Greetings, Internet! Hope everyone’s staying as safe as they can, and are wearing masks if they are going outside to protest. I’m located somewhere between Union Square and Herald Square, so, right between the protests and the looting. At various times this past week, I’ve heard the chants of protestors, sirens, and loud bangs. At night, it’s mostly sirens. I’m not really capable of going to a protest at the moment (high-risk group for the ‘Rona, broken glass not being great for inflated tires), so I’ve been emailing representatives and donating to bail funds. It’s basically all I can do at the moment, so I’m doing it. (And hey, it can be effective if enough people do it!) Daily summaries below!

Day Seventy-Eight (5/29/20)

• Did the FES cycle.
• My mother is here! She is baking an apple pie (after she adjusted the thermostat, because I’m pretty sure if she baked a pie while the heater was still on, I probably would have turned bright red and passed out). 
• I am so grateful for air conditioning.
• Currently feeling: My mother and I were talking about how my father wanted me to “tough out” another year living in Princeton housing. I remember thinking at the time that I could not take another year of university housing (Princeton really thought they could get by with the bare minimum of ADA compliance), and so I trusted my gut and moved out. I can’t imagine what quarantine at Princeton would have been like. I mean, sure, I’d probably be quarantining with my parents in Brooklyn. But then I’d have no privacy, and probably no YouTube channel, no guitar (I don’t like practicing if I think other people can hear me), no writing workshop, and no therapy (which, two sessions in, I’m happy with where it’s going). It’s a weird thing to think about.
• Currently looping: Ad Infinitum’s “See You in Hell.” Came up on a Spotify playlist of female-fronted metal bands, and now I’m going to add it to my “Burn Things” playlist.

 

Day Seventy-Nine (5/30/20)

• Submitted a trial request form at the Flute Center of New York. They’re going to send three flutes over and I’m going to test them out. I’m so excited to hear what a non-beginner flute sounds like. This is also the first time I’ve used a musical influencer code for something (who knew that flute influencers (flute-fluencers?) were a thing?). The flutes with the best sound and resonance are supposedly those made of silver, but those are like, hella expensive. The flute-fluencer I got the code from was playing a silver flute in her video worth $9,400.00. You can bet that the flutes I’m testing are not even close to that price range, because they are (merely) silver-plated. Honestly, anything would be an upgrade from the Alpine flute I own now (particularly because I just tried to search for Alpine flutes, and a brief search suggests that the brand no longer exists outside of eBay).
• FaceTimed my sister and niece! My niece is so smart and adorable, I can’t even.
• Later FaceTimed my sister. There was rosé. I drank lots of it very quickly. Wheeeeee!
• Currently feeling: On the one hand, I should comment on the protests. On the other hand, everyone’s been commenting on the protests, and anything I say will be redundant. I mentioned the Minnesota Freedom Fund in yesterday’s entry (which I guess was last week’s entry?). In these ‘Rona times, I don’t feel safe protesting on account of my pre-existing condition, but I feel like I can help by contributing to bail. So I’m going to do that. I’ve heard protestors march outside my apartment twice today. I continue to hear sirens late into the night. I hear loud bangs outside that could be fireworks or gunshots (or something), but don’t know what they are. I live half a mile from Union Square, where the protests are getting major air time (as they should). I fear for the safety of the protestors. I fear that things could get out of hand and the blame will fall on those who are exercising their right to assembly and right to free speech. But who hasn’t said this already? Like I said, anything I say on this will be redundant.
• Currently looping: Ad Infinitum’s “I Am the Storm.”

 

Day Eighty (5/31/20)

• Did the FES cycle.
• Am still trying to figure out how to time cooking pasta along with cooking the things to go with the pasta. Out of an abundance of caution (re: fearing I will overcook the pasta), I just cook the pasta, and then work on the things to go with the pasta. Does it take like 20 minutes longer? Yes. Does the pasta get overcooked? Nope. So I guess it’s a win?
• Writing workshop! We tried fiction this week. I sense there will be fiction next week. I hadn’t attempted fiction since an ill-fated National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) attempt in high school, so it was an experience.
• Currently feeling: How is May already over? Quarantine is speeding up time, guys. Or maybe we’re in a great ball of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff. What is even time anymore?
• Currently looping: The Killers’ “The Way It Was.” Writing buddy suggested that I add it to my break-up playlist (yes, I have a break-up playlist), and I have not been able to stop listening to it. Brandon Flowers belting “darling” is just delightful.

