Gina Harris's Blog, page 40

Black History Month Sharing: Week 4

This is a week late.

That I was no longer posting a piece of media daily was a factor, because that could have reminded me, but I think that it was a busy work week and I as fretting over getting the dog into the vet, which has become harder due to staffing shortages, which is why my work is so busy and also relates to not knowing when I can get my blood draw...

Well, the world is still rough, and I am not ready to go back to regular blogging.

I am still very glad that I did this.

February 22nd
Ida B. Wells

She has been my hero since high school. That was first for her anti-lynching crusade, using her writing to fight injustice. As I learned more about her, from caring for orphaned siblings, fighting discrimination on street cars, creating resources and always energetically doing good... still my hero.

Paired with "Hurricane" by Grace Jones, to give some idea of her energy. "Strange Fruit" would have fit, but unfortunately it fits for a lot of things.

February 23rd
When They See Us (2019)

Sometimes the past isn't even that far past. I remember this, and their exoneration, and I have read a book by Linda Fairstein where she uses "articulate" to describe three different Black people, a small but telling sign of her unacknowledged conforming to structural racism. Of course she continues to doubt the exoneration; she is not set up for any kind of deeper analysis.

(The book was Sexual Violence, about the building up of the "Special Victims Unit", in television terms. It used to be recommended, but I think that is less likely to happen now.)

I don't want to focus on her, but the other thing that is not past is the damage caused. We all need to be make an effort to understand it.

Paired with "Love & Hate" by Michael Kiwanuka, as featured on the soundtrack.

February 24th
Spies of Mississippi (2014)

I watched this Dawn Porter documentary when it was new (I will read the book someday), and I had to keep rewinding and watching one segment over to transcribe it, because it was so appalling. 

"The Jackson Police Department operates with the best demonstration deterrent of any city in the country. In addition to Thompson's Tank, armor-plated and equipped with nine machine gun positions, the arsenal includes cage trucks for transporting masses of arrested violators, searchlight trucks, each of which can light three city blocks in case of night riots, police dog teams, trained to trail, search a building, or disperse a mob or crowd, mounted police for controlling parades or pedestrian traffic, and compounds and detention facilities to hold and house 10000 prisoners.

Along with these ironclad police facilities are new ironclad state laws, outlawing picketing, economic boycotting and demonstrating. Other laws to control the printing and distribution of certain types of information, and laws to dampen complaints to federal authorities."

Remember, this is to fight people working on voter registration. For citizens. 

The associated book is from 2010, and making films takes a long time, so in theory this was not influenced by Ferguson, and could not have been influenced by unmarked vans in Portland, and yet, the problems remain similar.

Paired with "Misissippi Goddam" by Nina Simone.

February 25th
Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre (2021)

The difference between a lynching and a race riot is primarily one of scale. The same economic factors, the same lies, the same failures of law enforcement... they are all there. The problems remain similar.

"Strange Fruit" by Billie Holiday

February 26th
Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney

Not everything is anger and sadness. Looking up The Snowy Day before I shared it, I learned about A Poem for Peter, and started reading multiple works by Andrea Davis Pinkney, most of which were written by her illustrator husband. They create works about Black history, and art, and love for brown babies 

In fact, I had already read something of Andrea's, when I was exploring Sean Qualls, whom I found through reading disability-themed children's books.  

I had also read something from Brian's father, Caldecott medalist Jerry Pinkney (because I was reading all the Caldecott winners), and Jerry's wife and Brian's mother is an author, so I think I will explore works by them next year.

I love connection, and I love when it comes along with other things that I try and do.

Paired with "Harlem Congo" by Chick Webb, one of the tracks mentioned in Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuoso.

February 27th
Reparations Toolkit

What immediately struck me about this is how much it sounded like repentance, and that makes perfect sense. We can do things to improve, but unless we transform, and root out the white supremacy, it's not going to work. That is the change that is needed.

https://m4bl.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Reparations-Now-Toolkit-FINAL.pdf

Paired with "Up Above My Head" by Sister Rosetta Tharpe

February 28th
"Grief Over Time" - interview with Sybrina Fulton by Derecka Purnell for The Cut

Aside from the personal emotions that I still have over Trayvon Martin's death, and a normal empathy for grief, what strikes me here is this perspective of people working for similar goals, if not exactly the same, and the room for conflict between them. It may even be competition, and sabotage, if there is concern that different techniques could harm the goal. We still do that, and I am convinced it doesn't help. 

