Looking at the sky

There are some people I just want to spend time lying on the grass and watching clouds with, and others I'd like to watch the stars with.

There is a subtle difference.

Missing a friend I used to get caught in the rain with

 Missing a friend I used to get caught in the rain with.

The Stillness to the Parade -on COVID-19

You won't find much about COVID-19 on this blog. Sometimes I tell myself I "try not to write about it too much", but that claim could lead to confusion of the truth; the truth is in times of emergency I just tend to just act, not reflect so much. The NatureNimbus blog has a couple things on it, but the site itself is currently on an announced, overall pause for this reason.

My mother and I have spent countless hours sewing masks from the start of the pandemic’s arrival in Canada, and has been researching materials and patterns before then. She especially is so efficient; this and other spiritual volunteer work has helped us both cope.

There was this period just before where there was a sense of imminence. It wasn’t here yet, but people would throw in coronavirus jokes with a nervous laugh, then quickly change the subject

“Coronavirus” my friend said when I coughed at school one. She shared a nervous chuckle. We had both been watching the news closely on this. People were dying, and we felt quite helpless.

The imminence was different distinct from even most bad feelings of anticipation; there has been no word, no ideas about what we would do if and when “the coronavirus” landed here. Because as far as we knew, we knew almost nothing about it except that it has violently killed a lot of people.

Then there was a different sense, after it arrived, after quarantine, that I’m not sure if we missed or not. A stillness. A stillness that I imagined after most everyone but essential workers had been sent home, after people had already raided the grocery stores and had an obsession for toilet paper fulfiled.

A stillness of waiting.

I was shamefully too much in my own college academic bubble to get a feel for it. (I suppose that is why it is called the ivory tower). 

However, in our recently-turned-online courses the air was heavy. Our online classes there was an elephant in the room all the time. Professors all wished what we stayed safe, and every email opened with some form of “I hope you are keeping well and safe in this unprecedented time”.

Perhaps that was the time of the stillness. 

Either way, things are far from still now. Most of the city seems to think the pandemic is over. There isn’t a sense of imminence of a second wave, a general sense of urgency. 

The third-worst of people shamelessly flaunt non-distanced, maskless escapades with friends on Instagram. It’s like they have a filter on life, that says that as long as we act like everything’s ok, that’s what it is.

Others have sadly fallen to the opposite extreme, and fallen to despair and loneliness.

Whether or not the second wave will hit anyway is yet to be determined.

In the meantime, i suppose all most of us can do is try to keep a physical distance, while keeping those who may feel alone close in mind, to call them often. And look out for members of society who are already at great disadvantage and are in need; of it is possible, if we’ve been waiting for a perfect time to give this is it. As well, wearing masks when we’re around others, but being sure to try to exchange a smile anyway because yes, even with a covering we can see when someone is smiling, and seeing genuine, even small or pained smiles behind the masks truly makes the world different, no matter what else is going on.

My Favourite Show, and a Page Out of Strangers' Stories: Midnight Diner

Midnight Diner has been keeping me company through my past few nocturnal weeks. It is sentimental and sometimes a little somber, but always warm. 

Master always says the right thing. And the dynamics between him and the regulars and other customers, and eachother, all feel very natural. Each are so distinct from one another, but the script and the acting still reflects very genuine interactions varied, eclectic handful of people with their own lives and stories sit facing eachother at a very small, square-shaped diner.

Some customers are regulars, some are new.

Each episode satisfies enough and leaves you with something to think about, even though it represents only a page out of each person's story.

There is a tag on this blog called 'bus thoughts'. Sometimes you may hear me ramble a little bit about strangers that we pass by each day; how we never know the complex, vivid stories of each person we rub shoulders with. If these thoughts often occupy your mind like they do mine, you will probably like Midnight Diner, and Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories.

The Rat March

People often ask eachother what their favourite show is, and although I haven't watched it in a very long time I usually say Star Trek. My family and I spent many good evenings together watching the Next Generation and my little sibling would do this adorable march to the intro dubbed "the rat march" (because of a particular love of rats).

It was characterized by a particular relaxation of the wrists, and lifting the same side arm as the leg that is lifted, the elbow at a near-perfect 90 degrees.

Saying all religious people are the standard of faith is like saying all rich people are the standard for hard work.

This is a bit of exactly what I was afraid of about studying psychology. That I'd happen to have a nocturnal sleep schedule and reading about lobotomies in a textbook all by myself.

Perseid Meteor Shower Peak August 11-13, Moon-free view August 17

For a bit of light in the darkness, look up until August 24th to see the Perseid meteor shower (pronounced "per-see-id"). The peak is August 11-13, where there will be an average of 75 meteors passing overhead each hour. 

Earthsky.org highlights that while the peak understandably gets a lot of attention, because of the moonlight the best time to skywatch for this event might be August 17th, when there won't be moonlight outshining the meteors.

Also, just as with any skywatching event it can be ideal to make the most of clear skies whenever they avail themselves.

More of Earthsky.org's tips can be found here.

Happy skywatching 🌠

Sources:

https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-perseid-meteor-shower

https://www.rmg.co.uk/discover/explore/space-stargazing/meteors-comets-asteroids/Perseid-meteor-shower

Thanks to Reddit user mudgts for the head's up. 

Idea for an experiment/study: do people percieve sound differently based on light?

Do people think sounds are louder when it's bright, or dark?

What about their own voices?

What about scary sounds?

What about secrets?

“We fight like cats and cats”

(Not as frequently as cats and dogs, but they do fight randomly and it’s really weird)

(posted 2021-04-09)

“Dog gammit”

“Dog gammit”

 Because I’m not going to bring God into this but that flow for emphasis is very good.

(posted 2021-04-09)