I took a week off from my day job to enjoy some time at the beach. I needed the break and, thankfully, the weather was nice. I even got some writing done (though not as much as I would have liked). I'm still trying to get my writing back on track and hope to have some other stuff in my life wrapped up (like the sale of my place in Illinois) so I can fully move forward with my life in Michigan. One day at a time, folks. One day at a time.
I really hope the midterm election predictions to overturn the US House and Senate control are true because it's past time to get as many of Donny T's bootlickers out of the government (or stop them from getting into the government). No politician is perfect and no politician will be all things to all people, but the choice between someone who's going to basically bow at feet of our current POTUS and someone who won't is not something I even have to think twice about. The last thing we need is another sycophant in the government, bending at the knee and saying, "Yes, sir. May I have another?" to Donny. Ugh. Sure, there's always time for the Democrats to blow things (as they've done so often lately), but I'm keeping hope alive this time around that they won't. And I'll do my part to help move the needle in a much-needed different direction.
Since my move back to my home state of Michigan a few weeks ago, I've been working hard trying to get my apartment in order. When you basically have to restock your groceries from scratch and resupplying home goods that didn't make the move from your former home, you end up spending a lot of money. Every trip to the grocery store or Walmart ends up costing more than you thought and there's always something else you need like a lamp or a rug. I ended up having to buy a new bed a week ago because my old one from Illinois decided to fall apart after the move. It wasn't in the greatest shape anyway, but I thought it could last until next year. How wrong I was. As much as I like my new bed, it cost money I didn't plan on spending. The mattress (and required box spring) were more than the bed itself! I'm still trying to recover from my moving costs and then I had to spend more money on a bed. Yes, I had planned for this move and I'd been saving for it, but now I need to recoup those funds. I'm also still paying for my place in Illinois that has yet to sell. I'm not stressing about that now, but I really hope that place finds a buyer before the year ends so I don't go into 2027 still paying for it. With interest rates going up and the holidays just around the corner, the home buying market is going to shrink. I hightly doubt I'll get a buyer between Thanksgiving and Christmas and I'd like to pay my mortgage off and get whatever I can from that place this year. But, in spite of all of this, I feel I made the right decision to move. I'm in a better place physically and mentally. One day at a time, folks. One day at a time.
It's been a busy few weeks, but I have officially moved back to my home state of Michigan and I'm glad to be here. As someone who used to move quite a lot during my 20s and 30s, I can say as someone a few decades older now that moving is harder when you're older. The packing and the purging really wore me out this time around. If I move again, I think I'd pay the movers to pack my stuff up. I did a good job with my packing this time around and nothing was damaged (that I've seen; I still have a few boxes to open). But dealing with boxes, bubble wrap, tape, packing paper, etc. was really time-consuming.
I was really lucky that my movers got my stuff unloaded last Thursday before a huge storm blew into metro Detroit. I'm settling into my new place and I still have to sell my old place in Illinois. My hope is that I'm able to sell my co-op before the end of this year. I certainly don't want to go into 2027 paying rent in Michigan and a mortgage in Illinois.
It's time (past time really) to move on to the next phase of my life. I largely enjoyed my time in Illinois, but now is the time for me to back home with family in the mitten state. 🧤
I was sorry to hear that Dolly Parton died yesterday. Count me in as one of Dolly's many fans. Her voice was so wonderful and she just brought so much joy to people through her music, her life, and her actions. She will be sorely missed.
One of my favorite Dolly Parton songs is "Here You Come Again" and I recently read that she didn't write that song, but it was her first crossover hit. It's such a lovely song and she puts so much emotion into the lyrics. I thought about that song a lot when I wrote my last short story "Whenever, Wherever, Whatever" and it's referenced in the story when one character shows up at the door of the man he walked out on, who sees him and says, "This isn't a Dolly Parton song, Jonathan. I'm not going to sing Here You Come Again and fall back into bed with you." But, of course, that's exactly what he does! (Well, maybe he doesn't sing Dolly's song, but he sure falls back into bed with Jonathan.)
RIP, Dolly.
Living in the Chicago area, news of the power outages in parts of Indiana that border Illinois, like Gary, has been frequent on the location TV stations and in the local papers. It's a damn shame that some people have been going without power for 10 days now, but it's no surprise to me that places like Gary, a poor, largely black city, has been hit especially hard. Is it a coincidence that power restoration has been slow in a city that's economically disadvantaged? Not bloody likely! Poor communities get poor responses from the government and just about everyone including utility companies. Wealthier communities have more clout to make people hear them when they're dissatisfied with something and their cries usually bring swift action. But when you live in a community where people are struggling to survive on a daily basis, your cries often go ignored. For the United States to have so much wealth and power, some citizens are left behind and rendered largely powerless, unfortunately. It shouldn't be like this, but it is.
My July sucked ass. Just about the whole month was horrible for me due to illness, the heat, the wildfire smoke, and other stuff. I'm so glad to put that month in my rear view and I'm hoping August turns the page and is much better. So far, so good (but I know we're only 5 days in).
I recently returned from a visit to my home state of Michigan and I'll be heading back to the mitten state for a return visit. It's not a terrible drive from Illinois because it's pretty much a straight shot on I-94, but it's still a long drive and the traffic is bad in certain areas, particularly in Illinois and right across the border into Indiana. Then you add pockets of construction in Michigan along with that and you've got a not-so-great drive. Still, I always feel when I make the drive that you're never out in the middle of nowhere for long. You hit so many decent-sized cities along the way that it's comforting to know you don't have miles of barren highway ahead of you.
In the coming months, I'm planning some personal changes in my life that (I hope) will be positive. I'm also hoping after I get these changes underway that I'll get back to writing because that task has been sorely neglected by me for some time. I just haven't felt like doing it, but I do have a story in the works (and it's been in the works for some time). I'm really going to work to get that done by the end of the year.
Stay tuned!