She looks to a future that I hope will be better.

https://www.thecut.com/article/sybrina-fulton-trayvon-martin-interview.html

Paired with "Hourglass" by Mary J. Blige

Black History Month Sharing: Week 3

Just one week left now. I really wanted this to be better organized, but all I can be is sincere.

February 15th
Denzel Washington (1954 -     )

When I did the director spotlight on him, it was more that I had finally watched Fences, and then it was only two other films, so why not? That led to some interviews as I tried to find out how he decided when to direct, because he doesn't do it very often. It appears to be helping underdog films get made and doing favors. Listening to him, so warm and thoughtful and mentoring, well, it made me mad at Katie Couric, especially learning that she had held back racist comments from Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but the Black man is scary.

And really, none of it is surprising, but my admiration and affection for Mr. Washington has only grown.

https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2020/03/director-spotlight-denzel-washington.html

https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2020/09/celebrity-smackdown-couric-versus.html

Paired with "Whatta Man" by En Vogue with Salt N Pepa.

February 16th
"Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power" by Audre Lorde (1978)

Lorde's writing has meant so much to me, but I am focusing on this one, because of a context in which it hit. It came at about the same time as a question about sexiness in women being equated with stupidity, and with reading something else about true sexuality being healing in its connection with and acceptance of the body. So then to read about how the erotic is connecting the physical with the emotional and spiritual, rather than the fear that tries to cast off the physical, or something else that tries to have the physical divorced from any emotional, well, I think there are some important ideas in there, that still seem beyond far too many people.

Paired with "Let's Talk About Sex" by Salt N Pepa.

February 17th
bell hooks (1952 - 2021)

I suppose hooks has been slightly outranked by Lorde, but I started reading hooks first, and she was the one who introduced me to "Dominator Culture" which was huge for me (and why I keep bringing it up all the time, years later). She also introduced me to Paolo Freire.

February 18th
Selma (2014)

This is an incredibly well done movie on an incredibly important subject. I would have given Oscars for wardrobe, directing, and the song. It only won for song. If there could only be one win, then maybe that one makes sense, because it does a good job of bridging then and now, and the fight for civil rights and voting rights is not over. There will need to be something amazingly transformational to get us to where that is no longer a problem, but hooks and Lorde would have some ideas.

Paired with "Glory" by Common and John Legend.

February 19th
March by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell (2013)

John Lewis and Andrew Aydin came to Powell's books when the first book came out. I remember him saying that he would cosplay as himself at Comic-con -- a new experience for him, which mainly meant adding a backpack to his usual look -- and also him asking me if I was getting into good trouble. 

That was not a special thing for me; good trouble was a theme for him. Getting everyone included, though, was special for him, and what is needed. Then there is also the playfulness. His death is a loss, but his rest is well-earned.

Paired with "Walk This Way" by Run DMC.

February 20th
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X Kendi (2019)

This was done with wonderful clarity and compassion. It is direct but caring, and I have to really appreciate that. Kendi takes the stance of being that friend who is going to be honest with you, but still a friend, and he does it really well.

Paired with "That's What Friends Are For" by Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, and Gladys Knight

February 21st
I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown (2018)

Also in the realm of anti-racist books, this is not as humorous, but it touched me a lot and it introduced me to Audre Lorde, which was of incalculable value. Of special note is the chapter "Whiteness At Work", where good, well-meaning people are still caught up in the structural racism, as a constant part of her work day. It shouldn't be this way, and the onus is on the white people.

Paired with "She Works Hard for the Money" by Donna Summer

Black History Month Sharing: Week 2

Another week down. I had some technical issues that caused me to skip songs for two of the days, but the sound card is functional, new speakers have been added, and I probably just need to replace the motherboard fan and maybe get a webcam now.

Enough about me.

February 8th
How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney (1971)

This gets back to my love of Lerone Bennett's work too. I often read very dry, academic works because the information is important. When someone tells you something important and in a way that various levels of readers with different amounts of background information can process, that is an amazing accomplishment, sometimes quite rare. This book was a revelation, and I have found others who have felt the same way. It may be somewhat outdated now, but it will always be important.

