Maddy

Category: Thoughts

  • Fires in the Time of Coronavirus

    Fires in the Time of Coronavirus

    Some things that happened today, Monday, August 24: — I walked to the grocery store in full incognito mode. I hate wearing shades because they make me feel like an asshole but the smoky air left me no choice. Also, am I the only one who feels like shades create a barrier between them and…

  • Having My Cake…and Being Stressed Out, Too?

    Having My Cake…and Being Stressed Out, Too?

    I feel sad, angry, and helpless about so much: fires blazing across Northern California, coronavirus raging on, friends who are going through tough times, ongoing fights for black lives… I sit at my kitchen table each day and try to focus on work but it feels increasingly trivial. I take meetings in between reading articles…

  • Racing in the Street

    Racing in the Street

    Leslie and I were talking the other day about how we only have so many “energetic” hours in our day; namely, the first few after we wake up. My hours of peak focus and energy are probably 6am-11am, after which I become increasingly unfocused and useless. The problem with having this limited 5 hour window…

  • Guys.

    Guys.

    It’s official: I have too many feelings. It’s very inconvenient, to have this many feelings all the time. I keep meaning to finish and post the four other bits of writing I’ve started over the past few days…but, as usual, it’s now 8pm and all I’ve done since finishing work two hours ago is listen…

  • Calm on Corbett

    Calm on Corbett

    I wake every morning before 6am, not to the sound of an alarm, but to racing thoughts in my head. My anxiety has made it difficult to sleep, breathe, sit still, or relax in any capacity. A good portion of my day is spent repeating deep breaths, deep breaths over and over to myself until…

  • [NOT!!!!!] What I Eat in a Day

    [NOT!!!!!] What I Eat in a Day

    It’s been tough to write these past few weeks. It’s been tougher than usual to read. Focusing is hard. I feel drained of creative energy and, even when I do feel inspired to write, I can’t focus long enough to finish any train of thought. That being said — there are certain things that get…

  • Shenandoah Sunsets (for My Sister)

    Shenandoah Sunsets (for My Sister)

    It’s 5:04 pm on a Saturday but if I hadn’t consulted my phone I’d have no idea what time of day it was. The sky has been the same translucent grey since I woke up, making it impossible to distinguish between morning and evening. I’m typing this on my phone as I walk laps around…

  • The High Life

    The High Life

    At exactly 4:07pm on Wednesday, April 8 – four days ahead of schedule – I achieved “To-Do List Zero.”(That’s my version of “Inbox Zero” but, instead of an email inbox, refers to the weekly to-do list I write each Sunday that details everything I want to accomplish that week, both work-related and personal.) I had…

  • Mad E. Coyote

    Mad E. Coyote

    I have struggled to write anything intelligible or cohesive in the past two weeks, much less creative or fresh. Sometimes I wake up feeling optimistic and inspired and manage to type a few paragraphs, jot some notes in my journal, or start a quick sketch. But then the 20-minute coffee high wears off and reality,…

  • Hang in There, Everyone

    Hang in There, Everyone

    I’m using the boring post template I introduced back in November because I want to write more but my “well of ideas” is as dry as my skin right now (lol!). Being creative is hard when you’re someone who derives the majority of their inspiration from the outdoors. My mind – just like my body…

  • (Finally) Writing About  Springsteen

    (Finally) Writing About Springsteen

    I’ve written pages and pages about Springsteen over the years: in my journals, in notebooks, even in a few high school English class papers (those definitely got As). I have multiple unpublished drafts on this blog that attempt to describe the impact his music has had on my life, but none of them ever feel…

  • Remote.

    Remote.

    It’s 11:12am on a Wednesday (edit: posting this a few days later) and so far today I’ve had the pleasure of joining meetings via Google Hangouts, WebEx, and GoToMeeting, not to mention conversations on Slack, Google Hangout, email, and text! My only dream these days is for someone to develop a conferencing aggregation tool so…