Sunrise Over 2021

07 January 2021

NOTE: I originally wrote this post before January 6th, when pro-Trump insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol and mounted the biggest threat to American democracy since the Civil War. I’m having a hard time feeling quite so positive today, on January 7th, but this post still honors the way I felt 24 hours ago and will hopefully feel again soon.

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Lockdown Revisited: Fake It 'Til You Make It

30 July 2020

My advice for the week: If you’re feeling down in lockdown, put on a (fake) happy face.

Heather wearing fake smile mask
My new facemask (like an actual face. mask.) from Anouk de Vries Design.

I haven’t blogged about the lockdown for a couple of weeks, and I feel like I’ve built up all these lockdown thoughts and ideas but haven’t been able to share them. So here they are, in no particular order.

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Knitting (Lockdown Day 90)

24 June 2020

About six months ago, I decided to take up knitting.

Heather’s knitting

It was January, a time for new beginnings and all that. I had just gone through a breakup – number six of seven (or thereabouts) in an endlessly on-again-off-again relationship. South Africa was experiencing regular bouts of loadshedding (planned rolling power outages). I was desperate for a hobby that: 1) doesn’t require electricity or internet; 2) keeps me off my phone; and 3) allows me to shut off my noisy brain.

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The COVID-19 Paradox (Lockdown Day 78)

12 June 2020

It’s Day 78 of the South African lockdown. Today I don’t care.

Since I don’t care about photography or anything else today, here’s a picture I shot during a photowalk in Braamfontein back in 2011. I discovered it while archiving old photos – the only work-related task I could manage today because it requires almost zero mental energy.

The cold front has finally descended and the low temperatures have turned my brain to sludge. We had a high of 9 degrees Celsius (48 Fahrenheit) today. This morning it was a blustery -2.

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Five Good Things That Have Happened to Me During Lockdown (Day 76)

10 June 2020

It’s Day 76 of the South African lockdown, and I have now blogged on 71 of the last 79 days. (I started my Lockdown Journal three days before the lockdown began.)

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My Love Life Under Lockdown (Day 70)

04 June 2020

It’s Day 70 of the South African lockdown. Perhaps this is a sign that I’ve truly lost my mind, but I’m going to get real and blog about my love life today.

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