Paired with "I Might Have Been Queen" by Tina Turner.

February 9th
Mirror to America by John Hope Franklin (2005)

In some ways the quintessential professor of African American history, reading Franklin's history, and its issues with race. It is told with grace and love, and sometimes tragedy. It is lengthy, but also a delight.

Paired with "Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay" by Otis Redding.

February 10th
"Let America Be America Again" by Langston Hughes (1936)

Powerful, and I can imagine people nodding along, with a completely different idea of what America being America would mean, but for me it means equality for all, white supremacy eradicated, because as long as we cling to some bigotry it leaves room for more to grow. None of us are free until all of us are free.

No song today. This has its own rhythm, and my sound is out.

February 11th
Underground (2016)

This was a good show overall, and the "Minty" episode was amazing, but the strongest lasting impression comes from a moment at the end of the first season. Rosalee's brother was supposed to run with the rest of the group, and did not. As she is finally at a place of safety, she learns of her brother's death. She tells Noah that none of us are free unless all of us are free. She goes on to work with Harriet Tubman, and to try and rescue her other brother and their mother.

When I go on about "dominator culture" (and I know that I do), it is not just because that need to be able to control others causes harm directly, but even our good intentions are impeded by it. If I want racial equality or gender equality, but I won't give up my homophobia or transphobia or ableism, I am strengthening the racists and the misogynists, regardless of my intent. 

I want all of us to be free. It's going to require emphasis on the "all".

Still no song.

February 12th
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander (2010)

I was recently reading a different book on how we got to racism without racists. That "colorblindness" means that you can have a law enforcement and and prison system that is racist in practice without having to officially declare it. Alexander does a great job of tracing the path and showing the details.

Paired with "Fuck tha Police" by N.W.A

February 13th
What's Going On by Marvin Gaye (1971)

This is a profound album, with an emotional response to the times. As I listen again I am impressed with the questioning of his place in the whole. It is cosmic, but remains grounded.

Paired with the title track.

February 14th
Just Mercy (movie 2019 and book by Bryan Stevenson 2014)

I have been touched by Stevenson's work going back to a Smithsonian article back in 2012, but you learn more from the movie and the book. A lasting lesson from the book is how the racism of the legal system may be somewhat arbitrary, but that acts as intimidation for everyone else. In addition, yes, you can free a falsely accused man from prison after many years, but you can't restore his family life or the toll on his health or the time lost. 

Paired with "Mercy Mercy Me" by Marvin Gaye

Black History Month Sharing: Week 1

Since the start of the pandemic, I have become very interested in curriculum design and effective learning. 

In addition, my time in the group reading Me and White Supremacy had me thinking about going over the books I have read and trying to sort out good groups of books for different topics.

I am not quite there yet, but it occurred to me that for Black History Month I could share different things that were close to my heart each day. I would also try and make the daily songs correlate, though I am not sure I will be able to keep that up.

It occurred to me after a few days that keeping track on the blog might be nice. Jotting down a small note daily that I already posted on Facebook and tweeted is significantly easier than writing a full post.

This is not a return to regular blogging, but I will do a week's worth on Wednesdays, until all 28 have been done. I don't know what will happen next; what's new?

February 1st
Before the Mayflower by Lerone Bennett Jr. (1964)

I found this book very moving. It covers important history, but does it with compassion and elegance that is hard to find. 

Paired with "Black Man" by Stevie Wonder, also a trip through history.

February 2nd
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (1962)

Groundbreaking in depicting a Black child as the protagonist (and magical on its own), the book was a step forward in representation, and something that Keats tried to continue is his other books, where Peter and his friends have other adventures.

Paired with "Greatest Love Of All" by Whitney Houston (because "the children").

February 3rd
“Peanuts, Franklin, and Racial Representation in Cartoons”, Beyond the Scenes/ The Daily Show

I did not even know that The Daily Show had a feature where extended sessions on segments were done until a friend sent me this. Correspondent Roy Wood Jr. talks to writer Josh Johnson and cartoonist and friend of Charles Schulz Robb Armstrong.

