Trying to Catch Up From the Holidays...

SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 2020: Good afternoon and Happy New Year from Seattle, Climate Strikers! At least, I hope you're having a decent New Year. Sorry I haven't posted since returning from the holiday in Tennessee; but I haven't been feeling too great for a while. Most of the time I was in Crossville, I was having rather serious lower-body joint pain, which I've never had before, to a significant degree. Sometimes, I seriously had difficulty standing and walking; and you'd think, at age 55, I'd be a bit young yet for that sort of thing. I suppose I should thankful that I didn't catch my Mom's cold (which she apparently picked up on a chair-volleyball playdate); but both hip and knee joints were bugging the hell out of me most of the time I was there, and I still don't know why. Maybe it's damper in east Tennessee than here in Seattle; or maybe the difference in elevation above sea level has something to do with it; but this has only been going on since I first arrived in Crossville. I think it's been gradually improving since I got back home, but I've stocked up on ibuprofen and glucosamine supplements, just in case.

I've been feeling rather down mentally and emotionally as well. Trump is still in office; an old friend of mine (the former church secretary of a Lutheran chapel I used to attend, near the University of Washington campus) passed away recently in her late 70's; and Australia is still burning. Something close to a billion animals and birds, and dozens of human residents, have been killed in bushfires throughout the country; and hundreds of fires are still burning out of control in the southern regions, according to the latest online news. People all over the world want to know how they can be of help; firefighters from the U.S. have already joined those in Australia, and musicians here in Seattle are brainstorming possibilities for benefit events (which I hope to join in on shortly). I recently created and uploaded a new teeshirt design to both Teespring and Spreadshirt relating to Australian disaster relief; I'm working right now to arrange to send 75-80% of my designer proceeds to Australia's RSPCA, which helps to rescue and rehabilitate both wildlife and livestock. Now, if only I can sell a few shirts, to enable donations. This link also features information on reputable charitable organizations and firefighting outfits that are now accepting donations for disaster relief.

Seasonal Affective Disorder also tends to hit me pretty hard this time of year (some of which, I've heard, could be attributable to climate change); and the fact that I can't seem to make any money in self-employment is not helping my mental health particularly. I've been on SSDI/Disability for a while now, and I am working very hard to transition to self-employment, including in teeshirt design and original photography; but for some reason, all my original work tends to be completely ignored, as if it was invisible. At my current stage in life, I really want to be my own boss. I don't want to work for anyone else, while constantly worrying about losing my job, and economic security, because some higher-up bosshole doesn't like me, or thinks my job performance is slipping. I've been through quite enough of that bullshit in my life to date. But, for some reason, the Universe seems to be opposed to my escape from dire poverty, and that's not very nice. While researching climate-related issues, I'm also reading up on escaping depression, and what sorts of teeshirt designs are selling the most at present. Just don't look for me to be pouring espresso or flipping burgers anytime soon. Ugh.

Anyway, I've got to stay busy--practicing music, writing, listening to upbeat music, and figuring out how to make my own money as a freelancer. I will be writing more on Australia very soon, including a word or two on the Australian government slacking off on addressing climate change. Apparently their PM isn't a whole lot better than Trump or Bolsonaro on the climate front...