 

Day Eighty-One (6/1/20)

• Posted my cover of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Otherside.”
• Flute trial confirmed! Can’t wait to see how they sound!
• Had a guitar songwriting lesson via FaceTime. I’m serious about writing original material someday.
• Recorded Thursday’s cover. Mondays are for music.
• Currently feeling: I don’t want my lack of political posting on social media to give the impression that I don’t care about what’s happening. There’s a phrase that’s been going around for some time now about how those who are silent side with the oppressor. I hope they mean silent in the sense of “doing absolutely nothing” instead of “posting absolutely nothing,” because sometimes you can post a black square on your Instagram and think you’ve fulfilled some civic duty, when you’ve missed the mark if that is literally the only thing you have done amidst these protests. Those who have the means should be donating to causes that help (e.g. bail funds, the ACLU). Those who want to educate themselves can find dozens upon dozens of resources that are now being widely shared. And everyone should be calling/emailing their representatives. Union Square is half a mile from my apartment. I hear sirens throughout the day and shouts from nearby protestors. And even if I wasn’t so geographically close to everything, there is no escaping any of this, wherever you are. There is nothing I can post on social media that hasn’t already been posted, and so I don’t post. I write about the things that I do on this platform because this is basically my diary. 
• Currently looping: Ad Infinitum’s “Marching on Versailles.” Protest song sung by one of the few women of color in metal, Melissa Bonny.

 

Day Eighty-Two (6/2/20)

• Did the FES cycle.
• Did a work hangout with a friend. Got halfway through Book Eight of Gregory of Tours.
• Watched the season finale of “Legends of Tomorrow.” Was there a fight involving a Shake Weight with “The Thong Song” playing in the background (with Sisqo actually performing on the show)? Oh, yes, there was. Because “Legends” comes up with the most ridiculous ideas and then says, “Why the heck not?” Never change, “Legends.” Never change.
• Currently feeling: Super tempted to order boozy ice cream. Super. Duper. Tempted.
• Currently looping: Fiona Apple’s “Extraordinary Machine.”

 

Day Eighty-Three (6/3/20)

• Lots of guitar-playing. No video going up tomorrow. Maybe next week.
• Sent an email to the NYC comptroller urging him for budget reform (i.e. defund the NYPD). I can’t go out and protest, but I can fill up someone’s inbox.
• Finished Book Eight of Gregory of Tours, and have started Book Nine.
• Worked on my writing workshop draft. I know that I seem to mention primarily how inebriated I get at writing workshop (and it doesn’t hurt that writing buddy is also a fun drinking buddy), but I promise I actually enjoy writing things.
• Currently feeling: The country’s descending into authoritarianism, so, not really sure how to feel about that. I mean, I have feelings of dread and I’m wondering what the point is of attending tomorrow’s Zoominar because what does it matter if I learn about medieval pandemics if we end up living in a police state? I mean, I’ll still attend the Zoominar, and I’ll try to give it my full attention for its duration, but it’s hard to focus on that given that there’s a lot of righteous anger out there that deserves to be given priority (and also a pandemic, let’s not forget the pandemic that lacks a vaccine).
• Currently looping: Evanescence’s “Not For Your Ears” album. It’s like a demo? Stephen Colbert asked Jon Batiste a while back what he’s been doing, and Batiste said he would listen to the entire catalog of an artist he liked. Evanescence has been one of my favorite bands since I was in middle school, so I’m going through their catalog.

 

Day Eighty-Four (6/4/20)

• Did the FES cycle.
• Attended a Zoominar. My advisor asked the question I found most interesting, and the speaker didn’t quite have an answer. Rats. Maybe the article he suggested will be fun to check out anyway.
• Thursdays are for therapy. I mean, sure, I cry every Thursday, but then I get homework. And then I do the homework. And then it works.
• Emailed the Mayor’s office because #8cantwait. I figure if I email one office to implement the “Eight Can’t Wait” measures, and then another to defund the NYPD, then I’m covering my bases and filling up more inboxes. Every little bit helps.
• It’s been twelve weeks indoors. If you have a tube of mascara you’ve been using pre-quarantine, now’s the time to throw it out. RIP mascara tube that didn’t survive quarantine.
• Currently feeling: I’m thankful for the people who are posting resources on social media. I’m clicking on the resources, I’m reading, I’m emailing my local representatives, I’m supporting black-owned businesses. Like, yes, thank you for these very useful ways I can be an activist without wheeling over the broken glass outside in my neighborhood.
• Currently looping: Taylor Swift’s “Daylight.”

Thanks so much for reading, everyone! Stay safe out there, and fight the power.