I found it touching and interesting overall, but the most interesting part was that Franklin's creation came after concerted urging by a Los Angeles teacher, Harriet Glickman. Schulz initially did not think he should, worried that he was not the right person, but in addition to continuing to write to him, Glickman got friends to write to him.

Schulz did add Franklin, got push-back, and threatened to quit producing the strip. He needed encouragement, but once there he was determined.

So much of the pushing today is destructive shoving, but we can prod, kindly but firmly, and with reinforcements.

Paired with "Lean On Me" by Bill Withers.

February 4th
Invictus (2009)

I do love this movie, and I have seen other people react strongly to it, mostly in good ways. I also wanted to mention it in a last push to send people (at least ones in the Portland Metro Area) to Mandela: The Official Exhibition at OMSI through February 13th.

https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2021/11/omsi-mandela-official-exhibition.html

Paired with "Nkosi Sikelel iAfrica" (the South African National Anthem, featured in the movie) as sung by the Soweto Gospel Choir.

February 5th
Hair Love (2019)

Matthew Cherry's short film also has a children's book. The book is from the daughter's point of view, while the movie is from the father's, as the father has to try and live up to the mother's skill with natural hair. There is a lot of heart in both, with more humor in the movie, but it might be a painful humor for someone with similar struggles.

Paired with "Don't Touch My Hair" by Solange and featuring Sampha. 

February 6th
And the Walls Came Tumbling Down by Ralph Abernathy (1989)

A warm, insightful account of the work of the Southern Leaders Conference from Martin Luther King Jr.'s close colleague and friend, this was written twenty years later, with the benefit of hindsight. I think there is a lot to learn, even now, from this account, fortunately written shortly before Abernathy's death.

Paired with "Lift Every Voice And Sing" by Alicia Keys.

February 7th
Queen Sugar (2016 - )

I love this show. There are wonderful characters, who are not perfect (except maybe Hollywood), but they are still completely relatable and even lovable. Good dealings with grief, racism, forgiveness, masculinity, and many other subjects that are helpful to see.

Because they handle so many difficult topics in such a sensitive manner, and because the theme song is sung by Meshell Ndegeocello, paired with her cover of "Sensitivity".

Birthday post

When I wrote that I was taking a break, I really hoped it would be a short one. I could keep up with the blog during training, though it wasn't easy. Once I started taking calls, I thought there would be an adjustment period, but that I would gain experience and regain my equilibrium.

That didn't happen.

(I have been continuing to post on the other two blogs, very regularly on travel -- for which I still have nine drafts of things we have already done -- and somewhat less regularly on provident living.)

It's not that I am still struggling with how to do my job. While there are still periodically things that come up that I don't know, usually it is something that truly is weird. I am doing pretty well in general.

It is more the call volume, and even more than that my specific reaction to the call volume.

It is busy. Some of that is probably time of year, though I do have concerns that part of it is inadequate staffing and that there is a worker shortage that can't be easily solved and it will never let up. That could be true.

However, it is mainly the effect that the frequent phone ringing has on my nerves. 

I tried avoiding applying at call centers, but other types of jobs weren't hiring me. Of the places that would hire me, this was definitely the best. After my probation period is over on March 13th, I should have options for moving into other jobs within the company. I think I might do well in claims.

Here is something I know about myself: I am good at concentration. I do well with states of flow, and that can include spending time working out an intricate problem, but having a chance to focus on it.

I do love helping the people who call, for the most part; it's the start of that call, maybe when I am trying to finish logging something or read e-mail or study something that I realized that I don't know that well... that's what is getting me.

As it is, I have hives again. The last time I had them was when Mom's attention span was going, and there was constant change and difficulty in keeping her happy. It makes sense, then and now.

It's not bad knowing something about yourself. There may be frustration if there is a problem you can't solve, but identifying the problem doesn't make it a problem; that's just awareness.

So, I am still not writing for a while.

There are so many things that I have to say, but I will only flesh those thoughts out more for when I am able to write them.

Regardless, for the luck that makes my birthday a holiday, today I have time, and I will post. Today is about doing the things I have not been getting time to do.

(I know I have joked in the past that when I turned 50 I would get on Our Time while I was the hot young thing, but it is hard to think of a more annoying way to spend my limited time, and that is just not going to happen.)

Break time!

