make. This is where I keep up with celebrity gossip. This is where I look things up. This is where I learn to cook. This is where half of my brain resides. I've read articles about kids from my generation and younger. They say we don't remember information, but we know where to find it. This is true. A fact.

I watch a lot of TV. Too much, probably. But this isn't about judgement. It just is. I watch Parks and Recreation, The Office, Grimm, Top Chef, The Daily Show, Biggest Loser. I also enjoy many old shows. Buffy, Seinfeld, The Wonder Years. I used to love Sex and the City, but the movie sequel was so bad that I've lost my taste for it.

I don't know how, but I tend to know about design trends. I couldn't make the trends, but I recognize them and tend to think they hang on too long. This is an overwhelming thing for me. I like design and tend to have good taste, but have a very difficult time doing anything with this love and taste. Be prepared for this topic. It will be twisted. I have strong opinions and frankly, they are awesome.

Sex, Gender, Feminism, Making Babies etc.
This is sort of a branch off the media/pop culture topic. It's just such a big deal. I'm just so aware of sexism and feminism and all the internal conflicts of the two. It's everywhere in pop culture. For instance, when I open spotify there's the cover of "Talk That Talk" by Rihanna. Why does she have to be in blow job pose? And I don't tend to see things that are questionably sexual. Like not everything that is taller than it is wide is automatically a penis. But this cover is so blatant. But then, isn't that Rihanna's power? Her sexuality. Is she being exploited for it, or is she just exploiting it? And if she's exploiting it, why is it so bad? She could be a savvy woman who knows how to get where she wants to be. But how sad is it that a lot of women still feel the need to exploit their sexuality to get ahead. And sometimes, I wonder if this is even an issue at all. Blah.  

I almost forgot to expound upon making babies. I'm kind of obsessed right now. Fortunately, I'm just rational enough to keep it in my head and out of my uterus. But it's on the horizon, and therefore could easily come up and possibly be abused as a topic.

I have ADHD, Primarily Inattentive Type. This is new. I've always had mental and emotional health issues. I've been actively trying to sort them out for the last couple of years. Recently, I started seeing a psychiatrist because winters where just too hard. After a few rounds, she brought up ADHD and after some questions and discussion, it seemed like a good possibility. I'm very early in figuring this out, so it will probably come up a lot. It will also be kind of tough because mental health issues are so blurry and so open to criticism. Currently, I'm reading You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid, or Crazy?.** I can't say much more about this without making it a huge thing, so that's the summary. For now.


I'm working on mine and Oscar's family trees. I just want to make sure we're not cousins. Ha. It's amazing what the internet will tell you. And it's fascinating. Again, there's just so much to say about this, so I'll leave it for the future.


Anyway, that's the summary of my current interests.

* I love Parks and Recreation.
** When did we stop underlining book titles? They're always in italics or quotation marks, now. I'm a bit of a grammar nazi. Not that I won't italicize or quotation mark a book title.