2020? Hold my beer…

I’ve been taking a much needed social media break from Facebook and Twitter, but the events of the last few days with all the turmoil in the USA, have gotten me bouncing around the internet again. It really gets me that some people feel the way they do when certain facts are presented to them. (I’m being intentionally vague here because I don’t want this blog to get into political discussions.) It also gets me crazy the way that some people in the media act, when it should be counter to their proclaimed values and principals. In any case, my anxiety has shot through the roof.

I had a great winter break with the family. We managed not to get in each other’s hair too much, we had some fun together. And we went on a much needed trip to the country, where we social-distanced the shit out of the place. I usually take these times and drink heavily (to a point), when I know I don’t have to drive the family anywhere for a while, and I know that I don’t have the same responsibilities that I have when we’re home. My suburban daughter loves to run out in the early morning to feed the chickens when we’re out there. I wish she had more energy for the stuff I need her to do around the house. You all know what I mean.

So when I get home, I usually cut back on the drinking again. I need to be “on” for when school starts again. This week was the first week back, and both the Ms. and the child started their classes back up. Our daily schedule should just magically switch back, right?

I should mention here about my anxiety. I take meds that help me get through the day, but they don’t seem to work the way I expect them to work. I can’t really explain it, but I’ve been feeling on the edge a lot of the time. Note to self, I need to make an appointment with my psychiatrist.

Anywho, Mr. Mom needs to spend an inordinate amount of his day watching his kid’s screen while she’s in her distance-learning classes. I haven’t posted the story on this yet, but she has not been safe online, and I am the sole person who can make sure that she stays safe online moving forward. For a short time, I was sitting directly behind her computer. She would tend to drift to doing something else while her teacher was talking. Just sitting next to her without seeing her screen wasn’t doing the job. She’s gotten better lately, and I’ve moved my location into another room where I can see her screen, and it’s less easy for her to distract herself by talking to me, as well. I’ve been giving her a bit of breathing space, and I need mine. But with all the news of this week, I’ve been more distracted and haven’t been doing my due diligence in making sure she stays on task and not going to weird websites that her school doesn’t block.

So the result of this is that I’ve been drinking more lately, which is not something I should be doing. I start drinking around dinner time and usually don’t stop until I go to sleep. Not a ton of drinking, mind you. Just enough to where it’s becoming a problem lately. Like, I had almost an entire bottle of wine to myself last night. Some might not think that’s a lot, but it’s a lot for me. I’m sipping on my gin and tonic as I type.

So, I’m looking forward to things in the world getting better, for our country to heal, and for successful vaccines that can help everyone get moving around again.

Here’s to a happy, healthy 2021!