This post is late because I have an internet issue.

It is probably something really simple, but I don't know. 

My wireless connection went out this weekend. I need to use the wired connection for work. When I set up my work PC I changed my personal one to connect via the wireless. That indicates that I should be capable of fixing this, at least in theory, and yet... 

When the issue first occurred there was an error message that I should have written down or something, because it probably would have pointed me in the right direction. I didn't have time then, and time remains an issue.

Regarding time, I had been toying with the idea of taking a break from blogging to catch up on other writing. That seems like a good idea for now.

I am not planning on posting to this site until after Thanksgiving. I will continue to update the travel blog and probably the preparedness blog.

I did get through a lot with the last round of posting. More recently I have been posting random things that have felt good to write about, but it may be time to gear up for the next larger project. I am going to spend some time figuring that out.

It's easy to be productive with no internet.

 

Album Review: Pete by Jesse Valenzuela

If I recall correctly, when I saw Jesse in January 2019, he mentioned that he was working on a new album. I would periodically check for it.

Pete appears to have come out in August of last year (not that I have been prompt in reviewing it). 

I am not positive on the release date, because Jesse has been scarce on the internet for a while, deactivating his Twitter and Facebook page. The only working link from the previous reviews is the Youtube topic, though it does have a Pete playlist now with the different tracks loaded.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC24AgkfU3mTUYdbCwUtBN5A

The album is still available for purchase on Amazon and Apple Music, and can be listened to on Spotify.

While retaining social media could have been helpful for promotion of the new material, I suspect going offline might relate to the subject matter.

Pete is a very mature album, though maybe not in the way expected. 

Initially I noted the ways in which it was romantic. The album does wear its heart on its sleeve, perhaps most notably on "Love Struck Kid". However, that kid is not a kid; he does learn and is making choices more deliberately. That means there can be a decision to move on, as in "Find Me Someone", and that decision is based at least in part on valuing himself.

Perhaps the greatest thing about that maturity is that it doesn't scoff at play. The first and last tracks are -- respectively -- "Jesse's Walk On" and "Jesse's Walk Off", with actual foot steps during the walk on. (So maybe he still feels like a kid, and is certainly not "old".)

The second track "Never Coming Home", with subtle accents of trumpet and accordion, enlivening without overpowering. The overall mood is positive, but in a mellow, relaxed way.

That is the state of maturity displayed on Pete. Greater appreciation for the self and sunsets, still loving deeply, still playing, and sometimes losing but happier for knowing what to let go.

It is a state of grace.

Previous posts:

https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2015/07/band-review-jesse-valenzuela.html 

https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2019/01/concert-review-jesse-valenzuela.html

Curating music in a socially responsible way

I am not doing well enough with my daily songs.

I know, I just wrote about realizing that there is no such thing as a perfect playlist and went over specific reasons why. Still, here we are in Native American Heritage Month and I just feel like I should be more ahead of the game.

I know I want to do daily songs by native artists all month, and for there to be a playlist by the end of it. I even know which songs should start and end both the month and the playlist.

Everything else just feels like I am throwing it out there, and have to because I haven't spent enough time reviewing. I was finishing Halloween and then I will need to start on Christmas right away, and then I want to have something special for February...

I may be at the point where I mentally know that perfection is not possible, but where I have not yet emotionally accepted it.

That does sound like me.

I think part of the pressure I put on myself is because these are two areas that are so important to me. 

I love music. I am comforted by it, excited by it, thrilled by it, and fascinated by it. I could find more applicable verbs if I tried. 

Music does not mean as much to me as equality, but they are not in competition. Music can help with that. I seek out artists from marginalized groups, and that is important to me both ethically and musically.

Early on in starting the reviews, I gave each opening act their own review. Sometimes if there wasn't a lot of information or two bands played short sets, I did combine, but the really solid rule is that it doesn't matter if they are local or touring or have been together for two months and will dissolve next month or they have been doing this for nine years and scraping by with day jobs or if they are famous:  I will listen. I will hunt up their web links. I will give them a shot. 

Bands are made of people and people matter

That "people matter" part might be why I have so much trouble with bigotry.

There remains that inconvenient fact that I do not have much of a platform. It is very questionable about whether the agonizing I do over the content I put out matters at all, but it does matter to me. I know, and I have thought deeply about it, and if it comes up at some point, then I will be ready.

