Fences and stuff
Morning, all.
An interesting thought came up in conversation with a friend some time ago, and we both decided that life is easier when it isn't governed by work. Not to say that we (most of us) don't need to work - a sad realization that is hammered home with that goddamn alarm every Tuesday through Saturday - but we don't need Work to be our defining calendar.
For example: recently I have discovered that going out on a weeknight (specifically Thursday) is not taboo. As long as I get a solid six hours of sleep I'm fine for the next day; a little tired, but nothing that will make me struggle through a shift. It's nice to get together with a collective group of good folks for a few hours and just de-stress. Not that there's much stress in my life, but there is a lot of depression and frustration, so I want to try and be around people/places that make me feel better. Going out on Thursday also makes the weekend feel much longer, and sort of like I have a three-day workweek. From that perspective, things aren't terrible.
Whatever works, I guess.
Yesterday was also the first day I used my patio in a very long time. A friend helped me put up a reed fence on Tuesday, and last night I covered the whole roof with three rolls of plastic floor mat, so now it doesn't look as barren and exposed up there. Not the mat in the picture, mine's green & white, but similar material. The fence, once rolled out, is also kind of see-through, but hopefully still gives the message that I just want to be left alone.
Our patio is pretty big (about 18' x 10'), so tasks to update it are not something that can be done in a couple minutes. Besides the ongoing struggle to keep it (and the mini-patio below) clean, the stairs up there are pretty treacherous. It's similar to climbing a ladder, only slightly more stable. Having lived at the water's edge for a while now, I've had the displeasure of seeing what the atmosphere can do to materials - even to wood. So when the wooden staircase seems a bit more bendy and creaky than normal, it starts to worry me.
A lot of people say, "Why do you sound so distraught about it all the time, it's on the ocean! Your view is awesome!!" and it IS, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy the fishbowl effect that area creates. I am a fairly private person when it comes to being seen at home, especially when it includes sitting in sweats and painting or reading a book. If anyone sees me it's my other half, my cat, or a close friend. People I know and am friends with, not random neighbors who might be loud or overly chatty or just staring to see what I'm up to. I don't want them to see! I want to just sit and not think that someone is watching me!
Ahh, I digress. Things will get better. I'll put some plants up or something and feel okay about it, and hope that the landlord doesn't ask me to take the fence down. But if I hear any Bob Ross comments from across the way, I will launch up with the fury of a thousand kittens and put paint in someone's eye.
Happy Thursday!
