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History Today – May 6, 2020

~ Georgia Tell ~ Leave a comment

This History Today series aims to document what life is like in this period of history. I update whenever I feel like it.

Aspects of daily life:

  • COVID-19, the global pandemic that started in a wet market in December 2019, has taken over our lives. I only leave the house for groceries. I’m luckier than a lot of people, I was already working from home, and my hours have only been cut a little.
  • I’m not suffering from depression even during this quarantine. I have a cocktail of meds that seem to be working. Maybe that’s why I often don’t write anymore, maybe writing was a way to get away from the pain.
  • President Trump didn’t seem to take COVID-19 seriously at first, but I believe he has now. I’ve heard that some social isolation restrictions are being loosened as of this week. I’m not sure of what they are. I am still staying home until I hear more.
  • Someone I know is getting cloth masks made. I ordered one. It’s mostly so I have something softer and reusable. The masks that my dad sent me at the start of this have not run out (it was a box of thirty). He was one of the people that started panic-buying supplies. But he’s also the reason why I’ve had masks at all. Also, even though the cloth mask is for safety, there is an element of fashion to it for me. I want to belong to the “cool” group who wear reusable masks.
  • California was one of the first places to shut down. I don’t know anyone who is not taking it seriously.
  • Former Vice President Joe Biden is likely the nominee for the Democratic presidential ticket to run against President Trump in the 2020 presidential election. I don’t think he has chosen a VP to run alongside him, but he promised in one of his last debates that I saw that it would be a woman. I hope he keeps that promise. I’m excited to see who it could be. I have opinions about Biden, but I am more resolute in my political leanings than ever and am likely to vote for him. He’s been accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 1993, which he denies. I’m curious about whether it’s true or not, because I would feel emotionally conflicted about voting for him if he did that. Trump has had a plethora of similar accusations lobbed at him, which he also denies. I don’t know if they were proved true, but his reputation has certainly soured my opinion of him. I should probably research further. Truth is important to me. I don’t know who I would vote for if I decided I couldn’t vote for Biden.
  • I think I spend too much time mindlessly consuming social media feeds. I’m in school now for a master’s degree and a postbacc (because I’m a bit aggressive with my goals), and I want to research more about the topics that interest me, instead of looking at pretty pictures on Instagram. I want to produce content more than I want to consume it. And when I consume it, I want it either to have a great story, lesson, or knowledge. Why do I consume such low quality content? I don’t know. So I’ve decided to sign out of accounts where I mostly consume and don’t post. I will still be on YouTube a lot, consuming, and entertainment subscriptions (like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu), but I will try to be more mindful about what I choose to watch. Watching videos is much more active for me than scrolling my feeds.
  • I’ve been thinking a lot more about personal improvement lately. I’m guessing because I have so much time at home now.
  • No one I know personally has gotten sick from COVID-19. I do know people who are at increased risk, but they are being careful.
  • I got into TikTok this past year, and I have had to stop opening the app, because it is too addicting to me.

History Today – June 20, 2018

~ Georgia Tell ~ Leave a comment

This History Today series aims to document what life is like in this period of history. I update whenever I feel like it.

Aspects of daily life:

  • I daydreamed about coming into a windfall. I’m middle class, but money still feels so elusive.
  • Because of the Trump Administration’s zero tolerance policy in relation to illegal immigration, there are children separated from their asylum-seeking parents who illegally crossed the border and immediately turn themselves into border patrol. A lot of people that I’m friends with on Facebook are donating to help — though I’m not sure who to — and posting about it in outrage. Apparently, the outrage is working. This is being compared to concentration camps and fascism. I see posts about who to call/email and annoy. It’s amazing to see so many actually doing things. Public pressure will accomplish things, if enough people are taking action.
  • I’ve been watching ASMR videos on YouTube. It doesn’t put me to sleep, but I get the tingles.
  • I visited a Sanrio store, and it reminded me of childhood. Gudetama — a depressed egg cartoon who has given up — is my favorite. Apparently, I’m not the only one who revels in the nihilism. I think that says something about the culture of today.
  • I recently spoke with a family member who expressed incredulity that I’m depressed but also not “seriously” doing anything about it. I’m actually doing a lot about it. Maybe I’m too relaxed about it. I couldn’t survive though if I didn’t laugh about it and downplay it. Maybe that’s folly. I don’t know. But it’s similar to the culture on Tumblr. I am an amalgamation of the social media platforms that I regularly frequent.

I’ve been thinking a lot about fixing problems. And I’ve come to the conclusion that solutions are different for everyone. There is no right answer.

Being hung up on trying to do something the “right” way might not be right way for every single person.

History Today – June 4, 2018

~ Georgia Tell ~ Leave a comment

This History Today series aims to document what life is like in this period of history. I update whenever I feel like it.

Aspects of daily life:

  • Facebook ads have always been a successful medium, but today was the first day they were able to successfully lure me into clicking on not one ad, but three. Technology knows me better than I know myself. It inclines me to clear my cookies and my cache, but I don’t think that would stop Facebook from knowing me.
  • I have a desire to share more of myself than ever in my life. Especially to strangers on the internet.
  • I heard a recap of the Hookup Hotline segment of 97.1 Amp Radio this morning on my drive to work. The date between a forward woman and a conscientious man went well, without a vocalized complaint by either party; they went to Malibu and had margaritas (or at least she did). I wondered how I would be on that segment, even though I’m currently engaged and not looking. Maybe it’s my love of adventure (and books) that has my mind twirling in maybes.
  • I replied to a poetry contest that I did not win, but was earnestly encouraged by. I said I was already editing. It’s the truth. I still wonder if I should enter more contests or self-publish. I love the idea of winning, but I love the power of doing it myself.
  • I did not hear about a school shooting, but I suppose that doesn’t mean there wasn’t one.
  • I’m practicing a tighter budget again, not necessarily because I need to, but because I want to challenge myself.
  • I went to Disneyland yesterday. The tickets are $117 for a single park, per person. In high school, it was way less. They take pictures of you when you enter the park, instead of hand stamps. It’s to help with fraud, I believe.
  • You can’t seem to win on the financial front unless you’re lucky, smart, or hardworking. Pick two, minimum.

I saw more than three ads today about starting my own business. I know ads are targeted, but someone has got to be running these ads, which means there’s clearly a community for this sort of thing.

I once bought the book of one of these people. While there was some good information, there was nothing that I didn’t already really know.

Perhaps we need to be babied and told stuff we already know to break out and be the people we want to be. This includes me.

Currently, I’m going through changes in my life: a move, a slight change of jobs, and launching into the completeness of my being.

I’m going to try to make part-time work sustain me while I pursue things that I need a kick in the ass to do: write more and build an unrelated business. It’s interesting that trying for things that will benefit me are so hard to get underway.

Successful people in media seem to have a gusto that I don’t think I possess, but I’ve lately been coming to the realization that they are as lost as me. I just am a bit more obvious about it. My friends and loved ones do not have as perfect lives as their social media leads me to believe.

It’s actually a breath of fresh air when someone posts a negative thing about their life on Facebook. We are not perfect, though there is this instinct to curate ourselves until we are. I have it too.