And I still wish I were better organized/less tired/had started working on certain things sooner.

I don't necessarily wish I had a larger platform. If more people would be better, I don't think I would need one. For now, I think I am still gearing up for whatever comes next.

Self doubt and cardboard

My conclusion yesterday was about not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. That is somewhat of a theme in my life right now.

In my last week of training -- which is basically taking phone calls but with trainers on standby -- I probably am doing pretty well, but when I hit a snag I am so hard on myself: Why don't I remember this!?! And yet, I have been here for less than two months, and they told us many things.

I have had it confirmed that no one has heard me sounding flustered or panicked, but it still really bothers me that I feel flustered or panicked.

I know I have grown in many ways, but I still regularly have difficulty accepting being human.

There are two other areas where I really need to pull myself together. Well, two that I can think of right now.

I will write about the other tomorrow, but today is more about my effort to bring my yard into harmony with nature.

The last time I covered this (in the appropriately named "Garden stress") I mentioned some plans for cardboard and mulch in the fall, and that if that was all I did it would be enough. Then, due to some orders of large flat things, I had two great cardboard boxes to use; I was so thrilled.

I recently read a comment about how bad the cardboard chemicals are.

I am not sure I believe it. Lots of other people use cardboard and newspapers, and it seems to be okay, but...

WHAT IF I AM MAKING A TERRIBLE MISTAKE?

Okay, the area where I was planning to use it was not going to be for human food, but the whole point of so much of what I want to do is for there to be food for insects and birds and all the small creatures. I don't want to poison them.

I had a lot of fun this Halloween, but the thing I hated most was that I hadn't grown any pumpkins. Some of that was weather issues, and I figured out what I would have done differently, but I want to try it again and get it right.

Could thinking about "getting it right" be setting me up for disappointment? Is there such a thing as getting it right?

If your brain does similar things to you, you have my sympathies. 

 Please don't mind if I am a little distracted by what to do with this cardboard.

Never as planned

I have completed my first week of the Turkey Trot.

If you will recall, there are many Turkey Trots. This one is a 28 day, 280000 step challenge that I am doing through https://walkertracker.com/. It is supposed to be tracing a path in the shape of a turkey, but I can never get the map to load. Knowing my virtual location on the path would be fun, but the real goal was to move more, and I am.

With effort, I have been able to keep up with the challenge. 

Working at home and only doing things around the house, it would be easy to stay somewhere around 4000 steps per day. With a desk job, it is easy to become glued to the chair and get quite stiff.

Adding in some walking in place or dancing or taking extra trips to do mundane tasks can get that over 10000, but that requires attention and monitoring. That is what makes this valuable.

(Only about 2400 extra steps have come from walking outside so far; it's been pretty dark and rainy out there.)

There was some early panic.

I saw that the challenge was supposed to start on October 25th. When I went to enter that first day, I saw that the site runs its weeks Sunday through Saturday. Who does that? Oh no! I had missed a day!

That led to me making myself get 11000 steps for the first two days, hoping that I could still make the weekly total with a little extra during the work week and then I hoped for a big push on Saturday.

The challenge did, in fact, start on Monday. I overreacted, but I primed to do so because of my procrastination.

I mentioned that I had to order a pedometer. It arrived about a week before the start. In my mind I was going to get it all programmed, then do some testing of different tasks and distances, and I would start the actual challenge out all prepared and organized.

I got hung up early on the reset button not working. It does work, but you have to hold it down for an extended period of time. Given how frustrating unintentional resets can be, this is a good feature. Reading the directions and testing it sorted that out, which I finally got around to the night of the 24th, the day I thought I had missed. 

I still haven't set the clock.

That doesn't really matter. I mean, preparedness is nice, but without that I have already figured out that the average song is 500 steps, changing the litter boxes is 1200 steps, and one loop around the park is 800 steps.

There was nothing wrong with the original vision, other than that it wasn't going to happen and thinking that it needed to happen and not getting there caused some delays and frustration.

So, perhaps in this time period where I am starting a new job and getting caught up on things, this may be the wrong time to let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

Related post:

https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2021/10/one-more-thing-about-work.html